JP2006261608A - Device manufacturing apparatus and controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the throughput of an apparatus by increasing the speed of putting a workpiece in/out of the apparatus in the case when the environment inside the apparatus is largely different from the environment outside the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: An environment regulating mechanism is provided with a processing chamber 15 regulated to a high vacuum for processing a processing object, a relay chamber 7 regulated to an environment closer to the atmospheric pressure outside the apparatus than the degree of vacuum of the processing chamber 15, load lock chambers 2a and 2b of a carrying-in part, a load lock chamber 10 of a processor, and regulating mechanisms 5a, 5b, 8, 13 and 14 regulating the environment of each part of them individually. The environment of the load lock chambers 2a and 2b of the carrying-in part is regulated between the outside environment and the environment in the relay chamber 7. Then, a wafer is carried into the relay chamber 7 from outside through the load lock chambers of the carrying-in part. Moreover, the environment of the load lock chamber 10 of the processor is regulated between the environment of the relay chamber 7 and the environment of the processing chamber 15. Then, the wafer is conveyed to the processing chamber from the relay chamber through the load lock chamber of the processor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor elements and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an environment adjusting mechanism for carrying material into the apparatus in a device manufacturing apparatus in which the environment differs between inside and outside the apparatus.

When the external environment and the internal environment of the apparatus are extremely different, it is necessary to install a relay processing chamber for switching the environment such as a load lock chamber. For example, in an EUV exposure apparatus or a direct drawing exposure apparatus that performs direct drawing using an electron beam or the like, if there is any substance between the exposure source and the object to be exposed, the optical path of the exposure light or exposure beam is affected. This will give an accurate exposure. For this reason, it is necessary to keep the optical path of the exposure light and the exposure beam and the space where the wafer stage exists in the apparatus in a high vacuum state. In the F ₂ exposure apparatus, when the F ₂ laser is irradiated with oxygen or moisture, it is absorbed and the exposure energy is attenuated. For this reason, the optical path needs to be filled with high-concentration nitrogen gas or the like. Thus, when the environment is significantly different between the inside and outside of the apparatus, it is necessary to switch the environment using the load lock chamber.

  A general apparatus configuration example using a load lock chamber will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the environment differs between the inside and outside of the device, and the work piece is carried into (or taken out of) the processing environment such as pressure and gas components between the outside of the device and the processing unit inside the device. A load lock chamber is used for matching.

  The apparatus shown in FIG. 4 has one such load lock chamber 10, and the load lock chamber 10 has two gates of an outer gate 9 and an inner gate 11 that can shut off the environment from the outside. When the workpiece is unloaded from the inside of the apparatus, the two gates 9 and 11 are first closed, and the environment of the load lock chamber 10 is adjusted to be almost the same as the inside 15 of the apparatus by the pressure adjusting mechanism 13. Then, the inner gate 11 is opened, the workpiece in the apparatus is taken out into the load lock chamber 10, and the inner gate 11 is closed again. Then, after making the environment of the load lock chamber 10 substantially the same as the outside of the apparatus, this time the outer gate 9 is opened and the object to be processed is carried out of the apparatus. When the workpiece is carried into the apparatus, the reverse of the above work may be performed.

  Usually, only one load lock chamber 10 is provided as shown in FIG. Even if there is only one load lock chamber 10, there is no particular problem in the case where the environmental difference between the inside and outside of the apparatus is small, or in the case where the processing time required for environmental adjustment can be tolerated even if the difference is large. It was.

However, when the environment of the in-apparatus processing unit is significantly different from the installation environment outside the apparatus, the inside of the apparatus is at a pressure lower than a high vacuum pressure (about 10 ⁻⁵ pa), such as an EUV exposure apparatus, or an F ₂ laser is used. When the laser beam path needs to be filled with high-purity nitrogen gas, etc., as in the exposure equipment used, it is necessary to adjust the environment in the load lock chamber that occurs when a workpiece such as a wafer is carried into the apparatus. The processing time required increases significantly and the throughput decreases.

