JP2000294496A - Semiconductor manufacturing device, substrate containing case and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize substrate contamination and an exchange time and to be able to exchange a substrate containing vessel by an operator or a floor AGV(orbital Automatic Guided Vehicle). SOLUTION: This device is constituted of a substrate containing vessel 4 which can be opened and closed and is mearly sealed to contain a substrate 3 and to keep the containing circumstance clean, a substrate import and export means 5 which draws the substrate 3 out from the substrate containing vessel 4 and imports and contains the substrate 3 exported from the inside of the device into a device 1 and an alignment means (pre-alignment stage) for alignment which makes a predetermined treatment of the substrate 3 which is imported in the device via the substrate import and export means 5. A substrate storage means 7 which temporally stores the substrate 3 imported into the device via the substrate import and export means 5 and a first substrate transport means 6 which transports the substrate 3 between the substrate storage means 7 and the substrate import and export means 5 and a second substrate transport means 7 which transports the substrate 3 between the substrate transport means 7 and the alignment means 8 are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus using an openable / closable container (hereinafter abbreviated as SMIF pod) capable of keeping a cassette containing substrates such as semiconductor wafers and reticles clean. The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a substrate storage case, and a device manufacturing method that supply or collect a substrate to or from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, such as a so-called SMIF system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a semiconductor manufacturing process, especially in a lithography process, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer has been processed in a clean room in which submicron-sized dust, which causes element defects, is controlled in order to improve the yield. However, with the progress of high integration of elements and miniaturization of circuits, realization of a clean room that manages dust of the corresponding particle size has become difficult technically and cost-wise. As one of the alternatives to the improvement, a cassette containing a substrate is housed in a clean and closable airtight container whose inside is kept clean, and the opening / closing means of this container is provided to each manufacturing apparatus so that the substrate can be transported cleanly. A standard mechanical interface enabling it, the so-called SMIF system, has been proposed.

[0003] Therefore, for example, when a semiconductor exposure apparatus is designed to be compatible with SMIF for loading and unloading a reticle, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the results. That is, the SMIF pod 103 is opened and closed, and the stored reticle carrier 102a is
An opening / closing elevating means 102 (hereinafter abbreviated as SMIF indexer) for pulling out from the F pod 103 is provided. A fork-shaped holding reticle 102b for taking out a reticle 102b from a cassette 102a drawn into the semiconductor exposure apparatus 101 by the SMIF indexer 102 is provided. The apparatus includes a hand 104 and transport means 105 for moving the hand 104 up and down, up and down with respect to the cassette 102a, and transporting the hand 104 to a pre-alignment stage (not shown). 6, reference numeral 106 denotes a clean room environment, and 107 denotes the inside of the exposure apparatus 101. In consideration of the contamination of the reticle 102b conveyed by the conveyance means 105 and the replacement time of the reticle 102b, the height when the reticle 102b is taken out from the cassette 102a is made substantially equal to the height at which the reticle 102b is conveyed to the pre-alignment stage. The transport path should be kept to a minimum. To do so, the pod mounting surface 108 of the SMIF indexer 102
Is arranged somewhat above the reticle transport surface 109. Moreover, the reticle transport height is near the height of the reticle stage of the exposure apparatus, and therefore, is 1600 mm or more from the floor.

[0004]

However, in the above arrangement, since the mounting surface 108 of the SMIF pod is high,
Tracked automated guided vehicle (hereinafter abbreviated as AGV) that replaces SMIF pod 103 by an operator or travels on the floor.
Supply and recovery of the SMIF pod 103 is difficult, and the use of a carrier (hereinafter referred to as OHV) traveling on a track suspended from the ceiling of a clean room increases the equipment cost and restricts the layout. Also increase.

On the other hand, an SMIF pod 1 by an operator
03 and SMI in order to respond to the exchange of
The position of the F indexer 102 is 800 to 1000 from the floor.
When the height is set to mm, the distance for transporting the reticle in the clean environment of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 107 is greatly increased, and dust from the transport mechanism may contaminate the clean environment and the reticle. There is. Further, when a plurality of reticles are stored in the SMIF pod 103, there is a disadvantage that the time required for reticle replacement is increased.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a substrate storage case, and a device manufacturing method compatible with an SMIF system, which minimize the contamination and replacement time of a substrate, and further reduce an SMIF pod ( (Substrate storage container).

