KR101967888B1 - Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate tretment method - Google Patents

Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate tretment method Download PDF

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Publication number
KR101967888B1
KR101967888B1 KR1020150178202A KR20150178202A KR101967888B1 KR 101967888 B1 KR101967888 B1 KR 101967888B1 KR 1020150178202 A KR1020150178202 A KR 1020150178202A KR 20150178202 A KR20150178202 A KR 20150178202A KR 101967888 B1 KR101967888 B1 KR 101967888B1
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South Korea
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substrate
conveyor belt
load lock
lock chamber
buffer
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KR1020150178202A
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Korean (ko)
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KR20170070546A (en
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정병효
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주식회사 씨에이치솔루션
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67706—Mechanical details, e.g. roller, belt
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/6773—Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67742—Mechanical parts of transfer devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67739—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber
    • H01L21/67748—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations into and out of processing chamber horizontal transfer of a single workpiece

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a semiconductor substrate or a display substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes a conveyor belt for conveying a substrate; A buffer cassette for loading a substrate on a conveying path of the conveyor belt by a lifting / lowering operation; An atmospheric robot for exchanging substrates with either the conveyor belt or the buffer cassette; A cluster device comprising a load lock chamber for exchanging substrates with the atmospheric robot, at least one process chamber coupled with a transfer chamber and a transfer chamber coupled to the load lock chamber and having a vacuum robot installed therein; . Thus, by transferring the substrate to a sheet by using the conveyor belt, the waiting time of the substrate can be shortened, thereby improving the processing speed of the substrate.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus,

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method for processing a semiconductor substrate or a display substrate.

In order to manufacture a substrate for a semiconductor or a substrate for a display, various processes are performed. Examples of a process for manufacturing the substrate include a deposition process, an etching process, and a cleaning process.

In order to perform these processes, it is repeatedly required to transfer the substrate to the apparatus for processing each process. In the process of transferring or storing the substrate, the substrate is contaminated with contaminants such as dust, moisture, and various organic substances. Therefore, the substrate is housed and transported in a separate substrate container to protect the substrate from contaminants.

An example of such a substrate container is a FOUP (FOUP, Front Opening Unified Pod). Generally, the substrate container houses about 25 substrates and is transported to each processing apparatus. Therefore, the substrate container transferred to one processing apparatus has to wait until each of the 25 substrates in turn is processed in order, so that the production time is long and the production efficiency is not good.

In addition, each processing apparatus had to have a separate space for the substrate container to stand in order to draw out the substrate from the substrate container and draw the processed substrate back into the substrate container. Because of this, each processing apparatus occupies a lot of installation space and production efficiency is low. Particularly, these problems are increasing due to the large area trend of substrates in recent years.

In order to solve this problem, in accordance with Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-0029850, there is proposed a method of controlling a conveying apparatus that includes a conveyor for conveying a substrate to a plurality of processing apparatuses, a finger provided on the conveyor for conveying the substrate to a sheet, And a robot that moves the substrate at a constant speed.

However, since the substrates are exchanged between the continuously moving fingers and the substrate fingers operating at the same speed, if the driving speed of the conveyor is high, the substrate may not fall down or the fingers may not be positioned at the correct positions.

Further, since the FOUP, the buffer cassette, and the device stage are disposed around the robot located on the side of the conveyor, the entire installation space is occupied, and all the transporting operations of the substrate are performed by one robot, .

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method in which a transfer path of a substrate is reduced to increase a production speed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus in which space for installing a substrate processing apparatus is reduced to improve space efficiency.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a conveyor belt for conveying a substrate; A buffer cassette for loading the substrate on the conveying path of the conveyor belt by an ascending / descending operation; An atmospheric robot for exchanging a substrate with either one of the conveyor belt and the buffer cassette; A cluster device including a load lock chamber for exchanging substrates with the atmospheric robot, a transfer chamber coupled to the load lock chamber and having a vacuum robot installed therein, and at least one process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber; .

