JP5369233B2 - Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate (2) stored in a tray (3) is conveyed in a dry-etching system (1). A temporary holding stage (35) is disposed at intervals above a rotating stage (33) that implements an alignment process on the tray (3) before conveyance into a plasma-treatment unit (11). The tray (3) is set on the temporary holding stage (35) and cooled after dry-etching. While dry etching is being implemented at the plasma-treatment unit (11) on one tray (3), conveyance of the rotating stage (33) from a cassette (24) at another tray (3), an alignment process continuing thereafter, and recovery of the tray (3) to the cassette (24) from the temporary holding stage (35) are implemented.

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus such as a dry etching apparatus and a CVD apparatus.

  In general, a plasma processing apparatus such as a dry etching apparatus or a CVD apparatus has a substrate processing and the like before supplying the substrate to the supply / recovery unit and the plasma processing unit in addition to the plasma processing unit that performs plasma processing on the substrate. A pre-processing unit that executes predetermined processing is provided (see Patent Documents 1 to 4). There are two types of substrate transfer apparatuses that transfer a substrate in this type of plasma processing apparatus: a double arm type having two arms for transferring a substrate and a single arm type having only one such arm (Patent Document) 5).

  The double arm type can continuously carry in and out the substrate with respect to the plasma processing unit or the like without a time interval, so that the throughput (the number of substrates that can be processed per unit time) can be improved. However, the double arm type has a complicated structure and is expensive.

  The single arm type has a simple structure and low cost. However, since the single arm type has a single substrate that can be transported at a time, the time required to carry the substrate in and out of the plasma processing unit or the like is longer than that of the double arm type, and the throughput is reduced.

JP 2009-182177 A JP 2002-43292 A JP-A-6-51260 JP 2001-44257 A JP 2002-166376 A, FIGS. 9 and 10

  An object of the present invention is to realize plasma processing with high throughput and low cost.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a stock unit that includes a tray and a substrate that is accommodated in a substrate accommodation hole that is provided in the tray and penetrates in a thickness direction is loaded from the stock unit. A plasma processing unit that performs plasma processing on the substrate of the target object, a preprocessing stage for performing preprocessing on the target object before being carried into the plasma processing unit, and above the preprocessing stage A pre-processing unit having a temporary placement stage on which the object after the plasma processing is placed, a transfer device including a single arm for transferring the object, and before the plasma processing The object is transported from the stock section to the plasma processing section through the pretreatment stage, and the object after the plasma processing is moved from the plasma processing section to the temporary placement stage. Wherein a the control unit controls the transport unit so as to be transported to the stock portion, the pre-processing stage is an alignment stage that the object is placed movably, the pretreatment unit alignment stage Te An alignment unit that performs an alignment process on the object placed on the substrate, and the alignment unit includes a substrate detection sensor that optically detects the presence or absence of the substrate in the substrate receiving hole. I will provide a.

  Specifically, the control unit performs another one of the objects placed on the temporary placement stage while the plasma processing is being performed on the substrate of the one object in the plasma processing unit. The transport device is controlled so as to perform the transport to the stock section and the transport of another object from the stock section to the preprocessing stage.

  While performing plasma processing on one object, by carrying another object from the temporary placement stage to the stock unit and further conveying another object from the stock part to the pretreatment stage, Although the transfer device is a low-cost single arm type, throughput can be improved.

  The temporary placement stage is provided in the preprocessing unit and is disposed above the preprocessing stage. The arrangement of the temporary placement stage can reduce the size of the apparatus and simplify the configuration.

  Preferably, the temporary placement stage has a function of cooling the object by heat conduction with the mounted object.

  The object after the plasma processing in the plasma processing unit is not immediately transferred to the stock unit, but is temporarily placed on the temporary placement stage. Accordingly, when the temporary placement stage has a function of cooling the target object, the target object that has been cooled by the temporary placement stage and has a temperature lowered to some extent is collected in the stock unit. Therefore, when the object is a tray containing a substrate, even if the surroundings of the tray change from a vacuum environment to an atmospheric environment after collection to the stock section, the temperature of the substrate does not increase due to heat conduction from the tray, and heat is generated. This can prevent degradation and damage of the substrate. That is, by providing a tray cooling function to the temporary placement stage, it is possible to realize plasma processing with high throughput and low cost while ensuring prevention of temperature rise of the substrate due to tray cooling.

  The alignment unit includes an orthogonal alignment mechanism that aligns a position of the object placed on the alignment stage in a horizontal plane with respect to the alignment stage.

