JPH09223727A - Semiconductor treating apparatus, substrate changing mechanism and changing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor treating apparatus for LCD substrates whereby the throughput can be improved in the substrate treatment. SOLUTION: An untreated substrate S1 is supported with an upper fork 66a of a catcher 66 on a conveyer while a treated substrate 22 is supported on support pins 11 at a second position above a mount 10. The catcher 66 is moved to specified position above the mount 10 and stopped. The pins 11 are lowered and support rods 12 are lifted to the crude substrate S1 is transferred from the fork 66a to the rods 12 while the treated substrate S2 is transferred from the pins 11 to a lower fork 66b.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus for performing semiconductor processing on an LCD (liquid crystal display) substrate or a semiconductor wafer, a substrate exchange mechanism and a substrate exchange method. Here, semiconductor processing means various kinds of processing carried out for manufacturing a semiconductor device on a substrate to be processed such as an LCD substrate and a semiconductor wafer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a process of manufacturing an LCD panel, a so-called multi-chamber type vacuum processing is provided with a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for performing a predetermined semiconductor processing such as etching and ashing on an LCD substrate under a reduced pressure atmosphere. The device is in use.

Such a vacuum processing apparatus has a load lock chamber in which a substrate transfer mechanism having a transfer arm and the like is provided, and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers provided around the load lock chamber. The substrate to be processed is carried into each vacuum processing chamber by the transfer arm in the load lock chamber, and the processed substrate is carried out from each vacuum processing chamber.

In such an LCD substrate processing apparatus, how to improve the number of substrates that can be processed in a certain period, that is, the throughput of the apparatus is a major technical problem. Therefore, as described above, the apparatus is made into a multi-chamber type, or the transfer arm is provided in two upper and lower stages.

When a two-stage transfer arm is used, the transfer arm accesses the mounting table in the vacuum processing chamber with the unprocessed substrate placed on the upper arm, and the lower arm is first advanced to move the processed substrate. After receiving, the lower arm is retracted, and then the upper arm is advanced to convey the unprocessed substrate onto the mounting table.

[0006]

However, there is a certain limit to the time reduction in the above-described substrate exchange operation, and further improvement in throughput for LCD substrates is required. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate exchange mechanism and a substrate exchange method capable of improving throughput in substrate processing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus having an exchange mechanism capable of improving the throughput of such substrate processing.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first aspect of the present invention is as follows.
A substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a substrate to be processed on a mounting table in a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising an advancing state and a retreating state for supporting one of the substrates at a first position above the mounting table. A first support member capable of switching between states,
The second support member capable of switching the state between the advanced state and the retracted state for supporting one of the substrates at the second position above the mounting table, and the first and second positions are The substrates are arranged so as to be vertically overlapped with each other, the transport mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the mounting table, and the transport mechanism are each capable of holding one of the substrates and each of the first and second substrates. And a transport member having first and second holding portions stacked vertically corresponding to the second position, and the first substrate, which is one of the substrates, is the transport member. In a state in which the second substrate, which is another one of the substrates, is held by the first holding portion of the second supporting member, the transport member is located above the mounting table. While advancing to a predetermined position, the first and second support members are The first substrate is transferred from the first holding portion to the first support member by moving the first substrate relative to the second substrate, and the second substrate is moved to the second substrate. It is transferred from the supporting member to the second holding portion.

A second aspect of the present invention is a substrate exchanging method using a substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a substrate to be processed on a mounting table in a semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the substrate exchanging mechanism is provided for the substrate. A first support member capable of switching the state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting one at a first position above the mounting table; and one of the substrates above the mounting table above. A second support member that can be switched between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting at the second position; and the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other, and A transfer mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the mounting table, and the transfer mechanism can hold one of the substrates, respectively, and stack the substrates vertically corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. Providing a transport member having first and second holding portions that overlap, Comprising the substrate exchange method, the first of said conveying member a first substrate wherein the one of the substrates
A second one of the substrates, which is another one of the substrates.
Supporting the substrate by the second supporting member, and placing the conveying member in a state in which the conveying member is advanced to a predetermined position above the mounting table, and the first and second supporting members with respect to the conveying member. By moving the first substrate from the first holding portion to the first supporting member and moving the second substrate to the second substrate
And a step of transferring the supporting member from the supporting member to the second holding portion.