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises an openable and closable substantially closed substrate storage container for storing substrates and keeping the storage environment clean. A substrate loading / unloading means for pulling out a substrate from the substrate storage container into the apparatus and pulling a substrate delivered from the inside of the apparatus into the substrate storage container and storing the substrate therein, and a substrate carried into the apparatus via the substrate input / output means, In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided with an alignment means for positioning for processing, a substrate storage means for temporarily storing a substrate carried into the apparatus via the substrate access means, the substrate storage means and the substrate A first substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the access unit and a second substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the substrate storage unit and the alignment unit; It is characterized in.

Further, according to the device manufacturing method of the present invention, the substrate is drawn into the chamber from the substrate storage container, which is substantially hermetically mounted outside the chamber of the apparatus, by the substrate access means, positioned by the alignment means, and positioned. In a device manufacturing method for manufacturing a device by performing a predetermined process using a substrate, a first step of drawing a plurality of substrates housed in the substrate housing container into the chamber via the substrate access unit, A second step of transporting each substrate drawn into the chamber to a substrate storage unit by a first substrate transport unit and storing the substrate; and storing the stored substrate from the substrate storage unit by a second substrate transport unit. And a third step of carrying the above-mentioned positioning and predetermined processing onto the alignment means.

According to this, the height of the mounting surface of the substrate storage container is set to 800 to 1000 mm from the floor, and the first substrate transport means transfers the substrate to the substrate storage means at the height at which the substrate is taken out from the substrate access means. The substrate can be taken out of the substrate storage means by the second substrate transfer means at a height at which the substrate is stored and substantially delivered to the alignment means, and transferred to the alignment means. Therefore, the distance for transporting the substrate alone is thereby minimized, and the adhesion of dust is minimized. When a plurality of substrates are stored in the substrate storage container, the substrate replacement time is minimized by storing the substrates stored in the substrate storage container in the substrate storage means in advance.

A substrate storage case according to the present invention is a case for storing a substrate to be processed in a chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the substrate can be loaded and unloaded from two directions. According to this, the first and second substrate transfer means can be arranged in a straight line, and the substrate storage means is configured to be compact.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the substrate storage means can store more substrates than can be stored in the substrate storage container. The substrate is a reticle having an exposure pattern. The substrate storage means includes a plurality of openable and closable substrate storage cases for storing temporarily stored substrates, and a case opening / closing means for opening and closing the substrate storage case. The substrate storage case stores at least one substrate, and can carry the substrate into and out of the substrate storage case from two directions.

Further, the substrate storage means has a substrate elevating means for elevating and lowering the substrate storage case, and the first height is substantially the same as the height at which the first substrate transfer means exchanges substrates with the substrate in / out means. At the same time, the transfer of the substrate between the substrate storage case and the first substrate transfer means is performed, and the second substrate transfer means transmits and receives the substrate between the alignment means at a second height substantially equal to the height at which the transfer of the substrate is performed between the substrate storage case and the alignment means. Transfer of the substrate is performed between the substrate storage case and the second substrate transfer means. Then, the substrate storage means is provided at the first height and the second height at the first height.
A cover having an opening for exchanging the substrate with the second substrate transfer means; and an exhaust means for exhausting the inside of the cover so that dust generated by the substrate elevating means does not leak out of the cover. Furthermore, the substrate storage means is
A first portion for transferring a substrate between the first and second substrate transfer means at the first height and the second height, and a second portion for storing the substrate storage case at a fixed position.
And a case carrying means for carrying the substrate storage case between the first and second parts.

The substrate storage container is mounted outside the chamber of the apparatus, and the substrate access means pulls the substrate into the chamber from the substrate storage container mounted outside the chamber and is passed from the apparatus body in the chamber. The substrate is drawn into the substrate storage container and stored.

