JP2005197543A - Substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processor whose through-put is high by preventing position deviation in the carriage process of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate processor is configured of furnaces 202, 137 and 139 for treating a substrate 200, a first conveyance chamber 103 linked to them, preliminary chambers 122 and 123 linked to the first conveyance chamber 103, substrate mount base 140 and 141 installed in the preliminary chambers 122 and 123 for storing a plurality of substrates 200 and a substrate conveying means 124 for conveying the substrate 200 between a carrier 100 and the substrate mount bases 140 and 141. The substrate conveying means 124 is configured to convey the plurality of substrates 200 in a batch. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing technique, and more particularly, to a heat treatment technique in which a substrate to be processed is accommodated in a processing chamber and processed while being heated by a heater. For example, oxidation processing and diffusion are performed on a semiconductor wafer on which a semiconductor integrated circuit device is fabricated. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus which is effective for use in a substrate processing apparatus used for processing, reflow for carrier activation after ion implantation, planarization, annealing, and thermal CVD reaction.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

The conventional substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 includes a first processing furnace 202, a second processing furnace 137, and a third processing furnace on four side walls of the first transfer chamber 103 having a substantially hexagonal cross section. 139 and a fourth processing furnace 203 are provided, and each processing furnace can process one wafer in one process.

Preliminary chambers 122 and 123 are connected to the remaining two side walls of the first transfer chamber 103, and substrate stands 140 and 141 for holding a plurality of wafers are provided in the respective spare chambers.
The second transfer chamber 121 in which the second wafer transfer device 124 is provided is the preliminary chambers 122 and 12.
3 is connected. In the second transfer chamber 121, the pod 10 that holds the wafer 200.
An IO stage 105 that receives 0 from the outside is connected.

The second transfer chamber 121 is provided with an orientation flat aligning device 106 on which a single wafer 200 is placed and the positional deviation and angular deviation of the placed wafer are corrected.

The wafer 200 held by the pod 100 is taken out by the second wafer transfer device 124, corrected by the orientation flat alignment device 106, and then placed on the substrate table 140. Then, the wafer 200 placed on the substrate placing table 140 is loaded into a processing furnace by the first wafer transfer device 112 so that a desired process is performed on the substrate.

In the substrate processing apparatus as described above, since the orientation flat aligning device 106 that can correct only one wafer 200 is provided in the second transfer chamber 121, the wafer 200 held in the pod 100 is transferred to the substrate mounting table 140. Since the number of wafers that can be processed at one time in the processing furnace is one, the wafer 200 placed on the substrate table 140 is used as the processing furnace. There is a problem that the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus is very poor because the work to be carried is one by one.

Further, since the orientation flat aligning device 106 is provided in the second transport chamber 121, even if the orientation flat aligning device 106 corrects the positional deviation / angular misalignment of the wafer 200, the subsequent long transport operation (second The transfer operation to the substrate table 140 by the wafer transfer device 124,
In the process of the transfer operation from the substrate stage 140 to the processing furnace by the first wafer transfer device 112)
There is a possibility that the wafer 200 may be displaced in position and angle.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus having a high throughput by providing a substrate processing apparatus having a wafer transfer machine capable of carrying a plurality of wafers at once.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as described in the claims. That is, according to the present invention, as described in claim 1, the processing furnace for accommodating and processing the substrate, the first transfer chamber connected to the processing furnace, and the first transfer chamber are connected to the first transfer chamber. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a preliminary chamber; a substrate placing table provided in the spare chamber for holding a plurality of substrates; and a substrate transporting means for transporting a substrate between a carrier and the placing table. The means is a substrate processing apparatus characterized in that a plurality of substrates can be conveyed collectively.

According to the present invention, a processing furnace for accommodating and processing a substrate, a first transfer chamber connected to the processing furnace, a spare chamber connected to the first transfer chamber, and the spare chamber A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate table that holds a plurality of substrates; and a substrate transfer unit that transfers a substrate between a carrier and the table. The substrate transfer unit collects a plurality of substrates at once. The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the substrate processing apparatus is configured to be capable of being conveyed. As a result, the substrate transport means transports a plurality of substrates in the carrier to the substrate placing table in a lump, so that the throughput is improved as compared with the conventional one-by-one transport. In addition, the orientation flat aligner is provided at a position where the transport means for transporting the substrate between the substrate mounting table and the processing furnace can be transported, and corrects the positional and angular misalignment of the substrate immediately before the substrate is loaded into the processing furnace. Therefore, the reliability with respect to the positional deviation and the angular deviation of the substrate carried into the processing furnace is improved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2, an outline of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as an example of a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described.