A third aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, which has a mounting table and has a predetermined semiconductor on one of the substrates mounted on the mounting table. A processing chamber for performing processing, a standby unit for waiting the substrate outside the processing chamber, a substrate exchange mechanism for exchanging a processed substrate on the mounting table with an unprocessed substrate of the standby unit, The substrate exchanging mechanism is capable of switching a state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting one of the substrates at a first position above the mounting table.
The support member and one of the substrates above the second table above the mounting table.
A second support member capable of switching a state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting the first position and the second position.
The positions of are arranged so as to overlap vertically, and a transfer mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the mounting table,
The transfer mechanism includes a transfer member capable of holding one of the substrates, and having first and second holding portions stacked vertically corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. In a state in which the unprocessed substrate is held by the first holding portion of the transfer member and the processed substrate is supported by the second support member, While the first and second support members are moved in the upside-down direction relative to the transfer member while advancing to a predetermined position above the mounting table, the unprocessed substrate is The processed substrate is transferred from the first holding unit to the first supporting member and the processed substrate is transferred to the second supporting member.
The semiconductor processing device, wherein the semiconductor processing device is delivered from the supporting member of the second holding unit to the second holding unit.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, wherein a load lock chamber that can be set in a reduced pressure atmosphere and is used for waiting the substrate, A plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to the load lock chamber via gates, and each of the vacuum processing chambers has a mounting table, and decompresses predetermined semiconductor processing on one of the substrates mounted on the mounting table. And a substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a processed substrate on the mounting table with an unprocessed substrate in the load lock chamber, the substrate exchanging mechanism comprising: Of 1
A first support member capable of switching the state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting one of the substrates at a first position above the mounting table; The second support member capable of switching the state between the advanced state and the retracted state for supporting at the position, and the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other, A transport mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate to and from the mounting table, and the transport mechanism are capable of holding one of the substrates, respectively, and are vertically stacked corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. First
And a transport member having a second holding part,
In the state in which the unprocessed substrate is held by the first holding unit of the transfer member and the processed substrate is supported by the second support member, The first and second support members are moved in the upside-down direction relative to the transfer member while advancing to a predetermined position above the untreated substrate. And the processed substrate is transferred from the second supporting member to the second supporting unit, as well as being transferred from the holding unit to the first supporting member.

(Operation) In the present invention, the first substrate is supported by the first substrate supporting portion of the transfer member, and the second substrate is at the second position above the mounting table. The carrier member is advanced to a predetermined position above the mounting table while being supported by the first substrate, and at that time, the first substrate supported by the first substrate supporting portion is moved to the first position at the first position. At the same time, the second substrate is transferred from the second substrate supporting member to the second substrate supporting portion. Therefore, the substrate exchanging process, which was conventionally performed by moving the transport member twice, can be performed by one movement, and the throughput can be significantly improved.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus for performing an etching process and an ashing process for forming a semiconductor device or the like on a glass LCD substrate will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing the inside thereof. A transfer chamber 5 and a load lock chamber 3, which are connected via a gate valve 9a, are arranged in the center of the processing apparatus 1. The transfer chamber 5 has a substantially square plane, and the remaining side surfaces that do not face the load lock chamber 3 are provided with three processing chambers 2 and 4 via a gate valve 9a that hermetically seals the opening and can be opened and closed. , 6 are connected respectively.

A supply means for supplying a predetermined processing gas and an exhaust means for exhausting the inside of the chamber are connected to each of the processing chambers 2, 4, 6 and therefore each of the processing chambers 2, 4, 6 is connected. Can be set and maintained in an arbitrary reduced pressure atmosphere. For example, the same etching process is performed in the processing chambers 2 and 6, and the ashing process is performed in the other processing chamber 4. The combination of the processing chambers is not limited to this, and it is also possible to combine appropriate processing, and it is possible to perform arbitrary processing such as serial processing and parallel processing using a plurality of processing chambers.

A mounting table 10 is provided in each of the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6. The support table 11 is provided with four support pins 11 for supporting the substrate S. Four support members 12 for supporting the substrate are arranged around the mounting table 10. Details of the support pin 11 and the support member 12 will be described later.

The load lock chamber 3 can be set and maintained in an arbitrary reduced pressure atmosphere. As shown in FIG. 4, a buffer rack 30 including a pair of stands 31 for supporting the substrate S is disposed in the load lock chamber 3. The buffer rack 30 is configured to hold two substrates S at a time, which improves the efficiency of evacuation and purging.

Each stand 31 comprises two shelves 32 and 33, one above the other. The shelves 32 and 33 form two horizontal substrate support levels corresponding to the two arms 52 and 53 of the transport mechanism 50. In the present embodiment, the buffer rack 30
The support level interval of is set to be larger than the support interval of the substrate S in the cassette 42. Further, projections 34 made of synthetic rubber having a high friction coefficient are provided on the upper surfaces of the shelves 32 and 33, thereby preventing the substrates from slipping and dropping.

A pair of stands 31 of the buffer rack 30
Can be raised and lowered as a unit. By raising and lowering the buffer rack 30, it is possible to selectively take out one of the two substrates without raising and lowering the transport mechanism 60 provided in the transport chamber 5.

In the load lock chamber 3, a pair of positioners 35, 3 for aligning two substrates at once.
5 and an optical sensor (not shown) for confirming the completion of the alignment of the substrate are arranged. The pair of positioners 35 are arranged so as to face each other on an extension line of a diagonal line of the substrate. Each positioner 35 includes a support 36 that can be activated in the direction of the reciprocating arrow A in the figure, and a pair of rollers 37 and 37 that are rotatably supported on the support 36.

The positioner 35 sandwiches two substrates supported by the buffer rack 30 in a diagonal direction,
Align the board. Since the roller 37 aligns the side surface of the substrate S by pressing it at four points, it is particularly suitable for aligning a substantially rectangular substrate. The roller 37 is detachably attached to the support 36,
It can be replaced appropriately depending on the size of the LCD substrate to be processed.

The load lock chamber 3 is connected to the outside atmosphere via a gate valve 9b. Two cassette indexers 41 are arranged on the outside of the load lock chamber 3, and cassettes 42 for accommodating LCD substrates are placed on the two cassette indexers 41, respectively. One of the cassettes 42 accommodates an unprocessed substrate,
The other side contains a processed substrate. Cassette 42,
The elevating mechanism 43 can move up and down.

