US20010050052A1 - Semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method Download PDF

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US20010050052A1
US20010050052A1 US09/282,489 US28248999A US2001050052A1 US 20010050052 A1 US20010050052 A1 US 20010050052A1 US 28248999 A US28248999 A US 28248999A US 2001050052 A1 US2001050052 A1 US 2001050052A1
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gas
furnace tube
introducing
semiconductor device
device manufacturing
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Tsuyoshi Moriyama
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NEC Electronics Corp
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NEC Corp
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/22—Diffusion of impurity materials, e.g. doping materials, electrode materials, into or out of a semiconductor body, or between semiconductor regions; Interactions between two or more impurities; Redistribution of impurities
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02107—Forming insulating materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02225—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer
    • H01L21/02227—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process
    • H01L21/0223—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process formation by oxidation, e.g. oxidation of the substrate
    • H01L21/02233—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process formation by oxidation, e.g. oxidation of the substrate of the semiconductor substrate or a semiconductor layer
    • H01L21/02236—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process formation by oxidation, e.g. oxidation of the substrate of the semiconductor substrate or a semiconductor layer group IV semiconductor
    • H01L21/02238—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process formation by oxidation, e.g. oxidation of the substrate of the semiconductor substrate or a semiconductor layer group IV semiconductor silicon in uncombined form, i.e. pure silicon
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C30—CRYSTAL GROWTH
    • C30B—SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; APPARATUS THEREFOR
    • C30B31/00—Diffusion or doping processes for single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure; Apparatus therefor
    • C30B31/06—Diffusion or doping processes for single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure; Apparatus therefor by contacting with diffusion material in the gaseous state
    • C30B31/16—Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the gases
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02107—Forming insulating materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02225—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer
    • H01L21/02227—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process
    • H01L21/02255—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the process for the formation of the insulating layer formation by a process other than a deposition process formation by thermal treatment
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
    • H01L21/02107—Forming insulating materials on a substrate
    • H01L21/02296—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer
    • H01L21/02299—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer pre-treatment
    • H01L21/02312—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer pre-treatment treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
    • H01L21/31—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to form insulating layers thereon, e.g. for masking or by using photolithographic techniques; After treatment of these layers; Selection of materials for these layers
    • H01L21/314—Inorganic layers
    • H01L21/316—Inorganic layers composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass
    • H01L21/3165—Inorganic layers composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass formed by oxidation
    • H01L21/31654—Inorganic layers composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass formed by oxidation of semiconductor materials, e.g. the body itself
    • H01L21/31658—Inorganic layers composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass formed by oxidation of semiconductor materials, e.g. the body itself by thermal oxidation, e.g. of SiGe
    • H01L21/31662—Inorganic layers composed of oxides or glassy oxides or oxide based glass formed by oxidation of semiconductor materials, e.g. the body itself by thermal oxidation, e.g. of SiGe of silicon in uncombined form

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method, and particularly to a diffusion furnace used in a diffusion process and an oxide film forming method using the diffusion furnace.
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a vertical type diffusion furnace to describe a conventional technique
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an oxidation treatment sequence of the conventional diffusion furnace.
  • the vertical type diffusion furnace shown in FIG. 1 includes a furnace tube 2 to which a process gas introducing pipe 5 and a gas discharging pipe 6 are secured, a wafer support boat 3 for mounting wafers 4 thereon, and a heater 1 for keeping the inside of the furnace tube 2 to a desired temperature.
  • wafers 4 are introduced into the furnace tube 2 (first step).
  • oxygen gas of 2 [SLM] diluted with nitrogen gas of 18 [SLM] is introduced as process gas into the furnace tube 2 , and the inside of the furnace tube 2 is kept at 800° C. by a heater 1 , for example.
  • the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the fifth step (oxidation treatment step) is equal to 3.5 nm on the average, and the in-batch film thickness uniformity is equal to 5%. Further, the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just after the first step is completed is equal to 2.5 nm on the average. The in-batch film thickness uniformity is equal to 8%.
  • the in-batch film thickness uniformity is defined as a value calculated according to the following equation:
  • in-batch film thickness uniformity (in-batch maximum difference of film thickness average values of respective wafers) ⁇ 100/(2 ⁇ the in-batch average value of film thickness average values of respective wafers)
  • the film thickness average value of each wafer represents the average value of film thickness values at five points on the wafer surface (the center point of the wafer and four peripheral points which are located on a cross passing the wafer center point and spaced from the wafer edge by 5 mm).
  • the thickness of the oxide film formed on the wafer 4 before the oxidation treatment step is determined by the exposure time for which the wafers 4 are exposed to oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube 2 , the oxygen concentration in the furnace tube 2 , the temperature in the furnace tube 2 , etc.
  • the present invention has been implemented in view of the foregoing problem, and has an object to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method which can form an oxide film uniformly in a batch of wafer when the oxide film is formed on a wafer mounted in each part of a wafer support boat which is inserted in a furnace tube.
  • a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (port) for supplying desired gas is provided at only one end of the furnace tube, and when a treating target of semiconductor wafer such as silicon wafer is put into the furnace tube, an atmospheric layer of one or more kinds of desired gas is formed only at the port of the furnace tube by the desired reactive gas such as oxidative gas supplied from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe.
  • the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has the following feature.