For the purpose of preventing such a decrease in throughput, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a plurality of load lock chambers are provided between the apparatus external environment under atmospheric pressure and a vacuum processing chamber to perform parallel processing. With such a configuration, parallel operation of evacuation processing becomes possible, so that the waiting time for matching the environment inside and outside the apparatus can be reduced.
JP 2000-150395 A

However, if the load lock chambers are simply installed in parallel as in the method described in Patent Document 1, each load lock chamber is depressurized from atmospheric pressure to the pressure of the processing chamber each time. For this reason, when the set pressure in the vacuum processing chamber is an extremely low pressure such as an ultra-high vacuum pressure, it is difficult to make the pressure in the load lock chamber reach the target pressure in a short time. For example, the processing pressure in an apparatus such as an EUV exposure apparatus is desirably an ultra-high vacuum pressure or less (10 ⁻⁵ pa or less), but if the set pressure becomes such a low pressure, even if a plurality of load lock chambers are provided. The time required for evacuation becomes very long, and a reduction in throughput is inevitable.

  Further, in order to shorten the time to reach the vacuum, it is conceivable to adopt a method such as simply increasing the exhaust capacity or heating the load lock chamber. For example, if the load lock chamber is baked to release the internal gas or a pump having a large exhaust capacity is used, the effect of improving the vacuum arrival time can be expected. However, in such a case, a new problem may occur.

  For example, the higher the temperature possible, the more effective the chamber baking. However, the heat caused by the baking flows into the processing unit in the apparatus and affects the exposure performance, or the processing wafer is thermally damaged depending on the set temperature. There are concerns. In addition, select a material that can withstand repeated temperatures between normal temperature and high temperature, atmospheric pressure and ultra-high vacuum pressure over a long period of time, and that does not deteriorate at high temperatures, or forms such a load lock chamber. Therefore, it is not easy to realize a vacuum sealing mechanism. Further, when a pump having a large exhaust capacity is used, the exhaust speed increases, so that the vacuum arrival time can be shortened. However, if a pump with a large exhaust capacity is simply used, dust in the processing chamber will rise and contaminate the processing wafer.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and when the environment inside the apparatus is significantly different from the environment outside the apparatus, the loading / unloading of an object to / from the apparatus is accelerated, and the throughput of the apparatus is improved. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, a device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A first chamber that is conditioned to a first environment to process an object to be processed;
A second chamber that is adjusted to a second environment closer to the environment outside the apparatus than the first environment;
A first load lock chamber connecting the second chamber and the outside of the apparatus;
A second load lock chamber connecting the first chamber and the second chamber;
Adjusting means for individually adjusting the environment of the first and second chambers and the first and second load lock chambers;
The adjustment means adjusts the first load lock chamber between the environment outside the apparatus and the second environment, and conveys the processing object from the apparatus outside to the second chamber via the first load lock chamber. First control means for
The second load lock chamber is adjusted between the first and second environments by the adjusting means, and the second conveying means conveys the processing object from the second chamber to the first chamber.

In addition, a method for controlling a device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object
A first chamber that is adjusted to a first environment to process a processing object, a second chamber that is adjusted to a second environment that is closer to the environment outside the apparatus than the first environment, and the second chamber and the outside of the apparatus A first load lock chamber for connecting the first load lock chamber, and a second load lock chamber for connecting the first chamber and the second chamber.
A first adjusting step of adjusting the first chamber to a first environment and the second chamber to a second environment;
The inside of the first load lock chamber is adjusted to be equivalent to the environment outside the apparatus, and after the object to be processed is carried into the first load lock chamber, the first load lock chamber is adjusted to be equivalent to the second environment. A second adjustment step;
A first transfer step of communicating the first load lock chamber adjusted to the second environment and the second chamber, and carrying the processing object into the second chamber;
A third adjustment step of adjusting the second load lock chamber to be equivalent to the second environment;
A second transfer step of communicating the second load lock chamber adjusted to the first environment with the second chamber and transferring the processing object into the second load lock chamber;
A fourth adjustment step of adjusting the second load lock chamber to be equivalent to the first environment;
A third transfer step of connecting the second load lock chamber adjusted to the first environment and the first chamber and transferring the object to be processed to the first chamber.

