Abstract: A film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by performing a cycle of alternately supplying at least two kinds of reaction gases that react with each other on the substrate to produce a layer of a reaction product in a vacuum chamber is disclosed. The film deposition apparatus includes a ring-shaped locking member that may be provided in or around a wafer receiving portion of a turntable in which the substrate is placed, in order to keep the substrate in the substrate receiving portion.

Abstract: A disclosed film deposition apparatus includes a turntable having in one surface a substrate receiving portion along a turntable rotation direction; a first reaction gas supplying portion for supplying a first reaction gas; a second reaction gas supplying portion for supplying a second reaction gas; a separation area between a first process area where the first reaction gas is supplied and a second process area where the second reaction gas is supplied, the separation area including a separation gas supplying portion for supplying a first separation gas in the separation area, and a ceiling surface opposing the one surface to produce a thin space; a center area having an ejection hole for ejecting a second separation gas along the one surface; and an evacuation opening for evacuating the chamber.

Abstract: A film deposition apparatus includes a turntable provided in the chamber and having on a first surface a substrate receiving area in which a substrate is placed; first and second reaction gas supplying portions supplying first and second reaction gases to the first surface, respectively; a separation gas supplying portion provided between the first reaction gas supplying portion and the second reaction gas supplying portion and supplying a separation gas that separates the first reaction gas and the second reaction gas; an evacuation port that evacuates the chamber; a space defining member provided for at least one of the first and second reaction gas supplying portions and defining a first space between the at least one of the first and second reaction gas supplying portions and the turntable and a second space so that the separation gas is likely to flow through the second space rather than the first space.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum container, a rotary table to rotate in the vacuum container, a substrate placement member mounted on the rotary table in a detachable manner, the substrate placement member and the rotary table together providing a recess in which a substrate is placed on an upper side of the rotary table, and the substrate placement member constituting a bottom surface in the recess on which the substrate is placed, a position regulating unit provided at least one of the rotary table and the substrate placement member to regulate a movement of the substrate caused by a centrifugal force during rotation of the rotary table, a reactant gas supply unit to supply reactant gas to the upper side of the rotary table, and a vacuum exhaust unit to exhaust the vacuum container.

Abstract: A vacuum chamber is evacuated through a first evacuation passage provided with a first valve and a second evacuation passage provided with a second valve. An opening degree of the first valve is adjusted so that a pressure in the vacuum chamber becomes substantially equal to a process pressure P; an opening degree of a butterfly valve further provided in the second evacuation passage is adjusted to substantially equal to a set value determined by a table in order to set flow rates of gases to be evacuated through the first evacuation passage and the second evacuation passage to be substantially equal to corresponding set values determined by the recipe; and an opening degree of the second valve is adjusted so that a measurement value of a differential pressure gauge further provided in the second evacuation passage becomes substantially equal to a differential pressure written in the table.

Abstract: A rotation table on which a wafer is placed is rotated around a vertical axis in order to supply to an upper surface of the wafer a first reaction gas for allowing the first reaction gas to be adsorbed on the upper surface, an auxiliary gas that reacts with the first reaction gas to produce an intermediate product having reflowability, and a second reaction gas that is reacted with the intermediate product to produce a reaction product in this order; and the reaction product is heated by a heating lamp in order to densify the reaction product.

Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus, a film deposition device and a heat processing device to perform an anneal processing are airtightly connected to a vacuum conveying chamber, and a substrate rotating unit to cause a substrate to rotate around a vertical axis is provided in the vacuum conveying chamber. A control unit is arranged to stop a relative rotation of a plurality of reactive gas supplying units, a separating gas supplying unit and a table by a rotation device in the middle of a film deposition process of the substrate, cause a conveying unit to take out the substrate from a vacuum chamber, and output a control signal that causes a substrate rotating unit to change a direction of the substrate.

Abstract: A disclosed film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by supplying a reaction gas to an upper surface of the substrate in a vacuum chamber includes a susceptor provided in the vacuum chamber, wherein substrate receiving areas are formed along a circle whose center lies in a center portion of the susceptor; a main gas supplying portion provided opposing the susceptor in order to supply the reaction gas to the substrate receiving areas of the susceptor; a compensation gas supplying portion configured to supply the reaction gas to an upper surface of the susceptor in order to compensate for concentration of the reaction gas supplied from the main gas supplying portion along a radius direction of the susceptor; and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the susceptor relative to the main gas supplying portion and the compensation gas supplying portion around the center portion of the susceptor.

Abstract: A disclosed film deposition apparatus includes a transparent window in a ceiling plate of a vacuum chamber. A film thickness of a film deposited on a substrate is measured by emitting light to the substrate through the transparent window by a film thickness measurement system that includes optical units arranged on or above the transparent window, optical fiber cables connected to the corresponding optical units, a measurement unit to which the optical fiber cables are connected, and a control unit electrically connected to the measurement unit in order to control the measurement unit.

Abstract: A film is deposited to a predetermined thickness on a wafer by allowing the wafer placed on a susceptor to alternately move through plural process areas where corresponding plural reaction gases are supplied from corresponding plural reaction gas supplying portions and a separation area where a separation gas is supplied from a separation gas supplying portion in order to separate the plural reaction gases. Such movement is achieved by rotating the susceptor relative to the plural reaction gas supplying portions and the separation gas supplying portion, or rotating the plural reaction gas supplying portions and the separation gas supplying portion relative to the susceptor. Then, when the film is deposited in the above manner to a predetermined thickness, the film deposition is temporarily stopped; the wafer is rotated around its center; and the film is deposited to another predetermined thickness in the same manner.

