JP4748594B2 - Vacuum processing apparatus and vacuum processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus and a vacuum processing method including a load lock chamber, a plurality of processing chambers, and a core chamber for delivering a substrate to be processed between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber. .

  In recent years, multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatuses have been widely used. A multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus includes a single or a plurality of load lock chambers for accommodating a substrate to be processed and a substrate to be processed around a core chamber (transfer chamber) in which a substrate transfer robot is disposed. It has a structure in which a plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined vacuum processing such as film and etching are arranged. The substrate is transferred between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber, and the substrate is transferred between the processing chambers via a substrate transfer robot in the core chamber.

  The multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus includes partition valves between the load lock chamber and the core chamber and between the core chamber and each processing chamber, and each chamber is configured to be evacuated independently. ing. In addition, when the processing chamber is a film forming chamber, in order to prevent the film forming gas in the processing chamber from flowing back into the core chamber, a pressure adjusting gas is introduced into the core chamber so that the pressure in the core chamber is set higher than the pressure in the processing chamber. There is known a method of carrying in / out a substrate to / from a processing chamber in a state where the height is higher (see Patent Document 1 below).

  FIG. 5 shows a process flow of the substrate processing method in the conventional multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus having the above-described configuration.

  In the load lock chamber (L / L), a predetermined number of substrates to be processed are accommodated and held, and then evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum (step S101). After the load lock chamber reaches a vacuum level equivalent to that of the core chamber, the first partition valve between the load lock chamber and the core chamber is opened, and the substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber to the core chamber (step S102, S103). Thereafter, the first gate valve is closed and the core chamber is regulated (steps S104 and S105).

  An inert gas such as argon gas or nitrogen gas is used as the pressure adjusting gas. By introducing the pressure adjusting gas into the core chamber while controlling the flow rate, the core chamber is adjusted to a pressure higher than that of the processing chamber. With this pressure maintained, the second partition valve between the core chamber and the processing chamber is opened, and the substrate to be processed is transferred from the core chamber to the processing chamber (steps S106 and S107). Thereby, the backflow of the film forming gas from the processing chamber to the core chamber is prevented. Thereafter, the second gate valve is closed, and the film forming process for the substrate is performed in the processing chamber (steps S108 and S109).

  When the substrate film forming process is completed, the core chamber is evacuated and then adjusted to a pressure higher than that of the processing chamber, the second partition valve is opened, and the substrate is transferred from the processing chamber to the core chamber (step S110). To S112). Thereby, the backflow of the film forming gas from the processing chamber to the core chamber is prevented. Then, after closing the second partition valve, the core chamber is evacuated to a degree of vacuum equivalent to that of the load lock chamber (steps S113 and S114). After the degree of vacuum in the core chamber reaches the degree of vacuum in the load lock chamber, the first partition valve is opened (step S115). Then, the film-formed substrate is transferred from the core chamber to the load lock chamber, and an unprocessed substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber to the core chamber (steps S116 and S103).

  Thereafter, the substrate is transported and the film is formed through the same processes as described above. When the processing of all the substrates in the load lock chamber is completed, the first partition valve is closed and the load lock chamber is opened to the atmosphere (steps S117 and S118). Then, the processed substrate is carried out from the load lock chamber.

JP-A-10-270527

  However, in the conventional multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, each time a substrate is taken in and out of the processing chamber, the pressure adjusting gas is introduced into the core chamber to adjust the pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce the gas twice, and the substrate transport time includes the pressure adjusting time twice (steps S105 and S110), and the productivity is deteriorated.

  Further, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus, the core chamber is evacuated twice when the substrate formed in the processing chamber is returned to the load lock chamber through the regulated core chamber (steps S110 and S114). . Therefore, it takes time to evacuate the core chamber to the vacuum, which increases the time required for transporting the substrate and deteriorates the productivity of the apparatus.

  Further, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus, gas is introduced into the core chamber every time the substrate is taken in and out of the substrate processing chamber, so that pressure adjustment is required for each substrate. There was a high risk of flying particles. Therefore, the deterioration of the film quality during the film forming process has become a problem due to this.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus and a vacuum processing method capable of improving productivity by reducing time required for transporting a substrate and reducing generation of particles.

