JP2006019639A - Vacuum processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of shortening the bringing-in and out time of a processing object and capable of increasing treatment capacity. <P>SOLUTION: A first load locking mechanism 1 and a second load rocking mechanism 2 are installed in a vacuum container 50, and a buffer 6 temporarily retaining the processing object 52 is disposed outside the vacuum container 50. A first external arm 17 disposed outside the vacuum container 50 can bring the processing object 52 retained by the buffer 6 in the first and second load rocking mechanisms 1, 2. A second external arm 18 receives the processing object 52 from the first and second load rocking mechanisms 1, 2. Robot arms 3, 4 are disposed outside the container 50. The robot arms 3, 4 transfer the processing object 52 from a storage place 51 outside the vacuum container to the buffer 6, receive the processing object 52 retained by the second external arm 18, and transfer it to the storage place 51 outside the vacuum container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly to a vacuum processing apparatus having at least two load lock mechanisms for carrying in / out a processing object between the inside and outside of the vacuum container.

  A conventional wafer loading / unloading method will be described taking an ion implantation apparatus as an example. Patent Document 1 discloses an ion implantation apparatus having a vacuum vessel provided with two vacuum preliminary chambers (load lock chambers). The wafer is carried in and out through the vacuum preparatory chamber.

  When carrying in / out a wafer, the robot arm first takes out the processed wafer from the vacuum preparatory chamber and transports it to the wafer storage location. Thereafter, an unprocessed wafer is taken out from the wafer storage location, and once placed on the aligner, the posture of the wafer is adjusted (position adjustment based on a notch or an orientation flat). Thereafter, the robot arm carries the wafer from the aligner to the vacuum preparatory chamber.

  Since two vacuum preparatory chambers are provided, the processing speed for carrying in and out the wafer can be increased.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-54688

  In the conventional ion implantation apparatus, the time required to carry in / out and carry the wafer is longer than the time during which ion implantation is actually performed on the wafer.

  The objective of this invention is shortening the time of conveyance of a process target object, carrying in / out, and improving the processing capability of a vacuum processing apparatus.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a vacuum container that defines an internal space that can be evacuated, a processing object is carried into the vacuum container while maintaining a vacuum state in the vacuum container, and the vacuum The first load lock mechanism that can be carried out from the container, and the object to be treated are carried into the vacuum container and carried out from the vacuum container while maintaining the vacuum state in the vacuum container. A second load lock mechanism capable of being disposed outside the vacuum vessel, holding the processing object, and placing the processing object on the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism. A first external arm that can be carried in, a second external arm that receives an object to be processed from the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism, and a processing unit disposed outside the vacuum vessel. The object is moved to the vacuum A robot arm that is unloaded from the storage location outside the container, delivered to the first external arm, receives the object to be processed held by the second external arm, and transports it to the storage location outside the vacuum container. A vacuum processing apparatus is provided.

  After the second external arm receives the processed object to be processed from the load lock mechanism, the unprocessed object to be processed can be immediately carried into the load lock mechanism by the first external arm. In this way, the carrying ability can be enhanced by carrying using two external arms.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ion implantation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A first load lock mechanism 1 and a second load lock mechanism 2 are attached to the bottom surface of a vacuum vessel 50 that can be evacuated. The detailed structure of the first and second load lock mechanisms 1 and 2 will be described later with reference to FIG. While maintaining the vacuum state in the vacuum container 50, the wafer is loaded into the vacuum container 50 and the wafer is unloaded from the vacuum container 50 via the first load lock mechanism 1 and the second load lock mechanism 2. Is done.

  A scan arm (processing arm) 9 is disposed in the vacuum vessel 50. The scan arm 9 holds the wafer on the platen 10 attached to the tip thereof, and places the wafer in the path of the ion beam 30. The traveling direction of the ion beam 30 is substantially horizontal, and the wafer is held perpendicularly or obliquely with respect to the traveling direction of the ion beam 30. A scan motor 20 supports the scan arm 9 and swings it within a certain angle range. As a result, the wafer held on the platen 10 reciprocates so as to cross the path of the ion beam 30. A Faraday cup 31 for measuring ion current is disposed downstream of the ion beam 30.

