Substrate processing method and substrate processing device

Abstract

A predetermined process is performed on two target substrates using a substrate processing device that includes two processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the two target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the two processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for collectively exhausting the gases inside the two processing parts. A first mode is executed in which an HF gas and an NH 3 gas are supplied to one of the two processing parts, and the HF gas is not supplied to the other of the two processing parts. Subsequently, a second mode is executed in which the HF gas and the NH 3 gas are supplied to the two processing parts under the same gas conditions. In the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the two processing parts.

1 . A substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere using a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner, the method comprising:
 performing a first mode in which a first gas is supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and a second gas different from the first gas is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust a processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts; and   subsequently, performing a second mode in which the first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gas from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism,   wherein, in the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing method of  claim 1 , wherein the performing a first mode includes controlling an amount of the second gas supplied to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to prevent the pressure difference from occurring between the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing method of  claim 1 , wherein the second gas is at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas that is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing method of  claim 3 , wherein the performing a first mode includes:
 performing, in the portion of the plurality of processing parts, the substrate process using the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates; and   bypassing, in the another portion of the plurality of processing parts, the substrate process by supplying the second gas as a supplement gas instead of supplying the first gas which is the processing gas for the plurality of target substrates.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing method of  claim 4 , further comprising: prior to the performing the first mode, stabilizing pressures of the plurality of processing parts by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with a pressure regulating gas,
 wherein the stabilizing pressures includes setting a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas to a level at which the first gas used as the processing gas and the second gas used as the supplement gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gas toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process.   
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing method of  claim 5 , wherein a portion of the gases supplied during the substrate process, which is not used for the substrate process, is used as the pressure regulating gas, and the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures is set to be larger than a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process. 
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing method of  claim 6 , wherein the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilizing pressures is set to be three times or more the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process. 
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing method of  claim 4 , wherein a dilution gas for diluting the first gas is used as the second gas. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . A substrate processing device for performing a predetermined process on a plurality of target substrates under a vacuum atmosphere, comprising:
 a plurality of processing parts, each of which configured to perform a substrate process on each of the plurality of target substrates;   a gas supply mechanism configured to separately supply processing gases to the plurality of processing parts;   a common exhaust mechanism configured to exhaust the processing gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner; and   a controller configured to control the gas supply mechanism and the common exhaust mechanism to execute the substrate process on the plurality of target substrates in a sequence of first and second modes,   wherein the first mode involves supplying a first gas to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and supplying a second gas different from the first gas to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust the processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts, and   the second mode involves supplying the first gas as the processing gases to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gases from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism,   wherein, in the first mode, the controller controls such that a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.   
     
     
         15 . The substrate processing device of  claim 14 , wherein the controller controls, in the first mode, an amount of the second gas supplied to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts so as to prevent the pressure difference from occurring between the portion of the plurality of processing parts and the another portion of the plurality of processing parts. 
     
     
         16 . The substrate processing device of  claim 14 , wherein the second gas is at least one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas that is not reactive with the plurality of target substrates. 
     
     
         17 . The substrate processing device of  claim 16 , wherein the controller controls in the first mode such that the substrate process is performed using the first gas which is the processing gases for the plurality of target substrates in the portion of the plurality of processing parts, and the substrate process is not performed by supplying the second gas as a supplement gas to the another portion of the plurality of processing parts, instead of supplying the first gas which is the processing gases for the plurality of target substrates. 
     
     
         18 . The substrate processing device of  claim 17 , wherein the controller controls such that, prior to the first mode of the substrate process, pressures of the plurality of processing parts are stabilized by regulating the pressures of the plurality of processing parts with a pressure regulating gas,
 wherein in the stabilization, a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas is controlled to be set to a level at which the first gas used as the processing gas and the second gas used as the supplement gas are suppressed from backwardly diffusing between the plurality of processing parts, and a flow of the pressure regulating gas toward the common exhaust mechanism is formed, in the first mode of the substrate process.   
     
     
         19 . The substrate processing device of  claim 18 , wherein a portion of the gases supplied during the substrate process, which is not used for the substrate process, is used as the pressure regulating gas,
 wherein the controller controls such that the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilization is set to be larger than a flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process.   
     
     
         20 . The substrate processing device of  claim 19 , wherein the controller controls such that the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas in the stabilization is set to be three times or more the flow rate of the pressure regulating gas used in the substrate process. 
     
     
         21 . The substrate processing device of  claim 17 , wherein a dilution gas for diluting the first gas is used as the second gas. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . A storage medium storing a program that operates on a computer and controls a substrate processing device that includes a plurality of processing parts for performing a substrate process on each of a plurality of target substrates, a gas supply mechanism for separately supplying gases to the plurality of processing parts, and a common exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gases inside the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner,
 wherein the program, when executed, causes the computer to control the substrate processing device so as to perform a substrate processing method,   the method comprising:   performing a first mode in which a first gas is supplied to a portion of the plurality of processing parts and a second gas different from the first gas is supplied to another portion of the plurality of processing parts, while controlling the common exhaust mechanism so as to exhaust a processing gas in common from the plurality of processing parts; and   subsequently, performing a second mode in which the first gas as the processing gas is supplied to all of the plurality of processing parts under the same gas conditions, while exhausting the processing gas from the plurality of processing parts in a collective manner by the common exhaust mechanism,   wherein, in the first mode, a pressure difference is prevented from occurring between the plurality of processing parts.