JP2007005435A - Processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a processing apparatus capable of highly accurately and parallely coupling with ease a plurality of transfer chambers via coupling processing chambers and of being equipped with more processing chambers even with smaller foot spaces. <P>SOLUTION: The processing apparatus 1a includes at the center therein a conveying robot 4 for the substrate 3, and the transfer chambers 2a, 2b a planar shape of each of which is a square one. Further, it includes process chambers 6 two by two on side wall surfaces of the transfer chambers 2a, 2b. Designated at 7 is the coupling processing chamber including heating means or the like, for performing heating processing for the substrate 3 utilizing waiting time to place the substrate, in the coupling processing chamber 6b in the course of conveying the substrate 3 from the one transfer chamber 2a to the other transfer chamber 2b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a cluster tool (processing apparatus) for processing a substrate or the like that requires a highly clean environment when moving and processing.
The present invention is applicable to any article that requires a high clean environment when moving and processing. In particular, a semiconductor wafer or a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) which is an electronic component such as an LCD will be described. However, this is for illustrative purposes and does not limit the present invention.

In general, in the manufacturing process of a substrate such as a semiconductor or LCD, the substrate is manufactured in a high-clean environment, so-called clean room, in order to prevent the yield (non-defective product rate) of the product from decreasing due to dust adhering to the surface of the substrate. Is called. A processing apparatus for performing various kinds of processing on a substrate is installed in a clean room, the inside of the processing apparatus is closed so as to be airtight, and the substrate is manufactured while being kept highly clean. In such a processing apparatus, a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing chambers around a transfer chamber provided with a substrate transfer robot in the center of the inside has been proposed in Patent Document 1, see FIG. Is described below.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the substrate processing apparatus (multistage semiconductor processing apparatus 20) shown in FIG. This processing apparatus is provided with two polygonal transfer chambers (robot-type buffer chamber 24, transfer robot chamber 28) that are connected via a connected processing chamber (intermediate processing chambers 26, 27). The connection processing chamber here is for performing, for example, plasma edge cleaning, heating, and cooling. In addition, in the center of the transfer chamber, a so-called frog-leg type (having a four-arm link mechanism) transfer robot (transfer robot 42, buffer robot 40) that holds a substrate and transfers it between the processing chambers. And a processing chamber (vacuum processing chambers 1 to 3) that are disposed on the peripheral side surface of the transfer chamber in a radial direction from the rotation center of the transfer robot and can be hermetically closed by a vacuum valve (slit valve 38). 7) and a load lock chamber (load lock chamber 21) for receiving a substrate from the outside of the apparatus and temporarily storing it. In addition, this processing apparatus can isolate each transfer chamber by selectively sealing the transfer chamber by providing a vacuum valve at a location where the transfer chamber and the connected processing chamber or the processing chamber are connected. For this reason, the interiors are hermetically sealed so that the atmospheres have different degrees of vacuum, or either one or both have different inert gas atmospheres.

In addition, since the inside of the transfer chamber is evacuated or the like, in order to facilitate sealing, a large piece of aluminum is scraped out by a processing machine to process a connecting surface of the processing chamber or the like. It has a monolith structure that molds cavities and the like.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-19252

In the conventional processing apparatus, the shape of the transfer chamber is a polygon having a pentagon or more, and the transfer chamber is arranged radially toward the rotation center of the transfer robot. This is because the frog-leg type transfer robot arranged at the center of the chamber delivers the substrate by moving the held substrate from the center of rotation toward the processing chamber on the radiation in the rotation direction and then moving linearly. Since it is necessary to deploy a processing chamber as a transfer destination in the radiation direction around the transfer robot, if you need to provide one process chamber per side of the transfer chamber and more process chambers This is possible by increasing the number of sides of the transfer chamber. However, the processing chamber has a predetermined width, and accordingly, it is necessary to secure a minimum length of one side of the transfer chamber. Therefore, the transfer chamber must be enlarged, and the transfer chamber is accordingly transferred. It is also necessary to lengthen the stroke of the robot, and it is also necessary to increase the size of the entire processing apparatus.