  In solving the above problems, the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention includes one or a plurality of load lock chambers that accommodate a substrate to be processed, and a plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined vacuum processing on the substrate to be processed. A core chamber capable of being evacuated for delivering a substrate to be processed between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber, a first partition valve for partitioning the load lock chamber and the core chamber, a core chamber and a processing chamber And a pressure regulating mechanism that introduces a pressure regulating gas into the core chamber and maintains the core chamber at a predetermined pressure, and opens the first valve when regulating the pressure in the core chamber. At the same time, when the second valve is closed and the substrate to be processed is delivered to the processing chamber, the first valve is kept open, and the pressure in the core chamber and the load lock chamber is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber. It is characterized by opening two valves.

  In addition, the vacuum processing method of the present invention includes one or a plurality of load lock chambers that accommodate a substrate to be processed, a plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined vacuum processing on the substrate to be processed, a load lock chamber, and a process. A core chamber that can be evacuated to deliver the substrate to be processed to and from the chamber, a first partition valve that partitions the load lock chamber and the core chamber, and a first partition that partitions the core chamber and the processing chamber. A vacuum processing method in a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a two-partition valve and a pressure adjusting mechanism for introducing a pressure adjusting gas into the core chamber to maintain the core chamber at a predetermined pressure, wherein the first valve is opened and the second valve is opened. The pressure in the core chamber is adjusted with the valve closed, and the second valve is opened while the first valve is open while the pressure in the core chamber and the load lock chamber is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber. Special feature of delivering substrates to be processed between To.

  As described above, in the present invention, the core chamber and the load lock chamber are handled as one chamber during substrate transport and processing in the apparatus, and the pressure in the core chamber is adjusted with the first partition valve open. I am doing so. Thereby, the pressure regulation of the core chamber for each substrate can be abolished, and the substrate transport time can be shortened to improve the productivity of the apparatus. In addition, by eliminating the pressure regulation of the core chamber for each substrate, the frequency of gas introduction into the core chamber is reduced, thereby suppressing the generation of particles, for example, suppressing the occurrence of film quality defects in the film forming process. It becomes possible. Furthermore, by transferring the substrate to and from the processing chamber when the pressure in the core chamber and the load lock chamber is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber, the flow of gas in the processing chamber from the processing chamber toward the core chamber is reduced. Can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the pressure regulation of the core chamber for each substrate, shorten the substrate transport time, and improve the productivity of the apparatus. Further, by eliminating the pressure regulation of the core chamber for each substrate, the frequency of gas introduction into the core chamber can be reduced, thereby suppressing the generation of particles.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes load lock chambers 2A and 2B that accommodate substrates to be processed (hereinafter also simply referred to as “substrates”), and processing chambers 3A and 3B that perform predetermined vacuum processing on the substrates. And a core chamber (transfer chamber) 4 for transferring substrates between the load lock chambers 2A and 2B and the processing chambers 3A and 3B.

The load lock chambers 2A and 2B have the same configuration, and a stocker capable of accommodating a predetermined number (25 in this example) of substrates is installed therein. Exhaust systems 8a and 8b are connected to the load lock chambers 2A and 2B, respectively, and can be evacuated independently of each other. The load lock chambers 2A and 2B communicate with the atmospheric substrate transfer system 6 through doors 5A and 5B. The atmospheric substrate transfer system 6 is provided with a substrate transfer robot 6a for transferring unprocessed or processed substrates between the wafer cassette 7 and the load lock chambers 2A and 2B.
The load lock chambers 2A and 2B are not limited to being installed as in the illustrated example, but may be a single load lock chamber.

  The processing chambers 3A and 3B are composed of an etching chamber, a heating chamber, a film forming chamber (a sputtering chamber, a CVD chamber), and the like, and in this embodiment, all are film forming chambers. Exhaust systems 8c and 8d are connected to the processing chambers 3A and 3B, respectively, and can be evacuated independently of each other. Although not shown, each processing chamber 3A, 3B is connected to a gas source of a predetermined film forming gas (reaction gas, source gas, inert gas, etc.) corresponding to the process.

