JPH03135024A - Treatment of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent dust particles and impurity gases from flowing to the side of a vacuum-type treatment chamber from the side of a vacuum-type trans fer chamber by a method wherein, when a gate valve is opened, a pressure in the treatment chamber is set to be a little higher than a pressure in the transfer chamber. CONSTITUTION:When a substrate to be treated is transferred and mounted from vacuum transfer chambers 2, 3 in which substrate transfer means 5 have been installed to a vacuum treatment chamber 1 or from the chamber 1 to the chambers 2, 3 by opening gate valves 4a, 4b partitioning the chambers, a degree of vacuum in the chambers 2, 3 is set to be a little higher that a degree of vacuum in the chamber 1. As a result, even when dust particles and impurity gases exist on the side of the chambers 2, 3 it is possible to prevent them from flowing into the chamber 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of treating a substrate, such as by subjecting the substrate to a plasma etching or plasma ashing treatment.

(Conventional technology) For example, a thin conductive film deposited on a glass substrate surface,
As a means of forming a required fine pattern, a resist mask is applied on the conductive film, and the exposed conductive film is selectively removed by plasma etching treatment, and then a required ashing process is performed to form the above-mentioned conductive film. It is known to form a predetermined fine pattern by removing a resist mask. That is, a plasma etching apparatus is used, and a substrate to be processed, such as a glass substrate on which a resist thin film is formed, is placed on the lower electrode of flat plate electrodes that are horizontally arranged approximately parallel to each other in the processing chamber of the apparatus. The processing chamber is evacuated, a required etching gas is introduced, and while being exhausted, a high frequency voltage is applied between the electrodes to etch the exposed thin film on the surface of the substrate to be processed. It is known that the resist mask is then removed (ashing) by changing the processing gas and processing conditions in the processing chamber of the etching apparatus.

By the way, in the processing chamber of the above plasma etching apparatus,
In order to speed up the processing cycle and prevent dust from entering, a transfer chamber (load lock chamber) that can be evacuated is connected via a gate valve, and the substrate to be processed is transferred to the vacuum processing chamber as follows. It is then transferred to the factory and subjected to the necessary vacuum treatment.

That is, the substrate to be processed is first taken from the positioning table into a transfer chamber (load lock chamber) that can be evacuated by a transfer means disposed in the transfer chamber, and then the transfer chamber is evacuated and the inside and outside of the processing chamber are removed. After creating a vacuum state of the same level, the gate valve is opened, the material is transferred into the processing chamber, and the material is positioned and subjected to the required processing.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the plasma etching method as described above, the following disadvantages are often observed. In other words, the processing inside the vacuum processing chamber is affected by the processing gas and processing conditions in the processing chamber. For example, when performing plasma etching processing, dust and contaminant gas may enter the vacuum processing chamber as the substrate to be processed is transferred. may flow into the substrate and cause quality variations in the processed substrates. To deal with such problems, more attention is required to sufficiently evacuate or maintain a clean state in the transfer system of the substrate to be processed and the vacuum type processing chamber, and the complexity of processing operations is unavoidable. .

The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing method that can easily perform required processing in a vacuum type processing chamber without causing variations in quality.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum transfer chamber equipped with a substrate transfer means and a vacuum processing chamber separated by a gate valve. , a substrate processing method in which a substrate is transferred and subjected to necessary vacuum processing, characterized in that the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber is set slightly higher than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber when the gate valve is opened.

(Function) According to the present invention, a process in which a substrate to be processed is transferred from a vacuum transfer chamber equipped with a substrate transfer means to a vacuum processing chamber partitioned off by a gate valve, or a substrate processed in the vacuum processing chamber is transferred. In the process of sending to the vacuum transfer chamber, the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber is set to be slightly higher than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber when the gate valve is opened. In other words, when the gate valve is opened and substrates are taken in and out, the vacuum type transfer chamber is set and maintained at a higher vacuum. Therefore, the inflow of dust and contaminant gas from the vacuum type transfer chamber side to the vacuum type processing chamber side is completely prevented, and the vacuum type processing chamber can easily maintain predetermined processing conditions or a clean state. processing can be achieved.