Further, the height of the pod (substrate storage container) mounting surface of the SMIF indexer as the substrate input / output means is set to 800 to 1000 mm from the floor, and the first substrate transfer means is set at the height when the reticle (substrate) is taken out from the pod. , The reticle is stored in the substrate storage case, and the reticle is taken out of the substrate storage case by the second substrate transfer means at almost the height of the stage of the alignment means, and transferred to the stage of the alignment means. As a result, the distance for transporting the reticle alone is minimized, and the adhesion of dust is minimized. In the case where a plurality of reticles are stored in the pod, the reticle stored in the pod is stored in advance in the substrate storage means to minimize the reticle exchange time.
The first and second substrate transfer means are linearly arranged by adopting a structure which allows loading and unloading of the reticle from the direction, and the substrate storage means is made compact.

[0015]

1 and 2 are a plan view and a sectional view showing a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in these figures, in this apparatus, the exposure apparatus chamber 1
A reticle stage 2a, an illumination system (not shown)
An exposure apparatus main body 2 having a projection lens and a wafer stage is arranged, a pre-alignment stage 2b for pre-alignment of the reticle is provided in front of the reticle stage 2a, and a reticle is transported between the reticle stage 2a and the pre-alignment stage 2b. A transfer hand (not shown) is attached. On the other hand, on the lower left side of the front of the chamber 1, a mounting surface 5 a for mounting a pod 4, which is an openable and closable container for housing six reticles 3, and the pod 4 are opened to introduce a reticle into the chamber 1. S
The MIF indexer 5 is provided, and the height of the mounting surface 5a is set to a height at which a person can safely attach and detach the pod 4, that is, 900 mm from the floor. Since the mechanism and function of the SMIF indexer 5 are generally well known, a detailed description is omitted.

A first scalar robot 6 having a fork-shaped hand at its tip for holding the reticle 3 introduced into the chamber 1 by the SMIF indexer 5, and 13 reticle cases 7a for accommodating the reticle 3 are attached and detached. A rotary reticle storage shelf 7 that supports the reticle case 7a as much as possible and raises and lowers the reticle case 7a from the loading / unloading height of the first robot 6 to the height of the pre-alignment stage 2b, and the reticle storage shelf 7 and the pre-alignment stage 2b A second SCARA robot 8 for transporting the reticle between the robot and the reticle is provided.

The reticle case 7a has a structure in which a reticle can be loaded and unloaded from two directions, that is, the first robot 6 side and the second robot 8 side. Cover 7b having two openings for loading / unloading reticle 3 with reticle case 7a
And the exhaust is exhausted by exhaust means (not shown), so that dust from the elevating means of the reticle case 7a does not come out of the cover 7b. The reticle storage shelf 7 has a reticle case 7a at the position of the opening.
Opening / closing means for opening / closing the lid.

Next, how the reticle is conveyed by the above configuration will be described. First, the pod 4 containing six reticles is placed on the pod mounting surface 5a of the SMIF indexer 5, and a start switch (not shown) is pressed to start loading the reticle into the apparatus. Here, when there is no reticle in the reticle storage shelf 7 or there are seven empty reticle cases 7a and there is no reticle to be carried out, the reticle in the indexer 5 is sequentially emptied from the reticle storage shelf 7 by the first robot. The reticle is stored in the case 7a and the operation of loading the reticle into the apparatus ends. If there are no seven empty cases 7a in the reticle storage shelf 7 or if there is a reticle to be removed, the reticle to be removed is designated on the operation panel of the apparatus, or the reticle to be removed is designated by an instruction from the host computer. Then, first, the first reticle in the indexer 5 is stored in the empty case 7a,
Next, the case 7a containing the reticle to be taken out is moved to the height of the first robot 6, the lid is opened, and the reticle is taken out by the first robot 6 and stored in an empty slot in the indexer 5. Thereafter, all reticles are carried into the apparatus by the same procedure. In each case, the No. (number) assigned to the case 7a in the reticle storage shelf 7 and the ID (id) assigned to the reticle are recorded in the storage means in the apparatus in association with each other. Here, the number of reticles stored in the pod 4 is six, and the number of cases 7a in the storage shelf 7 is thirteen. However, any number of reticles can be stored in the pod 4; Assuming that the number is N, if the number of cases 7a in the storage shelf 7 is (2N + 1) or more, the case can be operated in the same manner.

