JP2019096906A - Vacuum processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vacuum processing apparatus which improves uniformity of processing and is capable of efficiently performing regular/irregular maintenance even in a case where an aperture of a processed product is enlarged.SOLUTION: In a vacuum processing apparatus comprising a vacuum transfer chamber, a vacuum processing chamber includes: a base plate; a sample table unit including a ring-shaped sample table base which is placed on the base unit and includes a sample table and a support beam for the sample table; and multiple containers including an upper container in a cylindrical shape and a discharge part container disposed at an upper side of the upper container and enclosing a space where plasma is formed. The vacuum processing chamber also includes a valve box which is positioned on the base plate and connected with the upper container in an airtight manner; and a lifter which is connected to the sample table base and the discharge part container and movable in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having a reduced pressure processing chamber.

In a vacuum processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, for example, a processing gas is introduced into the inside of a vacuum processing chamber while the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber is reduced, and the introduced processing gas is plasmatized to form radicals. The processing of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer held on a sample stage equipped with an electrostatic chuck is performed by the chemical reaction or sputtering of electrons.

The vacuum processing apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. An electrostatic chuck used in a vacuum processing chamber is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 2.

JP, 2005-252201, A JP, 2005-516379, A

The vacuum processing apparatus uses a processing gas, and when the processing gas is plasmatized to process an object (wafer), reaction products adhere to the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. When a reaction product adheres to the surface of a component disposed inside the processing chamber, the reaction product from the surface of the component degrades and becomes detached as fine particles, and falls and falls on a wafer etc. as a foreign matter and contaminates it. It causes the problem of In order to suppress this, parts inside the processing chamber are periodically replaced or cleaned to remove reaction products that cause foreign substances, etc., and processes to regenerate the surface of each part are performed. (maintenance). During maintenance, the inside of the processing chamber is open to the atmosphere of atmospheric pressure, so that processing can not be performed and the operation of the apparatus is stopped, so the processing efficiency is reduced.

Furthermore, in recent years, the diameter of semiconductor wafers, which are objects to be processed, has been increased. Therefore, the size of the vacuum processing apparatus is increased, the size of the individual parts constituting the apparatus is also increased, and the weight thereof tends to be increased, so that removal, movement, mounting, etc. of parts is not easy and the time required for maintenance may be long. It is anticipated that further reduction of maintenance efficiency is concerned.

Then, the inventors examined whether it was possible to cope with the above-mentioned subject by conventional technology. Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum processing apparatus including an upper inner cylinder chamber and a sample table that constitute a processing chamber for processing an object to be processed inside the outer chamber, and a lower inner cylinder chamber disposed on the exhaust unit side. It is disclosed. In the present vacuum processing apparatus, at the time of maintenance, the discharge chamber base plate, which is disposed at the upper part of the upper inner cylinder chamber and constitutes the discharge chamber for generating plasma, is rotated upward using the hinge portion disposed on the transfer chamber side as a fulcrum The upper inner chamber is lifted up out of the outer chamber by securing the upper inner chamber working space. Furthermore, a sample base base plate on which a ring-shaped support base member (sample table block) provided with a support beam arranged and fixed around an axis about the vertical center of the sample table is arranged on the transfer chamber side There is described a technique of lifting the lower inner chamber upward and taking it out of the outer chamber by raising the lower portion so as to rotate the hinge portion as a fulcrum and securing a working space of the lower inner chamber. In addition, the sample stand in the upper inner cylinder chamber is arranged by arranging the support beams in axial symmetry about the vertical center of the sample stand (that is, the gas flow path shape is substantially coaxial with the central axis of the sample stand). Gas and the like in the upper space (process gas, particles in plasma and reaction products) pass through the space between the support beams and are exhausted through the lower inner cylinder chamber. As a result, the flow of gas in the circumferential direction of the workpiece becomes uniform, and uniform treatment of the workpiece becomes possible.

When applying this discharge chamber base plate and the sample stand base plate to the maintenance of the workpiece with a large diameter by using the technique of pulling up the hinge with the support as a fulcrum, the support beam on which the discharge base and the sample stand are fixed increases in size and weight. Therefore, it is difficult to manually pull them to the upper side, and it is feared that it becomes difficult to secure a working space for the upper inner cylinder chamber and the lower inner cylinder chamber. In addition, although maintenance of the exhaust part is performed by looking into the upper part of the outer chamber, it is feared that the apparatus can not be easily accessed due to the enlargement of the apparatus and it becomes difficult to perform sufficient cleaning and the like. Furthermore, unsteady maintenance such as maintenance and replacement of parts constituting the discharge base plate and the sample base which is pulled up to the upper part is feared that the scaffold becomes unstable. Even if the support beam on which the discharge base plate and the sample table are fixed is pulled up by a crane or the like, the latter two can not be solved.

