JPH0668149B2 - Vacuum processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, for example, a CVD apparatus.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

FIG. 11 shows an example of a conventional means for taking in a wafer from the atmosphere into the vacuum chamber.In the figure, this means passes through a gate valve or a partition valve (104) from the atmosphere by means such as a belt carrier (109). A belt transfer means in which the wafer (106) sent into the vacuum chamber (101) is installed in the vacuum chamber (101).
Function to take in to an appropriate position in the tank (101) by (102), lift it above the belt position by a separately provided wafer elevating means, and then lower it onto another mechanism that has entered below the wafer (106). Have.

Now, this will be described in more detail as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, the valve (10
The wafer (106) to be surface-treated, which has passed through 4) and is fed into the vacuum chamber (101), is further conveyed to an appropriate position by the belt conveying means (102) provided in the vacuum chamber (101). Stop. Then, the partition valve (104) is closed and the inside of the vacuum chamber (101) is evacuated to vacuum.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the wafer pusher (108), which was located below the position of the wafer (106) on the belt (102) at that time, maintains a vacuum seal through the bellows (105). Occasionally, it is lifted by the wafer up-and-down drive cylinder (103) and lifts the wafer (106) above the belt surface.

Then, another wafer transfer mechanism (107) (for example, a pickup for fork transfer, etc.) enters below the wafer (106) below the wafer (106).

Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, the wafer pusher (108)
Is lowered and the wafer (106) is transferred onto another wafer transfer mechanism (107). The wafer (1) is transferred to the reaction vacuum chamber for performing necessary processing by this transfer mechanism (107).
06) is delivered.

The above is the operation when the wafer (106) is taken into the vacuum chamber (101) from the atmosphere side to carry the wafer into the reaction vacuum chamber, but conversely the procedure for taking out the processed wafer (106) to the atmosphere side is The opposite is true. That is, in the conventional example, the wafer (106) that has already been processed is transferred into the vacuum chamber (101) that has been evacuated to a vacuum by the mechanism (107), and then the vacuum chamber (101) is vented to process the processed wafer. Take out (106).
Furthermore, the unprocessed wafer (106) is taken into the vacuum chamber (101),
It is evacuated and then transferred to the processing chamber by the mechanism (107).

During the wafer taking-out and taking-in operations including the above atmospheric vacuum exhaust cycle, the processing chamber becomes a waiting time, resulting in poor efficiency.

In order to avoid this problem, a method of separately providing a vacuum tank for taking in a wafer and a vacuum tank for taking out a wafer is often used, but this method complicates the structure of the apparatus.

If only one vacuum chamber for wafer loading is provided, rapid evacuation and rapid venting are usually required to speed up the exhaust cycle of atmospheric vacuum, depending on the throughput of the device, but the LSI pattern size With the recent miniaturization of particles, it is indispensable to suppress the adhesion of particles to the wafer as much as possible, and rapid evacuation or venting in a vacuum chamber, which easily causes particles to soar, is not preferable. Further, in order to double the production amount, the above-mentioned devices including the reaction vacuum chamber are arranged in parallel, but this also doubles the device installation area.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned various drawbacks of the related art, and while the wafer (substrate) taken in the front side is processed in the processing chamber, the next wafer is taken into the vacuum chamber (1). By completing vacuum evacuation, the time required for venting and evacuation from wafer exchange work in the processing chamber can be shortened, the waiting time in the processing chamber can be reduced, and the entire device can be made more compact than before and productivity can be further improved. An object is to provide a vacuum processing device.

