JP5461760B2 - Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor manufacturing method for forming a deposited film of a semiconductor element.

  In recent years, the size of products equipped with semiconductor elements such as TFTs (thin film transistors) is increasing, and accordingly, the size of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses is inevitably increasing.

  However, since there is a limit to the area of the site where the apparatus is installed and the equipment budget that can be invested, it is ideal to manufacture a large semiconductor with a low budget in the smallest possible installation space.

  For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses (film forming apparatuses) in which the apparatus is made compact and the cost is reduced. These semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses are called a multi-chamber system.

  In the multi-chamber method, a load waiting chamber for transferring a processing object is provided in a load lock chamber for taking in and out the processing object (substrate), and a process chamber (film forming chamber) is arranged so as to surround the load lock chamber. In this method, the load lock chamber and the process chamber are connected via the transfer standby chamber. This multi-chamber semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has an advantage that even if one chamber breaks down, semiconductor manufacturing can be continued in another chamber, and the entire apparatus does not need to be stopped.

  The multi-chamber semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 is provided with one or more load lock chambers and a number of process chambers equal to or greater than the number of load lock chambers. As a result, the apparatus is made compact and the cost is reduced.

In the CVD apparatus of Patent Document 2, a plurality of process chambers (film formation chambers) are arranged in a row with the openings directed in the same direction, and the openings that can be opposed to the openings of each process chamber by moving. There is disclosed a multi-chamber system having a structure in which a load lock chamber (moving chamber) is provided, and the load lock chamber is connected to each process chamber.
JP-A-6-267806 JP 2005-139524 A

  By the way, in the multi-chamber system disclosed in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of process chambers are always connected to the transfer standby chamber, the airtightness between both chambers is good, and air may leak inside and outside the chamber. However, in addition to the load lock chamber, an extra transfer waiting chamber is required, resulting in high equipment costs. In addition, the transfer direction from the transfer standby chamber to each process chamber spreads radially, the transfer mechanism is complicated and position control is difficult, various troubles are likely to occur, and there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of product production efficiency. Many are left behind. In addition, since each chamber is fixed, it is not possible to respond quickly when changing the layout, and in that case, another multi-chamber system must be constructed. For this reason, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disadvantageous in terms of device expandability (that is, expansion due to production volume expansion) and facility costs.

  On the other hand, in the CVD apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, a plurality of film forming chambers are arranged in parallel, and independently provided moving chambers move to the vicinity of each film forming chamber to be connected and sealed. It is configured. By providing the transfer mechanism in the moving direction and the connecting direction of the moving chamber independently, the configuration is simplified, the frequency of trouble occurrence is low, and there is little fear of a decrease in production efficiency.

  However, since the transfer chamber and the film forming chamber are independent of each other and are configured to be connected and sealed as necessary and are not always connected, there is a problem in ensuring the sealing between the two chambers. Remains. In particular, this problem becomes more serious as the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus becomes larger.

  That is, the CVD apparatus of Patent Document 2 has a problem in that both chambers are connected and sealed using a sealing member such as an O-ring (regardless of cross-sectional shape). O-rings that have been deformed by applying external force come into contact with both chambers, and sealing the two chambers is ensured by securing the contact area. The thrust required for sealing is the circumference, diameter, or cross-sectional dimensions of the O-ring. The sealable range is determined from the diameter or cross-sectional dimension, hardness, and thrust of the seal member.

  As the size of the device increases, the length of the close contact portion of the seal member with respect to both chambers increases, and as a result, the thrust required to seal between the chambers increases. There was a need for a thrust device that could be provided. Therefore, when a hydraulic cylinder is employed as the thrust device, a large thrust can be obtained. However, since the oil component deteriorates the performance of the semiconductor, it is not preferable to use the hydraulic cylinder in an environment for manufacturing a semiconductor.

  In addition, it is difficult to ensure sufficient smoothness of the sealing surface in order to obtain a reliable sealing property, and even if precise processing is possible, considerable processing costs are required.

  Furthermore, the assembly accuracy and installation accuracy of the apparatus have a significant influence on the sealing performance between the two chambers. That is, since the sealing performance depends on the O-ring wire diameter and the shrinkage allowance, the allowable range becomes narrower as the apparatus becomes larger. In addition, the moving chamber driven by the driving device is required to stop at a predetermined position with high precision. However, when the stop position is shifted, the sealing performance is ensured by the wire diameter and contraction of the O-ring. You must depend on your teenager.

  The shrinkage allowance of the O-ring is only an allowance of about several millimeters, and it is extremely difficult to secure a seal between both chambers in a large-sized apparatus. In other words, the two chambers are not necessarily arranged to face each other in parallel, but no matter how much they are arranged in parallel, in many cases, they are inclined to the left or right or up and down, and the O-ring Adhesion is partially insufficient. In order to solve this problem, the moving chamber is further pressed against the film forming chamber, and a part that has already secured sufficient adhesion is further pressed to ensure adhesion of an insufficiently adhered part. There is only.

  However, as described above, the contraction allowance of the O-ring is only an allowance of about several millimeters, and as the apparatus becomes larger, if the parallelism of both chambers is not improved, reliable adhesion is ensured over the entire circumference. Can not. Moreover, even if adhesion can be ensured, the O-ring will be partially pressed and deformed, and the durability of the O-ring will be reduced. Furthermore, the larger the size of the device, the greater the thrust of the moving chamber required to seal between the two chambers, which necessitates a huge thrust generator, increasing the equipment cost and installation space for the thrust generator. End up.

  As another problem, in order to reduce the tightening force (thrust) when using an O-ring, it is necessary to reduce the hardness of the O-ring. As a result, it becomes difficult to maintain a clean environment for manufacturing semiconductors. Even if grease is used to suppress dust generation, the grease itself may contaminate a clean environment.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of easily ensuring adhesion between a film formation chamber and a transfer chamber even when the apparatus is enlarged.

The invention of claim 1 includes at least one first chamber which can be evacuated internally have have a first opening that can be sealed and opened, the second facing the first opening internal be movable with an opening provided with at least one second chamber capable of vacuum, the said the first opening and the second opening is connected keeping airtightness two In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a semiconductor material is moved from a chamber side to a first chamber side and a semiconductor is manufactured in the first chamber, a self-expanding seal member is provided between the first opening and the second opening, Provided is a support means for supporting a reaction force applied to the first chamber and the second chamber when the one opening and the second opening are in close contact with the self-expanding seal member, and provided with a drive means for driving the support means, The driving means is a support hand The, or the support state in which the first opening and the second opening becomes impossible apart, can the first opening and the second opening to release state enables separating, the support means supporting state when a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an opening and wherein the movable der Rukoto a predetermined range.
Here, the self-expanding seal member is a seal member that has a hollow portion inside and expands when a gas or liquid (fluid) is supplied into the hollow portion, or protrudes outward and closely contacts the other side. is there.

  In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the self-expanding seal member is provided between the first opening of the first chamber (deposition chamber) and the second opening of the second chamber (movement chamber). Airtightness can be kept good. Therefore, the semiconductor can be manufactured in a favorable environment. In addition, by providing a self-expanding seal member, the movable second chamber drive source can be a low power output by simply moving the second chamber to the vicinity of the first chamber, Equipment costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since the self-expanding seal member expands, the amount of deformation is large, and as a result, the space between the first opening and the second opening is very well sealed. The tolerance of the machining accuracy increases, and the machining cost can be reduced. In addition, even when the size of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is increased, the severer assembly accuracy and installation accuracy are not required as in the past, and the labor and cost required for assembly and installation can be reduced.

  In the present invention, since the first opening and the second opening are provided with supporting means for supporting the reaction force applied to the first chamber and the second chamber when the first opening and the second opening are in close contact with the self-expanding seal member, The adhesion between the second openings is further stabilized, and the semiconductor can be manufactured in a favorable environment.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the total circumference of the portion where the self-expanding seal member of the first opening and the second opening is in close contact is 2 meters or more. Device.

  In the present invention, when implemented in a large semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which the entire circumference of the portion where the self-expanding seal member of the first opening and the second opening is in close contact is 2 meters or more, a more remarkable effect can be obtained. it can. That is, in the case of a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, as the size of the first opening and the second opening is increased, the tolerance of assembly accuracy and installation accuracy of both is reduced. Even in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of a size that is extremely difficult to ensure, the first opening and the second opening can be brought into very good contact.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the first chamber and the second chamber are connected, the contact width between the first opening and the second opening of the self-expanding seal member Is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus characterized by being 3 centimeters or more.