  • a member to be treated or treating target is inserted into the furnace tube from one end of the furnace tube, and when the member to be treated is inserted, gas containing at least reactive gas is introduced into the furnace tube from a gas introducing port disposed near to the one end of the furnace tube to thereby supply the gas to the member to be treated while gas containing at least non-reactive gas is supplied into the furnace tube from another gas introducing port.
  • gas containing at least reactive gas is introduced into the furnace tube through a gas introducing port disposed near to the one end of the furnace tube in the direction substantially perpendicular to the batch insertion direction, thereby forming a gas atmosphere having a layer boundary in the direction substantially perpendicular to the batch insertion direction, and gas containing at least non-reactive gas is introduced through another gas introducing port of the furnace tube at the opposite end to the one end of the furnace tube, thereby making uniform in thickness the films formed on the plural substrates serving as the treatment targets under the gas atmosphere in the batch.
  • the present invention provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
  • a furnace tube having a port at one end thereof;
  • a semiconductor substrate support means for inserting the semiconductor substrate into the furnace tube through the port of the furnace tube;
  • a first gas introducing port for introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment into a first area of the inside of the furnace tube near to the port of the furnace tube;
  • a second gas introducing port for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a second area of the inside of the furnace tube at the other end side of the furnace tube, wherein the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area by means of the semiconductor substrate support means.
  • the first gas introducing port may be disposed at a lateral surface of the furnace tube.
  • the semiconductor substrate support means may support the semiconductor substrate perpendicularly to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate.
  • the first gas introducing port may have a first portion for introducing the reactive gas into the first area and a second portion for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a third area of the inside of the furnace positioning the opposite side of the first area to the second area.
  • the first gas introducing port may be divided into a plurality of divided portions relative to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate, and the reactive gas may be introduced into the first area through at least a part of the plurality of divided portions.
  • the second gas introducing port may be disposed at the other end of the furnace tube.
  • the second gas introducing port may be also for use in introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment.
  • the semiconductor substrate may be a silicon wafer, and the surface treatment may be an oxidation treatment of the surface of the silicon wafer.
  • the reactive gas being introduced into the first area of the inside of the furnace tube from the first gas introducing port may be an oxygen gas diluted with one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas, and the non-reactive gas being introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube from the second gas introducing port may be one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas.
  • the present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the following processes are simultaneously performed:
  • a reactive gas for the surface treatment may be introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube after the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area.
  • a first effect according to the present invention resides in that the thickness of the film formed under the gas atmosphere can be made uniform in batch of the wafers. The reason is as follows.
  • the thickness of the film formed on each wafer is determined by the exposure time of the wafer to the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube if the other conditions are fixed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the gas atmospheric layer is formed only in the furnace tube port while the inert gas is filled in the furnace tube process portion, whereby no film is formed in the furnace tube process portion until the wafers are completely inserted into the furnace tube.
  • the passing time of the wafers through the gas atmospheric layer at the furnace tube port is equal both at the top side and at the bottom side of the batch of the wafers, and the films can be formed to have an uniform thickness in the batch.
  • a second effect of the present invention resides in that the thickness of the film formed under the gas atmosphere can be easily varied. The reason is as follows.
  • the thickness of the films formed is determined by the width of the film forming gas atmospheric layer in the furnace tube port if the other conditions are fixed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe can is separated into plural parts, and the width of the gas atmospheric layer can be varied by selecting the boundary position between the parts of the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes to be used for forming the film forming gas atmospheric layer and not to be used therefor.
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a diffusion furnace of a prior art (during an insertion process of wafers);
  • FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the prior art
  • FIG. 3 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a diffusion furnace according to a first embodiment of the present invention (during an insertion process of wafers);
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing the diffusion furnace of the first embodiment of the present invention (a state where the insertion of the wafers is completed);
  • FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a diffusion furnace according to a second embodiment of the present invention (during an insertion process of wafers);
  • FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a furnace tube port gas supply portion of a diffusion furnace according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which includes a furnace tube (reference numeral 2 in FIG. 3) the inside of which is filled with gas, a heater (reference numeral 1 in FIG. 3) for keeping the inside temperature of the furnace tube to a desired temperature and a process gas introducing pipe for supplying gas into the furnace tube (reference numeral 5 in FIG. 3) and into which wafers (reference numeral 4 in FIG. 3) mounted on a wafer support boat (reference numeral 3 in FIG. 3) are inserted from one opening end portion (port) of the furnace tube, a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (reference numeral 9 in FIG. 3) is provided to the one end portion of the furnace tube.
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 are longitudinal-sectional views showing the construction of the first embodiment of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 3 shows a state where a batch of semiconductor wafers are being inserted into the furnace tube 2 , and FIG. 4 shows a state after the batch of semiconductor wafers are completely inserted.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a temperature sequence of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
  • the present invention is applied to a vertical type diffusion furnace including a process gas introducing pipe 5 , a furnace tube 2 provided with a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 and a gas discharge pipe 6 , a wafer support boat 3 on which wafers 4 are mounted horizontally and a heater 1 for keeping the inside of the furnace tube 2 to a desired temperature.
  • the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 has a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas to a furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 at a furnace tube port 15 in the direction parallel to the wafers 4 (horizontally), whereby an atmospheric layer different from that of a furnace tube process portion 14 is formed in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 15 .
  • the furnace tube process portion 14 is defined as an area inside the furnace tube which corresponds to the wafer mountable range of the wafer support boat 3 in the state where the wafer support boat 3 having the wafers 4 mounted thereon is perfectly accommodated in the furnace tube 2 .