(Example) Next, examples of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a processing apparatus used in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, including a vacuum processing chamber 1 for plasma etching or plasma ashing, and a A vacuum transfer chamber 2.3 is equipped with a substrate transfer means 5 disposed on both sides via gate valves 4a and 4b, respectively, and a vacuum transfer chamber 2.3 is provided with substrate transfer means 5 disposed on both sides via gate valves 8a and 6b. Clean bench 7.8 with positioning tables 7a and 7b installed
It has a configuration that includes.

In the above processing apparatus example, the vacuum type transfer chambers 2 and 3 each containing the substrate transfer means 5 have four openings as shown in perspective in FIG.
For example, a vacuum chamber 2c (3c) consisting of a vacuum container main body 2a (3a) formed by hollowing out an aluminum block and a cover 2b (3b) that can be opened and closed to seal the upper opening of the main body 2a (3a).
and a telescopic transport arm 5 for transporting substrates arranged at the center of this vacuum chamber 2c (3c).

In addition, flat arm passage holes 1d and le are formed in opposing side walls of the vacuum chamber 2c (3c), respectively. These arm passage holes 2d, 2e (3d, 3e) include
Gate valves (4a, 6a, etc.), not shown, are provided to allow the vacuum chamber 2c (3c) to be closed airtight. Therefore, these arm passage holes 2d, 2c
Arc-shaped recesses 21' (3r) are formed on the inner surfaces of the side walls adjacent to the side walls (3d, 3e) along the locus of the bent tip of the transfer arm 5 (only one is shown in the figure). A through hole 2g (3↓) for air intake that communicates with the vacuum pump is bored on the lower side of the four parts 2r (3r).

By the way, the above-mentioned transport arm 5 includes three arms 5a connected by two joints that are pivotable by a rotating shaft.
5b and 5c, the base end of the first arm 5a is fixed to the outer ring of a 2i1f rotating shaft (not shown) protruding from the center of the vacuum chamber 2c (3c), and the third arm 5c at the tip has a substrate 9 attached to it. A mounting section A is formed. A pulley (not shown) is mounted on the double rotating shaft and the rotating shaft of each joint of the transport arm 5, and a belt is passed between each pulley via a plurality of guide rollers. Each joint is configured to rotate by rotation of the inner sleeve. The outer shaft and inner shaft of the double rotation shaft are each arm 5a, 5b,
The rotation of 5c is separately controlled so that it moves as shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows that the transfer arm 5 extends from the first arm passage hole 2d, and transfers the substrate 9 positioned and placed on the positioning table 7a of one of the clean benches 7 to the second arm passage hole 2d. '0 In the movement of the transfer arm 5 described above, the rotation of the double rotation axis causes the maximum elongation. With the board 9 mounted at this position, the first arm 5a rotates counterclockwise in the figure at a constant speed, the second arm 5b rotates clockwise at twice the angular speed of the first arm 5a, and the third arm 5c rotates in the same direction and at the same angular velocity as the first arm 5a. Therefore, the transfer arm 5 is
From the state of a), as shown in (b) and (c) of the same figure,
While the joints of the first arm 5a and the second arm 5b are bent, the third arm 5c retreats on the same straight line. At this time, the gate valve 8a on the side of the arm passage hole 2d is opened, and the gate valve 4a on the side of the arm passage hole 2e is closed.

In this way, when the distance from the rotation axis of the first arm 5a to the tip of the third arm 5c becomes approximately equal to the length of the first arm 5a, the rotation of the inner ring is temporarily stopped, and as shown in the figure (
While maintaining this state as shown in d) and (e),
Rotate 180'. At this time, the gate valve 6a on the side of the arm passage hole 2d is closed, and the vacuum chamber 3c is evacuated to a degree of vacuum lower than that of the vacuum processing chamber 1 connected to the arm passage hole 2e via the gate valve 4a. It is said that After that, the gate valve 4a on the side of the arm passage hole 2e is opened, and the outer shaft and inner sleeve of the double rotating shaft are rotated in the opposite direction, and the arm passage hole 2e is opened as shown in FIG.
The third arm 5C extends from e, and the substrate 9 is delivered into the processing chamber 1 in a vacuum state.

