Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a rotary table arranged in a vacuum chamber, a first reaction gas supply unit that supplies a first reaction gas to a surface of the rotary table, a second reaction gas supply unit that is arranged apart from the first reaction gas supply unit that supplies a second reaction gas, which reacts with the first reaction gas, to the rotary table surface, an activated gas supply unit that is arranged apart from the first and second reaction gas supply units and includes a discharge unit that supplies an activated etching gas to the rotary table surface, and a plurality of purge gas supply units that are provided near the discharge unit for supplying a purge gas to the rotary table surface. A flow rate of the purge gas supplied from each of the purge gas supply units can be independently controlled.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum chamber;   a rotary table that is rotatably arranged in the vacuum chamber to hold a substrate;   a first reaction gas supply unit that supplies a first reaction gas to a surface of the rotary table;   a second reaction gas supply unit that is arranged apart from the first reaction gas supply unit in a circumferential direction of the rotary table and supplies a second reaction gas, which reacts with the first reaction gas, to the surface of the rotary table;   an activated gas supply unit that is arranged apart from the first reaction gas supply unit and the second reaction gas supply unit in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, the activated gas supply unit including a discharge unit having a discharge hole through which an etching gas that has been activated is supplied to the surface of the rotary table; and   a plurality of purge gas supply units that are provided near the discharge hole with respect to the circumferential direction of the rotary table and supply a purge gas to the surface of the rotary table;   wherein a flow rate of the purge gas supplied from each of the plurality of purge gas supply units can be independently controlled.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of purge gas supply units are arranged close to each other along a radial direction of the rotary table.   
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of purge gas supply units are arranged at an upstream side of the discharge hole with respect to a rotational direction of the rotary table.   
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the plurality of purge gas supply units are integrated with the discharge unit.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 more discharge holes are arranged at a rotational center side of the rotary table than at an outer periphery side of the rotary table.   
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the first reaction gas is a silicon-containing gas;   the second reaction gas is an oxidizing gas;   the etching gas is a fluorine-containing gas; and   the purge gas is a hydrogen-containing gas.   
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a control unit that controls the flow rate of the purge gas supplied from each of the purge gas supply units based on a distribution of the etching gas supplied to the surface of the rotary table by the activated gas supply unit.   
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the control unit supplies the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas from the first reaction gas supply unit and the second reaction gas supply unit, respectively, and refrains from supplying the etching gas from the activated gas supply unit when performing only a film forming process on a surface of the substrate; and   the control unit refrains from supplying the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas from the first reaction gas supply unit and the second reaction gas supply unit, and supplies the etching gas and the purge gas from the activated gas supply unit and the purge gas supply unit, respectively, when performing only an etching process on a film that has been formed on the surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         9 . A substrate processing method comprising:
 an etching step of mounting a substrate on a surface of a rotatory table arranged in a vacuum chamber and supplying an etching gas into the vacuum chamber while rotating the rotary table to etch a film formed on a surface of the substrate;   wherein the etching step includes
 supplying the etching gas to the surface of the rotary table and supplying a purge gas from a plurality of purge gas supply units that are provided near a region where the etching gas is supplied; and 
 controlling an etching amount of etching the film by independently varying a flow rate of the purge gas that is supplied from each of the plurality of purge gas supply units. 
   
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 9 , wherein
 a flow rate of the purge gas supplied from each of the plurality of purge gas supply units is varied based on a distribution of the etching gas supplied to the surface of the rotary table.   
     
     
         11 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the flow rate of the purge gas is decreased to increase the etching amount, and the flow rate of the purge gas increased to decrease the etching amount.   
     
     
         12 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 9 , further comprising
 a film forming step of supplying a first reaction gas and a second reaction gas, reacts with the first reaction gas, into the vacuum chamber while rotating the rotary table to form the film on the surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         13 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the film forming step includes a step of supplying the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas into the vacuum chamber without supplying the etching gas into the vacuum chamber while consecutively rotating the rotary table a plurality of times; and   the etching step includes a step of supplying the etching gas and the purge gas into the vacuum chamber without supplying the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas into the vacuum chamber while consecutively rotating the rotary table a plurality of times.   
     
     
         14 . The substrate processing method according to  claim 12 , wherein
 the first reaction gas, the second reaction gas, the etching gas, and the purge gas are simultaneously supplied into the vacuum chamber while consecutively rotating the rotary table a plurality of times; and   the film forming step and the etching step are each performed once during one rotation cycle of the rotary table, and the rotation cycle is repeated a plurality of times.