JP2000208589A - Apparatus for processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for processing which enables throughput to be improved by reducing the transfer time of an object to be processed. SOLUTION: A first transfer chamber 122 and a second transfer chamber 133 of an apparatus for processing 100 have a volume capacity capable of containing only one wafer W, respectively, and are connected with each other through a first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132 including cooling plates and heating lamps. A first to fourth load boats 102, 114, 116, and 118, where cassettes 106 can be placed and a device 150 for positioning an object to be processed, are arranged around the first transfer chamber 122 of atmospheric pressure, and a first to fourth vacuum process chambers 158, 160, 162, and 164 are arranged around the second transfer chamber 133 of a reduced pressure. The first and second transfer chambers 122 and 133 is capable of holding two wafers W coping with each wafer, and are provided with a first and second transfer arms 124 and 156 which can transfer each wafer W independently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers (process chambers) are provided around a vacuum transfer chamber (transfer chamber) from the viewpoint of improving throughput and preventing contamination of the semiconductor device. Chamber), one or more load lock chambers,
2. Description of the Related Art A multi-chamber processing apparatus which is a so-called cluster apparatus in which a pre-vacuum chamber for heating and cooling an object to be processed is arranged is used. A plurality of load ports on which cassettes can be placed are connected to the load lock chamber via an atmosphere-side transfer chamber, and these load ports constitute a load port site. Further, the multi-chamber type processing apparatus includes a cassette itself or a processing apparatus having a batch type load lock chamber for accommodating a plurality of objects to be processed in the cassette, for example, semiconductor wafers (hereinafter, referred to as “wafers”). (Hereinafter, referred to as a "batch-type processing apparatus"), and a processing apparatus having a single-wafer-type load lock chamber for accommodating wafers one by one (hereinafter, referred to as a "single-wafer processing apparatus"). .

First, the processing steps in a batch type processing apparatus will be described. First, after a closed (open / close) type cassette is placed on a load port, the cassette itself or, for example, 13 or 25 cassettes stored in the cassette are loaded. All of the wafers are transferred into the load lock chamber by the first transfer arm disposed in the transfer chamber on the atmosphere side. Next, the load lock chamber is sealed and evacuated, and after the pressure atmospheres in the load lock chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber become substantially the same, the load lock chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are communicated.
Thereafter, the wafers in the load lock chamber are aligned by the second transfer arm disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber by the object positioning device disposed in or around the vacuum transfer chamber, and then the vacuum preparatory chamber and each of the wafers are positioned. The wafer is transferred into a vacuum processing chamber, and a predetermined process such as a film forming process is performed on the wafer. Further, the processed wafer is transported again to the load lock chamber or a cassette in the chamber by the second transport arm. When all the wafers have been collected, the load lock chamber is closed again, the pressure atmosphere in the chamber is raised to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and then the load lock chamber and the atmosphere-side transfer chamber are communicated. Thereafter, the cassette is transferred to the load port or the wafer is transferred to the cassette on the load port by the first transfer arm.

In the single-wafer processing apparatus, the first transfer arm allows a wafer in a cassette placed on a load port to be moved by an object positioning apparatus arranged around an atmosphere-side transfer chamber. After the alignment, the sheets are transported one by one into the load lock chamber. Next, the load lock chamber is closed and evacuated, and after the pressure atmospheres in the load lock chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber become substantially the same as described above, the load lock chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are communicated.
After that, the wafer in the load lock chamber is transferred to the pre-vacuum chamber or each vacuum processing chamber by the second transfer arm, and is subjected to a predetermined process in the same manner as described above. Further, the processed wafer is transferred again into the load lock chamber by the second transfer arm, the load lock chamber is sealed, the chamber is raised to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere, and then the load lock chamber and the atmosphere side transfer chamber are separated. Communicate. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred to the cassette on the load port by the first transfer arm. Further, the above-described steps are continuously performed for each cassette.

[0005] In both the batch-type and single-wafer processing apparatuses, a clean gas such as N ₂ is supplied into the atmosphere-side transfer chamber.
The pressure in the atmosphere-side transfer chamber is relatively higher than the pressure in the clean room in which the atmosphere-side transfer chamber and the load port site are arranged, so that the intrusion of particles into the atmosphere-side transfer chamber is reduced.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned batch type processing apparatus, since the load lock chamber has a volume capable of accommodating the cassette itself and a plurality of wafers, the atmosphere in the load lock chamber is exhausted. Or it takes time to supply air. Further, in this apparatus, since the apparatus for aligning the object to be processed must be arranged around the vacuum transfer chamber, the number of times of transfer of wafers of the second transfer arm increases, and the transfer time (cycle) increases. As a result, the throughput is reduced.