  According to the above configuration, when the environment inside the apparatus is significantly different from the environment outside the apparatus, the loading / unloading of the object to / from the apparatus can be speeded up, and the throughput of the apparatus can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Outline of Embodiment>
First, an outline of an embodiment when the configuration of the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, an environment adjustment mechanism is provided between the processing unit (processing chamber 15) in the exposure apparatus and the apparatus installation environment. The environment adjustment mechanism includes a plurality of load lock chambers 2a, 2b, and 10 arranged in parallel and in series, a transfer mechanism 6 including a transfer robot for transferring an object to be processed such as a wafer, and the like from the outside of the apparatus. It has adjustment mechanisms 5a, 5b, 8, 13, and 14 that can individually control the environment of all sealable spaces that reach the inside of the apparatus. The adjustment mechanism can individually control the adjustment pressure in each chamber (relay chamber 7, processing chamber 15) and each load lock chamber using, for example, a pressure adjustment valve and a vacuum pump. The load lock chambers 2a and 2b arranged in parallel are provided for the purpose of performing parallel processing in order to shorten the time required for environmental adjustment. On the other hand, the load lock chambers 10 arranged in series do not adjust the environment from the installation environment outside the apparatus to the wafer processing environment (environment in the processing chamber 15) at once, but in an intermediate state. It is provided for the purpose of reducing the waiting time required for environmental adjustment through a certain relay chamber 7. Such a configuration improves the throughput of the apparatus.

  Next, the control method and the appropriate pressure value will be described in detail.

  Concerning dew condensation at the beginning, the object to be processed such as a wafer may dew by depriving of heat due to rapid adiabatic expansion. The conditions for the occurrence of condensation include the humidity and pressure of the environment where the workpiece is placed. It has been found that when the initial humidity is about 50%, no condensation occurs even if exhausted at a high speed if the pressure is 100 Pa or less.

Next, I will explain how trash rises. The appropriate pressure value for preventing dust adhesion varies depending on the assumed size of dust. In other words, the pressure at which the fall due to the gravity of the garbage and the floating due to the Brownian motion almost antagonize depends on the size of the garbage. Specifically, it is known that the dust size is 10 ⁻² Pa when the size is 10 nm, 10 pa when the size is 50 nm, and about 100 pa when the size is 0.1 μm. Further, if the dust is charged, it adheres to the wafer due to electrostatic force, and therefore, it is necessary to carry out static elimination processing with a vacuum ionizer. Although depending on the specifications of the static eliminator, in this case, dust of about 50 nm or less is usually targeted.

  In consideration of what has been described above, in the present embodiment, in the loading portion load-lock chambers 2a and 2b for delivering a workpiece such as a wafer, the pressure is slowly exhausted from the atmospheric pressure to about 100 pa, and the lower pressure side. Then exhaust at high speed. The relay chamber 7 for transferring the wafers from the loading section load lock chambers 2a and 2b to the processing section load lock chamber 10 has a pressure of 10 pa or less when considering dust that has been removed by a vacuum ionizer (not shown). It is desirable to do. The relay chamber 7 should be at least 100 pa or less capable of high-speed exhaust. In addition, the pressure in the processing section load lock chamber 10 for carrying the workpiece into the apparatus varies between the same pressure as that of the relay chamber 7 and the processing section pressure in the apparatus (pressure in the processing chamber 15). Will do.

  In this embodiment, a space for adjusting the environment in a plurality of stages is provided as described above, and a plurality of load lock chambers are provided for delivering a workpiece between the stages. With this configuration, environmental adjustment in each load lock chamber can be completed in a short time.

