JP2006022375A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a slim substrate treatment apparatus which easily performs the maintenance work by ensuring a sufficient space during the maintenance, and is installed in a small space. <P>SOLUTION: A first cabinet 10 with a roughing pump 15, a first treatment chamber 12A, a second treatment chamber 12B, etc. mounted thereon, and a second cabinet 20 with a power source unit, a control unit, etc. mounted thereon are connected to each other via a power supply cable and a signal cable. A substrate treatment apparatus 1 can be slimmed by storing the first cabinet 10 in a vacant space S of the second cabinet 20. Further, when the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are separated from each other, a sufficient space can be ensured, and the maintenance work of various instruments mounted on the first cabinet 10 can be facilitated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate in a semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus having excellent maintainability.

  In a vacuum deposition apparatus, which is a type of conventional substrate processing apparatus, an apparatus for evaporating a material such as metal and a substrate on which a metal layer is attached are installed in a chamber (vacuum processing chamber) that is evacuated to a vacuum. A thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate by melting and evaporating the material placed in the substrate at a high temperature.

  In a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus, a pair of electrodes are provided on one wall surface in the vacuum processing chamber and the other wall surface facing this, and a substrate is placed on one electrode, and the pair of electrodes is placed between the pair of electrodes. A thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate by generating plasma and performing a CVD process.

  In the vacuum deposition process as described above, a thin film is formed by depositing a thin metal layer on the substrate by thermally evaporating the material in a high vacuum and in the CVD process by decomposing gas molecules in the gas phase. However, the thin film is formed not only on the substrate but also on the pair of electrodes and the wall surface in the processing chamber. As described above, the film deposited on the electrode and the wall surface peels off and adheres to the substrate being processed, thereby causing the problem of contaminating the substrate. For this reason, in the substrate processing apparatus as described above, it is necessary to periodically perform maintenance that also serves as cleaning.

As such a conventional substrate processing apparatus, for example, there is a prior art document as shown in Patent Document 1 below. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a technique for reducing the size of a system by sharing a single console unit for a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses (substrate processing apparatuses).
JP 2001-338854 A

  However, it is not always possible to easily perform maintenance work by separating the console unit and the substrate processing apparatus.

  That is, in the maintenance work, it is necessary to open / close the processing chamber and remove the vacuum pump. For this reason, in order to facilitate the maintenance work, it is necessary to secure a sufficient space (maintenance space) necessary for performing these work. As such a configuration example, for example, an open substrate processing apparatus in which members directly related to manufacturing such as a processing chamber and a vacuum pump are mounted and a maintenance space is provided above these, and a control unit, a power supply unit, etc. The attachment member is generally provided on the console portion side.

  However, if a maintenance space is secured in the substrate processing apparatus, there is a problem that the size of the apparatus tends to increase. In addition, the configuration in which the console unit and the substrate processing apparatus are simply separated as described above only increases the area required for the entire apparatus, and is a radical solution for slimming the substrate processing apparatus. That's not true.

  The present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and a slim substrate processing apparatus that can secure a sufficient space during maintenance to facilitate maintenance work and can be installed in a small space. It is intended to provide.

The present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate in a vacuum state,
A first cabinet comprising at least a processing means having a processing chamber for performing the processing, an exhaust means for setting the processing chamber in a vacuum state, and a transport means for automatically carrying the substrate to the processing chamber;
A second cabinet including at least a control unit that controls the plurality of means, a power supply unit that supplies predetermined power to the plurality of means and the control unit, and
At least one cabinet is provided with a moving means, and the first cabinet and the second cabinet are separable by moving the one cabinet using the moving means. It is a feature.

For example, the treatment is film formation on the substrate.
In the above, it is preferable that one of the cabinets can be assembled in a state of being overlaid on top of the other cabinet.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the signal cable and the power cable wired between the first cabinet and the second cabinet are connected via a detachable connector.

