JPH0615720B2 - Vacuum processing device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly to a vacuum processing apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing process such as a dry etching apparatus and a plasma CVD apparatus.

[Background of the Invention]

Recent progress in semiconductor manufacturing process technology has been remarkable, and a model for processing a 1 μm pattern has appeared in a dry etching apparatus as well, and has been attracting attention. As such miniaturization progresses, the diameter of the sample becomes larger, and accordingly, the throughput per unit floor space of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment (the number of samples processed per hour) is improved and the diversification of manufacturing process technology is responded to. Is a big issue. In order to solve such requirements, it is necessary to downsize the equipment and perform multi-purpose processing by using processing chambers of the same number. Moreover, the number of processing chambers can be set freely in response to process changes and line changes. Instead, there has been a demand for vacuum processing modules that can be configured or organized into systems. On the other hand, in the related art, for example, JP-A-57-12892
In the type disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 8 in which a module combining a processing chamber and a sample transfer line in the atmosphere can be added, the sample is transferred to the next processing chamber through the air with poor cleanliness. It is not suitable for application to process steps in which processing is handed over to the next processing room on the way. Further, in the type in which samples are transferred between several processing chambers and one buffer chamber and continuously processed as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-39430, the number of processing chambers is large. Since it is fixed and there is no degree of freedom to change the number of processing chambers in response to process changes or line changes, it has the problem of being difficult to use.

[Object of the Invention]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of system configuration or organization by freely changing the number of processing chambers in response to process changes and line changes.

[Outline of Invention]

The present invention relates to a buffer chamber that can be evacuated, and a buffer chamber provided in the chamber.
Through the vacuum chamber opening / closing means between the processing chamber and the buffer chamber.
Between the vacuum chamber and the buffer chamber
For transporting the sample between the vacuum opening / closing means between the first
Sample transfer means and the bag between the means and the processing chamber.
A second sample carrying means for carrying the sample through the fa chamber
The vacuum processing unit provided as one unit
It is possible to reduce communication between fa rooms or between the vacuum spare rooms.
Both units are installed in a row and the buffer room is
Or third sample transfer for transferring the sample between the vacuum reserve chambers
Means for providing a vacuum processing device.
Freely select the number of processing chambers in response to process changes and line changes
Let's change to a device that can be configured or organized
It is what

Example of Invention

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, the vacuum processing unit 10 includes a buffer chamber 20 to which a vacuum exhaust system (not shown) is connected, a processing chamber 30 provided in the buffer chamber 20, a vacuum chamber opening / closing means in the buffer chamber 20,
For example, a vacuum reserve chamber installed via gate valves 40 and 41
50, 51, a first sample transfer means for transferring the sample 60 by instructing the gate valves 40, 41 between the vacuum preliminary chambers 50, 51 and the buffer chamber 20, for example, transfer belts 70, 71, and transfer Belt 70,71
Second sample transfer means for transferring the sample 60 between the processing chamber 30 and the processing chamber 30 through the buffer chamber 20, for example, a rotary arm transfer device.
80 and.

In FIG. 1, a counter electrode (not shown) is installed substantially horizontally in the processing chamber 30 in this case. The counter electrode is grounded. A sample electrode 31 is provided below the counter electrode so as to face it. A power source outside the buffer 20, for example, a high frequency power source (not shown) is connected to the sample electrode 31. In this case, the sample electrode 31 is provided so as to be movable up and down, and has a function of air-tightly blocking the inside of the processing chamber 30 from the inside of the buffer chamber 20 by rising. The processing chamber 30 includes a vacuum exhaust system (not shown) for evacuating the hermetically sealed processing chamber 30 and a gas supply system (not shown) for supplying a processing gas into the hermetically sealed processing chamber 30. Are connected. Sample electrode
31 is cooled in this case with a refrigerant, for example, cooling water,
This has the function of cooling the sample 60 being processed. A table 32 is provided at the center of the sample electrode 31.
It is provided so as to be able to move up and down between a height level above the sample installation surface and below the sample installation surface or an equivalent height level.
The size of the table 32 is smaller than the size of the sample 60.