  The object may include a notch formed on an outer peripheral edge, and the alignment stage may be rotatable around a rotation axis extending along a vertical direction. In this case, the alignment unit includes a notch detection sensor that optically detects a notch of the object placed on the alignment stage, and rotates the alignment stage in accordance with an output from the notch detection sensor. As a result, the rotation angle position of the object placed on the alignment stage is adjusted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an object including a tray and a substrate accommodated in a substrate accommodation hole penetrating in the thickness direction provided in the tray is conveyed from a stock portion to an alignment stage provided in an alignment processing portion. The presence of the substrate in the substrate accommodation hole is optically detected by the substrate detection sensor for the object arranged on the alignment stage , and the alignment processing unit for the object arranged on the alignment stage is executed. and, said object is transported from the alignment stage to the plasma processing portion, the run in the plasma processing unit with respect to the substrate of the object to a plasma treatment, the alignment stage of the alignment processing unit from the plasma processing unit the temporary stage disposed in the upper, conveying said object Conveys said object from said temporary storage stage into the stock section, to provide a plasma processing method.

  According to the plasma processing apparatus and the plasma processing method according to the present invention, after the plasma-processed object (the substrate or the tray containing the substrate) is placed on the temporary placement stage disposed above the pretreatment stage. , Collected in the stock department. In addition, the single-arm type transfer device transfers another object from the temporary placement stage to the stock unit during the plasma processing of one object, and from the stock part of another object to the pre-processing stage. Perform transport. As a result, plasma processing with high throughput and low cost can be realized. In addition, when the temporary placement stage has a function of performing an object, particularly when the object is a tray that accommodates a substrate, high throughput and low cost plasma processing can be performed while ensuring prevention of temperature rise of the substrate due to tray cooling. realizable.

1 is a horizontal sectional view of a dry etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing in the II-II line of FIG. Sectional drawing in the III-III line of FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an external appearance of a dry etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a dry etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which shows a tray and a board | substrate. The partially broken perspective view of an alignment part. The top view of a rotation stage and a centering mechanism. The perspective view for demonstrating the detection operation of a notch and a board | substrate. The time chart which shows operation | movement of a dry etching apparatus. The time chart which shows operation | movement of a dry etching apparatus. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement of the tray to a rotation stage. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement of the tray to a plasma processing part. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement of the tray to a plasma processing part. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement of the tray to a plasma processing part. Sectional drawing for demonstrating mounting of the tray and a board | substrate to a board | substrate susceptor. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the carrying-in operation | movement of the tray to a temporary placement stage. The horizontal sectional view of the dry etching apparatus concerning the modification of the present invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 5 show an ICP (inductively coupled plasma) type dry etching apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the dry etching apparatus 1, a tray 3 (object) for transporting the substrate 2 is used.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the tray 3 is provided with a plurality (six in this embodiment) of substrate receiving holes 4 penetrating in the thickness direction from the upper surface 3a to the lower surface 3b. There is one substrate accommodation hole 4 in the center of the tray 3, and the remaining five substrate accommodation holes 4 are arranged at equiangular intervals in plan view. One substrate 2 is accommodated in each substrate accommodation hole 4. A substrate support portion 5 that protrudes toward the center of the substrate accommodation hole 4 is provided on the hole wall of each substrate accommodation hole 4. Referring also to FIG. 13, the substrate support surface 5 a that is the upper surface of the substrate support portion 5 supports the vicinity of the periphery of the lower surface of the substrate 2 accommodated in the substrate accommodation hole 4. In this embodiment, the board | substrate support part 5 is provided in the perimeter of the hole wall of the board | substrate accommodation hole 4, and is a cyclic | annular form with fixed width in planar view. Since the substrate accommodation hole 4 is formed so as to penetrate the tray 3 in the thickness direction as described above, when viewed from the lower surface 3b side of the tray 3, the substrate accommodation hole 4 (enclosed by the tip of the substrate support portion 5). The lower surface of the substrate 2 is exposed by a circular region. The substrate support portion 5 may have a plurality of protrusions provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the hole wall of the substrate accommodation hole 4. A notch 3 c for detecting the rotational angle position is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the tray 3.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a dry etching apparatus 1 accommodates a plasma processing unit 11 that performs dry etching on a substrate 2 and a single arm type substrate transfer device 15 that is provided adjacent to the plasma processing unit 11. And a transporting unit 12. A supply / recovery unit (stock unit) 13 for supplying and collecting the tray 3 is provided adjacent to the transport unit 12. In the present embodiment, the supply of the tray 3 before processing and the recovery of the tray 3 after processing are executed by the same supply / recovery unit 13. However, a supply unit that supplies the tray 3 before processing and a recovery unit that recovers the tray 3 after processing may be provided separately, and the stock unit may be configured in these units. Further, an alignment process (pre-processing unit) 14 for temporarily placing the tray 3 before dry etching and temporarily placing the tray 3 after dry etching is provided adjacent to the transport unit 12. The plasma processing unit 11 and the supply / recovery unit 13 are arranged on opposite sides of the transport unit 12. The alignment unit 14 is arranged on the side (left side in FIG. 1) of the transport unit 12 with respect to the plasma processing unit 11 and the supply and recovery unit 13. Between the processing chamber 16 in the plasma processing unit 11, the storage chamber 17 in the supply and recovery unit 13, the alignment chamber 18 in the alignment unit 14, and the transfer chamber 19 in the transfer unit 12, a communication port 20A, 20B and 20C are provided. In the present embodiment, a gate valve 21 is attached to the communication port 20A between the transfer chamber 19 and the processing chamber 16.