  In the conventional configuration, no foreign matter is allowed between the seal member and both chambers. However, in the present invention, the first of the self-expanding seal member when the first chamber and the second chamber are connected is used. Since the adhesion width between the one opening and the second opening is 3 centimeters or more, even if a foreign object is caught between the first opening or the second opening and the self-expanding seal member, reliable adhesion is ensured. Can be obtained.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the surface roughness Ra of the portion where the self-expanding seal member of the first opening and the second opening is in close contact is 6.3 μm. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is characterized by the following.

  In the present invention, since the surface roughness Ra of the first opening and the second opening where the self-expanding seal member is in close contact is set to 6.3 μm or less, the first opening and the second opening are separated by the self-expanding seal member. Airtightness between the openings can be reliably ensured.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, a self-expanding seal member is provided in at least one of the first opening and the second opening. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  In the present invention, since the self-expanding seal member is installed in at least one of the first opening and the second opening, the self-expanding seal member is provided independently between the first opening and the second opening. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be configured more simply than arrangement. For example, the self-expanding seal member is fixed to the first opening side or the second opening side by bonding, clamping, bolting or the like.

  In addition, the self-expanding seal member may be provided in both the first opening and the second opening. In this case, the self-expanding seal member may be in close contact with each other, The first opening and the second opening may be doubly connected and closely adhered to each other by two self-expanding sealing members disposed on the outer peripheral side of the first opening.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a regulating member that regulates deformation of the self-expanding seal member.

  If this invention is implemented, the free deformation | transformation of a self-expanding-type sealing member can be suppressed and the adhesiveness to a 1st opening part or a 2nd opening part can be improved.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor manufacturing method, wherein a semiconductor is manufactured using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

  When the semiconductor manufacturing method of the present invention is carried out, the space between the first opening of the first chamber and the second opening of the second chamber can be easily sealed.

The invention of claim 8 includes a first chamber capable of vacuum inside have to have a first opening that can be sealed and opened, the internal be moveable with second opening A second chamber capable of being evacuated, containing and transporting a semiconductor material in the second chamber, transferring the semiconductor material in the second chamber into the first chamber, and storing the semiconductor in the first chamber. A semiconductor manufacturing method using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to be manufactured, wherein a second opening of a second chamber is disposed in close proximity to a first opening of a first chamber, and the first opening and the second opening are separated from each other. or the supporting state becomes impossible, the first opening and the second opening can be released state made possible apart, by the reaction force support means and driven by the drive means, and the first opening first After making the two openings inseparable, Have a part and a step of sealing between the first opening to expand the self-expanding sealing member and the second opening between the second opening, when the reaction force support means of the support state, the opening Is a semiconductor manufacturing method characterized in that it is movable within a predetermined range .

  When the present invention is implemented, the self-expandable seal is inflated between the first opening and the second opening after making the first opening and the second opening that face each other impossible to separate. The member can be brought into close contact with the first opening and the second opening to maintain the airtightness between them. Therefore, in order to keep the airtightness between the first opening and the second opening, a driving device having a powerful driving source for pressing the second chamber against the first chamber as in the prior art is unnecessary and inexpensive. A semiconductor can be manufactured.

8. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support means is a clamp mechanism provided in one of the first chamber and the second chamber, and the clamp mechanism includes: When the movable portion has a movable portion and the movable portion engages with the chamber on the other side of the first chamber and the second chamber, the first opening portion and the second opening portion are in a support state that cannot be separated, and the movable portion is in a supported state. Before the self-expanding seal member expands, it is preferable that a clearance in a direction in which the first chamber and the second chamber are separated is formed between the movable portion and the chamber on the other side. Item 9).

In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, since the self-expanding seal member is disposed between the first opening of the first chamber and the second opening of the second chamber, the airtightness between the two can be kept good. By using the self-expanding seal member, the movable second chamber can be driven with a low output (low thrust) and the equipment cost can be reduced.
Moreover, when the semiconductor manufacturing method of the present invention is carried out, the airtightness between the first chamber and the second chamber can be kept good by the self-expanding seal member. In addition, it is not necessary to press the second chamber against the first chamber as in the prior art, and a driving device having a large thrust is not required, and a semiconductor can be manufactured at low cost.

Embodiments of the present invention will be further described below.
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 embodying the present invention as viewed from the movement chamber 5 side. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the state in which the moving chamber 5 is connected to the film forming chamber 15 in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the moving chamber 5 and the chamber moving device 32 employed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 as seen from the film forming chamber entrance / exit 16 side.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 forms semiconductor layers (i-layer, n-layer, and p-layer) on a glass base 46 described later. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is roughly composed of a substrate receiving / dispensing device 2, a film forming chamber group 3, a moving chamber 5 and a chamber moving device 32. Among these, each film forming chamber 15 (first chamber) and moving chamber 5 (second chamber) of the film forming chamber group 3 are provided with a characteristic configuration of the present invention.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described in the order described above.
As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 includes a base member 4 and a plurality of substrate moving devices 8. The base body moving device 8 is configured by arranging two low-profile ribs 10 in parallel on the base member 4, and a guide groove 11 is formed between the two ribs 10. In the guide groove 11, a plurality of pinion gears (not shown) are provided at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove 11. The pinion gear is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown), and engages with a rack (not shown) provided below a base carrier 72 (to be described later). A substrate moving device having the same configuration as the substrate moving device 8 is also installed in each film forming chamber 15 and the moving chamber 5.

  Next, the film forming chamber group 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the moving chamber 5 and the film forming chamber 15 showing a state in which the substrate carrier 72 moves from the moving chamber 5 to the film forming chamber 15.

  The film forming chamber group 3 includes a plurality of film forming chambers 15 (four in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1), and each film forming chamber 15 has the same structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer shape of the film forming chamber 15 is a box shape in which the top surface, the bottom surface, the left and right side surfaces, and the back surface are surrounded, and a film forming chamber entrance 16 having a rectangular opening shape is formed on the front surface. Is provided. A flange 17 is provided at the opening edge of the film forming chamber entrance 16.

  The film forming chamber entrance / exit 16 is provided with a shutter 18 having airtightness. As the shutter 18, a so-called slide type gate valve can be adopted, which slides in the horizontal direction to open and close the opening (first opening) of the film forming chamber entrance / exit 16. The shutter 18 is not limited to a slide type gate valve, but a shutter of a butterfly valve type in addition to a gate valve type shutter can be adopted.

  Inside the film forming chamber 15, there is provided a film forming chamber 22 for forming each semiconductor layer on a substrate 46 (described later) by a film forming means such as plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of heaters 23 a to 23 f and five electrodes 25 a to 25 e are provided in the film forming chamber 22. That is, in FIG. 4, the heater 23 is shown by a straight line (line segment), and the electrode 25 is shown by a rectangle.

  Each of the heaters 23a to 23f is a plate-shaped surface heater, but the internal structure thereof is the same as that used in known plasma CVD, for example, a sheet heater embedded in a plate body, A plate-like ceramic heater or a halogen lamp arranged in a planar shape can be used.

  Of the plurality of heaters 23a to 23f, the heater 23a and the heater 23f arranged at both ends are respectively attached to the inner wall of the film formation chamber 22, and the other heaters 23b to 23d are formed at predetermined intervals. It is installed in parallel.

  On the other hand, the electrodes 25a to 25e are connected to a source gas supply source (not shown) and a high-frequency AC power source. When forming a film on the substrate 46 (semiconductor material), a source gas necessary for film formation is introduced from a source gas supply source, and the electrode 25 is set to a predetermined potential by a high-frequency AC power source.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electrodes 25 a to 25 e are alternately arranged in parallel with the plurality of heaters 23 a to 23 f described above.

  As described above, as a result of the electrodes 25a to 25e being alternately provided vertically with the plurality of heaters 23a to 23f, the inside of the film forming chamber 22 is a heater 23a attached to the inner wall of the film forming chamber 22, the electrode 25a, The heater 23b, the electrode 25b, the heater 23c, the electrode 25c, the heater 23d, the electrode 25d, the heater 23e, the electrode 25e, and the heater 23f attached to the opposing inner walls of the film forming chamber 22 are in parallel.

  Further, although not shown, a substrate moving device having a configuration similar to that of the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 is provided in the film forming chamber 22 (bottom). The number and installation interval of the substrate moving devices provided in the film forming chamber 22 are the same as the installation number and installation interval of the substrate moving devices 8 provided in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 described above. Inside the film forming chamber 22, electrodes 25a to 25e are arranged in guide grooves of each substrate moving device (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 4, a vacuum pump (deposition chamber side pressure reducing device) 34 is connected to the film forming chamber 22 via a valve 33. With the vacuum pump 34, the inside of the film forming chamber 22 is set to a vacuum or a predetermined atmospheric pressure equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure.