[Means for solving problems]

A relay vacuum chamber provided with a substrate transfer means, first and second reaction vacuum chambers adjacent to the relay vacuum chamber and capable of communicating / not communicating through the first and second gate valves, respectively, and the relay vacuum chamber. And a substrate exchanging vacuum chamber which is adjacent to and is capable of communicating / non-communicating with the third gate valve and having a substrate exchanging means.
In the side wall of the substrate exchange vacuum chamber, a first opening for the relay vacuum chamber, a second opening for loading an unprocessed substrate from the atmosphere side, and a surface processed in the first or second reaction vacuum chamber A third opening for carrying out the processed substrate to the atmosphere side is formed, and the first opening among these openings is opened and closed by the third gate valve, and the second opening and the third opening are formed. Opened / closed by a fourth gate valve and a fifth gate valve, the substrate exchanging means comprises a substrate support and an elevating / lowering drive unit for driving the substrate support, and the unprocessed substrate is placed on the substrate support. At least one adapted to be placed
An unprocessed substrate support part composed of a stepped support part and a surface-treated substrate support part composed of at least one stage support part adapted to mount the surface-treated substrate are provided, and the substrate support is driven up and down. Drive the unit to drive the surface-treated substrate from the first or second reaction vacuum chamber to the relay vacuum by the substrate transfer means in the relay vacuum chamber. Via the chamber into the substrate exchange vacuum chamber chamber and placed on the surface-treated substrate support part of the substrate support, and then from the substrate exchange vacuum chamber to the unprocessed substrate support part of the substrate support. The vacuum processing apparatus is characterized in that the unprocessed substrate placed therein is carried into the first or second reaction vacuum chamber via the relay vacuum chamber.

[Action]

When the unprocessed substrate is placed on the unprocessed substrate support part of the substrate support in the substrate exchange vacuum chamber equipped with the substrate exchange means,
In the substrate exchange vacuum chamber, the first opening for the relay vacuum chamber is closed by the third gate valve, and the second and third openings for the atmosphere side are closed by the fourth and fifth gate valves, so that a vacuum state is established. And then the third
The gate valve is opened, and the surface-treated substrate is placed on the surface-treated substrate support portion of the substrate support through the first opening via the relay vacuum chamber from the first or second reaction vacuum chamber, and In this state, the unprocessed substrate is carried out through the first opening into the first or second reaction vacuum chamber through the relay vacuum chamber, and then the third gate valve closes the first opening, When the substrate exchanging vacuum chamber becomes atmospheric pressure, the second and third openings are opened by the fourth and fifth gate valves, and the surface-treated substrate passes through the third opening from the surface-treated substrate support portion and is required on the atmosphere side. Discharge to place. The unprocessed substrate is placed on the unprocessed substrate support portion of the substrate support through the second opening from the atmosphere side. Next, the second and third openings are closed by the fourth and fifth gate valves, the substrate exchange vacuum chamber is evacuated, and the above operation is repeated. Of the above series of operations, the substrate exchange vacuum chamber is set to atmospheric pressure, the unprocessed substrate is loaded from the atmosphere side to the unprocessed substrate support section, and the surface-treated substrate is moved from the surface-treated support section to the atmosphere side at the required location. The work of evacuating the substrate exchange vacuum chamber again is completed in advance while the substrate previously transferred to the first or second reaction vacuum chamber is being processed. As a result, the surface-treated substrate is transferred from the first or second reaction vacuum chamber to the substrate exchange vacuum chamber, and the unprocessed substrate is transferred from the substrate exchange vacuum chamber to the first or second reaction vacuum chamber. It can be performed while maintaining a vacuum in the chamber. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the atmospheric vacuum exhaust cycle of the substrate exchange chamber during the substrate exchange operation of the first or second reaction chamber, and the waiting time for substrate exchange of the first or second reaction chamber is minimized. be able to.

Further, the common substrate carrying means carries in the processed substrate from the adjacent first or second reaction vacuum chamber to the substrate exchange vacuum chamber and transfers the unprocessed substrate from the substrate exchange vacuum chamber to the first or second reaction vacuum chamber. Since it can be carried in, the entire device can be well made compact while doubling the production amount compared with the conventional one.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, a CVD apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows the whole of this device (1), but a pair of Cs on the left and right.
VD reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) are provided, and a buffer chamber (3) is provided between them. Buffer chamber (3) and both reaction chambers
The first and second gate valves (16) are provided on the partition wall between (2a) and (2b).
(17) is provided, and the wafer is transferred via these. A wafer exchange chamber (5) is provided in front of the buffer chamber (3), and wafers are transferred between these chambers (3) and (5) via a gate valve (6).