  The supply and recovery unit 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The supply / recovery unit 13 includes a door 23 that opens and closes the outside and the communication port 20 </ b> D of the storage chamber 17. The cassette 24 that can be inserted into and removed from the storage chamber 17 through the communication port 20D stores a plurality of trays 3 in a multi-stage arrangement. Each tray 3 can be inserted into and removed from the cassette 24 through a horizontal opening 24a (see FIG. 3). The cassette holding mechanism 25 that holds the cassette 24 in the storage chamber 17 is movable in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, during the operation of the dry etching apparatus 1, the transfer chamber 19, the accommodation chamber 17, and the alignment chamber 18 are evacuated by the vacuum pump 26 (shown only in FIG. 5) except when the cassette 24 is replaced. Hold in vacuum.

  The transport unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The single arm type substrate transfer device 15 accommodated in the transfer chamber 19 includes only one support fork 28 that can hold the tray 3 by supporting the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the lower surface 3 b of the tray 3. The support fork 28 is mounted on an upper horizontal movement mechanism 29A that can only move in the horizontal direction, and the upper horizontal movement mechanism 29A is similarly mounted on a lower horizontal movement mechanism 29B that can only move in the horizontal direction. Yes. The lower horizontal movement mechanism 29B is mounted on a turning shaft 30 extending in the vertical direction. The swivel shaft 30 can rotate around its own axis and move up and down. Therefore, the support fork 28 can move and turn in a horizontal plane and can be raised and lowered. The upper and lower drive mechanisms 29 </ b> A and 29 </ b> B and the turning shaft 30 are driven by the transport mechanism drive unit 31.

  The alignment unit 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 7 to 9, 11, and 14. As shown most clearly in FIG. 7, a rotary stage (alignment stage) 33 and a centering mechanism 34 are arranged on the bottom side in the alignment chamber 18. In the alignment chamber 18, a temporary placement stage 35 is disposed above the rotary stage 33 and the centering mechanism 34 with a space therebetween. The temporary placement stage 35 is disposed so as to overlap the rotary stage 33 in plan view (see FIG. 1). The temporary placement stage 35 is not arranged side by side with respect to the rotary stage 33, but is arranged above the rotary stage 33 so that the area of the alignment chamber 18 in plan view can be reduced, and the alignment unit 14 can be downsized. And the configuration can be simplified.

  As shown most clearly in FIG. 7, the rotary stage 33 is attached to the upper end of a rotary shaft 36 extending in the vertical direction. The rotary shaft 36 is rotationally driven by a rotary stage drive mechanism unit 37 (see FIG. 2). As will be described in detail later, the tray 3 transported by the substrate transport device 15 is placed on the upper surface 33 a of the rotary stage 33.

  Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the centering mechanism 34 includes a pair of L-shaped arms 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B disposed on the bottom wall of the alignment chamber 18. One end sides of these L-shaped arms 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B are mechanically connected to the opening / closing drive unit 39. The opening / closing drive unit 39 opens and closes the L-shaped arms 38A and 38B between an open position separated from each other indicated by a one-dot chain line and a closed position indicated by a solid line in FIG. Abutting members 40 are provided on the L-shaped arms 38A and 38B so as to protrude upward in the vertical direction. These abutting members 40 abut on the outer peripheral edge of the tray 3 placed on the rotary stage 33 when the L-shaped arms 38A and 38B are in the closed position.