  Next, the moving chamber 5 and the chamber moving device 32 having the configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the interior of the moving chamber 5 with a part thereof broken. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber moving device 32. FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the moving chamber 5 as viewed from the storage chamber entrance / exit 35 side. FIG. 8A is a partial front view of the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5, and FIG. 8B is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the seal member 41. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of a portion where the clamp mechanism 6 (reaction force support means) of the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 is attached. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 provided with the seal member 41.

The detailed configuration of the moving chamber 5 will be described in order from the flange 37 side to the inner side.
As shown in FIG. 3, the moving chamber 5 has a box shape having a top surface, a bottom surface, left and right side surfaces, and a back surface, and a rectangular storage chamber entrance / exit 35 (second opening) is provided on the front surface. ing. An outward flange 37 is provided at the opening edge of the storage chamber entrance 35. The size and shape of the storage chamber entrance / exit 35 are configured in accordance with the size and shape of the film formation chamber entrance / exit 16 of the film formation chamber 15 described above. Further, the size and shape of the flange 37 is configured to match the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15. Further, a self-expanding seal member 41 which is a characteristic configuration of the present invention is attached to the flange 37.

  As shown in FIGS. 8B, 10 and 11, the seal member 41 is composed of an outer overhanging portion 41a, an inner overhanging portion 41b, and an inflating portion 41d having a hollow portion 41c therein. Yes. In the example shown in FIG. 7, seal members 41 are attached to the upper and lower sides of the flange 37 and the left and right sides, respectively, extending linearly. That is, the outer projecting portion 41a and the inner projecting portion 41b of the seal member 41 are provided with a plurality of bolt insertion holes 21a and 21b, respectively, and the outer projecting portion 41a is a bolt 20a and is formed at the outer edge of the flange 37. The inner overhanging portion 41b is fixed near the edge of the flange 37 on the side of the storage chamber 35 with the bolt 20b.

  If a portion of the seal member 41 attached to the corner portion of the flange 37 is formed in an arc shape, the seal member 41 is annular (only the upper half is depicted in FIG. 8A) as shown in FIG. Can be formed.

  The hollow portion 41c is provided with an opening 41e. The opening 41e is a gas inlet / outlet for supplying pressurized gas into the hollow portion 41c to expand the expansion portion 41d or discharging the gas in the hollow portion 41c to dent the expansion portion 41d. Therefore, the opening 41e has a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction of each side of the flange 37 so that the gas can be quickly supplied into the hollow portion 41c or can be discharged from the hollow portion 41c. It is preferable to install in.

  In order to install the seal member 41 along the four sides of the flange 37, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the flange 37 has screw holes 37 a and positions at positions corresponding to the bolt insertion holes 21 a and 21 b of the seal member 41. 37b is provided. The flange 37 is provided with a hole 37 c that communicates with the opening 41 e of the seal member 41.

  The seal member 41 is made of an elastically deformable material such as synthetic rubber such as silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, and nitrile rubber, or natural rubber. Moreover, in order to improve pressure resistance, it is preferable to reinforce with a nylon cloth etc. as needed.

  Further, the flange 37 is provided with an outer regulating member 19a and an inner regulating member 19b for regulating the expanding direction (the deforming direction) of the expanding portion 41d of the seal member 41. The outer side regulation member 19a is provided with the attaching part 28a and the standing part 30a, and the attaching part 28a and the standing part 30a are exhibiting L shape as shown in FIG. And the hole 24a is provided in the position corresponding to the volt | bolt insertion hole 21a of the sealing member 41 of the attaching part 28a. That is, the hole 24 a of the mounting portion 28 a of the outer regulating member 19 a, the bolt insertion hole 21 a of the outer overhanging portion 41 a of the seal member 41, and the screw hole 37 a of the flange 37 coincide with each other. The bolt 20 a passes through the hole 24 a and the bolt insertion hole 21 a and is screwed into the screw hole 37 a, and the outer regulating member 19 a and the outer projecting portion 41 a of the seal member 41 are fixed to the flange 37.

  Similarly to the outer regulating member 19a, the inner regulating member 19b includes a mounting portion 28b and an upright portion 30b. Like the outer regulating member 19a, the inner regulating member 19b is integrated with the flange 37 together with the inner projecting portion 41b of the seal member 41 by the bolt 20b. It is fixed to.

  The outer regulating member 19a and the inner regulating member 19b are formed of a material having rigidity capable of regulating the deformation of the seal member 41. For example, a shape steel (an angle steel, a groove steel, etc.) is used, or a flat steel is used. They can be constructed by welding each other at a right angle. It can also be made of reinforced plastic or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the standing portion 30a of the outer regulating member 19a and the standing portion 30b of the inner regulating member 19b are disposed on the outer side and the inner side of the inflating portion 41d, respectively. The expansion part 41d is disposed between the standing parts 30a and 30b, and can expand (deform) along the rising direction of the rising parts 30a and 30b.

  The pipe 13 is inserted in the hole 37c of the flange 37 described above while maintaining airtightness. The distal end portion of the pipe 13 is connected to the opening 41 e of the seal member 41. A compressor (not shown) is connected to the pipe 13, and pressurized gas may be supplied into the hollow portion 41 c of the seal member 41 via the pipe 13 or the gas in the hollow portion 41 c may be discharged. It can be done. What enters and exits the hollow portion 41c is preferably a fluid that is harmless to human bodies and semiconductors, such as air and nitrogen gas.

  When pressurized gas is supplied into the hollow portion 41c through the pipe 13 and the seal member 41 is expanded, the expansion portion 41d is expanded (deformed) outward and inward by the regulating members 19a and 19b as shown in FIG. ) Is restricted, and the protrusions d1 protrude beyond the ends of the restriction members 19a and 19b. Further, when the gas is discharged from the hollow portion 41c, the expanding portion 41d contracts so as to be lower than the standing heights of the standing portions 30a and 30b as shown in FIG. Actually, as shown in FIG. 15 to be described later, since the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 is disposed at a distance d2 from the tips of the regulating members 19a and 19b, when gas is supplied into the hollow portion 41c. The expanding portion 41d is deformed while being in close contact with the flange 17, the outer regulating member 19a, and the inner regulating member 19b.

As shown in FIG. 7, four linear seal members 41 are attached to each side of the flange 37. When gas is supplied to these seal members 41 to expand and deform, the seal members 41 come into close contact with each other. The airtightness between the members 41 is maintained.
The seal member 41 has the above configuration.

  12 (a) and 12 (b) are cross-sectional views of the flange of the transfer chamber provided with a seal member different from that shown in FIG. The configuration of the seal member 57 shown in FIG. 12A is the same as that of the seal member 41 except that the seal member 41 shown in FIG. 10 does not have the outer projecting portion 41a and the inner projecting portion 41b. . The regulating members 19a and 19b are directly fixed to the flange 37 with bolts 20a and 20b, respectively. The sealing member 57 is fixed to the flange 37 with a bottom surface 57b contacting the flange 37.

  The seal member 58 shown in FIG. 12B includes an outer overhanging portion 58a and an inner overhanging portion 58b. The outer overhanging portion 58a and the inner overhanging portion 58b include the seal shown in FIG. The bolts 20a and 20b are not penetrated like the outer overhanging portion 41a and the inner overhanging portion 41b of the member 41. Then, instead of the regulating members 19 a and 19 b shown in FIG. 10, the regulating members 59 a and 59 b are bolted to the flange 37. As shown in FIG. 12B, the regulating members 59a and 59b are provided with step portions 66a and 66b, respectively, and gaps 64a and 64b are formed between the step portions 66a and 66b and the flange 37, respectively. Yes. The outer projecting portion 58a and the inner projecting portion 58b are disposed in the gaps 64a and 64b, respectively, and are sandwiched between the restricting members 59a and 59b and the flange 37. When configured as shown in FIG. 12 (b), the seal member 58 can have some play between the restricting members 59a and 59b, and can be easily assembled.

  Clamp mechanisms 6 are provided on the left and right sides of the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5. FIG. 9A is a plan view of the clamp mechanism 6 in a clamp release state, FIG. 9B is a plan view of the clamp mechanism 6 in a clampable state, and FIG. These are top views of the clamp mechanism 6 in a clamped state.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the clamp mechanism 6 rotates around a fixed portion 6a integrally fixed to the flange 37, a shaft 6b supported by the fixed portion 6a, and the shaft 6b. And a movable portion 6c. The movable part 6c can be rotated around a shaft 6b by a driving means (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the movable portion 6c has a distal end bent in a U-shape, and the bent distal end portion 6d is formed on the back surface 17b (of the flange 37) of the flange 17 on the film forming chamber 15 side. The flange 37 and the flange 17 cannot be separated from each other by abutting against the opposite surface. When the movable portion 6c of the clamp mechanism 6 is initially rotated, a clearance D is generated between the front end portion 6d and the back surface 17a of the flange 17 as shown in FIG. 9B.

