Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Running length work
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-25
2001-02-13
Lund, Jeffrie R. (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Running length work
C118S715000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06187101
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing device used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, a solar battery, and the like, more particularly to a substrate processing device such as a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) device, an etching device, an ashing device, and a sputtering device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the substrate used for a liquid crystal display device becomes larger, the size of substrate processing devices such as a CVD device, an etching device, an ashing device, and a sputtering device increases correspondingly. Therefore, in the case of a plasma processing device of a parallel plate type, for example, it is becoming more and more difficult to perform a uniform process for the entire surface of a substrate.
As a method for solving this problem, a substrate processing device that consecutively processes a substrate while conveying it through an elongated linear-shaped processing zone has been suggested as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 8-279498. The substrate processing device having such an elongated linear-shaped processing zone is shown in FIG.
6
.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, in a substrate processing device
600
having an elongated linear-shaped processing zone
10
, a substrate holder
3
carrying a substrate
4
is conveyed through a vacuum chamber
1
by a conveyor mechanism
5
while the substrate
4
is heated by a heating section
2
.
On the other hand, an excitation gas introduced from an excitation gas introduction nozzle
6
is excited by an RF electrode
8
through a dielectric window
16
. Also, a reaction gas is introduced by a reaction gas introduction nozzle
7
. The excitation gas and the reaction gas pass through the processing zone
10
so as to be discharged from a vacuum discharge outlet
9
positioned parallel to the processing zone
10
. When the substrate
4
passes through the processing zone
10
containing the excitation gas and the reaction gas as the surface of the substrate
4
is consecutively processed.
However, in the substrate processing device
600
described above, when the substrate
4
and the substrate holder
3
pass through the processing zone
10
, spatial changes occur within the processing zone
10
due to the substrate
4
and the substrate holder
3
taking respectively different positions as shown in
FIGS. 7A through 7C
. Accordingly, the direction and rate of the flow of the processing gas near the surface of the substrate
4
may vary correspondingly. This results in a problem in that that the substrate
4
may be subjected to non-uniform processing, for example.
Moreover, because the processing gas diffuses to areas other than the processing zone
10
, reaction components may adhere to be deposited as dust on the inner walls, observation window, and the like of the vacuum chamber
1
.
FIGS. 7A
,
7
B, and
7
C, sequentially, illustrate how the substrate
4
is conveyed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of this invention, a substrate processing device includes: a conveyor mechanism provided in a vacuum chamber for conveying a substrate thereon; a heating section provided within the vacuum chamber for heating the substrate; and a processing gas introduction section for introducing a processing gas to a processing zone within the vacuum chamber. A surface of the substrate is consecutively subjected to a predetermined process by: introducing a flow of the processing gas from the processing gas introduction section into the processing zone; conveying the substrate into and past the processing zone by means of the conveyor mechanism while heating the substrate by means of the heating section. The substrate processing device further includes an inert gas supplying section provided in the vacuum chamber for supplying an inert gas for controlling the flow of the processing gas.
In one embodiment of the invention, the inert gas supplying section includes a first inert gas supplying section for supplying a first inert gas for controlling the flow of the processing gas so as not to substantially escape from the processing zone.
In another embodiment of the invention, the first inert gas supplying section substantially surrounds the processing zone.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the substrate processing device further includes a separation wall provided in the vacuum chamber for separating the processing zone from a remainder of the space in the vacuum chamber, the separation wall surrounding the processing zone.
In still yet another embodiment of the invention, the inert gas supplying section is provided along at least one of the inside and the outside of the separation wall.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the inert gas supplying section is provided at a tip end of the separation wall.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the inert gas supplying section further includes a second inert gas supplying section for supplying a second inert gas for controlling the flow of the processing gas and the first inert gas so as to prevent turbulence of the flows of the first inert gas and the processing gas.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the second inert gas supplying section is provided ahead of and behind the substrate being conveyed by the conveyor mechanism.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the processing gas introduction section includes: an excitation gas introduction section for introducing an excitation gas; and a reaction gas introduction section for introducing a reaction gas. The processing gas introduced into the processing zone comprises a mixture of the excitation gas and the reaction gas.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the inert gas includes at least one element selected from the group comprising Ar, He and N
2
.
A substrate processing device according to the present invention includes an inert gas supplying section, so that a flow of a processing gas is controlled by a flow of an inert gas supplied from inert gas supplying sections, thereby making it possible to prevent the processing gas from escaping from the processing zone while maintaining a substantially constant flow of the processing gas within the processing zone. Accordingly, it is possible to subject the entire surface of a substrate to uniform processing. In addition, it is possible to control dust deposition by preventing reaction components from adhering to inner walls of the vacuum chamber.
By disposing an inert gas supplying section so as to surround a processing zone, the introduced inert gas forms the curtain-like flow surrounding the processing zone. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from escaping from the processing zone while maintaining a substantially constant flow of the processing gas within the processing zone.
By providing a separation wall which surrounds the processing zone so as to separate the processing zone from the other spaces, the separation wall and the inert gas provide a synergetic effect. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from escaping from the processing zone while maintaining a substantially constant flow of the processing gas within the processing zone.
By providing an inert gas supplying section along the inside or outside of the separation wall, the separation wall and the curtain-like flow of the inert gas create a synergetic effect. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from escaping from the processing zone while maintaining a substantially constant flow of the processing gas within the processing zone.
By providing an inert gas supplying section at the tip end of the separation wall, it is possible to ensure that the curtain-like f low of the inert gas is formed along the extention of the plane of the separation wall. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the processing gas from escaping from the processing zone while maintaining a substantially constant flow of the processing gas within the processing zone.
By providing inert
Conlin David G.
Dike Bronstein, Roberts & Cushman LLP
Hartnell, III George W.
Lund Jeffrie R.
MacArthur Sylvia R.
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