JP3830478B2 - Substrate transport system and substrate transport method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying system capable of partially cleaning suitable for sheet type substrate processing equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The carrying system includes a connecting means 7 formed adjoined to a treatment room 3 via a gate valve 6 provided in a load lock chamber 4 adjoined through a gate valve 5, and a storing container 2 of a substrate 11 in which airtightness and carrying are possible and which is connectible to this connecting means 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer system and a substrate transfer method.

  In the conventional semiconductor substrate manufacturing process and liquid crystal substrate manufacturing process, measures against dust and contamination have been taken by providing the manufacturing process in a clean room. Recent microfabrication of semiconductors and liquid crystals, that is, high-density integration, forms a fine pattern that exceeds the conventional design rules, for example, a pattern with a width of 0.35 μm, on the substrate by repeated etching and film formation processes. As a result, there is a demand for further refinement of the minimum allowable size of dust and reduction of the allowable number of particles per unit volume, that is, the class of cleanliness.

  For this reason, clean room cleanliness required for factories has been changed from class 10 to class 1, and the construction and maintenance of clean rooms to achieve this has become very expensive, which is the cause of increased costs for semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates as products. It was. On the other hand, the required cleanliness, for example class 1 to 10, is achieved in a local part within the production equipment, and the external environment where the production equipment is located operates with a moderate cleanness, for example class 1000. The proposal is made.

  However, for this purpose, a substrate to be manufactured, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass plate for a liquid crystal substrate, must be transported between the devices in each manufacturing process through the gentle cleanliness, for example, class 1000, There was a need for measures against garbage during this period.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 “Portable Container with Particle Filtration System”, Patent Document 2 “Computer Aided Discrete Movement System for Performing Consistent Control”, Patent Document 3 “Sealed Standard Interface Device”, Patent Document 4 "Box door actuated cage", Patent Document 5 "Standard mechanical interface device manipulator", Patent Document 6 "Sealable and transportable container with latch mechanism", Patent Document 7 "Article with information In the above publication of “Processing System with Tracking Function”, a substrate to be processed is stored in a cassette, and further stored in a container having an airtight seal mechanism with this cassette to clean the inside of the container. Thus, after performing local cleaning, the containers are transported together between the manufacturing apparatuses. Instead transferred to the cassette together with the substrate in a manufacturing apparatus from a container, waste measures in the transport, is a technique for solving the cleaner issues are discussed.

  However, the method of taking the substrate together with the cassette described in the above publication into the manufacturing apparatus includes lowering the mounting table corresponding to the bottom of the pod on which the cassette is placed in the manufacturing apparatus, There is a problem of an increase in the cost of the manufacturing apparatus that an indexer mechanism for detecting which position of the cassette is stored in the cassette and which position is empty must be added to the conventional manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, since the mounting table is moved in the downward direction, the capacity of the manufacturing apparatus corresponding to this capacity is increased.

Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate manufacturing apparatus are changed from a batch type processing method in which a plurality of substrates are simultaneously introduced into the processing chamber to be processed, and then a branch type processing method in which the substrates are introduced into the processing chamber one by one and processed. Even if a plurality of substrates, for example 25 substrates, are taken into the apparatus even if the cassette is taken into the apparatus, the processing is performed for each branch and leaf, so that most of the substrates in the cassettes have a long standby time and are effective. There is a problem that it is not a technique.
JP-A-1-222429 JP-A-3-67304 JP-T 61-502994 JP-T 63-503259 JP-T 63-500691 Publication Japanese National Patent Publication No. 4-505234 Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 5-50275

