JP3453223B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a processing device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a multi-chamber processing apparatus capable of continuously performing a plurality of processing steps.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor manufacturing process, a product is completed by repeatedly performing a plurality of processing steps such as film forming processing and etching processing on an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer and an LCD substrate. Therefore, recently, it is possible to continuously perform a plurality of processing steps on an object to be processed by comprising a plurality of processing units and performing individual processing on the object to be processed in each processing unit. A possible multi-chamber type processing device is drawing attention from the viewpoints of large-scale processing and improvement of throughput.

For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-157870, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of substrate processing chambers 2 having a separation chamber 200 as a center and a gate valve 201 interposed therebetween.
There is disclosed a typical multi-chamber type processing apparatus in which 02s are radially arranged and the separation chamber 200 has functions of passing a substrate, distributing the substrate to each substrate processing chamber, and temporarily retaining the substrate. . However, in the radial arrangement type multi-chamber type processing apparatus as described above, the transfer system 203 is concentrated in the separation chamber 200, and when the number of arranged processing chambers is large or the processing speed in each processing chamber is high. In this case, the transport system 203 of the separation chamber 200
There is a risk that the throughput cannot be reduced because the processing cannot be completed by only using it. Further, the number of processing chambers that can be arranged is limited due to the shape of the separation chamber 200, and the degree of freedom in design is low. Furthermore, when many processing chambers are to be arranged, the separation chamber 2 in the center is
00 itself must be made large, the installation space must be expanded, and a large capacity clean room must be built inevitably, leading to an increase in initial cost. at the same time,
The increase in the load on the vacuum exhaust system was not negligible. Furthermore, when arranging different types of substrate processing chambers, there has been a problem of cross contamination between the processing chambers.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-28863 and 3
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 161929, etc., as shown in FIG. 12, a transfer passage 210 is provided, and a plurality of processing devices 212 are sequentially arranged on the side of the passage 210 via a gate valve 211. A processing device is disclosed. According to such a method, when the number of processing chambers to be arranged is large, the volume of the transfer passage 210 (that is, equivalent to the separation chamber 200) can be reduced as compared with the radial arrangement method, but the transfer is still performed. Passage 2
Due to the shape of 10, the number of process chambers that can be arranged is limited, and thus the degree of freedom in design was low. Further, although it is smaller than the radial arrangement method, since the volume of the transfer passage 210 is still large, the load on the vacuum exhaust system was large.

Further, as a method different from the above-mentioned radial arrangement type and passage arrangement type, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-59354 discloses that a processing apparatus is constructed by combining processing chambers in which a plurality of transfer systems are arranged. Although a processing apparatus that improves and simplifies the configuration is disclosed, since it is necessary to arrange a plurality of transfer systems in each processing chamber, the flexibility of design increases as the number of processing chambers arranged increases. Besides, there is a problem that the transfer system is wasted and a wasteful transport system is generated.

In particular, when an attempt is made to construct a multi-chamber type processing apparatus for processing a large-diameter wafer of 8 inches or more, for example, a 12-inch wafer or a large object to be processed such as an LCD substrate, Expanding the installation space and clean room volume due to the large size is a serious concern,
Development of a processing device that saves space and has a high degree of freedom in layout is desired.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional multi-chamber type processing apparatus, and its object is to provide a vacuum processing chamber and a vacuum transfer chamber. By unitizing the airtight relay chamber and the loader / unloader chamber, the cost can be reduced, and the cost can be freely designed and arranged according to the type and number of processing steps required for the processing equipment or the conditions of the installation space. Can be carried out without enormous increase in size, and its layout can be easily changed, and the volume of the vacuum transfer chamber can be increased or the vacuum can be increased even when a large number of vacuum processing devices are incorporated. The load on the vacuum exhaust system for the transfer chamber does not increase, and during the transfer of auxiliary processes such as simple pre-processing, post-processing, inspection and alignment processes. Hodokosuru it is possible, furthermore as possible solve the problem of cross-contamination, is to provide a processing apparatus of a new, multi-chamber system with improved.

[0008]

To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing units are provided.
Comprising, by subjecting each individual processing to the object to be processed at the respective processing units, wherein a processing device capable of continuously performing a plurality of processing steps with respect to the object to be processed, each The processing unit includes a vacuum processing chamber for performing individual processing on the object to be processed, and carries the object to be processed.
A gate valve is provided in the vacuum processing chamber with a feeding means.
A vacuum transfer chamber that is detachably connected via a cable
In combination with a transport unit, the transport unit and the processing unit
The processing units are configured to be paired with each other, and the processing units are detachably connected to the vacuum transfer chamber via an airtight relay chamber that is detachable via an airtight connection means. A featured processing device is provided. Also,
It is preferable that the vacuum transfer chamber is configured to be connectable to an in / out unit including a loader / unloader chamber via one or more gate valves, and the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum transfer chamber, and the airtight relay chamber are It is also possible to provide a vacuum exhaust system that can be individually controlled.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, it includes a plurality of processing units, by carrying out each individual processing to the object to be processed at the respective processing unit, successively to the target object a processing apparatus capable of performing a plurality of processing steps, each processing unit includes a vacuum processing chamber for performing the individual processing to the object to be processed, wherein
The vacuum processing chamber is equipped with a means for transporting an object to be processed.
Vacuum transfer that is detachably connected via the gate valve of
In combination with a transport unit having a chamber, the transport unit
And the processing unit are paired with each other,
At least the processing unit , the transfer unit, a relay unit detachably connectable to the vacuum transfer chamber via an airtight connection means, and 1 or 2 in the vacuum transfer chamber.
It is configured by selecting and combining an arbitrary unit from a unit group including a loading / unloading unit for loading / unloading a target object into / from the vacuum transfer chamber, which is detachably connected through the above gate valve, and is provided in each unit. Further, the processing device is characterized in that the size of the opening for communication with other units is common, and the units can be connected to each other through a common airtight connection means. It should be noted that each of the units may be provided with a vacuum transfer system that can be independently controlled.

According to another aspect , a plurality of processing units, a plurality of transport units, and a plurality of relay units are provided.
For example, by subjecting each individual processing to the object to be processed in the respective processing units, wherein a processing device capable of continuously performing a plurality of processing steps with respect to the object to be processed, each The processing unit includes a means for conveying the object to be processed.
Equipped with a gate valve to the processing unit
Combination with the transport unit detachably connected
And the transport unit and the processing unit form a pair.
And the processing units are connected to each other by the relay.
Connect the transport unit in any direction via the unit
It can be arranged in any manner by
A processing device is provided. It should be noted that each of the units may be provided with a vacuum transfer system that can be independently controlled.

Further, in each of the above processing devices, the airtight relay chamber is provided with an object carrying means, an object inspecting means,
It is possible to install a device such as a temperature adjusting means for the object to be processed, a positioning means for the object to be processed, a processing gas supply means, a buffer mechanism capable of temporarily retaining one or more objects to be processed.