  A support shaft that supports the scan motor 20 is led out to the outside of the vacuum vessel 50. This spindle is rotated by the tilt motor 21. By operating the tilt motor 21, the platen 10 can be tilted and placed at the load position (delivery position) 10A. In a state where the platen 10 is disposed at the load position 10A, the wafer is held almost horizontally.

  Further, internal arms 7 and 8 are arranged in the vacuum vessel 50. The inner arms 7 and 8 pivot around a rotating shaft 12 disposed at an equal distance from the first load lock mechanism 1 and the second load lock mechanism 2. The distance from the load position 10 </ b> A of the platen 10 to the rotary shaft 12 is equal to the distance from the first load lock mechanism 1 to the rotary shaft 12.

  The inner arms 7 and 8 hold the wafer, and from any position of the first load lock mechanism 1, the second load lock mechanism 2, and the platen 10 arranged at the load position 10A, The wafer can be transferred to the position. Moreover, the two inner arms 7 and 8 are arrange | positioned in the position from which height differs mutually, and it is also possible to turn so that both may cross | intersect. Therefore, for example, the wafer held by the first load lock mechanism 1 and the wafer held by the platen 10 at the load position 10A can be exchanged with each other. Similarly, the wafer held by the second load lock mechanism 2 and the wafer held by the platen 10 at the load position 10A can be exchanged with each other.

  A first robot arm 3, a second robot arm 4, a first external arm 17, a second external arm 18, an aligner 6, and a hoop 51 are disposed outside the vacuum vessel 50.

  The hoop 51 stores a plurality of wafers 52. The wafers stored in one FOUP 51 are all unprocessed at the beginning, and the processing proceeds one by one and is replaced with a processed wafer. Eventually, everything is replaced with a processed wafer.

  The first robot arm 3 unloads the wafers stored in the two hoops 51A arranged near the first robot arm 3 out of the four hoops 51 from the hoop and transports them to the aligner 6. It can be loaded on the aligner 6. Further, the wafers held by the first external arm 17 and the second external arm 18 can be received and transferred to the FOUP 51A.

  The second robot arm 4 carries in and out the wafers stored in the two hoops 51 </ b> B arranged at positions close to the second robot arm 4 among the four hoops 51. Its function is the same as that of the first robot arm 3.

  The aligner 6 holds the wafer and adjusts the position of the wafer based on the orientation flat and the notch (performs alignment). The aligner 6 also has a function as a buffer for temporarily holding the wafer. The aligner 6, the first external arm 17, and the second external arm 18 are arranged in this order from the bottom to the top.

  The first external arm 17 and the second external arm 18 hold the wafer, and pass from the transfer position with the first load lock mechanism 1 to the second load lock mechanism via the transfer position with the aligner 6. It can turn to the delivery position with 2. The aligner 6 can transfer the wafer to and from the first external arm 17 and the second external arm 18 by moving the held wafer up and down.

  The first robot arm 3, the second robot arm 4, the first external arm 17, the second external arm 18, the internal arms 7 and 8, etc. are controlled by the control device 15.

  FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the vacuum vessel 50 and the internal structure of the portion to which the first load lock mechanism 1 and the rotary shaft 12 are attached. The structure of the second load lock mechanism 2 is the same as that of the first load lock mechanism 1.

  An opening 55 larger than the wafer is formed on the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 50. The air cylinder 64 moves the atmosphere side gate valve 61 up and down. When the atmosphere side gate valve 61 rises to the highest position, the opening 55 is closed from the outside of the vacuum vessel 50. FIG. 2 shows a state where the atmosphere side gate valve 61 closes the opening 55. The contact portion between the vacuum vessel 50 and the atmosphere side partition valve 61 is kept airtight by an O-ring.