In Patent Document 2, a cantilever substrate support on which an electrostatic chuck assembly is mounted, which can be attached to and detached from the chamber by passing an opening provided in a side wall of a vacuum processing chamber (horizontally). Department is disclosed. When this technique is applied to the maintenance of a large-diameter workpiece, the substrate support is vacuum sealed at the opening of the chamber side wall, so if the weight increases, the load on the vacuum seal increases and the vacuum is reduced. It is feared that it will be difficult to hold. In addition, because of the cantilever, the gas flow path shape with respect to the central axis of the sample support portion is not coaxial axial symmetry, the flow of gas in the circumferential direction of the object becomes uneven, and the object is uniform with respect to the object It will be difficult to carry out the

The object of the present invention is that even when the diameter of the object to be treated is increased, the uniformity of the treatment is good, and not only steady maintenance but also non-steady maintenance can be efficiently performed. It is in providing a vacuum processing apparatus.

The above object is a vacuum transfer chamber, a vacuum processing chamber connected to the vacuum transfer chamber, a base plate having an exhaust opening, and vertically stacked on the base plate to constitute a space having a cylindrical shape inside Between the vacuum transfer chamber and the vacuum processing chamber, the position is fixed and attached to the base plate between the vacuum transfer chamber and the vacuum processing chamber, and is airtightly connected to the outer wall of the vacuum processing chamber. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a valve box having a gate valve for opening and closing a gate disposed on an outer wall of the vacuum processing chamber, wherein a plurality of containers in the vacuum processing chamber mount a workpiece And a sample table unit having a ring-shaped sample table base provided with a support beam connected to and supporting the sample table, and the sample table unit on the sample table unit. And an upper vessel having the gate, the outer wall of which is airtightly connected to the valve box, and a plasma which is removably disposed on the upper vessel with respect to the upper vessel. And a discharge part container that encloses a part of the space in which the space is formed, which is disposed between the base plate, the sample stand unit, and the upper container, and the outside of the vacuum processing chamber and the inside of the space. A plurality of vacuum seals for hermetically sealing the space, and the outer periphery of the base plate is fixedly attached thereto and has an axis in the vertical direction, and the sample table base and the discharge part container are Vertical movement of the sample stand unit and the discharge unit in the vertical direction along the axis and in proximity to or away from the valve box Is achieved by providing at least one lifter has been made.

According to the present invention, even when the diameter of the object to be treated is increased, the uniformity of the treatment is good, and it is possible to efficiently perform not only steady maintenance but also unsteady maintenance. A vacuum processing apparatus can be provided.

It is a top view and a perspective view explaining an outline of composition of a vacuum processing unit concerning an example of the present invention. It is a principal part schematic top view for demonstrating conveyance of the to-be-processed object in the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the outline of a structure of the vacuum processing chamber of the Example shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the outline of a structure of the vacuum processing chamber of the Example shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is the top view and longitudinal cross-sectional view for demonstrating the procedure of the maintenance in the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the outline of a structure of the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the modification of the Example shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows typically the outline of a structure of the vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on another modification of the Example shown in FIG.

The inventors examined a method satisfying the following three in order to achieve the above object. That is, (1) In order to ensure good processing uniformity, the processing chamber shape should be approximately coaxial axial symmetric with respect to the central axis of the sample stage on which the object to be processed is placed.

(2) In order to enable easy steady maintenance, reaction products and the like can be quickly removed from the chamber member which is the target component of steady maintenance even if it is compatible with large diameter. Here, the fact that steady maintenance is easy includes making unnecessary the operation performed during unsteady maintenance, such as disconnecting the power cable or performing water cooling purge. (3) In order to enable easy unsteady maintenance, it is possible to easily withdraw the discharge electrode head and various sensors that are targets of unsteady maintenance even if they are compatible with large diameter.

As a result, it was found that the following configuration was effective.

For (1), at least the inner wall shape of the horizontal cross section of the vacuum processing chamber is circular, and the support beam for supporting the sample stage is arranged in axial symmetry with the vertical center of the sample stage as an axis Secure to the support base member of For (2), parts to be routinely maintained can be swapped. That is, instead of cleaning the parts to which the reaction product and the like are attached, it is possible to replace them with new parts or parts that have been cleaned. Furthermore, parts to be subjected to non-stationary maintenance can be assembled in a unit for each related part and can be moved horizontally in units to facilitate avoidance so that these do not become an obstacle to work during steady maintenance. As for (3), the unit, in which the parts subject to non-stationary maintenance are collected for each related part, is moved horizontally during maintenance to provide a work space around it.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of examples. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

A vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a top view and a perspective view for explaining the outline of the configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The plasma processing apparatus which is the vacuum processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has an atmosphere block 101 and a vacuum block 102. The atmosphere block 101 is a portion for transporting, storing and positioning an object (a sample) such as a semiconductor wafer under atmospheric pressure, and the vacuum block 102 transports a sample such as a wafer under a pressure reduced from the atmospheric pressure. Treatment, etc., to raise and lower the pressure while the sample is placed.

