JP3934503B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the breakage of the substrate holder of a substrate treating device having a substrate holder transporting means by preventing the substrate holder from being tilted easily. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate treating device which treats a substrate charged in a treatment chamber in a state where the substrate is placed on the substrate holder 13 is provided with the transporting means which moves the substrate holder in the treating device and can move toward and from the substrate holder, an arm 17 on which the substrate holder is placed, and a clamper 31 installed to the arm 17. The substrate holder has a horizontal surface 33 along its circumference, and the clamper 31 confronts the horizontal surface when the substrate holder is placed on the arm 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs required processing such as CVD, dry etching, and sputtering on a substrate to be processed such as a silicon wafer, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus that includes a transfer device for transferring a wafer holder such as a boat. Is.
[0002]
[Prior art]
6 and 7, a conventional substrate processing apparatus having a vertical reactor as a processing chamber, particularly a two-boat exchange type substrate processing apparatus will be described.
[0003]
A cassette stage 2 is provided on the front surface of the housing 1, and the cassette stage 2 communicates with the inside of the housing 1 through a shutter 3.
[0004]
A cassette opener 4 is provided in front of the casing 1 so as to face the cassette stage 2, and a cassette stocker 5 is provided above the cassette opener 4. The cassette stocker 5, the cassette opener 4, A cassette loader 6 is provided between the cassette stages 2 as an internal cassette carrying means.
[0005]
A boat elevator 7 serving as a boat lifting / lowering means is provided on one rear side of the inside of the casing 1, and a seal cap 9 is provided on a lifting / lowering arm 8 that extends horizontally from the boat elevator 7. The furnace port of the reaction furnace 11 that forms is closed. The seal cap 9 is provided with a boat mounting portion (not shown), and a substrate holder (hereinafter referred to as a boat) 13 for holding a substrate to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) 10 in a horizontal posture in multiple stages on the boat mounting portion. It is mounted, and the boat mounting portion can rotate the boat 13.
[0006]
Opposite to the boat elevator 7, a boat exchange device 14 is provided as a boat conveyance means on the other rear side inside the housing 1. Between the boat exchange device 14, the boat elevator 7 and the cassette opener 4. A substrate transfer device 15 is provided as a substrate transfer means.
[0007]
The cassette stage 2 exchanges the cassette 16 between an external transfer device (not shown) and the cassette loader 6. The cassette loader 6 can traverse, move up and down, and advance and retreat. It is transferred to the cassette opener 4 and the cassette stocker 5. The cassette opener 4 opens and closes the lid of the cassette 16.
[0008]
The substrate transfer device 15 can move up, down, advance, and rotate, and transfers the wafer 10 between the cassette 16 on the cassette opener 4 and the boat 13 held by the boat exchange device 14.
[0009]
The boat exchanging device 14 has two boat support arms 17 and 18, and the boat support arms 17 and 18 can be independently rotated and moved up and down, and a wafer transfer position A and a boat transfer position B The boat 13 is moved between the wafer cooling positions C. Boat mounting tables 19 and 20 are provided at the wafer transfer position A and the wafer cooling position C, and the boat 13 is mounted on each of them.
[0010]
The boat placement unit receives the boat 13 holding the unprocessed wafer 10 at the boat transfer position B from the boat exchange device 14, and the boat elevator 7 loads the boat 13 into the processing chamber of the reaction furnace 11. The
[0011]
In the reaction furnace 11, the wafer 10 is heated, and a required processing gas is introduced into the processing chamber to process the substrate. The boat 13 is rotated during the processing of the wafer 10 in order to improve film formation uniformity.
[0012]
When the processing is completed, the boat elevator 7 pulls the boat 13 from the reaction furnace 11 to the boat transfer position B, and transfers the boat 13 to the boat changer 14.
[0013]
The boat 13 holding the processed wafers 10 is moved to the wafer cooling position C, mounted on the boat table 20 and cooled until a predetermined temperature is reached. Meanwhile, the boat 13 holding the unprocessed wafer 10 is moved from the wafer transfer position A to the boat transfer position B, transferred to the boat mounting section, and loaded into the reactor 11 by the boat elevator 7. The
[0014]
When the processed wafer 10 is cooled to a predetermined temperature at the wafer cooling position C, the boat changer 14 moves the boat 13 holding the processed wafer 10 to the wafer transfer position A, and the boat table. 19 is placed.
[0015]
The substrate transfer device 15 delivers the processed wafer 10 from the boat 13 at the wafer transfer position A to the cassette 16 on the cassette opener 4. When the processed wafer 10 is loaded into the cassette 16, the cassette 16 is transferred to the cassette stage 2 by the cassette loader 6 and further transferred out by an external transfer device.
[0016]
The cassette loader 6 transfers the cassette 16 loaded with the unprocessed wafer 10 to the cassette opener 4, and the substrate transfer machine 15 removes the unprocessed wafer 10 from the cassette 16 at the wafer transfer position A. The boat 13 is transferred.
[0017]
Thus, the processing of the wafer 10 is repeatedly executed.