  • the furnace tube process portion 14 means an oxidation treatment area for the wafers 4 with process gas.
  • the furnace tube port 15 means an area inside the furnace tube which extends from the lowermost end of the furnace tube process portion 14 to the lowermost end of the furnace tube 2 in the furnace tube, and the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 means an area in which the gas atmosphere formed by the gas supplied from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 at the furnace tube port 15 exists.
  • the inside temperature of the furnace tube 2 is controlled by the heater 1 so that the inside temperature can be set to be different between the furnace tube process portion 14 and the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 .
  • Nitrogen gas containing steam gas as oxidative gas, or nitrogen gas is used as the process gas, and the process gas is passed through the process gas introducing pipe 5 and then supplied from the upper portion of the furnace tube 2 into the furnace tube 2 . Accordingly, the process gas stream 8 a in the furnace tube 2 is directed from the upper portion of the furnace tube 2 to the lower portion of the furnace tube 2 .
  • oxygen gas and nitrogen gas supplied into the furnace tube 2 from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 are blown out horizontally in the direction parallel to the wafers 4 , thereby forming the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 .
  • the boundary of the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 or the interface between the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 and the process gas atmosphere in the furnace tube 2 is horizontal, i.e. parallel to the wafers 4 .
  • nitrogen (N 2 ) gas of 18 [SLM] is supplied as the process gas
  • mixture gas of oxygen ( 0 2 ) gas of 2 [SLM] and nitrogen gas of 18 [SLM] is supplied as the gas with which the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is formed.
  • a second step temperature stabilization (Recovery) after the wafer support boat is inserted into the furnace tube is carried out. At this time, no mixture gas of oxygen gas and nitrogen gas is supplied to the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 .
  • the other process gas condition and temperature condition are the same as the first step.
  • the thickness of the oxide film such as silicon oxide film which is formed on the wafers 4 when the wafers 4 are inserted into the furnace tube is determined by an exposure time for which the wafers 4 are exposed to the oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube, the oxygen concentration in the furnace tube, the temperature in the furnace tube, etc.
  • the film thickness uniformity in the batch of the wafers is dependent on the exposure time for which the wafers are exposed to the oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube 2 .
  • the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 is formed at only the furnace tube port 15 , and the furnace tube process portion 14 is filled with nitrogen gas, no oxide film is formed in the furnace tube process portion 14 . Accordingly, if the insertion speed of the wafer support boat 3 into the furnace tube 2 is constant, the exposure time for which the wafers are exposed to the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 are invariable between the wafers at the top side and the wafers at the bottom side, and thus the oxide film can be formed to be uniform in the batch of the wafers.
  • the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the fifth step (oxidation treatment step) is equal to 1.5 nm, and the in-batch film thickness uniformity at this time is equal to 3%, so that the film formation can be performed with high uniformity.
  • in-batch film thickness uniformity (in-batch maximum difference of film thickness average values of respective wafers) ⁇ 100/(2 ⁇ the in-batch average value of film thickness average values of respective wafers)
  • the film thickness average value of each wafer represents the average value of film thickness values at five points on the wafer surface (the center point of the wafer and four peripheral points which are located on a cross passing the wafer center point and spaced from the wafer edge by 5 mm).
  • the second to fourth steps do not contribute to the oxide film formation, and the oxide film is formed only in the first step.
  • the parameters are not limited to the above values, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained insofar as the conditions are set to the following ranges of (1) to (4).
  • the flow rate of nitrogen gas serving as process gas when the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube is in the range of 1 to 100 [SLM], and the ratio of this process gas to the gas used to form the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is set to 1 or less in terms of flow rate in the furnace.
  • the temperature of the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is set to a fixed value in the range of 500 to 900° C. with respect to the time in the insertion step. At this time, the temperature of the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 may be controlled to a temperature different from that of the furnace tube process portion 14 .
  • Nitrogen gas for diluting oxygen gas used to form the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 at the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 may be replaced by inert gas such as Ar gas, He gas, etc.
  • any combination of these four conditions provides the same effect as this embodiment.
  • the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the oxidation treatment step is varied with the combination of these conditions, and thus it is necessary to select a condition which provides a desired oxide film thickness.
  • FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a temperature sequence of the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 is separated into two parts (M 1 , M 2 ) so that gas can be supplied independently through each of these two gas introducing pipes M 1 , M 2 .
  • the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 is formed by using the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe M 1 adjacent to the furnace tube process portion 14
  • the nitrogen gas atmospheric layer 12 is formed by using the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe M 2 adjacent to the furnace tube lowermost portion.
  • the nitrogen gas supplied from M 2 may be inert gas.
  • FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing the third embodiment of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and also is an enlarged view of the furnace tube port.
  • the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes M 1 ( 17 ) to Mk (k represents an integer less than n) ( 18 ) are used to form an oxygen atmospheric layer 11
  • the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes Mk+1 ( 19 ) to Mn ( 20 ) are used to form a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmospheric layer 12 .
  • the width (vertical dimension) of the oxygen atmospheric layer can be varied. Further, by varying the width of the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 , the thickness of the oxide film formed when the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube can be controlled.

Abstract

In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (9) for supplying gas to only one end portion of a furnace tube (2) is provided separately from a process gas introducing pipe (5) for supplying process gas into the furnace tube (2), and when wafers (4) are inserted into the furnace tube (2), an oxygen atmospheric layer (11) is formed only at the furnace tube port by oxygen gas or oxygen gas diluted with nitrogen gas which is supplied from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (9).