Further, as the vacuum processing chamber constituting the above processing unit, for example, a pretreatment device (for example, a heating device, an etching device, etc.), a film forming device (for example, a sputtering device, a CVD device, a vacuum evaporation device, etc.). ), An etching device, a post-treatment device (for example, a heating device, etc.) can be employed.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes at least first and second processing units.
At least first and second transport units, and at least one
It is composed of one relay unit and at least one input / output unit. Each said processing unit comprises a processing casing having at least one opening through which each of said substrates can pass, means for supporting each of said substrates within said processing casing, and said substrate of said substrate within said processing casing. And means for performing semiconductor processing. Each of the transport units includes a transport casing having at least four openings through which each of the substrates can pass, and a transport arm for transporting each of the substrates arranged in the transport casing. . The first and second processing units are detachably connected to the first and second transport units, respectively, through joints, and the joints are capable of opening and closing adjacent openings of the two units in an airtight manner. Can be connected. For example, they are hermetically connected by screwing means. The relay unit is
There is provided a relay casing having at least two openings through which each of the substrates can pass, and a mounting table for mounting each of the substrates arranged in the relay casing. Further, the first and second transport units are connected to the relay unit via a joint, and the joint can openably and airtightly connect adjacent openings of the two units. The loading / unloading unit has a loading / unloading casing having at least one opening through which each of the substrates can pass, and a lifting unit for lifting and lowering at least one cassette for loading the substrates at a distance in the loading / unloading casing. It has and.
The first transport unit is connected to the input / output unit via a joint, and the joint can openably and airtightly connect adjacent openings of the two units. The respective openings of the processing, transport, relay unit, and loading / unloading unit are arranged so that the units are connected in a direction with a unit angle of substantially 90 degrees, and the substrate transport direction is substantially 90. It is oriented in degrees. Each of the casings of the processing, transfer and relay unit forms a vacuum chamber, and among the openings thereof, an opening that is not connected to the openings of other casings is hermetically closed by a blind plate.

A substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is at least selected from a plurality of processing units, a plurality of transfer units, a plurality of relay units, and a plurality of loading / unloading units. Two processing units,
It is formed by connecting at least two transport units, at least one relay unit, and at least one loading / unloading unit via a joint. Each of the units comprises a casing having one or more openings through which each of the substrates can pass, the joint being configured to openably and airtightly connect adjacent openings of the two units. It The openings of the units are arranged such that the units are connected in a direction substantially in units of 90 degrees.
The transport direction of the substrate is oriented with an angle of substantially 90 degrees as a unit. Each of the casings of the processing, transport and relay unit forms a vacuum chamber, of which the opening is
The openings that are not connected to the openings of the other casings are closed by a blind plate in an airtight manner. Each processing unit comprises at least one opening, means for supporting each of the substrates in its casing, and means for performing semiconductor processing on each of the substrates in its casing. Each transfer unit includes at least four openings and a transfer arm for transferring each of the substrates arranged in the casing thereof, and each transfer unit has at least one processing unit. Are connected via the joint. Each relay unit includes at least two openings and a mounting table for mounting each of the substrates arranged in its casing, and each relay unit has at least one transport unit. Are connected via the joint, and at least one relay unit is interposed between the two transport units. Each loading / unloading unit includes at least one opening and an elevating unit for raising and lowering at least one cassette for loading the plurality of substrates at intervals in the casing thereof. Is connected to at least one transport unit via the joint.

In each of the above embodiments, an inert gas supply system and an exhaust system may be connected to each of the casings so that the internal pressure can be controlled independently. Further, the casing of the inlet / outlet unit may be formed as a vacuum chamber, the inert gas supply system and the exhaust system may be connected, and the internal pressure may be independently controlled. The cassette may be configured to be supplied to the in / out unit while being housed in a container filled with an inert gas. In that case, the container includes a container body having an open end and a bottom plate that closes the open end of the container body and mounts the cassette, and the loading / unloading unit cooperates with the container body. Further comprising means for forming a closed space, the bottom plate being moved from the container body by the elevating means in a state where the closed space is formed,
It can be configured to take the cassette from the container into its casing. The joint connecting the units may be a gate valve having a common mounting dimension. The relay unit has an angle of 180 degrees.
Direction or two directions forming two angles of 90 degrees can be configured. Further, the relay unit may be configured to include means for performing at least one accessory process selected from the group of inspection, position adjustment, temperature adjustment, and film formation on the substrate. The casing of the loading / unloading unit may have two openings, and the elevating means may elevate the two cassettes. Another input / output unit that is substantially the same as the input / output unit may be configured to be connected to the second transport unit via a joint. It is preferable that each unit is basically designed so that a floor area of N reference squares (N is a positive integer of 4 or less) is provided as an installation space.

Next, the structure of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the processing device is in a state of being disassembled into each basic unit. The basic unit is mainly composed of a large-sized processing unit U1, a transport unit U2, a straight-ahead relay unit U3, and an in / out unit U4 capable of accommodating two cassettes.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure,
The processing device is in a state of being disassembled into each basic unit. In the processing apparatus of this embodiment, in addition to the basic units U1 to U4 used in the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a small-sized processing unit U5, a transport unit U6 for mounting the processing unit U5, and a relay for direction change. Unit U
7, an in / out unit U8 capable of accommodating one cassette is used as an additional basic unit.

Each of the units U1 to U8 is determined depending on the size of the semiconductor wafer W which is the substrate to be processed.
It is basically designed so that a floor area that is a low positive number multiple (4 or less in the embodiment) of the reference square RS (L × L) having one side of L is provided as an installation space. In other words, in the plan view, each of the units U1 to U8 is N times (N times the reference square RS whose one side can be defined by the grid of the orthogonal coordinate system is L).
Is a positive integer, and in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, N = 1,
The area of 2, 4) is given substantially.

From another perspective, each unit U1 to
U8 are connected one after another in a direction in which a unit of angle of 90 degrees is substantially used, and the transport direction of the semiconductor wafer W which is a substrate to be processed is oriented in a unit of angle of substantially 90 degrees. That is, the transport path of the semiconductor wafer W, which is the substrate to be processed, is formed so as to substantially advance, recede, or bend in either the left or right direction at an angle of 90 degrees. More specifically, three adjoining units are connected at an angle of 0 ° and 180 ° to form a substantially linear transport path, or 9
The conveyance paths are connected at an angle of 0 degree or 270 degrees and form a conveyance path that bends at a substantially right angle.

Each of the units U1 to U8 includes a casing 2 having a pressure resistant structure having a single or a plurality of openings 4, and a flange 6 is provided in each opening 4. When the openings 4 are hermetically closed via the flanges 6, the casings 2 form vacuum chambers. A line from an inert gas supply system 7 and a line from an exhaust system 8 (see FIG. 3) are individually connected to the casing 2 of each of the units U1 to U8. Therefore, in a state where each casing 2 forms a vacuum chamber, each vacuum chamber corresponding to each unit U1 to U8 can be independently set to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere.