A support base 51 is provided between the two cassettes 42.
A substrate transfer mechanism 50 is arranged on the top. The transport mechanism 50 has arms 52 and 53 arranged in two stages, upper and lower, and a base 54 that integrally supports the arms 52 and 53 so that they can be advanced and retracted and rotated. Four protrusions 55 that support the substrate are formed on the arms 52 and 53. The protrusion 55 is made of an elastic body made of synthetic rubber having a high friction coefficient, and the substrate may be displaced during supporting the substrate.
It is prevented from falling.

The transport mechanism 50 is capable of transporting two substrates at once by the arms 52 and 53. That is, two substrates can be taken out or loaded into the cassette 42 at one time. The height of each cassette 42 is adjusted by the elevating mechanism 43, and the taking-out or loading position of the substrate by the arms 52 and 53 is set. Two arms 5
The interval of 2, 53 is set to be larger than the maximum value of the substrate supporting intervals of various cassettes. Therefore, it can be applied to various cassettes.

Incidentally, only one cassette can be installed. In this case, the processed substrates are returned to the empty space in the same cassette. The transfer chamber 5 can be set and maintained in an arbitrary reduced pressure atmosphere. As shown in FIG. 3, a transfer mechanism 60 and a buffer frame 70 configured to hold a plurality of LCD substrates are arranged in the transfer chamber 5. The transfer mechanism 60 transfers the substrate between the load lock chamber 3 and the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6. In addition, the buffer frame 70 temporarily holds the unprocessed substrate or the processed substrate. By temporarily holding the substrate in this manner, the throughput is improved.

The transfer mechanism 60 is disposed at one end of the base 68, and the first arm 6 rotatably disposed on the base 68.
2, a second arm 64 rotatably arranged at the tip of the first arm 62, and a catcher 66 rotatably arranged on the second arm 64 for holding a substrate. By moving the first arm 62, the second arm 64, and the catcher 66 by the drive mechanism built in the base 68, the substrate can be transported. Also,
The transport mechanism 60 can be moved up and down by a cylinder mechanism 69 arranged below the base 68, and can be rotated about a cylinder.

The catcher 66 of the transport mechanism 60 has forks 66a and 66b arranged in two stages. The unprocessed substrate is supported by the upper fork 66a, and the lower fork 66
The processed substrate is supported by b.
Although not shown, each fork is provided with a protrusion made of synthetic rubber having a high friction coefficient in order to prevent the substrate from slipping and dropping.

The buffer frame 70 is installed on the other end side of the base 68 so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the base 68. Frame 7
0 comprises four buffers 72, 74, 76, 78, which form four horizontal substrate support levels. These buffers have projections 7 for supporting the substrate.
9 are provided. The protrusion 79 is made of synthetic rubber having a high friction coefficient, and prevents the substrate from being displaced or dropped while supporting the substrate.

The transport mechanism 60 and the buffer frame 70 rotate integrally with the base 68 with the cylinder 69 as an axis. By rotating the base 68 in this manner, the transfer mechanism 60 can selectively face any one of the processing chambers 2, 4, 6 and the load lock chamber 3.

The mounting table 10 is provided in each of the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6 as described above. The mounting table 10 functions as a lower electrode for forming plasma. A ceramic shield ring 13 is arranged around the mounting table 10 as shown in FIG.

The four support pins 11 (second support members) are arranged at the edge of the mounting table 10 so as to be able to advance and retract. The four support members 12 (first support members) include a support rod 12a arranged so as to be able to advance and retreat to the shield ring 13 around the mounting table 10, and an overhanging member 12b arranged at the tip thereof. Have. The support bar 12a can support the substrate by advancing, and supports the unprocessed substrate S1 at the first position when receiving the substrate. Also, the support pin 11
By advancing, it becomes possible to support the substrate, and when transferring the substrate, the processed substrate S2 is supported at the second position below the first position.

The support member 12 is shown in FIG.
(A) As shown in the figure, the overhanging member 12b is in a state where it does not rest on the mounting table 10. However, as shown in FIG. 9B, the support member 12 does not support the support rod 12a in the support position.
When the table is rotated, the overhanging member 12b is moved to the mounting table 1
It is in a state of being in a supporting position protruding to the 0 side.

The catcher 66 has a fork 66a thereon.
Corresponds to the first position, and the lower fork 66b is set to a position corresponding to the second position. As will be described later, when the unprocessed substrate is loaded into the processing chamber while being supported by the upper fork 66a, the unprocessed substrate is transferred to the support member 12 at the first position, and at the same time, the first unprocessed substrate is transferred. The processed substrate supported by the support pin 11 at the position is transferred to the fork 66b.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, the two arms 52 and 53 of the transfer mechanism 50 are driven back and forth to load two substrates S from the one cassette 42 (the left cassette in FIG. 1) accommodating the unprocessed substrates at one time into the load lock chamber 3 Bring to.

In the load lock chamber 3, two shelves S are held by the shelves 32 and 33 of the buffer rack 30. After the arms 52 and 53 are retracted, the gate valve 9b on the atmosphere side of the load lock chamber is closed. After that, the inside of the load lock chamber 3 is evacuated, and the inside of the load lock chamber 3 has a predetermined vacuum degree,
Reduce the pressure to about 0 ^-1 Torr. After the evacuation is completed, the substrate S is aligned by pressing the substrate with the four rollers 37 of the pair of positioners 35.