The atmosphere block 101 includes an atmosphere transfer chamber 106 and a plurality of cassette tables 107 mounted on the front side of the atmosphere transfer chamber 106 and on which cassettes containing samples for processing or cleaning are placed. There is. The atmosphere block 101 is a place where a processing or cleaning wafer stored inside each cassette on the cassette table 107 is exchanged with the vacuum block 102 connected to the back of the atmosphere transfer chamber 106, An atmosphere transfer robot 109 having a wafer holding arm for transferring the wafer is disposed in the atmosphere transfer chamber 106.

The vacuum block 102 is connected to a plurality of vacuum processing chambers 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, and 200-4 for processing the sample under reduced pressure and these vacuum processing chambers, and the sample is transported under reduced pressure in the inside thereof. Vacuum transfer chambers 104-1 and 104-2 including the vacuum transfer robots 110-1 and 110-2, the lock chamber 105 connecting the vacuum transfer chamber 104-1 and the atmosphere transfer chamber 106, and the vacuum transfer chamber 104- 1 and a transfer intermediate chamber 108 connecting the vacuum transfer chamber 104-2. The vacuum block 102 is composed of a unit capable of being internally depressurized and maintained at a high vacuum pressure. The operation of the atmosphere transfer robot and the vacuum transfer robot and the control of processing in the vacuum processing chamber are performed by a control device.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber of the embodiment shown in FIG. In particular, FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber in the vacuum processing chamber 200. Although the vacuum processing chamber of the same structure is arranged in the present embodiment, a vacuum processing chamber having another structure may be incorporated.

The vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 3 includes a vacuum vessel including an upper vessel 230 and a lower vessel 250, a lower exhaust pump 270 connected to this and an upper first high frequency power supply 201 and a solenoid coil 206. Have. The upper container and the lower container have an inner wall having a circular horizontal cross-sectional shape, and a cylindrical sample base 241 is disposed at the center of the inside. The outer wall of the upper and lower containers constitutes a vacuum bulkhead. The sample table 241 is held by a support beam provided on the sample table base 242, and the support beam is arranged in axial symmetry about the vertical center of the sample table (that is, the gas flow path with respect to the central axis 290 of the sample table The shapes are substantially coaxial axis symmetrical). Since gas and the like (processing gas, particles in plasma and reaction products) in the space above the sample table 241 in the upper vessel 230 are exhausted through the lower vessel 250 through the space between the support beams, The flow of gas in the circumferential direction of the sample table 241 on which the object to be processed (sample) 300 is placed becomes uniform, and uniform processing on the object to be processed 300 becomes possible. The sample stand base 242 has a ring shape provided with a support beam, and the ring portion is held by the lower vessel, which is a vacuum vessel, and the upper periphery above and vacuum sealed, so the weight of the sample stand etc. Even if it increases, it can respond.

The vacuum processing chamber includes a cylindrical lower container 250 sequentially stacked on a base plate 260 in this embodiment, a ring-shaped sample table base 242 provided with a support beam, a cylindrical upper container 230, an earth ring 225, and a cylindrical shape. The discharge block 224 and the gas introduction ring 204 are composed of a plurality of members, each of which is vacuum sealed by an O-ring 207. Inside the discharge block 224, a cylindrical quartz inner cylinder 205 is disposed. Further, a sample table 241 having a sample table bottom cover 245 is fixed to the sample table base 242 to constitute a sample table unit, and a discharge block 224 attached with a heater 222 is fixed to the discharge block base 221 to be a discharge block unit Are configured. The upper container 230, the lower container 250, and the base plate 260 have flanges, and the upper container 230 and the lower container 250 are respectively screwed to the base plate 260 at the flanges. In the present embodiment, the member constituting the vacuum processing chamber has a cylindrical shape, but regarding the outer wall shape, the horizontal cross-sectional shape may be rectangular instead of circular, or may be another shape.

Above the vacuum processing chamber, a lid member 202 having a disk shape that constitutes a vacuum vessel and a shower plate 203 having a disk shape that constitutes a ceiling surface of the vacuum processing chamber are disposed therebelow. The lid member 202 and the shower plate 203 are members made of a dielectric such as quartz, and are configured to be able to transmit high frequency electric fields such as microwaves, UHF and VHF waves, and are disposed above the first high frequency power supply. The electric field from the is supplied through these into the vacuum processing chamber. A magnetic field forming means (solenoid coil) 206 is disposed around the outer periphery of the outer side wall of the vacuum vessel so as to supply the generated magnetic field into the vacuum processing chamber.

The shower plate 203 is provided with a plurality of through holes for processing gas introduction holes, and the processing gas introduced from the gas introduction ring 204 is supplied into the vacuum processing chamber through the introduction holes. A plurality of introduction holes of the shower plate 203 are arranged above the sample mounting surface, which is the upper surface of the sample table 241, in an axially symmetric area around the central axis 290 of the sample table 241, and arranged evenly. A processing gas having a predetermined composition and composed of different gas components is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber through the introduction holes.