Each of the units U1 to U8 is connected to an airtight joint and a gate valve GV which functions as an opening / closing means. The flanges 6 of the units U1 to U8 have common dimensions so that the same gate valve GV can be mounted, and therefore, the gate valve G used in the present processing apparatus is the same.
V consists of substantially identical valves. However, each valve may have a different set breakdown voltage depending on the required breakdown voltage in each part. In addition, each unit U1 to U8
The apertures 4 of 4 also have the same aperture dimensions.

The opening 4 which is not used for connection between the units U1 to U8 is hermetically closed by a blind plate BP attached to the flange 6.

Two large processing units U are provided in the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and one in the processing apparatus shown in FIG.
1 is provided. In the processing unit U1, the above-mentioned one side is L
It is designed assuming that a square in which the reference squares RS of 2 are arranged in 2 × 2 is an installation space. That is, the units U1 to U
When 8 units are connected and assembled, a standard square RS of 2 × 2 minutes is required to install the processing unit U1. However, the length of one side of the casing 2 of the processing unit U1 is 2
It is much smaller than L.

The processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is provided with two small processing units U5. The processing unit U5 is
It is designed by assuming one of the reference squares RS as an installation space. If the substrate to be processed is small, or if the processing contents are few with auxiliary equipment, such a small size processing unit U
5 is also available.

The casings 2 of the processing units U1 and U5 both have a substantially square planar shape, and one opening 4 is formed on one side surface of the casing 2 with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. In the casing 2 of the processing units U1 and U5, a mounting table 10 for mounting the semiconductor wafer W is arranged at the center. The mounting table 10 has a lift pin (not shown) that can be moved up and down to assist loading and unloading of the wafer W. The two processing units U1 shown in FIG. 1 or the processing units U5 shown in FIG. 2 perform the same processing content or different processing content, for example, film forming processing and etching processing, respectively. can do. The configurations of the processing units U1 and U5 corresponding to each processing content will be described later in detail.

The planar shape of the processing unit U1 may be a shape other than a square, such as a rectangle, a circle, or a polygon. It is also possible to provide a plurality of openings 4.

Each of the large size processing units U1 is connected to a substantially identical transport unit U2. Further, the two small-sized processing units U5 are combined into one transport unit U6.
Connected to. Transport units U2 and U6 are standard square R
It is designed by assuming a rectangle in which S is arranged in 1 × 2 as an installation space. That is, the casing 2 of each of the transport units U2 and U6 has a rectangular planar shape.

Five openings 4 are formed in the casing 2 of the transport unit U2, and more specifically, one opening 4 is formed on both end faces and one side face with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. A pair of openings 4 is formed on the other side surface with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. On the other hand, the casing 2 of the transport unit U6 is formed with six openings 4, and more specifically, one opening 4 is formed on both end faces with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. A pair of openings 4 are formed on the surface with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. The openings 4 of the transport units U2 and U6 are substantially 9
It is desirable that there be at least four in total, one in each of four directions at an angular interval of 0 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport units U2, U
In the casing 2 of 6, an expandable and contractible transfer arm 12 is arranged. The transfer arm 12 includes arm elements 14a and 14 and a fork 16 which are connected via a link mechanism. The transfer arm 12 is not only expanded and contracted by the drive unit 18, but also vertically moved. The transfer arm 12 transfers the wafer W between the units U1 to U8 via the openings 4 of the transfer units U2 and U6.

The processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a relay unit U3 which connects two transport units U2 so as to form a linear transport path. In the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, it is necessary to form a curved conveyance path at an angle of 90 degrees.
Relay unit U that connects two transport units U2 and U6
7 are provided. The relay units U3 and U7 are designed by assuming one of the reference squares RS as an installation space. That is, the casing 2 of the relay units U3 and U7 has a square planar shape.

Casing 2 of relay unit U3 for straight traveling
In this case, one opening 4 is formed on each of the two opposing surfaces with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry. On the other hand, in the casing 2 of the relay unit U7 for direction change, one opening 4 is formed on each of the two adjacent surfaces with the vertical center line as the axis of symmetry.

In the casing 2 of the relay units U3 and U7, a mounting table 20 for mounting the semiconductor wafer W is arranged at the center. The mounting table 20 has a lift pin (not shown) that is vertically movable to assist loading and unloading of the wafer W. Relay units U3 and U7
Can not only temporarily store the wafer W between the two transfer units U2, but can also have arbitrary functions such as inspection of the wafer W, temperature adjustment, heat treatment, and alignment. For example, at the left end of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the relay unit U3 is incorporated not for connecting the transport unit U2 but for utilizing the attached function.

The processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has substantially the same two units so as to be connected to the two transport units U2, respectively.
One entry / exit unit U4 is provided. Exit unit U4
Is designed on the assumption that a rectangle formed by arranging the reference squares RS by 1 × 2 is set as an installation space, and is formed so that two wafer cassettes C can be introduced. A plurality of, for example, 25 semiconductor wafers W are stored in each wafer cassette C. On the other hand, in the processing device shown in FIG.
Two in-and-out units U8 are arranged so as to be connected to the respective six. The loading / unloading unit U8 is designed on the assumption that one of the reference squares RS is used as an installation space, and is formed so that one wafer cassette C can be introduced.

As shown in the figure, two access units U4, U
When 8 is used, one is usually used to take the unprocessed wafer W into the system and the other is used to take the processed wafer W out of the system. But,
In the case where one wafer cassette C of one loading / unloading unit U4 is used to load the unprocessed wafer W into the system, and the other wafer cassette C is used to load the processed wafer W out of the system. is there. In addition, one wafer cassette C may be used to handle both pre-processed and post-processed wafers W at the same time.

The wafer cassette C prevents the natural oxide film from being formed on the surface of the wafer W after the surface cleaning.
It is conveyed to this processing apparatus in a state of being contained in an airtight cassette container 152 filled with an inert gas. The loading / unloading units U4 and U8 are configured so that the wafer cassette C in such a sealed state can be loaded into the casing 2 thereof without exposing it to the outside air.

More specifically, the cassette container 152 is
It is provided with a rectangular container body 154 having an open end at the bottom and a removable bottom plate 156 that hermetically closes the open end.
The bottom plate 156 is a flange 158 at the bottom of the container body 154.
Is airtightly attached to the lower surface of the via a sealing material 160 such as an O-ring. The container 152 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen having a high degree of cleanliness, which is set to a positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure in a state where the cassette C is accommodated. For this reason, a valved nozzle (not shown) for introducing gas is connected to the container 152.

