JPH0669316A - Substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute a desired substrate treatment efficiently as compared with a batch treatment-type substrate treatment apparatus in conventional cases and even as compared with a substrate treatment apparatus, of an in-line type or the like, in which substrates to be treated can be fed sequentially. CONSTITUTION:A substrate treatment apparatus is provided with a loading chamber 1 in which a substrate S to be treated is loaded, with a substrate preliminary heating chamber 2, with process chambers P1 to P4 which execute an intended treatment to the substrate, with a preliminary cooling chamber 4 which cools the substrate after the treatment, with an unloading chamber 5 which takes out the treated substrate S, with substrate transfer chambers 3A, 3B which connect them, with a substrate support tray which supports the substrate and with tray transfer conveyors 80, 20, 311, 321, CV, 40, 80A which move the tray between the chambers.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate treatment such as forming a predetermined thin film on a substrate in various thin film devices such as liquid crystal display devices and various semiconductor devices, and etching the formed thin film to form a predetermined pattern. Related to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plasma CVD method, a sputtering method or the like is used to form a predetermined thin film on a substrate of a thin film device, and various dry processes such as plasma etching are used to form a wiring pattern or the like from the formed thin film. Etching is adopted. A conventional apparatus for performing such substrate processing is one that processes each substrate one by one,
As disclosed in JP-A-60-77971, a plurality of sheets are set and batch-processed, disclosed in JP-A-62-161959, or in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, various types are known, such as those in which substrates to be processed are sequentially supplied and processed continuously.

In the substrate processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-77971, a substrate supporting tray is installed in a process chamber in an upright posture, and substrates are vertically supported on both sides of the tray for processing. It Also, JP-A-62-1619
In the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59, the substrate is continuously supplied in a flat and horizontal posture, and is advanced in one direction in that posture to be processed.

The device illustrated in FIG. 18 has a silicon nitride (SiN) film and an amorphous silicon (a-Si) film on a substrate.
Film, n-type amorphous silicon film (or silicon nitride)
In a so-called in-line type substrate processing apparatus for sequentially forming films, a load chamber 901 for mounting a substrate to be processed, an unload chamber 902 for removing a processed substrate, and a preheating chamber sequentially arranged between the chambers. 903, a first process chamber 904, a cooling chamber 905, a second process chamber 906, a third process chamber 907, and the like. In the load chamber 901, one or a plurality of substrates are mounted on both sides of the substrate supporting tray on the tray moving unit, and the substrate is moved in one direction from the load chamber 901 to the unload chamber 902 in an upright position by the tray moving unit. Transported and processed on the way.
In the unload chamber 902, the processed substrate is taken out together with the substrate supporting tray and removed from the tray. The empty tray is returned to the load chamber 901.

[0005]

However, JP-A-60-
In the apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 77971, since the substrates are supported upright on both sides of the tray and are processed in that posture, a plurality of substrates can be batch processed at one time, but different processes are successively performed on the same substrate. I can't do it efficiently. Also,
In the apparatus shown in FIG. 18 and the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-161959, although substrates can be continuously processed one after another as compared with batch processing, if there is a slow processing portion in the entire apparatus, There is a problem that the entire processing progress is delayed by being controlled by that portion, and if a trouble occurs at a certain position, the entire processing must be stopped for that reason. In the case of the apparatus of FIG. 18, as a measure against such a problem, if a plurality of substrates are mounted on both sides of the substrate support tray and an attempt is made to process as much as possible, for example, in the film forming process, the film of each part on each substrate is The thickness uniformity deteriorates.

Therefore, the present invention is more efficient than a conventional batch processing type substrate processing apparatus, and is more efficient than a substrate processing apparatus capable of sequentially supplying substrates to be processed, such as an in-line type substrate processing apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of carrying out the above.

[0007]

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a load chamber for mounting a substrate to be processed, a process chamber for subjecting the substrate to a target process, and a processed substrate. An unload chamber for taking out the substrate, a substrate transfer chamber connecting the load chamber, the process chamber and the unload chamber, a substrate support tray for supporting the substrate, and a tray movement for moving the substrate support tray between the chambers. Means, and the substrate transfer chamber is arranged so as to connect the load chamber and the process chamber to each other, the process chambers to each other, and the process chamber to the unload chamber to each other. There may be only one substrate transfer chamber or a plurality of substrate transfer chambers.

The load chamber may be connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a preheating chamber for preheating the target unprocessed substrate. Further, the unload chamber may be connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a pre-cooling chamber that cools the substrate after the target process is completed. Further, the preheating chamber may be configured to also serve as a precooling chamber, and the precooling chamber may be configured to also serve as a preheating chamber.

Various types of substrate supporting tray and tray moving means can be considered. For example, it is conceivable that the substrate supporting tray is configured to support the substrate on one surface thereof and the tray moving means is configured to move the tray in a horizontal posture.
Further, it is conceivable that the substrate supporting tray is configured to support the substrates on both sides thereof, and the tray moving means is configured to move the tray in an upright posture.

In the latter case, the load chamber and the unload chamber may have the following configurations, for example.
That is, the substrate support tray is supported by the tray moving means, and the load chamber is a tray arranged in the load chamber by the tray moving means and each substrate supporting surface is arranged at a substrate mounting position. Tray rotating means for rotating the substrate in such a manner that the substrate to be processed is arranged outside the load chamber in a flat and horizontal posture, and is conveyed to a chuck position facing the substrate mounting position in an upright state; Chucking means for holding the substrate conveyed to the chucking position and transferring it to the substrate supporting surface of the tray, wherein the unloading chamber is arranged in the unloading chamber by the tray moving means. Tray rotating means for rotating each substrate supporting surface so that each substrate supporting surface is located at the substrate take-out position, chucking means for receiving the processed substrate from the substrate supporting surface of the tray, and the chuck. Tsu receive processed substrates from the click means, it is an aspect that includes a substrate unloading means for issuing to unload the outdoors as a flat horizontally posture.

Further, means for supporting the substrate supporting tray in the load chamber and rotating the tray so that the respective substrate supporting surfaces thereof alternately face in a predetermined direction, and a means for supporting the tray rotating means. Means for raising the substrate supporting tray on which the substrate to be processed is mounted and mounting it on the tray moving means, and moving the substrate supporting tray supporting the processed substrate to the unload chamber. It is also conceivable to additionally provide a means for taking out the means sideways and a means for rotating the taken-out substrate supporting tray so that the respective substrate supporting surfaces thereof are alternately oriented in a predetermined direction.

[0012]

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, the substrate is supported and mounted on the substrate supporting tray in the load chamber, and the tray is conveyed by the tray moving means to be guided to one process chamber through the substrate conveying chamber. . Alternatively, when a preheating chamber is provided, the substrate is transferred into the preheating chamber, where the substrate is preheated if necessary, and then introduced into one process chamber via the substrate transfer chamber.