In the single-wafer processing apparatus, when the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm can hold only one wafer, it takes time to transfer and exchange the wafer through the load lock chamber. . Further, if a plurality of mounting tables for mounting wafers in the load lock chamber are provided, the time for transferring and exchanging the wafers can be shortened. However, since the volume of the load lock chamber becomes large, the batch type processing apparatus is required. As in the case of, it takes time to exhaust and supply the atmosphere in the load lock chamber. As a result, similarly to the above, the throughput is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a first object of the present invention is to carry an object to be processed in a cassette into a vacuum processing chamber. , The transfer time period of the object to be processed in the second transfer chamber, and the time until the processed object is loaded into the cassette can be substantially reduced, and the throughput can be improved. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved processing apparatus.

In the conventional single-wafer processing apparatus, the cassette is airtightly connected to the atmosphere-side transfer chamber from the time the cassette is opened to the time it is closed.
The pins provided on the load port and the holes and grooves provided on the bottom of the cassette are fitted to each other and held. However, if the cassette is supported only at the bottom of the cassette, when the clean gas is introduced into the atmosphere-side transfer chamber and the pressure in the atmosphere-side transfer chamber is set relatively higher than the pressure in the clean room as described above, Due to the pressure difference, the cassette is pushed to the clean room side, and the cassette may be shifted from a predetermined position or fall from the load port. As a result, not only particles enter the cassette or the atmosphere-side transfer chamber and adhere to the wafer, but also cause damage to the cassette and the wafer in the cassette.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and a second object of the present invention is to supply a clean gas into the first transfer space. Even if the pressure in the first transfer space is maintained relatively higher than the external pressure, the cassette can be prevented from being displaced from a predetermined position or the cassette from dropping from the load port. To provide a processing apparatus.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first transfer space having an atmosphere side and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere according to the first aspect of the present invention. And a load port site comprising a plurality of load ports on which an openable / closable cassette can be placed on a substantially straight line, a door opener provided at each load port for opening / closing the cassette, A first transfer arm disposed in the space, capable of holding at least two objects to be processed, and capable of independently transferring each of the objects, and provided adjacent to the first transfer space, An object positioning apparatus for performing positioning, and a second air-tight second apparatus, each of which is separated by a first transfer space and a first gate valve.
In addition to being separated from the transfer space by the second gate valve,
A plurality of load lock chambers, each capable of accommodating one processing object, and a plurality of load lock chambers, which are arranged in the second transfer space, are capable of holding at least two processing objects, and each of the processing objects is individually A second transfer arm that can be transferred between the load lock chamber and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers disposed around the second transfer space, and a third gate valve that isolates the second transfer space from each vacuum processing chamber. And a processing device characterized by comprising:

According to this configuration, since a single-wafer type load lock chamber accommodating only one processing object is used in each load lock chamber, the volume of the load lock chamber is reduced to the volume of the batch type load lock chamber. Thus, the evacuation time in the load lock chamber and the gas supply time to the chamber can be substantially reduced.
Further, if the load lock chamber is employed, the object positioning device can be provided around the first transfer space, so that the object can be moved by the second transfer arm disposed in the second transfer space in a reduced pressure atmosphere. It is possible to reduce the number of deliveries of the processing body. Further, the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm can hold at least two workpieces and can transport each of the workpieces in a predetermined direction independently of each other. Even if a load lock chamber capable of accommodating the object to be processed is adopted, the transfer of the object between the first transfer space and the load lock chamber and between the load lock chamber and the second transfer space is quickly performed and exchanged. be able to. As a result, due to the shortened transfer time and supply / exhaust time,
Throughput can be improved.

Further, for example, the first transfer arm is moved substantially in parallel to the direction in which the load port is arranged, and the object positioning device is moved to the movement direction side of the first transfer arm. May be provided. For example, in a multi-chamber type processing apparatus, in order to relatively narrow the transfer range of the first transfer arm, each load port and each load lock chamber are often arranged to face each other. Therefore, if the first transfer arm is moved substantially parallel to the direction in which the load ports are arranged as described above, the object can be quickly transferred. Furthermore, if the workpiece positioning device is provided on the side of the movement direction of the first transfer arm, the arrangement positions of the load ports and the load lock chambers are not limited.