Inside the peripheral surface of the bottom plate 156, a plurality of lock pins 162 are arranged so that they can project and retract, and these engage with the recesses formed in the inner wall of the lower portion of the container body 154. The lock pin 162 is connected to a disc 164 built in the center of the bottom plate 156, and the rotation of the disc 164 allows the lock pin 162 to be engaged with and disengaged from the recess of the container body 154. A recess 166 for rotating the disc 164 is formed at the bottom of the disc 164.

On the other hand, an opening 174 is formed in the top plate 170 of the casing 2 of the loading / unloading units U4 and U8 for mounting the cassette container 152. Opening 17
4 is a ball screw 172 which is opened and closed by a lid 176 which is vertically driven in the casing 2 of the in-out unit U4, U8. A plurality of pins 178 projecting upward are arranged in the center of the upper surface of the lid 176. These pins 178 are attached to the rotary drive body 180 incorporated in the lid 176 and can be engaged with the recesses 166 of the bottom plate 156. . That is, the recess 166
When the rotary driver 180 rotates with the pin 178 engaged with the disk 164, the disc 164 of the bottom plate 156 also rotates, and the lock pin 162 can engage and disengage from the container body 154.

A plurality of clamps 182 are arranged on the top surface of the top plate 170 around the opening 174. The clamp 182 engages with the upper surface of the flange 158 of the container body 154 and presses the container body 154 against the top plate 170 of the casing 2. The container body 154 is attached to the top plate 170 of the casing 2.
A sealing material (not shown) such as an O-ring is provided between the two members to hermetically seal between the two members.

In the loading / unloading units U4 and U8 having such a structure, when the unprocessed wafer W is loaded into the processing apparatus,
First, the cassette container 152 is placed at a predetermined position on the top plate 170. Next, the clamp 182 rotates to fix the container body 154 to the top plate 170 in an airtight state. Next, the rotation driving body 180 of the lid 176 rotates, and the lock pin 162 is released via the disc 164 of the bottom plate 156 of the cassette container 152. Next, when the lid 176 descends, the bottom plate 156 and the wafer cassette C descend while leaving the container body 154 on the top plate 170. That is, the cassette C is loaded into the casing 2 of the loading / unloading units U4 and U8, and the unprocessed wafer W can be received by the transport arm 12 of the transport unit U2.

When the processed wafer W is to be taken out of the processing apparatus, the wafer cassette in which the processed wafer W is loaded in the container body 154 fixed to the top plate 170 is reversed by the procedure reverse to the above. Store C. In this case, if the casing 2 of each of the loading / unloading units U4 and U8 is filled with an inert gas, the cassette C of the processed wafer W can be stored in the cassette container 152 with the inert gas filled therein.

In this way, the present processing apparatus is capable of handling the unprocessed wafer W from the unprocessed wafer W to the unprocessed wafer W.
Since the self-contained closed space that is not affected by the external atmosphere is formed, it is not necessary to install the present processing apparatus in a sophisticated clean room. That is, since it is not necessary to provide a high-capacity, high-quality clean room for accommodating the present processing apparatus, it is possible to significantly reduce the initial cost for constructing the present processing apparatus.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, the relay unit U
A specific example of No. 3 (U7) will be described in detail. The relay unit U3 shown in FIG. 4 includes a mounting table 23 in an airtight casing 21 made of stainless steel or aluminum. A lift pin 24 that can move up and down is installed in the mounting table 23. The lift pins 24 move up when the wafer W is received, move down after receiving the wafer W from a predetermined transfer arm, and place the wafer W on the mounting surface of the mounting table 23. A wafer fixing means such as an electrostatic chuck can be provided on the mounting surface of the mounting table 23, if necessary.

The mounting table 23 may be equipped with a cooling jacket 25 capable of supplying and circulating a coolant such as liquid nitrogen from a coolant source (not shown). Cooling jacket 2
The cold heat transfer from 5 also allows the wafer W to be cooled to a desired temperature. A heating means 26 such as an infrared lamp may be placed above the wafer W, and it is possible to heat the temperature of the wafer W to a desired temperature. As described above, the relay unit U3 can be provided with a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the loaded wafer W to a desired temperature. For example, in the former processing unit, the heat-treated wafer W can be cooled to room temperature during transportation, or the wafer W being transported can be heated for simple annealing. As the heating means 26, an electric resistor built in the mounting table 23 can be used instead of the infrared lamp.

The relay unit U3 is provided with an inspection device 27, for example, a radiation incidence interferometer, a capacitance type inspection device, a Fizeau interferometer, a photoelectric type inspection device, an ultrasonic type inspection device, etc. It is also possible to measure and inspect the surface shape, such as flatness, warpage, and thickness. Further, if necessary, an optical densitometer, a visible ultraviolet spectrophotometer, an infrared spectrophotometer, a scanning tunneling electron microscope,
Auger electron microscope, stylus type film thickness meter, ellipsometer,
It is also possible to inspect the physical properties of the wafer W in detail by installing a scanning electron microscope, EPMA, foreign matter inspection device, and the like. With such a configuration, the defect inspection of the processed wafer W can be performed during transportation, and when a serious defect is found, the subsequent process can be omitted and the defective wafer W can be unloaded outside the apparatus. Note that the relay unit U3 shown in FIG. 4 shows a radiant-incidence interferometer as an example of the inspection device 27, and reflects the irradiation light of a specific wavelength emitted from the light emitting element 27a on the surface of the wafer W. Light receiving element 27
Light is received at b, and the state of the surface of the wafer W is inspected by the interference waveform.

A processing gas introduction system 29 is connected to the relay unit U3, if necessary. This makes it possible to introduce a predetermined gas, for example, nitrogen gas, form a nitride film on the surface of the processed wafer W, and protect the processed surface.
Furthermore, the mounting table 23 of the relay unit U3 is provided with position adjusting means for the wafer W, if necessary. As a result, the wafer W can be unloaded to the subsequent processing unit after being aligned by the relay unit in advance.

It is also possible to install a cassette that can be raised and lowered within the relay unit U3 and use it for temporary storage of up to about 25 wafers.

The auxiliary functions that can be provided in the relay unit U3 are not limited to the above-mentioned contents, and any processing that can be performed during the transfer of the substrate to be processed from the previous processing step to the subsequent processing step, It can be one or more functions for performing inspection, position adjustment, temperature control, etc.
On the contrary, the relay unit can be configured as a simple relay chamber in which all the attached functions are omitted and the pressure can be controlled independently of other units. In the straight-ahead relay unit U3, the two openings 4 are arranged to face each other, but in the direction-changing relay unit U7,
The two openings 4 are arranged so as to form an angle of 90 degrees.

Next, specific examples of the processing units U1 and U5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

FIG. 5 shows a magnetron type sputtering apparatus used as the processing units U1 and U5. As shown in the figure, the sputtering apparatus 40 includes an airtight barrel-shaped casing 41 made of stainless steel, aluminum, or the like. In the casing 41, the cathode 4 is
2, the target 43, the collimator 44, and the anode 45 are arranged to face each other. The anode 45 also serves as a mounting table for mounting and fixing the semiconductor wafer W which is the substrate to be processed, and the wafer W is fixedly mounted on the mounting surface by the chuck 46.

