JP2011138844A - Vacuum processing apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of securing a retreat place for wafers before and after processing without increasing the scale of the mechanism of a delivery chamber nor making it complicated. <P>SOLUTION: In the vacuum processing apparatus having the substrate delivery chamber provided between two vacuum chambers, the substrate delivery chamber is equipped with a lift pin for supporting a substrate, a buffer arm where the substrate is temporarily placed, and a substrate stage on which the substrate is placed, and the lift pin is lifted and lowered in an oblique direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate transfer chamber provided between two vacuum chambers.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vacuum processing apparatuses used to manufacture semiconductor devices by processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer have vacuumed various processing processes with a single processing apparatus from the viewpoints of multilayer device structure and improved throughput. There is a tendency to have multiple processing chambers to perform consistently within.
In such a vacuum processing apparatus, usually, a plurality of substrates are carried in via a load lock chamber, and a transfer region, a transfer region, a processing region and a substrate are transferred, and the substrate is processed. An apparatus including a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate between transfer regions and between a transfer region and a transfer region is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum processing apparatus having two transfer chambers for transferring a substrate between a transfer chamber surrounded by a processing chamber and a buffer chamber connected to a load / unload lock chamber. Is described. Patent Document 2 describes that a cluster-type vacuum processing apparatus having three transfer chambers surrounded by a process chamber has two transfer chambers for transferring a substrate between the transfer chambers. In addition, it is described that a multistage cassette that can accommodate a plurality of wafers in the delivery chamber can be provided.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-19252 Special table 2007-13424 gazette

In Patent Document 1, one of the delivery chambers is a passage from the first transfer chamber to the second transfer chamber, and the other transfer chamber is a passage from the second transfer chamber to the first transfer chamber. ing. Therefore, two delivery chambers are required for the forward path and the backward path.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, since the transfer chamber connecting the transfer chambers can be provided with a multi-stage cassette capable of storing a plurality of wafers, it is not necessary to have two transfer chambers for the forward path and the return path. Space for multi-stage cassettes was required in the delivery chamber.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of securing a wafer retreating place before and after processing without increasing the size and complexity of a delivery chamber chamber mechanism.

  The vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate delivery chamber provided between two vacuum chambers, wherein the substrate delivery chamber has a lift pin that supports the substrate, a buffer arm that temporarily places the substrate, and a substrate The lift pin is lifted and lowered in an oblique direction.

  The vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate delivery chamber provided between two vacuum chambers, wherein the substrate delivery chamber has a lift pin that supports the substrate, a buffer arm that temporarily places the substrate, And a substrate stage on which the substrate is placed, wherein the lift pins are moved up and down in an oblique direction.

  In addition, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a step of processing a substrate using the vacuum processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the throughput of a vacuum processing apparatus having two or more transfer chambers can be improved, and the drive mechanism can be simplified.

It is the schematic of the vacuum processing apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a top view schematic diagram showing one mode of a delivery chamber used in the present invention. It is a side schematic diagram showing one mode of a delivery chamber used by the present invention. It is a schematic model diagram of a buffer arm. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the movement of a wafer in the delivery chamber of a 1st aspect. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the movement of a wafer in the delivery chamber of a 1st aspect. It is the side surface schematic diagram which shows the other aspect of the delivery chamber used by this invention.

  The vacuum processing apparatus of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention.

  The vacuum processing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a first transfer chamber 31 surrounded by a plurality of process chambers 51 to 54 and a second transfer chamber 32 surrounded by a plurality of process chambers 55 to 60. Further, the vacuum processing apparatus 1 has a delivery chamber 2 for delivering a substrate between the transfer chamber 31 and the transfer chamber 32. Each of the transfer chambers 31 and 32 includes an evacuation apparatus (not shown) and transfer robots 41 and 42 that are mechanisms for transferring a substrate.

  In the transfer robots 41 and 42, the transfer robot arm can rotate around the central axes 411 and 421, and the arm part can be expanded and contracted. The transfer robot arm includes a substantially semicircular substrate receiving part on both sides.