In FIG. 1, the gate valves 40 and 41 are the processing chamber 30 of the buffer chamber 20.
It is provided on the side wall corresponding to. Vacuum reserve chamber 50, 51
Are in this case separated. That is, the vacuum preliminary chamber 50 is provided in the buffer chamber 20 via the gate valve 40, and the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 is provided in the buffer chamber 20 via the gate valve 41.
It is equipped with. In this case, the vacuum preliminary chambers 50 and 51 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction. A vacuum exhaust system (not shown) is connected to the vacuum preliminary chambers 50 and 51, and the vacuum preliminary chamber 5
Leak gas supply system (not shown) that returns the inside of 0, 51 to atmospheric pressure
Are connected. The volume of the vacuum preliminary chambers 50 and 51 is such that the cassettes 90 and 91 can be accommodated and the cassettes 90 and 91 can be moved up and down intermittently. The vacuum spare chambers 50 and 51 are provided with doors (not shown) for loading and unloading cassettes.

In FIG. 1, the conveyor belts 70 and 71 are installed side by side with their belt surfaces substantially horizontal. One end of the conveyor belt 70 has a vacuum spare chamber.
The sample 60 is in a position where it can be transferred to and from the cassette 90 in 50, and one end of the transport belt 71 is in a position where the sample 60 can be transferred to and from the cassette 91 in the vacuum preliminary chamber 51. At the other end of the conveyor belts 70, 71, that is, at the inner end of the buffer chamber 20, the tables 72, 73 can be moved up and down between a height level above the belt surface of the conveyor belts 70, 71 and below. It is provided in. The size of the tables 72 and 73 is smaller than the size of the shrink material 60. In this case, the tables 72, 73 and the table 32 are arranged on the same circumference.

In FIG. 1, the rotary arm transfer device 80 includes a drive device (not shown), a rotary shaft 81, arms 82 and 83, and holders 84 and 85. The rotary shaft 81 is rotatably provided in the buffer chamber 20 with the center of the arrangement of the tables 32, 72, 73 as the axis. In this case, the rotating shaft 81 is rotatably provided with its lower portion protruding outside the buffer chamber 20 to maintain airtightness on the bottom wall of the buffer chamber 20. The drive device is installed outside the buffer chamber 20, and the lower end of the rotating shaft 81 is connected to the drive device.
The arms 82 and 83 are cantilevered above the rotary shaft 81 so as to be rotatable in the same plane. In this case, the holders 84 and 85 are for holding the sample 60 by scooping from the back surface.
It is provided at the rotating end of 2,83. In this case, the mounting intervals of the arms 82, 83 on the rotary shaft 81 are the tables 32, 72, 73.
The spacing is such that the holders 84, 85 correspond to any two of the tables.