A wafer transfer means (7) is provided in the buffer chamber (3), which is provided with a transfer fork (8), is rotatable about a central axis (9) as shown by an arrow a, and It is expandable and contractible as shown by arrow b. Wafer exchange room (5)
Gate valves (10) and (11) are provided on both side walls of the wafer, and an unprocessed wafer loading belt (12) is provided on one side of the gate valve (1) from the wafer stock cassette (13) with a predetermined timing. The address is automatically taken out and carried into the wafer exchange chamber (5) by the belt (12). On the other hand, a processed wafer unloading belt (14) is provided,
It is designed to be loaded into the processed wafer stock cassette (15).

Next, the details of the wafer exchange chamber (5) will be described with reference to FIGS.

The wafer exchange chamber (5) is defined by the closed tank (21) as shown in FIG.
The gate valves (10) and (11) (not shown in FIG. 2) and the third gate valve (6) are provided on the rear wall. Details of these gate valves (6), (10) and (11) will be described later. However, the chamber (23) is hermetically sealed by these closed states, and the chamber (23) is evacuated or depressurized by an exhaust means (not shown).

In the chamber (23), a substrate support (24) as a substrate exchanging means whose overall shape is clearly shown in FIG. 5 is disposed, and a drive shaft (25) is fixed to the bottom surface of the substrate support (24). The bottom wall of the closed tank (21) is airtightly inserted, extends into the atmosphere below, and is fixed to the screw engagement body (27). Drive shaft (25) is vacuum sealed
It is supported by (26) so that it can slide up and down in an airtight manner.

The screw engagement body (27) is screwed into the ball screw (28), and the pulley (29) is fixed to the lower end of the screw (28). The motor (31) is fixed to the machine frame (not shown), and the belt (30) is wound between the pulley (32) fixed to the rotating shaft and the pulley (29). Motor (3
The rotation of 1) causes the ball screw (28) to rotate, which causes the screw engagement body (27), and thus the drive shaft (25), to move upward or downward. The motor (31) can rotate forward and backward,
The drive shaft (25) moves upward or downward depending on this rotation direction. A height sensor device (36) is provided on one side of the screw engagement body (27) to detect each height position of the drive shaft (25), and the detection signal causes the motor (31) to drive-control. To be done.

As is well known, the ball screw (28) has a structure in which a ball is fitted in a screw groove, and the drive shaft (25) can be accurately raised or lowered to a predetermined position without backlash.

An inlet and an outlet for cooling water are formed in a small diameter portion of the screw engagement body (27), and a cooling water introducing tube (33) and a discharging tube (34) are connected thereto. Although not shown in the drawing, the drive shaft (25) is formed with an introduction path and a discharge path.
The base (37) of (24) communicates with a circulation path (35) formed in a meandering shape. The substrate support (24) is made of aluminum and has excellent thermal conductivity.

The gate valves (6) (10) (1) are provided on the three side walls of the closed tank (21) and on the partition walls of the reaction chambers (2a) (2b) and the buffer chamber (3) as described above.
1), (16) and (17) are arranged, and are configured to hermetically close the openings (6a), (10a), (11a), (16a) and (17a) formed in the side wall portion and the partition wall. Although the gate valve (6) is shown in detail in FIG. 2 and the gate valve (6) is shown in detail in FIG. 2, the gate valves (16) and (17) of the reaction chambers (2a) and (2b) have the same structure, Only the valve (6) will be described below with reference to FIG. This is a structure that has already been widely used, and mainly the gate body (7) that opens and closes the opening (6a).
1), the driving member (7) connected to it by parallel links (73) (74)
2) and the lower end of the drive member (72) is a vacuum seal (7
It projects to the atmosphere through 5) and is driven up and down by a cylinder device (76). In FIG. 2, the gate body (71) closes the opening (6a), but the drive member (72)
When the gate main body (71) is lowered, the opening (6a) is opened, and when the driving member (72) is raised, the opening (6a) is closed.