  In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, when the first cabinet on the side directly performing processing and the second cabinet on the console side are combined, the apparatus can be set to be stacked in the height direction. The whole can be slimmed down. Also, by separating the two, a sufficient space necessary for maintenance can be secured.

  In addition, the cabinets can be easily combined and separated by simply attaching and detaching the connectors, and the maintenance work can be quickly performed.

  1 and 2 are perspective views showing a sputtering apparatus as an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a storage state in which a first cabinet and a second cabinet are combined, and FIG. The separated state which separated | separated 1 cabinet and 2nd cabinet is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a first cabinet 10 and a second cabinet 20. The first and second cabinets 10 and 20 are both formed of a frame structure in which rod-like pipes and angles are connected by means such as screwing or welding. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the Y1 direction shown is the front, the Y2 direction is the back, the Z1 direction is the top, the Z2 direction is the bottom, and the Y1 and Y2 directions are both sides.

  The first cabinet 10 includes a processing means for performing a film forming process on at least a substrate, an exhaust means for removing air or the like to set the processing chamber to 1 atm or less, and a substrate on which a thin film is formed (not shown). ) Is provided.

  The processing means includes a transfer chamber 11, one or more processing chambers 12 connected to the transfer chamber 11, a loader 13 and an unloader 14 connected to the transfer chamber 11, and the transfer chamber 11 and the processing chamber. 12 is constituted by a gate solenoid valve (not shown), other solenoid valves (not shown), etc., which perform the shut-off and release with respect to 12.

  In the present embodiment, a transfer chamber 11 is provided at the center of the first cabinet 10. A first processing chamber 12A is provided at the back of the transfer chamber 11 on the Y2 side in the drawing and on one X1 side, and a second processing chamber 12B (not shown) on the other X2 side. ) Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a canopy 12a is screwed and fixed to the upper portion of the first processing chamber 12A on the Z1 side of the drawing, and the inside of the first processing chamber 12A is opened by opening the canopy 12a. Can be done.

  In the first processing chamber 12A, an anode electrode part for installing a substrate and a cathode electrode part for installing a target are provided facing each other (both not shown). When a predetermined process gas is supplied in a state where the inside of the first processing chamber 12A is evacuated, and a predetermined voltage is applied between the anode electrode portion on the substrate side and the cathode electrode portion on the target side, the substrate A thin film can be formed on top.

  On the lower surface side of the first processing chamber 12A, a power connector (not shown) for supplying a predetermined voltage to the anode electrode portion and the cathode electrode portion is provided. A power cable 31 is connected to the power connector (not shown), and the other end of the power cable 31 is connected to a power supply section described later.

  1 and 2, only one of the first processing chambers 12A is shown, and the second processing chamber 12B is not shown, but the second processing chamber 12B is the first processing chamber 12A. A power cable 32 is provided between the second processing chamber 12B and a power supply unit described later.

  A gate solenoid valve (not shown) is provided between the transfer chamber 11 and the first processing chamber 12A and between the transfer chamber 11 and the second processing chamber 12B. When the gate solenoid valve is driven to open by a control unit described below, the transfer chamber 11 and the first processing chamber 12A and the transfer chamber 11 and the second processing chamber 12B communicate with each other. When the gate solenoid valve is driven to open, the transfer chamber 11, the first processing chamber 12A, and the second processing chamber 12B are shut off.

  The loader 13 is an area for storing a substrate before processing, and the unloader 14 is an area for storing a substrate after processing. Both of them are connected to the transfer chamber 11 so that a plurality of substrates can be stored together.

  The exhaust means includes a roughing pump 15 such as a rotary pump and a high vacuum pump 16 including a cryopump. The roughing pump 15 is provided at a lower position of the first cabinet 10 and is connected to the lower surface of the transfer chamber 11. The high vacuum pump 16 is provided at a position on the upper side of the first cabinet 10 and is connected to the upper surface of the transfer chamber 11.

  The roughing pump 15 is configured so that the atmospheric pressure in the transfer chamber 11 and the atmospheric pressure in the first processing chamber 12A, the second processing chamber 12B, the loader 13 and the unloader 14 communicating with the transfer chamber 11 are 1 atm. It is used for roughing to lower.