Here, the substrate is the target processing (plasma CV
D, processing such as film formation by sputtering, etching, etc.), and then the tray is transferred to the unloading chamber immediately after passing through the substrate transfer chamber or further processed in one or more process chambers. . Alternatively, if a pre-cooling chamber is provided, it is transported to the pre-cooling chamber,
Here, the substrate is transferred to the unload chamber after being subjected to pre-cooling before being taken out, if necessary. The processed substrate is taken out in the unload chamber.

The tray thus emptied is returned to the load chamber side, the substrates are mounted again, and these substrates are also sent to the process chamber for the intended processing. The chambers are appropriately evacuated at each stage of the operation, if necessary. Thus, the substrates are sequentially and sequentially processed. If the pre-heating chamber and the pre-cooling chamber are not provided, or if they are not used even if they are provided, the tray to be emptied on the unload chamber side is loaded with the substrate to be processed on the unload chamber side. It is also possible to advance the tray to the load chamber side by the reverse operation, and to perform the intended treatment on these substrates in the middle of the process.

Further, even when the preheating chamber or the precooling chamber is used, when the preheating chamber also serves as the precooling chamber and the precooling chamber also serves as the preheating chamber, The substrate to be processed is mounted on this unloading chamber side to the empty tray on the unloading chamber side, and the tray is moved to the loading chamber side by the reverse operation, preheating the substrate and processing in the process chamber on the way. And pre-cooling can be carried out and taken out in the load chamber.

The transfer of the tray and the substrate by the tray moving means and the substrate processing in the process chamber are carried out according to claim 4.
In the substrate processing apparatus described above, the substrate is maintained in a flat horizontal position, and in the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, the substrate is maintained in an upright position. Further, in the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, for example, the substrate supported by the substrate supporting cassette or the like in a flat horizontal state is arranged at the inlet of the load chamber.

The substrates are taken up one by one into the load chamber by the substrate take-in means in the load chamber and are erected.
It is transported to the chuck position. The substrate placed at the chuck position is held by the chuck means, passed on one side of the tray, and mounted there. This tray is arranged in advance in the load chamber, and one of the substrate supporting surfaces is arranged at the substrate mounting position.

After mounting one substrate, the tray is rotated by the tray rotating means, the other substrate supporting surface is placed at the substrate mounting position, and another substrate is mounted there in the same manner as described above. To be done. Thus, the trays on which the substrates are mounted on both substrate supporting surfaces are rotated and oriented by the tray rotating means as required, and conveyed by the tray moving means.

The tray led to the unload chamber is
The tray rotating means there rotates the substrate as needed, and one of the substrates on the tray is placed at the substrate removal position. Thus, the chuck means receives and holds the substrate from the tray, and the held substrate is received by the substrate take-out means,
Take it out of the unloading room in a flat and horizontal posture, and hand it over to the substrate support cassette or the like waiting there.

After the completion of taking out one substrate on the tray,
The tray is rotated by the tray rotating means, another substrate is placed at the substrate unloading position, and the substrate is removed from the tray in the same manner as described above and taken out of the unload chamber. According to another aspect of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, for example, a substrate supported horizontally in a substrate supporting cassette is arranged in the vicinity of an inlet of a load chamber, is taken out of the cassette by an appropriate substrate taking-out device, and is then previously trayed. The substrate supporting tray is mounted on the supporting surface of the substrate supporting tray which is supported by the rotating means and has one substrate supporting surface directed in a predetermined direction (for example, upward). Then, the tray is rotated by the tray rotating means, and the other substrate supporting surface is oriented in a predetermined direction. After the substrate is mounted on the supporting surface, the tray is raised by the tray mounting means and mounted on the tray moving means. Thus, the tray is transported with the substrate.

The tray led to the unload chamber is
The tray take-out means there removes the tray from the tray moving means to bring it into a sideways posture, and the tray rotating means appropriately turns it to remove the processed substrate from both supporting surfaces of the tray.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an overall plan view, FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views and plan views of a substrate loading device in a load chamber,
4 is a side view of a substrate supporting tray arranged in the load chamber and a tray rotating device for rotating the substrate supporting tray, FIGS. 5 and 6 are side and rear views of a chuck device of the load chamber, and FIG. 7 is a preheating device. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the roller conveyor in FIG. 8, and FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of one process chamber configured as a plasma CVD apparatus.

This substrate processing apparatus, as shown in FIG.
Load chamber 1 and a gate valve V that can be opened and closed in the load chamber
1, a preheating chamber 2 continuously connected to the preheating chamber 1, a first substrate transfer chamber 3A connected to the preheating chamber 2 via an openable / closable gate valve V2, and a gate openable / closable to the transfer chamber 3A. A first process chamber P1, a second process chamber P2, and a second substrate transfer chamber 3B, which are connected via valves V3, V4, and V5, respectively, and gate valves V6, V7, and V8 that can be opened and closed in the transfer chamber 3B. A third process chamber P3, a fourth process chamber P4, and a precooling chamber 4 which are respectively connected via
And an unload chamber 5 connected to the pre-cooling chamber via an openable / closable gate valve V9.

A gate valve V11 that can be opened and closed is provided at the inlet 11 of the load chamber 1, and a gate valve V51 that can be opened and closed is provided at the outlet 51 of the unload chamber 5, and these inlet 11 and outlet 51 are clean booth CB. It is inside.
Each of the gate valves is independently opened and closed by a valve drive device (not shown), and the gate opening is hermetically sealed at the closed position.

Further, an exhaust device (not shown) is connected to each of the chambers, and each chamber can be independently maintained at a predetermined vacuum degree by the exhaust device. The load chamber 1 has a substrate take-in device 6 at a portion facing the inlet 11, and a chuck device 7 and a tray rotating device 8 at a position facing the gate valve V1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate loading device 6 includes a base frame 61, a drive unit including a motor for rotating the base frame 61 at least 90 ° in a horizontal plane and a motor for slightly moving the frame 61 up and down. 62, a movable frame 63 mounted on the base frame 61 and capable of reciprocating in the longitudinal direction of the frame, a drive unit 63A for reciprocating the frame 63, and a motor 6 mounted on the movable frame 63.
4 and a bifurcated substrate support member 65 fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 64.

The drive portion 63A of the movable frame 63 is rotatably supported by a motor 631 in the frame 63, a female screw member 632 rotated by this motor, and the base frame 61, and is screwed to the female screw member 632. Screw rod 633
Is equipped with. By rotating the female screw member 632 in the normal and reverse directions by rotating the motor 631 in the normal and reverse directions, the movable frame 6 is moved.
3 reciprocates on the base frame 61 in its longitudinal direction.