Next, the details of the gate valves (10) and (11) will be described.
Since the gate valves 10 and 11 have the same structure, only the gate valve 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part showing the operating state of the gate valve (10), in which the partition wall C that separates the atmospheric pressure space A from the vacuum chamber B (wafer exchange chamber (5)) is
A through hole (41) is formed, and the opening (1) on the vacuum chamber B side of the through hole (41) is formed.
0a) is formed so as to be inclined upward.

The opening (10a) is provided with a valve plate (43) that opens and closes a valve seat portion formed around the opening (10a) so as to face the valve plate (43).
Are formed to have a diameter larger than that of the wafer (47), and penetrate the partition wall C on both sides of the through hole (41) and extend diagonally downward to form two rods (44a) (44b) (see FIG. 3). Is connected to a fluid pressure (hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure) drive cylinder (45) provided below the atmospheric pressure space A. The above two rods (44a) and (44b) are the fourth
As shown in the figure, the O-ring (4
It is mounted inside 3a) and the rod and valve plate are sealed by welding (43b) or the like so as not to leak from the joint. The lower end has a connecting member (44) that connects the two rods.
It is connected to the piston rod (44) of the cylinder (45) via c). In the figure, (45a) and (45b) are conduits for supplying or discharging pressurized fluid to the cylinder (45), and (12) and (48) are atmospheric pressure space A.
And conveyor belts respectively installed in the vacuum chamber B, (49)
Indicates a bearing bush, and (50) indicates an O-ring.

Since the valve plate (43) is configured as described above, in a normal state, that is, when the wafer is not fed, the valve plate (43) is in a reverse pressure state, that is, through the through hole (41) by the fluid pressure acting downward in the cylinder (45). The opening (10a) on the vacuum chamber side of the through hole (41) of the partition wall C is closed while pressure (atmospheric pressure) is acting in the valve opening direction. Therefore, the vacuum in the vacuum chamber B does not leak through the through hole (41).

Next, when the wafer (47) sent from the atmospheric pressure space A by the transfer belt (12) is transferred to the vacuum chamber B,
Switch the fluid passage of the cylinder (45) to change the rod (44) (44a)
The valve plate (43) is raised via (44b) to release the opening (10a). At this time, since the passage (41) is located in the middle of the two rods (44a) and (44b), the passage of the wafer (47) is not hindered and the wafer is smoothly transferred to the vacuum chamber B. Be transferred.

Then, when the wafer (47) has finished moving into the vacuum chamber B, the flow path of the cylinder (45) is switched again to lower the valve plate (43) and close the opening (10a). The wafer (47) transferred into the vacuum chamber B is transferred to a predetermined position on the substrate support (24) by the transfer belt (48).

According to this embodiment, the drive source for operating the valve plate is provided on the atmosphere side, and since all the sliding parts for operating the valve plate are located below the wafer, There is no risk that dust and the like will fall on the wafer. The vacuum chamber is also not contaminated by the drive source. In addition, since the valve plate and the rod are provided so as to be inclined with respect to the vacuum partition, it can be formed compactly, and since both transfer belts for wafers in both chambers can be installed close to each other, the device becomes compact, Workability is also improved. Since the valve plate seals the opening against the pressure difference in the reverse pressure state, it is necessary to select a valve plate with sufficient rigidity and a cylinder (drive source) with sufficient thrust. There is.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the structure using the fluid pressure drive cylinder as the drive source of the valve plate has been described, but the structure is not limited to this, and a mechanical drive mechanism can be used instead.

Next, the details of the substrate support (24) will be described with reference to FIGS.

