JP6666630B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

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

  In a vacuum processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, for example, a processing gas is introduced into a vacuum processing chamber while the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber is reduced, the introduced processing gas is turned into plasma, and radicals are generated. The processing of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer held on a sample table provided with an electrostatic chuck is performed by the chemical reaction or electron sputtering.

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

JP 2005-252201 A JP 2005-516379 A

  In a vacuum processing apparatus, a processing gas is used, and when a processing object (wafer) is processed by converting the processing gas into plasma, a reaction product adheres to the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. When a reaction product adheres to the surface of a component disposed inside the processing chamber, the reaction product separates from the surface as fine particles due to the deterioration of the component, falls, adheres as a foreign substance to a wafer or the like, and is contaminated. The problem arises. In order to suppress this, components in the processing chamber are periodically replaced or cleaned to remove a reaction product or the like that causes a foreign substance, and a process of regenerating the surface of each component is performed. (maintenance). During the maintenance, the inside of the processing chamber is open to the atmosphere of the atmospheric pressure, the processing cannot be performed, and the operation of the apparatus is stopped, so that the processing efficiency is reduced.

  In recent years, the diameter of semiconductor wafers to be processed has been increased. For this reason, the vacuum processing apparatus also becomes larger, the individual parts constituting the vacuum processing apparatus become larger, and the weight of the vacuum processing apparatus also tends to increase. It is expected that the maintenance efficiency will be further reduced.

Therefore, the inventors examined whether or not the conventional technique can cope with the above problem.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a vacuum processing apparatus including an upper inner cylinder chamber and a sample table that constitute a processing chamber for processing an object to be processed in an outer chamber, and a lower inner cylinder chamber disposed on an exhaust unit side. It has been disclosed. In this vacuum processing apparatus, during maintenance, the discharge chamber base plate, which is arranged above the upper inner cylinder chamber and forms a discharge chamber for generating plasma, is rotated upward with the hinge portion provided on the transfer chamber side as a fulcrum. And lift the upper inner chamber up and out of the outer chamber by securing the working space of the upper inner chamber. Further, a sample stage base plate to which a ring-shaped support base member (sample stage block) provided with a fixed support beam and fixed around the axis with the center in the vertical direction of the sample stage as an axis is arranged on the transfer chamber side. There is described a technique in which the lower inner chamber is lifted upward so as to rotate with the hinge portion as a fulcrum, and the lower inner chamber is lifted upward and taken out of the outer chamber by securing a working space for the lower inner chamber. In addition, the support beam is arranged axially symmetric with respect to the vertical center of the sample table as an axis (that is, the gas flow path shape is substantially coaxially symmetric with respect to the center axis of the sample table), so that the sample table in the upper inner cylinder chamber is formed. Gases and the like (processing gas, particles and reaction products in the plasma) in the upper space pass through the space between the support beams and are exhausted through the lower inner cylinder chamber. Thus, the gas flow in the circumferential direction of the processing object becomes uniform, and uniform processing of the processing object becomes possible.

  When applying the technique of raising the discharge chamber base plate and the sample stage base plate with the hinge as a fulcrum to the maintenance of a workpiece having a large diameter, the support beam to which the discharge base plate and the sample stage are fixed becomes large and the weight increases. Therefore, it is difficult to manually pull them up, and there is a concern that it becomes difficult to secure a working space for the upper inner cylinder chamber and the lower inner cylinder chamber. Further, the maintenance of the exhaust unit is performed by looking into the upper part of the outer chamber. However, it is feared that the size of the apparatus is so large that it is inaccessible and that it is difficult to perform sufficient cleaning. Furthermore, there is a concern that the scaffold may become unstable during unsteady maintenance such as maintenance or replacement of the components constituting the discharge base plate and the sample table pulled up. Even if the supporting beam to which the discharge base plate and the sample stage are fixed is lifted by a crane or the like, the latter two are not solved.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a cantilevered substrate support on which an electrostatic chuck assembly is mounted, which can be attached to and detached from a chamber by passing (in a horizontal direction) an opening provided in a side wall of a vacuum processing chamber. Department is disclosed. When this technology is applied to the maintenance of a large-diameter workpiece, the substrate support is vacuum-sealed at the opening on the side wall of the chamber. It is feared that it will be difficult to maintain. In addition, because of the cantilever, the shape of the gas flow path with respect to the central axis of the sample support is not coaxial and symmetric, and the gas flow in the circumferential direction of the workpiece becomes uneven, and the It seems that it will be difficult to perform an appropriate process.