  When the sealing member 41 is inflated and deformed by being supplied with gas into the hollow portion 41c and is in close contact with the surface 17a of the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15, and when the sealing member 41 presses the surface 17a of the flange 17, 17 (deposition chamber 15) moves from the position shown in FIG. 9B to the position shown in FIG. 9C, and the back surface 17b of the flange 17 comes into contact with the tip 6d of the movable portion 6c of the clamp mechanism 6. At that time, the distance between the tips of the outer regulating member 19a and the inner regulating member 19b and the flange 17 is a distance d2 (FIG. 9C), and the clearance D is zero. That is, the clearance D between the front end portion 6d of the clamp mechanism 6 and the back surface 17b of the flange 17 is eliminated. Therefore, the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 cannot be separated from the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 any more. On the other hand, since the pressing force (reaction force) of the seal member 41 is supported by the clamp mechanism 6, the seal member 41 is sufficiently in close contact with the flange 17, and the airtightness between both flanges is kept good. In the example shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the clamp mechanisms 6 are provided on both sides of the flange 37, but may be provided on the upper side and the lower side. Alternatively, the flange 37 may be provided on the four sides on the top, bottom, left and right.

If the pressing force to the flange 17 of the seal member 41 is 3.0 kgf / cm ² , the average contact width is 3.0 cm, and the total length (peripheral length) is 10 m, the reaction force is the product of these. 9 tons. The 9 tons are supported by the clamp mechanism 6. For example, when the clamp mechanisms 6 are provided at two positions on the left and right, the reaction force of each is 4.5 tons. , Each reaction force is 2.25 tons.

  Although details will be described later, FIGS. 14A to 14D are perspective views showing a state in which the moving chamber 5 and the film forming chamber 15 are connected. As shown in FIG. 14 (b), when the transfer chamber 5 is disposed close to the film forming chamber 15, the flange 37 of the transfer chamber 5 and the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 face each other. In a state where the expansion portion 41d of the seal member 41 is not expanded (that is, the state shown in FIG. 10), the clamp mechanism 6 that makes both flanges non-separable operates as shown in FIG. 14C. At this time, a clearance D is generated between the flange 17 and the clamp mechanism 6 as illustrated in an enlarged manner in FIG. Thereafter, when the inflating portion 41d is inflated, the clearance D is eliminated as shown in FIG. 14 (d), and the seal member 41 keeps the airtightness between both flanges.

  The clamp mechanism 6 may adopt another configuration. FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the flange of the moving chamber provided with the clamp mechanism 7 having a configuration different from that of FIG. 9. FIG. 13 (a) shows a clamp release state, FIG. 13 (b) shows a state immediately before clamping, and FIG. 13 (c) shows a state in which the seal member is expanded in the clamped state.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, a hole 26 is provided on the outer side of the portion of the flange 37 where the seal member 41 is mounted, and a hole 12 is provided in the flange 17 at a position corresponding to the hole 26. A connecting member 27 is inserted into these holes 26 and 12. FIG. 13B shows a state in which the connecting member 27 is inserted through the hole 26 and the hole 12. The connecting member 27 is provided with a head portion 27b having a diameter larger than that of the hole 26, and a through hole 27a is provided at an end portion opposite to the head portion 27b. When the distal end portion of the connecting member 27 provided with the through hole 27a penetrates the hole 12, the state shown in FIG. When the key 31 is inserted through the through hole 27a in this state, the state surrounded by a circle in FIG. 13C is obtained. When the seal member 41 is expanded, the state shown in FIG. That is, the head portion 27b of the connecting member 27 interferes with the flange 37, the key 31 interferes with the flange 17, and the flange 37 and the flange 17 cannot be separated. In this way, the clamp mechanism 7 is configured. The hole 26 and the hole 12 may be round holes, and the connecting member 27 may have a round cross section, but the hole 26 and the hole 12 may be holes having a shape other than a circle. For example, the hole 26 and the hole 12 may have a quadrangular shape, and the cross section of the connecting member 27 may have a shape corresponding to the square shape of the hole 26 and the hole 12.

  Further, the connecting member 27 may be configured integrally with the flange 37. That is, it may be a protrusion extending from the surface of the flange 37 toward the flange 17. Furthermore, although the clamp mechanism 7 may be provided on the left and right sides of the flanges 37 and 17, it may be provided on the upper and lower sides, or may be provided on the four sides on the left and right and upper and lower sides. That is, the installation position and the number of installations of the clamp mechanism 7 can be appropriately selected according to the magnitude of the reaction force to be supported.

  On the other hand, on the surface 17a of the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 shown in FIG. 9C (that is, the portion where the expanded seal member 41 is in close contact), the seal member 41 is likely to be worn when the Ra value is 6.3 μm or more. Therefore, it is preferably 6.3 μm or less, and if the surface is processed to Ra = 1.6 to 6.3 μm, the processing cost does not become extremely high and the seal member 41 is hardly worn. As a result, the sealing member 41 adheres well to the flange 17 and airtightness is maintained.

  The storage chamber entrance 35 of the transfer chamber 5 is not provided with a shutter like the shutter 18 of the film formation chamber entrance 16 of the film formation chamber 15 and is always open.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a storage chamber 47 for storing the base body 46 is formed inside the movement chamber 5. Inside the storage chamber 47, a substrate moving device 49 (FIG. 3) having the same configuration as the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 and the substrate moving device 8 installed in the film forming chamber 22 is provided. The number of the substrate moving devices 49 and the interval between them are the same as those of the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 and the film forming chamber 22 described above.

Next, the chamber moving device 32 that moves the moving chamber 5 will be described.
The chamber moving device 32 moves the moving chamber 5 in the row direction and in the front-rear direction, and the movement in the row direction is performed along the rail 50 as shown in FIGS. The movement of the direction is performed along the linear guide 51. That is, the chamber moving device 32 has a pair of rails 50 extending in the row direction. The rail 50 can have a cross-sectional shape similar to that of a known train rail. The rail 50 is fixed to a sleeper 54 provided on the floor surface by a known tie plate or the like.

  And between the rails 50, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the elongate rack 52 is arrange | positioned with the tooth surface turned to the horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a stopper 53 is attached to the end of the rail 50. The stopper 53 prevents the mobile carriage 55 described later from running away and incorporates a known shock absorber.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 6, a movable carriage 55 is placed on the rail 50. The movable carriage 55 is provided with a plurality of wheels 61 on the lower surface of the base plate 60. In the present embodiment, the wheel 61 allows free rotation, and the wheel 61 is placed on the rail 50.

  Further, a protruding portion 62 is provided on a part of the base plate 60. The overhanging portion 62 is provided with an electric motor 63 such as a geared motor that rotates at a low speed. The electric motor 63 is attached with a rotating shaft (not shown) protruding to the lower surface side of the base plate 60, and a pinion gear 65 is attached to the rotating shaft. The pinion gear 65 is engaged with a rack 52 provided between the rails 50. Therefore, when the electric motor 63 is driven, the pinion gear 65 is rotated, and the moving carriage 55 is allowed to self-run on the rail 50 by the reaction force received from the rack 52. Although the electric motor 63 is provided as a driving means for the movable carriage 55, a driving source that does not use oil may be employed instead of the electric motor 63. It is not preferable to use oil in an environment where semiconductors are manufactured. Therefore, it is preferable to employ a clean device such as a belt drive or a chain drive as a driving means instead of the electric motor 63. Adopting belt drive or chain drive eliminates the need for lubricating oil and provides a more normal environment.

  When the length of one side of the transfer chamber 5 exceeds 2 meters, the weight of the transfer chamber 5 reaches 10 to 25 tons. Although the moving carriage 55 has the same weight, the moving carriage 55 is mounted on the rail 50 and the pinion gear 65 of the electric motor 63 is engaged with the rack 52, so the electric motor 63 has the moving chamber 5 mounted thereon. The movable carriage 55 can be smoothly moved along the rail 50. Although only four wheels 61 are depicted, the number of wheels 61 is the same as the number that can support the weight of the moving chamber 5 and the moving carriage 55.

  The linear guide 51 described above is provided on the upper surface of the base plate 60 of the movable carriage 55. Two linear guides 51 are provided in parallel, and are installed so as to be orthogonal to the rail 50 on the floor surface. A moving plate 67 is provided on the linear guide 51 described above. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the moving chamber 5 is fixed on a moving plate 67.

  In addition, a moving side bracket 68 (FIGS. 3 and 6) is provided at the center of the moving plate 67 on the front side (the storage chamber entrance / exit 35 side of the moving chamber 5 side) and on the lower surface side. Yes. The moving bracket 68 is a plate that protrudes from the lower surface of the moving plate 67.