  The support shaft 62 passes through the center of the atmosphere side gate valve 61. The penetration portion of the support shaft 62 is kept airtight by an O-ring. A wafer elevating table 63 is attached to the tip of a support shaft 62 inside the vacuum vessel 50. An elevating air cylinder 65 is attached to the other end of the support shaft 62. By operating the lift air cylinder 65, the wafer lift table 63 can be lifted and lowered. The processing target wafer 52 is held on the wafer lifting table 63.

  A support shaft 73 penetrating the upper surface of the vacuum vessel 50 is disposed at a position where the support shaft 62 extends upward. The penetrating portion of the support shaft 73 is kept airtight by an O-ring. A vacuum side gate valve 71 is attached to the tip of a support shaft 73 on the inner side of the vacuum vessel 50. An air cylinder 72 that raises and lowers the support shaft 73 and the vacuum side gate valve 71 is attached to the other end of the support shaft 73.

  When the vacuum side gate valve 71 is lowered and brought into contact with the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 50, the opening 55 is closed by the vacuum side gate valve 71. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the tip of the internal arm 7 is disposed below the vacuum side gate valve 71, but when the vacuum side gate valve 71 is lowered, the internal arm 7 is lowered by the vacuum side gate valve 71. Turn to a position that will not interfere with Further, the wafer lifting table 63 is also lowered to a position that does not prevent the vacuum side gate valve 71 from being lowered. An O-ring is attached to a portion where the vacuum side gate valve 71 and the vacuum vessel 50 are in contact with each other, and airtightness at the contact portion between the two is ensured.

  A double shaft seal unit (rotary shaft) 12 penetrates the upper surface of the vacuum vessel 50. The internal arm 7 is attached to the tip of one of the rotary shafts 12 on the inner side of the vacuum vessel 50, and another internal arm 8 is attached to the tip of the other shaft. One of the double shafts of the rotating shaft 12 is rotationally driven by the motor 81, and the other is rotationally driven by the motor 82.

  In a state where the vacuum side gate valve 71 is raised, the inner arms 7 and 8 can be turned to insert their tips between the wafer lift table 63 and the vacuum side gate valve 71. In this state, the wafer 52 can be transferred between the internal arm 7 or 8 and the wafer lifting table 63.

  When the atmosphere side gate valve 61 is raised to close the opening 55 and the vacuum side gate valve 71 is lowered to close the opening 55, an airtight space is formed between them. Hereinafter, this space is referred to as a load lock chamber. An air supply / exhaust pipe 85 attached to the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 50 communicates with the load lock chamber. The vacuum pump 86 connected to the supply / exhaust pipe 85 can exhaust the load lock chamber to make a vacuum state. Further, by opening the valve of the nitrogen gas cylinder 87 connected to the supply / exhaust pipe 85, nitrogen gas can be introduced (supplied) into the load lock chamber to be in an atmospheric pressure state.

  Thus, the load lock chamber can be in a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state independently of the space in the vacuum vessel 50. For this reason, the wafer 52 can be carried in and out while maintaining the vacuum in the vacuum container 50.

  Below the vacuum vessel 50, a double-axis rotary bearing 83 that supports the first external arm 17 and the second external arm 18 so as to be pivotable is disposed. The rotary bearing 83 is disposed on an extension line that extends the rotary shaft 12 downward. The rotation shaft of the first external arm 17 is rotationally driven by a motor 88 via a belt 90. The rotation shaft of the second external arm 18 is driven to rotate by the other motor 89.

  With the atmosphere side gate valve 61 and the wafer lifting table 63 lowered, the first external arm 17 can be turned and the tip thereof can be placed above the wafer lifting table 63. In this state, the wafer can be transferred between the first external arm 17 and the wafer lifting table 63. The second external arm 18 has a similar function.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the steps of wafer transfer and ion implantation will be described. The broken lines U1 to U6 shown in FIG. 3 indicate the progress of transferring the wafers U1 to U6, respectively.