  An object of the present invention is that even when an object to be processed has a large diameter, uniformity of processing is good, and not only regular maintenance but also irregular maintenance can be efficiently performed. It is to provide a vacuum processing device.

  As one mode for achieving the above object, a vacuum processing chamber into which a wafer is loaded from a vacuum transfer chamber into an internal space, and a vacuum processing chamber disposed between the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber to hermetically seal the vacuum processing chamber. And a valve box having a valve for opening and closing communication between the vacuum processing chamber and the space inside the vacuum processing chamber, wherein the vacuum processing chamber has an exhaust opening and a gantry. A base plate placed and held thereon, a plurality of members arranged vertically above the base plate, the inner walls of which surround the space on the vacuum processing chamber side, and a plurality of members arranged between each of the plurality of members. A sealing member for hermetically sealing the space between the vacuum processing chamber and the outside of the vacuum processing chamber, wherein the plurality of members have a cylindrical inner wall and an outer peripheral wall of the valve box. end An upper container airtightly connected and positioned by being pressed down with respect to the base plate, and a ring-shaped member disposed below the upper container, the ring-shaped member is connected to the ring-shaped member, A lifter having a vertical shaft that is rotated around and moved in the horizontal direction, wherein the shaft is on the outer peripheral side of the base plate when the upper container is connected to the valve box. A lifter provided at a position farther than the center of the inner wall of the ring-shaped member with respect to the valve box.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, even when an object to be processed has a large diameter, uniformity of processing is good, and not only regular maintenance but also irregular maintenance can be efficiently performed. A vacuum processing device can be provided.

1 is a schematic top view (partially transparent) of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a main part for explaining the transfer of an object to be processed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (the gate valve is open, and the transfer robot loads the object into the vacuum processing chamber; In a state of being carried out or in a state of about to be carried out). FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a main part for explaining the transfer of the object to be processed in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (in a state where the gate valve is closed and the object to be processed is loaded into the vacuum transfer chamber) is there. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (with a gate valve closed) of a vacuum processing chamber in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (when the gate valve is open). FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (with a coil and a power supply removed). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 3 is a top view (with a quartz plate, a shower plate, and a quartz inner cylinder removed) for describing a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 5A. FIG. 3 is a top view (with a gas introduction ring removed) for describing a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a schematic sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (in a state where a discharge block unit is lifted and turned by a turning lifter). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 7A. FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (with an earth ring and an upper container removed). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 8A. FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (in a state where a sample stage unit is lifted and turned by a turning lifter). It is a schematic sectional drawing of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 9A. It is a top view (state with a lower container removed) for explaining a maintenance procedure in a vacuum processing chamber of a vacuum processing device concerning an example of the present invention. FIG. 10B is a schematic sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 10A.

  The present inventors have studied a method that satisfies the following three requirements in order to achieve the above object. (1) In order to ensure good processing uniformity, the shape of the processing chamber should be substantially coaxially symmetric with respect to the center axis of the sample stage on which the object to be processed is placed. (2) In order to enable easy regular maintenance, reaction products and the like can be quickly removed from a chamber member, which is a target part of regular maintenance, even if the diameter is large. Here, the term “easy regular maintenance” includes that the work performed during the irregular maintenance such as disconnecting the power cable or performing water cooling purge is unnecessary. (3) In order to enable easy non-stationary maintenance, discharge electrode heads and various sensors that are subject to non-stationary maintenance can be easily pulled out even if the diameter is large.