  On the other hand, a fixed side bracket portion 70 is provided on the upper surface side of the base plate 60 as shown in FIG. An air cylinder 71 provided with a rod 71a is attached between the fixed bracket portion 70 and the moving bracket portion 68 described above. Therefore, by extending and contracting the rod 71a of the cylinder 71, the moving plate 67 on the base plate 60 and the moving chamber 5 and the rail 50 along the linear guide 51 are perpendicular to the film forming chamber 15. ).

  The moving plate 67 is equipped with a vacuum pump 44 and a valve 45 (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 for illustration purposes). The vacuum pump 44 functions as a storage chamber side decompression device, and is connected to the moving chamber 5 via a valve 45 to decompress the interior of the storage chamber 47 as shown in FIG.

Next, the base carrier 72 that carries the base 46 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the base 46 is mounted on the base carrier 72. The substrate carrier 72 on which the substrate 46 is mounted is received from the substrate receiving / dispensing apparatus 2 shown in FIG. When the film forming operation on the substrate 46 is completed, the substrate carrier 72 moves from the film forming chamber 15 to the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 through the moving chamber 5. Therefore, a rack (not shown) is provided below the substrate carrier 72, and this rack is provided in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2, the transfer chamber 5, and the film forming chamber 15. And the pinion gear is driven by a drive source (not shown), so that the above-described movement is possible.

Next, the overall layout of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, the four film forming chambers 15 constituting the film forming chamber group 3 are all arranged in a row with the film forming chamber entrances 16 facing in the same direction. Yes. The substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 is disposed at a position where the row of each film forming chamber 15 of the film forming chamber group 3 is extended. The four film forming chambers 15 and the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 constituting the film forming chamber group 3 are firmly fixed to the floor so as not to move.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rail 50 of the chamber moving device 32 is installed along the front side of the film forming chamber group 3 and the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2, and the moving carriage 55 as described above. The moving chamber 5 is placed on the rail 50 via Further, the storage chamber entrance / exit 35 of the transfer chamber 5 shown in FIG. 5 faces the direction facing the film formation chamber entrance / exit 16 of the film formation chamber 15.

  In the present embodiment, when the electric motor 63 of the chamber moving device 32 is driven, the moving carriage 55 is self-propelled along the rail 50, and the moving chamber 5 moves in the column direction of the film forming chamber group 3. Further, when the rod 71 a (FIG. 6) of the air cylinder 71 of the chamber moving device 32 is expanded and contracted, the moving chamber 5 moves in the approaching / separating direction with respect to the film forming chamber 15.

  Since it is not necessary to press the transfer chamber 5 (flange 37) against the film forming chamber 15 (flange 7), the driving force of the air cylinder 71 provided in the chamber moving device 32 brings the transfer chamber 5 close to the film forming chamber 15. Alternatively, it is sufficient to have a force that can be separated.

  Next, a procedure for forming a semiconductor layer on the substrate 46 by plasma CVD using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  As a preparation stage for carrying out the semiconductor manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the pressure in the film forming chambers 22 of the four film forming chambers 15 constituting the film forming chamber group 3 is reduced. Specifically, the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber entrance / exit 16 is closed, the vacuum pump (film forming chamber side pressure reducing device) 34 is started, and the valve 33 is opened to discharge the gas in the film forming chamber 22. In addition, the base 46 is attached to the base carrier 72 in advance.

  The substrate carrier 72 is fitted into the guide groove 11 of the substrate moving device 8 of the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 (FIG. 1), and the substrate carrier 72 is installed in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2. At this time, a rack (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the substrate carrier 72 engages with a pinion gear (not shown) of the substrate moving device 8 provided in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2.

  When the substrate carrier 72 mounted with the substrate 46 is placed on the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2, the moving chamber 5 moves to the front position of the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2. That is, the electric motor 63 of the chamber moving device 32 shown in FIG. 1 rotates, the moving carriage 55 self-runs on the rail 50, and the moving chamber 5 moves in the column direction of the film forming chamber group 3 to receive the substrate. Stops in front of the dispensing device 2. The positioning of the stop position is performed by providing a measure for counting the number of rotations of the electric motor 63 or a known limit switch.

  Then, the substrate carrier 72 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4A moves to the moving chamber 5 side. The rack (not shown) of the substrate carrier 72 is eventually engaged with a pinion gear (not shown) on the movement chamber 5 side, and the substrate carrier 72 is drawn into the storage chamber 47 of the movement chamber 5.

  Since the number and setting intervals of the substrate moving devices 8 provided in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 and the setting number and setting intervals of the substrate moving devices 49 provided in the moving chamber 5 are the same, the substrate receiving All of the five base carriers 72 set in the dispensing device 2 move to the moving chamber 5 side and are stored in the storage chamber 47.

  When the five substrate carriers 72 set in the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 are all moved to the moving chamber 5 side and the substrate carrier 72 is not present on the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2, another substrate carrier 72 is again attached. Replenish the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2. This replenishment work is often performed manually by the operator.

  When it is confirmed that all the substrate carriers 72 have moved to the moving chamber 5 side, the moving chamber 5 moves again along the rail 50 and stops in front of the adjacent film forming chamber 15. The subsequent operation will be described with reference to FIGS. When the transfer chamber 5 is disposed opposite the film formation chamber 15, the transfer chamber 5 is moved in the direction close to the film formation chamber 15 by the air cylinder 71 (FIG. 6) of the transfer chamber 5.

  14B, the moving chamber 5 is stopped in the vicinity of the film forming chamber 15, and the flange 17 and the flange 37 are made inseparable by the clamp mechanism 6 as shown in FIG. 14C. Thereafter, the seal member 41 is expanded to ensure airtightness between the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 and the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15. This situation will be further described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 and FIGS. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a hermetic holding portion showing a state where the self-expanding seal member is expanded and the airtightness is maintained between the flange of the transfer chamber and the flange of the film forming chamber. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where an airtight holding portion bites a foreign object.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, after the moving chamber 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the film forming chamber 15, the movable portion 6c of the clamp mechanism 6 is rotated as shown in FIG. Then, the seal member 41 is expanded as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the seal member 41 provided with the expansion portion 41d is integrally fixed to the movement chamber 5, and the expansion portion 41d includes the rising portion 30a of the outer restriction member 19a and the rising portion 30b of the inner restriction member 19b. The expansion direction is regulated by. When gas is supplied from the pipe 13 to the hollow portion 41c and the hollow portion 41c becomes a high pressure, the expanding portion 41d expands, and as shown in FIG. 11, the protruding amount d1 tends to protrude from both standing portions 30a and 30b.

  However, the flange 37 is disposed in close proximity to the flange 17, and the clamp mechanism 6 does not extend the tip of the upright portions 30a and 30b and the flange 17 beyond the distance d2 (<d1). As shown in FIG. 4, the expansion portion 41d of the seal member 41 is in close contact with the flange 17 over the width W1.

  Assuming that the interval W between the standing part 30a and the standing part 30b shown in FIG. 10 (or the width in the natural state of the inflating part 41d) is, for example, 5 to 10 cm, the width W1 shown in FIG. preferable. The width W1 can be appropriately set depending on the material of the seal member 41, the interval W, and the like. However, the width W1 is preferably set to 3 centimeters or more in consideration of the biting of foreign matter.

  As shown in FIG. 16, even if the foreign material 36 is sandwiched between the seal member 41 and the flange 17, the seal member 41 can keep the airtightness between the seal 17 and the flange 17 well. FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram of a close contact portion of the seal member 41 with the flange 17. When a plurality of foreign substances 36 are sandwiched between the seal member 41 and the flange 17, a gap is generated between the seal member 41 and the flange 17 over the region 36 a around the foreign substance 36.

  However, as shown in FIG. 17, the plurality of regions 36 a are not connected to each other as long as the contact area of the seal member 41 to the flange 17 is secured to some extent. Therefore, the film forming chamber 22 and the like (inside) and the outside (outside) do not communicate with each other, and the inside and outside of the transfer chamber 5 and the film forming chamber 15 are kept airtight. That is, the width W1 may be set to a dimension that allows the outside and the inside to be blocked even if a foreign object 36 that is difficult to visually check is caught. Since the foreign matter having a size that can be visually confirmed can be removed in advance, the width W1 does not need to be set too large. When the pressure receiving area of the flange 17 is suppressed by suppressing the width W1 to the minimum necessary, an increase in the reaction force supported by the clamp mechanism 6 can be prevented, and the burden on the clamp mechanism 6 can be reduced. .