In the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a FOUP (front opening unified pod, hereinafter referred to as a pod) is used as a carrier for transporting a substrate such as a wafer. In the following description, front, rear, left and right are based on FIG. That is, with respect to the paper surface shown in FIG. 1, the front is below the paper surface, the back is above the paper surface, and the left and right are the left and right of the paper surface.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus includes a first transfer chamber 103 configured in a load lock chamber structure that can withstand a pressure (negative pressure) less than atmospheric pressure such as a vacuum state. The casing 101 of the first transfer chamber 103 is formed in a box shape having a hexagonal plan view and closed at both upper and lower ends. In the first transfer chamber 103, a first wafer transfer machine 112 for transferring the wafer 200 under a negative pressure is installed. The first wafer transfer device 112 is configured to be moved up and down by an elevator 115 while maintaining the airtightness of the first transfer chamber 103.

Of the six side walls of the casing 101, two side walls positioned on the front side are provided with a spare room 122 for carrying in.
Are connected to each other via gate valves 244 and 127, respectively, and each has a load lock chamber structure capable of withstanding negative pressure. Further, a substrate placing table 140 for loading and unloading chambers is installed in the spare chamber 122, and a substrate placing table 141 for unloading chambers is installed in the spare chamber 123. The substrate platforms 140 and 141 include a plurality of wafers 200,
For example, the same number of wafers can be held as the wafers held in the FOUP.

On the front side of the spare chamber 122 and the spare chamber 123, a second transfer chamber 1 used under substantially atmospheric pressure.
21 are connected through gate valves 128 and 129. A second wafer transfer machine 124 for transferring the wafer 200 is installed in the second transfer chamber 121. The second wafer transfer device 124 is configured to be moved up and down by an elevator 126 installed in the second transfer chamber 121 and is configured to be reciprocated in the left-right direction by a linear actuator 132. .

As shown in FIG. 1, an alignment chamber 138 is connected to a side wall located on the side of the six side walls of the housing 101, and an orientation flat aligning device 106 is installed in the alignment chamber 138. Yes. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a clean unit 118 for supplying clean air is installed in the upper part of the second transfer chamber 121.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a wafer loading / unloading port 134 for loading / unloading the wafer 200 into / from the second transfer chamber 121 is provided in the housing 125 of the second transfer chamber 121, A lid 142 for closing the wafer carry-in / out opening and a pod opener 108 are installed. The pod opener 108 includes a cap of the pod 100 placed on the IO stage 105 and a cap opening / closing mechanism 136 that opens and closes a lid 142 that closes the wafer loading / unloading port 134, and the pod placed on the IO stage 105. The cap 142 opens and closes the lid 142 that closes the cap 100 and the wafer loading / unloading port 134 by the cap opening / closing mechanism 136, thereby enabling the wafer to be taken in and out of the pod 100. The pod 100 is supplied to and discharged from the IO stage 105 by an in-process transfer device (RGV) (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 1, a first processing furnace 202 for performing a desired process on a wafer is provided on three side walls located on the back side and the side of the six side walls of the housing 101, and Second processing furnace 13
7 and a third processing furnace 139 are connected adjacent to each other. First processing furnace 202,
Both the second processing furnace 137 and the third processing furnace 139 are each constituted by a cold wall type processing furnace.

  Hereinafter, a processing process using the substrate processing apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

The unprocessed wafer 200 is a state in which 25 wafers 200 are stored in the pod 100.
It is transported by the in-process transport apparatus to the substrate processing apparatus that performs the processing process. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pod 100 that has been transported is delivered and placed on the IO stage 105 from the in-process transport device. The cap 142 and the lid 142 for opening and closing the wafer loading / unloading port 134 are removed by the cap opening / closing mechanism 136, and the pod 10 is opened.
The zero wafer loading / unloading port is opened.

When the pod 100 is opened by the pod opener 108, the second wafer transfer machine 124 installed in the second transfer chamber 121 picks up a plurality of wafers 200 from the pod 100 and carries them into the spare chamber 122. A plurality of wafers 200 are collectively transferred to the substrate table 140. During the transfer operation, the gate valve 244 on the first transfer chamber 103 side is closed,
The negative pressure in the first transfer chamber 103 is maintained. For example, the second wafer transfer device 124 may have the same number of wafers 200 as the number of wafers 200 held by the pod 100, or the number of wafers that are the common divisor of the wafers stored in the pod 100 when there are spatial restrictions (25 sheets). In the case of a pod capable of storing a plurality of wafers, five wafers) are collectively collected from the pod 100 to the substrate table 140 in the spare chamber 122.
Can be transported. When the transfer of the wafer 200 to the substrate table 140 is completed, the gate valve 1
28 is closed, and the preliminary chamber 122 is exhausted to a negative pressure by an exhaust device (not shown).

When the preliminary chamber 122 is depressurized to a preset pressure value, the gate valves 244 and 130 are opened, and the preliminary chamber 122, the first transfer chamber 103, and the first processing furnace 202 are communicated. Subsequently, the first wafer transfer machine 112 in the first transfer chamber 103 transfers the wafer 200 from the substrate table 140.
Are picked up one by one and conveyed to the orientation flat aligner 106 in the alignment chamber 138, and after correcting the position and angle of the wafer, it is carried into the first processing furnace 202. And the first processing furnace 2
A processing gas is supplied into 02 and a desired process is performed on the wafer 200.

