Substrate processing system, gas supply unit, method of substrate processing, computer program, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a technique for uniformly processing a substrate surface in the process of processing a substrate by supplying a gas. The inside of a shower head having gas-jetting pores for supplying a gas to a substrate is partitioned into a center section from which a gas is supplied to the center portion of a substrate, and a peripheral section from which a gas is supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate, and the same process gas is supplied to the substrate from these two sections at flow rates separately regulated. The distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section is set 53% or more of the radius of the substrate. Moreover, an additional gas is further supplied to the peripheral portion of the substrate.

1 . A substrate processing system comprising: 
 a processing vessel,    a table that is placed in the processing vessel and on which a substrate will be placed,    a gas supply unit set on the top of the processing vessel facing the table, including a center section that corresponds to the center portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, and a peripheral section that corresponds to the peripheral portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores,    a first-gas supply means of supplying a common gas to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit at flow rates separately regulated,    a second-gas supply means of supplying an additional gas, in addition to the common gas, to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit, and    a means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section being 53% or more of the radius of the substrate.    
   
   
       2 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first-gas supply means has a plurality of gas supply sources for supplying different gases, 
 a plurality of gases supplied from a plurality of the gas supply sources are mixed, and the gas mixture is divided into two streams and supplied as the common gas to the center and peripheral sections separately.    
   
   
       3 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the common gas contains an etching gas and a gas having the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the side faces of projections on the substrate, the ratio of the flow rate of the former gas to that of the latter gas in the center section being the same as said ratio in the peripheral section, and 
 the additional gas has the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the side faces of projections on the substrate.    
   
   
       4 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 3 , wherein the additional gas having the property of depositing on the substrate is a gas of a compound containing carbon and hydrogen.  
   
   
       5 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 4 , wherein the etching gas is for etching silicon nitride film on the substrate.  
   
   
       6 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 3 , wherein the etching gas is for etching silicon nitride film on the substrate, and the additional gas having the property of protecting the side faces of projections is nitrogen gas.  
   
   
       7 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 3 , useful for making lines in a thin film on the substrate by etching.  
   
   
       8 . The substrate processing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the pressure at which the substrate is processed in the processing vessel is regulated to 1.3-40 Pa.  
   
   
       9 . A gas supply unit set on a processing vessel in which a substrate is placed, including a center section that corresponds to the center portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, and a peripheral section that corresponds to the peripheral portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, 
 a common gas being supplied to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit at flow rates separately regulated,    an additional gas being supplied, in addition to the common gas, to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit,    the distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section being 53% or more of the radius of the substrate.    
   
   
       10 . The gas supply unit according to  claim 9 , wherein a plurality of gases supplied from a plurality of gas supply sources for supplying different gases are mixed, and the gas mixture is divided into two streams and supplied as the common gas to the center and peripheral sections separately.  
   
   
       11 . The gas supply unit according to  claim 9 , wherein the common gas contains an etching gas and a gas having the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the side faces of projections on the substrate, the ratio of the flow rate of the former gas to that of the latter gas in the center section is the same as said ratio in the peripheral section, and 
 the additional gas has the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the sides of projections on the substrate.    
   
   
       12 . A method of processing a substrate by the use of a substrate processing system comprising: 
 a processing vessel,    a table that is placed in the processing vessel and on which a substrate will be placed,    a gas supply unit set on the top of the processing vessel facing the table, including of a center section that corresponds to the center portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, and a peripheral section that corresponds to the peripheral portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores,    a first-gas supply means of supplying a common gas to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit at flow rates separately regulated,    a second-gas supply means of supplying an additional gas, in addition to the common gas, to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit, and    a means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the method comprising the steps of:    supplying to the substrate from the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit the common process gas that has been supplied to the two sections by the first-gas supply means at flow rates separately regulated,    supplying, in addition to the common process gas, the additional gas that has been supplied to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit by the second-gas supply means, to the substrate from the peripheral section, and    evacuating the processing vessel with the means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section being 53% or more of the radius of the substrate.    
   
   
       13 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 12 , wherein the first-gas supply means has a plurality of gas supply sources for supplying different gases, and 
 the step of supplying the common gas to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit is a step in which a plurality of gases supplied from a plurality of the gas supply sources are mixed, and the gas mixture is divided into two streams and supplied as the common gas to the center and peripheral sections separately.    
   
   
       14 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 12 , wherein the common gas contains an etching gas and a gas having the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the side faces of projections on the substrate, the ratio of the flow rate of the former gas to that of the latter gas in the center section being the same as said ratio in the peripheral section, and 
 the additional gas has the property of depositing on the substrate or of protecting the side faces of projections on the substrate.    
   
   
       15 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 14 , wherein the additional gas having the property of depositing on the substrate is a gas of a compound containing carbon and hydrogen.  
   
   
       16 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 15 , wherein the etching gas is for etching silicon nitride film on the substrate.  
   
   
       17 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 14 , wherein the etching gas is for etching silicon nitride film on the substrate, and the additional gas having the property of protecting the side faces of projections is nitrogen gas.  
   
   
       18 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 12 , for making lines in a thin film on the substrate by etching.  
   
   
       19 . The method of substrate processing according to  claim 12 , wherein the pressure at which the substrate is processed in the processing vessel is regulated to 1.3-40 Pa.  
   
   
       20 . A computer program for allowing a computer to perform a method of substrate processing, 
 the method of substrate processing being for processing a substrate by the use of a substrate processing system comprising,    a processing vessel,    a table that is placed in the processing vessel and on which a substrate will be placed,    a gas supply unit set on the top of the processing vessel facing the table, including a center section that corresponds to the center portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, and a peripheral section that corresponds to the peripheral portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores,    a first-gas supply means of supplying a common gas to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit at flow rates separately regulated,    a second-gas supply means of supplying an additional gas, in addition to the common gas, to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit, and    a means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the method comprising the steps of:    supplying to the substrate from the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit the common process gas that has been supplied to the two sections by the first-gas supply means at flow rates separately regulated,    supplying, in addition to the common process gas, the additional gas that has been supplied to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit by the second-gas supply means, to the substrate from the peripheral section, and    evacuating the processing vessel with the means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section being 53% or more of the radius of the substrate.    
   
   
       21 . A storage medium in which a computer program for allowing a computer to perform a method of substrate processing is stored, 
 the method of substrate processing being for processing a substrate by the use of a substrate processing system comprising:    a processing vessel,    a table that is placed in the processing vessel and on which a substrate will be placed,    a gas supply unit set on the top of the processing vessel facing the table, including a center section that corresponds to the center portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores, and an peripheral section that corresponds to the peripheral portion of the substrate and has a large number of gas-jetting pores,    a first-gas supply means of supplying a common gas to the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit at flow rates separately regulated,    a second-gas supply means of supplying an additional gas, in addition to the common gas, to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit, and    a means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the method comprising the steps of:    supplying to the substrate from the center and peripheral sections of the gas supply unit the common process gas that has been supplied to the two sections by the first-gas supply means at flow rates separately regulated,    supplying, in addition to the common process gas, the additional gas that has been supplied to the peripheral section of the gas supply unit by the second-gas supply means, to the substrate from the peripheral section, and    evacuating the processing vessel with the means of evacuating the processing vessel,    the distance from the center of the center section of the gas supply unit to the outermost gas-jetting pores in the center section being 53% or more of the radius of the substrate.