Next, a procedure for transporting the reticle stored in the reticle storage shelf 7 to the reticle stage 2a will be described. First, when the ID of the reticle to be conveyed is designated on the operation panel of the apparatus or by the host computer, the number of the case 7a in which the designated reticle is stored is determined by the storage means, and the corresponding case 7a is identified by the second robot 8 Go to the height and open the lid. Then, the reticle is taken out of the case 7a by the second robot 8 and transported to the pre-alignment stage 2b. After pre-alignment of the reticle on the pre-alignment stage 2b,
The reticle is transported to the reticle stage 2a by the transport hand, and at the same time, the reticle on the reticle stage 2a is collected on the pre-alignment stage 2b. Here, the reticle storage shelf 7 closes the lid of the case 7a from which the reticle was previously taken out, moves the case in which the reticle to be collected from the reticle stage 2a is stored to the height of the second robot 8, and closes the lid. Open. Then, the reticle on the pre-alignment stage 2b is transported to the case 7a of the storage shelf 7 by the second robot, the lid is closed, and the reticle exchange is completed.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a front view showing a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. A reticle stage 12 is located in the center of the exposure apparatus chamber 11.
a, an exposure apparatus main body 12 having an illumination system, a projection lens, and a wafer stage (not shown).
A pre-alignment stage 12b for performing pre-alignment of the reticle and a reticle stage 12a are provided before 2a.
A transfer hand (not shown) for transferring the reticle between the reticle and the pre-alignment stage 12b is attached. On the other hand, a mounting surface 15a for mounting a pod 14 which is an openable and closable container for housing six reticles 13 is provided below the left side surface of the chamber 11, and the pod 14 is opened to enter the apparatus chamber 11 There is a SMIF indexer 15 for introducing a reticle, and the height of the pod mounting surface 15a is set to a height at which a person can safely attach and detach, that is, 900 mm from the floor.

This device is provided with a SMIF indexer 1
5 detachably supports a first SCARA type robot 16 having a fork-shaped hand at its tip for holding the reticle 13 introduced into the chamber 11 by suction, and four reticle cases 17a for accommodating the reticle 13. A movable reticle storage shelf 17b capable of moving the case 17a up and down from the loading / unloading height by the first robot 16 to the height of the pre-alignment stage 12b;
A fixed reticle storage shelf 17c that detachably supports 13 reticle 7a, a case transport robot 17d that transports a reticle case 17a between storage shelves 17b and 17c, a movable reticle storage shelf 17b, and a pre-alignment stage 1.
2b for transporting a reticle to and from the second SCARA robot 2b.

The reticle case 17a is the first robot 16
The reticle can be loaded and unloaded from two directions, ie, the side and the second robot 18 side.
Is entirely covered by a cover 17e having two openings through which the reticle 13 is carried in and out by the first robot 16 and the second robot 18, and is exhausted by exhaust means (not shown).
The dust generated from the lifting / lowering means a does not come out of the cover 17e. In addition, the movable reticle storage shelf 17b
Are provided with opening and closing means for opening and closing the lid of the reticle case 17a at the position of the opening, and the upper three shelves and the lowermost shelf can be moved up and down independently.

Next, how the reticle is conveyed by the above configuration will be described. First, the pod 14 containing the six reticles is placed on the pod mounting surface 15a of the SMIF indexer 15, and the start switch (not shown) is pressed to start loading the reticle into the apparatus. Here, if there is no reticle in the fixed reticle storage shelf 17c or there are seven empty reticle cases 17a and there is no reticle to be carried out, the empty case in the fixed shelf 17c is moved to the movable shelf by the case transfer robot 17d. Attach it to the lowest shelf of 17b. Then, the shelves are moved to the height of the first robot 16, and the reticle in the indexer 15 is stored in the empty case 17a by the first robot 16, and then the case robot 1
After moving to a height of 7d, the case robot 17d replaces the empty case 17a, and carries all the reticles into the apparatus in the same procedure.