The substrate supporting member 65 has a forked portion 652 formed in a flat shape and hollow, and a plurality of substrate suction holes 651 formed on the surface of the forked portion communicate with the hollow portion. . The hollow portion is connected to an intake device (not shown). The substrate supporting member 65 can reciprocate along with the reciprocating motion of the movable frame 63, and is reciprocally rotated 90 ° by the forward and reverse rotations of the motor 64, whereby the bifurcated portion 65 is formed.
2 is placed in a horizontal plane in a horizontal position Q1, or a forked portion 65
2 is selectively placed in any of the vertical postures Q2 placed in the vertical plane.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the chuck device 7 includes a base frame 71 installed in the load chamber and a movable frame 72 reciprocally mounted on the base frame 71. The base frame 71 extends long from the inner wall on the front side of the load chamber 1 to the vicinity of the central portion of the tray rotating device 8 described later. The movable frame 72 is reciprocally driven by the drive unit 72A along the longitudinal direction of the frame 71.

The drive portion 72A is a motor 721 on the base frame 71, and a male screw member 72 rotated by this motor.
2. The male screw member 72 supported by the movable frame 72
It is provided with a female screw member 723 screwed to the No. 2 connector. By rotating the male screw member 722 in the forward and reverse directions by rotating the motor 721 in the forward and reverse directions, the movable frame 72 reciprocates on the base frame 71.

The movable frame 72 is provided with a pair of upper and lower substrate holding pins 72a on the left and right. Each pin penetrates from the front side to the rear side through a longitudinal long hole 720 provided in the movable frame 72 and projects to the rear side. A pair of upper and lower pins 72
A is driven by a pin driving unit 70 mounted on the front side of the movable frame so as to move toward and away from each other.

The pin driving unit 70 is rotatably supported by the movable frame 72, has a female screw portion 701 having a left female screw and a right female screw at both ends, and a left screw rod 70 screwed to the left female screw.
2 and a right screw rod 703 screwed to the right female screw, and a member 70 that supports these screw rods so that they cannot rotate but can move up and down.
4 and a spring 705 provided at the end of each screw rod, and the pin 72a is supported by the spring 705. The female screw portion 701 is normally or reversely rotated by a motor (not shown), whereby the pair of upper and lower pins 72a are driven so as to move toward and away from each other, and the substrate S is moved by the mutual approach of the pins and the buffering action of the spring 705. It is held from above and below so as not to be damaged.

The tray rotating device 8 is, as shown in FIG.
The chuck device 7 includes a base frame 81 arranged below the base frame 71, and a drive unit 82 including a motor for rotating the base frame 81 in a horizontal plane.
The frame 81 has a rotating circle 81C on its upper surface side (see FIG. 1).
A diametrical groove 811 is provided, and a roller conveyor 80 composed of conveying rollers 801 arranged in two rows is provided in the groove. One or two or more of the transport rollers 801 in each row are normally or reversely rotated by a drive unit (not shown). The drive unit is mounted on the frame 81. The conveyor 80 maintains the substrate support tray T in a vertical standing posture, and can transport the tray in one direction or the opposite direction by the normal rotation and reverse rotation of its rollers.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tray T has substrate supporting surfaces Ts on both sides, and each supporting surface Ts has a substrate holding pin Tp similar to the substrate holding pin 72a in the chuck device 7. Equipped. However, the left and right positions are displaced from the pin 72a. Although not shown, the pin driving unit has a structure similar to that of the pin driving unit of the chuck device 7, and is mounted between both substrate supporting surfaces Ts. The tray T has a pair of inverted L-shaped members Tm at its lower end, and these members ride on the conveyor roller 80 of the tray rotating device 8 and are supported and driven in a standing posture. Further, the tray T is provided with a heater unit H between both substrate supporting surfaces Ts.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer chamber 3A also includes a tray rotating device 31, and the substrate transfer device 3B also includes a tray rotating device 32. These rotating devices 31, 3
2 has the same structure as the tray rotating device 8 in the load chamber 1, and includes tray conveyer roller conveyors 311 and 321. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the preheating chamber 2 is provided with a roller conveyor 20 composed of conveying rollers 21 arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction.
One or more of the rollers 21 in each row are normally or reversely rotated by a drive unit (not shown). The conveyor 20 can maintain the substrate supporting tray T in a vertical standing posture, and can transport the tray in one direction or the opposite direction by the forward and reverse operation of the transport rollers.

Further, the preheating chamber 2 is provided with heaters (infrared lamps in this example) 22 for preheating the substrate on the tray T supported on the conveyor 20 on both sides of the tray track. As shown in FIG. 1, the precooling chamber 4 also includes a roller conveyor 40 similar to the roller conveyor 20 in the preheating chamber 2. The conveyor 40 can maintain the substrate supporting tray T in a vertical standing posture, and can transport the tray in one direction or the opposite direction by the forward and reverse operation of the transport rollers.

Further, the precooling chamber 4 is provided with a nitrogen gas introducing section 41 for precooling the substrate on the tray T supported on the conveyor 40. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the process chambers P1, P2, P3, and P4 also has a preheating chamber 2
The roller conveyer CV for tray transfer having the same structure as the conveyer 20 in FIG.
Is equipped with.

The unload chamber 5 has a substrate take-out device 6A at a portion facing the outlet 51, and a chuck device 7A and a tray turning device 8A at a position facing the gate valve V9. The substrate unloading device 6A is used in the load chamber 1
It has the same structure as the substrate loading device 6 in FIG. The chuck device 7A and the tray rotating device 8A have the same structure as the chuck device 7 and the tray rotating device 8 in the load chamber 1, respectively. The tray rotating device 8A includes a tray carrying roller conveyor 80A similar to the roller conveyor 80 in the tray rotating device 8 of the load chamber 1.

The roller conveyor 80 in the tray rotating device for the load chamber and the roller conveyor 2 for the preheating chamber described above.
0, the roller conveyors 311 and 321 of the substrate transfer chamber, the roller conveyor CV of each process chamber, the roller conveyor 40 of the pre-cooling chamber, and the roller conveyor 80A of the tray rotation device of the unloading chamber between the adjacent chambers. A tray moving device that moves the substrate supporting tray T is configured.

The process chambers P1 and P4 are configured as a plasma CVD apparatus for film formation in this example. Its schematic cross section is shown in FIG. This device is provided with a high frequency electrode EL and a source gas introduction part G for each of the substrates S on both sides of the tray T arranged here on the roller conveyor CV, and the tray T arranged in this device is grounded. To be done. Further, during film formation, as described above, a predetermined film formation vacuum degree is maintained by an exhaust device (not shown). Process room P
2 and P3 are configured so that dry etching can be performed on two substrates S at the same time.