The substrate part (37) of the substrate support (24) is formed with a fork receiving recess (51) that is much lower than the upper surface, and a pair of grooves (52a) (52b) are formed in communication with this fork receiving recess (51). Has been done. Sixth
Although a part of the wafer transfer fork (8) is shown in the figure, the fork parts (8a) (8b) can be inserted into the grooves (52a) (52b).

Substrate support (24) in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the grooves (52a) (52b)
A pair of parallel notches (53a) and (53b) are formed over the entire height of the wafer unloading side half of the wafer, and a pair of parallel notches (54a) (54b) are also aligned with the wafer unloading side half. ) Is formed, but as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, it does not cover the entire height at one end and is covered by the connecting portion (55).

Belt conveyors (56a) (56b) (57a) (57b) are arranged vertically aligned with the notches (53a) (53b) (54a) (54b), and these are provided with the substrate support (24). Notches when moving up and down (53a) (53b) (5
It is possible to pass 4a) and (54b). The belt conveyors (56a) and (56b) collectively constitute the belt conveyor (48) shown in FIG.

An upper substrate support part (58), which is a partially annular unprocessed substrate support part, is provided at the center upper part of the substrate support (24), and thereby a concentrically partly circular surface-treated substrate support located below is provided. The lower substrate support portion (59) is formed. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper substrate support part (58) is composed of arcuate receiving surfaces (58a) (58b) (58c) (58d) (58e) (58f), which are on the same level. However, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 7 and 8, the unprocessed wafer (47) is placed on the upper substrate support portion (58) made of this. . The lower substrate support (59) is on the same level, and each of them is a receiving surface (59a) (59b) forming a part of a circle.
(59c) (59d) (59e) (59f) (59g), which are surface-treated wafers (47), as also shown by the dashed lines in FIGS. 7 and 8. 'Is placed.

A circular stepped hole recess (60) is formed on the bottom surface of the base plate portion (37), and the upper end portion of the drive shaft (25) described above is fitted therein,
Although not shown, they are fixed by screws or the like.

The configuration of this embodiment has been described above, but the operation will be described next.

10A to 10F show the respective height positions of the substrate support 24, according to this embodiment, the substrate support 24 can take five height positions. The level of the fork (8) that expands and contracts from the buffer chamber (3) and the belt conveyors (56a) (56b) (57).
a) The level of (57b) is constant. In FIG. 10, the shape of the substrate support (24) is shown in a simplified manner, and the above-mentioned upper stage support part (58) and lower stage support part (59) of the wafer are shown in a simplified shape for easy understanding of the drawing. The upper arm and the lower arm are in the shape of a letter "U" or "D". That is, U and D are equivalent to the upper stage support part (58) and the lower stage support part (59). Now, it is assumed that the substrate support (24) is at the height position shown in FIG. 10A and the unprocessed wafer (47) is placed on the upper support U. The gate valves (10) and (11) on both side walls are closed (gate valve (6) is open and in a vacuum state). In this state the fork (8) is in the buffer chamber
The processed wafer (47) 'that has been extended from (3) and carried out from the reaction chamber (2a) or (2b) is placed on the upper support U and the lower support D as shown in FIG. 10A. Between.

The substrate support (24) is now raised to the position shown in Figure 10B. During this ascent, the processed wafer (47) 'is placed on the lower support D and stops there, and the substrate support (24) ascends and stops at the position shown in FIG. 10B. However, here, the fork (8) is at the position (in the grooves (52a) (52b)) away from the processed wafer (47) '. At this position, the fork (8) retracts into the buffer chamber (3) as indicated by the arrow.

As shown in FIG. 10C, the substrate support (24) descends and again returns to the 10th position.
Take the same position as the height in Figure A. Then, the fork (8) extends from the buffer chamber (3) into the wafer exchange chamber (5) as shown by an arrow in FIG. The substrate support (24) moves downward and assumes the position shown in FIG. 10D. As a result, the unprocessed wafer (47) is carried by the fork (8). The fork (8) then retracts into the buffer chamber (3) and passes through the gate valve (16) or (17) which is rotated around the axis (9) to open the unprocessed wafer (47). ) Is loaded into the first or second reaction vacuum chamber (2a) or (2b).