  For the same reason as adjusting the pressure environment, when preparing an environment filled with a specific gas such as nitrogen gas at a high concentration, a plurality of environment adjustment spaces as described above and a plurality of environment adjustment spaces connecting them are also provided. An environmental adjustment mechanism composed of a load lock chamber is useful. That is, in the load lock chambers 2a and 2b for the workpieces to be processed, it is possible to perform gas replacement at high speed by, for example, injecting nitrogen gas after evacuation without raising dust like the vacuum apparatus. . In addition, by providing the relay chamber 7 having an intermediate environment between the workpiece carry-in section and the in-apparatus processing section, the environment such as the nitrogen gas concentration and moisture content can be changed in stages as in the pressure adjustment. It is possible to approximate the state of the processing unit. Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described in detail.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a vacuum exposure apparatus that performs exposure processing under an ultra-high vacuum, such as an EUV exposure apparatus or a direct drawing exposure apparatus using an electron beam. Further, it is assumed that the vacuum exposure apparatus in FIG. 1 is a mass production apparatus that simultaneously processes a plurality of wafers at once.

  As shown in FIG. 1, two loading section load lock chambers 2a and 2b are provided for loading an object to be processed such as a wafer from the outside of the apparatus, and parallel processing is possible. The loading portion load lock chamber 2a (2b) is provided with an outer gate 1a (1b) and an inner gate 3a (3b). By closing both gates, the load lock chamber can be closed. When the outer gate 1a (1b) is opened, the load lock chamber communicates with the outside of the apparatus, and when the inner gate 3a (3b) is opened, the load lock chamber communicates with the relay chamber 7.

  The processing section load lock chamber 10 is provided to carry the wafer into the apparatus (processing chamber 15). The processing portion load lock chamber 10 is also provided with an outer gate 9 and an inner gate 11, and the load lock chamber can be made a sealed space by closing both gates. When the outer gate 9 is opened, the load lock chamber communicates with the relay chamber 7, and when the inner gate 11 is opened, the load lock chamber communicates with the processing chamber 15.

  The transfer mechanism 6 transfers a workpiece such as a wafer from the loading section load lock chamber 2a or the loading section load lock chamber 2b to the processing section load lock chamber 10, and includes, for example, a transfer robot. The relay chamber 7 includes the transfer mechanism 6 and is adjusted to have a pressure between the pressure outside the apparatus and the pressure in the processing chamber 15. Further, the pressure adjustment mechanisms 5a and 5b indicate the pressure in the loading section load lock chambers 2a and 2b, the pressure adjustment mechanism 8 indicates the pressure in the relay chamber 7, and the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 indicates the pressure in the processing section load lock chamber 10. The pressure adjusting mechanism 14 can individually adjust the pressure in the processing chamber 15. The control unit 101 controls the opening / closing of the gates of each load lock chamber, the pressure adjustment mechanism, the transport mechanism, and the like.

  The transfer control of the workpiece (wafer) in the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 and FIG. 5 and 6 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the control unit 101. FIG.

  As described in the outline of the embodiment, it is assumed that the inside of the apparatus is neutralized by a vacuum ionizer (not shown) or the like. In order to simplify the description, a case where a wafer is loaded from the loading portion load lock chamber 2a will be described. It will be apparent that the same operation is performed when a wafer is loaded from the loading portion load lock chamber 2b.

  The loading portion load lock chamber 2a is adjusted in advance so as to be almost the same pressure as the pressure outside the apparatus, and the outer gate 1a is opened. That is, with the outer gate 1a and the inner gate 3a closed, the pressure adjustment mechanism 5a makes the indoor pressure equal to the external pressure, and the outer gate 1a is opened (steps S101, S102, S103).

  A plurality of wafers previously placed in the wafer carrier 4a are carried into the loading section load lock chamber 2a. At this time, as described above, the outer gate 1a of the loading portion load lock chamber 2a is already opened and the inner gate 3a is closed under the control of the control device 101. The placement of the wafer carrier 4a in the loading section load lock chamber 2a may be performed manually or automatically by a transfer robot or the like. When the completion of the placement of the wafer carrier 4a is detected, the control device 101 closes the outer gate 1a (steps S104 and S105), and starts the decompression process by the carry-in portion pressure adjustment mechanism 5a (step S106). At this time, as described above, the pressure is slowly reduced from atmospheric pressure to about 100 pa, and the pressure is reduced at a high speed below 100 pa. By such a decompression control, it is possible to prevent the processing wafer from being frozen by adiabatic expansion by abrupt exhaust processing, or dust from rising due to the air flow generated in the loading portion load lock chamber 2a to be contaminated.