  As a result, it was found that the following configuration was effective. Regarding (1), at least the inner wall shape of the horizontal section of the vacuum processing chamber is circular, and the support beams for supporting the sample stage are arranged axially symmetric with respect to the vertical center of the sample stage. To the supporting base member. Regarding (2), parts for which regular maintenance is performed can be swapped (replaced). That is, instead of cleaning the parts to which the reaction products and the like have adhered, the parts can be replaced with new parts or cleaned parts. Furthermore, the parts subject to irregular maintenance are grouped into units for each related part and can be moved in the horizontal direction in units, so that they can be easily avoided during regular maintenance so that they do not hinder the work. For (3), a unit in which the parts subject to irregular maintenance are grouped for each related part is moved in the horizontal direction at the time of maintenance, and a work space is provided around the unit.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same components.
(Example)
A vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 10B. FIG. 1A is a schematic top view (partially transparent) of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic perspective view of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1A. The plasma processing apparatus, which is the vacuum processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, includes an atmospheric block 101 and a vacuum block 102. The atmospheric block 101 is a section for transporting and positioning a workpiece (sample) such as a semiconductor wafer under atmospheric pressure, and the vacuum block 102 is for transporting a sample such as a wafer under reduced pressure from atmospheric pressure. This is a part for performing processing, etc., and raising and lowering the pressure while the sample is placed.

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

  The vacuum block 102 has a plurality of vacuum processing chambers 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, and 200-4 for processing a sample under reduced pressure, and is connected to these vacuum processing chambers and transports the sample therein under reduced pressure. Transfer chambers 104-1 and 104-2 provided with vacuum transfer robots 110-1 and 110-2, and a lock chamber 105 and a vacuum transfer chamber 104- connecting the vacuum transfer chamber 104-1 and the atmosphere transfer chamber 106. 1 and a transfer intermediate chamber 108 connecting the vacuum transfer chamber 104-2. The vacuum block 102 is constituted by a unit that can be maintained at a high degree of vacuum by reducing the pressure inside. The operations of the atmospheric transfer robot and the vacuum transfer robot and the control of the processing in the vacuum processing chamber are performed by a control device.

  FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A. In particular, FIG. 3A shows a schematic diagram of the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber in the vacuum processing chamber 200. In this embodiment, a vacuum processing chamber having the same structure is arranged, but a vacuum processing chamber having another structure may be incorporated.

  The vacuum processing chamber shown in FIG. 3A includes a vacuum vessel including an upper vessel 230 and a lower vessel 250, a lower exhaust pump 270 connected to the vacuum vessel, and an upper first high-frequency power supply 201 and a solenoid coil 206. Have. Each of the upper container and the lower container has an inner wall having a circular horizontal cross-sectional shape, and a cylindrical sample table 241 is disposed in the center of the inner wall. The outer walls of the upper container and the lower container constitute a vacuum partition. The sample stage 241 is held by a support beam provided on the sample stage base 242, and the support beam is disposed axially symmetrically about the vertical center of the sample stage (that is, the gas flow path with respect to the central axis 290 of the sample stage). The shape is substantially coaxial axis symmetry). Gases and the like (processing gas, particles and reaction products in plasma) in the space above the sample table 241 in the upper container 230 are exhausted through the lower container 250 through the space between the support beams. The gas flow in the circumferential direction of the sample stage 241 on which the object to be processed (sample) 300 is placed becomes uniform, and uniform processing of the object to be processed 300 becomes possible. The sample stage base 242 has a ring shape with a support beam, and this ring portion is held around the lower container, which is a vacuum container, and the upper portion, and is vacuum-sealed. Can be dealt with even if the number increases.

  In this embodiment, the vacuum processing chamber includes a cylindrical lower container 250 sequentially stacked on a base plate 260, a ring-shaped sample stage base 242 having a support beam, a cylindrical upper container 230, an earth ring 225, and a cylindrical shape. , And a plurality of members including a gas introduction ring 204, and each member is vacuum-sealed by an O-ring 207. Inside the discharge block 224, a quartz inner tube 205 having a cylindrical shape is arranged. A sample stage 241 having a sample stage bottom cover 245 is fixed to the sample stage base 242 to constitute a sample stage unit. The discharge block 224 to which the heater 222 is attached is fixed to the discharge block base 221 and Is composed. The upper container 230, the lower container 250, and the base plate 260 each have a flange, and the upper container 230 and the lower container 250 are screwed to the base plate 260 at the flanges. In the present embodiment, the members constituting the vacuum processing chamber have a cylindrical shape, but the outer wall may have a horizontal cross-sectional shape other than a circular shape, such as a rectangular shape or another shape.