The processing gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber is excited by supplying electromagnetic waves and a magnetic field generated by the first high frequency power supply 201 as an electric field forming unit and the solenoid coil 206 as a magnetic field forming unit into the vacuum processing chamber. As a result, plasma is generated in the space in the discharge block 224 above the sample table 241. At this time, the processing gas molecules are ionized into electrons and ions, or dissociated into radicals. A heater 222 connected to the first temperature controller 223 is attached to a region where the plasma is generated, and a discharge block 224 disposed on the discharge block base 221 is provided, and the plasma is in contact with the plasma. The tube 205 can be heated. Thereby, adhesion of reaction products to the quartz inner cylinder 205 and the discharge block 224 can be reduced. For this reason, these members can be removed from regular maintenance.

The sample stage 241 on which the wafer is placed is disposed inside the vacuum processing chamber so as to coincide with the central axis 290 of the shower plate 203. When processing by plasma is performed, the wafer which is the object to be processed 300 is placed on the circular mounting surface which is the upper surface of the sample table 241 and held by adsorption of the dielectric of the film by electrostatic charge (electrostatic chuck Processing is performed in the state of In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the cylindrical vacuum processing chamber is set to 800 mm in consideration of using a semiconductor wafer as a sample having a diameter of 450 mm. However, it is also possible to set this dimension or less (about 600 mm).

Further, a high frequency bias power supply (second high frequency power supply) 243 is connected to the electrode disposed inside the sample table 241, and the high frequency power supplied is supplied above the sample table 241 and the sample 300 placed thereon. The etching process proceeds by the interaction between the physical reaction by causing charged particles in the plasma to attract to the surface of the sample to collide with the surface of the sample by the high frequency bias formed and the chemical reaction between the radicals and the wafer surface. Further, the temperature of the sample stage can be controlled to a desired temperature by the second temperature controller 244. The application of the high frequency bias to the sample table 241 and the temperature control of the sample table 241 can be performed by using a power supply wiring cord, a temperature control wiring cord, or a refrigerant disposed in a cavity formed inside the sample support base 242 including the support beam. It will be done via piping. Although not shown, in addition to the wiring cord, a temperature sensor and a wiring cord for electrostatic chuck can also be included. The reaction product is likely to be attached to the upper container 230 disposed around the sample table 241, and therefore, it is a target member for steady maintenance.

Below the vacuum processing chamber, an exhaust pump 270 connected via a base plate 260 having its bottom and an exhaust opening is disposed. The exhaust opening provided in the base plate 260 is disposed immediately below the sample table 241, and the exhaust conductance is adjusted by moving the exhaust portion lid 261 having a substantially disc shape disposed above the exhaust opening up and down with the cylinder 262. The amount and speed of the internal gas and plasma discharged from the vacuum processing chamber by the exhaust pump 270 can be adjusted. The exhaust cover 261 is opened when processing an object to be processed, and the pressure in the space inside the vacuum processing chamber is desired by the balance with the operation of the exhaust means such as the exhaust pump 270 together with the supply of processing gas. The degree of vacuum is maintained. In the present embodiment, the pressure during treatment is adjusted to a predetermined value in the range of 0.1 to 4 Pa. A molecular turbo pump was used as an exhaust pump. In addition, the exhaust part cover 261 can be closed at the time of maintenance, and the exhaust pump can be vacuum sealed by an O-ring. Reference numeral 111 denotes a first gate valve, reference numeral 112 denotes a second gate valve, reference numeral 115 denotes a valve box, and reference numeral 280 denotes a support.

The processing gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber and the reaction product during plasma and processing pass through the space on the outer peripheral side of the sample table 241 from the upper portion of the vacuum processing chamber by the operation of the exhaust means such as the exhaust pump 270 and the lower container It moves to the opening provided in the lower base plate 260 via 250. The lower container 250 is a target member for steady-state maintenance because the reaction product easily adheres thereto.

The pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber during the etching process is monitored by a vacuum gauge (not shown), and the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber is controlled by controlling the exhaust speed with the exhaust unit lid 261. The supply of the processing gas, the electric field forming means, the magnetic field forming means, the high frequency bias, and the operation of the exhausting means are adjusted by a not-shown communicablely connected control device.

As the processing gas used for the plasma processing, a single type of gas or a gas in which a plurality of types of gases are mixed at an optimal flow ratio is used for each process condition. The mixed gas is adjusted in flow rate by a gas flow rate controller (not shown) and connected to the gas introduction ring 204 to connect the shower plate 203 and the lid member 202 above the vacuum processing chamber at the top of the vacuum vessel. Into the space for gas retention between them. In this example, a stainless steel gas introduction ring was used.

Next, procedures for carrying in and out the object to be processed from the vacuum processing chamber will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view for explaining the transfer of the object to be processed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 2A, the gate valve is in an open state, and the transport robot is carrying in or out of the vacuum processing chamber. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the wafer 300 is carried into the vacuum transfer chamber 104, the gate valve is closed, and the object is carried into the vacuum transfer chamber.