A variable DC high voltage power supply 47 is connected to the cathode 42 made of a conductive metal. During the sputtering process, a glow discharge is generated between the cathode 42 and the anode 45 by applying a DC power of 10 to 20 KW, for example. Then, the ion particles collide with the target 43 bonded to the lower surface of the cathode 42 to disperse the sputtered particles,
The processing surface of the wafer W placed at a position facing the target 43 is attached. A rotatable permanent magnet 48 is installed above the cathode 42. With the permanent magnet 48, the cathode 4
An orthogonal electromagnetic field is formed in the vicinity of 2, and secondary ions are trapped, which promotes ionization. By adjusting the arrangement and / or the shape of the permanent magnet 48, it is possible to adjust the variation in the formed film thickness. A cooling jacket 49 is incorporated in the cathode 42, and the temperature rise of the cathode 42 and / or the target 43 is suppressed by circulating a cooling medium such as cooling water.

On the lower part of the casing 41, a mounting table 45 made of a conductive metal such as aluminum and also serving as an anode is mounted. The mounting table 45 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and can be raised and lowered by an elevating mechanism 50. A heating device 51 such as a heater is incorporated in the mounting table 45, and the wafer W can be heated to a desired temperature, for example, 200 ° C. Wafer W
Nitrogen gas or the like can be supplied to the back surface of the heater via the pipe line 52 to improve the heat transfer characteristics from the heating device 51.

A collimator 44 is installed between the cathode 42 / target 43 and the anode (mounting table) 45. The collimator 44 is formed by forming a large number of small holes having a honeycomb or circular cross section on a disk made of a conductive metal such as stainless steel. An insulating member such as ceramics is attached to the periphery of the collimator 44, and the inner wall of the casing 41 and the seal 5
It is electrically insulated from 3 etc. and is kept in an electrically floating state during the process. In the casing 41, a shield 53 made of, for example, stainless steel is formed so as to surround a space where the sputtered particles fly from the cathode 42 to the anode (mounting table) 45.
The inner walls of the are protected from sputtered particles. The shield 53 is grounded to the ground potential and also acts as a kind of counter electrode during the process.

A processing gas introduction pipe 55 for supplying a desired processing gas from the gas source 53 through the mass flow controller 54 is connected to the casing 41. As the predetermined processing gas, for example, an inert gas such as argon is introduced from the first pipeline 55a, and a reactive gas such as nitrogen is introduced from the second pipeline 55b. An exhaust port 56 is provided below the casing 41, and the inside of the casing can be evacuated to a desired pressure by a vacuum pump (not shown) such as a dry pump.

FIG. 6 shows a plasma etching apparatus 71 used as the processing units U1 and U5. The etching apparatus 71 has a cylindrical or rectangular airtight casing 72 made of a conductive material such as aluminum. A substantially cylindrical mounting table 74 for mounting the wafer W is housed in the bottom of the casing 72 via an insulating material 73 such as ceramics. The mounting table 74 can be configured by assembling a plurality of members formed of aluminum or the like with bolts or the like. Table 7
A heat source means such as a cooling means 75 and a heating means 76 is internally provided at 4, and the processing surface of the wafer W can be adjusted to a desired temperature.

The cooling means 75 is composed of, for example, a cooling jacket or the like, and a cooling medium such as liquid nitrogen can be introduced into the cooling jacket 75 through a refrigerant introducing pipe 77.
The introduced liquid nitrogen circulates in the cooling jacket 75, during which nucleate boiling produces cold heat. With this configuration, for example, the cold heat of liquid nitrogen at −196 ° C. is transferred from the cooling jacket 75 to the wafer W via the mounting table 74, and the processing surface of the wafer W is cooled to a desired temperature. The nitrogen gas generated by the nucleate boiling of liquid nitrogen is discharged from the container through the refrigerant discharge pipe 78.

A heating means 76 such as a temperature adjusting heater is arranged on the mounting table 74. The temperature adjusting heater 76 is formed by inserting a conductive resistance heating element such as tungsten into an insulating sintered body such as aluminum nitride. The resistance heating element receives desired power from the power source 81 via the filter 80 via the power supply lead 79 to generate heat, heats the temperature of the processing surface of the wafer W to a desired temperature, and controls the temperature.

The mounting table 74 is in the form of a disk having a convex upper surface center portion, and the electrostatic chuck 82 is mounted on the central upper surface, for example.
Are substantially the same diameter as the wafer W, and preferably have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the wafer W. The electrostatic chuck 82 is composed of an electrostatic chuck sheet in which a conductive film 82c such as a copper foil is sandwiched between two films 82a and 82b made of a polymer insulating material such as a polyimide resin as a surface for mounting and holding the wafer W. To be done. The conductive film 82c is connected to the variable DC voltage source 85 by a voltage supply lead 83 via a filter 84 that cuts high frequencies midway, for example, a coil. Therefore,
By applying a high voltage to the conductive film 82c, the wafer W can be adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the upper film 82a of the electrostatic chuck 82 by Coulomb force. As the chuck means for holding the substrate to be processed, instead of the electrostatic chuck 82, for example, a mechanical chuck means for mechanically holding the substrate to be processed such as an annular clamp member which can be moved up and down is used. it can.

Heat transfer gas supply holes 86 are concentrically formed in the electrostatic chuck sheet 82. Heat transfer gas supply hole 86
A heat transfer gas supply pipe 87 is connected to the heat transfer gas supply unit 87, and heat transfer gas such as helium is supplied from a gas source (not shown) to a minute space formed between the back surface of the wafer W and the chuck surface of the electrostatic chuck 82. The heat transfer efficiency from the mounting table 74 to the wafer W can be improved.

An electrostatic chuck 82 is provided around the mounting table 74.
An annular focus ring 87 is arranged so as to surround the outer circumference of the upper wafer W. The focus ring 87 is made of an insulating or conductive material that does not attract reactive ions, and acts so that the reactive ions are effectively incident only on the semiconductor wafer W inside.

A power feeding rod 88 formed of a hollow moving body is connected to the mounting table 74, and a high frequency power source 90 is connected to the power feeding rod 88 via a blocking capacitor 89. During the process, for example, high frequency power of 13.56 MHz is applied to the mounting table 74 via the power feeding rod 88. With this configuration, the mounting table 74 acts as a lower electrode,
Glow discharge is generated between the wafer W and the upper electrode 91 provided so as to face the wafer W, the processing gas introduced into the casing is turned into plasma, and the substrate to be processed is subjected to etching processing by the plasma flow.