  The temporary placement stage 35 includes a fixed base portion 35a fixed to the side wall of the alignment chamber 18, and a main body 35b protruding in a horizontal direction from the base portion 35a. As will be described later in detail, the plasma-treated tray 3 is placed on the main body 35 b of the temporary placement stage 35. In other words, the temporary placement stage 35 has an essential function of temporarily holding the plasma-treated tray 3 before returning it to the cassette 24. From the viewpoint of securing this essential function, the shape, structure, material, and the like of the temporary placement stage 35 are not particularly limited as long as the tray 3 can be placed. For example, instead of the single temporary placement stage 35 as in this embodiment, a plurality of temporary placement stages separated from each other may be provided.

  The temporary placement stage 35 in this embodiment has an additional function of cooling the placed tray 3 in addition to the essential function of temporarily holding the tray 3 described above. Specifically, the tray 3 is cooled by heat conduction between the temporary placement stage 35 and the tray 3 placed thereon. In order to effectively cool the tray 3, the temporary placement stage 35 in the present embodiment is made of metal (for example, Al) having good thermal conductivity, and in order to increase the contact area with the placed tray 3. The main body 35b is formed in a band shape having a substantially constant width and a semicircular tip in plan view. When the provisional stage 35 is provided with a cooling function for the tray 3, the shape and area of the provisional stage 35 are set so that the area of the portion of the tray 3 placed on the temporary placement stage 35 is as large as possible. It is preferable to do. In addition, when the temporary placement stage 35 is provided with a cooling function of the tray 3, the upper surface of the temporary placement stage 35 (the surface on which the tray 3 is placed) is formed of an elastic body having high thermal conductivity to increase the degree of adhesion. Thus, the area of adhesion with the lower surface of the tray 3 may be widened to improve heat transfer.

  The upper end wall of the alignment chamber 18 is constituted by a transparent top plate 42 made of acrylic or the like. Two substrate detection sensors 43A and 43B and one notch detection sensor 44 are arranged above the transparent top plate. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the substrate detection sensor 43 </ b> A is located immediately above the center of the rotary stage 33. The substrate detection sensor 43B is located at a position overlapping the vicinity of the front end of the main body 35b of the temporary placement stage 35 although it is separated from the rotary stage 33 in plan view. The notch detection sensor 44 is located further outside the substrate detection sensor 43B than the rotation stage 33 in plan view. On the rotary stage 33, a light reflecting member 45A is fixed at a position directly below the substrate detection sensor 43A. Similarly, light reflecting members 45B and 45C are fixed on the bottom wall of the alignment chamber 18 at positions immediately below the substrate detection sensor 43B and the notch detection sensor 44, respectively. The temporary placement stage 35 secures a through hole 46A for securing an optical path between the substrate detection sensor 43A and the light reflecting member 45A, and an optical path between the substrate detection sensor 43B and the light reflecting member 45B. For this purpose, a through hole 46B is provided. In the upper end wall of the alignment chamber 18, only a portion corresponding to the visual field of the substrate detection sensors 43 </ b> A and 43 </ b> B and the notch detection sensor 44 may be made of a transparent material such as acrylic, and the other portion may be opaque.

  The substrate detection sensors 43A and 43B and the notch detection sensor 44 are optical sensors in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are integrated. As apparent from FIG. 9, it is possible to detect that the substrate 2 is not accommodated in the substrate accommodation hole 4 by the substrate detection sensors 43A and 43B receiving the reflected light from the light reflecting members 45A and 45B. . Further, the notch detection sensor 44 receives the reflected light from the light reflecting member 45C, so that the notch 3c can be detected.

  The plasma processing unit 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, and 12A to 12C. A substrate susceptor 48 having a function as a lower electrode and a function as a holding table for the substrate 2 and the tray 3 is disposed on the bottom side of the process chamber 16 that can be depressurized. The substrate susceptor 48 includes an electrostatic chuck (ESC) 49 on the upper end side. Six flat columnar substrate holding portions 50 (the same number as the substrate accommodation holes 4 of the tray 3) protrude from the upper surface 49 a of the ESC 49. The substrate 2 is held at the upper end of each substrate holding unit 50. The upper end opening of the processing chamber 16 is closed by a top plate 51 made of a dielectric material such as quartz. An ICP coil 52 is disposed on the top plate 51. A tray lifter 53, which is a rod-shaped member that moves up and down, is provided for transferring the tray 3 between the support fork 28 and the substrate susceptor 48 of the substrate transport apparatus 15. During dry etching, an etching gas is supplied to the evacuated processing chamber 16 and maintained at a predetermined pressure, and then a high frequency voltage is applied to the ICP coil 52 and the substrate susceptor 48 to generate plasma in the processing chamber 16. During etching, a temperature-controlled refrigerant is circulated in the substrate susceptor 48, and a heat transfer gas is supplied between the lower surface of the substrate 2 and the substrate holder 50.