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer system and a substrate transfer method suitable for a processing apparatus for processing each wafer, while locally cleaning substrate transfer between processes and taking measures against dust. is there.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides, as a first invention, a substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber for processing a substrate that is held in a vacuum and a substrate, and a load lock chamber connected to a side of the processing chamber. A transport system for transporting a substrate to the processing chamber via a storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, an openable / closable door provided on a side wall of the storage container , the door, and the door An airtight seal that hermetically seals between the storage container and isolates the atmosphere inside and outside of the storage container, and is provided adjacent to the side opposite to the processing chamber side of the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, A connection means for airtightly connecting to the storage container via a door and connecting the substrate processing apparatus and the storage container when the door is opened; and provided between the connection means and the load lock chamber. Gate valve , Provided in the connecting means, wherein in a state where the container is connected to said connection means, an arm of adhering by moving the door relative to the hermetic seal, provided in the load lock chamber, said housing substrates A transfer means for transferring between the container and the processing chamber , wherein the storage chamber is connected to the connection means, the gate valve and the door are opened, and the substrate processing apparatus and the storage container are in communication with each other in, by the conveying means, for each substrate the sheet-like in a horizontal state of the storage container, it can be conveyed into the processing chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, closing the gate valve, and closing the door by the arm The substrate transport system is characterized in that the storage container can be separated from the substrate processing apparatus in a state where the door is in close contact with the hermetic seal.
As a second invention, when the door is closed, the lock mechanism that locks the door and the storage container to keep the storage container airtight, and the lock mechanism that turns the lock mechanism on / off And a substrate transport system.
As a third invention, in the first or second invention, the plurality of substrates are stored in the storage container by storing a cassette storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container. A transport system is provided.
As a fourth invention, there is provided a substrate transfer system according to any one of the first to third inventions , wherein the substrate is a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate.
As a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the storage container is set to a positive pressure rather than an atmospheric pressure by an atmosphere of N ₂ gas, Ar gas, or Xe gas. A featured substrate transport system is provided.
As a sixth invention, there is provided the substrate transfer system according to any one of the first to fourth inventions , wherein the inside of the storage container is set to a positive pressure rather than an atmospheric pressure by clean air.
As a seventh invention, there is provided the substrate transfer system according to any one of the first to sixth inventions , wherein the door is opened and closed by a command from the semiconductor processing apparatus.
As an eighth invention, in the substrate transfer system according to any one of the first to seventh inventions , the cleanliness in the storage container is set to class 0.1 to class 1 during transfer. provide.
As a ninth invention, in any one of the first to eighth inventions , when the inside of the storage container and the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus communicate with each other, the cleanliness in the storage container is determined by the load lock chamber. The substrate transport system is characterized by being determined by the degree of cleanliness.
A tenth invention, in the ninth invention, the cleanness of the load lock chamber when the communication provides a conveying system of the substrate, characterized in that it is set to class 1 to class 10.
As an eleventh aspect of the invention, in a substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber for processing a substrate that is held in vacuum and a load lock chamber connected to a side thereof, the substrate is transferred to the processing chamber via the load lock chamber. A substrate transfer method, wherein a plurality of substrates are stored in a storage container provided with a door through an airtight seal, and the door is closed and the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container is isolated by the airtight seal. A first step of transporting the container; and a door connecting the storage container to a connecting means provided via a gate valve on the opposite side of the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus from the processing chamber side. second and step, open the door by an arm provided in the connecting means in that state, and open the gate valve, communicating said container and said substrate processing apparatus connected in an airtight state via That a third step, the substrate housed in the storage container by the substrate transfer means in the load-lock chamber is taken out for each sheet, a fourth step of conveying to the processing chamber, the processing After a predetermined process is performed in the chamber, a fifth step of storing the processed substrate in the storage container for each sheet by the substrate transfer means , and then closing the gate valve and the arm wherein a sixth step of adhering by moving the door relative to the hermetic seal, the door of the seventh conveying separating the container in a state of being in close contact with the hermetically sealed from the substrate processing apparatus by And a step of transporting the substrate.

  According to the substrate transport system and the substrate transport method configured as described above, a countermeasure for dust is taken using a storage container in which substrate transport between manufacturing processes is locally cleaned. The substrate transport means provided in the manufacturing apparatus can take out the substrate from the storage container for each branch and leaf, and the storage container connected to the manufacturing apparatus communicates as the same vacuum exhaust space when the manufacturing apparatus is evacuated. It can be used as a storage place for the substrate.

