JPS62142320A - Vacuum treatment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to support an object to be treated directly by a sample table in the atmosphere by arranging an opening in the part of a box which composes a treatment chamber which is in contact with the atmosphere and enabling blocking of the inside of said opening from the outside by the sample table in the treatment camber and a lid on the atmosphere side to form the same space just like a load lock chamber. CONSTITUTION:When a lid 13 is shut and a sample table 3 blocks an opening 12, a space just like a load lock chamber is formed. After picking up a wafer W to be exposed from an input side wafer carrier Ci and positioning it by use of an alignment mechanism 21a, it is transported to be put on the sample table 30 which is blocking the opening 12 by the vacuum chuck 23a of a wafer loader 22a. Also, the wafer W after exposure is back-transported from the same sample table 30 by a vacuum chuck 23b of a wafer unloader 22b and it is contained an output side wafer carrier Co. As a result, a wafer clamp 39 is raised by pressing down a sliding pin 42 of an upper plate 2b when the sample table 30 blocks the opening 12 so as to produce a gap between it and a sample receiving plate 36 and the clamp is lowered by the force of a compression spring 40 when the sample 30 lowers so as to fix the wafer W on the sample receiving plate 36.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] In an apparatus that processes objects to be processed such as wafers used in semiconductor devices in a vacuum, an opening is provided in the part of the housing that is in contact with the atmosphere that forms the processing chamber, and an opening is provided inside the housing. Trial F: Inside the processing chamber on the outside: [By creating a space similar to a load-lock chamber by making it possible to close it with the table and the lid on the atmosphere side, it is possible to directly support the object to be processed on the sample table in the atmosphere. It made it possible.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus for processing objects to be processed such as wafers used in semiconductor devices in a vacuum;
Concerning the mechanism for introducing the object to be processed into the vacuum (processing chamber).

Examples of the vacuum processing for the object to be processed include electron beam exposure, sputtering, tow/etching, etc., and the corresponding vacuum processing apparatus is used for each.

And these processing devices have a sloop y 11ii1-
With the adoption of a single-wafer processing method (1^1 processing method) for J-, the handling section for processing objects has become complicated, large, and one-sided. Yes, and its simplification is desired.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the main part configuration of a first conventional example of an electron beam exposure apparatus, which is one type of vacuum processing apparatus.

In the figure, 1 is an electron beam column that generates and controls an electron beam, 2 is a processing chamber in which a wafer W to be processed is irradiated with the electron beam, that is, exposed, and 3 is a wafer mounted on a holder 4. An elevator mechanism includes a stage on which W is placed and moves in XY such as step and rebeat, 5 a holder exchange room connected to the processing chamber, 6 inside the holder exchange room, and 2 to 3 stages of healds 7 for transporting the holders 4. 8 is a holder exchange mechanism that moves up and down, 9 is a linear arm that moves the holder 4 on the belt 7 into and out of the stage 3, and 10 is a holder exchange chamber with one side open to the atmosphere and the other open to the atmosphere, and each opening is airtightly closed. The load lock chamber 11 is a bell I for transporting the holder 4 within the load lock chamber 10.

Further, 20 is a wafer mounting device that takes out the wafer W from the wafer carrier C, aligns it with an alignment mechanism 21, and mounts it on the holder 4, and 22 is a belt that connects the wafer mounting device 20 to the rotary lock chamber IO and transports the holder 4. be.

The wafer W is carried by a wafer carrier C (a plurality of wafers W
The wafer is mounted on the holder 4 by the wafer mounting device 20, and is sent together with the holder 4 by the belts 22 and 11 into the load-lock chamber 10 at atmospheric pressure. After being evacuated, it is sent onto the belt 7 in the holder exchange chamber 5 by the bells 1 and 7, and after the holder exchange mechanism 6 is raised, it is sent onto the stage 3 by the straight arm 9, where it is exposed. After exposure, reverse the steps above to attach the wafer mounting device 2.
Returned to 0.

If we focus on one wafer W, the above is one cycle, but in order to increase the throughput of this device, the next wafer W is placed on standby in the holder exchange mechanism 6 while the preceding wafer W is being exposed. I can do it.

The reason why the holder 4 is used here is that the alignment of the wafer W required for electron beam exposure can be performed in the atmosphere with fewer troubles.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main structure of a second conventional example of an electron beam exposure apparatus that is simpler than the first conventional example.

The apparatus shown in the figure is different from the first conventional example in that the boulder exchange chamber 5 is changed to a holder storage chamber 5a, the holder exchange mechanism 6 is changed to a holder magazine 6d, and a load lock chamber 10, a heald 22, and a wafer mounting system are installed. e device 20 has been removed.