Description

    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention [0001]
  • The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method, and particularly to a diffusion furnace used in a diffusion process and an oxide film forming method using the diffusion furnace. [0002]
  • 2. Description of the Related Art [0003]
  • A conventional diffusion furnace and an oxide film forming method using the diffusion furnace will be described. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a vertical type diffusion furnace to describe a conventional technique, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an oxidation treatment sequence of the conventional diffusion furnace. The vertical type diffusion furnace shown in FIG. 1 includes a [0004] furnace tube 2 to which a process gas introducing pipe 5 and a gas discharging pipe 6 are secured, a wafer support boat 3 for mounting wafers 4 thereon, and a heater 1 for keeping the inside of the furnace tube 2 to a desired temperature.
  • Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, steps until the oxidation treatment carried out in the vertical type diffusion furnace will be described. [0005]
  • First, [0006] wafers 4 are introduced into the furnace tube 2 (first step). At this time, oxygen gas of 2 [SLM] diluted with nitrogen gas of 18 [SLM] is introduced as process gas into the furnace tube 2, and the inside of the furnace tube 2 is kept at 800° C. by a heater 1, for example.
  • Subsequently, temperature stabilization (Recovery) in the [0007] furnace tube 2 after the wafers 4 are introduced is promoted (second step), and then the temperature increase to an oxidation treatment temperature, for example, 850° C. (Ramp-up) (third step) and the temperature stabilization after the increase of the temperature (Ramp Recovery) (fourth step) are carried out. Here, the gas conditions from the second step to the fourth step are the same as the first step.
  • In a fifth step, steam gas of 15 [SLM] is supplied as process gas to perform oxidation treatment (Burning), thereby obtaining the final oxide film thickness. [0008]
  • The thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the fifth step (oxidation treatment step) is equal to 3.5 nm on the average, and the in-batch film thickness uniformity is equal to 5%. Further, the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just after the first step is completed is equal to 2.5 nm on the average. The in-batch film thickness uniformity is equal to 8%. [0009]
  • Here, the in-batch film thickness uniformity is defined as a value calculated according to the following equation: [0010]
  • “in-batch film thickness uniformity”=(in-batch maximum difference of film thickness average values of respective wafers)×100/(2×the in-batch average value of film thickness average values of respective wafers)
  • Further, the film thickness average value of each wafer represents the average value of film thickness values at five points on the wafer surface (the center point of the wafer and four peripheral points which are located on a cross passing the wafer center point and spaced from the wafer edge by 5 mm). [0011]
  • The thickness of the oxide film formed on the [0012] wafer 4 before the oxidation treatment step is determined by the exposure time for which the wafers 4 are exposed to oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube 2, the oxygen concentration in the furnace tube 2, the temperature in the furnace tube 2, etc.
  • Here, with respect to the conventional diffusion furnace, since oxygen atmospheric layer has been formed entirely in the [0013] furnace tube 2 when the wafers 4 are introduced into the furnace tube 2, wafers located at the top and bottom sides of the wafer support boat 3 are exposed to oxygen atmosphere for different times, respectively (that is, the exposure time is different between the wafer located at the top side and the wafer located at the bottom side). Accordingly, the thickness of the oxide film formed before the oxidation treatment step is larger at the top side than at the bottom side, so that the in-batch film thickness uniformity is lowered.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention has been implemented in view of the foregoing problem, and has an object to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method which can form an oxide film uniformly in a batch of wafer when the oxide film is formed on a wafer mounted in each part of a wafer support boat which is inserted in a furnace tube. [0014]
  • In order to attain the above object, according to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (port) for supplying desired gas is provided at only one end of the furnace tube, and when a treating target of semiconductor wafer such as silicon wafer is put into the furnace tube, an atmospheric layer of one or more kinds of desired gas is formed only at the port of the furnace tube by the desired reactive gas such as oxidative gas supplied from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe. More specifically, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has the following feature. [0015]
  • According to one aspect of the present invention, a member to be treated or treating target is inserted into the furnace tube from one end of the furnace tube, and when the member to be treated is inserted, gas containing at least reactive gas is introduced into the furnace tube from a gas introducing port disposed near to the one end of the furnace tube to thereby supply the gas to the member to be treated while gas containing at least non-reactive gas is supplied into the furnace tube from another gas introducing port. [0016]
  • Further, according to the present invention, in a semiconductor device manufacturing method using a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus in which a batch of plural semiconductor substrates serving as treatment targets are inserted into a furnace tube to perform the treatment such as oxidation on the substrates, in a process of inserting the batch of the plural semiconductor substrates serving as the treatment targets from an insertion port at one end of the furnace tube into the furnace tube, gas containing at least reactive gas is introduced into the furnace tube through a gas introducing port disposed near to the one end of the furnace tube in the direction substantially perpendicular to the batch insertion direction, thereby forming a gas atmosphere having a layer boundary in the direction substantially perpendicular to the batch insertion direction, and gas containing at least non-reactive gas is introduced through another gas introducing port of the furnace tube at the opposite end to the one end of the furnace tube, thereby making uniform in thickness the films formed on the plural substrates serving as the treatment targets under the gas atmosphere in the batch. [0017]
  • The present invention provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, comprising: [0018]
  • a furnace tube having a port at one end thereof; [0019]
  • a heating means for the furnace tube; [0020]
  • a semiconductor substrate support means for inserting the semiconductor substrate into the furnace tube through the port of the furnace tube; [0021]
  • a first gas introducing port for introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment into a first area of the inside of the furnace tube near to the port of the furnace tube; and [0022]
  • a second gas introducing port for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a second area of the inside of the furnace tube at the other end side of the furnace tube, wherein the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area by means of the semiconductor substrate support means. [0023]
