Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Multizone chamber
Patent
1993-10-13
1994-12-13
Bueker, Richard
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Multizone chamber
118715, 414217, 156345, C23C 1600
Patent
active
053726472
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for forming thin film.
BACKGROUND ART
Hereinbelow, the background art will be explained using as an example a semiconductor wafer.
Conventionally, the transferring of wafers between apparatuses for film formation (insulation film, conductive film), etching, cleaning, and the like, was conducted in the Following manner. That is to say, for example, upon completion of film formation, the wafer was removed from the film formation apparatus and placed within a clean room, the wafer was then placed on a wafer carrier 15 such as that shown in FIG. 6 or the like, and this was then moved within the clean room to the apparatus in which the subsequent processes were conducted, for example, an etching apparatus.
However, upon investigation by the present inventors, it was discovered that even within a clean room, when the wafer was exposed to the atmosphere, a natural oxide film was formed on the wafer surface, and that contaminant elements such as Na, Fe, and the like, became attached to the wafer surface. That is to say, it cannot be assumed that the environment within a clean room is always "clean".
Furthermore, when formation of a conductive thin film was conducted in a state in which this type of natural oxide film had been formed or such contaminant elements had been attached, there was a risk that contact resistances would be spoiled, and furthermore, when the formation of a thermal oxidation film was conducted, there was a risk that breakdown voltage characteristics would be spoiled.
The present invention:has as an object thereof to provide an apparatus for forming a thin film which does not spoil contact resistances and breakdown voltage characteristics.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The above-described problems are solved by an apparatus for forming a thin film which is so, designed that at least one of a first, second, and third transferring means are kept in an atmosphere of an inert gas or of air having a moisture concentration of 10 ppb or less, the first transferring means being for transferring semiconductor substrate bodies from a device for exposing the surfaces of semiconductor substrate bodies to a device for forming conductive thin films on the exposed surfaces, the second transferring means being for transferring semiconductor substrate bodies from the device for exposing the surfaces of semiconductor substrates to a device for forming thermal oxidation films on the exposed surfaces, and the third transferring means being for transferring substrate bodies from a device for exposing the surfaces of metallic wirings formed on substrate bodies to a device for forming a conductive thin film on the surfaces of the metallic wirings.
The function of the present invention will be explained hereinbelow along with the detailed structure of the present invention.
Here, what is meant by a process for the exposure of a substrate body surface is a process, in which for example, in the state in which an insulation film is formed over the entire surface of a substrate, a portion of the insulation film is removed by means of reactive ion etching (RIE), thus forming a contact hole, and the substrate body surface is cleanly exposed.
Furthermore, what is meant by a process for the exposure of the surface of metallic wirings formed on a substrate body is a process, in which for example, in a state in which an insulation film is formed over the entire surface of a metal formed on a substrate body, a portion of the insulation film is removed by means of reactive ion etching, thus forming a through hole, and the surface of the metallic wirings formed on the substrate body surface is cleanly exposed.
The present inventors have discovered that, in the case in which a conductive thin film or a thermal oxidation film is to be formed on a surface exposed in this manner, the exposed surface must not be exposed to the atmosphere. That is to say, as noted above, it was discovered that, in the case in which a conductive thin film is to be formed, or in th
REFERENCES:
patent: 4498416 (1985-02-01), Bouchaib
patent: 5292393 (1994-03-01), Maydan
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