In addition, a plurality of processing chambers are provided for one side wall without increasing the number of corners of the transfer chamber, and the connecting portions (openings) of all the processing chambers are conveyed in an inclined direction with respect to the side walls. By providing toward the rotation center of the robot, the same effect can be obtained, but the area of the connecting portion is increased compared to the case where the connecting portion is provided facing the side wall, thereby processing in the processing chamber. At this time, it is necessary to enlarge the vacuum valve for sealing the inside of the processing chamber. In the transfer chamber and the processing chamber, the inside is isolated from the other, and the processing is performed. Therefore, when the opening area of the connecting portion is large, it is difficult to seal, and the internal processing environment becomes unstable.

As a problem when the processing apparatus is increased in size, the foot space is increased, and the volume of the transfer chamber is increased, so that a desired pressure is obtained when the interior is filled with a vacuum or an inert gas. Or the time and cost for setting it to a density | concentration will be extra.

  Further, in a processing apparatus having a plurality of transfer chambers connected to each other, if the shape of each transfer chamber is a polygon that is a pentagon or more, it is difficult to connect regularly and vertically, and there is a problem that the foot space becomes wide. Has occurred.

  Further, since the transfer chamber is produced by cutting out a large aluminum lump, the transfer chamber is squarely processed (the work of turning the aluminum lump by turning 90 ° is very easy due to the mechanism of the processing machine). .)) Is very difficult, and it is also very difficult to open an opening for communicating with the processing chamber on the side surface.

  As described above, more processing devices can be provided, the volume of the transfer chamber is minimized, the foot space is narrow, the transfer chamber is easily processed, and a plurality of transfer chambers are easily connected. It is desired to have a shape and a requirement that the transfer robot can freely operate.

The shape of the upper surface of the present invention is a quadrangle, a transfer chamber having a substrate transfer robot near the center of the interior, and a plurality of, for example, two process chambers are provided on each side wall surface of the transfer chamber. The transfer robot can transfer the substrate by movement or combination in the direction of rotation and the rotation with respect to the rotation center of the transfer robot.

The process chamber is attached in a direction in which the opening portion forms an angle with the radiation direction with respect to the rotation center of the transfer robot, and the substrate held by the transfer robot can be transferred by performing linear and curved movements.

The processing apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of transfer chambers and is connected between the transfer chambers by a connecting processing chamber. In this processing apparatus, in order to transport the substrate from one transfer chamber to the other transfer chamber, the substrate is temporarily placed in a connection processing chamber provided between the transfer chambers. At this time, before or after performing various processes such as CVD and PVD in the other transfer chamber which is the transfer destination, the substrate is heated by the substrate heating means or the cooling means provided in the connection processing chamber, or By performing the cooling, various subsequent processes can be performed promptly. In the plurality of linked processing chambers, for example, the substrate can be heated by the heating unit, or the substrate can be cooled by the cooling unit.

In the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the transfer chamber having a monolithic structure for forming a cavity or the like is formed when a large lump of aluminum (having a rectangular parallelepiped shape) is cut out by a processing machine. Since the shape of the transfer chamber is a quadrangle, the amount to be machined can be reduced and processing can be performed with high accuracy. For this reason, it is easy to connect a plurality of transfer chambers in parallel and with high accuracy via the connection processing chamber. Further, even if the foot space is small compared to the polygonal transfer chamber, more processing chambers can be provided.

  In addition, since a plurality of transfer chambers can be connected in a vertical and horizontal order via the connection processing chamber, the layout of the factory (process) is facilitated.

  Since the transfer robot provided in the processing apparatus of the present invention can transfer a substrate by operation or combination in a radiation direction and a rotation direction with respect to the rotation center of the transfer robot, it is possible to connect the processing chambers. Even if the part (opening) is not directed in the radiation direction with respect to the rotation center of the transport robot, the substrate can be transported.