In FIG. 2, two vacuum processing units 10 are used,
In this case, the buffer chambers 20 are connected to each other through a vacuum valve opening / closing means 100 such as a gate valve and a partitioning tool so that they can communicate with each other. The inter-vacuum opening / closing means 100 is provided on the side wall of the buffer chamber 20 that is substantially perpendicular to the side wall where the vacuum preliminary chambers 50 and 51 are provided in this case. A third sample transfer means for transferring the sample 60 between the buffer chambers 20 via the vacuum opening / closing means 100 is provided. The third sample transport means is, for example, the transport belt 11
It is 0. At the end of the conveyor belt 110 in the buffer chamber 20 on the left side in FIG. 2, a table 111 can be moved up and down between a height level above the belt surface of the conveyor belt 110 and a height level below it. It is provided. The table 111 and the tables 32, 72 and 73 are on the same circumference as the tables 32, 72 and 73.
It is arranged between and. The end of the conveyor belt 110 in the buffer chamber 20 on the right side in FIG.
Is provided to be movable up and down between a height level above the belt surface of the conveyor belt 110 and a height level below it.
The table 112 is arranged between the tables 72 and 73 on the same circumference as the tables 32, 72 and 73. In addition,
In FIG. 2, the same devices and the like as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 2, for example, the cassette 90 is carried into the vacuum preliminary chamber 50 of the left vacuum processing unit 10, and the cassette 91 is carried into the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 of the right vacuum processing unit 10. A predetermined number of samples 60 are stored in the cassette 90, and the cassette 91 is empty. The preliminary vacuum chambers 50 and 51 are evacuated to the same pressure as the buffer chamber 20. afterwards,
The gate valve 40 of the left vacuum processing unit 10 is opened, and the cassette 90 is lowered by one pitch, so that the sample 60 is passed to one end of the transport belt 70. The sample 60 is transferred from the vacuum preliminary chamber 50 into the buffer chamber 20 via the gate valve 40 by operating the transfer belt 70, and the transfer is stopped at a position corresponding to the table 72. Then this sample 60
Are transferred from the conveyor belt 70 to the table 72 by raising the table 72. Thereafter, the sample 60 is passed from the table 72 to, for example, the holder 85 by operating the rotary arm carrier 80, and is conveyed to a position corresponding to the table 32 while being held by the holder 85 by scooping. . Thereafter, the sample 60 is transferred from the holder 85 to the table 32 by raising the table 32. Sample 60 to table 32
The holder 85 of the rotary arm transfer device 80 passed to the
You can wait in a position that does not hinder the ascent of 31. After receiving the sample 60, by lowering the table 32, the sample 60 is passed from the table 32 to the sample electrode 31, whereby the sample 60 is a sample of the sample electrode 31 in an upward posture of the surface to be processed. It is installed on the installation surface. After that, by raising the sample electrode 31, the inside of the processing chamber 30 is hermetically shut off from the buffer chamber 20. In this state, the surface of the sample 60 to be processed is subjected to, for example, dry etching primary processing (rough processing) by gas plasma. After this processing is completed, the sample electrode 31 is lowered, and the inside of the processing chamber 30 is in communication with the buffer chamber 20 again. Then, by raising the table 32, the sample 60 subjected to the primary treatment is removed from the sample electrode 31, and the table is removed.
Passed to 32. After that, the sample 60 subjected to the primary treatment is
By the operation of the rotary arm transfer device 80, it is transferred from the table 32, for example, to the holder 85 and transferred to a position corresponding to the table 111. Afterwards, this primary treated sample 60
Is raised, the table 111 is raised to be passed from the holder 85 to the table 111, and the table 111 is lowered,
It is passed from the table 111 to the conveyor belt 110. After that, the sample 60 after the primary treatment is operated from the inside of the buffer chamber 20 of the left vacuum processing unit 10 through the open / close vacuum opening / closing means 100 by operating the conveyor belt 110, and the right vacuum processing unit It is transported into the buffer chamber 20 of 10 and stopped at a position corresponding to the table 112. In this way, the sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary processing, which has been transported into the buffer of the vacuum processing unit 10 on the right side, is raised from the table 112 and is transferred from the transport belt 110 to the table 112. Thereafter, by operating the sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary treatment and the rotary arm transfer device 80, for example, a position corresponding to the table 32 is passed from the table 112 to the holder 84 and held by the holder 84 in a scooped state. Be transported to. Thereafter, the sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary treatment is passed from the holder 84 to the table 32 by raising the table 32. The holder 84 of the rotary arm transfer device 80, which has passed the sample 60 that has undergone the primary treatment, is made to stand by at a position that does not hinder the rise of the sample electrode 31. On the other hand, by lowering the table 32, the sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary treatment is passed from the table 32 to the sample electrode 31, whereby the sample 60 that has undergone the primary treatment is placed on the surface of the sample electrode 31 facing upward. It is installed on the sample installation surface of. After that, by raising the sample electrode 31, the inside of the processing chamber 30 is hermetically shut off from the inside of the buffer chamber 20. In this state, the surface of the sample 60 that has undergone the primary treatment is finished by gas plasma. After this processing is completed, the sample electrode 31 is lowered, and the inside of the processing chamber 30 is in communication with the inside of the buffer chamber 20 again. Then, by raising the table 32, the finished sample 60 is removed from the sample electrode 31 and passed to the table 32. Then, the finished sample 60 is transferred from the table 32, for example, to the holder 84 and transferred to a position corresponding to the table 73 by the operation of the rotary arm transfer device 80. After that, by raising the table 73, the finished sample 60 is passed from the holder 84 to the table 73, and by lowering the table 73, it is passed from the table 73 to the transport belt 71. After that, the gate valve 41 is opened, and the transport belt 71 is operated, so that the sample 60 subjected to the finishing treatment is transferred to the buffer chamber 20.
Is transferred to the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 via the gate valve 41. The finished sample 60 carried into the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 is
It is passed from the conveyor belt 71 to the cassette 91 and collected.