  • The first gas introducing port may be disposed at a lateral surface of the furnace tube. The semiconductor substrate support means may support the semiconductor substrate perpendicularly to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate. [0024]
  • The first gas introducing port may have a first portion for introducing the reactive gas into the first area and a second portion for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a third area of the inside of the furnace positioning the opposite side of the first area to the second area. The first gas introducing port may be divided into a plurality of divided portions relative to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate, and the reactive gas may be introduced into the first area through at least a part of the plurality of divided portions. [0025]
  • The second gas introducing port may be disposed at the other end of the furnace tube. The second gas introducing port may be also for use in introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment. [0026]
  • The semiconductor substrate may be a silicon wafer, and the surface treatment may be an oxidation treatment of the surface of the silicon wafer. The reactive gas being introduced into the first area of the inside of the furnace tube from the first gas introducing port may be an oxygen gas diluted with one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas, and the non-reactive gas being introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube from the second gas introducing port may be one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas. [0027]
  • The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the following processes are simultaneously performed: [0028]
  • (a) a first process for inserting the semiconductor substrate at a fixed speed into a furnace tube through a port of the furnace tube at one end thereof; [0029]
  • (b) a second process for introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment into a first area of the inside of the furnace tube near to the port of the furnace tube; and [0030]
  • (c) a third process for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a second area of the inside of the furnace tube at the other end side of the furnace tube, wherein the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area in the first process. [0031]
  • A reactive gas for the surface treatment may be introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube after the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area. [0032]
  • According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. [0033]
  • A first effect according to the present invention resides in that the thickness of the film formed under the gas atmosphere can be made uniform in batch of the wafers. The reason is as follows. [0034]
  • When the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube, the thickness of the film formed on each wafer is determined by the exposure time of the wafer to the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube if the other conditions are fixed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the gas atmospheric layer is formed only in the furnace tube port while the inert gas is filled in the furnace tube process portion, whereby no film is formed in the furnace tube process portion until the wafers are completely inserted into the furnace tube. [0035]
  • Accordingly, if the insertion speed of the wafer support boat into the furnace tube is kept constant, the passing time of the wafers through the gas atmospheric layer at the furnace tube port is equal both at the top side and at the bottom side of the batch of the wafers, and the films can be formed to have an uniform thickness in the batch. [0036]
  • A second effect of the present invention resides in that the thickness of the film formed under the gas atmosphere can be easily varied. The reason is as follows. [0037]
  • When the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube, the thickness of the films formed is determined by the width of the film forming gas atmospheric layer in the furnace tube port if the other conditions are fixed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe can is separated into plural parts, and the width of the gas atmospheric layer can be varied by selecting the boundary position between the parts of the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes to be used for forming the film forming gas atmospheric layer and not to be used therefor.[0038]
    • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a diffusion furnace of a prior art (during an insertion process of wafers); [0039]
  • FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the prior art; [0040]
  • FIG. 3 is a longitudinal-sectional view of a diffusion furnace according to a first embodiment of the present invention (during an insertion process of wafers); [0041]
  • FIG. 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing the diffusion furnace of the first embodiment of the present invention (a state where the insertion of the wafers is completed); [0042]
  • FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the first embodiment of the present invention; [0043]
  • FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a diffusion furnace according to a second embodiment of the present invention (during an insertion process of wafers); [0044]
  • FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an oxidation treatment in the diffusion furnace of the second embodiment of the present invention; and [0045]
  • FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a furnace tube port gas supply portion of a diffusion furnace according to a third embodiment of the present invention.[0046]
    • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings. [0047]
  • According to the present invention, in a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus which includes a furnace tube ([0048] reference numeral 2 in FIG. 3) the inside of which is filled with gas, a heater (reference numeral 1 in FIG. 3) for keeping the inside temperature of the furnace tube to a desired temperature and a process gas introducing pipe for supplying gas into the furnace tube (reference numeral 5 in FIG. 3) and into which wafers (reference numeral 4 in FIG. 3) mounted on a wafer support boat (reference numeral 3 in FIG. 3) are inserted from one opening end portion (port) of the furnace tube, a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe (reference numeral 9 in FIG. 3) is provided to the one end portion of the furnace tube.
  • [First Embodiment] [0049]
  • A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. [0050] 3 to 5. FIGS. 3 and 4 are longitudinal-sectional views showing the construction of the first embodiment of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention. More specifically, FIG. 3 shows a state where a batch of semiconductor wafers are being inserted into the furnace tube 2, and FIG. 4 shows a state after the batch of semiconductor wafers are completely inserted. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a temperature sequence of the first embodiment according to the present invention.
  • Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vertical type diffusion furnace including a process [0051] gas introducing pipe 5, a furnace tube 2 provided with a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 and a gas discharge pipe 6, a wafer support boat 3 on which wafers 4 are mounted horizontally and a heater 1 for keeping the inside of the furnace tube 2 to a desired temperature.
  • The furnace tube port gas introducing pipe [0052] 9 has a gas supply mechanism for supplying gas to a furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 at a furnace tube port 15 in the direction parallel to the wafers 4 (horizontally), whereby an atmospheric layer different from that of a furnace tube process portion 14 is formed in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 15.
  • Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the furnace [0053] tube process portion 14 is defined as an area inside the furnace tube which corresponds to the wafer mountable range of the wafer support boat 3 in the state where the wafer support boat 3 having the wafers 4 mounted thereon is perfectly accommodated in the furnace tube 2. In other words, the furnace tube process portion 14 means an oxidation treatment area for the wafers 4 with process gas.
  • The [0054] furnace tube port 15 means an area inside the furnace tube which extends from the lowermost end of the furnace tube process portion 14 to the lowermost end of the furnace tube 2 in the furnace tube, and the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 means an area in which the gas atmosphere formed by the gas supplied from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 at the furnace tube port 15 exists.
  • The inside temperature of the [0055] furnace tube 2 is controlled by the heater 1 so that the inside temperature can be set to be different between the furnace tube process portion 14 and the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16. Nitrogen gas containing steam gas as oxidative gas, or nitrogen gas is used as the process gas, and the process gas is passed through the process gas introducing pipe 5 and then supplied from the upper portion of the furnace tube 2 into the furnace tube 2. Accordingly, the process gas stream 8 a in the furnace tube 2 is directed from the upper portion of the furnace tube 2 to the lower portion of the furnace tube 2.
  • Further, oxygen gas and nitrogen gas supplied into the [0056] furnace tube 2 from the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe 9 are blown out horizontally in the direction parallel to the wafers 4, thereby forming the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16. The boundary of the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 or the interface between the gas atmosphere in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 and the process gas atmosphere in the furnace tube 2 is horizontal, i.e. parallel to the wafers 4.
  • Next, the oxidation treatment sequence in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 5. [0057]
  • In a first step, the [0058] wafer support boat 3 having the wafers such as silicon wafers mounted thereon is inserted into the furnace tube 2 upwardly. At this time, the temperature of the furnace tube process portion 14 and the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is kept, for example, to 800° C. by the heater 1.
  • Here, nitrogen (N[0059] 2) gas of 18 [SLM] is supplied as the process gas, and mixture gas of oxygen (0 2) gas of 2 [SLM] and nitrogen gas of 18 [SLM] is supplied as the gas with which the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is formed.
  • When the [0060] wafer support boat 3 is inserted into the furnace tube 2, the insertion speed of the wafer support boat 3 is kept at a fixed rate of 100 mm/minute while the wafers 4 are passed through the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16. In this step, a state where the wafer support boat 3 is being inserted into the furnace tube is shown in FIG. 3, and a state where the insertion of the wafer support boat 3 is completed is shown in FIG. 4.
  • In a second step, temperature stabilization (Recovery) after the wafer support boat is inserted into the furnace tube is carried out. At this time, no mixture gas of oxygen gas and nitrogen gas is supplied to the furnace tube port [0061] gas supply portion 16. The other process gas condition and temperature condition are the same as the first step.
  • The increase of temperature to the oxidation treatment temperature of 850° C. (Ramp-up) in a third step, the temperature stabilization (Ramp Recovery) after the temperature increase in a fourth step and the oxidation treatment (Burning) in a fifth step are carried out. In the oxidation treatment (Burning), steam (H[0062] 2O) gas of 15 [SLM] is supplied as the process gas in place of nitrogen gas, thereby obtaining the final oxide film thickness.
  • The thickness of the oxide film such as silicon oxide film which is formed on the [0063] wafers 4 when the wafers 4 are inserted into the furnace tube is determined by an exposure time for which the wafers 4 are exposed to the oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube, the oxygen concentration in the furnace tube, the temperature in the furnace tube, etc. In the conventional technique, since the temperature in the furnace tube is controlled to a fixed value and the oxygen concentration in the furnace tube is expected to be substantially fixed over the area from the upper portion to the lower portion of the furnace tube, the film thickness uniformity in the batch of the wafers is dependent on the exposure time for which the wafers are exposed to the oxygen atmosphere in the furnace tube 2.
  • In this embodiment, since the oxygen [0064] atmospheric layer 11 is formed at only the furnace tube port 15, and the furnace tube process portion 14 is filled with nitrogen gas, no oxide film is formed in the furnace tube process portion 14. Accordingly, if the insertion speed of the wafer support boat 3 into the furnace tube 2 is constant, the exposure time for which the wafers are exposed to the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 are invariable between the wafers at the top side and the wafers at the bottom side, and thus the oxide film can be formed to be uniform in the batch of the wafers.
  • In this embodiment, the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the fifth step (oxidation treatment step) is equal to 1.5 nm, and the in-batch film thickness uniformity at this time is equal to 3%, so that the film formation can be performed with high uniformity. [0065]
  • Here, the in-batch film thickness uniformity is defined as a value calculated according to the following equation: [0066]
  • “in-batch film thickness uniformity”=(in-batch maximum difference of film thickness average values of respective wafers)×100/(2×the in-batch average value of film thickness average values of respective wafers)
  • Further, the film thickness average value of each wafer represents the average value of film thickness values at five points on the wafer surface (the center point of the wafer and four peripheral points which are located on a cross passing the wafer center point and spaced from the wafer edge by 5 mm). Before the fifth step (oxidation treatment step), the second to fourth steps do not contribute to the oxide film formation, and the oxide film is formed only in the first step. [0067]
  • In the embodiment described above, the parameters are not limited to the above values, and the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained insofar as the conditions are set to the following ranges of (1) to (4). [0068]
  • (1) The flow rate of nitrogen gas serving as process gas when the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube is in the range of 1 to 100 [SLM], and the ratio of this process gas to the gas used to form the oxygen [0069] atmospheric layer 11 in the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is set to 1 or less in terms of flow rate in the furnace.