  The processing apparatus 1a shown in the plan view of FIG. 1 includes a transfer chamber 2 having a transfer robot 4 for a substrate 3 in the center of the inside. The four side wall surfaces 5 of the transfer chamber 2 are each provided with two process chambers 6 for performing various processes such as the above-described CVD. 7 is a waiting time during which the substrate is placed in the connection processing chamber 6b while the substrate is being transferred from one transfer chamber 2a to the other transfer chamber 2b (the substrate that has been processed in advance is processed by This is a connected processing chamber provided with a heating means for performing a heat treatment of the substrate by using a time for waiting for the completion or the like. Reference numeral 8 denotes a transfer device, which has a mounting base for mounting the pod 9 for transporting the substrate 3 in the clean room, and a mechanism for opening the lid provided on the pod 9 (latch key) and removing the lid 11 from the pod body 10. And a substrate transfer robot 14 for transferring the substrate 3 from the inside of the pod 9 to the load lock chamber 13 serving as an entrance to the transfer chamber 2a.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a processing apparatus 1b having a conventional octagonal transfer chamber 2. The reference numerals in the figure are the same as those of the processing apparatus 1a of the present invention of FIG. In FIG. 2, the outline of the processing apparatus 1a is indicated by a dotted line for comparison of the foot space.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the transfer robot 4 provided in the processing apparatus 1a of the present invention. The transport robot 4 includes a first drive source 15 having a rotation axis on a base plate, and a second drive source 16 having a rotation axis concentrically with the rotation axis of the first drive source 15. A first drive arm 17 is attached to the side surface of the first drive source 15, and two second drive arms 18 a and 18 b are attached to the side surface of the second drive source 16 so as to protrude in a horizontal plane. A first driven arm 19 and a second driven arm 20 are concentrically and independently pivotably attached to the distal end of the first drive arm 17, and a third driven arm is attached to the other end of each of the second drive arms 18 a and 18 b. The arm 21 and the fourth driven arm 22 are attached to be rotatable in the same horizontal plane. A first hand 23 is attached to the tips of the first follower arm 19 and the third follower arm 21, and a second hand 24 is attached to the tips of the second follower arm 20 and the fourth follower arm 22, respectively. The transfer robot 4 advances and retreats the first hand 23 and the second hand 24 via each arm by rotating the first drive source 15 and the second drive source 16 in different directions or in the same direction. Can exercise.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a path of the transfer robot 4 when the transfer robot 4 holds the substrate 3 and transfers the substrate 3 to another process chamber 6. In the transport robot 4, the hands 23 and 24 can be moved in a linear direction that forms an angle with the radiation direction by operating the first drive source 15 and the second drive source 16 at different speeds.

It is a top view which shows the processing apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows the conventional processing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the conveyance robot of the board | substrate with which the processing apparatus of this invention is equipped. It is a top view which shows the path | route of the conveyance robot of this invention. It is a top view which shows the processing apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing apparatus 2 Transfer chamber 3 Substrate 4 Transfer robot 5 Side wall surface 6 Process chamber 7 Connection processing chamber 8 Transfer apparatus 9 Pod 10 Pod body 11 Lid 12 Load port 13 Load lock chamber 14 Substrate transfer robot 15 First drive source 16 First Second drive source 17 First drive arm 18 Second drive arm 19 First driven arm 20 Second driven arm 21 Third driven arm 22 Fourth driven arm 23 First hand 24 Second hand

Claims (4)

The shape of the upper surface is a quadrangle, a transfer chamber having a substrate transfer robot near the center of the inside,
Each side wall surface of the transfer chamber is a processing apparatus comprising a plurality of process chambers,
The processing apparatus characterized in that the transfer robot can transfer a substrate by radiation or movement in a rotation direction or a combination with respect to a rotation center of the transfer robot. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two process chambers are provided on each side wall surface of the transfer chamber.   3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the transfer chambers and being connected between the transfer chambers by a connection processing chamber. 4. The processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of connected processing chambers are substrate heating means or cooling means.

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