Substrate processing apparatus, method for processing substrate, and storage medium

Abstract

Processing gas is supplied from the central upper part of a processing chamber to a wafer on a mounting board, while the processing chamber is exhausted from processing gas exhaust passages at areas outside of the wafer. In addition, purge gas is supplied from purge gas supply passages to a buffer chamber formed between the peripheral part or a container main body and that of a cover body. The supplied flow-rate of the processing gas is made less than the exhaust flow-rate in the processing gas exhaust passages. Accordingly, the purge gas in the buffer chamber is drawn into the processing chamber via a purge gas supply hole formed of a gap between the container main body and the cover body due to a negative pressure inside the processing chamber caused by a difference between the flow rates.

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a container main body that has a mounting board for a substrate and an upper part of which container main body is open and;   a cover body that covers the container main body with a peripheral part of the cover body coming close to a peripheral part of the container main body via a gap or with the peripheral part of the cover body coming into contact with the peripheral part of the container main body, thereby forming a processing chamber for the substrate;   a processing gas supply part that supplies processing gas from a central upper part of the processing chamber to the substrate on the mounting board;   a processing gas exhaust passage that exhausts the processing chamber from an area outside of the substrate on the mounting board when the processing gas is supplied from the processing gas supply part into the processing chamber;   a purge gas supply passage that is open between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body along a circumferential direction of the container main body;   an outflow passage that is formed along a circumferential direction of the processing chamber so that purge gas between the peripheral parts supplied from the purge gas supply passage flows to an outside of the processing chamber; and   a gas flowing gap formed from an opening part of the purge gas supply passage to the processing chamber along the circumferential direction of the processing chamber between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body; wherein a supplied flow-rate of the processing gas from the processing gas supply part is less than an exhaust flow-rate in the processing gas exhaust passage, and the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply passage is drawn into the processing chamber via the gas flowing gap due to a negative pressure inside the processing chamber caused by a difference between the flow rates.   
   
   
       2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a buffer chamber that is provided so as to face the opening part of the purge gas supply passage along the circumferential direction of the processing chamber and temporarily accumulates the purge gas between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body.   
   
   
       3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the outflow passage is provided in the container main body or the cover body and open to the gas flowing gap.   
   
   
       4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the outflow passage is provided in the container main body or the cover body and open to the gas flowing gap as well as to the buffer chamber.   
   
   
       5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the outflow passage is provided in the container main body or the cover body and open to the gas flowing gap as well as to the buffer chamber.   
   
   
       8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the outflow passage is a gap formed between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body at a position outside of the opening part of the purge gas supply passage.   
   
   
       10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       12 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the outflow passage is provided in the container main body or the cover body and open to the gas flowing gap.   
   
   
       13 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the outflow passage is provided in the container main body or the cover body and open to the gas flowing gap as well as to the buffer chamber.   
   
   
       14 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       15 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       16 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the outflow passage is a gap formed between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body at a position outside of the opening part of the purge gas supply passage.   
   
   
       17 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       18 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processing gas exhaust passage exhausts the processing chamber from an area above and outside of the substrate on the mounting board.   
   
   
       19 . A method for processing a substrate comprising the steps of:
 mounting a substrate on a mounting board that is provided inside a container main body an upper part of which container main body is open;   forming a processing chamber for the substrate in such a manner that the container main body is covered with a cover body with a peripheral part of the cover body coming close to the peripheral part of the container main body via a gap or with the peripheral part of the cover body coming into contact with the peripheral part of the container main body;   supplying processing gas to the substrate on the mounting board from a central upper part of the processing chamber;   exhausting the processing chamber from an area outside of the substrate on the mounting board when the processing gas is supplied into the processing chamber; and   supplying purge gas from a purge gas supply passage that is open between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body along a circumferential direction of the container main body; wherein a supplied flow-rate of the processing gas into the processing chamber is made less than an exhaust flow-rate in the processing gas exhaust passage when the processing gas is supplied into the processing chamber so that the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply passage is drawn into the processing chamber via a gas flowing gap formed from an opening part of the purge gas supply passage to the processing chamber along a circumferential direction of the processing chamber between the peripheral part of the container main body and the peripheral part of the cover body due to a negative pressure inside the processing chamber caused by a difference between the flow rates.   
   
   
       20 . A storage medium having stored therein a computer program for use in a substrate processing apparatus that supplies processing gas to a substrate in a processing chamber, wherein
 the program contains a group of steps for executing the method for processing the substrate according to  claim 19 .