[0018]
In the substrate processing apparatus, there is a step of exchanging two boats by the boat exchanging device 14, and the boat support arms 17, 18 are exchanged with respect to the lifting arm 8 of the boat elevator 7 and the boat stand 19, 20. It has a possible structure. The boat support arm 17, the boat support arm 18, the boat table 19, and the boat table 20 have the same structure.
[0019]
The transfer of the boat 13 to the boat table 19 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0020]
FIG. 9 shows the boat support arm 17, which has a semi-arc-shaped boat mounting portion 22, and the boat mounting portion 22 has a recess 23 in which the boat 13 is mounted. Is formed. Further, a rib portion 24 is formed on the outer peripheral edge, and the cross section of the boat mounting portion 22 is substantially L-shaped. In FIG. 8, the boat support arm 17 is rotated from the direction of the arrow 26 to place the boat 13, and is rotated in the transfer direction, so that the boat 13 is transferred to the boat table 19 or the lift arm 8. It is supposed to be posted.
[0021]
FIG. 8 shows a state where the boat 13 is placed on the boat support arm 17, and the boat 13 has a boat cap 25 at the bottom. FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the boat table 19, the boat 13, and the boat support arm 17.
[0022]
A plurality of columns 28 are erected on a seat plate 27 fixed to the floor surface of the casing 1, and a boat seat 29 is supported on the upper ends of the columns 28. The boat 13 is placed on the boat seat 29.
[0023]
The outer diameter of the boat seat 29 is sufficiently smaller than the inner diameter of the boat mounting portion 22 so that the boat mounting portion 22 and the boat receiving seat 29 do not interfere with the transfer of the boat 13. It has become.
[0024]
When placing the boat 13 on the boat stand 19, the boat support arm 17 rotates from the direction of the arrow 26 with the bottom surface of the boat 13 being higher than the top surface of the boat seat 29, The boat 13 stops when the center of the boat seat 29 is coincident with the center of the boat seat 29. Further, the boat support arm 17 is lowered, so that the boat 13 can be placed on the boat seat 29, and the boat placement surface of the boat placement portion 22 is more than the upper surface of the boat stand 19. The boat support arm 17 is retracted by rotating in the direction opposite to the arrow 26 at the lowered position.
[0025]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the processing is executed by the two boats 13 and 13, so that when the wafer 10 is processed for one boat 13, the wafer 10 is transferred to the other boat 13. Since the loading operation is performed, there is an advantage that there is no waste of time and throughput is improved. On the other hand, the boat 13 needs to be replaced, and the boat 13 is simply mounted on the boat mounting portion 22 by the transfer operation of the boat 13 by the boat replacement device 14. It has become.
[0026]
Therefore, when an operator accidentally touches the boat 13 at the time of maintenance, or when a large external force such as an earthquake is applied, the operator may fall down.
[0027]
The boat is made of quartz, is fragile, is a precision-processed product, is expensive, and falling and damaging is a major damage. Further, when a damage accident occurs, the substrate processing apparatus must be stopped during the recovery process, which causes a reduction in operating rate.
[0028]
In view of such circumstances, the present invention prevents the boat from falling over easily and prevents the boat from being damaged.
[0029]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for loading a substrate into a processing chamber in a state where the substrate is placed on a substrate holder, and processing the substrate, and a transport means for moving the substrate holder in the substrate processing apparatus. The transport means is capable of moving back and forth toward the substrate holder, and includes an arm for mounting the substrate holder and a clamper provided on the arm, and the substrate holder has a horizontal plane along the periphery. And the clamper relates to a substrate processing apparatus that faces the horizontal plane in a state where the arm is placed with the substrate holder.
[0030]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0031]
In this embodiment, the basic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in which the present invention is implemented is the same as that shown in FIGS.
[0032]
1 and 2 are equivalent to those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0033]
The boat exchanging device 14 (see FIG. 6) has two boat support arms 17 and 18, which can be independently rotated and raised and lowered, and the wafer transfer position A, The boat 13 is moved between the boat transfer position B and the wafer cooling position C. Boat mounting tables 19 and 20 are provided at the wafer transfer position A and the wafer cooling position C, and the boat 13 is mounted on each of them.
[0034]
The boat support arm 17 has a semi-arc-shaped boat mounting portion 22, and a semi-arc-shaped concave portion 23 in which the boat 13 is mounted is formed in the boat mounting portion 22. A semicircular boat clamper 31 is provided concentrically with the recess 23 along the periphery of the recess 23. The boat clamper 31 has an inverted L-shaped cross section, and a flange 32 projects from the upper end so as to form a horizontal plane toward the center.
[0035]
A groove 33 that forms a horizontal plane along the outer periphery is formed in the boat cap 25 portion of the boat 13, the groove width of the groove 33 is equal to the thickness of the flange 32, and the boat support arm 17 transfers the boat 13. The value is such that a sufficient gap is formed so as to avoid the necessary elevation and interference during the elevation.