According to the substrate processing apparatus described above, for example, the cassette C supporting the substrate S as shown in FIG. 9 is provided in the inlet 11 of the load chamber 1 while the empty cassette C is the outlet of the unload chamber 5. It is installed at 51. Initially, the gate valve V11 of the load chamber 1 is opened, and the substrate loading device 6 in the load chamber 1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
Is the cassette C when the substrate support member 65 is in the horizontal posture Q1.
And the base frame 61 is in its lowered position, and thus the substrate support member 65 is also in its lowered position. In this state, by rotating the motor 631 in the movable frame 63 in the forward direction, the frame 63 moves forward on the frame 61, and the substrate supporting member 65 is inserted below one substrate S in the cassette accordingly. In this state, the base frame 61 is slightly lifted,
Therefore, the substrate support member 65 is also slightly lifted, and the substrate S is supported by the member 65 from below. In addition, the support member 65
The hollow portion is sucked by an unillustrated suction device, whereby the suction hole 651 in the forked portion 652 of the member 65 sucks and holds the substrate S.

Next, the movable frame 63 moves backward on the frame 61 by the reverse rotation of the motor 631, and is lowered there.
Return to the original position. Along with this, the substrate S supported by the substrate supporting member 65 is taken into the load chamber 1. Then, the base frame 61 is rotated 90 ° by the drive unit 62, and the substrate supporting member 65 and the substrate S supported thereby are also rotated 90 ° accordingly, and the substrate is directed toward the tray rotating device 8.

Then, by the normal rotation operation of the motor 64 on the movable frame 63, the bifurcated portion 652 of the substrate supporting member which has been in the horizontal posture Q1 until now is placed in the vertical posture Q2 (see FIG. 2), and again movable in that state. The frame motor 631 is rotated in the normal direction, the movable frame 63 is moved forward on the base frame 61 accordingly, and the substrate S is also advanced to the chuck position in an upright posture.

Next, the chuck device 7 (see FIGS. 5 and 6)
The movable frame 7 is moved forward toward the substrate S by the normal rotation operation of the motor 721, and when it reaches the chuck position, the pin driving unit 70 drives the chuck holding pin 72a, and these pins 72a drive the substrate S.
Is held from above and below. Next, the vacuum suction of the substrate S on the substrate support member 65 is released, after that, the substrate support member 65 in the substrate loading device 6 is retracted to the initial position, and then is rotated back from the vertical posture Q2 to the horizontal posture Q1, and The substrate support member 65 is directed to the cassette C by the return rotation of the base frame 61, and the next substrate can be taken in.

On the other hand, the movable frame 72 of the chuck device 7 holding the substrate S is advanced toward the substrate mounting position on the tray T by the normal rotation operation of the motor 721 again. The tray T is previously arranged on the roller conveyor 80 in the tray rotating device 8 (see FIG. 4), and one of the substrate supporting surfaces Ts is arranged at the substrate mounting position TP as shown in FIG.
It is directed to the approaching substrate S.

Substrate holding pin 72 in chuck device 7
When the substrate S supported by a reaches the substrate mounting position with respect to the tray T, the substrate holding pin T
p is driven by a driving unit (not shown), and holds the substrate S from above and below. Next, the substrate holding pin 72a in the chuck device 7 is driven by the driving unit 70 to open the substrate S. After that, the movable frame 72 is moved to the motor 72.
Reverse operation 1 reverses to the initial position.

In this way, when one substrate S is supported by the tray T and the chuck device 7 returns to the initial state, the tray rotating device 8 is driven by the drive part 82 in the tray rotating device 8 to form the base frame 81 of the rotating device. Is rotated by 180 °, and the still empty tray substrate support surface Ts is directed toward the chuck device 7. Thus, another substrate S is mounted on this empty substrate supporting surface Ts in the same manner as described above.

After that, the gate valve V11 in the load chamber 1 is closed and the inside of the load chamber 1 is maintained at a predetermined load chamber vacuum degree. After that, or before that, the base frame 81 in the tray rotating device 8 is rotated by the drive unit 82, whereby the roller conveyor 80 and the tray T on the device 8 are rotated 90 °, and the conveyor 80 is moved in the preheating chamber 2. The rollers are aligned in the same direction as the roller conveyor 20.

Then, the gate valve V1 in the middle of the preheating chamber 2 and the load chamber 1 is opened and closed, and the roller conveyor 80,
By the operation of 20, the tray T on the tray rotating device 8 is conveyed into the preheating chamber 2 and is arranged on the conveyor 20 there. After the substrate is loaded, the inside of the preheating chamber 2 is maintained at a predetermined vacuum degree, and the two substrates S supported on both sides of the tray T are preheated by the heater 22 before the substrate processing.

On the other hand, the substrate transfer chamber 3A is set at a predetermined vacuum level in the transfer chamber, and the conveyor 31 of the tray rotating device 31 there is provided.
1 is arranged in line with the conveyor 20 in the preheating chamber. After such preheating, the gate valve V2 is opened, and the trays T in the preheating chamber 2 are placed on the conveyor 311 in the transfer chamber 3A by operating the conveyors 20 and 311.

Then, the gate valve V2 is closed,
In the transfer chamber 3A, the tray T is rotated by 90 ° by the tray rotating device 31 and is directed toward one process chamber P1. In this way, when the tray T in the transfer chamber 3A is directed toward one process chamber P1, the gate valve V3
The tray T in the transfer chamber is transferred onto the conveyor CV in the process chamber P1 by the operation of the conveyor 311 in the transfer chamber 3A and the conveyor CV in the process chamber P1 and placed there.

In this way, the gate valve V3 is closed, and the inside of the process chamber P1 is maintained at a predetermined vacuum degree. In this way, the two substrates S on the tray T are simultaneously subjected to the predetermined plasma CVD in the process chamber P1. Film forming process. When the substrate processing is completed in the process chamber P1, the valve V3 is opened and the tray T in the process chamber P1 is opened.
Are again loaded into the transfer chamber 3A, and the valve V3 is closed.

The tray T carried into the carrying chamber 3A is carried into the adjacent substrate carrying chamber 3B by opening and closing the gate valve V5, is placed on the roller conveyor 321 there, and is operated by the tray rotating device 32. The tray T is directed to the pre-cooling chamber 4, and then the gate valve V8 is opened / closed and the roller conveyor 321 on the tray rotating device 32 and the roller conveyor 40 in the pre-cooling chamber 4 are operated to move the tray T into the pre-cooling chamber 4. Is placed on the conveyor 40 of

For the two substrates S on the tray T arranged in the precooling chamber 4, nitrogen gas is introduced into the cooling chamber 4 from the nitrogen gas introducing section 41, for example, several tens of liters, and the degree of vacuum is set to about 10. By setting the pressure to about 100 Torr, the substrate is cooled before it is taken out, and when the cooling process is finished, it is sent into the unload chamber 5 by opening and closing the gate valve V9. To feed the tray T into the unload chamber 5, the roller conveyor 80A of the tray rotating device 8A in the unload chamber 5 is moved in advance to the conveyor 40 in the preliminary cooling chamber 4.
It is done by aligning with.