Further, if the object positioning device is provided at a position sandwiched by two load lock chambers, for example, as in the third aspect of the present invention, each load port and the object positioning device are arranged. , And the transfer distance of the workpiece between the load-lock chamber and the workpiece alignment device can be relatively shortened, thereby shortening the transport time of the workpiece and further improving the throughput. Can be done.

In the load lock chamber, for example,
If a cooling device for cooling the object to be processed is provided as in the invention described in the above, or a heating device for heating the object to be processed is provided, for example, as in the invention according to the fifth aspect, the second transfer space There is no need to provide such a cooling device or a heating device around. As a result, the step of transporting the object to be processed to the heating device or the cooling device can be omitted, so that the number of transports of the second transport arm can be reduced, and the throughput can be further improved.

In the first transfer space, for example,
If the clean gas is circulated as in the invention described in (1), the first
Particles can be prevented from entering the transfer space, the load lock chamber, and the opened cassette, and can be prevented from adhering to the object to be processed, so that the yield can be improved.

Further, if each load port is provided with a stopper for preventing the cassette from dropping, for example, as in the invention according to claim 7, the cassette placed on each load port can be securely held. Thus, the cassette can be prevented from being shifted from a predetermined position or falling from the load port. Therefore, for example, the clean gas is supplied and circulated in the first transfer space, and the pressure in the first transfer space is controlled by the pressure on the atmosphere side in which each load port is disposed. When the pressure is set to be relatively high, even if the pressure is applied to the cassette, the cassette can be prevented from being shifted or dropped as described above.

Further, if the stopper is configured to be able to move up and down, for example, as in the invention of claim 8, the operation of loading the cassette into each load port and detaching the cassette from each load port will be affected. A stopper can be provided without exertion.

Further, when the cassette is pressed against the first transfer space by the stopper, for example, as in the ninth aspect, a pressure difference is generated between the first transfer space and the atmosphere as described above. Even in this case, the inside of the cassette and the inside of the first transfer space can be airtightly communicated, and the intrusion of particles into the cassette and the inside of the first transfer space can be reliably prevented.

Further, for example, a flange formed around the opening / closing opening of the cassette is provided on the cassette, and the flange is pressed toward the first transfer space by a stopper. Even in the case described above, the cassette can be reliably held as described above.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, as in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in a processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on an object to be processed in a vacuum processing chamber, an openable / closable cassette is mounted. A transfer port in which a load port can be mounted, a door opener provided in the load port for opening and closing the cassette, a transfer arm for transferring an object to be processed between the cassette and a predetermined space, and a transfer inside the cassette. An opening communicating with the inside of the space is formed, and a wall for airtightly shutting off the atmosphere on the load port side and the atmosphere on the transfer space side, and an opening provided on the load port for opening and closing the cassette on the wall. And a stopper that presses toward the processing device.

According to such a configuration, the cassette mounted on the load port is pressed against the wall by the stopper and fixed. Therefore, the cassette on the load port can be securely held. As a result, the cassette can be prevented from being shifted or dropped.

Further, it is preferable that the stopper is configured to be able to move up and down, and that the cassette is pressed when moving up and down. According to this configuration, the cassette can be reliably held without hindering the delivery of the cassette.

Further, it is preferable that a flange is formed around the opening of the cassette, and the flange is pressed toward the wall with a stopper, for example. Even with such a configuration, the cassette can be reliably held without hindering the work of loading and unloading the cassette.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a multi-chamber type processing apparatus for performing various predetermined film forming processes on a wafer will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. explain.

(1) Overall Configuration of Processing Apparatus First, the overall configuration of a multi-chamber processing apparatus 100 to which the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. On the first load port 102 of the processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
An openable / closable (front opening unified pod) cassette 106 capable of accommodating 25 300 mm wafers W is placed on the plate 104. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an opening 106c is formed on the side of the cassette 106. A door 106a that opens and closes the opening 106c is detachably attached to the opening 106c. Opening 1
A flange 106b is formed around 06c. Also, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
4, for example, three pins 108 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 2, a groove 110 is provided at the bottom of the cassette 106 corresponding to each of the pins 108. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the back of the cassette 106 placed on the first load port 102 is
The stopper 112 which presses against the outer wall (wall part) 122a surface of is provided. Further, a drive mechanism (not shown) for moving the stopper 112 up and down is connected to the stopper 112.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 100 includes second to fourth load ports 114, 116, and 118 which are configured substantially the same as the first load port 102.
The first to fourth load ports 102 and 1 are arranged adjacent to each other on a substantially straight line together with the load port 102.
14, 116 and 118 constitute a load port site 120. Also, the first to fourth load ports 102,
As shown in FIG. 1, 114, 116 and 118 are arranged in contact with a first transfer chamber 122 forming a first transfer space.