After the alignment as described above, the gate valve 9a between the transfer chamber 5 and the load lock chamber 3 is opened.
From the viewpoint of preventing contamination, the substrate S of the lower shelf 33 is carried into the carrier chamber 5 by the carrier mechanism 60 and held in the uppermost buffer 72 of the buffer frame 70. In this case, since the substrate S is supported on the buffer rack 30 at a predetermined interval, the operation control of the transfer mechanism can be performed without depending on the substrate support interval of the cassette 42. That is,
A complicated control means for changing the operation amount of the transfer mechanism 60 for each support interval of different substrates is unnecessary. Therefore, the contamination in the device can be reduced.

With the substrate loaded in the transfer chamber 5, 10
-Evacuate to about ⁴ Torr. As a result, contamination in the device can be reduced. Next, the transport mechanism 60
Thus, the substrate S loaded into the transfer chamber 5 and held in the buffer 72 is transferred to a predetermined processing chamber, for example, the processing chamber 2. In this case, the processed substrate is present in the processing chamber except when it is first transferred, and the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate are exchanged.

The exchange operation at this time will be described with reference to FIGS. First, with the processed substrate S2 mounted on the mounting table 10 in the processing chamber, the support member 12 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
Advance from the state of (a). Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the support rod 12a is rotated so that the overhanging member 12b is positioned so as to project toward the mounting table 10 side. In this state, the supporting member 12 is ready to receive the unprocessed substrate S1 at the first position.

Next, the support pins 11 are advanced to raise the processed substrate S2 to support it at the second position. By the above operation, the state of FIG. 5 is formed. In this case, the catcher 66 of the transport mechanism 60 has a height set so that the upper fork 66a thereof corresponds to the first position and the lower fork 66b thereof corresponds to the second position. The unprocessed substrate S1 is supported by the upper fork 66a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the catcher 66 is advanced above the mounting table 10 and the unprocessed substrate S1 is conveyed to a first position above the mounting table 10. In this case, the fork 66b is located directly below the processed substrate S2 in the second position. In this state, the support rod 12a of the support member 12 is slightly raised, and at the same time, the support pin 11 is lowered. As a result, the unprocessed substrate S1 is supported by the support member 12, and the processed substrate is supported by the lower fork 66b of the catcher 66.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the processed substrate S is processed.
The catcher 66 supporting 2 is retracted. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the support pin 11 is advanced again to support the unprocessed substrate S1, and the support member 12 is retracted to remove the unprocessed substrate S1.
Return to the state of (a). In parallel with the operation of FIG. 8, the operation of closing the gate valve 9a between the processing chamber and the transfer chamber 5 is started, and the process pretreatment is started. Therefore, the operation of FIG. 8 does not affect the throughput.

As described above, in exchanging the substrate in the processing chamber, the unprocessed substrate can be loaded and the processed substrate can be unloaded by one movement of the holding portion (catcher). Therefore, the time for exchanging the substrate can be significantly reduced. By the way, the time required for this replacement operation, which was 17 seconds in the past, was reduced to 8 seconds, which is less than half.

While such an operation is being performed, the substrates on the shelves 32 in the load lock chamber 3 are also loaded into the transport chamber 5 and held in one of the buffers. Such an operation is sequentially performed on the substrates in the cassette 42. At this time, due to the existence of the buffers in the first and second load lock chambers 20 and 3,
The substrate can be continuously loaded into the apparatus without waiting time, which contributes to improvement in throughput.

The processed substrate S2 is returned to the transfer chamber 5 by the transfer mechanism 60, further passes through the load lock chamber 3, and then the processed substrate cassette 42 (on the right side in FIG. 1) is transferred by the arms 52 and 53 of the transfer mechanism 50. Cassette).

In the above-described processing, the existence of the buffer mechanism, and in particular, the highly efficient exchange of the substrate in the processing chamber, makes it possible to realize an unprecedentedly high throughput.

Further, in the above apparatus, it is possible to continuously perform etching and ashing, and this is also highly efficient. Also, by changing the program,
It is extremely versatile because it can perform various processes such as etching, continuous etching, and single etching.

For example, the support rod 12a is used as the support member 12.
Although a plate-shaped projecting member 12b is provided at the tip of the above, a pin-shaped support member 12x having a hook-shaped portion 12c at the tip may be used as shown in FIG. Then, in the retracted position, the support member 12x is completely housed in the shield member 13 as shown in FIG. 11A, and the lid 12d is placed thereon. When the support member 12x advances to the support position, the lid 12 opens as shown in FIG. 11 (b), and when the support member 12x rises to the support position, the support member 12x rotates and the hook-shaped portion 12c is placed.
It is in a state of protruding to the 0 side. Further, the support member (first support member) for supporting the unprocessed substrate is not limited to the type of advancing / withdrawing, that is, raising / lowering, and may be of the type of rotating and retreating, for example.

Further, the catcher 66, that is, the holding portion is not limited to the above, and various kinds can be adopted.
Further, as the catcher, a fork having two upper and lower stages fixedly arranged is used, but these forks may be independently movable. Further, the substrate support portion is not limited to the fork shape and may be a plate shape like the arms 52 and 53 of the transfer mechanism 50.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an outline of a vacuum processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 13 and 14 are a schematic cross-sectional plan view and a schematic side view showing the inside thereof. In these figures, the same parts as those in the previous embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, the processing apparatus 1B according to this embodiment has the same three processing chambers 2 as in the previous embodiment.
4 and 6. The processing chambers 2, 4, and 6 are connected to the three sides of the transfer chamber 5 having a square plane through gate valves 9a, respectively. For example, the same etching process is performed in the processing chambers 2 and 6, and the ashing process is performed in the other processing chamber 4.

