US-12618157-B2 - Film forming apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

Abstract

In one embodiment, a film forming apparatus includes a chamber configured to load a substrate, a stage configured to support the substrate, and a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the chamber to form a film on the substrate. The device further includes a first detector configured to detect a first value that varies depending on at least pressure of a first portion above the stage in the chamber, and a controller configured to control a process of forming the film on the substrate based on the first value.

Inventors

• Kazuhiro KATONO
• Kazuhiro Matsuo
• Yusuke Miki
• Kenichiro TORATANI
• Akifumi Gawase

Assignees

• KIOXIA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230609

Priority Date

20220913

Claims (16)

1. 1 . A film forming apparatus comprising: a chamber configured to load a substrate; a stage configured to support the substrate; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the chamber to form a film on the substrate; a first detector configured to detect a first value that varies depending on at least pressure of a first portion above the stage in the chamber and pressure of a second portion that is different from the first portion in the chamber, the second portion being located below the stage in the chamber; and a controller configured to control a process of forming the film on the substrate based on the first value.
2. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls a height of the stage based on the first value.
3. 3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is located between the stage and a showerhead configured to supply the gas supplied from the gas supplier into the chamber.
4. 4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second detector configured to detect a second value that varies depending on the pressure of the second portion, wherein the controller controls the process of forming the film on the substrate based on the first value and the second value.
5. 5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second value is the pressure of the second portion.
6. 6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first value is a pressure difference between the pressure of the first portion and the pressure of the second portion.
7. 7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first detector includes at least one piezoelectric device configured to detect the pressure difference and output an electric signal that varies depending on the pressure difference.
8. 8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the stage includes a first member, the at least one piezoelectric device provided on the first member, and a second member provided on the at least one piezoelectric device and configured to support the substrate.
9. 9 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the controller controls the process of forming the film on the substrate based on a plurality of first values detected at a plurality of first portions by a plurality of piezoelectric devices of the first detector.
10. 10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gas supplier supplies a first gas including a metal element and a second gas including oxygen to form the film including the metal element and oxygen.
11. 11 . A film forming apparatus, comprising: a chamber configured to load a substrate; a stage configured to support the substrate; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the chamber to form a film on the substrate; a first detector configured to detect a first value that varies depending on at least pressure of a first portion above the stage in the chamber; and a controller configured to control a process of forming the film on the substrate based on the first value, wherein the first detector optically detects a height of the stage.
12. 12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the stage includes a first member, an elastic member provided on the first member, and a second member provided on the elastic member and configured to support the substrate.
13. 13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the stage includes a first member, a support member provided on the first member, and a second member provided on the support member in a cantilever state and configured to support the substrate.
14. 14 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: loading a semiconductor substrate in a chamber; supporting the semiconductor substrate on a stage; detecting, by a first detector, a first value that varies depending on at least pressure of a first portion above the stage in the chamber, and pressure of a second portion that is different from the first portion in the chamber, the first value being a pressure difference between the pressure of the first portion and the pressure of the second portion; and controlling, by a controller, a process of supplying a gas into the chamber from a gas supplier to form a film on the semiconductor substrate based on the first value.
15. 15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first detector includes at least one piezoelectric device configured to detect the pressure difference and output an electric signal that varies depending on the pressure difference.
16. 16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the stage includes a first member, the at least one piezoelectric device provided on the first member, and a second member provided on the at least one piezoelectric device and configured to support the semiconductor substrate.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-145351, filed on Sep. 13, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD Embodiments described herein relate to a film forming apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. BACKGROUND When a film is formed on a substrate using a film forming apparatus such as a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus, it is desirable that the internal state of a chamber that loads the substrate can be detected with high accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of a CVD apparatus of a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a graph for illustrating the operation of the CVD apparatus of the first embodiment; FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views for illustrating the configuration of the CVD apparatus of the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for illustrating the operation of the CVD apparatus of the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is another sequence diagram for illustrating the operation of the CVD apparatus of the first embodiment; and FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views respectively illustrating the configurations of CVD apparatuses of second and third embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 6B, identical components are denoted by identical reference signs, and overlapped description will be omitted. In one embodiment, a film forming apparatus includes a chamber configured to load a substrate, a stage configured to support the substrate, and a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the chamber to form a film on the substrate. The device further includes a first detector configured to detect a first value that varies depending on at least pressure of a first portion above the stage in the chamber, and a controller configured to control a process of forming the film on the substrate based on the first value. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of a CVD apparatus of a first embodiment. The CVD apparatus in FIG. 1 is an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) apparatus, for example. The CVD apparatus in FIG. 1 is an example of a film forming apparatus. The CVD apparatus of the present embodiment includes a chamber 11, a stage 12, a rotating shaft 13, a gas supplier 14, gas piping 15, a showerhead 16, an exhaust ring 17, a valve 18, a pump 19, a pressure gauge 21, a controller 22, and a height adjuster 23. The stage 12 includes a lower plate 12a, an upper plate 12b, and one or more piezoelectric devices 12c. The gas supplier 14 includes a plurality of MFCs (Mass Flow Controllers) 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, and 14e. The lower plate 12a is an example of a first member, and the upper plate 12b is an example of a second member. The piezoelectric device(s) 12c is/are an example of a first detector, and the pressure gauge 21 is an example of a second detector.— FIG. 1 illustrates the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction that are perpendicular to each other. In this specification, the +Z-direction is handled as the upward direction, and the −Z-direction is handled as the downward direction. The −Z-direction may either coincide with or not coincide with the direction of gravity. The chamber 11 loads a wafer 1. The wafer 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a substrate 1a and a film 1b. The substrate 1a is a semiconductor substrate, such as a Si (silicon) substrate, for example. The film 1b is a CVD film formed on the substrate 1a using the CVD apparatus of the present embodiment, for example. The film 1b of the present embodiment is a metal film including a metal element and oxygen, for example, an IGZO film including In (indium), Ga (gallium), Zn (zinc), and O (oxygen). In the present embodiment, the wafer 1 including the substrate 1a is carried into the chamber 11, and the film 1b is formed on the substrate 1a in the chamber 11 by CVD, and then, the wafer 1 including the substrate 1a and the film 1b is carried out of the chamber 11. In the present embodiment, various processes, such as the formation of the film 1b on the substrate 1a, are performed, and then, the wafer 1 is divided (diced) into a plurality of chips so that a plurality of semiconductor devices are manufactured out of the wafer 1. The stage 12 supports the wafer 1 in the chamber 11. The stage 12 includes the lower plate 12a, the one or more piezoelectric devices 12c provided on the lower plate 12a, and the upper plate 12b, supporting the wafer 1, provided on the piezoelectric device(s) 12c. In FIG. 1, the wafer 1 is put on the upper surface of the upper plate 12b. Each piezoelectric device 12c detects pressure applied to each piezoelectric device 12c, and outputs an electric signal that varies depending at least on the pressure. Each piezoelectric device 12c of the present embodiment detects a p