A first transfer arm 124 according to the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is disposed in the first transfer chamber 122. The first transfer arm 124 is, as shown in FIG. , Two wafers W can be held at the same time, and each wafer W can be individually transported independently. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first transfer arm 124 includes first and second substrate holding portions (fork portions).
A so-called scalar type (multi-joint type) transfer arm having 124a and 124b, the first substrate holder 124a and the second substrate holder 124b are configured to be movable in predetermined horizontal and vertical directions independently of each other. ing.

The first to fourth load ports 102, 1
2 are provided on the first transfer chamber 122 side of the first, second and third transfer chambers 14, 116 and 118.
As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 4, door openers 126 are provided corresponding to the respective door openers. The door opener 126 is
Removable door 106a provided on cassette 106
Is opened and closed by a vertically movable holding portion 126a.

The first transfer chamber 122 contains a clean gas.
N as₂Gas supply path (not shown) for supplying
The gas exhaust path is connected.
N supplied from the upper part of one transfer chamber 122₂Is the first transfer chamber
It is configured to be exhausted from the lower part of 122. Sa
In addition, as shown in FIG. ₂
Return path 128 for circulating
You.

Further, as shown in FIG.
22 is connected to the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132 according to the present embodiment. In the illustrated example, the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132
First to fourth load ports 102, 114, 116, 11
8 are arranged. Gate valves G1 and G2 are provided between the first load lock chamber 130 and the first transfer chamber 122 and between the second load lock chamber 132 and the first transfer chamber 122, respectively. I have. Further, a second transfer chamber (vacuum transfer chamber) forming a second transfer space is provided in the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132.
133. Also, the first load lock chamber 1
Corresponding gate valves G3 and G4 are provided between the second transfer chamber 133 and the second transfer chamber 133 and between the second load lock chamber 132 and the second transfer chamber 133, respectively.

Here, the configuration of the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132 according to the present embodiment will be described. The first and second load lock chambers 130, 1
32 have substantially the same configuration, the second load lock chamber 132 will be described as an example. FIG. 5 (a)
A cooling plate 134 also serving as a mounting table for the wafer W is disposed in the second load lock chamber 132 shown in FIG. 1, and a refrigerant circulation path 136 capable of circulating a refrigerant at a predetermined temperature is provided in the cooling plate 134. I have. In addition, a first glass plate 138 is disposed above the second load lock chamber 132, and forms a part of the ceiling of the second load lock chamber 132 in the illustrated example. Further, the first glass plate 13
A heating lamp 142 for heating the wafer W disposed in the second load lock chamber 132 to a predetermined temperature via a second glass plate 140 is provided at an upper portion of the heater 8.

In the second load lock chamber 132,
A substrate holding unit 143 capable of holding the wafer W is disposed, and the substrate holding unit 143 is disposed between the first glass plate 138 and the cooling plate 134 in the illustrated example. Further, the substrate holding unit 143 includes the substrate holding unit 143.
An elevating mechanism 144 for moving the elevating mechanism up and down is provided, and a substrate holding unit 143 connected to the elevating mechanism 144 is disposed between the first glass plate 138 and the cooling plate 134. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the substrate holder 143 is formed in a substantially ring shape.
The inner diameter of 3 is larger than the outer shape of the cooling plate 134. In the example shown, holding pins 143a are attached to the substrate holding section 143 at three locations, and the wafer W is held on the holding pins 143a.
In the second load lock chamber 132, an exhaust pipe 146 for evacuating the second load lock chamber 132 and a gas supply pipe 148 for supplying gas into the second load lock chamber 132 are provided.
Is connected. Further, the second load lock chamber 132
Is set to a minimum volume that can accommodate only one wafer W, for example, about 5 liters.

Returning again to FIG. 1, the first load lock chamber 13
A workpiece alignment device 150 connected to the first transfer chamber 122 is disposed between the first load chamber 132 and the second load lock chamber 132. In the illustrated example, the first to fourth load ports 102, Opposite to 114, 116, 118, it is provided below the central position between the first load lock chamber 130 and the second load lock chamber 132. In addition, as shown in FIG.
And a sensor 154 for detecting the position of the wafer W.

