JPS63243276A - Vacuum chemical reactor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently charge a substrate into a vacuum chamber and discharge the substrate from the chamber and to treat many substrates by providing a carrier holding machine to a substrate holding mechanism, protruding plural carrier around the mechanism, and furnishing a mechanism for transferring the surfaces of the carrier at two different places on the same plane. CONSTITUTION:Many carriers 51-55 are protruded and arranged around the carrier holding machine 56 provided to the substrate holding mechanism 50 in the vacuum chamber 10. A substrate holding member 58 is fixed to the front and rear or almost the whole surface of the carriers 51-55. The substrates 410 and 413 are held by the substrate holding member 58 on the same plane 57 on both sides, the carrier holding machine 56 is rotated in the direction as shown by the arrow 59, and the substrate is charged and discharged simultaneously at two different places. Since the transfer of the substrate to a conveying mechanism can be carried out at the surfaces of the two places different from each other, many substrates can be housed and treated at one time, and the reliability and productivity of the vacuum chemical reactor can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vacuum device that introduces a reactive gas into a vacuum and causes a chemical reaction to occur inside the vacuum device, such as a reactive ion etching device, Various etching devices,
It is highly effective when applied to CVD equipment, surface treatment equipment, etc.

(Prior Art) As mentioned above, there are many vacuum apparatuses available today that allow chemical reactions to occur in vacuum.

Efforts are being made to arrange as many objects to be processed (hereinafter referred to as substrates) as possible inside these devices, and efforts are being made to improve productivity.

There are many methods that have been proposed and implemented to date, but they can be summarized as follows.

(1) A method of arranging a substrate on a single plane or three-dimensional surface. A method of arranging a large number of substrates on the top surface of a thin disk such as a thin disk.Also, a method of arranging a large number of substrates on the side (inner or outer surface) of a cylinder or prism as shown in Table 9.4C (P194). There is.

(2) “Gas plasma processing equipment
As shown in Japanese Patent No. 9532), there is a method in which positive and negative electrodes or two electrodes (for high frequency power) are alternately stacked in the vertical direction.

(3) “Vacuum chemical reaction device” (Patent application 1986-1646)
As shown in No. 70), a substrate holding mechanism that holds a substrate is provided with a carrier holder, and a plurality of carriers protrude around the carrier holder, and these carriers are arranged on the front and back or on the surface. There is a method in which substrate holding members capable of holding substrates are provided on almost the entire surface, and a large number of substrates are arranged using these substrate holding members.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, each of the conventional methods described above has the following drawbacks.

(1) In the method of arranging substrates on a single plane or three-dimensional surface, the number of substrates that can be accommodated is limited to a relatively small number based on the surface area of the arrangement surface.

(2) The aforementioned “gas plasma processing device” (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1983
In the method of alternately stacking positive and negative electrodes or two electrodes in the vertical direction, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 159532, one of the front and back surfaces of each electrode is generally covered with an insulator, and the substrate is placed only on the other side. Since they cannot be arranged, the number of substrates that can be accommodated is still limited to a relatively small number.

(3) The above-mentioned “vacuum chemical reaction device” (Patent application 1986-16)
The method shown in No. 4670) has been improved for the purpose of accommodating and processing a large number of substrates at the same time.
If you consider the same number of boards to accommodate, it will be a relatively small device, but if you consider the ease of loading and unloading boards when storing a large number of boards, and also consider the productivity in the same time, it will be a relatively small device. The number of processes is limited to a relatively small number.

(Objective of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks and provide a highly reliable and highly productive vacuum chemical reaction apparatus that can accommodate and process a large number of substrates at once.