The upper electrode 91 is arranged above the mounting surface of the mounting table 74 and spaced from it by about 10 to 20 mm. The upper electrode 91 is formed hollow, and the processing gas supply pipe 92 is connected to the hollow portion. A predetermined processing gas, for example, an etching gas such as CF4 is introduced from a supply pipe 92 from a processing gas source 93 through a flow rate controller (MFC) 94. A baffle plate 95 having a large number of small holes for promoting uniform diffusion of the processing gas is arranged in the middle of the hollow portion. Below the baffle plate 95, a processing gas introduction part 97 made of a plate member having a large number of small holes 96 formed therein is installed as a processing gas ejection port.

Below the casing 72, an exhaust port 98 communicating with an exhaust system such as a vacuum pump is provided, and the inside of the casing can be evacuated to a predetermined pressure, for example, 0.5 Torr. A baffle plate 99 having a plurality of baffle holes is provided between the mounting table 74 and the inner wall of the casing 72 so as to surround the mounting table 74. The baffle plate 99 is also referred to as a protect ring or an exhaust ring, and serves to regulate the flow of the exhaust flow and uniformly exhaust the processing gas and the like from the inside of the casing 72.

FIG. 7 shows a single-wafer thermal CVD apparatus 111 used as the processing units U1 and U5. C
The VD device 111 has a substantially cylindrical airtight casing 112 that can be evacuated to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere. A shower head 114 having a hollow cylindrical shape is airtightly provided at the center of a ceiling surface 113 of the casing 112.
A processing gas supply pipe 115 is connected to the upper portion of the shower head 114, and a flow rate controller (MFC) is connected to the processing gas source 116.
A predetermined process gas is introduced into the showerhead 114 via 117. The gas ejection port 11 is provided on the lower surface of the shower head 114, that is, the surface facing the mounting table 118, which will be described later.
A plurality of 9 are drilled. The processing gas introduced from the processing gas introduction pipe 115 into the shower head 114 is evenly ejected toward the mounting table 118 in the casing 112 through the gas ejection port 119.

An exhaust pipe 121 communicating with an exhaust means 120 such as a vacuum pump is provided near the bottom of the casing 112. By operating the exhaust means 120, the casing 112
Can be set and maintained at a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, for example, 10 −6 Torr. The bottom of the casing 112 is composed of a bottom plate 123 supported by a substantially cylindrical support body 122. Inside the bottom plate 123, the cooling water reservoir 12
4 is provided, and the cooling water supplied by the cooling water pipe 125 circulates in the cooling water reservoir 124.

The mounting table 118 is provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate 123 via the heater 126, and the heater 126 and the mounting table 11 are provided.
The periphery of 8 is surrounded by a heat insulating wall 127. Table 1
A wafer W is placed on the wafer 18. The heat insulation wall 127 is
Its surface is mirror-finished to reflect radiant heat from the surroundings and to be insulated. The heater 126 is formed by burying a substantially strip-shaped heating element in an insulator in a predetermined pattern, for example, a spiral shape. The heater 126 is the casing 11
2 Heat is generated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 400 ° C. to 2000 ° C., by a voltage applied from an AC power supply (not shown) installed outside, and the wafer W placed on the mounting table 118 is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 800 ° C. maintain.

An electrostatic chuck 128 for attracting and holding the wafer W is provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 118.
The electrostatic chuck 128 has a conductive film 128c such as a copper foil between two films 128a and 128b made of a polymer insulating material such as polyimide resin as a surface for mounting and holding the wafer W.
It is composed of an electrostatic chuck sheet sandwiching. A variable DC voltage source (not shown) is connected to the conductive film 128c. In this way, by applying a high voltage to the conductive film 128c, the upper film 128a of the electrostatic chuck 128 is formed.
The wafer W can be adsorbed and held on the upper surface of the substrate by Coulomb force.

A heat transfer medium supply pipe 129 penetrating the bottom plate 123 is fitted in the center of the mounting table 118. The heat transfer medium such as He gas supplied through the flow path 130 connected to the tip of the heat transfer medium supply pipe 129 is the electrostatic chuck 128.
Is supplied to the back surface of the wafer mounted on the mounting surface.

A detection unit 132 of a temperature sensor 131 is arranged in the mounting table 118 and sequentially detects the temperature inside the mounting table 118. Based on the signal from the temperature sensor 131,
By suppressing the power of the AC power supply supplied to the heater 126, the mounting surface of the mounting table 118 can be controlled to a desired temperature.

In the substantially annular space created by the outer periphery of the heat insulating wall 127, the outer periphery of the bottom plate 123, the outer periphery of the support 122, and the inner periphery of the side wall 133 of the casing 112, the mounting table 118 is provided. A lifter 134 for raising and lowering the wafer W placed on the placement surface is provided.

Next, an embodiment of a multi-chamber type processing apparatus using the above processing apparatus as the processing unit U1 and configured to form a wiring material in a contact hole will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, a processing unit U1a is an etching unit having a structure of an etching apparatus 71, processing units U1b and U4c, and first and second sputtering units having a structure of a sputtering apparatus 40, and the processing unit U1d is a CVD apparatus. 11
1 is a CVD unit having a structure of 1.

As described in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the processing units U1a, U1b, U1c and U1d has a dedicated transfer unit U2 (reference numeral U2a, reference numeral U2a in FIG. 8) via the gate valve GV. U2b, U2c, and U2d), and the transfer units U2 are connected to each other via a gate valve GV to a relay unit U3 (reference numeral U3 in FIG. 8).
a, U3b, U3c). The transport units U2a and U2d at the left and right ends of FIG. 8 are respectively connected with the in-out unit U4 (indicated by symbols U4a and U4b in FIG. 8) via the gate valve GV. As described above, the inert gas supply system and the exhaust system are individually connected to each of the units U1 to U4 so that a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere can be set independently. The unused portion of the transport unit U2 is hermetically closed by the blind plate BP.

Next, by using the multi-chamber type processing apparatus shown in FIG. 8, through holes are formed in the interlayer insulating film made of the silicon oxide film formed on the silicon wafer W, and the wafer W including the inside of the through holes is formed. The operation when the titanium film / titanium nitride film / tungsten film is formed as the wiring material will be briefly described.

First, the wafer cassette C loaded with unprocessed wafers W is introduced into the loading / unloading unit U4a on the left side in the above-described manner. Next, one wafer W is taken out from the wafer cassette C introduced into the left-hand loading / unloading unit U4a by the transfer arm 12 of the transfer unit U2a, and predetermined positioning is performed based on the orientation flat formed on the wafer. The wafer W is loaded into the etching unit U1a.
Next, the counter electrodes 74 and 91 of the etching unit U1
(See FIG. 6) A voltage is applied between them to generate glow discharge, the processing gas is turned into plasma, and the interlayer insulating film is etched using the ion species and active species of this plasma to form through holes.