In the second transfer chamber 133 shown in FIG. 1, a second transfer arm 156 according to the present embodiment is disposed. In the illustrated example, two second transfer arms 156 are provided. The wafers W can be held at the same time, and the respective wafers W can be transported individually and independently. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the second transfer arm 156 includes first and second substrate holding portions (fork portions) 15.
The first and second substrate holders 156a and 156b are movable independently of each other in a predetermined horizontal direction. In the second transfer chamber 133,
An exhaust mechanism (not shown) capable of exhausting the atmosphere in the second transfer chamber 133 is connected.

The first transfer chamber 133 is surrounded by the first transfer chamber 133.
The first to fourth vacuum processing chambers 158, 160, 162, and 164 are connected to each other.
Reference numerals 58, 160, 162, and 164 constitute processing chambers of a plasma CVD apparatus that perform different film forming processes. Further, the first to fourth vacuum processing chambers 158, 16
0, 162, 164 and the second transfer chamber 133,
Gate valves G5, G6, G7, G corresponding to each
8 are interposed.

The first to fourth load ports 10
2, 114, 116, 118, the first transfer chamber 122,
The first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132, the target object positioning device 150, the second transfer chamber 133, and the first to fourth vacuum processing chambers 158, 160, 162, and 164 are connected to the blocking wall 166. Are airtightly separated by The first to fourth load ports 102, 114, 116, and 118 to which the cassette 106 is transported are arranged in a clean room.

(2) Processing Steps Next, processing steps when a plurality of film forming processes are performed on the wafer W using the processing apparatus 100 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. In the description of this processing step, a case where the film forming process is performed only in the first and fourth vacuum processing chambers 158 and 164 will be described as an example for easy understanding.

First, terms described in the timing charts of the processing steps shown in FIGS. 8 to 12 will be described. (A) L-Port: first to fourth load ports 102,
One of the load ports 114, 116, 118 (b) L-Arm: first transfer arm 124 (first and second substrate holders 124a, 124b are indicated by P1 and P2, respectively) (c) Ort: (D) LL1: first load lock chamber 130 (e) LL2: second load lock chamber 132 (f) T-Arm: second transfer arm 156 (first and second substrate holding units 156a) , 156b are represented by P1 and P2, respectively. (G) PM1: First vacuum processing chamber 158 (h) PM2: Fourth vacuum processing chamber 164 (i) # 1 to #n: Serial number of wafer W (j) Door Open: Door 10 of cassette 106
Open 6a (k) Door Cls: door 106 of cassette 106
Close a. (l) Map: Mapping of wafer W in cassette 106 Note that XXX- in the L-Arm step and the T-Arm step
YYY indicates that the wafer W is transferred from XXX to YYY. For example, LP-P1 indicates that the wafer W is transferred from any one of the first to fourth load ports 102, 114, 116, and 118 to the first substrate holding unit 124a. After the processing is started, 350
Since the same operation is repeated in the processing steps from second to 1917 seconds, it is omitted as shown in FIG.

Next, the processing steps will be described with reference to the timing charts shown in FIGS. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the cassette 106 accommodating the unprocessed wafer W is inserted into the plate 10 of the third load port 116, for example, so that the groove 110 and the pin 108 are fitted.
4, the plate 104 moves together with the cassette 106 toward the first transfer chamber 122. Thereafter, the stopper 112 is raised, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4,
The cassette 106 is pressed against the outer wall 122 a of the first transfer chamber 122 to fix the cassette. With this configuration, the first
The N ₂ circulating in the transfer chamber 122 causes the first transfer chamber 12
2, the pressure in the first to fourth load ports 102, 114,
The pressure is set to be relatively higher than the pressure in the clean room in which 116 and 118 are disposed, for example, several hundred g to 1 kg.
Even if a small amount of force is applied to the cassette 106, the cassette 1
06 can be fixed at a predetermined position.

Since the following steps are performed sequentially as shown in FIGS. 8 to 12, the first and second transfer arms 1
24, 156 and the first and second load lock chambers 13
The operation of each device such as 0, 132 will be mainly described. When the cassette 106 is placed at a predetermined position as described above, in the process shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIGS.
06 to the holding unit 1 of the door opener 126.
At 26a, the door 106a is removed from the cassette 106. Thereby, the inside of the cassette 106 and the first transfer chamber 1
22 is the outer wall 122 of the first transfer chamber 122 shown in FIG.
The connection is made through an opening (window) 122b formed in a. At the same time, the flange 106 of the cassette 106
b and the surface of the outer wall 122a are airtightly adhered. After that, mapping is performed by a mapping sensor (not shown) provided on the first transfer arm 124 in order to check the number and arrangement state of the wafers W accommodated in the cassette 106. Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, after the mapping is completed, the wafer W in the cassette 106 is transferred by the first transfer arm 124 to the processing object positioning apparatus 150, and as shown in FIG. W is aligned.