(Means and effects for solving the problems) The present invention provides a vacuum chamber and an exhaust system that exhausts the inside thereof to a predetermined pressure;
A gas introduction system that introduces a predetermined reactive gas after evacuation, a substrate holding mechanism that is located inside the vacuum chamber and holds the substrate, and a transfer mechanism that takes the substrate in and out of the substrate holding mechanism from outside the vacuum chamber. , a vacuum chemical reaction apparatus in which a predetermined reactive gas is introduced after the vacuum chamber is evacuated to a predetermined pressure to perform a chemical reaction on the substrate surface, wherein the substrate holding mechanism is provided with a carrier holding machine; A plurality of carriers are protruded around a carrier holder, and each of the carriers is provided with a substrate holding member capable of holding a substrate on the front and back or almost the entire surface thereof, and furthermore, the carrier holder is movable. As a result of the movement, at least a plurality of the substrates held by the substrate holding member of the carrier are transferred onto substantially the same predetermined surface, and transferred to the transfer mechanism on the same predetermined surface. In a vacuum chemical reaction apparatus equipped with such a mechanism, at least two mutually different surfaces of the carrier occupy the same predetermined surface on which the substrate can be transferred to the transfer mechanism, and further, the transfer is performed on at least two mutually different surfaces of the carrier. The above object has been achieved by a vacuum chemical reaction apparatus equipped with mechanisms that each independently operate on the surface.

(Function) After the vacuum chamber is evacuated to a predetermined pressure by the exhaust system, a predetermined reactive gas is introduced from the gas introduction system to cause a chemical reaction to occur on the surface of the substrate placed on the substrate holding mechanism inside the vacuum chamber. . The substrate holding mechanism includes a carrier holder, a plurality of carriers protrude around the carrier holder, and each of the carriers includes a substrate holding member capable of holding the substrate on the front and back or almost the entire surface thereof. Therefore, a large number of substrates can be accommodated and processed at the same time. Furthermore, at least two different surfaces of the carrier can be simultaneously transferred to a predetermined same plane that can transfer the substrate to the transport mechanism, and each can be transferred independently, thereby improving the efficiency of loading and unloading the substrate. can be achieved. These synergistic effects allow us to accommodate and process a large number of substrates at once, and achieve high productivity and reliability.

(Example) Figure 1 (partial cross-sectional plan view), Figure 2 (A-A' in Figure 1)
In the embodiments shown in FIG. 3 (cross-sectional view) and FIG. Exhaust pipe, 14 flange, 15 substrates 410 to 4
19 for putting in and taking out through hole 17, 16 and 1
9 is the 0 ring. 30 is a gas introduction system (indicated by an arrow, to which a barrier pull leak, a flow rate control device, etc. are connected if necessary) for introducing a predetermined reactive gas, 31 is a connection pipe with the vacuum system, and 32 is a gas introduction system for introducing a predetermined reactive gas into the substrate. The gas distribution mechanism, 33, is a large number of pores to ensure uniform coverage of the surface. 4
0 is a group of substrates representative of objects to be processed, 410 to 419
are each a substrate. 50 is the substrate holding mechanism 51-5
5 is a large number of carriers protrudingly arranged around the carrier holder 56, and 69 is an introduction/discharge direction (indicated by an arrow) of a heat medium for cooling or heating the substrate. 60 is an introduction device for electric power and others. (When heating the substrate to an even higher temperature, as shown in the cross section of the substrate holding part in FIG. Heat with a heater, etc. 64 is a heater power source, and 62 is a connecting body made of a thin plate to prevent the heat of the heating plate 61 from escaping toward the carrier 51. ) 58 is a substrate holding member that holds the substrate, and this is attached to almost the entire surface of the front and back of the carrier 51 or the front surface (the entire surface when the names "front and back" are not appropriate).

The two 57 on the left and right in the figure are surfaces that are on the same plane, which is a feature of the present invention, and that can independently and simultaneously provide a predetermined function to the two locations, and the substrate 410 on these surfaces and 413 are held by the substrate holding member 58, by rotating the carrier holder 56 in the direction of the arrow 59 (the rotation mechanism is not shown).
It is moved onto a predetermined surface 57 at a certain location, and taken in and out of the vacuum chamber 10.