  Above the vacuum processing chamber, a disk-shaped lid member 202 constituting a vacuum vessel and a disk-shaped shower plate 203 constituting a ceiling surface of the vacuum processing chamber are disposed below the lid member 202. The lid member 202 and the shower plate 203 are members made of a dielectric material such as quartz, and are configured to transmit a high-frequency electric field such as a microwave, a UHF wave, or a VHF wave. The electric field from these is supplied to the vacuum processing chamber through these. A magnetic field forming means (solenoid coil) 206 is arranged around the outer periphery of the outer side wall of the vacuum vessel so as to supply the generated magnetic field to the vacuum processing chamber.

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

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

  The sample stage 241 on which the wafer is placed is arranged inside the vacuum processing chamber so as to coincide with the central axis 290 of the shower plate 203. When performing the processing by the plasma, the wafer as the object to be processed 300 is placed on the circular mounting surface, which is the upper surface of the sample table 241, and is held by being attracted by the static electricity of the dielectric film constituting the surface (electrostatic chuck). The processing is performed in a state where the processing has been performed. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the cylindrical vacuum processing chamber was set to 800 mm in consideration of using a semiconductor wafer having a diameter of 450 mm as a sample. However, it can be smaller than this dimension (about 600 mm).

  A high-frequency bias power supply (second high-frequency power supply) 243 is connected to the electrodes arranged inside the sample table 241, and the high-frequency power supplied causes the high-frequency bias power supply 243 to be placed above the sample table 241 and the sample 300 placed thereon. The etching process proceeds by an interaction between a physical reaction caused by attracting and colliding charged particles in the plasma with the surface of the sample by the formed high frequency bias and a chemical reaction between the radicals and the wafer surface. Further, the temperature of the sample stage can be controlled to a desired temperature by the second temperature controller 244. The application of the high-frequency bias to the sample stage 241 and the temperature control of the sample stage 241 are performed by a power supply wiring cord, a temperature control wiring cord, or a coolant disposed in a cavity formed inside the sample stage base 242 including the support beam. This is done through the piping for Although not shown, a temperature sensor and a wiring code for an electrostatic chuck may be included in addition to the wiring code. Since the reaction product easily adheres to the upper container 230 disposed around the sample table 241, the upper container 230 is a member subject to regular maintenance.

  An exhaust pump 270 connected to the bottom of the vacuum processing chamber via a base plate 260 having an exhaust opening is disposed below the vacuum processing chamber. The exhaust opening provided in the base plate 260 is disposed directly below the sample table 241, and the exhaust conductance is adjusted by moving the exhaust unit lid 261 having a substantially disc shape disposed on the exhaust opening up and down by the cylinder 262. The amount and speed of internal gas, plasma, and products discharged to the outside of the vacuum processing chamber by the exhaust pump 270 are adjusted. The exhaust unit cover 261 is opened when processing an object to be processed, and the pressure in the space inside the vacuum processing chamber is controlled to a desired level by balancing the supply of the processing gas and the operation of the exhaust unit such as the exhaust pump 270. Is maintained at a vacuum degree. In this embodiment, the pressure during the process is adjusted to a predetermined value in the range of 0.1 to 4 Pa. A molecular turbo pump was used as an exhaust pump. Note that the exhaust unit cover 261 can be closed for maintenance and the exhaust pump can be vacuum-sealed with an O-ring. Reference numeral 111 denotes a first gate valve, reference numeral 112 denotes a second gate valve, reference numeral 115 denotes a valve box, and reference numeral 280 denotes a support.