  The control unit 55 shown only in FIG. 5 controls the plasma processing unit 11, the conveyance unit 12, the supply / recovery unit 13, and the alignment unit 14, and performs tray conveyance processing by the substrate conveyance device 15 and substrate presence confirmation processing in the alignment unit 14. And various operations of the dry etching apparatus 1 including the alignment process. The control unit 55 is connected to an operation / input unit 56 for inputting a command required by the operator, and a display unit 57 for displaying an operation state and the like.

  Next, operation | movement of the dry etching apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, when attention is paid to one tray 3, first, the tray 3 is first transferred from the cassette 24 in the storage chamber 17 of the supply / collection unit 13 to the tray 24 by the substrate transfer device 15 through the transfer chamber 19 of the transfer unit 12. Then, it is carried into the alignment chamber 18 of the alignment unit 14 and placed on the upper surface 33 a of the rotary stage 33. Next, centering (positioning with respect to the rotating stage 33 in the horizontal plane) by the centering mechanism 34 and adjustment of the rotational angular position by rotation of the rotating stage 33 are performed on the tray 3 placed on the rotating stage 33. (In FIGS. 10A and 10B, centering and rotation angle adjustment are collectively referred to as alignment processing). Thereafter, the tray 3 is carried into the processing chamber 16 of the plasma processing unit 11 from the alignment chamber 18 through the transfer chamber 19 by the substrate transfer device 15 and placed on the substrate susceptor 48. Next, plasma processing is performed on the substrate 2 placed on the substrate susceptor 48 together with the tray 3. After the plasma processing, the tray 3 is transferred from the processing chamber 16 to the alignment chamber 18 via the transfer chamber 19 by the substrate transfer device 15, placed in the temporary placement stage 35, and cooled. Thereafter, the tray 3 is transported from the alignment chamber 18 to the storage chamber 17 via the transport chamber 19 and collected in the cassette 24.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the dry etching apparatus 1 when focusing on one tray 1 will be described more specifically.

  The support fork 28 directed to the storage chamber 17 by turning by the turning shaft 30 enters the storage chamber 17 from the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20B by direct movement by the upper and lower moving mechanisms 29A and 29B, A tray 3 accommodated in 24 (accommodating 6 unprocessed substrates 2) is supported. The support fork 28 that supports the tray 3 returns from the storage chamber 17 to the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20B, and turns in the processing chamber 17 to be directed to the alignment chamber 18. As shown in FIG. 11, the support fork 28 enters the alignment chamber 18 through the communication port 20 </ b> C (leftward direct movement in FIG. 11), and the tray 3 is positioned above the rotary stage 33. Subsequently, the support fork 28 descends below the rotary stage 33 due to the downward movement of the turning shaft 30, and the tray 3 is placed on the upper surface 33 a of the rotary stage 33. The support fork 28 that has completed the placement of the tray 3 on the rotary stage 33 returns to the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20C (rightward direct movement in FIG. 11).

  Referring to FIG. 8, the open / close drive unit 39 moves the L-shaped arms 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B from the open position (dashed line) to the closed position (solid line). When the L-shaped arms 38 </ b> A and 38 </ b> B are in the closed position, the outer peripheral end surface of the tray 3 placed on the upper surface 33 a of the rotary stage 33 is sandwiched by the contact member 40 from both sides (vertical direction in FIG. 8). By the centering by the pinching by the contact member 40, the position of the tray 3 in the horizontal plane is adjusted so that the center thereof coincides with the center of the rotary stage 33 (the rotation center of the rotary shaft 36).

  Subsequently, as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. 9, the rotation angle position of the tray 3 arranged on the rotation stage 33 is adjusted by rotating the rotation stage 33 by the rotation shaft 36. When adjusting the rotational angle position, the notch 3c is detected by the output from the notch detection sensor 44, and the rotary stage 33 is rotated accordingly. Further, by monitoring the outputs of the substrate detection sensors 43 </ b> A and 43 </ b> B while rotating the rotary stage 33 by the rotation shaft 36, it is confirmed that the substrate 2 is accommodated in the substrate accommodation hole 4 of the tray 3. The presence / absence of the substrate 2 in the central substrate accommodation hole 4 of the tray 3 can be confirmed by the output from the substrate detection sensor 43A, and the output of the substrate 2 in the remaining five substrate accommodation holes 4 of the tray 3 can be confirmed by the output from the substrate detection sensor 43B. The presence or absence can be confirmed.