Preferably, the conveyor belt includes an upstream conveyor belt, a middle conveyor belt, and a downstream conveyor belt along the substrate travel path, and the intermediate conveyor belt is disposed to pass through the buffer cassette.

Preferably, the intermediate conveyor belt includes a speed regulating unit for regulating the speed of progress.

Preferably, the stopper stops the advancement of the substrate between the intermediate conveyor belt and the downstream conveyor belt.

Preferably, the load lock chamber comprises an inlet load lock chamber for drawing the untreated substrate into the transfer chamber and an outlet load lock chamber for withdrawing the process substrate from the transfer chamber, Chamber between the inlet / outlet load lock chamber and the inlet / outlet load lock chamber.

Preferably, respective gates formed in the inlet / outlet load lock chamber and exchanging substrates with the atmospheric robot are disposed opposite each other.

Preferably, the buffer cassette is arranged to face the atmospheric robot.

Preferably, the buffer cassette comprises first and second buffer cassettes along a substrate travel path, and the intermediate conveyor belt comprises first and second intermediate conveyor belts corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes, Wherein the first buffer cassette loads the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt and the second buffer cassette seats the processing substrate via the first intermediate conveyor belt from the second intermediate conveyor belt .

Preferably, the load lock chamber comprises an inlet load lock chamber for drawing the untreated substrate into the transfer chamber and an outlet load lock chamber for withdrawing the process substrate from the transfer chamber, And the substrate is exchanged with the incoming / outgoing load lock chamber while reciprocating in front of the chamber.

Preferably, the buffer cassette comprises first and second buffer cassettes along a substrate travel path, and the intermediate conveyor belt comprises first and second intermediate conveyor belts corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes And the first buffer cassette loads the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt, and the second buffer cassette loads the processed substrate by the atmospheric robot.

Preferably, the atmospheric robot transfers an unprocessed substrate from the buffer cassette or the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber.

Preferably, the atmospheric robot transfers the untreated substrate from the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber when the unprocessed substrate load of the buffer cassette is low or absent.

Preferably, the atmospheric robot transfers the processing substrate from the load lock chamber to the conveyor belt.

Preferably, the plurality of buffer cassettes are disposed on a substrate traveling path of the conveyor belt, and the atmospheric robots and the cluster devices are alternately disposed on one side or the other of the respective buffer cassettes based on a substrate traveling path.

Preferably, the plurality of buffer cassettes are disposed on a substrate advancing path of the conveyor belt, and the atmospheric robot and the cluster device are disposed facing each other on both sides of the respective buffer cassettes with respect to the substrate advancing path.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method including: transferring an untreated substrate to a conveyor belt; Elevating the buffer cassette during transfer to load the unprocessed substrate; Transferring the unprocessed substrate on the loaded unprocessed substrate or the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber with the atmospheric robot; Introducing the transferred untreated substrate into the process chamber with a vacuum robot in the transfer chamber; Transferring a processed substrate processed in the process chamber to the load lock chamber by a vacuum robot in the transfer chamber; And transferring the processed substrate to the conveyor belt with the atmospheric robot; .

The substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention can shorten the standby time of the substrate by transferring the substrate to a sheet by using the conveyor belt, thereby improving the processing speed of the substrate.

Further, the present invention can reduce the transfer path of the substrate by arranging the atmospheric robot between the inlet / outlet load lock chambers. As a result, the installation space of the substrate processing apparatus can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the space efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus can be increased by arranging the cluster apparatus on both sides of the conveyor belt alternately or facing each other.

Further, by arranging the intermediate conveyor belt to pass through the inside of the buffer cassette, the present invention can load the substrate from the conveyor belt to the buffer cassette only by lifting and lowering the buffer cassette without a separate robot.

Further, according to the present invention, by providing the stopper, the substrate on the continuously moving conveyor belt can be loaded at the same position of the buffer cassette.

1 is a schematic diagram according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a sectional view according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view showing a buffer cassette according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a partial schematic view of a second embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a partial schematic view according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a schematic view according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a schematic view according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can be classified into the first to fifth embodiments, and the constituent elements of each embodiment are basically the same, but there are differences in some configurations. In addition, among the various embodiments of the present invention, the same reference numerals in the drawings are used for the same functional elements and functions.