When there are no seven empty cases 17a in the fixed reticle storage shelf 17c or when there is a reticle to be taken out, the reticle to be taken out is designated on the operation panel of the apparatus or in accordance with an instruction from the host computer. Then, first, the first reticle in the indexer 5 is stored in the empty case 17a, and then the case 17a storing the reticle to be taken out is moved to the height of the first robot 16, and the lid is opened. The reticle is taken out by 16 and stored in an empty slot in the indexer 15. Thereafter, all reticles are carried into the apparatus by the same procedure. In any case, the N attached to the case in the reticle storage shelf 17
o and the ID assigned to the reticle are recorded in a storage means in the apparatus in association with each other.

Although the number of reticles stored in the pod 14 is six and the number of cases in the fixed storage shelf 17c is thirteen here, any number of pods can be stored in the pod 14; Assuming that the number of reticles that can be provided is N, if the number of cases in the fixed storage shelf 17c is (2N + 1) or more, the same operation can be performed.

As described above, according to each of the above embodiments, S
The height of the pod mounting surface of the MIF indexer is 800-
The reticle is stored in the case by the first robot at the height at which the reticle is taken out from the pod, and the reticle is taken out of the case by the second robot and transported to the pre-alignment stage at almost the height of the pre-alignment stage. Therefore, the distance for transporting the reticle alone can be minimized, and adhesion of dust can be minimized. When a plurality of reticles are stored in the pod, the reticle exchange time can be minimized by storing the reticles stored in the pod in a reticle storage shelf in advance. Furthermore, the first and second robots can be arranged in a straight line by making the reticle case have a structure capable of loading and unloading the reticle from two directions, and the reticle storage shelf can be made compact.

<Embodiment of Device Manufacturing Method> Next, an embodiment of a device manufacturing method using the above-described exposure apparatus will be described. FIG. 7 shows a flow of manufacturing micro devices (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.). In step 1 (circuit design), a device pattern is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the designed pattern. On the other hand, in step 3 (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon or glass.
Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and includes an assembly process (dicing, bonding),
It includes steps such as a packaging step (chip encapsulation). In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7).

FIG. 8 shows the wafer process (step 4).
The detailed flow of is shown. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. In step 15 (resist processing), a resist is applied to the wafer. Step 16 (exposure) uses the above-described exposure apparatus or exposure method to align and print the circuit pattern of the mask on a plurality of shot areas of the wafer.
Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer.
In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps,
Multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

By using the production method of this embodiment, a large-sized device, which has been conventionally difficult to produce, can be produced at low cost.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to minimize the contamination of the substrate and the replacement time, and to enable the replacement of the substrate storage container by the operator or the floor AGV. That is, the height of the mounting surface of the substrate storage container is set to 800 to 1000 mm from the floor, and the substrate is stored in the substrate storage means by the first substrate transfer means at the height at which the substrate is taken out from the substrate access means, and is substantially aligned with the alignment means. The substrate can be taken out of the substrate storage unit by the second substrate transfer unit at a height at which the substrate is transferred to the storage unit, and transferred to the alignment unit. Therefore, the transport distance of the substrate alone is minimized,
Adhesion of dust to the substrate can be minimized. Also, when a plurality of substrates are stored in the substrate storage container,
By storing the substrates stored in the substrate storage container in the substrate storage means in advance, the substrate replacement time can be minimized.

Further, the substrate storage case is designed so that the substrate can be loaded and unloaded from two directions.
In addition, since the second substrate transport means is linearly arranged, the substrate storage means can be made compact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a semiconductor exposure apparatus according to a conventional example.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a device manufacturing method that can use the exposure apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a detailed flowchart of a wafer process in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11: semiconductor exposure apparatus chamber, 2, 12: exposure apparatus body, 2a, 12a: reticle stage, 2b, 12
b: pre-alignment stage, 3, 13: reticle,
4, 14: Pod, 5, 15: SMIF indexer, 5
a, 15a: pod mounting surface, 6, 16: first reticle robot, 7: reticle storage shelf, 7a, 17a: reticle case, 7b, 17e: cover, 17b: movable storage shelf,
17c: fixed storage shelf, 17d: case transfer robot,
8, 18: second reticle robot.

