Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus, and recording medium

Abstract

There is provided a technique that includes: (a) arranging a plurality of first substrates and a second substrate having a smaller surface area than the first substrates and accommodating the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate in a process chamber; and (b) forming a thin film on each of the plurality of first substrates by supplying a processing gas to a substrate arrangement region in which the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are arranged, wherein (b) includes: (c) supplying a dilution gas to a first supply region of the substrate arrangement region, or not performing a supply of the dilution gas to the first supply region, and supplying the dilution gas to at least one second supply region of the substrate arrangement region at a flow rate larger than a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the first supply region.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate support configured to support a plurality of first substrates and a second substrate having a smaller surface area than each of the plurality of first substrates in multiple stages;   a process chamber configured to accommodate the substrate support that supports the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate;   a processing gas nozzle installed so as to extend along a direction of a substrate arrangement region where the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are arranged, and configured to supply a processing gas toward the substrate arrangement region; and   at least one dilution gas nozzle installed so as to extend along the direction, configured not to supply a dilution gas toward a first region of the substrate arrangement region, which includes a region where the plurality of first substrates are arranged and does not include a region where the second substrate is arranged, and configured to supply the dilution gas toward at least one second region of the substrate arrangement region, which is a region other than the first region and includes the region where the second substrate is arranged.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a dilution gas supply system configured to supply the dilution gas to the at least one second region through the at least one dilution gas nozzle. 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a controller configured to control the dilution gas supply system to supply the dilution gas so that, while the processing gas is supplied to the substrate arrangement region through the processing gas nozzle, a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the at least one second region is larger than a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the first region. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a processing gas supply system configured to supply the processing gas to the substrate arrangement region through the processing gas nozzle; and   a controller configured to control the processing gas supply system and the dilution gas supply system to supply the processing gas and the dilution gas so that, while the processing gas is supplied to the substrate arrangement region, a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the at least one second region is larger than a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the first region.   
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a gas discharge hole facing with the at least one second region is installed at a side surface of the at least one dilution gas nozzle such that the dilution gas is supplied toward the at least one second region through the gas discharge hole. 
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one dilution gas nozzle includes a gas discharge hole formed at a position corresponding to the at least one second region, and does not include a gas discharge hole formed at a position corresponding to the first region. 
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one dilution gas nozzle includes the gas discharge hole formed at a position corresponding to the at least one second region, and does not include another gas discharge hole formed at a position corresponding to the first region. 
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one second region further includes a region where another part of the plurality of first substrates are arranged. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one second region further includes a region where another part of the plurality of first substrates are arranged. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a second dilution gas nozzle configured to supply the dilution gas toward the first region and not to supply the dilution gas toward the at least one second region. 
     
     
         11 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a plurality of dilution gas supply systems configured to respectively supply the dilution gas to the at least one dilution gas nozzle and the second dilution gas nozzle; and   a controller configured to control the plurality of dilution gas supply systems to supply the dilution gas through the at least one dilution gas nozzle and the second dilution gas nozzle so that a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the at least one second region is larger than a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the first region.   
     
     
         12 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one second region includes a plurality of second regions, and the substrate arrangement region includes the plurality of second regions,
 wherein the at least one dilution gas nozzle includes a plurality of dilution gas nozzles, and   wherein the plurality of dilution gas nozzles are installed such that each of the plurality of dilution gas nozzles respectively corresponds to each of the plurality of second regions.   
     
     
         13 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate arrangement region includes at least a first zone on a first end of the substrate arrangement region, a second zone on a central portion of the substrate arrangement region, and a third zone on a second end of the substrate arrangement region, and
 wherein the second zone corresponds to the first region, the first zone corresponds to a first one of the at least one second region, and the third zone corresponds to a second one of the at least one second region.   
     
     
         14 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate arrangement region includes at least a first zone on a first end of the substrate arrangement region, a second zone on a central portion of the substrate arrangement region, and a third zone on a second end of the substrate arrangement region, and
 wherein a first one of the at least one dilution gas nozzle is configured to supply the dilution gas toward the first zone and not to supply the dilution gas toward the second zone, and a second one of the at least one dilution gas nozzle is configured to supply the dilution gas toward the third zone and not to supply the dilution gas toward the second zone.   
     
     
         15 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a second dilution gas nozzle configured to supply the dilution gas to the second zone and not to supply the dilution gas to the first zone and the third zone. 
     
     
         16 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate support configured to support a plurality of first substrates and a second substrate having a smaller surface area than each of the plurality of first substrates in multiple stages;   a process chamber configured to accommodate the substrate support that supports the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate;   a processing gas nozzle installed so as to extend along a direction of a substrate arrangement region where the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are arranged, and configured to supply a processing gas toward the substrate arrangement region;   at least one dilution gas nozzle installed so as to extend along the direction, configured not to supply a dilution gas toward a first region of the substrate arrangement region, which includes a region where the plurality of first substrates are arranged and does not include a region where the second substrate is arranged, and configured to supply the dilution gas toward at least one second region of the substrate arrangement region, which is a region other than the first region and includes the region where the second substrate is arranged; and   a second dilution gas nozzle installed so as to extend along the direction, and configured to supply the dilution gas toward the first region and not to supply the dilution gas toward the at least one second region.   
     
     
         17 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
 a substrate support configured to support a plurality of first substrates and a second substrate having a smaller surface area than each of the plurality of first substrates in multiple stages;   a process chamber configured to accommodate the substrate support that supports the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate;   a processing gas supply system configured to supply a processing gas toward a substrate arrangement region where the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are arranged, through a processing gas nozzle installed so as to extend in a direction along which the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are arranged;   a dilution gas supply system configured not to supply a dilution gas toward a first region of the substrate arrangement region, which includes a region where the plurality of first substrates are arranged and does not include a region where the second substrate is arranged, through at least one dilution gas nozzle installed so as to extend along the direction, and configured to supply the dilution gas toward at least one second region of the substrate arrangement region, which is a region other than the first region and includes the region where the second substrate is arranged, through the at least one dilution gas nozzle; and   a controller configured to control the processing gas supply system and the dilution gas supply system to supply the processing gas and the dilution gas so that, while the processing gas is supplied to the substrate arrangement region, a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the at least one second region is larger than a flow rate of the dilution gas supplied to the first region.   
     
     
         18 . A method of processing a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising:
 (a) loading the substrate support, on which the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are supported, into the process chamber; and   (b) processing the plurality of first substrates by supplying the processing gas to the substrate arrangement region from the processing gas nozzle and supplying the dilution gas to the at least one second region from the at least one dilution gas nozzle.   
     
     
         19 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising:
 (a) loading the substrate support, on which the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are supported, into the process chamber; and   (b) processing the plurality of first substrates by supplying the processing gas to the substrate arrangement region from the processing gas nozzle and supplying the dilution gas to the at least one second region from the at least one dilution gas nozzle.   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1  to perform a process comprising:
 (a) loading the substrate support, on which the plurality of first substrates and the second substrate are supported, into the process chamber; and 
 (b) processing the plurality of first substrates by supplying the processing gas to the substrate arrangement region from the processing gas nozzle and supplying the dilution gas to the at least one second region from the at least one dilution gas nozzle.