1 to 3, the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a conveyor belt 110, a buffer cassette 120, an atmospheric robot 130, and a cluster device 40 . Here, the cluster device 40 refers to a device including a plurality of load lock chambers 41 and a process chamber 43 coupled around a transfer chamber 42. The atmospheric robot 130 is a robot operating in an atmospheric pressure state and is distinguished from a vacuum robot operating in a vacuum state inside the transfer chamber 42.

Conveyor belt 110 transports the substrate to a cluster device 40 that processes the substrate. The conveyor belt 110 includes an upstream conveyor belt 111, an intermediate conveyor belt 112 and a downstream conveyor belt 113 in accordance with the traveling path of the substrate.

The upstream conveyor belt 111 transports the unprocessed substrate to the cluster device 40. The intermediate conveyor belt 112 is disposed to pass through the buffer cassette 120 to load the substrate of the upstream conveyor belt 111 into the buffer cassette 120 or to transfer the substrate of the buffer cassette 120 to the downstream conveyor belt 113. [ . The downstream conveyor belt 113 transports the processing substrate from the cluster device 40.

The intermediate conveyor belt 112 has a speed regulating portion 114 and a stopper 115.

The speed regulator 114 regulates the traveling speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 112. This allows the substrate to be loaded safely by lowering or stopping the speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 112 when the substrate past the intermediate conveyor belt 112 is loaded in the buffer cassette 120, The speed of the intermediate conveyor belt 112 is made equal to the speed of the upstream and downstream conveyor belts 111 and 113 so that the substrate can be stably conveyed.

The stopper 115 is provided between the intermediate conveyor belt 112 and the downstream conveyor belt 113 and is raised and lowered by the stopper driving unit 115a to stop the progress of the substrate.

When the stopper 115 is moved up and down before the substrate on the intermediate conveyor belt 112 is conveyed to the downstream conveyor belt 113, the stopper 115 is positioned on the path of the substrate to stop the progress of the substrate. As a result, the substrate held at the same position of the intermediate conveyor belt 112 is loaded at the correct position of the buffer cassette 120, and the process can be repeated to stack the buffer cassette 120 in multiple stages. Thereafter, when the stopper 115 is lowered, the substrate is conveyed to the downstream conveyor belt 113 through the intermediate conveyor belt 112.

The stopper driving unit 115a processes signals including substrate transfer information in the conveyor belt 110, the buffer cassette 120, the atmospheric robot 130, and the cluster device 40, the substrate loading information, (Not shown) and moves the stopper 115 up and down.

The buffer cassette 120 is provided on the substrate advancing path of the conveyor belt 110 to load the substrate by the lifting and lowering operation.

The buffer cassette 120 is composed of a main body 121, a driver 122, and a multi-stage slot 123 so as to have a space for loading a plurality of substrates.

The main body 121 passes through the conveyor belt 110 for conveying the substrate and the intermediate conveyor belt 112 among the conveyor belts 110 is disposed inside the main body 121. The body portion 121 includes two pairs of vertical frames 121a opposed to both sides of the conveyor belt 110. [ At this time, it is preferable that the distance between each pair of vertical frames 121a is larger than the diameter of the substrate to be transferred, and the distance between two vertical frames 121a on one side of the conveyor belt 110 is also larger than the diameter of the substrate. Thereby, the substrate can be drawn in and out from the main body 121 in all directions.

The driving unit 122 moves the main body 121 up and down so that the substrate is loaded on the buffer cassette 120.

The multistage slot part 123 is provided inside the main body part 121 to support the lower part of the substrate and the main body part 121 can move up and down to load the substrate on the conveyor belt 110 in multiple stages.