First, in the atmosphere block, the wafer taken out of the cassette by the atmosphere transfer robot is transferred to the vacuum transfer chamber 104 through the lock chamber. The vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are connected via a first gate valve 111 and a second gate valve. In this figure, both gate valves are closed and vacuum sealed with an O-ring 207. The code | symbol 115 is a valve box and the code | symbol 210 is a turning lifter (moving means). The swing lifter 210 will be described later. Next, after the pressures in the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are equalized, as shown in FIG. 2A, the wafer 300 is transferred from the vacuum transfer chamber 104 to the vacuum processing chamber using the vacuum transfer robot 110 equipped with an arm. Carry in At this time, the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are both open. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the wafer 300 is placed on the sample table 241 in the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum transfer robot returns to the vacuum transfer chamber, and the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are closed.

When the processing on the wafer 300 in the vacuum processing chamber is completed, the pressures of the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are adjusted, and the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are opened as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing the state in which the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are opened. There is.

From this state, the wafer 300 is removed from the sample stage 241 using the vacuum transfer robot 110 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 2A. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2B, the wafer 300 is carried into the vacuum transfer chamber 104. Thereafter, the wafer 300 is transferred to the cassette via the lock chamber after being processed in another vacuum processing chamber or not processed.

Next, the routine maintenance procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 removes the solenoid coil 206 and the first high frequency power supply 201 from the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and closes the opening of the base plate 260 connected to the exhaust pump 270 with an exhaust cover 261. FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 5 (b) is a cross-sectional view.

By vacuum sealing the exhaust pump 270 with the exhaust portion cover 261 and operating the exhaust pump 270, the start-up time of the vacuum processing chamber after maintenance can be shortened. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 5 (b) differs in the viewing direction from FIGS. 3 and 4 in order to explain the swing lifter 210. As shown in FIG. That is, in the cross-sectional views shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, it is the view seen from the right in the plan view shown in FIG. 5A, but in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. It is the figure seen from the lower side in the top view. The longitudinal cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 6 to 11 are viewed from the same direction as the cross-sectional views shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the quartz plate 202, the shower plate 203 below it, and the quartz inner cylinder 205 are moved upward and removed. As a result, the gas introduction ring 204 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber. In the inside of the vacuum processing chamber, the portions of the sample pedestal 241 and the support beam of the sample pedestal base 242 are exposed. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the gas introduction ring 204 is moved upward and removed.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8, the discharge block unit 220 including the discharge block base 221 fixed to the movable portion of the swing lifter 210 and the discharge block 224 and the heater 222 mounted thereon is indicated by an arrow 310. After being moved upward about the pivot axis 211, it is horizontally pivoted counterclockwise to move out of the area of the vacuum processing chamber as viewed from vertically above. In the present embodiment, the discharge block unit is turned counterclockwise, but the position of the turning lifter may be changed to the opposite side (right side arrangement in the figure as left side arrangement) to turn clockwise.

The distance for moving the discharge block unit 220 upward is equal to or greater than the height beyond the projection of the earth ring 225. Although it was set to 5 cm in this example, it is not limited to this. When the height of the projection of the earth ring is low, the height at which the O-ring 207 is separated from the discharge block unit 220 or the earth ring 225 is several cm or more. Although the turning angle is 180 degrees, it can be 90 degrees or more and 270 degrees or less. However, in consideration of workability, 180 ° ± 20 ° is preferable. By turning together the discharge related members that are not targets of steady maintenance as the discharge block unit 220, these can be quickly and easily avoided from the top of the vacuum processing chamber. By avoiding the discharge block unit 220, the earth ring 225 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the earth ring 225 and the upper container 230 which is a main steady maintenance target member are moved upward and removed. That is, the upper container 230 can be easily removed in a swappable state.

In the present embodiment, the vacuum dividing wall itself (upper container) constituting the vacuum processing chamber can be replaced. Thus, the maintenance time of the upper container 230 after dismantling the vacuum processing chamber can be minimized.

When maintenance is performed, the first gate valve is closed and the second gate valve is opened. By closing the first gate valve 111 and bringing the vacuum transfer chamber 104 into a vacuum sealed state, processing in another vacuum processing chamber becomes possible, and a drop in the operation rate of the vacuum processing apparatus can be minimized. . On the other hand, the upper container 230 and the valve box 115 can be separated by opening the second gate valve 112.

The upper container 230 was removed after removing the screw that fixed the upper container 230 and the base plate 260 at the flanges. The movement of the discharge block unit was performed by the control device that controls the swing lifter. This control device may be dedicated to the swing lifter, or may be incorporated as part of the control device for the entire vacuum processing apparatus. By removing the upper container 230, the ring portion of the sample table base 242 is exposed in addition to the sample table 241 and the support beam.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the sample stand unit 240 including the sample stand base 242 fixed to the movable part of the swivel lifter 210, the sample stand 241 mounted thereon and the sample stand bottom cover 245, is shown by arrow 320. As shown in the figure, after moving upward around the pivot axis 211, the substrate is horizontally pivoted in the counterclockwise direction to move out of the area of the vacuum processing chamber as viewed from vertically above. In this embodiment, the sample stage unit is pivoted counterclockwise, but the position of the pivot lifter may be changed to the opposite side (rightward disposition in the figure to leftward disposition) to pivot clockwise.