On the other hand, a gate valve 4b is provided at the other end of the vacuum processing chamber 1.
The basic structure and operation of the vacuum transfer chamber 3 equipped with the substrate transfer means 5 disposed through the vacuum transfer chamber 2 are the same as those of the vacuum transfer chamber 2, and atmospheric pressure is supplied via the gate valve 6b. It is connected to the clean bench 8.

Next, a case will be described in which required processing is performed using this processing device. First, the positioning table 7 of the clean bench 7 is moved while the vacuum transfer chamber 2, which can be evacuated, is at atmospheric pressure.
For example, a glass substrate provided with a resist mask is supplied to a from an indexer. This glass substrate is taken into the vacuum transfer chamber 2 by the transfer arm 5 of the vacuum transfer chamber 2, and in this state, the gate valve 6a is closed and a vacuum mold is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 2 via the gate valve 4a. The vacuum level is evacuated to a level slightly higher than that of the processing chamber 1. Next, the gate valve 4a is opened, the transfer arm 5 is extended, and the counter electrode 1a disposed in the vacuum type processing chamber 1 is removed.
A glass substrate is mounted on the lower electrode la of .lb, the transfer arm 5 is pulled into the vacuum transfer chamber 2 again, the gate valve 4a is closed, and the required plasma etching process is performed in the vacuum processing chamber 1. It will be done. Then, the inside of the vacuum type transfer chamber 3 is evacuated to a slightly higher vacuum than the inside of the vacuum type processing chamber 1, and when the plasma etching process of the glass substrate is completed, the gate valve 4b is opened, and the transfer arm 5 of the vacuum type transfer chamber 3 is evacuated. is inserted into the vacuum type processing chamber 1, holding the glass substrate, and taken into the vacuum type transfer chamber 3, and the gate valve 4b is closed again. Thereafter, the gate valve 6b on the exit side of the vacuum transfer chamber 3 is opened, and the arm 5 holding the glass substrate is extended to connect the glass substrate that has been subjected to the required vacuum treatment to the vacuum transfer chamber 3. The sample is sent onto the positioning table 8a of the clean bench 8, and carried out by a conveyor device (not shown).

In the above embodiments, plasma etching was used as an example of forming a conductive pattern on the surface of a glass substrate. It can also be applied to Further, the configuration of the vacuum transfer chamber equipped with a substrate transfer means and the substrate transfer means installed in this vacuum transfer chamber are not limited to the above embodiments, and of course, other transfer means may be used. .

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, it is possible to transfer the substrate from the vacuum transfer chamber equipped with the substrate transfer means to the vacuum type processing chamber, and from the vacuum type processing chamber to the vacuum type processing chamber. When transferring and mounting a substrate to be processed into the internal vacuum transfer chamber by opening the guard pulp that partitions them, the degree of vacuum in the vacuum transfer chamber is set to be slightly higher than the degree of vacuum in the vacuum processing chamber. In other words, when the vacuum transfer chamber and the vacuum processing chamber are connected, the vacuum transfer chamber is under high vacuum, so even if dust or contaminant gas exists on the vacuum transfer chamber side, it will flow into the vacuum processing chamber. can be easily prevented. In this way, the vacuum type processing chamber is effectively and reliably prevented from being contaminated due to the transfer of the substrate to be processed, so that a constant quality of the processed substrate can be easily maintained. Moreover,
This vacuum treatment does not require particularly complicated operations, so it can be said that it brings many practical advantages.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a processing apparatus used in the substrate processing method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration of a vacuum transfer chamber equipped with a substrate transfer means of the processing apparatus shown in the first example. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the transfer means in which the vacuum transfer chamber shown in FIG. 2 is installed. 1... Vacuum type processing chamber, 1a, lb... Flat plate electrode 2.3... Vacuum transfer chamber with internal substrate transfer means, 4a,
4b, Ba, 6b, --...Gate valve, 5...Substrate transfer means 7.8...Clean benches 7a, 8a...Positioning table 9...Substrate

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A substrate processing method in which a substrate is transferred between a vacuum transfer chamber equipped with a substrate transfer means and a vacuum processing chamber separated by a gate valve and subjected to a desired vacuum process, A method for processing a substrate, characterized in that the pressure in the vacuum processing chamber is set slightly higher than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber when the gate valve is opened.