  The load lock chambers 71 and 72 are connected to the transfer chamber 31 through a gate valve (not shown). A front end module (EFEM) 3 is connected to the load lock chambers 71 and 72 through a gate valve. Three substrate storage units (load ports) 81, 82, 83 are connected to the front end module 3.

A cassette (not shown) placed in the board storage unit 81, 82, 83, or FOUP (Front Opening Unfiled
The wafer in Pod) is transferred to the load lock chamber 71 or 72 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown) mounted on the front end module 3. After the load lock chambers 71 and 72 are evacuated from the atmosphere, the substrate is transferred to the transfer chamber 31 by the transfer robot 41 in the transfer chamber 31. The substrate is transferred from the transfer chamber 31 to the processing chambers 51 to 54 or the transfer chamber 2. The substrate in the transfer chamber 2 is transferred from the transfer chamber 2 to the transfer chamber 32 by the transfer robot 42 in the transfer chamber 32. Thereafter, the substrate is transferred to one of the processing chambers 55 to 60 by the transfer robot 42. The wafer is transferred to the processing chambers 55 to 60 according to a predetermined process, and the processing steps in the processing chambers 55 to 60 are performed.

  When all the processes in the processing steps are completed, the process returns from the transfer chamber 32 to the substrate storage units 81 to 83 via the front end module 3 from the load lock chambers 71 and 72 via the delivery chamber 2 and the transfer chamber 31.

  An embodiment of the delivery chamber (delivery chamber) of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the delivery chamber 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along aa in FIG. In FIG. 2, a dotted line indicates a state where the wafer is placed on the substrate stage.

  In the delivery chamber 2, a substrate stage 12 on which the wafer is placed, lift pins 111 to 113 that support the wafer transferred from the transfer chamber, and a buffer arm 13 that temporarily holds the wafer are arranged. In addition, the delivery chamber includes sensors 14 and 15 that detect notches and orientation flats of the wafer.

The substrate stage 12 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). Further, the substrate stage 12 can be rotated in the horizontal direction around the center of the substrate stage 12 by the rotation mechanism 16.
The buffer arm 13 is arranged at a position shifted from the central axis of the substrate stage 12.

  The structure of the buffer arm 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the buffer arm 13 in a state where the wafer is temporarily placed on the buffer arm 13. The buffer arm 13 includes a shaft 132 and a wafer placement unit 131, and the wafer placement unit 131 holds two ends of the outer periphery of the wafer. The shaft 132 is connected to a vertical drive unit 134 provided outside the delivery chamber 2 and can be moved up and down. The shaft 132 is kept in vacuum by a bellows 134.

A wafer is transferred from the first transfer chamber 31 or the second transfer chamber 32 to the transfer chamber 2 by the transfer robot 41 or 42 and is transferred to the other transfer chamber via the transfer chamber 2.
Hereinafter, a case where a wafer is transferred from the first transfer chamber to the second transfer chamber via the transfer chamber 2 will be described.

  When the wafer is carried into the delivery chamber 2 from the first transfer chamber 31, the substrate stage 12 stands by in a state lower than the lift pins 111 to 113. The wafer carried into the delivery chamber 2 from the transfer chamber is supported by lift pins 111 to 113. When the wafer is carried out to the second transfer chamber 32, the arm of the transfer robot 42 in the second transfer chamber 32 receives the wafer supported by the lift pins and transfers it to the second transfer chamber 32.

  When detecting the wafer shift or the wafer position of the wafer, the substrate stage 12 is raised, and the wafer supported by the lift pins 111 to 113 is placed on the substrate stage 12. The substrate stage 12 is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown), whereby the wafer on the substrate stage 12 is rotated. The sensor includes a light emitting unit 15 and a light receiving unit 14 that receives light from the light emitting unit 15. On the other hand, a notch and an orientation flat are provided on the outer periphery of the wafer. The laser emitted from the light emitting unit 15 is received by the light receiving unit 14 of the sensor, so that notches and orientation flats provided on the outer periphery of the wafer can be detected.