In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The system configuration or organization can be changed by freely changing the number of processing chambers in response to process changes and line changes.

(2) Since the sample is transferred to the next processing chamber via the buffer chamber that has been evacuated, it can be applied to the process step in which the processing is taken over to the next processing chamber during the processing without any problem.

(3) Since the sample can be transferred between each transfer belt and the processing chamber by providing only one rotating arm transfer device, the device configuration can be simplified and the device cost can be reduced.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 2 showing one embodiment is that two vacuum processing units 10 are used. In this case, the vacuum preliminary chambers 51 and 50 are used. A third sample transfer means, for example, a transfer means, which is continuously provided via vacuum opening / closing means 100 'so as to be able to communicate between The point is that a belt 110 'is provided. Therefore, in this case, the sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary processing is transferred from the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 of the vacuum processing unit 10 on the left side to the vacuum opening / closing means 100 '.
Is transferred to the vacuum preliminary chamber 50 of the vacuum processing unit 10 on the right side. The sample 60 that has been subjected to the primary treatment, which has been carried into the vacuum preliminary chamber 50, is carried into the processing chamber 30 through the buffer chamber 20, where it is finished and then carried into the vacuum preliminary chamber 51 through the buffer chamber 20 and the cassette. Recovered at 91. The third
In the figure, the same devices and the like as in FIG.

In this embodiment, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be obtained.

It should be noted that the tape 73 and the table 111 and the table 72 and the table 112 in the above-described embodiment are combined into one table, and, for example,
The conveyor belt 110 may be provided so as to be movable up and down.

Also, the vacuum processing unit shown in FIG. 1 can be used as it is as one vacuum processing apparatus. In such a case, for example, a cassette 90 containing a predetermined number of samples 60 is loaded into the vacuum preliminary chamber 50, and an empty cassette for recovery is loaded into the vacuum preliminary chamber 51, and the transport belt 70 is
The transfer belt 71 is used as a sample transfer means for loading, and the transfer belt 71 is used as a sample transfer means for unloading.

Further, the first sample transport means for transporting the sample between the buffer chamber and the vacuum preliminary chamber and the third transport means for transporting the sample between the buffer chambers or between the vacuum preliminary chambers are the transport belt in the above embodiment. Alternatively, it may be a means for reciprocating the holder by rectilinear movement or partial rotation. Further, the holder may be one that mechanically grips and holds the sample, and one that grips and holds by suction or electromagnetic attraction.

〔The invention's effect〕

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention has an effect that it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of system configuration or organization by freely changing the number of processing chambers in response to process changes and line changes.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the vacuum processing unit, and FIG. 2 shows the vacuum processing unit of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a vacuum processing apparatus in which units are arranged in series, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention. 20 ... Buffer chamber, 30 ... Processing chamber, 40,41 ... Gate valve, 50,51 ... Vacuum reserve chamber, 70,71,110,110 '... Transfer belt, 80 ... Rotary arm transfer device, 110 …… Opening / closing means between vacuums

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Fujii 794 Azuma Higashitoyo, Kudamatsu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture Stock company Hitachi Kasado Plant (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Takahashi 794 Azuma Higashitoyo, Kumamatsu City Yamaguchi Prefecture (56) References JP-A-57-149748 (JP, A) JP-A-60-85527 (JP, A) JP-A-61-34920 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A buffer chamber capable of being evacuated, a processing chamber provided in the chamber, a vacuum chamber provided in the buffer chamber via a vacuum opening / closing means, the chamber and the buffer chamber. A first sample transfer means for transferring a sample through the vacuum opening / closing means, and a second sample transfer means for transferring a sample through the buffer chamber between the means and the processing chamber. Third sample transfer for transferring at least two units so that the buffer chambers or the vacuum preliminary chambers can be connected to each other by using the vacuum processing unit as one unit and the sample is transferred between the buffer chambers or the vacuum preliminary chambers. A vacuum processing apparatus provided with means.