Semiconductor manufacturing system

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for effectively suppressing the generation of particles resulting from peeling-off of unnecessary films that have unavoidably adhered to the inner surface of the reaction tube of an ALD film-forming apparatus. A precoating process utilizing ALD is performed to deposit a metal oxide film, e.g., an aluminum oxide film, onto the unnecessary films, in order to prevent peeling-off of the unnecessary films. The type and/or position of the nozzle for supplying ozone, as a precoat gas, into the reaction tube during the precoating process is different from that of the nozzle for supplying ozone, as a film-forming gas, into the reaction tube during forming of a film on a semiconductor substrate.

1 . A semiconductor manufacturing system, including a reaction vessel and at least one film-forming nozzle for supplying at least one film-forming gas into the reaction vessel, configured to form a film on a semiconductor substrate disposed within the reaction vessel by supplying the film-forming gas into the reaction vessel to repeat atomic or molecular level deposition, 
 wherein the semiconductor manufacturing system further includes at least one coating nozzle for supplying at least one kind of coating gas into the reaction vessel to coat a component exposed to an atmosphere within the reaction vessel, and at least one of said at least one coating nozzle is separated from said at least one film-forming nozzle.    
   
   
       2 . The semiconductor manufacturing system according, to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said at least one kind of film-forming gas includes a first film-forming gas and a second film-forming gas, and said at least one coating gas includes a first coating gas and a second coating gas;    the first film-forming gas is the same as the first coating gas; and    a coating nozzle for supplying the first coating gas is separated from a film-forming nozzle for supplying the first film-forming gas.    
   
   
       3 . The semiconductor manufacturing system according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the second film-forming gas is a metal-containing gas;    the second coating gas is a metal-containing gas; and    both the first film-forming gas and the first coating gas are ozone.    
   
   
       4 . The semiconductor manufacturing system according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the semiconductor manufacturing system is a batch-type system adapted to accommodate a plurality of semiconductor substrates in the reaction vessel to perform a film forming process to the semiconductor substrates collectively;    the reaction vessel has an exhaust port for evacuating an interior of the reaction vessel;    the film-forming nozzle for supplying the first film-forming gas is a distributing nozzle having a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging the first film-forming gas toward the plurality of semiconductor substrates from their sides; and    the coating nozzle for supplying the first coating gas has a nozzle hole which opens in the reaction vessel at a position farther from the exhaust port than a region in which the plurality of semiconductor substrates are disposed.    
   
   
       5 . The semiconductor manufacturing system according to  claim 4 , wherein: 
 the second film-forming gas is a metal-containing gas;    the second coating gas is a metal-containing gas; and    both the first film-forming gas and the first coating gas are ozone.    
   
   
       6 . The semiconductor manufacturing system according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said at least one kind of film-forming gas includes a third film-forming gas; and    the third film-forming gas is the same as the second coating gas.