  • (2) The insertion speed of the [0070] wafer support boat 3 when the wafers 4 pass through the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 at the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 is set to a fixed speed in the range of 10 to 500 mm/minute.
  • (3) The temperature of the furnace tube port [0071] gas supply portion 16 is set to a fixed value in the range of 500 to 900° C. with respect to the time in the insertion step. At this time, the temperature of the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 may be controlled to a temperature different from that of the furnace tube process portion 14.
  • (4) Nitrogen gas for diluting oxygen gas used to form the oxygen [0072] atmospheric layer 11 at the furnace tube port gas supply portion 16 may be replaced by inert gas such as Ar gas, He gas, etc.
  • Any combination of these four conditions provides the same effect as this embodiment. However, the thickness of the oxide film which has been formed until the time just before the oxidation treatment step is varied with the combination of these conditions, and thus it is necessary to select a condition which provides a desired oxide film thickness. [0073]
  • [Second Embodiment][0074]
  • Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a temperature sequence of the second embodiment of the present invention. [0075]
  • Unlike the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe [0076] 9 is separated into two parts (M1, M2) so that gas can be supplied independently through each of these two gas introducing pipes M1, M2. For example, the oxygen atmospheric layer 11 is formed by using the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe M1 adjacent to the furnace tube process portion 14, and the nitrogen gas atmospheric layer 12 is formed by using the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe M2 adjacent to the furnace tube lowermost portion. Here, the nitrogen gas supplied from M2 may be inert gas.
  • The treatment sequence of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. Unlike the first embodiment (FIG. 5), nitrogen gas is supplied via the pipe M[0077] 2 when the wafer support boat 3 is inserted into the furnace tube. With this construction, when the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube, a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmospheric layer 12 is formed by using the furnace tube port gas introducing pipe M2, so that there is provided such an advantage that the oxygen drawing can be prevented.
  • [Third Embodiment][0078]
  • Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a longitudinal-sectional view showing the third embodiment of the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, and also is an enlarged view of the furnace tube port. [0079]
  • Referring to FIG. 8, according to the third embodiment, the structure of the furnace tube port gas supply portion of the first embodiment is further improved. Specifically, the furnace tube port gas supply portion is separated into parts of n (n represents an integer equal to or greater than 3), and gas supply can be independently performed from each of furnace tube port gas introducing pipes M[0080] 1 (17) to Mn (20). Here, a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe located nearest to the furnace tube process portion is represented by M1 (17) and a furnace tube port gas introducing pipe located at the lowermost portion is represented by Mn (20). The furnace tube port gas introducing pipes M1 (17) to Mk (k represents an integer less than n) (18) are used to form an oxygen atmospheric layer 11, and the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes Mk+1 (19) to Mn (20) are used to form a nitrogen gas or inert gas atmospheric layer 12.
  • By suitably selecting the lowermost portion Mk of the furnace tube port gas introducing pipes to form the oxygen [0081] atmospheric layer 11, the width (vertical dimension) of the oxygen atmospheric layer can be varied. Further, by varying the width of the oxygen atmospheric layer 11, the thickness of the oxide film formed when the wafers are inserted into the furnace tube can be controlled.

Claims (27)

What is claimed is:
1. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that a treatment target is inserted into a furnace tube from one end of said furnace tube, and when the treatment target is inserted, gas containing at least reactive gas to the treatment target is introduced into said furnace tube from a first gas introducing port disposed near to the one end of said furnace tube to supply the gas to the treatment target while gas containing at least non-reactive gas to the treatment target is supplied into said furnace tube from a second gas introducing port of said furnace tube.
2. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein said second gas introducing port is disposed at the other end of said furnace tube which is the opposite end to the one end of said furnace tube.
3. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein said first gas introducing port for introducing the gas containing at least the reactive gas into said furnace tube and an additional gas introducing port for introducing gas containing at least non-reactive gas to the treatment target into said furnace tube are provided at the one end of said furnace tube.
4. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein said first gas introducing port for introducing the gas containing at least the reactive gas into said furnace tube is disposed nearer to the one end of said furnace tube as compared with the treatment target inserted into said furnace tube.
5. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein a gas stream of the reactive gas introduced from said first gas introducing port for introducing the gas containing at least the reactive gas into said furnace tube flows in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the treatment target, and a gas stream of the non-reactive gas introduced from said second gas introducing port for introducing the gas-containing at least the non-reactive gas into said furnace tube flows along the insertion direction of the treatment target.
6. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein the boundary of a gas atmospheric layer formed by the gas introduced from said first gas introducing port for introducing the gas containing at least the reactive gas into said furnace is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the treatment target in said furnace tube.
7. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein any one of inert gas and nitrogen gas is introduced from said second gas introducing port.
8. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 1
, wherein the gas containing at least the reactive gas comprises oxygen gas diluted with any one of inert gas and nitrogen gas.
9. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus having a furnace tube from one end of which a treatment target is inserted, characterized in that a gas introducing pipe disposed near to the one end of said furnace tube has a plurality of supply ports separated from one another to introduce plural kinds of gas into said furnace tube, and the plural kinds of gas introduced from the plural separated supply ports into said furnace tube form gas atmospheric layers separated from one another by a layer boundary substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the treatment target.
10. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus including:
a furnace tube into which a treatment target of a semiconductor substrate is inserted from one end thereof;
heating means for holding the temperature of said furnace tube to a desired temperature;.
a first gas introducing pipe for introducing gas containing at least non-reactive gas to the treatment target into said furnace tube; and
a second gas introducing pipe provided near to the one end of said furnace tube for introducing into said furnace tube gas for forming in said furnace tube gas-atmosphere containing at least reactive gas to the treatment target, wherein in said furnace tube the gas introduced from said second gas introducing pipe into said furnace tube forms a gas atmospheric layer having a layer boundary which is substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the treatment target into said furnace tube.
11. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus including:
a furnace tube into which a treatment target of a semiconductor substrate is inserted from one end thereof;
heating means for holding the temperature of said furnace tube to a desired temperature;
a first gas introducing pipe for introducing gas containing at least non-reactive gas to the treatment target into said furnace tube; and
a second gas introducing pipe provided near to the one end of said furnace tube for introducing into said furnace tube gas for forming in said furnace tube gas-atmosphere containing at least reactive gas to the treatment target, wherein said second gas introducing pipe has a plurality of separated areas to introduce plural kinds of gas, and the plural kinds of gas in the plural separated areas of said second gas introducing pipe are introduced into said furnace tube to form a plurality of gas atmospheric layers each having layer boundary in the direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the treatment target into said furnace tube.
12. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 11
, wherein the number of areas to introduce reactive gas into said furnace tube is variable in the plural separated areas of said second gas introducing pipe.
13. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 10
, wherein the gas introduced from said first gas introducing pipe into said furnace tube is composed of nitrogen gas, and the gas introduced from said second gas introducing pipe into said furnace tube is composed of oxygen gas diluted with nitrogen gas.
14. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 11
, wherein the gas introduced from said first gas introducing pipe into said furnace tube is composed of nitrogen gas, and one of the plural kinds of gas introduced from said second gas introducing pipe into said furnace tube is composed of oxygen gas diluted with nitrogen gas and the another one is composed of nitrogen gas.
15. A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
a furnace tube having a port at one end thereof;
a heating means for the furnace tube;
a semiconductor substrate support means for inserting the semiconductor substrate into the furnace tube through the port of the furnace tube;
a first gas introducing port for introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment into a first area of the inside of the furnace tube near to the port of the furnace tube; and
a second gas introducing port for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a second area of the inside of the furnace tube at the other end side of the furnace tube, wherein the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area by means of the semiconductor substrate support means.
16. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the first gas introducing port is disposed at a lateral surface of the furnace tube.
17. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the semiconductor substrate support means supports the semiconductor substrate perpendicularly to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate.
18. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the first gas introducing port has a first portion for introducing the reactive gas into the first area and a second portion for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a third area of the inside of the furnace positioning the opposite side of the first area to the second area.
19. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the first gas introducing port is divided into a plurality of divided portions relative to the insertion direction of the semiconductor substrate, and the reactive gas is introduced into the first area through at least a part of the plurality of divided portions.
20. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the second gas introducing port is disposed at the other end of the furnace tube.
21. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the second gas introducing port is also for use in introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment.
22. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 15
, wherein the semiconductor substrate is a silicon wafer, and the surface treatment is an oxidation treatment of the surface of the silicon wafer.
23. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus as claimed in
claim 22
, wherein the reactive gas being introduced into the first area of the inside of the furnace tube from the first gas introducing port is an oxygen gas diluted with one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas, and the non-reactive gas being introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube from the second gas introducing port is one of a nitrogen gas and inert gas.
24. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for inserting a batch of plural semiconductor substrates serving as treatment targets into a furnace tube to perform a treatment, comprising the steps of:
introducing gas containing at least reactive gas into said furnace tube from a gas introducing port disposed near to one end of said furnace tube in a direction substantially perpendicular to the batch insertion direction in the insertion process of inserting the batch from an insertion port at the one end of the furnace tube, thereby forming a gas atmosphere having a layer boundary in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the batch; and, simultaneously
introducing gas containing at least non-reactive gas into said furnace tube from another gas introducing port of said furnace tube at the other end of said furnace tube which is the opposite end to the one end of said furnace tube, thereby making uniform in the batch the thickness of films formed on said plural semiconductor substrates serving as the treatment targets under the gas atmosphere.
25. The semiconductor device manufacturing method as claimed in
claim 24
, wherein the gas containing at least non-reactive gas is composed of nitrogen gas, and the gas containing at least the reactive gas is composed of oxygen gas diluted with nitrogen gas.
26. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device for performing a surface treatment of a semiconductor substrate, wherein the following processes are simultaneously performed:
(a) a first process for inserting the semiconductor substrate at a fixed speed into a furnace tube through a port of the furnace tube at one end thereof;
(b) a second process for introducing a reactive gas for the surface treatment into a first area of the inside of the furnace tube near to the port of the furnace tube; and
(c) a third process for introducing a non-reactive gas to the semiconductor substrate into a second area of the inside of the furnace tube at the other end side of the furnace tube, wherein the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area in the first process.
27. The semiconductor device manufacturing method as claimed in
claim 26
, wherein a reactive gas for the surface treatment is introduced into the second area of the inside of the furnace tube after the semiconductor substrate is moved to the second area.
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GB9907854D0 (en) 1999-06-02
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