In each of the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6, as in the previous embodiment, four support pins 11 and four support members 12 are provided.
The mounting table 10 having the above is arranged. Therefore, as described above, in each of the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6, the exchange operation of the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate can be performed by one advancing operation of the transfer mechanism 60 arranged in the transfer chamber 5. it can.

Two load lock chambers 3a and 3b, one above the other, are connected to the remaining one side of the transfer chamber 5 through gate valves 9a, respectively. Further, since the LCD substrate S is transported between the load lock chambers 3a and 3b and the substrate cassette 42,
A transport mechanism 80 having a structure different from that of the transport mechanism 50 of the previous embodiment is provided.

The transport mechanism 80 has a base plate 81, and a slider 82 is slidably driven along the longitudinal direction of the base plate 81. An L-shaped stand 83 is mounted on the slider 82 so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane. Further, a horizontal plate 84 is attached to the vertical portion of the stand 83 so as to be able to drive up and down.

An upper fork 85 and a lower fork 86 for mounting the substrate S are arranged on the horizontal plate 84. The lower fork 86 is attached to the horizontal plate 84 so as to be slidable along the longitudinal direction of the horizontal plate 84. A sub stand 87 is erected on the base portion 86a of the lower fork 86, and the upper fork 85 is attached to the sub stand 87 so as to be vertically movable. Therefore, the upper fork 85, together with the lower fork 86,
The horizontal flat plate 84 slides integrally along the longitudinal direction.

Fingers 85b, 85c of the upper fork 85
And the fingers 86b and 86c of the lower fork 86 have the same vertical thickness, and are smaller than the storage interval of the substrate S in the cassette 42. Also, the upper fork 85
The width between the inner edges of the fingers 85b and 85c is set to be slightly larger than the width between the outer edges of the fingers 86b and 86c of the lower fork 86. Further, the base portion 86a of the lower fork 86 is recessed below the fingers 86b and 86c by the thickness of the base portion 85a of the upper fork 85.

Therefore, when the upper fork 85 descends most, the fingers 85b and 85c of the upper fork 85 and the fingers 86b and 86c of the lower fork 86 may overlap each other like a plate when viewed in the lateral direction. it can. At this time, the fingers 85b and 85c of the upper fork 85 are located on the same plane just outside the fingers 86b and 86c of the lower fork 86. At this time, at least the upper support surfaces of both forks 85 and 86 are aligned. Here, since both upper forks 85 and 86 have the same thickness, both the upper support surface and the lower bottom surface of both forks 85 and 86 are aligned.

By using the transport mechanism 80 having such a structure, it is possible to store processed substrates in the cassette 42 and take out unprocessed substrates from the cassette at the same time, thus improving the throughput. The transport mechanism 80 is
Since the rotating system is at one location and the others are linear sliding systems, high speed and stable operation can be performed.

The load lock chambers 3a and 3b can be individually set and maintained in an arbitrary reduced pressure atmosphere. Therefore, the load lock chambers 3a and 3b are connected to the transfer chamber 5 via the individually operable gate valve 9a, while being connected to the external atmosphere via the individually operable gate valve 9b.

In this embodiment, both load lock chambers 3a and 3b have the same internal structure as shown in FIG. That is, each load lock chamber 3a, 3b has a horizontal 2
It has a stepped substrate support level and is configured to hold two substrates S at a time. The upper support level is defined by a pair of opposing hands 91, and the lower support level is defined by a pair of opposing hands 92.

Each of the hands 91 and 92 has a pair of fingers 93 arranged so as to spread toward the front. The finger 93 is attached to a drive unit 94 attached to the inner side wall, and is driven by the drive unit 94 between a position shown in FIG. 15 and a retracted position where the finger 93 is retracted toward the side wall.

Further, in each of the load lock chambers 3a and 3b, four support pins 96 which are vertically driven by a drive unit (not shown) disposed under the bottom wall are disposed. Support pin 9
6 is movable between a retracted position that retracts under the bottom wall and a protruding position that protrudes above the upper support level defined by the hand 91, and can be stopped at any position.

When the fingers 93 are closed and located at the positions shown in FIG. 15, the substrates S can be supported by the hands 91 and 92 at the corresponding support levels. On the contrary, when each finger 93 is opened to the retracted position, the substrate S supported by the support pin 96 is
However, it can pass between the pair of hands 91, 91 facing each other or between the pair of hands 92, 92.

Further, in this embodiment, the transport mechanism 60x provided in the transport chamber 5 is provided with the catcher 66 having the upper and lower two forks 66a and 66b, but the buffer frame body 70 is additionally provided. Not not. This is because not only the upper and lower load lock chambers 3a and 3b are disposed, but also the load lock chambers 3 as well as the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6
This is because, also in a and 3b, the exchange operation of the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate can be performed by one advance operation of the transport mechanism 60x, so that the buffer frame body 70 can be omitted. Further, since it is not necessary to direct the catcher 66 to the buffer frame 70 side, the catcher 66 and the base 68 are connected by one intermediate arm 63. Furthermore, base 6
8 can be driven up and down via a cylinder mechanism 69.