In this embodiment, there are two robot mechanisms 70 (represented by two arrows) that open the lid 15 and take out and take out substrates at two locations outside the vacuum apparatus 10 (only the handling arm part of the robot mechanism is located at these two locations). The same effect can be obtained even if the carrier is placed in the same position as shown in FIG. We perform work with high reliability and reproducibility,
In addition, in order to improve productivity, the interior of the vacuum chamber 10 is always kept in a vacuum as described above, and the substrate holding mechanism 50, and therefore the carrier holding machine 5G, is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 as in this embodiment.
It is advantageous to rotate the substrate 9 as shown in FIG. 9 so as to move a plurality of substrates at the same time onto a surface 57 that is convenient for removing the substrates.

Reference numeral 80 denotes a magnetic field setting means for causing magnetron discharge inside the vacuum chamber 10, which sets a magnetic field in the direction of arrow 85. 81 is a coil, and 82 is its power source.

90 is a high frequency power supply, 91 is a high frequency generator, and 92 is a matching box.

The apparatus of this embodiment can be used with conventional reactive ion etching apparatus, various types of etching apparatus, C
It is operated in the same way as VD equipment and surface treatment equipment.

To explain the operation using a reactive ion etching device as an example, after the vacuum chamber 10 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure (often evacuated to a high degree of vacuum such as so-called UHV) by the exhaust system 20, a predetermined gas is introduced. It is introduced from the system 30, the inside of the vacuum chamber is set at a predetermined pressure, and high frequency power is supplied. Then, discharge plasma indicated by diagonal lines 93 is generated and the substrate 410
etc. are subjected to reactive ion etching.

After the predetermined etching has been performed, the supply of high frequency power is stopped, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon is introduced into the vacuum chamber 10 to atmospheric pressure, the lid 15 is opened, and the carrier holder 56 is opened.
By working together with the robot mechanism 70 which is the advance of the transport mechanism, two processed substrates are taken out at a time and new substrates are put in two at a time. The robot mechanism 7 takes in and out the board.
This is done while moving the hand of 0 perpendicular to the surface 57. Then, the air is evacuated and the next cycle begins.

If it is desired to perform etching while keeping the inside of the vacuum chamber 10 constantly under vacuum, a valve is provided in place of the lid 150 and connected to the next vacuum chamber. Even in this case, the substrate holding mechanism 50 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 59 and the substrates are taken out from two locations.

For other treatments other than reactive ion etching,
The operation is almost the same as above, but in the case of low-pressure CVD, it is slightly different. A carrier 51 and a heating plate 61 are provided as shown in FIG. Take it in and take it out. In this case, there is no need to supply high frequency power.

However, if it is desired to clean the area near the surface 57 after performing the low pressure CVD process many times, the operation will be similar to the etching described above.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, since the magnetic field can be set perpendicular to the electric field, along the direction of each surface of the substrate group 40,
It is possible to generate high-speed reactions by generating a low-voltage, high-power magnetron discharge.

. The direction of the magnetic field may be constant or alternating. The discharge intensity may be adjusted by varying the strength of the magnetic field.

Other precautions regarding capital murder are the same as in normal cases.

For example, if you do not want a reaction to occur in a location other than the substrate, (1) if the process uses electrical discharge, cover that location with an appropriate insulator or shield; (2)
) If it is a low-pressure CVD process that does not use electric discharge, care must be taken to cool the area to a low temperature.