  According to the substrate transfer system of the present invention, when a substrate is transferred between the substrate processing apparatuses, a locally clean environment is realized in the storage container, and the cleanness of the substrate is maintained. When the storage container is connected to the substrate manufacturing apparatus, the processing can be performed by inserting the substrate horizontally for each sheet from the side wall of the storage container. Therefore, a mechanism and a space for carrying a plurality of substrates into each substrate processing apparatus can be omitted, and the storage container can be used as an airtight space communicating with the substrate manufacturing apparatus. In addition, it is possible to provide a substrate transfer system that allows the storage container to function as a cassette chamber of the substrate processing apparatus while maintaining the cleanliness of the substrate in the storage container.

  An embodiment of a substrate transport system and a substrate transport method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Examples of the substrate that is an object of the present invention include a semiconductor wafer handled in a semiconductor substrate manufacturing process and a semiconductor inspection process, and a liquid crystal display substrate handled in a manufacturing process and an inspection process of a liquid crystal display device. These substrates are usually manufactured by forming semiconductor elements and electronic circuits on a silicon substrate. However, in addition to silicon, transparent materials such as crystal, quartz, synthetic quartz, and glass may be used as the substrate material. . Furthermore, as long as it is a material capable of forming a semiconductor, various derivatives such as polyimide can be used as a substrate, and an insulating film such as an oxide film or a nitride film is formed on the substrate. A base substrate for forming a semiconductor element or an electronic circuit can be a manufacturing object.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram in which a substrate transfer system according to the present invention is applied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as an embodiment. First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 includes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and a storage container 2 connected to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 as a whole. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 3 and a load lock chamber 4. The processing chamber 3 and the load lock chamber 4 are connected by a gate valve 5.

  The load lock chamber 4 and the storage container 2 are provided on a cluster tool structure including a gate valve 6 provided therebetween, a connection means 7 connected to the gate valve, and a side wall surface of the storage container 2. It is provided so as to be connectable with the door 8.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the above components will be described. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 4 is an apparatus that performs an etching process or a film forming process on a substrate. The processing chamber 3 is configured by an airtight processing container 9, and a mounting table 10 on which the substrate 11 to be processed is mounted is provided in the container 9.

  The processing container 9 is formed of a metal material such as aluminum or SiC, and an inner wall formed of the aluminum is polished, and then an oxide film is formed on the surface thereof. Further, it is configured to prevent dust, particularly heavy metal, from coming into the processing container 9 and adhering to the surface of the substrate 11 and causing a defect in the semiconductor formed on the substrate 11. Further, the processing container 9 is electrically grounded. The mounting table 10 has a structure in which an insulating layer for an electrostatic chuck, for example, quartz, polyimide resin, or ceramics is bonded to the surface of an aluminum base and the substrate 11 is mounted.

  The aluminum base of the mounting table is configured so that, for example, 100 KHz to 500 KHz is applied to the high-frequency power supply via the matching circuit 13 and functions as a lower electrode. Further, the mounting table 10 is provided with an electrostatic chuck for attracting and holding the substrate 11.

  A shower head 14 is provided opposite to the mounting surface of the mounting table 10, and a plurality of gas supply means 15 for supplying a plurality of process gases for processing the substrate 11 are connected to the shower head. It is connected via the open / close valve 16 in the middle of the pipe. A baffle plate for mixing the plurality of process gases and a mix chamber are provided inside the shower head 14.

Further, the shower head 14 is provided with an upper electrode made of a conductive material or a semiconductive material, such as alumina or silicon, and a high frequency power source 17 provided outside, for example, 13.56 MH, is connected to the matching circuit 18. It is comprised so that it may be supplied via. An exhaust port 19 is also opened on the bottom surface of the processing container 9, and an exhaust means 20 provided outside, for example, a combination of a rotary pump and a turbo molecular pump allows the inside of the processing container 9 to be several Torr to 1 × 10 ⁻ It is configured to evacuate to a predetermined degree of vacuum of ⁸ Torr.

  Through the shower head 14, process gas is uniformly supplied to the surface to be processed of the substrate 10 placed on the lower electrode 10, and a high frequency is generated between the upper electrode 14 and the lower electrode 10. When is applied, plasma is generated, and the substrate 10 is configured to perform a predetermined process, for example, etching.

  The processing chamber 3 configured as described above and the adjacent load lock chamber 4 are provided so as to be connectable by a gate valve 5 that automatically opens when a workpiece is loaded. The configuration will be described.