With the configuration as described above, in each of the load lock chambers 3a and 3b, the one operation of advancing the transfer mechanism 60x enables the exchange operation of the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate. This operation is similar to the operation of exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate, which is realized by disposing the support pins 11 and the support members 12 on the mounting table 10 of the processing chambers 2, 4, and 6.

The fingers 93 of the hands 91 and 92 of the load lock chambers 3a and 3b can be opened and closed, for example, when the processed substrate S is moved from the upper support level to the lower support level during idle time. This is for accommodating an incidental operation. Therefore, the finger 93 of each of the hands 91 and 92 does not open and close but is fixed to the position shown in FIG. 15 only if the exchange operation of the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate is performed by the one-advancing operation of the transport mechanism 60x. It can be the one that was done.

Next, in the load lock chambers 3a and 3b, an operation for exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate by the transfer mechanism 60x of the transfer chamber 5 will be described. Here, it is assumed that the processed substrate S1 is supported by the lower fork 66b of the transport mechanism 60x and the unprocessed substrate S2 is supported by the hand 91 (upper support level) of the load lock chamber 3a. Further, the interval between the upper and lower support levels of the load lock chamber 3a is set to be sufficiently larger than the interval between the upper and lower support levels of the transport mechanism 60x. Note that description of incidental operations of the gate valve 9a and the like will be omitted.

First, the substrate S processed by the lower fork 66b is processed.
The catcher 66 supporting 1 is inserted into the load lock chamber 3a supporting the unprocessed substrate S2 with the hand 91. At this time, both the upper and lower forks 66a and 66b of the catcher 66 are positioned between the upper and lower hands 91 and 92 of the load lock chamber 3a.

Next, the support pin 96 is raised, and the support pin 96 receives the processed substrate S1 from the lower fork 66b of the catcher 66. Next, the catcher 66 is raised together with the support pin 96, and the unprocessed substrate S2 is received from the hand 91 by the upper fork 66a.

Next, the unprocessed substrate S2 is moved by the upper fork 66a.
The catcher 66 supporting the is retracted to the transfer chamber 5. Next, the support pin 96 is lowered, and the processed substrate S1 is placed on the hand 92 (lower support level).

Next, following the above operation, an operation for exchanging a processed substrate and an unprocessed substrate in the load lock chambers 3a, 3b by the transfer mechanism 80 on the external atmosphere side will be described. Here, the hand 92 of the load lock chamber 3a
It is assumed that the processed substrate S1 is supported by (lower support level) and the unprocessed substrate S3 is supported by the upper fork 85 of the transport mechanism 80. Note that description of incidental operations of the gate valve 9b and the like will be omitted.

First, the transport mechanism 80 for supporting the unprocessed substrate S3 by the upper fork 85 is moved to the processed substrate S by the hand 92.
1 is inserted into the load lock chamber 3a which supports 1. At this time, the space between the upper and lower forks 85 and 86 of the transport mechanism 80 is widened in advance so that the upper and lower hands 91 and 92 of the load lock chamber 3a are located between the upper and lower forks 85 and 86.

Next, the upper fork 85 is moved toward the lower fork 86 while raising the horizontal plate 84 of the transport mechanism 80. By this operation, the space between the upper and lower forks 85 and 86 can be narrowed while being raised. Therefore, the unprocessed substrate S is transferred from the upper fork 85 to the upper hand 91.
3 is placed and the lower fork 86 lowers the lower hand 9
It is possible to receive the processed substrate S1 from 2.

FIG. 16 shows an LCD substrate S in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment described with reference to FIGS.
It is an explanatory view showing the conveyance sequence of in order. here,
It is assumed that the same etching process is performed in the processing chambers 2 and 6 and the ashing process is performed in the processing chamber 4. In FIG. 16, in order to avoid confusion, reference is made to each chamber of the processing apparatus only in (a). The numbers in (b) to (s) are
Only the coefficients of the substrates S1 to S8, which are LCD substrates S, are shown.

First, the substrate S1 is placed in the lower load lock chamber 3b.
The substrate S2 is introduced into the upper load lock chamber 3a (see FIG. 16).
(B), (c)). Next, the substrate S1 is transferred from the lower load lock chamber 3b through the transfer chamber 5 (FIG. 16 (d)) to the processing chamber 2
Then, the etching of the substrate S1 is started. Also,
In parallel with loading the substrate S1 into the processing chamber 2, the substrate S3 is loaded into the lower load lock chamber 3b (FIG. 16 (e)).
Then, during the processing of the substrate S1, the substrate S2 is loaded from the upper load lock chamber 3a through the transfer chamber 5 (FIG. 16 (f)) into the processing chamber 6, and the etching of the substrate S2 is started. The substrate S4 is loaded into the upper load lock chamber 3a in parallel with loading the substrate S2 into the processing chamber 6 (FIG. 16).
(G)).

Next, during the processing of the substrates S1 and S2, the substrate S3
Is moved from the lower load lock chamber 3b to the transfer chamber 5 (see FIG. 1).
6 (h)). Furthermore, during the processing of the substrate S2, the etching-processed substrate S1 and the substrate S3 are exchanged by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism 60x, the substrate S1 is unloaded into the transfer chamber 5, and the substrate S3 is loaded into the processing chamber 2. . Further, in parallel with this, the substrate S5 is carried into the lower load lock chamber 3b (FIG. 16 (i)).