The boulder storage chamber 5a can be airtightly closed off from the processing chamber 2, so that vacuuming and leakage do not occur. Further, the holder magazine 6a has a plurality of marks arranged vertically, each with one mark.
I stored Paulda 4 in my house and used Eleheta machine [! 8 moves up and down.

The wafers W are mounted on the holder 4 by external setup using, for example, the wafer mounting device 20, and stored in the holder magazine together with the holder 4 under atmospheric pressure. After the holder storage chamber 5a is evacuated, the wafers W are sequentially moved to the stage by the linear arm 8. 3 and exposed.

The reason for using the holder 4 is the same as that of the first conventional example.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Although the first conventional example is superior in terms of sloop 71-, it has a load lock chamber 10 and a boulder exchange chamber 5, so it is complicated and large, and has a problem of high fdli.

Further, although the second conventional example is simpler than the first conventional example, it has a drawback in the through-so loop saw 1- because the storage must be replaced after the exposure of the wafer W stored in the holder gun 6a has finished. be.

However, both conventional examples also have the problem of increasing costs because the holder 4 is not used.

[Means for solving problems]

The above-mentioned problem is that an opening is provided in the part of the casing that is in contact with the atmosphere that forms a vacuum processing chamber, and a means for airtightly closing the opening from the inside with a sample stage that is provided inside the processing chamber and supports the object to be processed. a means for airtightly closing the opening from the outside with a cup provided on the atmosphere side; a means for simply emptying the space formed in the opening by the above-mentioned two closings; and a means for leaking the space. The problem is solved by the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, which introduces the object to be processed into the processing chamber with the sample stage supported on the atmosphere side when the opening is closed, without increasing the vacuum of the processing chamber. Ru.

[Effect]

With the above configuration, it is possible to close the opening and directly support the object to be processed on the sample stage facing the atmosphere,
However, since the space looks like a loading dock chamber, the vacuum of the processing chamber can be prevented from being impaired when the object to be processed supported by the sample stage is introduced into the vacuum chamber.

The object to be processed may be processed while being supported on this trial F-F stand.

In addition, when alignment of the object to be processed is required, by supporting the object to be processed in the aligned state on the sample stage, the boulder 4 in the first or second conventional example can be used.
becomes unnecessary.

In this way, elements that make the device complicated and expensive, such as the load lock 10 and the holder exchange chamber 5 in the first conventional example or the holder storage chamber 5a in the second conventional example, are eliminated, and the holder 4 in both is also unnecessary. This makes the equipment simpler and more economical.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a plan view (al) and a side cross-sectional view (bl) showing the essential structure of an embodiment of the present invention in an electron beam exposure apparatus, and FIG.

In Figure 1, ■ is the same electron beam column as the conventional example;
2a is a processing chamber corresponding to 2 in the conventional example, and 3a is 3 in the conventional example.
12 is an opening provided in a portion of the upper plate 2b of the housing forming the processing chamber 2a that is in contact with the atmosphere; I3 is a lid that opens and closes the opening 12 from the outside; 1;
4 is an opening/closing mechanism thereof; 15 is an O-ring that makes the closure airtight; 16 is a vacuum tube connected from the lid 13 to a vacuum mechanism (not shown); and 17 is a leak tube connected from the lid 13 to a leak mechanism (not shown). , 30 are provided on the stage 3a to support and expose the wafer W.
When replacing the sample table, the opening 12 is closed from the inside as shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later. Therefore, when the lid 13 is closed and the sample stage 30 closes the opening 12, a space similar to a loading/unloading chamber is formed in the opening 12.

Further, 20a is a wafer 1 general loading and unloading device 5 corresponding to the wafer mounting device 20 of the first conventional example, which takes out the wafer W to be exposed from the input wafer carrier Ci (same as the wafer carrier C of the conventional example). After alignment by an alignment mechanism 21a corresponding to 21 in the conventional example, the opening 1 is opened by a vacuum chuck 23a of a wafer loader 22a.
2. 1 (transfer device) is placed on the sample table 30 which is currently closed, and the exposed wafer W is returned from the same sample table 30 by the vacuum chuck 23b of the wafer unloader 22b and transferred to the output side wafer carrier Co (wafer carrier Ci). same item).

In FIG. 2, 31 is a guide bar that guides the vertical movement of the sample stand 30 with respect to the stage 3a, 32 is a tension spring that pulls the sample stand 30 toward the stage 3a, and 33 is a sample stand that moves the sample stand by introducing pressure air through the pressure air pipe 34. 30 is a bellows that pushes up the sample stand 30; 35 is an O-ring that makes the opening 12 airtight when the sample stand 30 closes the opening 12 due to the pushing up; 36 is the sample stand 3 provided with a pushing blade by a compression spring 37;
A sample receiving plate 38 is provided on the upper surface side of 0 and on which the wafer to V is placed, and the stage 3
This is a ball (a positioning ball that accurately determines the position of the clasp 30) that has descended above a.