  The load lock chamber 4 has an airtight structure, and a transfer means 21 for transferring the substrate 11 and placing the substrate 11 on the mounting table 10 of the adjacent processing chamber 3 is provided inside. ing. As a method for holding the arm 22 for holding the substrate 11 of the transport means 21, there are a method using vacuum suction or a method using an electrostatic chuck.

Vacuum of the load lock chamber 4, when there is a vacuum of for example 1 × 10 ^-6 Torr to atmospheric pressure, an electrostatic chuck is suitable, if the 10 × 10 ^-1 Torr to atmospheric pressure or higher, the vacuum suction Each can be used. The conveying means 21 is sealed by a magnetic rail at the bottom of the load lock chamber 4 and is connected to a driving means 23 provided outside with a driving shaft capable of rotating / up-and-down X-axis driving or Y-axis driving.

The conveying means 21 is configured to move forward, backward, rotate, and move up and down by the driving force of the driving means 23. Further, an inert gas such as N ₂ , Xe, Ar, or clean air is supplied into the load lock chamber 4 via the opening / closing valve 25 from the gas supply means 24 provided outside. The filter 26 is provided so as to be supplied.

  The filter 26 may be a porous body formed by opening a large number of fine holes similar to a gas showerhead, or a finer sintered body. As a specific example of the sintered body, a material obtained by sintering carbon, SiC, or the like of a garai-like fiber at a high temperature is used. The purpose of providing the filter 26 at the tip of the gas supply port is to prevent the dust in the load lock chamber 4 from being raised until the inert gas or clean air is gently supplied by the filter. The contamination 21 generated from the substrate 11 being transported is to diffuse the material accumulated on the bottom of the load lock chamber 4 to prevent cross contamination that drops onto the other substrate 11. Furthermore, providing a baffle plate that causes the supply gas to collide with the tip of the filter is also effective in achieving the object.

Exhaust means 28 such as a rotary pump is provided at the bottom of the load lock chamber 4 through an exhaust port 27. The exhaust means 28 evacuates the load lock chamber 4 from atmospheric pressure to a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, several tens of Torr to 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ Torr.

  Further, the load lock chamber 4 is made of aluminum, and the inner wall is polished and coated with an oxide film to prevent outgassing from the wall surface and precipitation of heavy metals. The load lock chamber 4 configured as described above and the connecting means 7 adjacent thereto are provided so as to be able to communicate with each other via the gate valve 6, and the storage container 2 is provided so as to be connectable to the connecting means 7. Yes.

  Next, the structure of the connection means 7 and the storage container 2 will be described. The gate valve 6 provided on the side wall of the load lock chamber 4 and capable of opening and closing is provided with the connecting means 7 which is a passage to which a door 8 provided in the storage container 2 can be connected. In this connection means 7, a space is provided as a passage where the transfer means 7 provided in the load lock chamber 4 can hold and transfer the substrate 11.

  The connection means 7 is configured to be airtight, and the storage container 2 has a crotch between the storage container 2 formed by the opening of the gate valve 6 and the door 8 and the load lock chamber 4. The communication space formed in this way is isolated from the outside to form an airtight clean space.

  The storage container 2 has an airtight structure, and a cassette 29 capable of storing a plurality of substrates and a holding means 30 for holding the cassette 29 are provided therein. On the side wall, for example, the side wall surface, of the storage container 2, the door 8 that can be opened and closed and has a closed and airtight mechanism is provided. The size of the door 8 is preferably large enough to carry in and out all the wafers in the accommodated cassette. Here, only the state in which one cassette is stored in the storage container 2 is described, but two, three, or four or more may be used.

The storage container 2 is separated from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and has a structure that can be transported while maintaining the cleanliness of the interior. Details of the structure will be described later. Of course, the inside of the storage container 2 may be a normal pressure state filled with an inert gas such as N ₂ , Xe, or Ar when the container 2 is transported, or a vacuum atmosphere with the inert gas.

  Next, the operation of the substrate transport system configured as described above will be described. The storage container 2 that holds a cassette 29 that stores a plurality of substrates 11 is transported by an automatic transport robot while the door 8 is closed and the internal cleanliness is maintained at, for example, class 1. It is placed adjacent to connection means 7 provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 4 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1.