The multistage slot portion 123 is vertically spaced apart from the vertical frame 121a so as to be able to support the substrate without colliding with the conveyor belt 110 when the main body portion 121 ascends and descends. do. The multistage slot portion 123 includes first and second multistage slot portions 123a and 123b connecting the respective pairs of the vertical frames 121a and is disposed downstream of the upstream conveyor belt 111, And upstream of the downstream conveyor belt 113. In this embodiment,

Specifically, the first multistage slot portion 123a passes through the vertical space between the downstream side of the upstream conveyor belt 111 and the intermediate conveyor belt 112, and the side portions of the first multistage slot portion 123a are separated from the vertical frame 121a on both sides of the upstream conveyor belt 111, Respectively. The second multistage slot portion 123b passes through the vertical space between the intermediate conveyor belt 112 and the upstream side of the downstream conveyor belt 113 so that both sides of the second multistage slot portion 123b are located in the vertical frame 121a on both sides of the downstream conveyor belt 113 . On the other hand, the vertical frame 121a may protrude inward from the main body 121 to support the lower outer periphery of the substrate.

As a result, the buffer cassette 120 can draw in and out the substrate in all directions, and the substrate can be passed in the direction in which the conveyor belt 110 advances or in the direction perpendicular to the substrate advancing path.

In addition, since the extra unprocessed substrate to be processed in the cluster device 40 or the processed substrate can be loaded on the buffer cassette 120 when necessary, the speed of the entire process or the post process can be appropriately controlled, and the entire process can be stably maintained.

The buffer cassette 120 lifts up and loads the substrate when the substrate on the intermediate conveyor belt 112 is stopped by the stopper 115. The loaded substrate is brought into the cluster apparatus 40 by the atmospheric robot 130, and the processed substrate is again mounted on the intermediate conveyor belt 112.

The atmospheric robot 130 exchanges substrates with either the conveyor belt 110 or the buffer cassette 120. [ The atmospheric robot 130 transfers the unprocessed substrate fed from the conveyor belt 110 or the buffer cassette 120 to the cluster device 40 or the substrate processed from the cluster device 40 is conveyed back to the conveyor belt 110 To the buffer cassette 120.

When the substrate is loaded on the buffer cassette 120, the atmospheric robot 130 transfers the loaded substrate to the cluster device 40. However, if there are no or few unprocessed substrates loaded on the buffer cassette 120, the unprocessed substrate on the conveyor belt 110 may be transferred directly to the cluster apparatus 40.

At this time, the atmospheric robot 30 is arranged to face the buffer cassette 20 to facilitate the exchange of the substrates between the buffer cassette 20 and the atmospheric robot 30.

The cluster device 40 is composed of a load lock chamber 41, a transfer chamber 42, and a process chamber 43.

The load lock chamber 41 exchanges the substrate with the atmospheric robot 130 to draw the unprocessed substrate into the cluster device 40 or draw out the processed substrates processed in the cluster device 40. The load lock chamber 41 is constituted by an inlet load lock chamber 41a through which the unprocessed substrate is drawn and an outlet load lock chamber 41b through which the processing substrate is taken out and is formed in the inlet / outlet load lock chambers 41a and 41b Each of the gates 43a through which the substrate is moved so as to exchange substrates with the atmospheric robot 130 are disposed opposite to each other.

The transfer chamber 42 is coupled with the load lock chamber 41, and a vacuum robot 42a is installed therein. The transfer chamber 42 transfers the unprocessed substrate drawn into the lead-in load lock chamber 41a to the process chamber 43 by the vacuum robot 42a and transfers the processed substrate from the process chamber 43 to the vacuum robot 42a to the drawing load lock chamber 41b.

The process chamber 43 is subjected to various processing processes such as deposition, etching, cleaning, and the like into at least one chamber coupled with the transfer chamber 42.

The transfer chamber 42 and the process chamber 43 are formed in a high vacuum state and the outside of the cluster device 40 is in a standby state so that the load lock chamber 41 is in a standby state when the substrate is exchanged with the atmospheric robot 130 And is formed in a vacuum state when the transfer chamber 42 and the substrate are exchanged.

The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the structure of the conveyor belt and the buffer cassette. Hereinafter, components different from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The atmospheric robot 230 is disposed between the incoming / outgoing load lock chambers 41a and 41b to exchange substrates with the incoming / outgoing load lock chambers 41a and 41b.