  The processing gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber, and the plasma and reaction products generated during the processing pass from the upper part of the vacuum processing chamber through the space on the outer peripheral side of the sample stage 241 to the lower vessel by the operation of the exhaust means such as the exhaust pump 270. It moves to the opening provided in the base plate 260 below through 250. The lower container 250 is a member to be subjected to regular maintenance because the reaction product easily adheres to the lower container 250.

  The pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber during the etching process is monitored by a vacuum gauge (not shown), and the pressure inside the vacuum processing chamber is controlled by controlling the exhaust speed by the exhaust unit cover 261. The supply of the processing gas and the operations of the electric field forming means, the magnetic field forming means, the high frequency bias, and the exhausting means are adjusted by a controller (not shown) communicably connected.

  As the processing gas used for the plasma processing, a single kind of gas or a gas in which a plurality of kinds of gases are mixed at an optimum flow ratio for each process condition is used. The flow rate of the mixed gas is adjusted by a gas flow rate controller (not shown), and the gas flows between the shower plate 203 and the lid member 202 above the vacuum processing chamber above the vacuum vessel via a gas introduction ring 204 connected thereto. Is introduced into the space for gas retention. In this embodiment, a gas introduction ring made of stainless steel was used.

  Next, a procedure of loading a workpiece into and out of the vacuum processing chamber will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 3B. First, in the atmosphere block, the wafer taken out of the cassette by the atmosphere transfer robot is transferred to the vacuum transfer chamber 104 via the lock chamber. FIG. 2B shows a state where the wafer 300 is loaded into the vacuum transfer chamber 104. The vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are connected via a first gate valve 111 and a second gate valve. In this figure, both gate valves are closed and vacuum sealed with an O-ring 207. Reference numeral 115 denotes a valve box, and reference numeral 210 denotes a swing lifter (moving means). The turning lifter 210 will be described later. Next, after equalizing the pressures of the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber, as shown in FIG. 2A, the wafer 300 is loaded into the vacuum processing chamber from the vacuum transfer chamber 104 using the vacuum transfer robot 110 having an arm. . At this time, the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are both open. Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the wafer 300 is placed on the sample table 241 in the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum transfer robot returns to the vacuum transfer chamber, and the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are closed.

  When the processing of the wafer 300 is completed in the vacuum processing chamber, the pressures in the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber are adjusted, and then the first and second gate valves 111 and 112 are opened as shown in FIG. 3B. Subsequently, the wafer 300 is removed from the sample table 241 using the vacuum transfer robot 110 as shown in FIG. 2A. Subsequently, the wafer 300 is loaded into the vacuum transfer chamber 104 as shown in FIG. 2B. Thereafter, the wafer 300 is transferred to the cassette via the lock chamber after being processed in another vacuum processing chamber or without being processed.

  Next, the routine of the regular maintenance will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 10B. FIGS. 4A and 4B show the configuration of the vacuum processing chamber shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in which the solenoid coil 206 and the first high frequency power supply 201 are removed, and the opening of the base plate 260 connected to the exhaust pump 270 is replaced with an exhaust cover. FIG. 4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view. By vacuum-sealing the exhaust pump 270 with the exhaust cover 261 and keeping the exhaust pump 270 running, the startup time of the vacuum processing chamber after maintenance can be reduced. It should be noted that the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4B differs from FIG. 3A and FIG. That is, in the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the plan view shown in FIG. 4A is a view seen from the right side, but in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4B, the view seen from below in the plan view shown in FIG. 4A. It has become. The cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 5B to 10B are views seen from the same direction as the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4B.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the quartz plate 202, the shower plate 203 therebelow, and the quartz inner cylinder 205 are moved upward and removed. Thereby, the gas introduction ring 204 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber. Further, inside the vacuum processing chamber, portions of the support beams of the sample stage 241 and the sample stage base 242 are exposed.
Next, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the gas introduction ring 204 is moved upward and removed.

