Processing method for conservation of processing gases

Abstract

In order to facilitate control of a circulating gas, in a processing apparatushaving a showerheadfor supplying a processing gas into a processing chamber via a plurality of gas supply holes, a turbo pumpfor evacuating the processing gas from the processing chamberand a circulating gas pipingfor returning at least a portion (circulating gas Q) of the exhaust gas evacuated from the processing chamber by the turbo pump to the showerhead, the showerhead is provided with a primary gas supply system that supplies a primary gas Qsupplied from a gas sourceinto the processing chamber via a plurality of primary gas outlet holes hand a circulating gas supply system that supplies the circulating gas into the processing chamber via a plurality of circulating gas supply holes h, with the primary gas supply system and the circulating gas supply system constituted as systems independent of each other. Since the primary gas and the circulating gas are allowed to become mixed only in the processing chamber, the circulating gas can be controlled with a greater degree of ease without having to implement pressure control.