  Although not shown, the core chamber 4 has a substrate transfer robot inside, and the substrate is placed between the load lock chambers 2A and 2B and the processing chambers 3A and 3B, or between the processing chamber 3A and the processing chamber 3B. It is comprised so that delivery may be performed. An exhaust system 8e is connected to the core chamber 4 and can be evacuated independently. In addition, a gas source 9 is connected to the core chamber 4 and can be maintained at a predetermined pressure by a pressure-controlled gas introduced from the gas source 9.

  2 and 3 show a configuration example of the gas source 9 and the exhaust system 8e connected to the core chamber 4. FIG. The gas source 9 has a configuration in which a mass flow controller (MFC) 13 is disposed between the valves 14a and 14b. The exhaust system 8e is connected in order of the main valve 15, the pressure regulating valve 16, and a vacuum pump 17 such as a dry pump from the core chamber 4 side. The pressure in the core chamber 4 is controlled by adjusting the opening of the pressure regulating valve 16. The gas source 9 and the exhaust system 8e constitute a pressure regulation mechanism that maintains the core chamber 4 in a predetermined pressure regulation atmosphere.

  The exhaust systems 8a to 8e have the same configuration, but the pressure regulating valve 16 is provided in each of the exhaust systems 8c, 8d, and 8e of the processing chambers 3A and 3B and the core chamber 4, and the load lock chamber 2A. , 2B are not provided in the exhaust systems 8a, 8b.

  Between the load lock chambers 2A and 2B and the core chamber 4, first partition valves 11A and 11B are installed, respectively. Further, second partition valves 12A and 12B are installed between the core chamber 4 and the processing chambers 3A and 3B, respectively. The operation of each part of the vacuum processing apparatus 1 including opening / closing control of the first and second gate valves 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B is configured to be controlled by a control unit (not shown).

  In addition, pressure gauges are installed in the load lock chambers 2A and 2B, the processing chambers 3A and 3B, and the core chamber 4 respectively, not shown, and the pressure in each chamber is monitored. The pressure indication values in the processing chambers 3A and 3B and the core chamber 4 are linked to the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve 16, and the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve 16 is automatically adjusted based on the detected pressure of the pressure gauge. Thus, these chambers are configured to be maintained at a predetermined pressure.

  FIG. 4 shows a process flow showing an operation example of the vacuum processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the vacuum processing method of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following example, an example of transferring a substrate between the load lock chamber 2A and the processing chamber 3A will be described.

  First, the first and second valves 11A and 12A are closed in advance. Then, the door 5A of the load lock chamber (L / L) 2A is opened, and a plurality of (for example, 25) substrates are transferred into the load lock chamber 2A via the atmospheric substrate transfer system 6. The load lock chamber 2A holds these substrates, then closes the door 5A, and evacuates to a predetermined pressure via the exhaust system 8a (step S1). Similarly, the processing chamber 3A and the core chamber 4 are evacuated to a predetermined pressure through the exhaust systems 8c and 8e.

  Next, after the load lock chamber 2A and the core chamber 4 reach the same set pressure, the main valve 15 of the exhaust system is closed and the first partition valve 11A is opened (step S2). Next, nitrogen gas is introduced as a regulated gas into the core chamber 4 at a flow rate of, for example, 5000 sccm, and the core chamber 4 is regulated to, for example, 7 Torr by the pressure regulating valve 16 of the exhaust system 8e. At this time, since the first partition valve 11A is open, the pressure in the load lock chamber 2A is the same as the pressure in the core chamber 4. That is, by adjusting the pressure in the core chamber 4 with the first partition valve 11A opened and the second partition valve 12A closed, the load lock chamber 2A is regulated together with the core chamber 4 (step S3).

  On the other hand, for example, oxygen gas is introduced into the processing chamber 3A as a film forming gas at a flow rate of, for example, 3000 sccm, and the processing chamber 3A is adjusted to, for example, 5 Torr by the pressure regulating valve of the exhaust system 8d.