Thus, the tray T carried into the unload chamber 5 is rotated 90 ° by the tray rotating device 8A, and the substrate S supported on one side of the tray is placed at the substrate unloading position. In this state, the chuck device 7A is operated to receive the substrate S from the tray, and the processed substrate S thus held by the chuck device 7A is transferred to the substrate unloading device 6A. It is rotated to a horizontal posture, and in such a horizontal posture, the gate valve V51 is opened and closed to be inserted and placed in an empty cassette C waiting outside the unload chamber. After one processed substrate S is taken out in this way, the other substrate S on the tray T is similarly sent out to the cassette C.

In the precooling chamber 4, a predetermined degree of vacuum is maintained when precooling is performed. Further unload room 5
Is maintained at a predetermined vacuum level before receiving the tray T from the precooling chamber 4. Thus, the tray T emptied in the unload chamber 5 is operated in the reverse operation to the above, and the tray T is emptied.
Then, the substrates S are mounted again, these substrates are also sent to the process chamber, subjected to the intended processing, and then unloaded from the unload chamber 5.

In the above description, the substrate S is processed in one process chamber P1 and immediately thereafter the substrate transfer chamber 3 is processed.
After being transferred to the pre-cooling chamber 4 via A and 3B, pre-cooled therein and then carried out of the unload chamber 5 to the cassette C, after being processed in one process chamber P1,
It is also possible to carry out further processing in one or more process chambers P2, P3, P4 and then carry out to the cassette C via the pre-cooling chamber 4 and the unload chamber 5.

When the process chamber P2 is used, the tray T arranged in the substrate transfer chamber 3A is rotated by the tray rotating device 31 to align the roller conveyor 311 with the roller conveyor CV in the process chamber P2. When using the process chambers P3 and P4, the tray rotating device 32 in the substrate transfer chamber 3B appropriately rotates the tray T, and the roller conveyor 321 in the tray rotating device and the roller conveyor CV in the process chamber P3 are operated. Alternatively, the conveyor 321 and the roller conveyor CV in the process room P4
Driving is performed.

In the above description of the embodiment, the preheating chamber 2
Although the pre-processed substrate is heated in 1 and the post-processed substrate is pre-cooled in the pre-cooling chamber 4, the substrate S may be passed through the pre-heating chamber 2 and the pre-cooling chamber 4 when the process temperature is low. Further, when the processing temperature is low, the preheating chamber 2 and the precooling chamber 4 may be omitted. Further, means for preliminarily cooling the preheating chamber 2 and means for preheating are also provided for the precooling chamber 4, and after the substrate S is carried out of the unloading chamber 5 to the outside of the unloading chamber 5, The substrate S to be processed is mounted on the tray T, and the tray T is moved in the reverse operation to the above, necessary preheating, desired processing, and necessary precooling are performed on the way, and processing is performed from the load chamber 1 side. The finished substrate may be carried out. With this configuration, the tact time for processing the substrate can be shortened.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the precooling means for the substrate in the precooling chamber 4 is the nitrogen gas introducing part 41, but the heater unit H in the tray T has a structure in which the cooling water can flow and the cooling water is supplied to the unit. The flow may be allowed to cool the tray, and thus the substrate S. Further, nitrogen gas cooling and water cooling may be used together, and in this way, rapid cooling becomes possible.

Next, a specific example of film formation by the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The conditions are as follows. Substrate processing: Formation of a-Si film in process chamber P1 Substrate: Large rectangular glass substrate of 350 mm × 450 mm (Corning 7059) Substrate processing temperature in process chamber P1: 280 ° C., in-plane uniformity ± 5 ° C. Tray substrate support Surface size: square with 700 mm on a side High-frequency electrode EL size in process chamber P1 Size: 7 on a side
00 mm square High frequency power: 200 watt Deposition degree of vacuum: 0.5 Torr Working gas: Silane 100 ccm Hydrogen 100 ccm Electrode EL-substrate distance in process chamber P1: 35 m
m Heater 22 in the preheating chamber 2: 20 kW infrared lamp,
When an a-Si film was formed on each substrate surface at a heating rate of 500 ° C./min or more,
Deposition rate 350Å / min, thickness uniformity ± 3%,
Positioning accuracy ± 2 mm, particle density 0.
The number of particles having a size of 3 μm or more was 0.05 / cm ² . Here, the film thickness uniformity means that the difference between the maximum film thickness and the minimum film thickness of the four film thicknesses at the four corners of the substrate (positions that are 10 mm inside from the two sides orthogonal to each other) and the substrate center is 5. It is shown by slashing the half of the value to plus and minus.

When the substrate S is processed in a horizontal posture like the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 17 described later, the particle density is 0.2 to 0.5 particles (those having a particle size of 0.3 μm or more).
Was / cm ² . Therefore, in this embodiment, the particle density is improved to 1/4 to 1/10 as compared with the embodiment of FIG. Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the whole, and FIG. 11 is a load chamber 10, a substrate support tray transfer conveyor 101 attached to the load chamber, and a tray attaching / detaching device 10.
2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the tray rotation device 103 and the tray rotation device 103. 12 is a partial structural explanatory view of the tray rotating device 103, FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the tray T1 supporting the substrate S to be processed mounted on the conveyor 101, and FIG. 14 is a tray T1 and the conveyor in the load chamber 10. It is a side view of 101. FIG. 15 is a front view of the substrate support tray transfer conveyor 30 and its rotating device 300 in the substrate transfer chambers 30A and 30B.

As shown in FIG. 10, this substrate processing apparatus has a load chamber 10, a preheating chamber 200 connected to the load chamber via a gate valve V1 which can be opened and closed, and a preheating chamber opened and closed. A first substrate transfer chamber 30A continuously provided via a movable gate valve V2, and a first process chamber P1 connected to the transfer chamber 30A via openable and closable gate valves V3, V4, and V5. 2 Process room P2
And a second substrate transfer chamber 30B, and a third process chamber P3 and a fourth process chamber P4 which are connected to the transfer chamber 30B via openable and closable gate valves V6, V7 and V8, respectively.
And a pre-cooling chamber 4 and an unloading chamber 50 connected to the pre-cooling chamber via a gate valve V9 that can be opened and closed. All of these are placed in a clean room.