  In addition, as a sensor, the reflection type sensor which detects a notch and an orientation flat by receiving the reflected light of the laser beam irradiated by the irradiation means irradiated with a laser beam and an irradiation means can also be used.

  A rotating mechanism (not shown) rotates the semiconductor substrate until the notch or orientation flat reaches a predetermined position. Thereby, the orientation of the wafer is corrected.

  Next, a method for moving the wafer to the temporary placement position of the buffer arm 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the delivery chamber 2 according to one aspect of the present invention. FIG. 5A shows a state in the middle of the movement of the wafer 5 to the buffer arm 13. FIG. 5B shows a state where the wafer 5 is transferred to the buffer arm 13. FIG. 5C shows a state where the buffer arm 13 is raised and the wafer 5 is moved to the temporary placement position. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the buffer arm 13 and the wafer 5 at each stage of FIG.

  The lift pins 111 and 112 push the wafer 5 obliquely upward, but the wafer is positioned below the wafer mounting portion 131 of the buffer arm (FIG. 5A). At this time, when viewed from above, the front end portion of the wafer 5 is located in the wafer mounting portions 131 and 132 of the buffer arm 13 (FIG. 6A).

  The lift pins 111 and 112 further push the wafer 5 obliquely upward, and both ends of the wafer 5 are sandwiched between the wafer mounting portions 131 of the buffer arm 12 (FIGS. 5B and 6B).

  The buffer arm 13 moves to the temporary placement position of the wafer (FIGS. 5C and 6C).

  By removing the wafer 5 from the substrate stage 12, a new wafer can be carried into the delivery chamber 2. Thus, since the wafer moved on the buffer arm 13 is located outside the scanning range of the sensors 14 and 15, the position of the newly loaded wafer can be detected.

  Another example of the delivery chamber will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of the delivery chamber. In this embodiment, the lift pin moves up and down, but the buffer arm moves obliquely upward. Other configurations are the same as those of the delivery chamber of FIGS.

  In this embodiment, the wafer 5 placed on the substrate stage 12 is pushed upward by the lift pins 121 and 122 and transferred to the buffer arm 23. Thereafter, the wafer 5 placed on the buffer arm 23 is moved to the temporary placement position of the buffer arm 23 by raising the buffer arm 23 obliquely. A dotted line in FIG. 7 shows a state in which the wafer 5 is placed on the buffer arm 23.

  The buffer arm 23 is driven by a cylinder or a motor installed outside a delivery chamber (not shown), and a vacuum is maintained by the bellows.

  Since the wafer delivered to the buffer arm 23 is located outside the scanning range of the sensor, the position of the newly loaded wafer can be detected.

  A semiconductor device having a step of processing a substrate in the processing chamber can be manufactured using the vacuum processing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum processing apparatus 2 Delivery chamber 3 Front end module 5 Wafer 12 Substrate stage 13 Buffer arm 31 1st transfer chamber 32 2nd / transfer chamber 41, 42 Transfer robot 411, 421 Transfer robot central axis 51-60 Processing chamber 71, 72 Load lock chambers 81-83 Substrate storage units 111-113 Lift pin 131 Buffer arm substrate mounting unit 14 Sensor light receiving unit 15 Sensor light emitting unit 16 Substrate stage rotation mechanism 23 Buffer arm 121, 122 Lift pin

Claims (4)

  In a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate transfer chamber provided between two vacuum chambers, the substrate transfer chamber includes a lift pin for supporting the substrate, a buffer arm for temporarily placing the substrate, and a substrate stage for mounting the substrate. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: the lift pin ascending and descending in an oblique direction.   In a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate transfer chamber provided between two vacuum chambers, the substrate transfer chamber includes a lift pin for supporting the substrate, a buffer arm for temporarily placing the substrate, and a substrate stage for mounting the substrate. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: the lift pin ascending and descending in an oblique direction. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a substrate different from the substrate is transferred between the two vacuum chambers in a state where the substrate is temporarily placed on the buffer arm. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising a step of processing a substrate, wherein the substrate is processed using the vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1. Method.