As shown in FIG. 10E, the substrate support (24) moves further downward. At this position, the gate valve (6) is closed and the wafer exchange chamber (5) is returned to the atmosphere. And gate valve (10)
(11) can be opened.

When the substrate support 24 is stopped at the position shown in FIG. 10E, the processed wafer 47 is placed on the belt conveyors 56a and 56b as shown. Since the gate valves (10) and (11) are opened here, the processed wafer (47) 'is transferred by the belt conveyor (14) through the opening (11a) and the processed wafer cassette (15). Will be introduced in. The substrate support (24) moves further downward to the position shown in FIG. 10F. At this position, the belt conveyors (12) (57a) (57b) are located above the upper support U of the substrate support (24), but at this position they are taken out of the unprocessed wafer stock cassette (13). Wafer (47) is transferred by belt conveyor (12) and opened.
It is guided into the wafer exchange chamber (5) through (10a). Then, the substrate support (24) moves upward and takes the position shown in FIG. 10A again. That is, the belt conveyors (56a) (56b) (57a) (57b) are located below the substrate support (24). Unprocessed Wafer (47)
Are placed on the upper stage U. Gate valve (10) (11) here
Is closed and the inside of the exchange chamber (5) is evacuated to a vacuum state. Then, as described at the beginning, the gate valve (6) is opened, and the fork (8) shows the processed wafer (47) 'in the wafer exchange chamber (5) from the buffer chamber (3) as shown in FIG. 10A. To the position. Hereinafter, the above operation is repeated.

Incidentally, when the wafer (47) 'which has been processed in the above steps is placed on the lower stage support portion D, the cooling water circulates in the substrate portion (37) of the substrate support (24), Heat exchange with this cools the processed hot wafer (47) '. As a result, when the wafer is transferred from the wafer exchange chamber to the atmosphere, it can be stored in the cassette (15) in a stable state with almost no chemical change.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiments, the unprocessed wafer (47) is placed on the upper stage support part (58), and the processed wafer (47) 'is placed on the lower stage support part (59). However, the number of steps of these supporting parts is further increased, and these are divided into two groups so that unprocessed wafers are placed in one group and processed in the other group. The wafer may be placed. Loading and unloading of processed wafers and unprocessed wafers may be performed in synchronization with each other. In this case, a belt conveyor for loading and unloading is required according to the number of stages, and multiple forks are required for loading and unloading wafers from the buffer chamber to the exchange chamber and vice versa. May be integrated vertically and synchronized.

Further, in the above embodiment, the stage supporting the processed wafer in the lower stage is cooled so that the processed wafer is cooled, but a heating means is further provided in the upper support portion,
The untreated substrate may be preheated as a pretreatment.

This heated wafer was placed in the buffer chamber (3) and the reaction chamber (2
You may make it introduce | transduce into a) or (2b).

Further, in the substrate support (24), a heat insulating material is interposed between the upper and lower supporting parts, the upper supporting part is provided with a heating means, and the lower supporting part is provided with a cooling means as in the above embodiment. May be provided.

Further, although the height positions of the substrate support (24) are set to five in the above-mentioned embodiments, the number is further increased to carry in / out the wafer at a position of each height by a method other than the above-mentioned wafer loading / unloading method. It may be performed. In this case, the level of the belt conveyor and the fork as the carry-in / carry-out means is not limited to one as in the embodiment, but a plurality of levels are provided above and below,
It may be provided. The carrying-in / carrying-out means is not limited to the fork and the belt conveyor, and various known means can be applied. Further, in the above embodiments, processed wafers and unprocessed wafers are carried in and out via separate gate valves, but this may be carried out via one common gate valve.