  16 and 17 show the case where the foreign matter 36 is sandwiched between the seal member 41 and the flange 17. However, in order to maintain the airtightness between the flange 17 and the flange 37, what is more serious is the flange of the moving chamber 5. This is a case where 37 and the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 do not face each other but are inclined. This case will be described with reference to FIGS.

  18 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the flange portion of both chambers when the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 and the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 are inclined, and FIG. 19 is a view taken along arrows AA in FIG. FIG. However, in both figures, depiction of the crank mechanism 6 (regulating member) is omitted.

  FIG. 18A shows a case where the upper space L1 between the two chambers is narrower than the lower space L2 when the transfer chamber 5 is disposed close to the film formation chamber 15. FIG. When the transfer chamber 5 and the film formation chamber 15 are connected in this state, the upper side must be brought into close contact with the flange 17 in order to sufficiently secure the lower side. That is, in order to ensure the airtightness on the lower side, as shown in FIG. 18B, the upper side of the outer restriction member 19a and the tip of the inner restriction member 19b and the flange 17 is set so that the lower gap is d2. Is made smaller than d2 (FIG. 15). As a result, the close contact width of the lower seal member 41 to the flange 17 is W1 shown in FIG. 15, but the close contact width of the upper seal member 41 to the flange 17 is larger than W1.

  Further, when the left side is narrower than the right side, the left contact width is larger than the right contact width, as shown in FIG. That is, the contact width of the seal member 41 at the narrowest interval between the flanges 17 and 37 to the flange 17 is the largest, and the contact width at the widest interval is the narrowest. In the example shown in FIG. 19, the contact width is the narrowest because the interval between the lower right corner portions is the widest, and the contact width is the widest because the interval between the upper left corner portions is the narrowest. In this case, if the close contact width at the lower right corner is larger than W1, the seal member 41 is in close contact with the flange 15 over the entire circumference, and the airtightness between the flanges 17 and 37 is kept good.

  In addition, the broken line shown with the code | symbol 9a and 9b in FIG. 19 shows the deformation | transformation limit line of the sealing member 41 regulated by the standing parts 30a and 30b of the regulating members 19a and 19b. That is, the seal member 41 can be in close contact with the flange 17 within the range of the deformation limit lines 9a and 9b. Incidentally, in the case depicted in FIG. 19, the upper left corner portion is in contact with the flange 17 as shown in FIG. 18B, and the upright portion 30 a (30 b) is in contact with the limit of the deformation limit lines 9 a and 9 b. 41 is in close contact with the flange 17.

  If an O-ring is used instead of the seal member 41, even if the upper left portion of the O-ring is compressed to the limit, the lower right portion has a gap between the flange 17 and the flange 37 and the flange 17. Can't keep the airtight between.

  However, unlike the O-ring, the seal member 41 has a hollow portion 41c inside, and expands (protrudes) and deforms when supplied with gas (pressurized gas) via the pipe 13, so that the flange Even if the distance from 17 is different from top to bottom, left and right, as long as the difference in distance is not more than d2 shown in FIG. 15, the airtightness can be sufficiently maintained. That is, the seal member 41 is greatly deformed and closely adhered to the flange 17 at a portion where the distance between the flanges 17 and 37 is narrow, and at a portion where the distance is wide, the seal member 41 is deformed small and has at least a width W1. Secure and adhere to the flange 17.

  That is, even if the close contact width of the portion with the narrow interval (upper left corner) is a width W1 sufficient to maintain airtightness, the close contact width of the portion with the wide interval (lower right corner) is sufficient to maintain airtightness. Until the width W1 is reached, the contact width of the portion (upper left corner) where the interval is narrow increases, and the seal member 41 in this portion is greatly deformed. Therefore, although the deformation amount of the seal member 41 is partially different, a close contact width of W1 or more is ensured over the entire periphery of the portion where the flanges 17 and 37 are in close contact. At that time, the reaction force caused by the seal member 41 coming into close contact with the flange 17 is supported by the clamp mechanism 6. In addition, the reaction force does not increase due to the deformation of the seal member 41, and therefore the airtightness between the flanges 17 and 37 can be well maintained without imposing a burden on any member.

  Incidentally, when the length of one side of the flange 17 and the flange 37 exceeds 2 meters, if the surface processing error, assembly error, installation error, etc. of both of them are accumulated, the distance L1 and the distance L2 shown in FIG. A difference of several centimeters will occur.

  If an O-ring (regardless of cross-sectional shape) is used as the hermetic holding member (seal member) as in the prior art, the crushing margin of the O-ring is in the order of several millimeters. The difference cannot be covered. Therefore, in the past, it was necessary to perform precise adjustment work to reduce the relative inclination of both flanges to such an extent that airtightness could be maintained with the O-ring. It took extra time.

  However, when the self-expanding seal member 41 is employed as in the present embodiment, the difference of several centimeters can be easily covered, so that the relative inclination amount of the film forming chamber 15 and the moving chamber 5 is increased. No special adjustment work is required to reduce the size. Therefore, when the present invention is implemented, even if the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is increased in size to manufacture a large semiconductor, the airtightness between the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 and the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 is easy and good. Therefore, it is possible to provide an environment for manufacturing a high-quality semiconductor without increasing the cost.

At that time, the pressing force of the flange 17 of the sealing member 41 is 0.5kgf / cm ² ~3.0kgf / cm ² approximately. Since the seal member 41 has a hollow portion 41c and can be elastically deformed, even if there are a portion with a large contact width with respect to the flange 17 and a portion with a small width, the gas pressure in the hollow portion 41c of the seal member 41 is almost equal. The pressing force of the seal member 41 on the flange 17 is also substantially constant.

  As the cross-sectional shape of the seal member 41, for example, the shape shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B can be adopted in addition to the shape shown in FIG. 20 (a) and 20 (b) are cross-sectional views showing modifications of the seal member. Moreover, FIG.20 (c) is sectional drawing which shows the state which the sealing member of FIG.20 (b) expanded.

  The feature of the shape of the seal member shown in FIG. 20A is that the portion where the tip is in close contact is provided with a protrusion 39. The width W1 of the projecting portion 39 is a necessary and sufficient width to maintain airtightness. When the projecting portion 39 is provided in this way, the close contact between the sealing member 41 and the flange 17 is necessarily the projecting portion 39, so Thus, the close contact width becomes the width W1 of the protrusion 39, so that the airtightness can be reliably maintained.

  Moreover, the feature of the shape of the sealing member shown in FIG. 20B is that the expanding portion is recessed inward during contraction. If pressurized gas is supplied to the hollow part 41c, as shown in FIG.20 (c), an expansion | swelling part will reverse and it will protrude outside. In the sealing member having such a shape, even if the material itself does not necessarily expand and contract, it can be in close contact with the flange 17 on the other side and kept airtight.

  When the present invention is carried out, the sealing member 41 has a sufficient margin to maintain the airtightness between the two flanges 17 and 37, so that it is not necessary to strictly align the flanges 17 and 37. However, in order to align the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 and the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5, a hole is provided in one flange, a protrusion is provided in the other flange, and the hole and the protrusion are fitted. Thus, the both flanges 17 and 37 may be aligned.

  As described above, the film forming chamber entrance / exit 16 of the film forming chamber 15 is provided with the airtight shutter 18, and therefore, when both the chambers 5 and 15 are connected, the movement chamber 5 has a diagram as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, a closed space 85 surrounded by the storage chamber 47 and the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber 15 is formed.

  When it is confirmed that the flange 37 of the transfer chamber 5 and the flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 are completely connected, the vacuum pump (storage chamber side pressure reducing device) 44 is activated and the valve 45 is opened to move the transfer chamber. The gas is discharged from the enclosed space 85 surrounded by the storage chamber 47 of No. 5 and the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber 15, and the inside of the enclosed space 85 is depressurized to be evacuated. Alternatively, the vacuum pump 44 is always operated, and the valve 45 is opened when the closed space 85 is formed, and the valve 45 is closed when the closed space 85 is opened.

  When the closed space 85 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum, the substrate 46 mounted on the substrate carrier 72 is heated by the six heaters 43a to 43f provided in the storage chamber 47 of the moving chamber 5. By heating the substrate 46 after reducing the pressure in the moving chamber 5 in this manner, an oxide film is not formed on the surface of the substrate 46, and a high-quality thin film can be formed.

  When it is confirmed that the substrate 46 has been heated and reached a predetermined temperature, the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber 15 is opened. Here, the film forming chamber 22 of the film forming chamber 15 is in a high vacuum state first, but gas is discharged from the closed space 85 surrounded by the moving chamber 5 and the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber 15. Since the portion is also in a vacuum state, the degree of vacuum in the film forming chamber 22 is maintained even when the shutter 18 is opened. Since the air pressure on both sides of the shutter 18 is the same (same level), the shutter 18 can be opened smoothly.