Each of the gate valves is independently opened and closed by a valve driving device (not shown), and the gate opening is hermetically sealed at the closed position. Also,
An exhaust device (not shown) is connected to each of the chambers, and each chamber can be independently maintained at a predetermined vacuum degree by the exhaust device. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the load chamber 10 has an opening 100 on one side thereof, and the opening is opened and closed by a door 100A also serving as a gate valve.

Inside the load chamber 10, a conveyor 101 for carrying the substrate supporting tray T1 is provided. Further, next to the opening 100, a tray attaching / detaching device 102 for attaching / detaching the tray T1 to / from the conveyor 101 and a tray rotating device 103 for supporting and rotating the tray T1 in a horizontal state on the tray attaching / detaching device are provided. The tray T1 has a base T11.
One plate-shaped substrate support T12 is provided opposite to the other, and one shaft rod T13 is provided at the center of the base T11 in the opposite direction to the support T12. The shaft Ta is formed with a hole Ta into which a pusher rod RD, which will be described later, can be inserted and removed.

The conveyor 101 includes a pair of horizontally parallel fixed rails 1011 having a U-shaped cross section, a conveyor block 1012 passing vertically between the rails, and rotatably supported on both sides of the blocks and rolling on the rails 1011. It includes a roller 1013 that fits as much as possible, a rack 1014 that is fixed to the lower surface of the block, a pinion 1015 that engages with the rack 1014, and a motor 1016 that drives the pinion and that is capable of forward and reverse rotation operation. The motor 1016 is fixed to the outer wall surface of the load chamber 10.

An upper portion of the block 1012 has a recess 1012a for fitting and supporting the base portion T11 of the tray T1. Further, the block has a hole 1012b penetrating vertically. The tray attaching / detaching device 102 is mounted on a rail 1021 and can move toward and away from the load chamber opening 100.
2, and a front pillar 1023 and a rear pillar 10 which are erected on the carriage.
24 and the tray support frame 102 supported by these
Includes 5.

The frame 1025 has a lower end a1 at its front portion a.
Is rotatably connected to and supported by the front column 1023, and the lower end b1 of the rear part b is removably placed on the rear column 1024. The tray attaching / detaching device 102 further includes a piston cylinder device 1026 connected between the carriage and the tray supporting frame, and a pusher 1027 fixed to the lower surface of the load chamber 10. The pusher 1027 can insert and remove the rod RD into and from the through hole 1012b of the conveyor block 1012.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the tray support frame 1025 has a recess a21 in which the upper end a2 of the front part a thereof detachably receives the shaft T13 of the tray T1 and is rotatably supported. And a tray fitting block 1031 at the upper end b2 of the rear part b. The block 1031 is rotationally driven by the motor 1032. The block 1031 can fit and support the free ends of the pair of substrate supports T12 of the tray T1, and one side wall 1031a of the block is formed shorter than the other side walls.

Of the above-described parts, the upper end recess a21 of the front part a of the tray support frame 1025, the tray fitting block 1031 and the motor 1032 for driving the tray fitting frame 1025 constitute the tray rotating device 103. In the load chamber 10 described above, the substrate S to be processed is mounted on the tray T1 in the following manner, and then the tray T1 is moved to the conveyor 10
It is attached to 1.

That is, as a preparatory step, the tray attaching / detaching device 102 is placed at the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
In this state, the piston cylinder device 1026 is contracted, and the support frame 1025 moves the front column 1023 and the rear column 102.
It is supported by 4 and placed in a horizontal position. Also, the trolley 10
22 is slightly retracted from the load chamber opening 100. In this state, the shaft T13 of the tray T1 is fitted in the front upper end recess a21 of the tray support frame 1025, and
The free end of the substrate support T12 of the tray is the block 10
31. Thus, the substrate supporting surface of the one support T12 is placed in a flat horizontal position facing upward. Here, the substrate S to be processed is screwed and fixed to the support T12 by using a pressing jig ST. Then block 103
1 is rotated by the motor 1032, the tray T1
Is rotated, and the substrate supporting surface of the other substrate supporting member T12 is placed in a flat horizontal position facing upward. Then, the substrate S to be processed is fixed to this support in the same manner as described above.

When the mounting of the substrate S is completed in this way, the piston rod of the piston cylinder device 1026 is extended, whereby the tray support frame 1025 is raised and the carriage 1022 is advanced toward the load chamber opening 100. . In this way, the tray T1 is
As shown by the solid line in FIG. 11, it is arranged above the block 1012 of the conveyor 101. During the rotation of the tray support frame 1025 until reaching this arrangement, the tray T1 is displaced downward by its own weight, and the tray base T11 is supported by abutting against the frame front portion a. At this time, the substrate support T12 is supported by the side wall of the block 1031 and slightly slips out of the block and comes off the short block side wall 1031a.

Next, the rod RD of the pusher 1027 is projected so that the rod RD is conveyed to the conveyor block 10.
After passing through the through hole 1012b of 12 to reach the shaft T13 of the tray T1, it is fitted into the hole Ta and the tray T1 is slightly lifted. In this way, when the tray T1 is supported by the pusher rod RD, the carriage 1022 is retracted, and the tray support frame 1025 is returned to the initial position by retracting the rod of the piston cylinder device 1026. Wait for tray and board to be installed.

On the other hand, in the tray T1 supported by the pusher rod RD, when the tray attaching / detaching device 102 retracts, the rod RD is lowered so that the tray base portion T1.
1 is fitted in the upper recess 1012a of the conveyor block 1012, and is thereby supported by the conveyor 101 in a standing posture. The load chamber opening 100 is airtightly closed by a door 100A. FIG. 13 shows this state.

Thus, the conveyor block 1012 is driven by the operation of the conveyor motor 1016, and the tray T1 is conveyed to the preheating chamber 200 by opening and closing the gate valve V1. A jig ST for the substrate support T12
Instead of the attachment of the substrate S by, the support T12 may be equipped with the automatic chucking device 7 and the like as shown in FIGS.

The structure of the load chamber 10 and the conveyor 101, the tray attaching / detaching device 102, and the tray rotating device 103 attached to the load chamber 10 described above are also used in the unload chamber 50. However, the directions are opposite to each other,
In the unload chamber 50, the tray T1 is removed from the conveyor 101 and the processed substrate S is removed from the tray by the reverse operation to the operation in the load chamber 50.

As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate transfer chamber 30A,
Each of the units 30B also includes a tray transfer conveyor 30. Each of the conveyors 30 has substantially the same structure as the conveyor 101 of the load chamber 10 shown in FIG. 13, and as shown in FIG. 15, a tray T holding a substrate S in a standing posture on both sides.
The movable block 1012 that supports 1 in a standing posture is run. However, the motor 1016 and the pinion 101 that drive the block 1012 and can rotate in the forward and reverse directions are used.
5, a pair of rails 1011 on which rollers 1013 on both sides of the block 1012 roll are mounted on a rotatable horizontal plate 301, and the plate 301 is rotated by a motor 302. That is, the board 301 and the motor 302 constitute the conveyor rotating device 300.