  First, the first robot arm 3 unloads the unprocessed wafer U1 from the FOUP 51A. Turning to the position of the aligner 6, the wafer U 1 is loaded on the aligner 6. The aligner 6 performs alignment with respect to the rotation direction of the wafer U1. When the wafer U1 is loaded on the aligner 6, the first robot arm moves to the position of the second external arm 18 and receives the processed wafer held by the second external arm 18. The wafer is swung to the hoop 51A, and the processed wafer is returned to the hoop 51A. After returning the processed wafer to the FOUP 51A, the wafer U2 is moved to the slot of the wafer U2 to be processed next, and the wafer U2 is unloaded from the FOUP 51A.

  The wafer U <b> 1 that has been aligned by the aligner 6 is delivered to the first external arm 17. The first external arm 17 pivots to the position of the second load lock mechanism 2 and delivers the wafer U1 to the second load lock mechanism 2. When the wafer U1 is stored in the second load lock mechanism 2, the inside of the second load lock mechanism 2 is evacuated. The first external arm 17 returns the wafer U1 to the position of the aligner 6 after transporting the wafer U1 to the second load lock mechanism 2.

  The ion-implanted wafer held at the platen load position 10A and the wafer U1 held in the second load lock mechanism 2 are exchanged by driving the internal arms 7 and 8. The platen 10 holding the wafer U1 is moved to the ion implantation position to perform ion implantation.

  After the ion implantation, the platen 10 is moved to the load position 10A. At this time, the wafer U <b> 2 to be processed next is loaded into the first load lock mechanism 1. The wafer U1 at the load position 10A and the wafer U2 in the first load lock mechanism 1 are exchanged. When the processed wafer U <b> 1 is stored in the first load lock mechanism 1, air is supplied into the first load lock mechanism 1.

  The second outer arm 18 pivots to the position of the first load lock mechanism 1 and receives the wafer U1. The first robot arm 3 receives the wafer U1 held by the second external arm 18. The first robot arm turns to the FOUP 51A and returns the processed wafer U1 to the FOUP 51A.

  The wafer U2 unloaded by the first robot arm 3 is loaded into the vacuum container 50 via the first load lock mechanism 1 different from the second load lock mechanism 2 used for loading the wafer U1. The At the time of unloading, the wafer U1 is unloaded via a second load lock mechanism 2 different from the first load lock mechanism 1 used for unloading.

  The transfer path of the third wafer U3 and the odd-numbered wafer U5 processed thereafter is the same as the transfer path of the first wafer U1. Further, the transfer path of the wafers U4, U6, etc. processed evenly is the same as the transfer path of the second wafer U2.

  In the first embodiment, for example, when the wafer U1 is unloaded via the first load lock mechanism 1, the supply of air to the first load lock mechanism 1 is completed, and the second external arm 18 uses the wafer. When U1 is unloaded, the wafer U4 to be loaded next is held by the first external arm 17, and the loading preparation is completed. Therefore, immediately after the wafer U1 is unloaded from the first load lock mechanism 1, the wafer U4 can be loaded into the first load lock mechanism 1 and the exhaust process can be started. Also in the second load lock mechanism 2, for example, when the wafer U2 is unloaded by the second external arm 2, the wafer U5 to be processed next is held by the first external arm 17 and the loading preparation is completed. is doing. For this reason, it is possible to increase the wafer transfer capability.

  In the first embodiment, the first robot arm 3 is used and the second robot arm 4 is not used. However, when the wafer in the hoop 51B on the second robot arm 4 side is processed, the first robot arm 3 is used. Instead of the first robot arm 3, a second robot arm 4 is used. Instead of arranging two robot arms, a structure may be adopted in which one robot arm is translated in the direction in which a plurality of hoops are arranged. When the number of hoops can be processed by only one robot arm, for example, two, the number of robot arms may be one.