  After performing the decompression process until the pressure in the relay chamber 7 becomes substantially equal to the pressure in the relay chamber 7, the control unit 101 opens the inner gate 3a of the loading unit load lock chamber 2a (steps S107 and S108). As described above, the pressure of the relay chamber 7 is preferably about 10 pa. Thereafter, the processing wafer in the wafer carrier 4a is transferred to the processing unit load lock chamber 10 by the transfer mechanism 6 such as a vacuum robot (step S110). The processes in steps S101 to S108 are carried into the carry-in section load lock chamber 2a in units of a plurality of wafers by the wafer carrier 4a. Therefore, the processes need only be executed once for the plurality of wafers.

On the other hand, with respect to the processing section load lock chamber 10, the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 makes the pressure in the load lock chamber the same as the pressure in the relay chamber 7 (10 pa or less) with the outer gate 9 and the inner gate 11 closed, and then the outer side. The gate 9 is opened (steps S121, S122, S123). That is, it is assumed that the processing unit load lock chamber 10 has been adjusted to a predetermined pressure by the processing unit pressure adjustment mechanism 13 in advance, and the outer gate 9 on the transport mechanism 6 side is open. When the transfer mechanism 6 detects that the wafer is placed in the processing unit load lock chamber 10, the control unit 101 closes the outer gate 9 (step S 125), and the processing unit load lock chamber 10 and the processing chamber 15. The pressure is reduced until the pressure is equivalent (ultra-high vacuum pressure or less (10 ⁻⁵ pa or less)) (steps S126 and S127). Thereafter, the inner gate 11 is opened (step S128). In this state, the wafer is carried out to the processing chamber 15 by a transfer mechanism (not shown) in the processing chamber 15 (step S130).

Note that the pressure in the processing chamber 15 in the exposure apparatus main body is preferably an ultra-high vacuum pressure or less (10 ⁻⁵ pa or less), but depending on the configuration and volume of the processing unit in the apparatus, a load that can be further locally evacuated. It is also conceivable to configure a lock chamber (when the device becomes large, it becomes difficult to make all the inside of the device high vacuum. Therefore, a new load lock chamber is provided in the processing section inside the device, and the portion through which light passes, etc. Exhaust locally to reduce the area to be exhausted). However, the set pressure value may be determined comprehensively in consideration of the exposure processing time, the evacuation time, the number of delivery ports, and the like. For example, the pressure of the relay chamber 7 for wafer transfer is preferably about 10 pa, but may be about 100 pa depending on the conditions of the apparatus.

  As described above, the two carry-in section load lock chambers 2a and 2b are intended for parallel processing of evacuation, and thus are not limited to two and may be three or more. In addition, it is possible in the apparatus configuration to have a single loading section load lock chamber.

  The operation for carrying the wafer into the processing chamber 15 from the outside of the apparatus has been described above. The operation for unloading the wafer from the processing chamber 15 to the outside of the apparatus follows the reverse procedure. Hereinafter, this processing example will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, with the inner gate 11 and the outer gate 9 of the processing portion load lock chamber 10 closed, the inner pressure is made equal to the pressure in the processing chamber 15 and then the inner gate 11 is opened. After placing in the processing section load lock chamber 10, the inner gate 11 is closed (steps S201 to S205). Subsequently, after the pressure in the processing section load lock chamber 10 is increased to be equal to the pressure in the relay chamber 7, the outer gate 9 is opened (steps S206 to S208). Then, the transfer mechanism 6 is driven to take out the wafer in the processing unit load lock chamber 10 into the relay chamber 7 (step S210).