By the forward or reverse operation of the motor 302,
A pair of rails 1011 can be oriented to any chamber.
Therefore, the conveyor block 101 supporting the tray T1
It is also possible to receive 2 from the preheating chamber 200, change its direction, and send it to an arbitrary process chamber, an adjacent substrate transfer chamber, and further to the precooling chamber 4, or vice versa.

The preheating chamber 200, each process chamber P
1, P2, P3, P4 and the pre-cooling chamber 4 are also provided with the same conveyors as the tray transport conveyor 101 in the load chamber 10, so that the tray T1 can be taken in and out of the adjacent chambers. Each of the conveyors described above constitutes a tray moving device that moves the substrate supporting tray T1 between the adjacent chambers.

Further, the preheating chamber 200 is provided with heaters (infrared lamps in this example) 22 for preheating the substrate S on the tray T1 supported on the tray transport conveyor on both sides of the tray track. Further, the precooling chamber 4 includes a nitrogen gas introduction unit 41 for precooling the substrate S on the tray T1 supported on the tray transport conveyor.

The process chambers P1, P2, P3 and P4 are the same as those in the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 except for the tray transfer conveyor. However, in the process chamber requiring the substrate heating, for example, the plasma chamber P1 for performing the plasma CVD process is positioned between the pair of substrate supports T12 of the tray T1 that is carried in, as illustrated in FIG. The heater H1 is arranged in advance.

According to such a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate S to be processed is easily mounted on the both surfaces of the substrate supporting tray T1 in the load chamber 10 in a flat and horizontal posture, and then transported in a standing posture. After that, the same operation as in the apparatus of FIG. 1 is performed. That is, after being preheated in the preheating chamber 200, processed in one or two or more process chambers via the substrate transfer chamber 30A, and then transferred into the precooling chamber 4 via the substrate transfer chamber 30B. After being pre-cooled, it is carried into the unload chamber 50, where the tray T1 is removed from the conveyor to be in a horizontal posture, and the processed substrate S is easily removed from the tray T1 in a horizontal posture. The cooling conditions in the preliminary cooling chamber 4 may be the same as those in the device shown in FIG. 1, for example.

The tray T1 thus emptied is carried to the load chamber 10. In the above description, the preheating chamber 2
The pre-treatment substrate is heated at 00 and the post-treatment substrate is pre-cooled at the pre-cooling chamber 4, but the substrate S may be passed through the pre-heating chamber 200 and the pre-cooling chamber 4 when the treatment temperature is low. . Further, when the processing temperature is low, the preheating chamber 200 and the precooling chamber 4 may be omitted.

Further, means for preliminarily cooling the preheating chamber 200 and means for preheating are also provided in the precooling chamber 4, and after the substrate S is carried out of the unloading chamber 50 to the outside of the unloading chamber, The substrate S to be processed is mounted on the tray T1 on the side of the load chamber 50,
1 may be moved by the reverse operation to the above, and necessary preheating, desired processing, and necessary precooling may be performed on the way, and the processed substrate may be carried out from the load chamber 10 side.
With this configuration, the tact time for processing the substrate can be shortened.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the precooling means for the substrate in the precooling chamber 4 is the nitrogen gas introducing part 41, but the water cooling cooler arranged so as to be positioned between the pair of substrate supports being carried in. May be adopted. Further, nitrogen gas cooling and a cooler may be used together, and in this way rapid cooling is possible. Next, a specific example of film formation by the substrate processing apparatus shown in FIG. 10 will be described. The conditions are as follows. Substrate processing: formation of a-Si film in process chamber P1 Substrate: 500 mm x 500 mm large square glass substrate (Corning 7059) Substrate processing temperature in process chamber P1: 280 ° C, in-plane uniformity ± 5 ° C Substrate support of tray T1 Surface size: square with 700 mm on a side High-frequency electrode EL size in process chamber P1 Size: 7 on a side
00 mm square High frequency power: 200 watt Deposition degree of vacuum: 0.5 Torr Working gas: Silane 100 ccm Hydrogen 200 ccm Electrode EL-substrate distance in process chamber P1: 35 m
m heater 22 of preheating chamber 200: infrared lamp of 20 kW, a-Si film formed on each substrate surface under heating rate of 500 ° C./min or more,
The film formation rate was 350 Å / min, and the film thickness uniformity was ± 5%.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This substrate processing apparatus is obtained by further increasing the process chambers P5 and P6 and the substrate transfer chambers 30C and 30D in the apparatus shown in FIG. As described above, the process chambers can be connected in an increased number as needed, and the entire apparatus can be compactly assembled.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate S to be processed.
A load chamber 91 for mounting the substrate S on the substrate supporting tray t, a preheating chamber 92 for preheating the substrate S, one or more process chambers 93 for subjecting the substrate S to a target process, and after completion of the target process. A pre-cooling chamber 94 for cooling the substrate S, an unloading chamber 95 for taking out the substrate S, a pre-heating chamber 92,
A substrate transfer chamber 96 that connects the process chamber 93 and the precooling chamber 94, and a tray moving unit (not shown) that moves the substrate support tray t between the adjacent chambers are provided.

In this device, for example, as shown in FIG.
A substrate supporting cassette C, which supports a substrate S to be processed in a flat horizontal posture in a plurality of vertical directions, faces an entrance of a load chamber 91, and the substrate S is taken out from the cassette to load chamber 9
The substrate supporting tray t is taken into the inside of the chamber 1 and mounted on one surface of the substrate supporting tray t in a flat and horizontal state in a horizontal posture. The tray on which the substrate is mounted is transferred to a preheating chamber, where the substrate is preheated if necessary, and then is transferred to one of the process chambers 93 via the transfer chamber 96. Thus, the tray t that supports the substrate that has been subjected to the target processing (film formation, etching, etc.) again passes through the transfer chamber 96 to the pre-cooling chamber 94, or to the substrate processing in one or more process chambers 93. After being received, the substrate is transferred to the pre-cooling chamber, where the substrate is pre-cooled if necessary, and then placed in the unload chamber 95, from which the substrate S is transferred to the substrate support cassette C or the like waiting outside the unload chamber.

The emptied tray t is returned to the load chamber 91, the next substrate is mounted, and the same steps as those described above are repeated. In any of the above-mentioned apparatus, since the substrate transfer chamber is in a position to mediate the other chambers, by providing a plurality of process chambers for performing the same processing, one The substrate can be introduced into another or two or more process chambers to perform the same treatment in parallel, and even if the treatment requires a long time, the treatment can be advanced more efficiently. Further, even if there is a process chamber that cannot be used due to some trouble, the process can be continued using another process chamber. Furthermore, by providing a plurality of process chambers that perform different processes, it is possible to perform the desired process using only the necessary process chamber among them.