After the etching process is completed, the transport unit U2
By the transfer arm 12 of a, the etching unit U1a
The wafer W is taken out from and loaded into the relay unit U3a. For example, ozone is introduced into the relay unit U3a, and the substrate to be processed after the etching process is subjected to ashing as a post-process. In the relay unit U3a,
If necessary, ancillary processing such as predetermined inspection, temperature control, and alignment is performed.

After the accessory processing in the relay unit U3a is completed, the transfer arm 12 of the transfer unit U2b takes out the wafer W from the relay unit U3a and carries the wafer W into the first sputtering unit U1b. Next, the wafer W is heated to a desired temperature, for example, 200 ° C., on the mounting table 45 (see FIG. 5) of the first sputtering unit U1b. Next, a high voltage DC of 10 to 20 KW, for example, is applied between the electrodes 42 and 45 to cause glow discharge, and an inert gas such as argon is turned into plasma. Then, the ion particles collide with the target 43 made of titanium bonded to the lower surface of the cathode, and the repelled titanium particles are deposited on the processed surface of the wafer W facing the target 43. In this way, a titanium film is formed as an ohmic contact layer on the wafer W including the inside of the through hole formed by etching.

After the titanium film is formed, the transfer arm 12 of the transfer unit U2b takes out the wafer W from the first sputtering unit U1b and carries it into the relay unit U3b.
In the relay unit U3b, ancillary processing such as predetermined inspection, temperature adjustment, and alignment is performed as necessary.

After the auxiliary processing in the relay unit U3b is completed, the transfer arm 12 of the transfer unit U2c takes out the wafer W from the relay unit U3b and carries the wafer W into the second sputtering unit U1c. Next, the wafer W is heated to a desired temperature, for example, 200 ° C., on the mounting table 45 (see FIG. 5) of the second sputtering unit U1c. Next, a high voltage DC of 10 to 20 KW, for example, is applied between the electrodes 42 and 45 to cause glow discharge, and the nitrogen gas is turned into plasma. Then, the ion particles collide with the target 43 made of titanium bonded to the lower surface of the cathode to nitride the repelled titanium particles, and the target 4
The processed surface of the wafer W facing the wafer No. 3 is attached. In this way, a titanium nitride film is formed as a barrier layer on the already formed titanium film.

After forming the titanium nitride film, the transport unit U2c
Of the second sputtering unit U1c by the transfer arm 12 of
The wafer W is taken out from and loaded into the relay unit U3c. In the relay unit U3c, ancillary processing such as predetermined inspection, temperature adjustment, and alignment is performed as necessary.

After the attachment process in the relay unit U3c is completed, the transfer arm 12 of the transfer unit U2d takes out the wafer W from the relay unit U3c and carries the wafer W into the CVD unit U1d. Next, the wafer W is heated to a desired temperature, for example, 800 ° C., on the mounting table 118 (see FIG. 7) of the CVD unit U1d. Next, a tungsten-containing gas is introduced into the casing 112 to perform CVD.
By the method, a tungsten film is formed on the titanium nitride film already formed. In this way, the wiring material composed of the titanium film / titanium nitride film / tungsten film is formed on the wafer W including the inside of the through holes.

After forming the titanium nitride film, the transport unit U2d
The wafer W is taken out from the CVD unit U1d by the transfer arm 12 and the processed wafer W is inserted into the wafer cassette C of the right-side loading / unloading unit U4b. The wafer cassette C is loaded with the processed wafers W and then taken out from the processing apparatus. Although not shown, it is also possible to provide a further relay unit U3 on the other side of the transport unit U2d at the last stage and configure the processing apparatus to inspect the film formation state at the relay unit. is there. It is also possible to provide another processing unit and configure the processing apparatus to perform post-processing such as etch back.

Further, according to the present invention, by changing the direction of the transfer path so as to avoid various obstacles, it is possible to design a multi-chamber type processing apparatus in various modes according to given conditions. it can.

For example, in the embodiment whose layout is shown in FIG. 9, the multi-chamber type processing apparatus is formed in a zigzag type so as to avoid the pillar CB and the fixed installation FO.

In the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 9, for example, the upper cassette storage unit U8 for storing one cassette is used as the system inlet, and the lower storage cassette unit U8 for storing one cassette is used as the system outlet. In the embodiment whose layout is shown in FIG. 10, the transport unit U2 and the relay unit U are arranged so that a large number of nine processing units U1 can be accommodated in the length limited by the walls RW at both ends of the room.
3, U-shaped through U7. In the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 10, for example, the right and left two-cassette storage unit U4 is used as the system inlet, and the left-side two-cassette storage unit U4 is used as the system outlet.

As described above, according to the present invention, by connecting the transport units one after another through the relay unit,
A multi-chamber type processing apparatus can be constructed by using an arbitrary number of processing units having arbitrary processing contents. At this time, since the inert gas supply system and the exhaust system required for each base unit are formed separately for each unit, the exhaust system of one specific unit is not overloaded. Therefore, unlike the conventional processing apparatus, the type and number of processing chambers that can be installed are not limited by the shape and capacity of the vacuum transfer system. Further, it is possible to freely add, change, delete, etc. the processing unit after the construction of the multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to the present invention. Moreover, the present processing apparatus forms a self-contained closed space from the loading of the wafer cassette to the loading thereof, and does not need to be arranged in the clean room. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the processing apparatus is extremely high.

Further, according to the present invention, by providing the relay unit with various inspection, alignment, temperature control, and other functions as shown in FIG. 3, various inspections, position adjustments, temperature control, and other processes can be performed during transportation. It is possible to increase the throughput of the system.

Note that, in FIGS. 5 to 7, as the processing unit, a sputtering apparatus, an etching apparatus, a thermal CVD
The apparatus is shown respectively, but in addition to this, as the processing unit, various apparatuses used in semiconductor processing, for example, a plasma CVD apparatus, an RPT (rapid thermal process) apparatus, an annealing apparatus, an ashing apparatus, an oxide film apparatus. , A heat treatment device and the like. Further, as the substrate to be processed for semiconductor processing, in addition to semiconductor wafers, LC
A D board is included.

[0090]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, a processing unit including a vacuum processing chamber and a vacuum transfer chamber, or a processing unit including a vacuum processing chamber, a vacuum transfer chamber, and an airtight relay chamber can be used. It becomes possible to freely connect any number or types through the airtight relay room, increasing the degree of freedom in designing the processing equipment, and processing that can freely respond to the type and number of required processing steps. The device can be constructed. Further, even if the design is changed later, it can be easily dealt with by moving the processing unit. In particular, like the traditional radial arrangement,
The volume of the vacuum transfer chamber does not dramatically increase due to the increase in the number of processing chambers arranged. In addition, unlike the conventional passage arrangement method, it is possible to evacuate a vacuum transfer chamber having a relatively large volume, but it is possible to evacuate each vacuum transfer chamber by an individually controllable vacuum exhaust system. It is possible to significantly reduce the time required for.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, unitization is further promoted, and a vacuum processing apparatus, a vacuum transfer chamber, an airtight relay chamber,
By forming the loader / unloader chamber as a unit and constructing the processing device by combining them, it is possible to further increase the degree of freedom in design and reduce costs by unitizing. At that time, the size of the communication opening for connecting the units is made common, and the respective units are connected to each other through a common airtight connection means, for example, a gate valve, so that the cost of the device can be further reduced and the design can be freely performed. It is also possible to construct a multi-chamber type processing apparatus by connecting vacuum processing apparatuses manufactured by different manufacturers depending on circumstances.