  On the other hand, the control unit 101 closes the inner gate 3a and the outer gate 1a of the loading portion load lock chamber 2a to adjust the pressure in the chamber to be equal to the pressure in the relay chamber 7, and then opens the inner gate 3a (step) S211 to S213). In this state, the transfer mechanism 6 carries the wafer taken out from the processing unit load lock chamber 10 into the loading unit load lock chamber 2a and places it on the wafer carrier 4a.

  If the completion of loading in the loading portion load lock chamber 2a is detected, the control unit 101 closes the inner gate 3a, raises the pressure inside the chamber to be equal to the atmospheric pressure outside the apparatus, and then opens the outer gate 1a ( Steps S214 to S218). Thereafter, the wafer is unloaded from the loading-side load lock chamber 2a by a transfer mechanism (not shown) or manually (step S220). Through the above processing, the wafer can be taken out of the apparatus. Since the loading-side load lock chamber 2a can be loaded and unloaded in a batch by the wafer carrier 4a, the processes in steps S215 to S218 may be executed once for the multiple wafers.

  Advantages obtained by using the environment adjustment mechanism as described above will be described below. First, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 4, consider a case where only one load lock chamber is interposed and there is no relay chamber 7 arranged in series as in this embodiment.

  In order to shorten the time required to reach the desired vacuum pressure as much as possible, the smaller the volume and surface area of the object to be evacuated, the more advantageous. The surface area is important especially at low pressures such as ultra-high vacuum pressures. Therefore, when compared with the time of evacuation per time, the method of supplying the wafers one by one can make the load lock chamber smaller than the method using the wafer carrier 4a or the like. The evacuation time is short. This is the reason why the processing unit load lock chamber 10 is configured to supply wafers one by one in the present embodiment. However, even if the method of supplying the wafers one by one is the same as the conventional method, in this embodiment, the vacuum is drawn from the pressure of the relay chamber 7 which is sufficiently lower than the atmospheric pressure. Compared to the method (evacuation from atmospheric pressure), the total displacement is remarkably reduced, and as a result, the time to reach the target pressure can be shortened.

  In addition, in order to shorten the target pressure arrival time per processing wafer, a method in which a plurality of wafers are simultaneously evacuated by using the wafer carrier 4a or the like rather than a method of supplying wafers one by one. Is advantageous. This is because the number of times of opening and closing the outer gate 1a of the loading section load lock chamber 2a can be reduced, and the transportation time is saved. However, in this case, since the volume and the surface area become large, it takes a lot of time to reach the required degree of vacuum. In particular, when the target pressure is low such as an ultra-high vacuum pressure, the influence is significant. However, in this embodiment, the processing section load lock chambers 2a and 2b are not evacuated from the atmospheric pressure to the ultra-high vacuum region, but only the pressure of the relay chamber 7, so that the processing time is shortened. Can do. That is, it is possible to take advantage of the fact that a plurality of wafer carriers 4a are evacuated simultaneously.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the relay chamber 7 set to a pressure (about 10 pa) sufficiently lower than the atmospheric pressure is provided between the loading portion load lock chamber 2a and the processing portion load lock chamber 10. As a result, in the processing section load lock chamber 10, the total exhaust amount can be reduced as compared with the case of evacuation from the atmospheric pressure. Further, by carrying wafers from the relay chamber 7 to the processing unit load lock chamber 10 one by one, the volume and the surface area are reduced. Therefore, the processing unit load lock chamber 10 that needs to be evacuated to an ultrahigh vacuum pressure. Speeds up the process. In addition, wafer loading into the loading section load lock chambers 2a and 2b, which does not require evacuation to the ultra-high vacuum region, can reduce the amount of exhaust per wafer by using the wafer carrier 4a. Furthermore, the time required for evacuation in the loading part load lock chambers 2a and 2b is reduced by providing a plurality of carry-in ports and performing parallel processing.

  Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the processing time required for environmental adjustment can be shortened compared to the conventional method. This is particularly effective when a plurality of wafers are processed simultaneously.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 2 shows a device configuration according to the second embodiment. The configuration using the wafer carrier 4a as described in the first embodiment is very effective when a large number of wafers are processed simultaneously. However, when a small number of wafers are processed, the loading portion load lock chamber is used. Since the volume to be exhausted in 2a is increased, there is a concern that the processing time may be increased.