  Next, the support fork 28 receives the tray 3 from the rotary stage 33 and returns to the transfer chamber 19 by executing an operation opposite to that when the tray 3 is placed on the rotary stage 33 described with reference to FIG. . The support fork 28 supporting the tray 3 is turned in the transfer chamber 19 and directed toward the processing chamber 16 of the plasma processing unit 11. Thereafter, the gate valve 21 is switched from the closed state to the open state, and the communication port 20A is opened as shown in FIG. 12A. Further, the tray lifter 53 rises and the upper end thereof is positioned above the substrate susceptor 48. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12B, the support fork 28 enters the processing chamber 16 through the communication port 20 </ b> A (the straight movement in the left direction in FIG. 12B), and the tray 3 is positioned above the upper end of the tray lifter 53. The Subsequently, the support fork 28 is lowered below the upper end of the tray lifter 53, and the tray 3 is placed on the upper end of the tray lifter 53. When the support fork 28 that has finished placing the tray 3 on the tray lifter 53 returns to the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20A, the gate valve 21 is switched to the closed state as shown in FIG. Closed. Further, when the tray lifter 35 is lowered, the tray 3 and the substrate 2 are lowered toward the ESC 49 of the substrate susceptor 48 as shown in FIG. When the tray 3 is lowered toward the upper surface 49 a of the ESC 49, the substrate holding unit 50 enters the substrate accommodation hole 4 from the lower surface 3 b side of the tray 3. When the tray 3 is placed on the upper surface 49 a of the ESC 49, the substrates 2 in the individual substrate accommodation holes 4 are lifted from the substrate support surface 5 a of the substrate support portion 5 and placed on the upper end of the substrate holding portion 50.

  After the completion of the arrangement of the tray 3 on the substrate susceptor 48, the substrate 2 is etched by plasma as described above.

  After the etching process, the support fork 28 receives the tray 3 from the substrate susceptor 48 and moves it into the transfer chamber 19 by performing the reverse operation of the placement on the substrate susceptor 48 described with reference to FIGS. 12A to 12C. Return. The support fork 28 supporting the tray 3 is turned in the transfer chamber 19 and directed toward the alignment chamber 18. As shown in FIG. 14, the support fork 28 enters the alignment chamber 18 through the communication port 20 </ b> C (leftward direct movement in FIG. 14), and the tray 3 is positioned above the temporary placement stage 35. Subsequently, the support fork 28 is lowered below the temporary placement stage 35, and the tray 3 is placed on the upper surface 35 c of the main body 35 b of the temporary placement stage 35. The support fork 28 that has completed the placement of the tray 3 on the temporary placement stage 35 returns to the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20 </ b> C (rightward direct movement in FIG. 14).

  During the etching process in the processing chamber 16 of the plasma processing unit 11, the temperature of the tray 3 rises due to heat absorption from the plasma. However, the tray 3 after the etching process is placed on the main body 35b of the temporary placement stage 35, and the lower surface 3b of the tray 3 is brought into direct contact with the upper surface 35c of the tray 3 by heat conduction from the tray 3 to the temporary placement stage 35. 3 is cooled.

  Next, the support fork 28 receives the tray 3 from the temporary placement stage 35 and returns to the transfer chamber 19 by executing the reverse operation of the placement on the temporary placement stage 35 described with reference to FIG. In addition, the support fork 28 turns in the transfer chamber 19 and is directed to the storage chamber 17 of the supply and recovery unit 13. Further, the support fork 28 enters the storage chamber 17 from the transfer chamber 19 through the communication port 20 </ b> B, and delivers the tray 13 to the cassette 24.