  In the first embodiment, the wafer is transferred from the first robot arm 3 to the first external arm 17 via the aligner 6. However, when the wafer alignment is not required, The wafer may be directly transferred from one robot arm 3 to the first external arm 17.

  Next, an ion implantation apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Hereinafter, the description will be made focusing on differences from the ion implantation apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional view of an ion implantation apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the rotating shafts 12 of the two inner arms 7 and 8 are fixed to the vacuum vessel 50. In the second embodiment, the rotating shaft 12 is supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the vacuum vessel 50. Hereinafter, the support mechanism of the rotating shaft 12 will be described.

  The rotating shaft 12 is fixed to a support plate 103 disposed outside the vacuum vessel 50. The rotary shaft 12 is introduced to a space in the vacuum vessel 50 through an opening formed in the wall of the vacuum vessel 50. The support plate 103 is supported by the linear bearing 101 and the air cylinder 102 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the vacuum vessel 50. Instead of the air cylinder 102, a direct acting mechanism including a motor and a ball screw may be used. The opening through which the rotary shaft 12 is passed is kept airtight by the flexible tube 104.

  The rotary shaft 12 can be moved up and down by driving the air cylinder 102. As a result, the two inner arms 7 and 8 move up and down while maintaining a relative position in the rotational axis direction.

  A double shaft rotary bearing 110 that supports the first and second outer arms 17 and 18 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom surface of the vacuum vessel 50 by a connecting member 111.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the double shaft rotary bearing 110. Support plates 115 and 116 are fixed to the connecting member 111 apart from each other in the height direction. The second rotating shaft 120 is inserted into the openings formed in the support plates 115 and 116. The second rotating shaft 120 is rotatably attached to the support plates 115 and 116 by bearings 121 and 122. The second external arm 18 is fixed to the upper end of the second rotating shaft 120. The motor 89 rotates the second rotating shaft 120.

  A support plate 135 is attached to the connecting member 111 by a linear bearing 130 at a position between the support plates 115 and 116 so as to be movable up and down. A hollow first rotating shaft 134 is inserted into an opening formed in the support plate 135. The first rotating shaft 134 is rotatably attached to the support plate 135 by a bearing 136. The second rotating shaft 120 is inserted into the hollow portion of the first rotating shaft 134. The first rotation shaft 134 and the second rotation shaft 120 rotate about the same rotation center line. The first external arm 17 is fixed to the upper end of the first rotating shaft 134.

  A motor support member 137 is fixed to the support plate 135. A motor 88 is fixed to the motor support member 137. The rotational force of the motor 88 is transmitted to the first rotating shaft 134 by the belt 90.

  The support plate 135 moves in the vertical direction by driving an air cylinder 131 attached to the support plate 116. Thereby, the 1st external arm 17 can be raised / lowered. The vertical position of the second external arm 120 is fixed. In the first embodiment, the aligner 6 shown in FIG. 1 is moved up and down to transfer the wafer between the first external arm 17 and the aligner 6. In the second embodiment, the first embodiment includes the first outer arm 17 and the aligner 6. By moving the external arm 17 up and down, the wafer is transferred between the first external arm 17 and the aligner 6.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the wafer transfer method between the platen 10 in the vacuum vessel 50 and the internal arms 7 and 8 is the same as in the first embodiment. A description will be given while comparing.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the wafer 52A after ion implantation is held by the platen 10 and disposed at the load position 10A. The wafer 52A can be moved up and down by swinging the scan arm 9 up and down. In the state shown in FIG. 6A, the wafer 52A is held almost horizontally. The lower inner arm 8 is turned to the load position 10A. The tip of the lower inner arm 8 is disposed above the platen 10. A holder 8 </ b> A for holding and holding the wafer is provided on the lower surface of the inner arm 8.