  In the second embodiment, in consideration of such a case, a configuration is shown in which a loading portion load lock chamber 2c is provided so that wafers can be loaded one by one. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the disadvantages due to the increase in the exhaust amount as described above.

  Depending on the operation method of the apparatus, a configuration in which the wafer carrier is mixed with a carry-in port or a plurality of carry-in ports for each sheet is provided. Further, in FIG. 2, there is only one carry-in port for each sheet, but there may be two or more.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, as an example of a variation of the wafer supply method, by providing the loading portion load lock chamber 2c that can place the wafers one by one in addition to the supply by the wafer carrier, This is particularly effective when processing small lots.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the configuration example of the vacuum apparatus has been described. Although the environmental adjustment targeted by such a vacuum apparatus is pressure, the configuration described in the first and second embodiments is effective even when adjusting the gas composition, moisture content, and the like. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a device configuration example according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, by providing a gas control mechanism in addition to the pressure control mechanism, throughput is similarly improved even in a non-vacuum environment.

  In the third embodiment, gas adjustment mechanisms 16 to 20 are added in addition to the pressure adjustment mechanism similar to that of the first embodiment. The gas adjustment mechanism is composed of a mechanism (for example, a mass flow controller) for injecting a specific gas such as nitrogen gas with high accuracy, a dryer for removing contained water, and the like, and individually controls each chamber and the load lock chamber. . The gas adjustment mechanisms 16 to 20 are installed for the purpose of adjusting a sealable space to which each gas adjustment mechanism is connected to a desired gas component.

  Even when the purity of the gas component required in the processing chamber 15 is extremely severe, as described in the pressure adjustment of the first and second embodiments, it passes through the intermediate state of the relay chamber 7. As a result, the adjustment time can be shortened compared to the case of making a quick adjustment from the installation environment outside the apparatus. That is, for the same reason as that for adjusting the pressure environment, an environment adjustment mechanism including a plurality of load lock chambers is also useful when preparing an environment in which a specific gas such as nitrogen gas is filled at a high concentration. .

  As described above, according to each of the above-described embodiments, a plurality of delivery ports from the atmospheric pressure can be used to simultaneously perform the decompression process of the loading portion load lock chamber provided at each delivery port in parallel. This makes it possible to reduce the effective decompression time and improve the throughput.

  When the environment for supplying workpieces such as wafers and the processing environment in the exposure system are extremely different, an environmental adjustment mechanism consisting of multiple load-lock chambers is provided and the environment is adjusted via an intermediate environment. Processing time can be reduced, and throughput can be improved.

  When a processing wafer under atmospheric pressure is sent to a processing unit in the apparatus in a vacuum or nitrogen gas purge space, vacuuming or gas exchange is required. At this time, if the required processing environment is extremely severe, the time required for environmental adjustment becomes longer, the waiting time until the exposure processing is increased, and the throughput is lowered.

  In contrast, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of loading unit load lock chambers are arranged in parallel, and the loading unit load lock chamber and the processing unit load lock chamber are arranged in series, and each of them is in an appropriate environment. Therefore, high-speed processing is possible compared to the conventional method. In addition, since a plurality of wafers are decompressed at a time using a wafer carrier or the like through a plurality of loading section load lock chambers, and the wafers are loaded one by one into the apparatus, the throughput is remarkably improved. .

  In addition, since the loading section load lock chamber can be loaded and unloaded at a time using a wafer carrier, the number of times of opening and closing the gate valve in the load lock chamber can be reduced. That is, if a plurality of wafers are placed in the load lock chamber at a time, the amount of actual exhaust can be reduced rather than delivering the wafers one by one, so that an improvement in throughput can be expected.