The present invention uses the substrate holding mechanism 50 as described above, aligns two different surfaces of the plurality of carriers 51 to 55 radially protruding from the carrier holder 56 on the same plane, and holds the substrate on almost the entire surface thereof. Because of this arrangement, an extremely large number of substrates can be accommodated within a small volume, and furthermore, it is possible to provide an apparatus with high productivity due to efficient loading and unloading of substrates. If the processing capacity is the same, the device can be made smaller. Furthermore, since the carrier holder 56 can be made into a sturdy mechanism, its high frequency impedance is negligibly small, and uniform arasma can be generated on the surfaces of many substrates on the carriers 51 to 55. Differences in processing (e.g., etching rate and film formation rate) are extremely small, and a uniform finish can be obtained. By using a magnetic field, higher speeds and lower voltages can be achieved.

FIG. 4 (perspective view) shows only the substrate 410 and the like and the substrate holding mechanism 50 of another embodiment.

In this embodiment, the carrier 51 is made taller in order to further increase the number of substrates that can be accommodated. The substrate holding mechanism 50 is indicated by arrow 5
After the substrate is rotated in the direction 9 to take in and take out the substrate, the substrate holding mechanism 50 is moved in the direction of arrow 591 and further rotated in the direction of arrow 59 to complete the removal and removal of the substrate.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show plan views of still another embodiment of the substrate holding mechanism 50. FIG. These examples are based on carrier 5
1 is made to protrude radially from the central carrier holder 56. In FIG. 5, the number of carriers is 6, which is advantageous when arranging many relatively small substrates, and in FIG. 6, the number of carriers is 4, which is advantageous for arranging and processing a relatively large number of substrates. .

Although several embodiments have been given above, these are not meant to be limiting in any way, and many modifications are possible. It goes without saying that it can also be used in conjunction with various previously known techniques and new techniques that will be created in the future.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention provides a vacuum chemical reaction apparatus that is capable of accommodating and processing a large number of substrates at the same time, is smaller in size, and has high reliability and productivity when considering the same number of substrates to be processed. There is an effect that can be done.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1, 2, and 3 are views showing embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA' in FIG. 1. FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are diagrams showing other embodiments of the present invention. 10 is a vacuum chamber, 20 is an exhaust system, 30 is a gas introduction system, 40
5 is a group of substrates, 50 is a substrate holding mechanism, 70 is a carrier holder for taking out and loading substrates, 56 is a carrier holder, 51 is a carrier, and 59 is a moving direction when moving a plurality of substrates to the same predetermined surface 57.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) an exhaust system that evacuates the vacuum chamber and its interior to a predetermined pressure; a gas introduction system that introduces a predetermined reactive gas after evacuation; and a substrate holding mechanism that is located inside the vacuum chamber and holds the substrate; A transport mechanism is provided for loading and unloading the substrate from outside the vacuum chamber to the substrate holding mechanism, and after evacuating the vacuum chamber to a predetermined pressure, a predetermined reactive gas is introduced to cause a chemical reaction to occur on the surface of the substrate. The substrate holding mechanism of the vacuum chemical reaction apparatus is equipped with a carrier holder, and a plurality of carriers protrude around the carrier holder, and the substrates are covered with the substrate on the front and back or almost the entire surface of the carriers. The carrier holder is further provided with a substrate holding member capable of holding the substrate, and the carrier holder is movable, so that at least a plurality of the substrates held by the substrate holding member of the carrier are on substantially the same surface. In a vacuum chemical reaction apparatus equipped with a mechanism for transferring the substrate onto the transfer mechanism on the same predetermined surface, A vacuum chemical reaction apparatus, characterized in that it occupies two surfaces, and further comprises a mechanism in which the transfer is carried out independently on each of the at least two different surfaces. (2) The vacuum chemical reaction device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier also serves as an electrode, and the vacuum chemical reaction device utilizes a discharge reaction. (3) The vacuum chemical reaction device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier also serves as a heater, and the vacuum chemical reaction device is a CVD device. (4) The vacuum chemical reaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is a disc-shaped body, and the disc-shaped body protrudes radially from the carrier holder. (5) The vacuum chemical reaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier holder moves in a straight line. (6) The vacuum chemical reaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier holder is moved by rotation.