  7A and 7B, the discharge block base 221 fixed to the movable portion of the swivel lifter 210 and the discharge block unit 220 including the discharge block 224 and the heater 222 mounted thereon are marked by arrows 310. As shown in (2), after moving upward around the pivot shaft 211, the device is horizontally rotated in the counterclockwise direction to move out of the area of the vacuum processing chamber as viewed from vertically above. In this embodiment, the discharge block unit is turned in the counterclockwise direction. However, the discharge block unit may be turned in the clockwise direction by changing the position of the turning lifter to the opposite side (the right side in the figure is changed to the left side). The distance by which the discharge block unit 220 is moved upward is equal to or more than the height of the earth ring 225 beyond the protrusion. In this embodiment, the distance is 5 cm, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the height of the protrusion of the earth ring is low, the height of the O-ring 207 is set to be equal to or more than the height (several cm) at which the O-ring 207 is separated from the discharge block unit 220 or the earth ring 225. Further, the turning angle is set to 180 degrees, but may be set to 90 degrees or more and 270 degrees or less. However, in consideration of workability, 180 ° ± 20 ° is preferable. By turning the discharge-related members that are not the target of the regular maintenance collectively as the discharge block unit 220, these can be quickly and easily avoided from above the vacuum processing chamber. By avoiding the discharge block unit 220, the earth ring 225 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the earth ring 225 and the upper container 230, which is a main member for regular maintenance, are moved upward and removed. That is, the upper container 230 can be easily removed in a swappable state. In this embodiment, the vacuum partition itself (upper container) constituting the vacuum processing chamber is replaceable. Thereby, the maintenance time of the upper container 230 after dismantling the vacuum processing chamber can be minimized. When performing maintenance, the first gate valve is closed and the second gate valve is open. By closing the first gate valve 111 and placing the vacuum transfer chamber 104 in a vacuum sealed state, processing in another vacuum processing chamber becomes possible, and a reduction in the operating rate of the vacuum processing apparatus can be minimized. . On the other hand, by opening the second gate valve 112, the upper container 230 and the valve box 115 can be separated. Removal of the upper container 230 was performed after removing the screws that fixed the upper container 230 and the base plate 260 with the flange portion. The movement of the discharge block unit was performed by a control device that controls the swing lifter. This control device may be dedicated to the swing lifter, or may be incorporated as a part of the control device of the entire vacuum processing apparatus. By removing the upper container 230, the ring of the sample stage base 242 is exposed in addition to the sample stage 241 and the support beam.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a sample stage base 240 fixed to the movable portion of the swivel lifter 210 and a sample stage unit 240 including a sample stage 241 and a sample stage bottom cover 245 mounted thereon are mounted. Then, as shown by an arrow 320, after moving upward around the turning shaft 211, the device is horizontally turned counterclockwise to move outside the vacuum processing chamber as viewed from vertically above. In this embodiment, the sample stage unit is turned in the counterclockwise direction. However, a configuration in which the position of the swivel lifter is changed to the opposite side (the right side arrangement in the figure is the left side arrangement) and the clockwise turn is also possible. The distance by which the sample stage unit 240 is moved upward is equal to or greater than the height at which the O-ring 207 is separated from the sample stage unit 240 or the lower container 250. In the present embodiment, it is 2 cm, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, it is desirable to set the turning angle to be the same as that of the discharge block unit 220. Thus, when viewed from vertically above, the total area of both the discharge block unit 220 and the sample stage unit 240 can be reduced. By rotating the sample stage related members which are not the target of the regular maintenance collectively as the sample stage unit 240, they can be quickly and easily avoided from above the vacuum processing chamber. The movement of the sample stage unit 240 was performed by a control device that controls the swing lifter. This control device may be dedicated to the swing lifter, or may be incorporated as a part of the control device of the entire vacuum processing apparatus. By avoiding the sample stage unit 240, the lower container 250 is exposed at the upper end of the vacuum processing chamber. In addition, the entire surface of the exhaust unit cover 261 is exposed.