  When it is confirmed that the shutter 18 is fully opened, the pinion gear (not shown) of the substrate moving device 49 in the moving chamber 5 and the pinion gear (not shown) of the substrate moving device in the film forming chamber 15 are used. ) To move the substrate carrier 72 into the film forming chamber 22 of the film forming chamber 15. The rotation direction of the pinion gear (not shown) this time is a direction in which the substrate carrier 72 is moved from the moving chamber 5 side to the film forming chamber 15 side.

  The base carrier 72 passes through the guide groove 11, and the electrodes 25 a to 25 e are accommodated in the gaps 74 (FIG. 5) of the base carrier 72. The base carrier 72 is disposed between the heaters 23a to 23f and the electrodes 25a to 25e that are alternately disposed.

  When it is confirmed that all the substrate carriers 72 are accommodated in the film forming chamber 22 and are respectively disposed at predetermined positions, the shutter 18 of the film forming chamber 15 is closed. In the film forming chamber 22, a semiconductor film is formed on the base 46 attached to the base carrier 72.

  That is, a source gas is supplied to the electrodes 25a to 25e and a high-frequency alternating current is applied to the electrodes 25a to 25e, and a glow discharge is generated between the electrodes 25a to 25e and the substrate carrier 72 to decompose the source gas and be placed vertically. A thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate 46.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 can manufacture a semiconductor that can be used as, for example, a solar battery. That is, the solar cell is formed by laminating each of the p-layer, i-layer, and n-layer. In this embodiment, the p-layer, i-layer, and The n semiconductor layers are sequentially stacked.

  Further, while the film forming operation is being performed in the film forming chamber 15, the substrate carrier 72 is discharged to be emptied, and the atmosphere is introduced into the moving chamber 5 in a reduced pressure state, and the pressure in the storage chamber 47 is released. Balance with atmospheric pressure.

  Then, when the pressure difference between the inside of the storage chamber 47 and the outside air (outside) is eliminated, first, the seal member 41 is contracted so that the moving chamber 5 can be separated from the film forming chamber 15, and further shown in FIG. The clamp by the clamp mechanism 6 is released to the state. Then, the rod 71 a of the air cylinder 71 of the chamber moving device 32 is contracted, and the moving chamber 5 is moved away from the film forming chamber 15. That is, the transfer chamber 5 that is in the bonded state is separated from the film forming chamber 15. In the present embodiment, since the transfer chamber 5 is separated from the film forming chamber 15 after the atmospheric pressure in the storage chamber 47 is set to atmospheric pressure, the transfer chamber 5 can be easily moved.

  Then, the electric motor 63 of the moving chamber 5 is driven, and the moving carriage 55 on which the moving chamber 5 is mounted is self-propelled along the rail 50 and moved in the column direction of the film forming chamber 15. Stop in front.

  Thereafter, as in the previous step, the substrate carrier 72 set in the substrate receiving / dispensing apparatus 2 is moved to the storage chamber 47 of the moving chamber 5, and the moving carriage 55 of the moving chamber 5 is moved along the rail 50. Run and stop in front of the second deposition chamber 15 and operate as described above.

When the film forming operation on the substrate 46 is completed, the substrate carrier 72 is taken out from the film forming chamber 15 and returned to the substrate receiving / dispensing apparatus 2. The moving chamber 5 is also used for this returning operation.
In other words, if there is one in which all the film forming operations have been completed among the four film forming chambers 15, or there is one in which the film forming operation has reached the final stage, the empty state movement without incorporating the substrate carrier 72 is performed. The chamber 5 is connected to the film forming chamber 15 according to the procedure described above.

  That is, the moving carriage 55 on which the moving chamber 5 is mounted is stopped in front of the film forming chamber 15 where the film forming operation has been completed, and further moved forward to stop in the vicinity of the film forming chamber 15. The flange 17 of the film forming chamber 15 is fixed by the clamp mechanism 6 so as not to be separated, and the airtightness between the two is maintained by a self-expanding seal member 41, and then the storage chamber 47 and the film forming chamber 15 are held by the vacuum pump 44. The closed space 85 surrounded by the shutter 18 is depressurized to the same level (vacuum or the like) as the film forming chamber 22.

  Then, the shutter 18 in which the pressure difference between both sides is eliminated is opened, and the substrate 46 on which film formation has been completed is moved from the film formation chamber 15 side to the movement chamber 5 side. When it is confirmed that all the substrate carriers 72 have moved to the moving chamber 5 side, the shutter 18 is closed and the atmosphere is introduced into the moving chamber 5.

  When the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the storage chamber 47 (closed space 85) is eliminated, the inside of the seal member 41 is decompressed to release the airtight holding state, and the clamp by the clamp mechanism 6 is released. Then, the rod 71 a of the air cylinder 71 of the moving chamber 5 is contracted to move the moving chamber 5 away from the film forming chamber 15, and the moving chamber 5 is moved away from the film forming chamber 15. Then, the electric motor 63 of the chamber moving device 32 is driven, and the moving carriage 55 is moved along the rail 50 in the column direction of the film forming chamber 5 and stopped in front of the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2.

Then, the substrate carrier 72 mounted with the substrate 46 in which film formation is completed in the moving chamber 5 is moved to the substrate receiving / dispensing device 2 side. Thereafter, this process is repeated, and a film is formed (laminated) on the base 46.
A semiconductor (for example, a solar cell) formed and manufactured by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 in this manner has few defects due to dust and the like and has a high yield. The membrane is homogeneous and has high performance.

  Further, when a configuration in which the film forming chambers 15 are arranged in a row as in the present embodiment is adopted, it is possible to cope with future expansion. That is, it is possible to increase the production capacity by arranging the new fifth and subsequent film forming chambers 15 alongside the existing film forming chambers 15 and extending the rails 50 in accordance with the new film forming chambers 15.

  In the embodiment described above, the moving chamber includes a self-propelled moving carriage, and the moving chamber travels to a predetermined position by fitting the rack and the pinion. However, the moving chamber is moved by a cylinder rod. The structure which moves a trolley | bogie, and the structure which pulls a movable trolley | bogie with ropes, such as a chain and a wire, are also employable. The same applies to the moving means in the front-rear direction (the approach / separation direction with respect to the film forming chamber). In particular, when the present invention is implemented, it is not necessary to use a driving device having a large thrust in the front-rear direction in order to ensure adhesion between the transfer chamber and the film formation chamber, and the transfer chamber is simply brought close to the film formation chamber. It is sufficient if there is a moving means having an output of a sufficient level.

  As the arrangement layout of the film forming chambers, a horizontal one-row configuration as in the present embodiment is recommended, but it may be arranged in a ring shape or a three-dimensional layout. That is, the film forming chambers may be arranged not only in the row direction but also stacked in the height direction and arranged in a plane. In the case of adopting such a configuration, the moving chamber is moved in the front-rear, left-right, and height directions.

  In the embodiment described above, an example in which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with one movement chamber 5 is shown, but a plurality of movement chambers 5 may be provided. When a plurality of transfer chambers 5 are provided, even if a trouble occurs in one transfer chamber 5, semiconductor production can be continued without reducing the operating rate. Normally, while one movement chamber 5 is in operation, the other movement chambers 5 are kept in a position where they do not interfere with the movement chamber 5 in operation. Alternatively, it is possible to secure higher productivity by using two or more moving chambers and managing the moving positions sequentially.

  That is, while a transfer chamber receives a substrate carrier from the substrate receiving / dispensing device, a plurality of transfer chambers collect a substrate carrier in a film formation chamber that has completed film formation on the substrate. Different steps can be performed in parallel.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the linear rail 50 is employed and the moving carriage 55 on which one moving chamber 5 is mounted reciprocates on the rail 50 is shown. Two or more mobile trolleys that are formed into two ring shapes on the outer peripheral side and on which the transfer chamber is mounted may be able to move without interfering with each other. In addition, the rail 50 shown in the present embodiment can be branched to create a shelter, so that a plurality of moving carriages equipped with a moving chamber can be prevented from interfering with each other.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the hinge-type clamp mechanism 6 is provided on the flange 37 on the movement chamber 5 side and engaged with the back surface 17b of the flange 17 on the film formation chamber 15 side is shown. The film forming chamber 15 may be provided on the flange 17 side. Further, the clamp mechanism (reaction force support means) can support a reaction force when the seal member expands and comes into close contact with the surface 17a of the flange 17, and may have any configuration. Further, instead of the clamp mechanism, when the moving chamber 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the film forming chamber 15, the film forming chamber such as a floor (ground) is prevented so that the moving chamber 5 does not move due to the reaction force. The reaction force support means may be configured to be fixed to a place other than 15 with a pile (anchor) or the like.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which the seal member 41 is installed on the flange 37 of the moving chamber 5 has been described, but the seal member 41 may be provided on the flange 17 side of each film forming chamber 15. However, since the number of transfer chambers 5 is smaller than the number of film forming chambers 15, it is more economical to provide the seal member 41 on the moving chamber 5 side than on each film forming chamber 15 side. It is.