The distance for moving the sample stand unit 240 upward is equal to or more than the height at which the O-ring 207 is peeled off from the sample stand unit 240 or the lower container 250. Although it was set to 2 cm in this example, it is not limited to this. In addition, it is desirable that the turning angle be set to be the same as that of the discharge block unit 220. Thus, the total area of both the discharge block unit 220 and the sample table unit 240 can be reduced when viewed from above vertically.

By rotating together the sample stage related members that are not targets of steady maintenance as the sample stage unit 240, these can be quickly and easily avoided from the top of the vacuum processing chamber. The movement of the sample stand unit 240 was performed by the control device that controls the swing lifter. This control device may be dedicated to the swing lifter, or may be incorporated as part of the control device for the entire vacuum processing apparatus. By avoiding the sample stand unit 240, the lower container 250 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber. In addition, the entire surface of the exhaust cover 261 is exposed.

Subsequently, after removing the screw fixing the lower container 250 and the base plate 260 at the flange portion, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower container 250 which is a main steady maintenance target member is moved upward and removed.

That is, the lower container 250 can be easily removed in a swappable state. Thereby, the maintenance time of the lower container 250 after dismantling the vacuum processing chamber can be minimized.

After the lower container 250 is removed, the surface of the base plate 260 and the surface of the exhaust cover 261 are inspected and maintained. Since the exposed portion of the base plate 260 is covered by the lower container 250, the reaction product is less attached, and the upper surface of the exhaust cover 261 is disposed under the sample table when processing the object to be treated. Although there is little adhesion of reaction products, they can be cleaned as needed. Since there is no wall or the like (obstruction obstacle for maintenance) constituting the vacuum processing chamber around the base plate 260, the work efficiency of maintenance of the worker 400 (not shown in FIG. 10B) can be improved.

After cleaning, inspection / maintenance, and replacement (especially, upper and lower containers) of members to be regularly maintained, they are assembled in the reverse order of the above description and subjected to vacuum processing.

Next, the procedure of non-stationary maintenance will be described. The target members of the unsteady maintenance are mainly the members constituting the discharge block unit 220 and the members constituting the sample stand unit 240.

In the case of the members constituting the discharge block unit 220, as shown in FIG. 8, after lifting the discharge block unit 220 upward and turning horizontally, inspection / replacement of the heater 222 from the desired direction, discharge block Maintenance such as inspection and cleaning of the inner wall of 224 can be performed. Since the discharge block unit 220 is avoided from the other members constituting the vacuum processing chamber, the working efficiency can be improved.

In the case of the members constituting the sample stand unit 240, as shown in FIG. 10, the sample stand unit is lifted upward and turned horizontally, and then the lid of the sample stand bottom is removed as shown in FIG. 11 (b) It is possible to perform maintenance of various power cords, wiring of sensors, parts for temperature control, etc. from a desired direction. The internal space of the support beam is used to control the temperature of the wiring board used for electrostatically attracting the workpiece to the sample table, the wiring cord used for applying a high frequency bias to the sample table, and the temperature of the sample table And at least one of the wiring cords used for detecting the temperature of the sample table and the wiring cords for the refrigerant and the sample table, which are also targets for unsteady maintenance.

In the case where the discharge block unit 220 is an obstacle to the operation, it can be turned clockwise in the area where the vacuum processing chamber is disposed or in the vicinity thereof as viewed from above vertically. Thereby, the working efficiency of the sample stand unit 240 can be improved. In addition, by appropriately shifting the swing angles of the discharge block unit and the sample table unit, both units can be simultaneously maintained, so that the working efficiency is improved.

In the present embodiment, the discharge block unit and the sample stand unit are lifted upward and then turned horizontally, but may be lifted horizontally and drawn linearly in the horizontal direction. This allows the movement range to be minimized. In addition, the configuration of the moving mechanism can be simplified. However, turning in the horizontal direction is advantageous in securing a working space for maintenance.

Further, in the present embodiment, not only the upper container but also the lower container is replaced, but a liner (cover) may be attached so as to cover the inner surface of the lower container, and the liner may be replaced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the swing lifter is one, and the discharge block unit and the sample stand unit are swung in the same direction. However, if the work area can be secured, two swing lifters are provided, respectively in different directions. It can also be turned. By providing a swing lifter for the discharge block unit and a swing lifter for the sample table unit, the height of each unit can be freely set. In addition, since more workers can be arranged, simultaneous progress of work can be easily performed, work can be completed in a short time, and work efficiency is improved.

In the above embodiment, the components other than the discharge block unit and the sample table unit, which are moved using the swing lifter, are moved manually. However, a hoist or the like such as a crane may be used.