The atmosphere in the load lock chamber 4 is evacuated by the exhaust means 28, the open / close valve 31 is closed, and then the load lock chamber 4 until the N ₂ gas reaches a predetermined pressure from the gas supply means 24. 4 is supplied. The gate valve 6 and the door 8 are opened, the load lock chamber 4 and the storage container 2 communicate with each other, and the inside is a common N ₂ atmosphere. Next, the transport means 21 in the load lock chamber 4 moves to take out the substrate 11 from the cassette 29 in the storage container 2 and transport it into the load lock chamber 4.

Next, the gate valve 6 is closed, and the load lock chamber 4 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, 1 × 10 ⁻³ Torr. Next, the gate valve 5 is opened, and the substrate 11 held by the transfer means 21 is transferred onto the mounting table 10 in the processing chamber 3.

  After the transfer means 21 is retracted into the load lock chamber, the gate valve 5 is closed and the inside of the processing chamber 3 is evacuated to a predetermined vacuum level. Next, a process gas is supplied into the processing chamber 3, a high frequency voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes 14 and 10, plasma is generated, and a predetermined process is performed on the substrate 11.

  In the processing chamber 3 where the process is completed, the plasma is stopped, evacuated, and replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. Then, the gate valve 5 is opened, and the substrate 11 is transferred from the transfer means 21 to the load lock chamber 4. Carry out to.

Further, after closing the gate valve 5 and replacing the load lock chamber with the N ₂ gas atmosphere, the gate valve 6 is opened, and the substrate 11 is held in the storage container 2 by the transfer means 21. It is returned to the predetermined slot. As described above, the substrate transfer system operates, and this operation is sequentially taken out from the cassette 29 for each branch and leaf to repeat the processing for all the substrates 11 in the cassette 29.

When this series of processing is completed, the gate valve 6 is closed, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is returned to an airtight state, the door 8 of the storage container 2 is also closed, and the storage container 2 has an airtight N ₂ atmosphere. Kept.

  Next, the storage container 2 storing a plurality of processed substrates 11 is held by an automatic transfer robot (not shown) and transferred to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or a semiconductor inspection apparatus in the next step.

  In the substrate transfer system operating as described above, the clean room which is an external environment in the factory where the transfer system is installed can be a clean room with a cleanliness of class 100 to 1000 and a relatively low construction cost. On the other hand, the inside of the substrate storage container of the transfer system realizes a relatively clean internal environment whose local cleanness is about class 0.1 to 1, and cleans the substrate during transfer. In addition, when connecting the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the storage container, the cleanliness in the connected apparatus is matched with the cleanliness in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of class 1 to 10 so that the substrate can be processed throughout the entire process. A series of treatments can be performed in a clean atmosphere protected from dust, dirt, and contaminants in the external environment.

  Next, the main part of one embodiment of the transport system of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a detailed structure of the storage container 2. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  A positioning recess 50 is provided at the bottom of the storage container 2, and the storage container 2 is positioned and transferred to a positioning projection 53 provided on a mounting means 52 of an automatic transfer robot (AGV) 51 (not shown). It is configured to eliminate the misalignment inside. The same positioning convex part is provided at the mounting position of the storage container 2 of each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or semiconductor inspection apparatus, and the position is fixed.

  An arm 54 is provided at the top of the storage container 2 so that the storage container 2 can be transported manually, and at the side, the storage container 2 can be transported by another automatic transport robot. A convex portion (not shown) is provided.

  The storage container 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum, SiC or plastic, and is airtight, and has a space in which the cassette 29 can be stored. The cassette 29 is provided on a side surface. Then, it is conveyed and carried into the storage container 2 through the door 8. A plurality of substrates 11 are placed horizontally on the cassette 29. A suitable example of this substrate mounting method and loading / unloading apparatus is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-47976, “Wafer Detection Apparatus”. At the bottom of the cassette 29, alignment means 56 that can be aligned with the holding means 55 provided in the storage container 2 is provided as a combination of mechanical irregularities, for example, and the cassette is the storage container. 2 and the position of the cassette 29 during the conveyance of the storage container 2 is prevented from being displaced.