  When the scan arm 9 is moved downward, the wafer 52A held on the platen 10 is held by the holder 8A of the inner arm 8. As a result, the wafer 52 </ b> A is transferred from the platen 10 to the inner arm 8.

  FIG. 6B is a schematic view when the wafer 52A is transferred from the platen 10 to the upper internal arm 7 in the apparatus according to the first embodiment. Since the upper inner arm 7 is at a higher position than the lower inner arm 8, the platen 10 must be disposed at a higher position than the state of FIG. When the scan arm 9 is moved upward, the platen 10 and the wafer 52A held thereon are inclined. For this reason, the stability of delivery of the wafer 52A from the platen 10 to the upper internal arm 7 is impaired.

  In the case of the second embodiment, the inner arms 7 and 8 can be raised and lowered. For this reason, the wafer 52A held on the platen 10 can be transferred to any of the internal arms 7 and 8 in a substantially horizontal state. In the apparatus according to the second embodiment, the stability of wafer transfer can be improved as compared with the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  Next, a procedure for exchanging the wafer held by the first load lock mechanism 1 and the wafer held by the platen 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the platen 10 is disposed at the load position 10A, and the ion-implanted wafer 52A is held thereon. An unprocessed wafer 52 </ b> B is held on the lifting table 63 of the first load lock mechanism 1. The lower inner arm 8 pivots to the load position 10 </ b> A, and the upper inner arm 7 pivots to the first load lock mechanism 1. At this time, the height of the platen 10 and the lower internal arm 8 is adjusted so that the wafer 52A is disposed above the holding surface of the holder 8A attached to the tip of the lower internal arm 8. Has been. Further, the height of the elevating table 63 and the upper internal arm 7 is adjusted so that the wafer 52B is disposed above the holding surface of the holder 7A attached to the tip of the upper internal arm 7. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the scan arm 9 is lowered. As a result, the wafer 52A is held by the lower inner arm 8. Further, the lifting table 63 is lowered. Thereby, the wafer 52B is held by the upper internal arm 7.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, the lower inner arm 8 is turned to the first load lock mechanism 1 and the upper inner arm 7 is turned to the load position 10A. At this time, the elevating table 63 is lowered to a position where it does not come into contact with the lower internal arm 8.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, the rotating shaft 12 is lowered. As a result, the wafer 52 </ b> B is transferred from the upper inner arm 7 to the platen 10. At the same time, the wafer 52 </ b> A is transferred from the lower inner arm 8 to the lifting table 63. In this way, the unprocessed wafer 52B is transferred to the platen 10 by lowering the two inner arms 7 and 8, and at the same time, the processed wafer 52A is transferred to the lifting table 63 of the first load lock mechanism 1. be able to.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, improvements, combinations, and the like can be made.

It is a top view of the vacuum processing apparatus by an Example. It is sectional drawing of the load lock mechanism part of the vacuum processing apparatus by an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the conveyance method by an Example. It is sectional drawing of the rotating shaft part of the internal arm of the vacuum processing apparatus by a 2nd Example, and an external arm. It is sectional drawing of the rotating shaft part of an external arm. It is sectional drawing of the delivery part when delivering a wafer between an internal arm and a platen. It is the schematic for demonstrating the procedure which replaces | exchanges a wafer with two internal arms.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 Load lock mechanism 3, 4 Robot arm 6 Aligner 7, 8 Internal arm 9 Scan arm 10 Platen 12 Rotating shaft 15 Controller 17, 18 External arm 20 Scan motor 21 Tilt motor 30 Ion beam 31 Faraday cup 50 Vacuum vessel 51 Hoop 52 Wafer 55 Opening 61 Atmospheric side gate valves 62, 73 Support shaft 63 Lifting table 64 Gate valve air cylinder 65 Lifting table air cylinder 71 Vacuum side gate valve 72 Gate valve air cylinders 81, 82 Internal arm motor 83, 110 Double shaft rotary bearing 85 Air supply / exhaust pipe 86 Vacuum pump 87 Nitrogen gas cylinder 88, 89 Motor for external arm 90 Belt 101, 130 Linear bearing 102, 131 Air cylinder 103, 115, 116, 135 Support plate 104 Flexible Tube 111 connecting member 120 and the second rotary shaft 121,122,136 bearing 134 first rotary shaft 137 motor support member