The high vacuum pump 16 is used to set a higher vacuum state after a certain amount of air has escaped from each chamber. In this embodiment, by using the two-stage exhaust means, the inside of the transfer chamber 11, the first processing chamber 12A, the second processing chamber 12B, the loader 13 and the unloader 14 is, for example, 10 ⁻⁵ [Pa ] It can be set to the pressure of the stand.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an upper lid 16a is screwed and fixed to the upper portion of the high vacuum pump 16, and the inside of the high vacuum pump 16 can be maintained by removing the upper lid 16a.

  The transfer means is provided inside the transfer chamber 11 and includes, for example, a robot arm (not shown) and a driving device for driving the robot arm. A grip part for holding a substrate is provided at the tip of the robot arm, and the grip part can freely move between the first processing chamber 12A, the second processing chamber 12B, the loader 13, and the unloader 14. It is like that. The transfer means has a plurality of operation modes. For example, in the first operation mode, the robot arm (not shown) moves into the loader 13 and the gripping unit holds the substrate stocked in the loader 13. Then, the substrate moves to the first processing chamber 12A, and the substrate is automatically placed at a predetermined position (anode electrode portion) in the first processing chamber 12A. In the second operation mode, the substrate is moved from the first processing chamber 12A to the second processing chamber 12B. Furthermore, in the third operation mode, it is possible to perform an operation of transporting the substrate from the second processing quality 12B to a predetermined position in the unloader 14.

  Each of the first processing chamber 12A and the second processing chamber 12B is provided with a supply pipe (not shown) for supplying process gas from a tank (not shown) provided outside. ing. The first cabinet 10 is provided with a gas panel 17 and a gauge for measuring the concentration and flow rate of the gas flowing in the pipe.

  On the other hand, the second cabinet 20 has four legs 20 a, 20 a, 20 a, and 20 a that are longer than the first cabinet 10. In the second cabinet 20, a console 21 in which various devices are gathered is provided on the upper side on the Z1 side in the figure, and below the console 21 and the four legs 20a, 20a, 20a, 20a. The area surrounded by is an open empty space S. As shown in FIG. 1, the first cabinet 10 can be stored in the empty space S.

  An operation panel 22 is provided on the front side of the console 21 on the Y1 side in the figure. The console 21 is provided with a display unit including various operation switches and a liquid crystal display device. Various power supply units and control units are provided inside the console 21. The power source includes a power source for driving the roughing pump 15 and the high vacuum pump 16, a power source for driving control of the solenoid valve for gate, a power source for a concentration meter and a vacuum gauge, and a robot arm that constitutes the conveying means. A power source for the driving device and a processing power source for applying a predetermined voltage between the substrate and the target provided in the first and second processing chambers 12A and 12B are provided. The pump and various devices are connected to various power sources via power cables. In FIG. 2, the power supply for processing and the first and second processing chambers 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B are connected by power cables 31 and 32.

  In addition, the control unit includes, for example, a conveyance control device for driving the robot arm, a display unit for displaying data measured by the densitometer and the vacuum gauge, and the data is analyzed so that the concentration and the degree of vacuum are predetermined. An operation control device that performs control such as stopping the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided. The densitometer or vacuum gauge and various devices are connected by a signal cable (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wheels 10a, 10a, 10a, 10a functioning as moving means are provided at four corners on the lower side of the first cabinet 10, and the first cabinet 10 The four wheels 10a, 10a, 10a, 10a can be freely moved in the Y direction and the X direction.

  Similarly, wheels 20b, 20b, 20b, 20b functioning as moving means are also provided at lower ends of the four legs 20a, 20a, 20a, 20a constituting the second cabinet 20, and the second The cabinet 20 can also be freely moved in the Y direction and the X direction.