When the processing is completed in the first processing furnace 202, the processed wafer 200 is transferred to the first transfer chamber 103 by the first wafer transfer device 112 in the first transfer chamber 103.

Note that, here, the first wafer transfer machine 112 is configured so that the wafer 20 unloaded from the first processing furnace 202 is transferred.
Alternatively, 0 may be carried into another processing furnace such as the second processing furnace 137 or the third processing furnace 139, and another process may be subsequently performed on the wafer 200. When the processing in the other processing furnace is completed, the processed wafer 200 is carried out to the first transfer chamber 103 by the first wafer transfer device 112 in the first transfer chamber 103.

After the processed wafer 200 is carried out to the first transfer chamber 103, the gate valve 127 is used.
Is opened. Then, the first wafer transfer machine 112 is a processing furnace (first processing furnace 202 or
The wafer 200 unloaded from the second processing furnace 137 or the third processing furnace 139) is stored in the spare chamber 1.
After the transfer to the substrate mounting table 141, the preliminary chamber 123 is closed by the gate valve 127.

When the preliminary chamber 123 is closed by the gate valve 127, the inside of the discharge preliminary chamber 123 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by the inert gas. When the inside of the preliminary chamber 123 is returned to substantially atmospheric pressure,
The gate valve 129 is opened, a lid 142 that closes the wafer loading / unloading port 134 corresponding to the spare chamber 123 of the second transfer chamber 121, and an empty pod 100 placed on the IO stage 105.
Is opened by the pod opener 108. Subsequently, the second wafer transfer device 124 in the second transfer chamber 121 collectively picks up a plurality of wafers 200 from the substrate table 141 and unloads them to the second transfer chamber 121 for the second transfer. Wafer loading / unloading port 134 of chamber 121
Through the pod 100. When the storage of the 25 processed wafers 200 in the pod 100 is completed, the cap of the pod 100 and the wafer loading / unloading port 134 are completed.
The lid 142 is closed by the pod opener 108. Closed pod 10
0 is transferred from the top of the IO stage 105 to the next process by the in-process transfer apparatus.

By repeating the above operation, the wafers are sequentially processed. The above operation has been described by taking the case where the first processing furnace 202 is used as an example, but the same operation is also performed when the second processing furnace 137 and the third processing furnace 139 are used. .

As described above, since the second wafer transfer device 124 transfers a plurality of wafers 200 in the pod 100 to the substrate placing table 140 at a time, the throughput is improved as compared with the conventional transfer of each wafer. In addition, the orientation flat aligning device 106 is provided at a position where the first wafer transfer device 112 that transports the substrate between the substrate placing table 140 and the processing furnace can be transported, and immediately before the wafer 200 is loaded into the processing furnace. Since the positional deviation and angular deviation of the wafer 200 are corrected, the reliability with respect to the positional deviation and angular deviation of the wafer 200 carried into the processing furnace is improved.

In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, the spare chamber 122 is used for carrying in and the spare chamber 123 is used for carrying out. However, the spare chamber 123 may be used for carrying in, and the spare chamber 122 may be used for carrying out. The first processing furnace 2
02, the second processing furnace 137, the third processing, and 139 may perform the same processing, or may perform different processing. 1st processing furnace 202, 2nd processing furnace 137, 3rd processing, and 1
When another process is performed in 39, for example, after the process on the wafer 200 is performed in the first process furnace 202, another process may be performed in the second process furnace 137. In the embodiment of the present invention, the orientation flat aligning device 106 is provided in the alignment chamber 138 connected to the first transfer chamber, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the orientation flat aligning device 106 may be provided in the first transfer chamber 103 or a spare room for loading (in the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate table 140), and is held by the substrate table for loading. It may be provided at a position where the orientation flat alignment of the wafer can be performed until the wafer 200 is transferred to the processing furnace.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the substrate processing apparatus in the Example of this invention. The schematic cross-sectional view which shows the substrate processing apparatus in a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

103 First transfer chamber 106 Orientation flat aligner 112 First wafer transfer device 121 Second transfer chamber 122 Preliminary chamber 123 Preliminary chamber 124 Second wafer transfer device 137 Second processing furnace 138 Alignment chamber 139 Third Processing furnace 140 Substrate table 141 Substrate table 200 Wafer 202 First processing furnace 203 Fourth processing furnace

Claims (1)

A processing furnace for receiving and processing substrates;
A first transfer chamber connected to the processing furnace;
A preliminary chamber connected to the first transfer chamber;
A substrate table that is provided in the spare chamber and holds a plurality of substrates;
A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate transfer means for transferring a substrate between a carrier and the placing table, wherein the substrate transfer means is configured to transfer a plurality of substrates at once. Substrate processing equipment.

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