  Subsequently, after removing the screw fixing the lower container 250 and the base plate 260 with the flange portion, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the lower container 250, which is a main member for regular maintenance, is moved upward. Remove. That is, the lower container 250 can be easily removed in a swappable state. Thereby, the maintenance time of the lower container 250 after dismantling the vacuum processing chamber can be minimized. After the lower container 250 is removed, inspection and maintenance of the surface of the base plate 260 and the surface of the exhaust cover 261 are performed. Since the exposed portion of the base plate 260 was covered with the lower container 250, there was little adhesion of the reaction product, and the upper surface of the exhaust cover 261 was arranged below the sample stage when processing the object. And the reaction product is little attached, but can be cleaned if necessary. Since the periphery of the base plate 260 is flat without walls or the like (maintenance obstacles) constituting the vacuum processing chamber, the maintenance work efficiency of the worker 400 (not shown in FIG. 10B) can be improved.

  After cleaning, inspection / maintenance, and replacement (particularly, the upper container and the lower container) of the members to be regularly maintained, the members are assembled in a procedure reverse to the above description and subjected to vacuum processing.

  Next, the procedure of the irregular maintenance will be described. The members to be subjected to the irregular maintenance are mainly the members forming the discharge block unit 220 and the members forming the sample stage unit 240. In the case of the members constituting the discharge block unit 220, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the discharge block unit 220 is lifted up and turned horizontally, and then the heater 222 is inspected / replaced from a desired direction. In addition, maintenance such as inspection and cleaning of the inner wall of the discharge block 224 can be performed. Since the discharge block unit 220 is avoided from the other members constituting the vacuum processing chamber, the operation efficiency can be improved.

  In the case of the members constituting the sample stage unit 240, the sample stage unit is lifted upward as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, turned horizontally, and then the sample stage bottom cover is removed as shown in FIG. 10B. Thus, maintenance of various power cords, wiring of sensors, components for temperature adjustment, and the like can be performed from a desired direction. In the cavity inside the support beam, a wiring cord used to electrostatically adsorb the workpiece to the sample stage, a wiring code used to apply a high frequency bias to the sample stage, and used to control the temperature of the sample stage At least one of a wiring cord or a refrigerant pipe to be used and a wiring cord used to detect the temperature of the sample stage are arranged, and these are also subject to irregular maintenance. When the discharge block unit 220 is an obstacle to the work, the discharge block unit 220 can be turned clockwise to a region where the vacuum processing chamber is disposed or a vicinity thereof when viewed from vertically above. Thereby, the working efficiency of the sample stage unit 240 can be improved. In addition, by appropriately shifting the turning angles of the discharge block unit and the sample stage unit, both units can be maintained at the same time, thereby improving the working efficiency.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge block unit and the sample stage unit are pivoted in the horizontal direction after being lifted upward. However, the discharge block unit and the sample stage unit may be configured to be pulled out linearly in the horizontal direction after being lifted. Thereby, the moving range can be minimized. Further, the configuration of the moving mechanism can be simplified. However, turning in the horizontal direction is more advantageous in securing a work space for maintenance.

  In this embodiment, not only the upper container but also the lower container are replaced. However, a configuration may be adopted in which a liner (cover) is attached so as to cover the inner surface of the lower container and the liner is replaced.

  Further, in this embodiment, one turning lifter is used, and the discharge block unit and the sample stage unit are turned in the same direction. However, if a work area can be secured, two turning lifters are provided, each in a different direction. It can also be turned. By providing a swing lifter for the discharge block unit and a swing lifter for the sample stage unit, the height of each unit can be freely set. Further, since more workers can be arranged, it is possible to easily perform the work at the same time, the work can be completed in a short time, and the work efficiency is improved.

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

  Further, in this embodiment, an ECR type vacuum processing apparatus is used as the vacuum processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to an ICP type apparatus and the like. Further, a vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum processing chamber arranged in a link system is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a cluster system apparatus.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the diameter of the object to be processed is large, the uniformity of the processing is good (coaxial axisymmetric exhaust), and only regular maintenance is required. In addition, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of efficiently performing irregular maintenance.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described above. Further, a part of a certain configuration can be replaced with another configuration, and another configuration can be added to a certain configuration.