[0090]

As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, not only the substrate processing apparatus of the conventional batch processing type but also the substrate processing apparatus capable of sequentially supplying substrates to be processed such as in-line type. Even in comparison, the desired substrate processing can be performed with good efficiency. The load chamber is connected to the substrate transfer device via the pre-heating chamber that pre-heats the target unprocessed substrate, and the unload chamber transfers the substrate through the pre-cooling chamber that cools the target processed substrate When connected to the chamber, when the substrate processing temperature is high, the pre-processing substrate is heated in the pre-heating chamber, and the substrate is pre-cooled after the processing is completed in the pre-cooling chamber to perform smooth substrate processing. be able to.

When the preheating chamber is also configured to serve also as the precooling chamber and the precooling chamber is also configured to serve as the preheating chamber, the substrate to be processed is mounted in the unloading chamber, Since the substrate supporting tray supporting the substrate can be moved toward the load chamber and processing can be performed in the middle of the loading chamber, there is an advantage that the tact time of the substrate processing is shortened accordingly.

According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fifth aspect,
Since the substrate is processed in an upright state, it is possible to prevent impurities such as dust and particles from adhering to and mixing with the substrate. According to the substrate processing apparatus of the sixth and seventh aspects, the substrate to be processed which is supported in a horizontal state by the substrate supporting cassette or the like can be taken out and mounted as it is, and the processed substrate can be taken out easily.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the substrate loading device in the load chamber.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the substrate loading device in the load chamber.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a substrate support tray arranged in a load chamber and a tray rotation device that rotates the substrate support tray.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the chuck device in the load chamber.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the chuck device in the load chamber.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a roller conveyor in a preheating chamber.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of one process chamber configured as a plasma CVD apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a substrate support cassette.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a load chamber, a substrate supporting tray transfer conveyor, a tray attaching / detaching device, and a tray rotating device attached to the load chamber.

FIG. 12 is a partial structural explanatory view of the tray rotating device.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the load chamber in which the substrate support tray supporting the substrate to be processed is mounted on the tray transport conveyor.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the substrate support tray T and the tray transfer conveyor in the load chamber.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a substrate supporting tray transfer conveyor and its rotating device in the substrate transfer chamber.

FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view of still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 to 9 1 Load chamber 11 Load chamber inlet V11 Gate valve at load chamber inlet 2 Preheating chamber 20 Roller conveyor 22 Heater 3A, 3B Transport chamber 31, 32 Tray rotating device 311, 321 Roller conveyor 4 Precooling chamber 40 Roller Conveyor 41 Nitrogen Gas Introducing Section P1, P2, P3, P4 Process Chamber CV Roller Conveyor 5 Unloading Chamber 51 Unloading Chamber Exit V51 Unloading Chamber Exit Gate Valve V1 to V9 Gate Valve 6 Chamber 6 Substrate Intake Device 7 Chuck device 8 Tray rotation device 80 Roller conveyor 6A Substrate takeout device 7A Chuck device 8A Tray rotation device 80A Roller conveyor S Substrate T Substrate support tray C Substrate support cassette CB Clean booth 10 to FIG. 15 Load chamber 100 Low Chamber opening 100A Load chamber opening door 101 Tray transfer conveyor 102 Tray attaching / detaching device 103 Tray turning device 200 Preheating chamber 22 Heater 30A, 30B Substrate transfer chamber 30 Tray transfer conveyor 300 Conveyor turning device P1, P2, P3, P4 process Chamber H1 Heater 4 Pre-cooling chamber 41 Nitrogen gas introduction part 50 Unload chamber V1-V9 Gate valve between chambers S Substrate T1 Substrate support tray About FIG. 16 P5, P6 Process chamber About FIG. 91 91 Load chamber 92 Preheating chamber 93 Process Chamber 94 Pre-cooling chamber 95 Unload chamber 96 Substrate transfer chamber t Substrate support tray

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A load chamber for mounting a substrate to be processed, a process chamber for subjecting the substrate to a target process, an unload chamber for taking out a processed substrate, the load chamber,
A substrate transfer chamber that connects the process chamber and the unload chamber,
A substrate supporting tray for supporting the substrate; and a tray moving means for moving the substrate supporting tray between the chambers,
The substrate transfer chamber includes the load chamber and the process chamber,
The substrate processing apparatus is arranged so as to connect the process chambers and the process chamber and the unload chamber to each other. 2. The loading chamber is connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a preheating chamber for preheating the target unprocessed substrate, and the unload chamber holds the target processed substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a preliminary cooling chamber for cooling. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary heating chamber is configured to also serve as a preliminary cooling chamber, and the preliminary cooling chamber is configured to also serve as a preliminary heating chamber. 4. The substrate supporting tray is configured to support the substrate on one surface thereof, and the tray moving means is configured to move the tray in a horizontal posture. Alternatively, the substrate processing apparatus of item 3. 5. The substrate supporting tray is configured to support the substrate on both sides thereof, and the tray moving means is configured to move the tray in an upright posture. Alternatively, the substrate processing apparatus of item 3. 6. The substrate supporting tray is supported by the tray moving means, and the load chamber has a tray arranged in the load chamber by the tray moving means such that each substrate supporting surface is at a substrate mounting position. A tray rotating means for rotating so as to be arranged, and a substrate take-in for taking in the substrate to be processed placed in a flat and horizontal posture outside the load chamber and carrying it in a standing state to a chuck position facing the substrate mounting position. Means and chuck means for holding the substrate conveyed to the chuck position and delivering it to the substrate supporting surface of the tray, wherein the unload chamber is arranged in the unload chamber by the tray moving means. Tray rotating means for rotating the tray so that each substrate supporting surface thereof is arranged at the substrate take-out position, and chuck means for receiving the processed substrate from the substrate supporting surface of the tray, Receiving a processed substrate from the chuck means, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein and a substrate unloading means for issuing to unload the outdoors as a flat horizontally posture. 7. A means for supporting the substrate supporting tray in the load chamber and rotating the tray so that the substrate supporting surfaces of the tray are alternately oriented in a predetermined direction, and a means for supporting the tray rotating means. Means for raising the substrate supporting tray on which the substrate to be processed is mounted and mounting it on the tray moving means, and moving the substrate supporting tray supporting the processed substrate to the unload chamber. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a device for taking out the device in a sideways manner and a device for rotating the taken-out substrate supporting tray so that the respective substrate supporting surfaces thereof are alternately oriented in a predetermined direction.