Claims (12)

[Claims] A substantially openable and closable substrate storage container for storing a substrate and keeping the storage environment clean, a substrate drawn out of the substrate storage container into the apparatus, and a substrate transferred from the inside of the apparatus. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a substrate loading / unloading unit that is drawn into and stored in the substrate storage container; and an alignment unit that positions a substrate carried into the apparatus through the substrate loading / unloading unit for a predetermined process. A substrate storage unit for temporarily storing a substrate carried into the apparatus via the substrate access unit, a first substrate transfer unit for transferring a substrate between the substrate storage unit and the substrate access unit, A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a second substrate transport unit that transports a substrate between a substrate storage unit and the alignment unit. 2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate storage means can store more substrates than the number of substrates that can be stored in the substrate storage container. 3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a reticle having an exposure pattern. 4. The substrate storage means includes a detachable plurality of openable substrate storage cases for storing the temporarily stored substrates, and a case opening / closing means for opening and closing the substrate storage cases. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The substrate storage case according to claim 4, wherein the substrate storage case stores at least one substrate, and the substrate can be loaded into and unloaded from the substrate storage case in two directions. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the above. 6. The substrate storage means has a substrate elevating means for elevating and lowering the substrate storage case, and has a height substantially equal to a height at which the first substrate transfer means exchanges a substrate with the substrate in / out means. At a first height, a substrate is transferred between the substrate storage case and the first substrate transfer means, and the height at which the second substrate transfer means transfers a substrate between the alignment means is substantially equal to the height at which the second substrate transfer means transfers the substrate between the alignment means. 6. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a substrate is exchanged between the substrate storage case and the second substrate transfer means at the same second height. 7. A cover having an opening for exchanging a substrate with the first and second substrate transfer means at the first height and the second height, and 7. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an exhaust unit that exhausts the inside of the cover so that dust generated by the substrate lifting unit from inside the cover does not leak outside. 8. The substrate storage means includes: a first part which is a part for transferring a substrate between the first and second substrate transfer means at the first height and the second height. ,
8. A device according to claim 6, further comprising a second portion for storing said substrate storage case at a fixed position, and case transport means for transporting said substrate storage case between said first and second portions. 4. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. 9. The substrate accommodating container is attached to the outside of a chamber of the apparatus, and the substrate loading / unloading means draws a substrate into the chamber from the substrate accommodating container attached to the outside of the chamber. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a substrate delivered from a main body of the apparatus is drawn into the substrate storage container and stored therein. 10. A case for storing a substrate to be processed in a chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, wherein the substrate is loaded and unloaded.
A substrate storage case, which is made possible from a direction. 11. A substrate is pulled out from a substrate storage container, which is substantially hermetically attached to the outside of a chamber of the apparatus, into the chamber by substrate in / out means, positioned by alignment means, and subjected to a predetermined process using the substrate. A device manufacturing method for manufacturing a device by performing the first step of pulling a plurality of substrates stored in the substrate storage container into the chamber via the substrate access unit; and Substrate first
A second step of transferring and storing the stored substrate to the substrate storage means by the substrate transfer means, and positioning and storing the stored substrate on the alignment means by the second substrate transfer means from the substrate storage means. And a third step of transporting the device. 12. When transferring a substrate between the substrate storage means and the first and second substrate transfer means in the second and third steps, the substrate is stored and stored. The substrate storage case is held by the substrate storage means and moved up and down, and the first substrate transfer means transfers the substrate to and from the substrate access means for transferring the substrate. At the height of the substrate storage case and the first substrate transfer means to transfer a substrate, and the second substrate transfer means is substantially the same height as the transfer of the substrate between the alignment means. 12. The transfer of a substrate between the substrate storage case and the second substrate transfer means at a second height.
3. The device manufacturing method according to claim 1.