Further, in the above examples, the reaction chambers are provided on both sides of the buffer chamber (3).
Although (2a) and (2b) are provided, a third reaction chamber may be provided on the rear side further adjacent thereto. Also gate valve (6)
The configurations of (10), (11), (16), and (17) do not have to be the same as those shown in the embodiments.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, the substrate exchange work between the atmosphere and the substrate exchange vacuum chamber, which is accompanied by the exhaust cycle, can be performed in parallel with the substrate treatment work. Substrate exchange work in the vacuum chamber) can be performed in a minimum time, waiting time for substrate exchange in the processing chamber can be minimized, and productivity can be further improved while making the entire apparatus extremely compact. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the entire CVD apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a substrate exchanging means in the above apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a gate valve in the substrate exchanging means. 4 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a substrate support in the substrate exchanging means, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is VIII in FIG.
-VIII sectional view taken along the line, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 6, and FIGS. 10A to 10F are side views of essential parts for showing the operation of this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a conventional substrate exchanging means. In the figure, (2a) (2b) …… reaction chamber (3) …… buffer chamber (5) …… wafer exchange chamber (6) (10) (11) (16) (17) …… gate valve (24 ) ... Substrate support (58) ... Substrate upper support (59) ... Substrate lower support

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-238479 (JP, A) Actually developed 61-47069 (JP, U)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A relay vacuum chamber provided with a substrate transfer means, and first and second reaction vacuum chambers adjacent to the relay vacuum chamber and capable of communicating / not communicating through first and second gate valves, respectively. It comprises a substrate exchange vacuum chamber adjacent to the relay vacuum chamber and capable of communicating / not communicating with the relay vacuum chamber through a third gate valve, the substrate exchange vacuum chamber having substrate exchanging means, and the relay vacuum chamber on a side wall of the substrate exchange vacuum chamber. A second opening for carrying in an unprocessed substrate from the atmosphere side, and a third opening for carrying out the surface-treated substrate processed in the first or second reaction vacuum chamber to the atmosphere side. Of the openings, the first opening is opened / closed by the third gate valve, and the second opening and the third opening are opened / closed by a fourth gate valve and a fifth gate valve. The substrate exchange means drives the substrate support and the substrate support. An unprocessed substrate support part including at least one stage of support part for supporting the unprocessed substrate on the substrate support and the surface-treated substrate. A surface-treated substrate support portion including at least one stage of the support portion, and the substrate support body is driven by the elevating and lowering drive portion so as to be stopped at a plurality of predetermined positions in the vertical direction, and the relay is provided. The surface-treated substrate is transferred from the first or second reaction vacuum chamber to the substrate exchange vacuum chamber by the substrate transfer means in the vacuum chamber, and is then subjected to the surface treatment of the substrate support. The first or second reaction is performed by placing the unprocessed substrate placed on the substrate support part and placed on the unprocessed substrate support part of the substrate support from the substrate exchange vacuum chamber via the relay vacuum chamber. Vacuum chamber Vacuum processing apparatus is characterized in that so as to carry. 2. The unprocessed substrate support part is a one-step support part, and the surface-treated substrate support part is also a one-step support part, and the plurality of predetermined positions are determined according to the distance between the support parts. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface-treated substrate support portion of the substrate support is provided with cooling means. 4. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unprocessed substrate support portion of the substrate support is provided with heating means. 5. The fourth gate valve and the fifth gate valve have openings on the side of the substrate exchange vacuum chamber of the second opening and the third opening provided in a side wall portion of the substrate exchange vacuum chamber. A valve plate that is tilted upward and that opens and closes the opening is moved up and down by a drive source installed on the atmosphere side through a rod that penetrates the side wall of the substrate exchange vacuum chamber and is obliquely drawn to the atmosphere side. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate exchange vacuum chamber is configured to communicate with or shut off from the atmosphere by performing the above operation. 6. The valve plate is formed on the atmosphere side via two rods which are formed such that a length between both side portions thereof is larger than a diameter of a substrate and which are attached to the both side portions and pulled out to the atmosphere side. The vacuum processing apparatus according to the fourth item, wherein the vacuum processing apparatus is connected to the cylinder.