Next, during the processing of the substrates S2 and S3, the substrate S1
Is loaded from the transfer chamber 5 into the processing chamber 4, and the ashing of the substrate S1 is started (FIG. 16 (j)). Further, the substrates S2, S
3, the substrate S4 is moved from the upper load lock chamber 3a to the transfer chamber 5 during the processing of S1 (FIG. 16 (k)). Then, during the processing of the substrates S3 and S1, the substrate S2 and the substrate S4 which have been subjected to the etching process are exchanged by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism 60x, the substrate S2 is unloaded into the transfer chamber 5, and the substrate S4 is transferred into the processing chamber 6. To load. Further, in parallel with this, the substrate S6 is carried into the upper load lock chamber 3a (FIG. 16 (l)).

Next, during the processing of the substrates S3 and S4, the ashed substrate S1 and the substrate S2 are exchanged by one advance operation of the transport mechanism 60x, the substrate S1 is unloaded into the transport chamber 5, and the substrate S2 is removed. It is loaded into the processing chamber 4 (Fig. 16)
(M)). Further, during the processing of the substrates S3, S4, S2, the processing-completed substrate S1 and the substrate S5 are exchanged by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism 60x, the substrate S1 is returned to the lower load lock chamber 3b, and the substrate S5 is transferred to the transfer chamber 5. It moves (FIG. 16 (n)).
Then, during the processing of the substrates S4 and S2, the etched substrate S3 and the substrate S5 are exchanged by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism 60x, the substrate S3 is unloaded into the transfer chamber 5, and the substrate S5 is transferred into the processing chamber 2. To load. In parallel with this, the processed substrate S1 and the substrate S7 are exchanged by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism 80 on the external atmosphere side, the substrate S1 is unloaded, and the substrate S7 is loaded into the lower load lock chamber 3b ( FIG. 16 (o)).

Thereafter, by repeating the same operation (FIGS. 16 (p) to 16 (s)), the substrates S1 to S8 can be unloaded from the vacuum processing apparatus by completing the processing in the ascending order of their coefficients. it can.

In the above processing, the efficiency of substrate exchange in the processing chamber and the load lock chamber is increased,
It is possible to realize extremely high throughput that has never been achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
In particular, although the characteristic portions of the processing device have been described separately for each embodiment, the characteristic portions can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the transport mechanism 80 described with reference to FIG. 12 and the load lock chambers 3a and 3b described with reference to FIG. 15 can be used in the processing apparatus shown in FIG. Further, the transfer device 60 described with reference to FIG. 3 and the load lock chamber 3 described with reference to FIG. 4 can be used in the processing apparatus shown in FIG.

Further, for example, the present invention can be effectively applied to a processing apparatus having a single processing chamber, and can be applied not only to vacuum processing but also to normal pressure or positive pressure processing apparatus. . Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the etching and ashing devices but also to other various processing devices such as a film forming device. Furthermore, the substrate to be transported is not limited to the LCD substrate,
It may be another substrate such as a semiconductor substrate.

[0081]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the exchange operation of the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate in the processing chamber or the load lock chamber can be performed by one advance operation of the transfer mechanism, the throughput can be significantly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing the inside of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a transfer mechanism and a buffer frame body arranged in a transfer chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a perspective view showing a buffer rack and a positioner arranged in a load lock chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

5 is a view for explaining a substrate exchange operation in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a substrate exchange operation in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a substrate exchange operation in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a substrate exchange operation in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an operation of a support member that supports an unprocessed substrate in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

10 is a view showing a modified example of a support member for supporting an unprocessed substrate in the processing chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

11 is a view showing the operation of the support member shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an overview of a vacuum processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a schematic cross-sectional plan view showing the inside of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view showing the inside of the apparatus shown in FIG.

15 is a schematic perspective view showing the inside of a load lock chamber of the apparatus shown in FIG.

16 is an explanatory diagram sequentially showing a substrate transfer sequence in the apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2, 4, 6 ... Processing chamber 3, 3a, 3b ... Load lock chamber 5 ... Transfer chamber 10 ... Mounting table 11 ... Support pin (second support member) 12, 12x ... Support member (first 1 support member 30 ... Buffer rack 42 ... LCD substrate cassette 50 ... Transport mechanism 60, 60x ... Transport mechanism 62 ... Arm 66 ... Catcher 66a, 66b ... Fork 80 ... Transport mechanism 85, 86 ...... Fork 91, 92 ...... Hand S ...... LCD substrate