  As described above, in the dry etching apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the tray 3 after dry etching in the plasma processing unit 11 is not immediately collected in the cassette 24 of the supply and collection unit 13, but temporarily in the alignment unit 18. The tray 3 is cooled by being placed on the placing stage 35, and the tray 3 having been cooled and lowered in temperature to some extent is collected in the cassette 24. Therefore, even if the periphery of the tray is changed from the vacuum environment to the atmospheric environment after being collected in the cassette 24, the temperature of the substrate 2 is not increased due to the heat conduction from the tray 3, and the deterioration or damage of the substrate 2 due to heat is prevented. Can be prevented. For example, when it is necessary to recover the tray 3 at about 200 ° C. at the end of etching to the cassette 24 after the temperature is lowered to a predetermined temperature (for example, 100 ° C. or less), a temporary placement stage with a cooling function is provided. By mounting on 35, the temperature of the tray 3 can be quickly lowered to a predetermined temperature and collected in the cassette 24. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time from the completion of etching until the tray 3 is collected in the cassette 24, and the throughput can be improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the dry etching apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment continuously performs the above-described operation on one tray 3 for a plurality of trays 3. Then, while dry etching of the substrate 2 is being performed in the plasma processing chamber 16 for the N-th tray (N is an integer of 2 or more), first, dry etching is completed and temporary alignment chamber 18 is temporarily placed. The (N−1) th tray 3 arranged on the stage 35 is picked up from the temporary placement stage 35 and conveyed to the supply / recovery unit 13 to be collected in the cassette 24. Next, a new (N + 1) th substrate 3 containing unprocessed substrates 2 is taken out from the cassette 24 of the supply / recovery unit 13, transported to the alignment chamber 18, and placed on the rotary stage 33. Further, the presence / absence of the substrate 2 is detected using the substrate detection sensors 43A and 43B for the tray 3 placed on the rotary stage 33. Further, centering of the tray 3 by the centering mechanism 34 and adjustment of the rotational angle position of the tray 3 by rotation of the rotary stage 33 are executed (alignment processing). In this way, by carrying the N-1 and N + 1 trays 3 during the dry etching of the Nth tray 3, the transportation efficiency is low compared with the double arm type. Throughput can be improved in spite of employing the low single-arm type substrate transfer device 15. That is, the dry etching apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can realize plasma processing with high throughput and low cost.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and can be variously modified.

  For example, referring to FIG. 1, a gate valve similar to the gate valve 21 provided at the communication port 20 </ b> A between the transfer chamber 19 and the processing chamber 16 is connected to the communication port 20 </ b> B between the storage chamber 17 and the transfer chamber 19. The communication port 20 </ b> C between the alignment chamber 18 and the transfer chamber 19 may be provided. In this case, the processing chamber 16 and the alignment chamber 18 are always in a vacuum state (depressurized state), the storage chamber 17 is always in an air release state, and the transfer chamber 19 functions as a load lock chamber that repeats a vacuum state and an air release state (so-called “so-called”). Open cassette type configuration). Specifically, when the tray 3 is carried into and out of the cassette 24 in the storage chamber 17, the transfer chamber 19 is opened to the atmosphere by opening the gate valve of the communication port 20B. When the transfer chamber 19 is opened to the atmosphere, the gate valve 21 between the transfer chamber 19 and the processing chamber 16 and the gate valve between the transfer chamber 19 and the alignment chamber 18 are both closed. The vacuum state of the alignment chamber 18 is maintained. On the other hand, except when the tray 3 is carried in and out of the cassette 24, the gate valve of the communication port 20B is closed and the transfer chamber 19 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust of the vacuum pump 26, and the transfer chamber 19, the processing chamber 16, and the alignment chamber. The gate valve 21 and the gate valve of the communication port 20 </ b> C are opened when the tray is carried into and out of the tray 18.

  The dry etching apparatus 1 of the modification shown in FIG. 15 includes a transfer unit 71 provided adjacent to the supply and recovery unit 13. The storage chamber 17 in the supply / recovery unit 13 and the transfer chamber 72 in the transfer unit 71 communicate with each other through the communication port 20E. The transfer unit 72 includes a door 73 that opens and closes the communication port 20 </ b> F between the outside and the transfer chamber 72. A cassette 24 (see, for example, FIG. 1) is not accommodated in the supply / recovery unit 13. The tray 3 containing the unprocessed substrate 2 is supplied from the transfer unit 71 to the supply / recovery unit 13, and these trays 3 are returned from the supply / recovery unit 13 to the transfer unit 71 after the substrate 2 is processed. A transfer robot 74 is accommodated in the transfer chamber 72 in the transfer unit 71. As shown conceptually by an arrow D1 in FIG. 15, the transfer robot 74 stores the substrate 2 before dry etching in the substrate storage hole 4 of the tray 3, that is, transfers the substrate 2 to the tray 3. Execute. In addition, the transfer robot 72 performs an operation of transferring the dry-etched substrate 2 from the tray 3 as conceptually indicated by an arrow D2 in FIG. Further, the transfer robot 72 carries the operation (arrow E1 in FIG. 15) for carrying the tray 3 containing the substrate 2 before processing into the supply / recovery unit 13 from the transfer unit 71, and the tray containing the substrate 2 after processing. 3 is carried out from the tray stock unit 13 to the transfer unit 71 (arrow E2 in FIG. 15).

  The tray may have a bottomed substrate receiving hole. In this case, since it is not necessary to adjust the rotation angle position of the tray, an alignment stage that can mount the tray but is fixed so as not to rotate is provided in the alignment unit, instead of the rotation stage 33 in the above-described embodiment. Further, the present invention is not limited to the tray containing the substrate, but can be applied to the substrate itself. For example, a configuration in which the tray 3 in the above-described embodiment is replaced with a large substrate is conceivable.