  When the pressure adjustment in the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A is completed, the substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber 2A to the core chamber 4 (step S4). The core chamber 4 is continuously maintained in a regulated atmosphere by the flow control of the regulated gas by the gas source 9 and the regulated action by the exhaust system 8e.

  The pressure in the core chamber 4 and the pressure in the load lock chamber 2 </ b> A are set higher than the pressure in the processing chamber 3 </ b> A by the pressure regulating action of the core chamber 4. Then, the second partition valve 12A is opened while the first partition valve 11A is kept open, and the substrate is transferred from the core chamber 4 to the processing chamber 3A (steps S5 and S6). Thereafter, the second gate valve 12A is closed, and the film forming process for the substrate is performed in the processing chamber 3A (steps S7 and S8). Meanwhile, the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A are adjusted to a set pressure of 7 Torr by continuously performing a predetermined pressure adjusting action. After completion of the film forming process for the substrate, the second partition valve 12A is opened, and the substrate is transferred from the processing chamber 3A to the core chamber 4 (steps S9 and S10).

  As described above, the transfer of the substrate between the core chamber 4 and the processing chamber 3A is performed in a state where the pressure in the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber 3A. The gas is prevented from flowing back to the core chamber 4 side, and contamination of the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A is avoided.

  Thereafter, the film-formed substrate is transferred from the core chamber 4 to the load lock chamber 2A (step S12), and an unprocessed substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber 2A to the core chamber 4 (step S4). Thereafter, the substrate is transferred and the film is formed through the same processes as described above. That is, the first gate valve 11A is kept open until the film formation process for all the substrates in the load lock chamber 2A is completed. Further, the pressure in the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A is equal and maintained higher than the pressure in the processing chamber 3A until the film forming process for all the substrates in the load lock chamber 2A is completed.

  When the processing of all the substrates in the load lock chamber 2A is completed, the first partition valve 11A is closed and the load lock chamber 2A is opened to the atmosphere (steps S13 and S14). Then, the processed substrate is transferred into the cassette 7 via the atmospheric substrate transfer system 6.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A are handled as one chamber during the transfer and processing of the substrate in the vacuum processing apparatus 1, and the pressure regulation in the core chamber 4 is performed in the first manner. The operation is performed with the gate valve 11A opened. As a result, the pressure adjusting process for the core chamber 4 may be performed only once (step S3), making it unnecessary to adjust the pressure for each substrate, shortening the substrate transport time, and improving productivity. it can.

  Further, by eliminating the pressure regulation of the core chamber 4 for each substrate, the frequency of gas introduction into the core chamber 4 is reduced, thereby suppressing the generation of particles and the generation of poor film quality in the film forming process. It becomes possible. Further, the substrate is transferred to and from the processing chamber 3A when the pressure in the core chamber 4 and the load lock chamber 2A is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber 3A, so that the processing from the processing chamber 3A toward the core chamber 4 is performed. Gas flow in the chamber 3A can be prevented.

  The substrate transfer time in the vacuum processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above is compared with the substrate transfer time in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus as follows.

For example, in a conventional vacuum processing apparatus, the time required for adjusting the pressure in the core chamber when loading / unloading a substrate into / from the processing chamber is 30 seconds, and the partition valve (corresponding to the second partition valve) of the processing chamber is opened. / The time required for closing is 5 seconds. Therefore, the time required for the pressure regulation of the core chamber to process 25 substrates is 30 seconds × 2 (times) × 25 (sheets) = 1500 seconds, and the process chamber partition valve is opened / closed. The time required is 5 seconds × 2 (times) × 25 (sheets) = 250 seconds.
Next, the time required to evacuate the pressure-controlled core chamber to the required vacuum when loading / unloading the substrate into / from the load lock chamber is 15 seconds. The time required for opening / closing is equivalent to 5 seconds. Therefore, the time required to evacuate the core chamber to the required vacuum for processing 25 substrates is 15 seconds × 2 (times) × 25 (sheets) = 750 seconds. The time required for opening / closing is 5 seconds × 2 times × 25 sheets = 250 seconds.
In total, 1500 + 250 + 750 + 250 = 2750 seconds = about 46 minutes is required.