[0036]
The boat 13 is placed on the boat support arm 17 such that, for example, the boat support arm 17 moves forward and backward with respect to the boat cap 25 in a state where the boat 13 is placed on the boat stand 19. It is performed by rotating and further moving up and down.
[0037]
The state shown in FIG. 1 is a state where the boat 13 is placed on the boat stand 19, and the boat support arm 17 rotates in the direction of the arrow 26.
[0038]
When the boat support arm 17 enters the boat 13, the relationship between the flange 32 and the groove 33 is such that a sufficient gap is formed above and below the flange 32 as shown in FIG. . Thus, the boat placement portion 22 and the boat cap 25 can be aligned with no danger of contact.
[0039]
Next, the boat support arm 17 is raised.
[0040]
As shown in FIG. 4, the boat cap 25 comes into contact with the concave portion 23 by raising, and the boat 13 is placed on the boat placement portion 22. In a state where the boat 13 is mounted on the boat mounting portion 22, the groove 33 is arranged such that the upper surface (horizontal plane) of the flange portion 32 and the lower surface (horizontal plane) of the groove 33 face each other with a slight gap. The position, the width dimension, the height of the flange portion 32, and the like are determined.
[0041]
The upper surface of the flange portion 32 and the lower surface of the groove 33 are in contact with each other when the boat 13 is inclined, and further inclination after the contact is suppressed. Note that the tilt angle at the time of contact is preferably a value equal to or smaller than a tilt angle that can be restored by itself, or a value equal to or smaller than an angle at which a held wafer falls.
[0042]
The boat 13 may be mounted on the flange portion 32 of the boat clamper 31. In this case, a gap that suppresses the inclination of the boat 13 may be formed between the concave portion 23 (horizontal plane) and the lower surface (horizontal plane) of the boat cap 25.
[0043]
When the boat 13 is placed on the boat stand 19, the bottom surface of the boat 13 is higher than the top surface of the boat seat 29, and the boat support arm 17 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 26. The boat 13 stops when the center of the boat seat 29 is coincident with the center of the boat seat 29. Further, when the boat support arm 17 is lowered and the relationship between the flange 32 and the groove 33 is in the state shown in FIG. 3, the boat support arm 17 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow 26, The boat support arm 17 is retracted from the boat 13.
[0044]
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment.
[0045]
In the above embodiment, the groove 33 is formed in the boat cap 25 to form a horizontal plane. However, in the other embodiment, the flange 35 protrudes outward to form a horizontal plane. .
[0046]
In the other embodiment, when the boat 13 is inclined, the upper surface (horizontal plane) of the flange 35 abuts on the lower surface (horizontal plane) of the flange portion 32 and the boat 13 is prevented from further tilting. Is done.
[0047]
In the above embodiment, the boat support arm 17 advances and retracts toward the boat 13 by rotation, but may advance and retract by linear motion.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the substrate holder is placed in the substrate processing apparatus while the substrate is placed on the substrate holder and the substrate is processed. A transfer means that is moved by the arm, a transfer means that can be moved back and forth toward the substrate holder, an arm on which the substrate holder is placed, and a clamper provided on the arm. The clamper has a horizontal plane along the periphery, and the clamp faces the horizontal plane in a state where the arm holds the substrate holder. Therefore, when the substrate holder tilts, the horizontal plane of the substrate holder and the horizontal plane on the arm side It exerts an excellent effect that the inclination is suppressed by contact and the boat is prevented from falling.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention and showing a relationship between a boat and a boat support arm.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a boat support arm showing the main part of the previous embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the previous embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the previous embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing another embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the same substrate processing apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the relationship between a conventional boat and a boat support arm.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the boat support arm of the conventional example.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between the conventional boat cradle, a boat support arm, and a boat.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 7 Boat elevator 8 Lifting arm 9 Seal cap 11 Reactor 13 Boat 14 Boat changer 17 Boat support arm 19 Boat stand 20 Boat stand 22 Boat mount 23 Recess 25 Boat cap 31 Boat clamper 33 Groove 35 Flange

Claims (2)

In a substrate processing apparatus for loading a substrate into a processing chamber in a state of being placed on a substrate holder and processing the substrate, a transfer means for moving the substrate holder in the substrate processing apparatus, and the transfer means Is capable of advancing and retracting toward the substrate holder, an arm having a semicircular arc substrate holder mounting portion for mounting the substrate holder , and a cross section provided on the arm is an inverted L shape, A clamper provided with a flange so as to form a horizontal plane toward the center of the semicircular arc at the upper end, and the substrate holder has a horizontal plane formed around the substrate holder The substrate processing apparatus is characterized in that the collar portion faces the horizontal surface with a gap in a state where the arm is mounted with the substrate holder. A substrate processing method for processing using a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is placed in the processing chamber in a state of being placed on the substrate holder, and the substrate is processed in the processing chamber. A step of pulling out the processed substrate from the processing chamber in a state of being placed on the substrate holder, a step of delivering the substrate holder to the arm, and the flange has a gap in the horizontal plane. And a step of placing the substrate holder on the arm while facing each other.

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