  Further, a door 8 that can be opened and closed is provided on the side wall of the storage container so as to be rotatable about a rotation center 57 of the door. A method for moving the door 8 between the opening position A and the door opening position B will be described in detail later. In the door 8, the door 8 includes a permanent magnet 59 (magnet) provided on the inner side of the storage container 2 above the door 8 and an electromagnet 60 provided at a position facing the door 8. A magnet lock is provided at the opening of the door to keep it airtight or to attract and lock it during transportation.

  The electromagnet 60 is provided in the storage container 2 via a wiring 61 and is configured to be controlled ON / OFF by a control system 62 that is transported. Further, at the closing position A of the door 8, a sealing mechanism 63, for example, a rubber O-ring, works to isolate the inside of the storage container 2 from the outside and keep the internal cleanliness at, for example, class 1. It is configured.

  An open / close valve 65 having an opening 64 is connected to a filter 66 in the storage container 2 by piping at the upper part of the storage container 2. The opening / closing valve 65 is controlled by the control system 62 so as to be opened when clean air or inert gas is supplied into the storage container 2 and closed at other times. This clean air or inert gas is sent from the gas supply means 67 provided independently to the outside via the valve 68 to the connection portion 67 having an opening. The connecting portion 167 can be connected to the opening 64, and the supply of the clean air or the inert gas into the storage container 2 is performed prior to the transfer by the automatic transfer robot 51.

  Next, a valve 70 is connected to the lower side of the storage container 2 via an exhaust port 69, and an opening 71 is provided in the valve 70. The valve 70 is controlled by a control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 so as to be opened when evacuating the storage container 2 and closed at other times.

  This evacuation is configured so as to be performed when the exhaust unit 72 provided independently outside is connected to a discharge part 74 having an opening connected via a valve 73.

  As described above, the storage container 2 is configured. Next, the operation of the storage container 2 will be described. The door 8 of the storage container 2 storing a plurality of unprocessed substrates 11 is closed and airtight. The inside of the storage container is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, and then clean air or an inert gas is introduced to maintain the predetermined degree of vacuum. The storage container 2 separated from the exhaust unit 72 and the gas supply unit 67 is transferred by an automatic transfer robot 51 (AGV) and connected to a predetermined semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. Next, the process of opening, communicating and processing with the load lock chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is as described above.

  Next, referring to FIG. 3, a method of communication between the storage container 2 and the connection means 7 provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 4 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, and a door provided in the storage container 2 A method of opening and closing and a method of optical communication between the storage container 2 and the outside will be described. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the storage container 2 is connected to the connecting means 7. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The storage container 2 is transferred to a mounting means 100 provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and capable of moving up and down by an automatic semiconductor robot 51 (AGV). The door 8 of the storage container 2 is connected to the opening of the connection means 7 at the opening position A. The connection means 7 and the side wall of the storage container 2 are hermetically sealed by airtight seals 101, 101, for example, metal rings. Keep connected. The control system 62 provided on the upper part of the storage container 2 is arranged so as to be opposed thereto, and is configured to be able to communicate light with the information reading / writing device 102 provided in the connection means 7. .

  The detailed configuration of the control system 62 will be described later. The information reading / writing device 102 always emits an optical signal, and when a predetermined signal code is returned as an optical communication from the control system 62, the information reading / writing device 102 assumes that the storage container 2 is connected. A signal is sent to the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus electrically connected to the apparatus 102. When the control system 103 transmits the opening signal of the door 8 to the control system 62 as an optical signal via the information reading / writing device 102, the control system 62 locks the door 8. It is configured so that the door 8 can be opened by turning off the electromagnet 60 which is a magnet lock.

  Further, the bottom wall of the connecting means 7 is sealed with magnetic sealing means, and the airtight connecting means 7 is provided in such a manner that the arm 104 connects the inside and the outside of the container. The arm is driven by a drive mechanism 105 provided outside, and is configured to rotate and move up and down. A hook 105 is provided inside the connecting means 7 of the arm 104 so that the door 8 of the storage container 2 is held at the opening position A and moved to the opening position B by driving the arm 104. It is configured.