On the other hand, in the vacuum processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the time required for adjusting the pressure in the core chamber 4 when the substrate is put in / out of the processing chamber 3A is only the first 30 seconds, and the second partition valve The time required to open / close 12A is 5 seconds. Therefore, the time required for adjusting the pressure in the core chamber 4 to process 25 substrates is 30 seconds × 1 (times) = 30 seconds, and the time required for opening / closing the second partition valve 12A is as follows: 5 seconds × 2 (times) × 25 (sheets) = 250 seconds.
Next, the time required for exhausting the pressure-controlled core chamber 4 to the necessary vacuum when loading / unloading the substrate into / from the load lock chamber 2A is only the first 15 seconds, and the first partition valve 11A is opened. / The time required for closing is only the first and last two times. Therefore, the time required to evacuate the core chamber to the required vacuum for processing 25 substrates is 15 seconds × 1 (times) = 15 seconds, which is required for opening / closing the first partition valve 11A. The time is 5 seconds × 2 times = 10 seconds.
Summing up the above, 30 + 250 + 15 + 10 = 305 seconds = about 5 minutes, and a time reduction of about 41 minutes can be realized by only the transport time as compared with the conventional apparatus.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration example in which the two load lock chambers 2A and 2B and the two process chambers 3A and 3B are arranged around the core chamber 4 as the vacuum processing apparatus 1 has been described. It is possible to use a single unit or to arrange a plurality of processing chambers. Further, the present invention is not limited to a single core chamber, and can be applied to, for example, a tandem core type vacuum processing apparatus.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the pressure regulating mechanism is configured to interlock the pressure gauge and the opening of the pressure regulating valve so as to automatically maintain the core chamber 4 at the set pressure. It is possible to provide the same pressure controllability by using the opening adjustment valve.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mass flow controller 13 is used for the gas source 9 for introducing the pressure-regulating gas into the core chamber 4, but instead, a component such as a needle valve that can easily control the gas flow rate is used. Can also provide the same pressure controllability as described above.

It is a schematic block diagram of the vacuum processing apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the gas source of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the exhaust system of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a process flow which shows operation | movement of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a process flow which shows operation | movement of the conventional vacuum processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum processing apparatus 2A, 2B Load lock chamber 3A, 3B Processing chamber 4 Core chamber 8a-8e Exhaust system 9 Gas source 11A, 11B 1st partition valve 12A, 12B 2nd partition valve 13 Mass flow controller 15 Main valve 16 Pressure regulation valve

Claims (3)

One or a plurality of load lock chambers for accommodating substrates to be processed;
A plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined vacuum processing on the substrate to be processed;
A core chamber capable of being evacuated to deliver the substrate to be processed between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber;
A first partition valve that partitions between the load lock chamber and the core chamber;
A second partition valve that partitions between the core chamber and the processing chamber;
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising a pressure regulating mechanism for introducing a pressure regulating gas into the core chamber and maintaining the core chamber at a predetermined pressure;
During the pressure regulation of the core chamber, the first gate valve is opened and the second gate valve is closed,
When the substrate to be processed is delivered to the processing chamber, the second partition valve is maintained in an open state, and the pressure in the core chamber and the load lock chamber is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber. A vacuum processing apparatus characterized by opening a gate valve. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load lock chamber accommodates a plurality of the substrates to be processed. One or a plurality of load lock chambers for accommodating substrates to be processed;
A plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined vacuum processing on the substrate to be processed;
A core chamber capable of being evacuated to deliver the substrate to be processed between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber;
A first partition valve that partitions between the load lock chamber and the core chamber;
A second partition valve that partitions between the core chamber and the processing chamber;
A vacuum processing method in a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a pressure adjusting mechanism for introducing a pressure adjusting gas into the core chamber and maintaining the core chamber at a predetermined pressure,
Regulating the core chamber in a state where the first gate valve is open and the second gate valve is closed;
In a state where the pressure in the core chamber and the load lock chamber is higher than the pressure in the processing chamber, the second partition valve is opened while the first partition valve is open, and the chamber is covered with the processing chamber. A vacuum processing method comprising delivering a processing substrate.

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