Then, the wafer W having been subjected to the predetermined alignment is again moved to the first transfer arm 124, for example, by the first transfer arm 124.
It is placed on the substrate holding part 143 in the load lock chamber 130. At this time, in the first load lock chamber 130, the gate valve G1 is opened and the gate valve G3 is closed, so that the atmosphere is substantially maintained at the atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the gate valve G1 is closed and the first load lock chamber 1 is closed.
The atmosphere in the first load lock chamber 130 is exhausted.
The internal pressure atmosphere is reduced to approximately the same as the pressure atmosphere in the second transfer chamber 133, for example, 100 mTorr. At the same time, the wafer W on the substrate holder 143 is relatively raised to approach the heating lamp 142, and the heating lamp 1
42 is turned on, and the wafer W on the substrate holder 143 is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 500 ° C. Note that, even when the aligned wafer W is transferred into the second load lock chamber 132, the same steps as described above are performed.

After the inside of the first load lock chamber 130 reaches a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere and the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature, the gate valve G3 is opened and the second transfer arm 15
6, the wafer W in the first load lock chamber 130 is unloaded and further loaded into the first vacuum processing chamber 158. Thereafter, while closing the gate valve G5 and supplying, for example, WF ₆ and H ₂ into the first vacuum processing chamber 158, the wafer W is further heated in the first vacuum processing chamber 158 by a lamp, and For example, a tungsten thin film is formed.

The wafer W on which the film forming process has been performed is carried out of the first vacuum processing chamber 158 by the second transfer arm 156 and then placed on, for example, the substrate holding section 143 in the second load lock chamber 132. Is done. At this time, in the second load lock chamber 132, the gate valve G4 is opened and the gate valve G2 is closed, so that the same reduced pressure atmosphere as that in the second transfer chamber 133 is maintained. afterwards,
The gate valve G4 is closed and a gas, for example, N ₂ is supplied into the second load lock chamber 132 to
The pressure atmosphere in the pressure chamber 32 is raised to the same atmospheric pressure as the pressure atmosphere in the first transfer chamber 122. At the same time, the substrate holding unit 143 is relatively lowered to
3 is placed on the cooling plate 134, and the temperature of the wafer W is reduced to, for example, 70 ° C. Note that, even when the wafer W is transferred into the first load lock chamber 130, the same steps as described above are performed.

Thereafter, after the inside of the second load lock chamber 132 reaches the atmospheric pressure and the wafer W is cooled to a predetermined temperature, the gate valve G2 is opened, and the first transfer arm 124 causes the second load lock chamber 132 to open. Wafer W in 132
Is transported into the first transfer chamber 122 and then the cassette 106
Again. Further, when all of the processed wafers W are collected in the cassette 106, the holding portion 126a of the door opener 126 is raised, as shown in a process shown in FIG.
The door 106a is attached to the cassette 106. Then, as the stopper 112 descends, the plate 104
Retreats to the position where the cassette 106 is attached and detached, and the cassette 106 is detached.

Each apparatus provided in the processing apparatus 100 operates as described above. In the present embodiment, FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of devices operate simultaneously and in combination. That is, for example, from the start of the processing shown in FIG.
At the point in time after the lapse of seconds, the transfer operation of the first transfer arm 124, the alignment by the processing object positioning device 150,
Evacuation and wafer W in first load lock chamber 130
And the film forming process in the first and fourth vacuum processing chambers 158 and 164 are performed simultaneously. Also, for example, FIG.
At a point 250 seconds after the start of the process shown in FIG. 5, the transfer operation of the first transfer arm 124 and the first load lock chamber 13
Cooling and charge air and the wafer W of N ₂ into the 0, heating and evacuation and the wafer W in the second load lock chamber 132, the transport operation of the second transfer arm 156, the fourth vacuum processing chamber 164 And the film forming process at the same time. Therefore, when the wafer W is subjected to a predetermined process, if the processing apparatus 100 is employed, the wafer W is continuously transferred and
Since the processing can be performed simultaneously on the sheets, the throughput can be improved.