  Further, the information reading / writing device 102 acquires information on the substrate 11 accommodated from the storage device in the control system 62 by optical communication, and transmits the information to the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Based on the information, the control system 103 controls the transport means 21 in the load lock chamber 4 to take out the substrate 11 placed on the cassette 2 for each branch and leaves the processing chamber 3. Transport. For the storage container 2 storing the substrate 11 for which a series of processing has been completed, the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus terminates the processing to the control system 62 by optical communication via the information reading / writing means 102. When transmitted, the control system 62 turns on the electromagnet 60. At the same time, the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus issues a command to the drive mechanism 105 as a signal, drives the arm 104, moves the door 8 at the opening position A, and seals the storage container 2 in an airtight manner. State.

  Next, the hook 105 releases the holding of the arm 58 so that the storage container 2 can be disconnected from the connection means 7. Next, the automatic transfer robot 51 (AGV) holds and conveys a convex portion (not shown) provided on the side surface of the storage container 2 and transfers the storage container 2 to the next manufacturing process or inspection process. . As described above, the storage container 2 is configured, and the door 8 is opened and closed and optical communication with the outside is performed.

  Next, the control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the information reading / writing device 102 and the control system 103 in the control system 62 and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus example of the storage container 2. The same components as those in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. A control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 indicated by a broken line includes a calculation CPU, a ROM 201 storing a control program and data, a read / write data storage RAM 202, and a power supply 203 that constantly supplies power to these electronic circuits. , An optical communication control (protocol) LSI 20, an I / O 205 for driving the optical communication module 206 by this LSI, and an I / O 207 for turning ON / OFF the electromagnet 60 that opens and closes the magnet lock of the door. ing.

  The information reading / writing device 102 on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus side disposed opposite to the control system 62 is provided with an optical communication module 208, an I / O 209 for driving the module, and an optical communication LSI (protocol) 210.

  Next, the operation of the optical communication system configured as described above will be described. Since the control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 communicates with the external information reading / writing device 102 by optical communication in a non-contact manner, compared with a case where electrical connection is performed by a mechanical part such as connector connection. Dust and dust are not generated, and heavy metal dust is not generated, which is suitable for a semiconductor manufacturing process.

  In addition, since the backup power supply 203 of the electronic circuit is provided, the control system can be always activated and maintained in an active state, which is suitable for external communication control. Further, the plurality of valves 65 and 70 for setting the atmosphere inside the airtight container are performed by the I / O 211 as designated by the CPU 200 based on optical communication from the outside, so that the configuration is suitable for automation.

  Further, the control of the magnet lock that opens and closes the door 8 provided inside the airtight storage container 2 is controlled by the sheet metal of the CPU 200 so that the electromagnet 60 is turned on / off. It is possible to command opening and closing of the magnet by optical communication. The optical communication system operates as described above.

  According to the embodiment described above, in the transfer system for storing the substrate and transferring between the manufacturing apparatuses, the substrate can always be placed in a local clean space, and the external transfer space can be made clean. It is possible to configure a low-cost and low-cost clean room. Further, since the substrate transfer system is configured to be able to take out and take in each branch and leaf in accordance with the branch and leaf processing, there is no need for a transfer device for transferring the substrate to the manufacturing apparatus for each cassette. It is not necessary to provide a new space for storing the inside of the manufacturing apparatus, and the exclusive floor area of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced to achieve cost reduction.

Furthermore, although the connection to the manufacturing apparatus has been described as an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can also be applied to a transfer system between a stocker for storing a plurality of storage containers 2 side by side and the manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, the pressure in the storage container 2 can be set optimally for the manufacturing process, for example, by reducing the pressure in the N ₂ atmosphere and matching the pressure in the load lock chamber connected beforehand, for example, 1 × 10 ⁻³ Torr. It can also be transported.

On the contrary, the N ₂ atmosphere is set to a positive pressure rather than atmospheric pressure to prevent air from being mixed into the storage container 2, and the storage container 2 is decompressed prior to connection to the load lock chamber. It is also possible to communicate with the load lock chamber after being closer to the atmospheric pressure. In addition to the N ₂ gas, the storage container is set in a desired gas atmosphere, such as CO ₂ gas, Xe gas, Ar gas, etc., which is optimal for the process, and the film quality formed on the surface of the substrate being transported is set. Management and reaction promotion are also possible.