  Also, as shown in each embodiment, by controlling a plurality of load lock chambers to a predetermined pressure, it is possible to perform high-speed processing while suppressing the influence of wafer contamination and wafer dew condensation due to dust rising. Is possible. That is, in the load lock chamber for carrying in the wafer, the high-speed exhaust and the low-speed exhaust are switched around about 100 pa. Further, the processing unit load lock chamber 10 for carrying into the transfer area of the relay chamber 7 and the apparatus processing unit (processing chamber 15) has a pressure value of 100 pa or less, and in particular, the relay chamber 7 has a pressure value of about 10 pa, so Throughput can be improved while suppressing contamination.

  In addition, it is clear that the above-mentioned merit in the vacuum device, for example, the reduction of the total displacement and the effect of preventing the dust from rising, are also effective for a device that needs to be filled with a specific gas such as nitrogen gas to a high concentration. It is. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately control the exhaust speed and the gas filling speed in the load lock chamber according to the pressure in the load lock chamber even when the gas is replaced with a specific gas such as nitrogen gas at a high concentration. Moreover, although each said embodiment showed the structure which provided the several carrying-in part load lock chamber and the one process part load lock chamber 10, you may provide two or more process part load lock chambers.

It is a figure which shows an example of the component apparatus by 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the component apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the component apparatus by 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the apparatus structure in the conventional vacuum exposure apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the conveyance operation of the wafer by a control part. It is a flowchart explaining the conveyance operation of the wafer by a control part.

Claims (11)

A first chamber that is conditioned to a first environment to process an object to be processed;
A second chamber that is adjusted to a second environment closer to the environment outside the apparatus than the first environment;
A first load lock chamber connecting the second chamber and the outside of the apparatus;
A second load lock chamber connecting the first chamber and the second chamber;
Adjusting means for individually adjusting the environment of the first and second chambers and the first and second load lock chambers;
The adjustment means adjusts the first load lock chamber between the environment outside the apparatus and the second environment, and conveys the processing object from the apparatus outside to the second chamber via the first load lock chamber. First control means for
Adjusting the second load lock chamber between the first and second environments by the adjusting means, and a second transfer means for transferring the processing object from the second chamber to the first chamber. A device manufacturing apparatus.   The first environment is a state having a first degree of vacuum, and the second environment is a state having a second degree of vacuum that is closer to the pressure outside the apparatus than the first degree of vacuum. The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.   The first environment is a state having a first gas composition and pressure, and the second environment is closer to an environment outside the apparatus than the first environment. Device manufacturing equipment.   2. The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first load lock chamber has a larger amount of a processing object than the second load lock chamber.   The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first load lock chambers are provided.   The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second load lock chambers are provided.   2. The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first load lock chambers include a plurality of types of load lock chambers having different amounts of processing objects.   2. The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit independently adjusts environmental environments of the first and second chambers and the first and second load lock chambers to a desired state.   3. The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting unit switches an exhaust speed in the first load lock chamber based on a degree of vacuum in the first load lock chamber.   The device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment unit switches a gas replacement speed in the first load lock chamber based on a pressure in the first load lock chamber. A first chamber that is adjusted to a first environment to process a processing object, a second chamber that is adjusted to a second environment that is closer to the environment outside the apparatus than the first environment, and the second chamber and the outside of the apparatus A first load lock chamber for connecting the first load lock chamber, and a second load lock chamber for connecting the first chamber and the second chamber.
A first adjusting step of adjusting the first chamber to a first environment and the second chamber to a second environment;
The inside of the first load lock chamber is adjusted to be equivalent to the environment outside the apparatus, and after the object to be processed is carried into the first load lock chamber, the first load lock chamber is adjusted to be equivalent to the second environment. A second adjustment step;
A first transfer step of communicating the first load lock chamber adjusted to the second environment and the second chamber, and carrying the processing object into the second chamber;
A third adjustment step of adjusting the second load lock chamber to be equivalent to the second environment;
A second transfer step of communicating the second load lock chamber adjusted to the first environment with the second chamber and transferring the processing object into the second load lock chamber;
A fourth adjustment step of adjusting the second load lock chamber to be equivalent to the first environment;
A control method comprising: a third transfer step of communicating the second load lock chamber adjusted to the first environment and the first chamber and transferring the object to be processed to the first chamber.

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