Next, modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components denoted with the same reference numerals as those of the embodiment have the same configurations as those of the embodiment and perform the same operations and functions, so the description will be omitted unless particularly necessary.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, etc., the base plate 260 is fixed on the support 280, and the cylindrical lower container 250 is sequentially stacked on the base plate 260, the ring sample base 242 with the support beam, the cylinder The upper container 230 is connected to the valve box 115 fixed on the support 280 with the O-ring 207 interposed therebetween, between the internal space and the outside air. Is hermetically sealed. In addition, the discharge block base 222 and the sample stand base 242, which ascend and swivel during maintenance, are fastened to the movable portion of the pivot lifter 210, and the pivot lifter 210 is mutually fastened to the support 280 using bolts and screws. .

That is, it is in contact with the upper container 230 so that the space between the inner container and the outside air is airtightly sealed, and is in contact with the outer wall of the upper container 230 having a cylindrical outer shape. When the valve box 115 having a curved surface united with the central axis 290, the discharge block base 222, the upper container 230, and the sample table base 242 are attached to the apparatus body and their positions are fixed, in these arrangements. Since the support 280 is fixed to these parts directly or via the base plate 260, the support 280 serves as a reference for determining the position.

Moreover, when replacing | exchanging the valve box 115 and the turning lifter 210 by failure etc., the operation | work of maintenance, such as the replacement | exchange, is possible by isolate | separating each with the support | pillar 280. In this example, the order of attaching the base plate 260, the valve box 115, and the pivot lifter 210 to the support 280 again does not matter.

On the other hand, in the modification shown in FIG. 12, as a configuration different from the embodiment, the base plate 260 is connected on the support 280 and the position is fixed, and the cylindrical lower portion is stacked sequentially on the base plate 260 to constitute a vacuum vessel. A container 250, a ring-shaped sample table base 242 provided with a support beam, and a cylindrical upper container 230. The upper container 230 is connected to the base plate 260 by bolts and screws, and the position is fixed. The O-ring 207 is in contact with the O-ring 207, and the space is hermetically sealed between the internal space and the outside air. Furthermore, the pivot lifter 210 is similarly connected to the base plate 260 by bolts, screws, etc., and its position is fixed.

That is, it is in contact with the upper container 230 so that the space between the inner container and the outside air is airtightly sealed, and is in contact with the outer wall of the upper container 230 having a cylindrical outer shape. When the valve box 115 having a curved surface section coinciding with the central axis 290, the discharge block base 222, the upper container 230, and the sample table base 242 are attached to the apparatus main body and their positions are fixed, The base plate 260 serves as a reference member for these positions because it is connected and fixed in position. In such a configuration, in the present example, only the upper end of the support 280 and the base plate 260 are connected and fixed, the structure including the support 280 is simplified, the valve box 115, the discharge block base 222, the upper portion The control of the mounting position of the container 230 and the sample table base 242 is simplified, and as a result, the mounting tolerances of the parts of the device can be easily made within tolerances, and the accuracy of the assembly of the device and the efficiency of the work are improved. .

Moreover, when replacing | exchanging valve box 115 or the turning lifter 210 by failure etc., connection is cancelled | released by each being removed from the base plate 260, and the replacement | exchange becomes possible. Further, when replacing the second gate valve 112 or its drive means, the fastening portion between the second gate valve 112 and the valve box 115 is exposed to the outside of the device, and the operator can Access to the connection between the upper container 230 or the base plate 260 is facilitated, and replacement of the second gate valve is facilitated. In this example, after the base plate 260 is fastened to and connected to the support 280 on the support 280, the valve box 115 and the pivot lifter 210 are attached to the base plate 260 to fix their positions.

Furthermore, in another modified example shown in FIG. 13, as a configuration different from the modified example of FIG. 12, a valve box attached base plate 253 integrally formed with the valve box 115 and the base plate 260 is screw or The position is fixed by fastening with a bolt or the like, and the lower container 250 having a cylindrical shape, the ring-shaped sample table base 242 provided with a support beam, and the upper container 230 having a cylindrical shape are sequentially stacked on the valve box attached base plate 253. The vacuum vessel is constructed.

In this configuration, the cylindrical outer wall surface of the upper container 230 abuts against the valve box base plate 253 and the O-ring 207 so that both are connected, and the space between the inner space and the outer air is airtightly sealed. It is done. Also, the pivot lifter 210 is fastened to the valve box attached base plate 253 and its position is fixed.

That is, when the relative arrangement positions of the valve box attached base plate 253, the discharge block base 222, the upper container 230, and the sample stand base 242 are fixed, the reference base plate is the valve box attached base plate 253. That is, the valve box attached base plate 253 is fastened to the upper end of the support column 280 by screws or bolts and the positions of both are fixed, and the discharge block base 222, upper container 230, and sample stand base 242 are fixed with respect to the valve box attached base plate 253. It is not the structure which is connected and these are directly connected with the support | pillar 280. For this reason, the structure of the support 280 can be simplified, and it is easy to realize this with the dimensions within the allowable tolerance.

Also, when replacing the second gate valve 112, the fastening portions of the second gate valve 112 and the valve box attached base plate 253 are exposed to the worker, and the access of the connecting portion or connecting portion between them It is easy to carry out parts replacement, maintenance and inspection. Further, by integrating the base plate 260 and the valve box 115, although the structure of the component alone becomes complicated, there are merits such as an improvement in positional accuracy of each component and a reduction in the number of components.