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a substrate to be processed on a mounting table in a semiconductor processing apparatus, which is in an advanced state for supporting one of the substrates at a first position above the mounting table. A first support member capable of switching between a retracted state and a retracted state, and a state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting one of the substrates at a second position above the mounting table. A switchable second support member, the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other, a transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate in and out of the mounting table, and the transfer. The mechanism comprises a transport member capable of holding one of the substrates, respectively, and having first and second holding portions stacked vertically corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. A first substrate, which is one of the substrates, of the transport member. In a state in which the second substrate, which is another one of the substrates, is held by the first holding unit and is supported by the second support member, the transport member is at a predetermined position above the mounting table. By moving the first and second support members in the upside-down direction relative to the transport member while advancing to the position, the first substrate is moved from the first holding unit. While being transferred to the first support member, the second support member
The substrate exchanging mechanism, wherein the substrate is transferred from the second supporting member to the second holding unit. 2. When transferring the first and second substrates,
2. The substrate exchanging mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first and second support members move upside down when the transport member is stopped. 3. The second support member comprises a plurality of support pins capable of projecting and retracting with respect to the mounting table, supports one of the substrates at the second position at the time of projecting, and at the time of retracting. The substrate exchanging mechanism according to claim 1, wherein one of the substrates can be placed on the placing table. 4. The first position is above the second position, and the first support member is located outside the second substrate when in the first position. Having a plurality of support rods and an overhanging member provided so as to project inward at the upper ends thereof, wherein the first substrate is placed on the overhanging member at the first position, and After the second substrate is transported by the transport member, the first substrate is transferred from the first support member to the second support member, and the first support member retreats; The board exchange mechanism according to claim 1, wherein 5. The plurality of support rods of the first support member are provided so as to project and retract with respect to the mounting table, and an overhanging member provided at the tip thereof is provided so as to be movable outside the mounting table. 5. The substrate exchanging mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the first supporting member is retracted when the projecting member moves to the outside of the mounting table and the supporting rod retracts. 6. A substrate exchanging method using a substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a substrate to be processed on a mounting table in a semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the substrate exchanging mechanism is one of the substrates above the mounting table. A first support member capable of switching the state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting the first position of the substrate, and supporting one of the substrates at a second position above the mounting table. The second support member capable of switching the state between the advancing state and the retreating state, and the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other; and the substrate with respect to the mounting table. And a transport mechanism for loading and unloading the first and second transport mechanisms, each of which is capable of holding one of the substrates and which is vertically stacked corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. A transport member having a holding part; In the replacement method, a first substrate that is one of the substrates is held by the first holding unit of the transport member, and a second substrate that is another one of the substrates is supported by the second support. A step of supporting by means of a member, the conveying member being in a state of being advanced to a predetermined position above the mounting table, and the first and second supporting members being arranged in an upside-down direction relative to the conveying member. By moving the first substrate from the first holding unit to the first support member, the second substrate is moved to the second substrate.
And a step of delivering the supporting member from the supporting member to the second holding unit. 7. When transferring the first and second substrates,
7. The substrate exchanging method according to claim 6, wherein the first and second support members move upside down in a state where the transport member is stopped. 8. The second support member comprises a plurality of support pins capable of projecting and retracting with respect to the mounting table, supports one of the substrates at the second position at the time of projecting, and at the time of retracting. 8. The substrate exchanging method according to claim 6, wherein one of the substrates can be placed on the placing table. 9. The first position is above the second position and the first support member is located outside the second substrate when in the first position. Having a plurality of support rods and an overhanging member provided so as to project inward at the upper ends thereof, wherein the first substrate is placed on the overhanging member at the first position, and After the second substrate is transported by the transport member, the first substrate is transferred from the first support member to the second support member, and the first support member retreats; 9. The substrate exchange method according to claim 6, wherein 10. A plurality of support rods of the first support member are provided so as to project and retract with respect to the mounting table, and an overhanging member provided at a tip thereof is provided so as to be movable outside the mounting table. When the overhanging member moves to the outside of the mounting table and the support rod retracts,
10. The substrate exchanging method according to claim 9, wherein the supporting member is retracted. 11. A semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, comprising a mounting table, and a processing chamber for performing a predetermined semiconductor processing on one of the substrates mounted on the mounting table. And a substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a processed substrate on the mounting table with an unprocessed substrate in the standby unit, and a substrate exchanging unit for exchanging the substrate outside the processing chamber. The mechanism includes a first support member capable of switching the state between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting one of the substrates at a first position above the mounting table, and one of the substrates. The second support member, which can be switched between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting at a second position above the mounting table, and the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other. And that the substrate is carried in and out of the mounting table. And a transport mechanism for holding each of the substrates, the transport mechanism having a first and a second holding portion that are vertically stacked in correspondence with the first and second positions, respectively. A transfer member is provided, wherein the unprocessed substrate is held by the first holding unit of the transfer member, and the processed substrate is supported by the second support member. While the transport member is advancing to a predetermined position above the mounting table, the first
And the second support member is moved in the upside-down direction relative to the transport member, whereby the unprocessed substrate is transferred from the first holding unit to the first support member, and The semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the processed substrate is transferred from the second support member to the second holding unit. 12. A semiconductor processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, comprising: a load lock chamber which can be set in a reduced pressure atmosphere and is used for waiting the substrate; and a gate to the load lock chamber. A plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to each other, and each of the vacuum processing chambers has a mounting table, and is used to perform a predetermined semiconductor processing on one of the substrates mounted on the mounting table in a reduced pressure atmosphere. And a substrate exchanging mechanism for exchanging a processed substrate on the mounting table with an unprocessed substrate in the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate exchanging mechanism includes one of the substrates. A first support member capable of switching between an advanced state and a retracted state for supporting at an upper first position, and one of the substrates is supported at a second position above the mounting table. Status and withdrawal letter for A second support member capable of switching the state between the first and second positions, and the first and second positions are arranged so as to vertically overlap with each other; The transport mechanism and the transport mechanism include a transport member capable of holding one of the substrates, and having first and second holding portions that are vertically stacked corresponding to the first and second positions, respectively. In a state in which the unprocessed substrate is held by the first holding unit of the transport member and the processed substrate is supported by the second support member, While the transport member is advancing to a predetermined position above the mounting table, the first
And the second support member is moved in the upside-down direction relative to the transport member, whereby the unprocessed substrate is transferred from the first holding unit to the first support member, and The semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the processed substrate is transferred from the second support member to the second holding unit.