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vacuum container that defines an internal space that can be evacuated, a processing object is carried into the vacuum container while maintaining a vacuum state in the vacuum container, and the vacuum The first load lock mechanism that can be carried out from the container, and the object to be treated are carried into the vacuum container and carried out from the vacuum container while maintaining the vacuum state in the vacuum container. A second load lock mechanism capable of being disposed outside the vacuum vessel, holding the processing object, and placing the processing object on the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism. A first external arm that can be carried in, a second external arm that receives an object to be processed from the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism, and a processing unit disposed outside the vacuum vessel. The object is moved to the vacuum And unloaded from the vessel outside of the storage place delivery to the first outer arm, and receives the processing object held in the second outer arm, a robotic arm for transporting the vacuum container outside the storage location, the When the object to be processed is delivered from one of the first and second load lock mechanisms to the second external arm, the first external arm holds the unprocessed object to be processed. A control device for controlling the first and second external arms, the robot arm, and the first and second load lock mechanisms so that preparations for carrying a processing object into the load lock mechanism are completed. A vacuum processing apparatus is provided.

Claims (6)

A vacuum vessel defining an internal space capable of being evacuated;
A first load lock mechanism capable of carrying a processing object into and out of the vacuum container while maintaining a vacuum state in the vacuum container;
A second load lock mechanism capable of carrying the processing object into and out of the vacuum container while maintaining the vacuum state in the vacuum container;
A first external arm that is disposed outside the vacuum vessel, holds a processing object, and can carry the processing object into the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism; ,
A second external arm for receiving a processing object from the first load lock mechanism and the second load lock mechanism;
Arranged outside the vacuum vessel, the processing object is unloaded from the storage location outside the vacuum container, delivered to the first external arm, and the processing object held by the second external arm is received. And a robot arm for transporting to a storage location outside the vacuum container. Furthermore, it has a buffer which is arrange | positioned out of the said vacuum vessel and hold | maintains a process target object temporarily, The said robot arm delivers a process target object to a said 1st external arm via the said buffer. 2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to 1. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the buffer performs alignment with respect to a rotation direction around an axis perpendicular to a surface to be processed of a processing target held. At least one of the buffer and the first external arm includes an elevating mechanism that elevates and lowers the held processing target object, and by raising and lowering one relative to the other, the processing target object held in the buffer is The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vacuum processing apparatus is handed over to the first external arm. Furthermore, when the processing object is delivered from one of the first and second load lock mechanisms to the second external arm, the first external arm holds the unprocessed processing object, Control for controlling the first and second external arms, the robot arm, and the first and second load lock mechanisms so that preparations for carrying the processing object into the one load lock mechanism are completed. The vacuum processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-4 which has an apparatus. A vacuum vessel defining an internal space capable of being evacuated;
The processing object can be carried into and out of the vacuum container while maintaining the vacuum state in the vacuum container, and the held processing object can be moved up and down in the vacuum container. A load lock mechanism including a lifting table
A processing arm that is disposed in the vacuum vessel and holds the processing object at the tip, and moves the processing object from the processing position to the delivery position and vice versa, at the delivery position, A processing arm that moves the processing object held at the tip up and down by rocking up and down; and
First and second inner arms that are disposed in the vacuum vessel and hold a processing object at the tip and pivot about the same rotation center line, the first inner arm being the first inner arm Each of which is located below the inner arm of 2, each of which delivers the processing object to and from the lifting table of the load lock mechanism, and delivers the processing object to and from the processing arm. First and second inner arms capable of;
A vacuum processing apparatus having an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the first and second inner arms.

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