100: vacuum processing apparatus, 101: atmosphere block, 102: vacuum block, 104, 104-1, 104-2: vacuum transfer chamber, 105: lock chamber, 106: atmosphere Transfer chamber, 107: Cassette table, 108: Transfer intermediate chamber, 109: Atmospheric transfer robot, 110, 110-1, 110-2: Vacuum transfer robot, 111: First gate valve , 112 ... second gate valve, 115 ... valve box, 200, 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, 200-4 ... vacuum processing chamber, 201 ... first high frequency power supply, 202 ... lid member (quartz plate), 203 ... shower plate, 204 ... gas introduction ring, 205 ... quartz inner cylinder, 206 ... coil, 207 ... O-ring, 210 ...・ Swing lifter , 211: rotating shaft, 220: discharge block unit, 221: discharge block base, 222: heater, 223: first temperature controller, 224: discharge block, 225 ... Earth ring, 230: upper container, 240: sample stage unit, 241: sample stage, 242: sample stage base, 243: second high frequency power supply, 244: second temperature controller 245: Sample base bottom cover, 250: Lower container, 260: Base plate, 261: Exhaust cover, 262: Cylinder, 270: Exhaust pump, 280: Support, 290: central axis, 300: workpiece (wafer, sample), 310: moving direction of discharge block unit, 320: moving direction of sample stage unit, 400 ... Worker.

Claims (10)

A vacuum processing chamber into which a wafer is loaded from a vacuum transfer chamber into an internal space; and a vacuum processing chamber disposed between the vacuum processing chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber, which is air-tightly connected to the vacuum processing chamber and has the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. A vacuum box having a valve box having a valve that opens and closes communication with the space,
The vacuum processing chamber has a base plate mounted and held on a pedestal having an exhaust opening, and a plurality of base plates arranged vertically above the base plate, the inner wall of which surrounds the space on the vacuum processing chamber side. A member and a sealing member that is disposed between each of the plurality of members and hermetically seals the space between the vacuum processing chamber and the outside of the vacuum processing chamber,
The plurality of members include an upper container whose inner wall has a cylindrical shape, an outer peripheral side wall of which is hermetically connected to an end of the valve box and is positioned by being pressed down with respect to the base plate, and a lower portion of the upper container. And a ring-shaped member arranged in the
A lifter having a vertical axis connected to the ring-shaped member and rotated around the ring-shaped member so as to move in a horizontal direction, wherein the upper container is connected to the valve box, A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a lifter having the shaft on the outer peripheral side of the base plate and at a position farther from the center of the inner wall of the ring-shaped member with respect to the valve box. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A vacuum processing apparatus in which the ring-shaped member is moved up and down along the axis before or after the horizontal movement of the lifter around the axis. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the plurality of members include a lower container having a cylindrical shape whose inner wall surrounds the space and is disposed between the ring-shaped member and the base plate, and the lower container is positioned on the base plate. The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
A transfer path which is arranged inside the valve box and is a space where the wafer is transferred, and an opening which is arranged on a side wall of the upper container and through which the wafer passes through the inside and is carried into the space in the vacuum processing chamber. The valve has a gate whose interior is opened or hermetically sealed by the valve, and the side wall of the upper container around the gate and the end of the valve box are connected to each other, so that the transfer path and the valve box and A vacuum processing apparatus in which a space outside the upper container is hermetically sealed. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a sample stage on which the loaded wafer is mounted on an upper surface of the ring-shaped member connected to the ring-shaped member via a support beam at a central portion inside the ring-shaped member. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising a lid member placed above the upper container to constitute the vacuum processing chamber, and a lid member through which an electric field for generating plasma is transmitted above the space inside the vacuum processing chamber. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6,
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising a discharge block which constitutes the vacuum processing chamber, is disposed between the lid member and the upper container, and surrounds the space where the plasma is formed. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 7,
A vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the discharge block is connected to the shaft of the lifter, is rotated around the shaft, and is moved in the horizontal direction. It is a vacuum processing apparatus of Claim 8, Comprising:
A vacuum processing apparatus in which the discharge block rotates about the axis of the lifter and moves in the horizontal direction to above the upper container, and then moves downward along the axis and is placed on the plurality of members. . The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
A vacuum processing apparatus in which the valve box is connected to and held by the gantry.

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