Also, 39 is a wafer clamp that holds and fixes the wafer W on the sample receiving plate 37, and 10 is a wafer clamp that is applied to the compression spring 37.
1 a pressure spring for lowering the wafer clamp 39; 41 is a swinging lever that engages the wafer clamp 39;
42 is a sliding pin that engages with the swing lever 41.

With this mechanism, when the sample stage 30 closes the opening 12, the wafer clamp 39 is raised by pressing down the sliding pin 42 of the upper plate 2b, creating a gap with the sample receiving plate 36, and the sample stage 30 is lowered. At this time, the wafer W is lowered by the force of the compression spring 40 to press and fix the wafer W on the sample receiving plate 36.

The worker to the exposure position of the wafer W to be exposed takes one step in the following order.

(2) The opening 12 of the processing chamber 2a is closed with a lid 13 and is evacuated in advance.

■ Close the opening 12 with the sample stage 30.

(2) The space in the opening 12 is leaked through the leak pipe 17. At this time, the vacuum in the processing chamber 2a is maintained by closing with the sample stage 30.

■ Open the lid 13.

(2) By operating the wafer m IM output device 20a, the wafer W in the input wafer carrier C4 is aligned and placed on the sample receiving plate 36.

■ Close the lid 13.

■ Evacuate the space in the opening 12 through the vacuum tube 16.

■ Lower the sample stage 30 onto the stage 3a, and place the stage 3
The movement of F1 positions the wafer W at the exposure position.

At this time, the vacuum in the processing chamber 2a is maintained.

The first exposure of the exposed wafer W is performed by the opposite hand 1111' to the above.
Do it with i.

(Thus, this electron beam exposure apparatus has elements that make the apparatus complicated and expensive, such as the load lock chamber 10 and the holder exchange chamber 5 in the first conventional example or the holder storage chamber 58 in the second conventional example). Deleted and further wafer W
While the alignment is performed in the atmosphere, the holder 4 in both is also no longer required, making it simpler and more economical than the conventional example.

Also, a wafer loader 22a and a wafer unloader 22b
Due to the parallel operations, the wafer W on the sample stage 30 can be exchanged in a short time, so that the throughput is approximately the same as that of the first conventional example.

Note that the above embodiment is for an electron beam exposure apparatus, but
It can be easily inferred that the structure of the present invention is effective even in the case of other vacuum processing apparatuses such as sorrel, ivy, and dry etching.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the configuration of the present invention, in an apparatus that processes objects to be processed such as wafers used in semiconductor devices in vacuum, the object to be processed is Is it possible to support it directly in the atmosphere? This has the effect of making it possible to simplify and make the equipment more economical.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 shows a plan view (・'') and a side sectional view (b) of an embodiment of the present invention.
1. Figure 2 is a side sectional view without showing the state of obstruction by the sample stage, Figure 3 is a side view of the first conventional example of the vacuum processing equipment, and Figure 4 is the side view of the vacuum processing equipment. 11 is a sectional view of the second conventional example. In the figure, 1 is an electron beam column, 2.2a is a processing chamber 2b, an upper plate of a straight bar forming 2a, 3.3a is a stage, and 4 is a holder. , 5 is a holder exchange room, 5a is a holder storage room, 10 is a load lock room, 12 is an opening provided in 2b, 13 is a lid, 14 is an opening/closing mechanism of 13, 16 is a vacuum tube, 17 is a leak tube, 20 20a is a wafer loading device, 20a is a wafer loading/unloading device, 21.21a is an alignment mechanism, 22 is a belt, 22a is a wafer loader, 22b is a wafer unloader, 23a and 23b are vacuum chucks, 30 is a sample stage, 32 is a tension bar name , 33 is a hollow, 36 is a sample receiving plate, 39 is a wafer clamp, C, Ci, Co are wafer carriers, W is a wafer, 2ta 6 father) z3b (z30.s rod 1 mouth 23ku (23shi) ￥t !FJmL;'?'r GI "J"+ Hl&
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Claims (1)

[Claims] An opening is provided in the part of the casing forming the vacuum processing chamber that is in contact with the atmosphere, and a means for airtightly closing the opening from the inside with a sample stage provided in the processing chamber and supporting the object to be processed; The processing chamber is equipped with means for airtightly closing the opening from the outside with a lid provided therein, means for evacuating the space formed in the opening by the above-mentioned two closings, and means for leaking the space. A vacuum processing apparatus characterized in that the sample stage supports the object on the atmosphere side and introduces the object into the processing chamber without impairing the vacuum of the chamber.