It is a conceptual diagram of the board | substrate conveyance system which is one Example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the principal part of the conveyance system of the board | substrate which is one Example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the principal part of the conveyance system of the board | substrate which is one Example of this invention. It is a block diagram regarding the optical communication of the board | substrate conveyance system which is one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 2 Storage container 3 Processing chamber 4 Load lock chamber 7 Connection means 8 Door
11 Board
29 cassettes
60 electromagnet
62 Control system
63 Sealing mechanism
101 airtight seal

Claims (11)

In a substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber for processing a substrate that is held in vacuum and a load lock chamber connected to a side thereof, a transfer system that transfers the substrate to the processing chamber via the load lock chamber. ,
A storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates;
An openable / closable door provided on a side wall of the storage container;
An airtight seal that hermetically seals between the door and the storage container and isolates the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container;
The substrate processing apparatus is provided adjacent to the opposite side to the processing chamber side of the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus , and is hermetically connected to the storage container via the door, and the substrate processing apparatus is opened when the door is opened. Connecting means for communicating with the storage container;
A gate valve provided between the connection means and the load lock chamber;
An arm that is provided in the connection means and moves the door against the hermetic seal in a state where the storage container is connected to the connection means; and
A transfer means provided in the load lock chamber, for transferring the substrate between the storage container and the processing chamber ;
The storage chamber is coupled to the connection means, the gate valve and the door are opened, and the substrate processing apparatus and the storage container are in communication with each other, and the substrate in the storage container is horizontally placed by the transfer means. each single-like, transportable and will into the processing chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, closing the gate valve, and in a state in which the door closes the door by the arm is brought into close contact with the hermetic seal, the receiving container Can be separated from the substrate processing apparatus.   A lock mechanism that locks the door and the storage container when the door is closed to maintain an airtight state of the storage container; and a lock mechanism on / off unit that turns the lock mechanism on and off. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1.   3. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of substrates are stored in the storage container by storing a cassette storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container. The substrate transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate. The receiving container, by either atmosphere N ₂ gas or Ar gas or Xe gas, to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is set to a positive pressure above atmospheric pressure The board | substrate conveyance system of description. 5. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1 , wherein the inside of the storage container is set to a positive pressure rather than an atmospheric pressure by clean air. The substrate transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the door is opened and closed according to a command from the semiconductor processing apparatus. 8. The substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the cleanliness in the storage container is set to class 0.1 to class 1 while the storage container is being transported. 9. Conveying system. Wherein when the storage container and the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus is communicating is cleanliness of the storage container from claim 1, characterized in that it is determined by the cleanliness of the load lock chamber The board | substrate conveyance system of any one of Claim 8 . 10. The substrate transfer system according to claim 9 , wherein the cleanliness in the load lock chamber at the time of communication is set to class 1 to class 10. A substrate transport method for transporting a substrate to the processing chamber via the load lock chamber in a substrate processing apparatus having a processing chamber for vacuum processing and processing a substrate, and a load lock chamber connected to a side thereof. And
A plurality of substrates are stored in a storage container provided with a door through an airtight seal, and the storage container is transported in a state where the door is closed and the atmosphere inside and outside of the storage container is isolated by the airtight seal. Process,
A second container for connecting the storage container in an airtight state through the door to a connection means provided adjacent to the load lock chamber on the side opposite to the processing chamber side of the substrate processing apparatus through a gate valve ; Process ,
In this state, the third step of opening the door by the arm provided in the connection means and opening the gate valve to communicate the storage container and the substrate processing apparatus;
A fourth step of taking out the substrate stored in the storage container for each sheet by the substrate transfer means provided in the load lock chamber, and transferring the substrate to the processing chamber ;
After a predetermined process is performed in the processing chamber, a fifth step of storing the processed substrate by the substrate transport unit in the storage container for each sheet,
Thereafter, the closing the gate valve, a sixth step of adhering by moving the door relative to the hermetically sealed by the arm,
Conveying method of a substrate, wherein the door is a seventh step of conveying and separating the container from the substrate processing apparatus in a state of being in close contact with the hermetic seal.

Images