Further, by providing a means for transferring the object to be processed in each airtight relay chamber, it becomes possible to freely transfer the object to be processed between the processing units, and by installing an inspection device in the airtight relay chamber, Various inspection of processed wafers,
For example, it is possible to detect defects at an early stage by inspecting the film thickness, strain, etc., and it is possible to omit useless processing for defective wafers. Further, the airtight relay chamber can be provided with a temperature control means for the object to be processed, and for example, a simple annealing process can be performed in the airtight relay chamber by the heating means. Also, for example, thermal CVD
It is also possible to cool the wafer heated by the apparatus by cold heat transfer from a cooling jacket built in the mounting table. In addition, by installing an alignment device in the airtight relay chamber, it is possible to perform alignment of the object to be processed during transportation. Furthermore, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a predetermined processing gas is introduced and a protective film such as a nitride film is formed on the processing surface of the object to be processed during transportation.
As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to perform a process such as an inspection in the airtight relay chamber in the transfer route,
The throughput of the processing device can be improved.

Furthermore, according to the configuration of the present invention, since the loader chamber / or the unloader chamber can be freely attached to the vacuum transfer chamber, the entire processing apparatus can be designed according to the shape or layout of the loader chamber / unloader chamber. The degree of freedom is not regulated. Of course, if necessary, a processing unit dedicated to the loader / unloader can be configured.

Furthermore, as the vacuum processing chamber constituting the above processing unit, for example, a pretreatment device (eg, heating device, etching device, etc.), a film forming device (eg, sputtering device, CVD device, vacuum deposition). Device), an etching device, a post-processing device (for example, a heating device), and the like, so that it is possible to flexibly meet various needs required for a semiconductor manufacturing device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the processing apparatus is disassembled into respective basic units.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the processing apparatus is disassembled into respective basic units.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between a transport unit and an in / out unit.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing details of a relay unit.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a sputtering apparatus usable as a processing unit.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an etching apparatus usable as a processing unit.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a CVD apparatus usable as a processing unit.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a multi-chamber type processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a conventional multi-chamber type processing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view showing another conventional multi-chamber type processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

BP blind plate GV gate valve U1 processing unit U2 transport unit U3 relay unit U4 entry / exit unit 2 casing 4 openings 6 flange 7 Inert gas supply system 8 exhaust system 10 table 12 Transport arm

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI H01L 21/205 H01L 21/205 21/3065 21/31 A 21/31 21/302 B (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/68 B23Q 7/14 B65G 49/07 C23C 14/56 H01L 21/02 H01L 21/31

Claims (19)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1 further comprising a plurality of processing units, by carrying out each individual processing to the object to be processed at each of its processing units, be subjected to continuous plurality of processing steps to the target object A processing apparatus capable of processing, wherein each of the processing units includes a vacuum processing chamber that performs a separate process on the object to be processed, and the means for conveying the object to be processed.
And a gate valve is provided in the vacuum processing chamber.
And a transfer unit having a vacuum transfer chamber that is detachably connected
In combination with the transport unit and the processing unit.
The processing units are removably connected to the vacuum transfer chamber via an airtight connection chamber that is removable via an airtight connection means. Characterizing processing device. 2. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is a multi-chamber. 3. The vacuum transfer chamber can be connected to an in / out unit including a loader / unloader chamber via one or more gate valves.
Or the processing device according to 2. 4. The vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum transfer chamber, and the airtight relay chamber are each provided with an individually controllable vacuum exhaust system. Processing equipment. 5. comprising a plurality of processing units, by carrying out each individual processing to the object to be processed at each of its processing units, be subjected to continuous plurality of processing steps to the target object A processing apparatus capable of processing, wherein each of the processing units includes a vacuum processing chamber that performs a separate process on the object to be processed, and the means for conveying the object to be processed.
And a gate valve is provided in the vacuum processing chamber.
And a transfer unit having a vacuum transfer chamber that is detachably connected
In combination with the transport unit and the processing unit.
At least the processing unit , the transfer unit, a relay unit detachably connectable to the vacuum transfer chamber via an airtight connection means, and the vacuum transfer chamber. 1 or 2
It is configured by selecting and combining an arbitrary unit from a unit group including a loading / unloading unit for loading and unloading an object to be processed into and from the vacuum transfer chamber, which is detachably connected through the above gate valve, and is provided in each unit. Further, the processing device is characterized in that the size of the opening for communication with other units is common, and the units can be connected to each other through a common airtight connection means. 6. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing apparatus is a multi-chamber. 7. The transport unit is provided with an opening for communication with at least one processing unit, an opening for communication with at least two relay units, and an opening for communication with at least one loading / unloading unit, and an opening that is not used. The processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processing unit is hermetically sealed. 8. The airtight relay chamber has at least two openings for communicating with the vacuum transfer chamber, and the unused openings can be hermetically sealed. The processing device according to any one of 1. 9. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airtight relay chamber is equipped with an inspection unit for inspecting an object to be processed. 10. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airtight relay chamber is provided with a temperature control means for the object to be processed. 11. The airtight relay chamber is provided with a means for aligning an object to be processed.
0. The processing device according to any one of 0. 12. The process according to claim 1, wherein the airtight relay chamber is equipped with a buffer mechanism capable of temporarily retaining one or more objects to be processed. apparatus. 13. The contract according to claim 1, wherein the size of each unit is determined depending on the size of the substrate to be processed.
The processing device according to claim 1 or 5 . 14. The processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processing apparatus is a multi-chamber. 15. A plurality of processing units, a plurality of transport units, and a plurality of relay units are provided, and the individual processing is performed on the object to be processed in each of the processing units, whereby the object to be processed is processed. A processing apparatus capable of continuously performing a plurality of processing steps, wherein each of the processing units includes a transport unit for the object to be processed.
It is also attached to and detached from the processing unit via a gate valve.
In combination with the transport unit connected as possible,
The transport unit and the processing unit are configured to form a pair, and each of the processing units is connected to the transport unit in any direction via the relay unit to form an arbitrary mode. A processing device, which can be arranged. 16. The processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processing apparatus is a multi-chamber. 17. The processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of processing units are arranged in a horizontal row. 18. The processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of processing units are arranged in a zigzag pattern. 19. The plurality of processing units, the processing apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that it is arranged in a U-shape.