The present embodiment is configured as described above, and the first and second load lock chambers 130, 132
Has been set to the minimum volume that can accommodate only one wafer W, the first and second load lock chambers 1
It is possible to quickly evacuate the inside of the chambers 30, 132 and to supply the gas to the chambers 130, 132 quickly.
The time required for adjusting the pressure in the load lock chambers 130 and 132 can be reduced. As a result, the transfer time of the wafer W between the first transfer arm 124 and the second transfer arm 156 can be reduced, and the throughput can be improved. Further, the first transfer arm 1
24 and the second transfer arm 156 respectively correspond to the first and second substrate holders 124a and 124b and the first
Since the two substrate holding portions including the first and second substrate holding portions 156a and 156b are formed, the transfer of the wafer W can be performed even if the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132 are configured as a single wafer type. The exchange can be performed quickly, and the throughput can be further improved.

An object positioning device 150 is provided around the first transfer chamber 122, and a heating device and a cooling device for the wafer W are provided in the first and second load lock chambers 130 and 132. Therefore, the number of times the wafer W is transferred by the second transfer arm 156 can be reduced, and the throughput can be further improved. Further, the object positioning apparatus 150 is provided with the first and second objects.
Since it is arranged at a position sandwiched by the load lock chambers 130 and 132, the processing object positioning device 150
And the first to fourth load ports 102, 114, 116,
118, the first and second load lock chambers 130, 13
2 can be shortened. As a result, the transfer area of the first transfer arm 124 can be narrowed, so that the transfer time can be reduced and
The size of the first transfer chamber 122 can also be reduced.
Further, since the cassette 106 is fixed by the stopper 112, the cassette
Shift, or the first to fourth load ports 102,
Dropping from 114, 116, 118 can be reliably prevented.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. In the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, those skilled in the art
Various changes and modifications can be conceived, and it is understood that these changes and modifications also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the stopper that presses the back surface of the cassette against the outer wall surface of the first transfer chamber is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Absent. For example, as shown in FIG.
When the cassette 106 is fixed and the fourth load ports 102, 114, 116, and 118 are provided, the flange portion 106b formed on the door 106a side of the cassette 106 by the stopper 200 as shown in FIG. The present invention can be implemented even if it is configured to press against the outer wall (wall portion) 122a surface of the transfer chamber 122.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been given by taking as an example a configuration in which the object positioning device is disposed at a position sandwiched between the first load lock chamber and the second load lock chamber. Is not limited to such a configuration. For example, like the processing apparatus 300 shown in FIG.
22, the direction of movement of the first transfer arm 124 and the direction substantially perpendicular to the direction, that is, in the illustrated example, the first to fourth load ports 102, 114, 116, and 118, and the first and second load ports 102, 114, 116, and 118. The present invention can be practiced even if it is disposed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the load lock chambers 130 and 132 face, or in a position facing the fourth load port 118 with the first transfer chamber 122 interposed therebetween.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a cassette capable of accommodating 25 wafers has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the object to be processed accommodated in the cassette is accommodated. The present invention can be carried out regardless of the number of.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration employing the first and second transfer arms capable of holding two wafers has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Alternatively, the present invention can be implemented by employing first and second transfer arms capable of holding three or more workpieces.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the scalar type transfer arm is used as the first transfer arm and the frog-leg type transfer arm is used as the second transfer arm has been described as an example. The present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a frog-leg-type transfer arm may be used for the first transfer arm, a scalar-type transfer arm may be used for the second transfer arm, or both the first and second transfer arms may be used. The present invention can also be implemented with a scalar-type transfer arm or a frog-leg-type transfer arm.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which N ₂ is circulated in the first transfer chamber has been described as an example.
The present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the present invention can be implemented by circulating various clean gases such as clean air and various inert gases.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which four load ports, two load lock chambers, and four vacuum processing chambers are provided has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. However, the present invention can be implemented as long as a plurality is provided. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which one workpiece positioning device is provided has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and two or more workpiece positioning devices are provided. The present invention can be practiced even when a device is provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the first to fourth vacuum processing chambers are all processing chambers of the CVD apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The present invention can be implemented by applying vacuum processing chambers of various plasma processing apparatuses such as an etching apparatus and an ashing apparatus.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the load port having the stopper is provided in the multi-chamber type processing apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The load port provided with the stopper according to the present invention can be applied to various types of processing apparatuses that perform processing on an object to be processed.