  Then, one or both of the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are moved in a direction in which the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 approach each other, and the four legs 20a constituting the second cabinet 20 are moved. , 20a, 20a, 20a can be set in a storage state (see FIG. 1) in which the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are combined. In the housed state shown in FIG. 1, the console 21 of the second cabinet 20 is assembled in a state where it is stacked on the upper portion of the first cabinet 10 in the height direction. ). For this reason, an area required for installing the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when one or both of the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are moved away from each other, the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are separated as shown in FIG. The separation state can be set.

  The first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 are connected via the power cable and signal cable having connectors. Therefore, by removing the connector connection, the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20 can be freely moved without being restricted by various cables.

  In the separated state, by pulling out the first cabinet 10 from the lower part of the console portion 21 of the second cabinet 20, the roughing pump 15 mounted in the first cabinet 10 and the first processing chamber 12A. The second processing chamber 12B, the loader 13 and the unloader 14 can be exposed. For this reason, it becomes possible to secure a sufficient space for maintenance work. For example, the upper lid 16a of the high vacuum pump 16 and the canopies 12a of the first processing chamber 12A and the second processing chamber 12B are removed. An operation of cleaning the inside, an operation of replenishing the loader 13 with a substrate before processing, an operation of taking out a substrate after processing from the unloader 14, and the inside of the first processing chamber 12A and the second processing chamber 12B Various maintenance operations such as a cathode electrode position adjustment operation or a target replacement operation can be easily performed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, if the lengths of the power cable and the signal cable are set longer, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is changed from the housed state to the separated state while the cables are still connected. Can be migrated. Accordingly, it is possible to eliminate the need for attaching and detaching various cables, so that maintenance work can be performed easily and quickly.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which devices requiring maintenance are mounted in the first cabinet on the lower side, so that maintenance work can be facilitated. Furthermore, since the console 21 having an operation switch, a display unit, and the like is provided on the second cabinet 20 side, which is the upper side, data displayed on the display unit can be easily seen, and the operation switch Operability can be improved.

  In the said embodiment, although the structure which provided wheel 10a, 20b in both the said 1st cabinet 10 and the 2nd cabinet 20 was shown, this invention is not limited to this, The said 1st cabinet The structure which provided the wheel only in one of 10 and the 2nd cabinet 20 may be sufficient. That is, the wheel may be configured to be provided in at least one of the first cabinet 10 and the second cabinet 20, and by moving the cabinet on the side having the wheel, the storage state and the separation state are set. Any of these can be set freely.

  In the above embodiment, the sputtering apparatus is used as an example of the substrate processing apparatus 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other examples include a CVD apparatus, a plasma MOCDV apparatus, a vacuum evaporation apparatus, and an organic EL film formation. It may be a device or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows a sputtering device as embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of this invention, The accommodation state which united the 1st cabinet and the 2nd cabinet, It is a perspective view which shows a sputtering device as embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of this invention, and the separated state which separated | separated the 1st cabinet and the 2nd cabinet,

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 1st cabinet 10a Wheel (moving means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Transfer chamber 12A 1st process chamber 12B 2nd process chamber 13 Loader 14 Unloader 15 Roughing pump 16 High vacuum pump 17 Gas panel 20 2nd cabinet 20a Leg 20b Wheel (moving means)
21 Console 31, 32 Power cable

Claims (4)

A substrate processing apparatus for performing predetermined processing on a substrate in a vacuum state,
A first cabinet comprising at least a processing means having a processing chamber for performing the processing, an exhaust means for setting the processing chamber in a vacuum state, and a transport means for automatically carrying the substrate to the processing chamber;
A second cabinet including at least a control unit that controls the plurality of means, a power supply unit that supplies predetermined power to the plurality of means and the control unit, and
At least one cabinet is provided with a moving means, and the first cabinet and the second cabinet are separable by moving the one cabinet using the moving means. A substrate processing apparatus.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing is film formation on the substrate.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the cabinets can be assembled in a state of being overlaid on top of the other cabinet.   The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a signal cable and a power cable wired between the first cabinet and the second cabinet are connected via a detachable connector.

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