Abstract: In a film deposition apparatus, a turntable is disposed in a vacuum container and includes a substrate placement area in which a substrate is placed. A substrate heating unit is disposed to heat the substrate placed on the turntable. First and second reactive gas supplying units are disposed at mutually distant locations in a rotational direction of the turntable to respectively supply first and second reactive gases to first and second processing areas adjacent to the substrate placement area. A separation gas supplying unit is disposed to supply a separation gas to a separation area located between the first and second processing areas in the rotational direction. An exhaust port is arranged to exhaust the first and second reactive gases and the separation gas from the turntable. A temperature control part is arranged to heat or cool the vacuum container.

Abstract: In a film deposition apparatus, a first separation gas is discharged from a separation gas supplying portion to a separation area between a first process area to which a first reaction gas is supplied and a second process area to which a second reaction gas is supplied. A heater is provided to heat the turntable by radiation heat. An outer sidewall member is provided in a bottom part of a vacuum chamber to surround the turntable in an area where the heater is provided. A space forming member is provided between the separation areas adjacent to each other in a rotating direction of the turntable and extending from the outer sidewall member to form a narrow space between the turntable. A purge gas flows from a lower side of the turntable to an area outside the turntable in a radial direction through the narrow space.

Abstract: A disclosed semiconductor device fabrication apparatus includes a chamber where a predetermined process is carried out with respect to a substrate; a transfer arm that includes claw portions for supporting a lower peripheral surface portion of the substrate and that moves into and out from the chamber; and a susceptor that includes a substrate receiving portion in which the substrate is placed, and a step portion provided to allow the claw portions to move to a position lower than an upper surface of the substrate receiving portion.

Abstract: A film deposition apparatus includes a rotary table having a substrate placement area to support a substrate, a vacuum container including a container and a top panel, an open-and-close mechanism configured to open and close the top panel, reactant gas nozzles disposed through and supported by an outer wall of the container to be situated at different angular positions with respect to a rotation center of the rotary table to face areas in which the substrate placement area passes, the reactant gas nozzles having gas discharge ports arranged in radial directions to supply respective reactant gases to the wafer thereby to form respective process areas, a discharge gas supply unit situated at an angular position between the process areas to supply purge gas to form an isolation area that isolates atmospheres of the process areas from each other, and an exhaustion unit configured to exhaust atmosphere inside the vacuum container.

Abstract: A disclosed film deposition apparatus includes a susceptor provided rotatably in a chamber; a substrate receiving portion provided in one surface of the susceptor, for receiving a substrate; a reaction gas supplying member configured to supply a reaction gas to the one surface of the susceptor; a cleaning member including: a first concave member that is provided above the susceptor and open toward the one surface, thereby defining a space of an inverted concave shape, a second concave member provided over the first concave member to define a gas passage between the first concave member and the second concave member, a cleaning gas supplying portion configured to supply a cleaning gas to the space, and an evacuation pipe configured to be in gaseous communication with the gas passage and extend out from the chamber; and an evacuation opening provided in the chamber in order to evacuate the chamber.

Abstract: A disclosed substrate position detection apparatus includes an imaging portion configured to take an image of a substrate subject to a position detection; a panel member provided between the imaging portion and the substrate and including a first opening that ensures a field of view for the imaging portion with respect to the substrate, the panel member having a light scattering property; a first illuminating portion configured to illuminate the panel member; and a processing portion capable of determining a position of the substrate in accordance with the image taken through the first opening by the imaging portion.

Abstract: An injector body of a gas injector has a gas inlet and a gas passage; plural gas outflow openings disposed on a wall part of the injector body along a longitudinal direction of the injector body; and a guide member that provides a slit-shaped gas discharge opening extending in the longitudinal direction of the injector body on an outer surface of the injector body, and guides gas flowing from the gas outflow openings to the gas discharge opening.

Abstract: A thermal processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a processing container having an opening part at a lower end thereof. The processing container can contain an object to be processed therein. The opening part can be opened and closed by a lid. A flange is provided at a periphery of the opening part. A gas-introducing part for introducing a gas into the processing container is provided in the flange. The object to be processed contained in the processing container is heated by a heating mechanism.

Abstract: A film deposition apparatus includes: a turntable; a first reaction gas supply part and a second reaction gas supply part extending from a circumferential edge toward a rotation center of the turntable; and a first separation gas supply part provided between the first and second reaction gas supply parts. A first space contains the first reaction gas supply part and has a first height. A second space contains the second reaction gas supply part and has a second height. A third space contains a first separation gas supply part and has a height lower than the first and second heights. A motor provided under the rotation center of the turntable rotates the turntable. A rotation shaft of the turntable and a drive shaft of the motor are coupled without generation of slip.

Abstract: A film deposition apparatus includes a turntable rotatably provided in a chamber. First and second reaction gas supplying portions supply first and second reaction gases to one surface of the turntable, respectively. A separation gas is discharged from a separation gas supplying portion to a separation area between a first process area to which the first reaction gas is supplied and a second process area to which the second reaction gas is supplied. A ceiling surface is provided in the separation area to form a thin space between the turntable to allow the separation gas flowing from the separation area to a process area side. An elevation mechanism to move the substrate upward and downward is provided in a substrate placement part. The elevation mechanism is movable in upward and downward directions relative to the turntable and movable in a radial direction of the turntable.