[0059]

According to the present invention, since the volume of each load lock chamber is set to a size capable of accommodating only one processing object, the supply / exhaust time at the time of delivery of the processing object is reduced. be able to. Further, even if the load lock chamber is employed, the first and second transfer arms can individually transfer at least two objects to be processed, so that the exchange of the objects can be performed quickly. Further, since there is no need to dispose an object positioning device, a heating device, or a cooling device around the second transfer space, the object to be processed is frequently placed between each vacuum processing chamber and each load lock chamber. It is possible to reduce the number of times of transfer of the object to be processed by the second transfer arm that performs the transfer. As a result, the time from when the object to be processed is unloaded from the cassette to when the object to be processed is loaded into one vacuum processing chamber, and when the object to be processed is transferred from one vacuum processing chamber to another vacuum processing chamber. , And the time required to transport the processed object to the cassette again, so that the throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a load port and a cassette shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a first transfer arm shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a load port and a cassette shown in FIG. 1;

5A is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a load lock chamber illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is a schematic plan view illustrating a substrate holding unit illustrated in FIG. 5A. .

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the processing object positioning device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a second transfer arm shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic timing chart illustrating processing steps of the processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a schematic timing chart showing processing steps of the processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic timing chart illustrating processing steps of the processing apparatus illustrated in FIG.

11 is a schematic timing chart showing processing steps of the processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic timing chart showing processing steps of the processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic explanatory view for explaining another stopper applicable to the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
The state at the time of attachment / detachment of the cassette is shown, and (b) shows the state at the time of fixing the cassette.

FIG. 14 is a schematic explanatory view showing another multi-chamber type processing apparatus to which the present invention can be applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 processing device 102 first load port 106 cassette 106a door 106b flange 106c opening 112 stopper 114 second load port 116 third load port 118 fourth load port 120 load port site 122 first transfer chamber 122a outer wall 122b opening 124 First transfer arm 126 Door opener 130 First load lock chamber 132 Second load lock chamber 133 Second transfer chamber 134 Cooling plate 142 Heating lamp 150 Workpiece positioning device 156 Second transfer arm 158 First vacuum processing chamber 160 Second Vacuum processing chamber 162 Third vacuum processing chamber 164 Fourth vacuum processing chamber G1 to G8 Gate valve W Wafer

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Teruo Asakawa 2381-1, Kita-Shimojo, Fujii-machi, Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture Inside Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masaki Narishima 2381, Kita-Shimojo, Fujii-machi, Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Co., Ltd.

Claims (13)

[Claims] A load port site which divides an atmosphere side and a first transfer space of an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and has a plurality of load ports on which an openable / closable cassette can be placed arranged substantially in a straight line; A door opener provided in each load port to open and close the cassette; a first opener disposed in the first transfer space and capable of holding at least two workpieces and capable of independently transporting each workpiece. A transfer arm; an object positioning device provided adjacent to the first transfer space for positioning the object; each separated by the first transfer space and a first gate valve; A plurality of load lock chambers, each of which is isolated by an airtight second transfer space and a second gate valve and each can accommodate one object to be processed; The two workpieces can be held, and each workpiece can be independently transferred between each of the load lock chambers and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers arranged around the second transfer space. A second transfer arm; and a third gate valve for isolating the second transfer space from each of the vacuum processing chambers. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first transfer arm is movable substantially in parallel to a direction in which the load port is arranged, and the object positioning device is provided on a movement direction side of the first transfer arm. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is characterized in that: 3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing object positioning device is provided at a position sandwiched between the two load lock chambers. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load lock chamber includes a cooling device that cools an object to be processed. 5. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load lock chamber includes a heating device for heating the object to be processed. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a clean gas is circulated in the first transfer space. 7. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the load ports includes a stopper for preventing the cassette from dropping. 8. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stopper is configured to be movable up and down. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stopper presses the cassette toward the first transfer space. 10. The cassette includes a flange formed around an opening and closing opening of the cassette; wherein the stopper presses the flange toward the first transfer space. The processing device according to claim 7, 11. A processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on an object to be processed in a vacuum processing chamber: a load port on which an openable cassette can be placed; a door opener provided in the load port for opening and closing the cassette; A transfer space in which a transfer arm for transferring an object to be processed is disposed between the cassette and a predetermined space; and an opening communicating between the cassette and the transfer space is formed. A wall portion for hermetically shutting off the atmosphere and the atmosphere on the side of the transfer space; a stopper provided at the load port and pressing an opening / closing opening of the cassette toward the wall portion;
A processing device, comprising: 12. The processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the stopper is configured to be able to move up and down and to press the cassette at the time of ascending. 13. The cassette according to claim 11, wherein the cassette has a flange formed around the opening; and the stopper presses the flange toward the wall. Processing equipment.