US-12618151-B2 - Substrate processing apparatus

US12618151B2US 12618151 B2US12618151 B2US 12618151B2US-12618151-B2

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes: an inner cylinder having a first region formed inside the inner cylinder to accommodate a substrate; an outer cylinder provided outside the inner cylinder with a second region interposed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder and including an exhaust port formed in an end portion of a sidewall of the outer cylinder; a nozzle configured to discharge a gas to the first region; and a gas flow regulator including a plurality of slits provided from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a flow direction of the gas in a flow path of the gas from the first region to the exhaust port.

Inventors

Kuniyasu Sakashita
Tosihiko Jo

Assignees

TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230418
Priority Date: 20220425

Claims (5)

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an inner cylinder having a first region formed inside the inner cylinder to accommodate a substrate; an outer cylinder provided outside the inner cylinder with a second region interposed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder and including an exhaust port formed in an end portion of a sidewall of the outer cylinder; a nozzle configured to discharge a gas to the first region; and a gas flow regulator including a plurality of slits provided from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a flow direction of the gas in a flow path of the gas from the first region to the exhaust port, wherein the plurality of slits at least include one slit provided in the inner cylinder and two slits provided in the second region, wherein the gas flow regulator includes: a cover member provided in the second region so as to cover the one slit provided in the inner cylinder and forming a third region between a sidewall of the inner cylinder and the cover member; and a partition plate provided in the third region and configured to divide the third region into two regions, and wherein a first slit of the two slits provided in the second region is provided in the partition plate, and a second slit of the two slits provided in the second region is provided in the cover member.
2 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of slits has a rectangular shape, an elongated hole shape, or an elliptical shape with an axial direction of the inner cylinder as a longitudinal direction.
3 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of slits have a same slit length.
4 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein, among the plurality of slits, a slit located at a most upstream side in the flow direction of the gas has a widest slit width among the plurality of slits.
5 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of slits is divided into plural slits in an axial direction of the inner cylinder.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-071477, filed on Apr. 25, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus. BACKGROUND In a substrate processing apparatus provided with a processing container including an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder which are arranged concentrically, a configuration in which a plate-shaped rectifying plate is provided between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder has been known (see Patent Document 1, for example). PRIOR ART DOCUMENT Patent Document Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2016-178136 SUMMARY According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: an inner cylinder having a first region formed inside the inner cylinder to accommodate a substrate; an outer cylinder provided outside the inner cylinder with a second region interposed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder and including an exhaust port formed in an end portion of a sidewall of the outer cylinder; a nozzle configured to discharge a gas to the first region; and a gas flow regulator including a plurality of slits provided from an upstream side toward a downstream side in a flow direction of the gas in a flow path of the gas from the first region to the exhaust port. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a portion of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gas flow regulator. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gas flow regulator according to a first modification. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a gas flow regulator according to a second modification. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating analysis results of a gas flow-rate distribution in a vertical direction. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating analysis results of a uniformity of a gas flow rate. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an opening position of a slit. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating analysis results of a gas flow-rate distribution in a vertical direction. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an opening position of a slit. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating analysis results of a gas flow-rate distribution in a vertical direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, non-limiting exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding members or components will be denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems, and components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the various embodiments. [Substrate Processing Apparatus] A substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is a batch type vertical heat treatment apparatus that heats a plurality of substrates W at once. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing container 10, a gas supplier 30, an exhauster 50, a heating part 70, a gas flow regulator 80, and a controller 90. The interior of the processing container 10 may be reduced in pressure. The processing container 10 has a double tube structure in which an inner tube 11 and an outer tube 12 are coaxially arranged. The inner tube 11 has a cylindrical shape with an open lower end and a ceiling. The inner tube 11 forms therein a first region R1 in which the substrate W is accommodated. The ceiling of the inner tube 11 is flat, for example. The inner tube 11 is formed of, for example, a heat-resistant material such as quartz. The outer tube 12 has a cylindrical shape with an open lower end and a ceiling. The outer tube 12 is provided so as to cover a sidewall and the ceiling of the inner tube 11. The outer tube 12 is provided outside the inner tube 11 with a second region R2 interposed therebetween. The outer tube 12 is formed of a heat-resistant material such as quartz. An a