  The present invention is not limited to a dry etching apparatus, and can also be applied to transfer of a substrate in another plasma processing apparatus such as a CVD apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dry etching apparatus 2 Substrate 3 Tray 3a Upper surface 3b Lower surface 3c Notch 4 Substrate accommodation hole 5 Substrate support part 5a Substrate support surface 11 Plasma processing part 12 Transport part 13 Supply recovery part 14 Alignment part 15 Substrate transport apparatus 16 Processing chamber 17 Storage chamber 18 Alignment chamber 19 Transfer chamber 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E, 20F Communication port 21 Gate valve 23, 73 Door 24 Cassette 24a Opening 25 Cassette holding mechanism 26 Vacuum pump 28 Support fork 29A Upper horizontal movement mechanism 29B Lower horizontal movement Mechanism 30 Rotating shaft 31 Transport mechanism driving unit 33 Rotating stage 33a Upper surface 34 Centering mechanism 35 Temporary placement stage 35a Base 35b Main body 35c Upper surface 36 Rotating shaft 37 Rotating stage driving mechanism 38A, 38B L-shaped arm 39 Open / close Pivot portion 40 abutting member 42 transparent top plate 43A, 43B substrate detecting sensor 44 notch detection sensor 45A, 45B, 45C light reflecting member 46A, 46B through holes 48 the substrate susceptor 49 ESC
49a Upper surface 50 Substrate holding part 51 Top plate 52 ICP coil 53 Tray lifter 55 Control part 56 Operation / input part 57 Display part 71 Transfer part 72 Transfer room 74 Transfer robot

Claims (8)

A stock unit for storing an object including a tray and a substrate accommodated in a substrate accommodation hole penetrating in the thickness direction provided in the tray ;
A plasma processing unit that performs plasma processing on the substrate of the object carried from the stock unit;
A pre-processing stage for performing pre-processing on the object before being carried into the plasma processing unit; and a temporary placement on which the object after the plasma processing is placed above the pre-processing stage. A pre-processing unit having a stage;
A transport device comprising a single arm for transporting the object;
The object before the plasma processing is transferred from the stock section to the plasma processing section through the preprocessing stage, and the object after the plasma processing is transferred from the plasma processing section through the temporary placement stage to the stock section. and a control unit for controlling the conveying device to be transported to,
The pretreatment stage is an alignment stage on which the object is placed,
The pre-processing unit is an alignment unit that performs an alignment process on the object placed on an alignment stage.
The said alignment part is a plasma processing apparatus provided with the board | substrate detection sensor which optically detects the presence or absence of the said board | substrate in the said board | substrate accommodation hole . The control unit, while executing the plasma processing on the substrate of one object in the plasma processing unit, to the stock unit of another object mounted on the temporary placement stage The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer apparatus is controlled so as to execute transfer of the second object and transfer of another object from the stock unit to the alignment stage .   The said temporary placement stage is a plasma processing measure of Claim 2 which has a function which cools the said target object by the heat conduction between the mounted said target objects. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment unit includes an orthogonal alignment mechanism that aligns a position of the object placed on the alignment stage in a horizontal plane with respect to the alignment stage. The plasma processing apparatus according to 1. The object includes a notch formed on an outer peripheral edge,
The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alignment stage is rotatable around a rotation axis extending along a vertical direction. The alignment unit includes a notch detection sensor that optically detects the notch of the object placed on the alignment stage, and rotates the alignment stage according to an output from the notch detection sensor. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a rotation angle position of the object placed on the alignment stage is adjusted. An object having a tray and a substrate accommodated in a substrate accommodation hole penetrating in the thickness direction provided in the tray is conveyed from the stock portion to an alignment stage provided in the alignment processing portion ;
For the object arranged on the alignment stage, the presence or absence of the substrate in the substrate accommodation hole is optically detected by a substrate detection sensor,
Execute an alignment processing unit for the object placed on the alignment stage ,
The object is transported from the alignment stage into a plasma processing unit, and the plasma processing unit performs plasma processing on the substrate of the object,
Wherein the plasma treatment unit in the temporary stage disposed above the alignment stage in the alignment processing unit, and transports the object,
A plasma processing method for transferring the object from the temporary placement stage to the stock unit. The object is transported by a transport device comprising a single arm for transporting the object,
While the plasma processing is being performed on one of the objects in the plasma processing unit, another one of the objects placed on the temporary placement stage is transported to the stock unit, and another one The plasma processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the transfer of the objects from the stock section to the preprocessing stage is performed.

Images