Moreover, although the ECR type vacuum processing apparatus was used as a vacuum processing apparatus in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to an ICP type apparatus and the like. Further, although the vacuum processing apparatus provided with the vacuum processing chambers arranged in the link method is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a cluster type device.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the object to be treated has a large diameter, the uniformity of the treatment is good (coaxial axisymmetric exhaust) and only by steady maintenance. Thus, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of efficiently performing non-stationary maintenance.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace part of one configuration with another configuration, and it is also possible to add another configuration to one configuration.

100 ... vacuum processing apparatus, 101 ... atmosphere block, 102 ... vacuum block, 104, 104-1, 104-2 ... vacuum transfer chamber, 105 ... lock chamber, 106 ... atmosphere Transport chamber, 107: Cassette base, 108: Transport intermediate chamber, 109: Atmospheric transport robot, 110, 110-1, 110-2: Vacuum transport robot, 111: First gate valve 112: second gate valve 115: valve box 200, 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, 200-4: vacuum processing chamber 201: first high frequency power source 202: Lid member (quartz plate), 203: shower plate, 204: gas introduction ring, 205: quartz inner cylinder, 206: coil, 207: O ring, 210 ..・ Swirl lifter , 211: rotation axis, 220: discharge block unit, 221: discharge block base, 222: heater, 223: first temperature controller, 224: discharge block, 225: 225 Earth ring, 230: upper container, 240: sample stage unit, 241: sample stage, 242: sample base base, 243: second high frequency power source, 244: second temperature controller Sample cover bottom cover 250 Lower part container 260 Base plate 261 Exhaust part lid 262 Cylinder 263 Base plate with valve box 270 Exhaust Pump, 280: post, 290: central axis, 300: object to be treated (wafer, sample), 310: moving direction of discharge block unit, 320 ... direction of movement of the sample stage unit, 400 ... worker.

Claims (8)

A vacuum transfer chamber, a vacuum processing chamber connected to the vacuum transfer chamber, a base plate having an exhaust opening, and a plurality of members vertically stacked on the base plate to form a space having a cylindrical shape inside Between the vacuum transfer chamber and the vacuum processing chamber, the position thereof is fixed and attached to the base plate, and is airtightly connected to the outer wall of the vacuum processing chamber, and the vacuum processing chamber And a valve box having a gate valve for opening and closing a gate disposed on the outer wall of
A sample stage unit having a ring-shaped sample stage base provided with a plurality of containers of the vacuum processing chamber, a sample stage on which an object to be treated is placed, and a support beam connected to and supporting the sample stage. An upper container which is removably disposed on the sample table unit with respect to the sample table unit and which has the gate and whose outer wall is airtightly connected to the valve box, and the upper container on the upper container A discharge vessel which is removably disposed to surround a portion of the space where the plasma is formed;
A plurality of vacuum seals disposed between the base plate, the sample stage unit, and the upper container, for hermetically sealing between the outside of the vacuum processing chamber and the inside of the space, and an outer peripheral portion of the base plate The sample base unit and the discharge unit container are connected to each other with the position fixed and attached and having an axis in the vertical direction, and the sample stand unit and the discharge unit are arranged vertically along the axis. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: directional movement and at least one lifter configured to be movable close to or away from the valve box.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
A horizontal direction in which the lifter rotates around the axis to move away from the valve box after moving up and down to move either the connected sample table base or the discharge part container upward along the axis. Vacuum processing equipment to move.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
With the sample stage unit moved horizontally to a position close to the valve box by the lifter, the upper container brings its outer wall into contact with the valve box to position it relative to the valve box and the base plate Vacuum processing unit to which is fixed.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The upper container is positioned relative to the valve box and the base plate after the discharge unit container is horizontally moved to a position above the upper container and in proximity to the valve box by the lifter. A vacuum processing apparatus which moves downward along the axis of the lifter with respect to the upper container and is stacked on the upper container and positioned relative to the valve box and the base plate to constitute the space.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
One of the horizontally movable units connected to both the sample stand unit and the discharge unit container and vertically moved along one axis and closely connected to or separated from the valve box Vacuum processing device equipped with a lifter.
The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The vacuum transfer chamber has another gate for transferring the object to be processed to and from the vacuum processing chamber, and another gate valve for opening and closing the first opening, and the upper container of the vacuum processing chamber Is a second opening disposed on the side wall of the upper container and communicating the inside with the outside, wherein the valve box is connected to the outside sidewall of the upper container around the gate of the upper container to communicate with the inside With the space sealed between the outside and the inside, the space inside thereof has the gate valve for opening and closing the gate and connects between the gate of the upper container and another gate of the vacuum transfer chamber Vacuum processing equipment.
In the vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A vacuum comprising a lower container in which the plurality of containers are arranged so as to be airtightly sealed in and out between the base plate and the sample table base of the sample table unit and which are removably arranged with respect to the base plate Processing unit.
In the vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the exhaust opening is disposed directly below the sample table.

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