  However, another seal member may be provided on the flange 17 of each film forming chamber 15, and the opposing seal members may be brought into close contact with each other so that the flanges 17 and 37 are brought into close contact with each other. When such a configuration is adopted, the inner and outer airtightness can be maintained even if the processing accuracy of the surfaces of both flanges 17 and 37 is low. FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view of the flange of the transfer chamber and the film forming chamber showing a modification of the way of installing the seal member. FIG. 21B is a sectional view of the flange of the transfer chamber and the film forming chamber showing still another modified example of the method of installing the seal member.

  In the example shown in FIG. 21A, the sealing member 41 provided on the flange 37 side of the moving chamber 5 is the same as that described above, but the sealing member 42 is also provided on the flange 17 side of the opposing film forming chamber 15. The installation point is different from the above-described configuration. The seal member 42 shown in FIG. 21A is not a self-expanding type, but has a hollow portion 42a and an expanding portion 42b, and restricting members 56a and 56b are arranged on both sides of the expanding portion 42b. When pressurized gas is supplied into the hollow portion 41 c of the seal member 41, the expansion portion 41 d of the seal member 41 presses the seal member 42, and the seal member 41 and the seal member 42 come into close contact with each other. As a result, the inner side and the outer side are blocked and airtightness is maintained. In FIG. 21A, the seal member 42 may be a self-expanding type member similar to the seal member 41.

  In the example shown in FIG. 21B, the flange 17 and the flange 37 are in close contact with each other by the two seal members 41 and 48. That is, a sealing member 48 having the same configuration as the sealing member 41 is installed on the flange 17 side of the film forming chamber 15, and the inner side and the outer side are blocked on the outer peripheral side by the two sealing members 41, and the sealing member 48 The inner circumference is shut off. That is, both flanges 17 and 37 are connected at two locations on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side.

  As shown in FIG. 21B, a space 38 exists between the seal members 41 and 48. In order to improve the degree of vacuum in the film forming chamber 15, first, the flanges 17 and 37 are connected only by the sealing member 41, and the gas in the closed space 85 is discharged by the vacuum pump 44 shown in FIG. The gas in 38 is also discharged simultaneously. Thereafter, when the seal member 48 is expanded and brought into close contact with the flange 37, the space 38 is also evacuated, and the close contact between the flanges 17 and 37 is improved so that the inner side and the outer side can be reliably blocked. become. Even if any one of the sealing members 41 and 48 is damaged, the degree of vacuum in the film forming chamber 15 (film forming chamber 22) can be maintained.

  In the above, an example in which the present invention is implemented for a plasma CDV apparatus has been shown, but the present invention can also be implemented as another semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

1 is an overall perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus embodying the present invention as viewed from a moving chamber side. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in a state where a transfer chamber is connected to a film forming chamber in FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the chamber for movement employ | adopted with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of embodiment of this invention from the storage chamber entrance / exit side. (A) is a plane sectional view showing a state immediately after the moving chamber is connected to the film forming chamber. (B) is a plan sectional view showing a state immediately after the shutter is opened and the substrate carrier is moved from the moving chamber side to the film forming chamber side. It is the perspective view which fractured | ruptured and displayed the part which shows the internal structure of the chamber for a movement. It is sectional drawing of a chamber moving apparatus. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the storage chamber entrance / exit side of the chamber for movement. (A) is a partial front view of the flange of the chamber for movement. (B) is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a sealing member. It is the elements on larger scale of the site | part provided with the clamp mechanism of the flange of the chamber for a movement. (A) is a clamp release state, (b) is a clamp state, and (c) is a state where the seal member is further expanded in the clamp state. It is sectional drawing of the flange of the chamber for a movement provided with the sealing member. It is sectional drawing of the flange of the state which expanded the sealing member of FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing of the flange of the chamber for a movement provided with the sealing member different from FIG. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a flange of a moving chamber provided with a clamp mechanism having a configuration different from that of FIG. 9. (A) shows a clamp release state, (b) shows a state immediately before clamping, and (c) shows a state in which the seal member is expanded in the clamped state. (A) is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state before the chamber for a movement approaches a film-forming chamber. (B) is an external perspective view showing a state in which the moving chamber is disposed in the vicinity of the film forming chamber. (C) is an external perspective view showing a state in which the moving chamber and the film forming chamber are fixed so as not to be separated from each other. (D) is an external perspective view showing a state in which the self-expanding seal member is expanded and the airtightness between the transfer chamber and the film forming chamber is maintained. It is sectional drawing of the airtight holding | maintenance part which shows the state in which the self-expanding-type seal member expand | swells and the airtightness between the flange of a movement chamber and the flange of a film-forming chamber is hold | maintained. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which an airtight holding | maintenance part has bitten the foreign material. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the area | region which the foreign material in an airtight holding part shows. It is the cross-sectional schematic of the flange part of both chambers when the flange of the chamber for a movement and the flange of the film-forming chamber incline. It is an AA arrow line view of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a sealing member. (B) is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the sealing member of the form different from (a). (C) is sectional drawing which shows the state which the sealing member of (b) expanded. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing of the flange of the chamber for a movement and the film-forming chamber which shows the modification of the method of installation of a sealing member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 2 Substrate receiving / dispensing apparatus 3 Film forming chamber group 5 Moving chamber (second chamber)
6,7 Clamp mechanism (Reaction force support means)
8 Substrate moving device 15 Deposition chamber (first chamber)
16 Film forming chamber inlet / outlet 17 Film forming chamber flange 19 Restricting member 32 for restricting expansion of seal member Chamber moving device 35 Storage chamber inlet / outlet 37 Moving chamber flange 41 Self-expanding seal member 47 Storage chamber 55 Moving carriage 71 Air Cylinder 72 Base carrier

Claims (9)

At least one first chamber which can be evacuated inside a first opening which can be closed and opened are closed, it can be moved with a second opening facing the first opening And at least one second chamber capable of evacuating the interior , wherein the first opening and the second opening are connected in an airtight manner from the second chamber side to the first chamber side. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in which a semiconductor material is moved to a semiconductor manufacturing device in a first chamber, a self-expanding seal member is provided between the first opening and the second opening, and the first opening and the second opening Provided with a support means for supporting a reaction force applied to the first chamber and the second chamber when the portion is in close contact with the self-expanding seal member, and provided with a drive means for driving the support means. The first opening and Or the support state the secondary opening and becomes impossible separating a first opening and the second opening can be released state allowing separating, when the support means of the support state, opening a predetermined the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim moveable der Rukoto in the range of.   2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entire circumference of a portion of the first opening and the second opening where the self-expanding seal member is in close contact is 2 meters or more.   The contact width between the first opening and the second opening of the self-expanding seal member when the first chamber and the second chamber are connected is 3 centimeters or more. Item 3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to Item 2.   The surface roughness Ra of the site | part which the self-expanding-type sealing member of a 1st opening part and a 2nd opening part closely_contact | adheres is 6.3 micrometers or less, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment.   The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a self-expanding seal member is installed in at least one of the first opening and the second opening.   6. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a regulating member that regulates deformation of the self-expanding seal member.   A semiconductor manufacturing method, wherein a semiconductor is manufactured by using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. A first chamber capable of vacuum inside have to have a first opening that can be sealed and opened, a movable having a second opening capable of internal vacuum A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor in the first chamber, including a second chamber, accommodating and transporting the semiconductor material in the second chamber, transferring the semiconductor material in the second chamber into the first chamber, and In the semiconductor manufacturing method, the second opening of the second chamber is disposed in close proximity to the first opening of the first chamber so that the first opening and the second opening cannot be separated from each other. it can to a first opening and a second opening to the release state enables separating, and by the reaction force support means driven by a driving means, non separating a first opening and a second opening Of the first opening and the second opening In have a step of sealing between the first opening and the second opening to expand the self-expanding sealing member, when the reaction force support means of the support state, movably the opening in a predetermined range A method of manufacturing a semiconductor. The support means is a clamp mechanism provided in one of the first chamber and the second chamber, and the clamp mechanism has a movable part, and the movable part is formed between the first chamber and the second chamber. When engaged with the chamber on the other side, the first opening and the second opening are in a support state that cannot be separated, and before the self-expanding seal member expands in the support state, the movable portion and the other opening The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a clearance in a direction in which the first chamber and the second chamber are separated from each other is formed between the first chamber and the second chamber.

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