The buffer cassette 220 comprises a first buffer cassette 221 and a second buffer cassette 222 along the substrate path.

The intermediate conveyor belt comprises a first intermediate conveyor belt 211 and a second intermediate conveyor belt 212 corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes 221 and 222.

The first buffer cassette 221 is positioned opposite the atmospheric robot 230 and loads the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt 211. The second buffer cassette 222 loads the processed substrate via the first intermediate conveyor belt 211 from the second intermediate conveyor belt 212.

Specifically, the unprocessed substrate is loaded on the first buffer cassette 221 from the first intermediate conveyor belt 211, is drawn into the cluster device 40, processed, and then taken out. The withdrawn processing substrate travels along the conveyor belt 210 and is loaded into the second buffer cassette 222 from the second intermediate conveyor belt 212.

By thus including the second intermediate conveyor belt 212 and the second buffer cassette 222, the processed substrate can be stored from the conveyor belt 210 running continuously.

In addition, by arranging the atmospheric robot 230 between the inlet / outlet load lock chambers 41a and 41b, the conveyance path of the substrate can be reduced.

The third embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the structure of the conveyor belt, the buffer cassette and the atmospheric robot. Hereinafter, the components different from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The atmospheric robot 330 exchanges substrates with the inlet / outlet load lock chambers 41a and 41b while reciprocating forward of the inlet / outlet load lock chambers 41a and 41b. At this time, it is preferable to provide a guide portion 331 extending from the pull-in load lock chamber 41a to the pull-out load lock chamber 41b for the reciprocal drive of the standby robot 330. [

The buffer cassette 320 comprises a first buffer cassette 321 and a second buffer cassette 322 along the substrate path.

The intermediate conveyor belt comprises a first intermediate conveyor belt 311 and a second intermediate conveyor belt 312 corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes 321 and 322.

The first buffer cassette 321 loads the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt 311. The second buffer cassette 322 loads the processing substrate by the atmospheric robot 330.

Specifically, the untreated substrate is loaded on the first buffer cassette 321 from the first intermediate conveyor belt 311 and transferred to the atmospheric robot 330 located between the first buffer cassette 321 and the inlet load lock chamber 41a And is drawn into the lead-in load lock chamber 41a and processed. The processed substrate is drawn out through the draw-out load lock chamber 41b and the atmospheric robot 330 is driven to be positioned between the draw-out load lock chamber 41b and the second buffer cassette 322. [ The withdrawn processing board is loaded on the second buffer cassette 322 by the atmospheric robot 330 and is seated on the second intermediate conveyor belt 312.

By providing the first and second intermediate conveyor belts 311 and 312 and the first and second buffer cassettes 321 and 322 as described above, it is possible to store the untreated substrate and the processed substrate from the continuously running conveyor belt 310.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement structure of the cluster apparatus. Hereinafter, the components different from the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

A plurality of buffer cassettes 421, 422, 423, and 424 are disposed on the conveyance path of the conveyor belt 410. The atmospheric robots 431, 432, 433 and 434 and the cluster units 441, 442, 443 and 444 are arranged alternately on one side or the other side of the buffer cassettes 421, 422, 423 and 424 do.

Each of the buffer cassettes 421, 422, 423, and 434 is provided with the corresponding standby cassette 421, 422, 423, and 424, , 432, 433, and 434 can be changed in one direction.

As a result, more cluster devices can be installed in the same space, and the space efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

The fifth embodiment of the present invention differs from the fourth embodiment in the arrangement structure of the cluster apparatus. Hereinafter, the components different from the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

A plurality of buffer cassettes 521 and 522 are disposed on the conveying path of the conveyor belt 510. The atmospheric robots 531, 532, 533, and 534 and the cluster devices 541, 542, 543, and 544 are disposed on opposite sides of the buffer cassettes 521 and 522, respectively,

Therefore, the two cluster units 541 and 542 and 543 and 544 commonly use one buffer cassette 521 and 522, and each of the buffer cassettes 521 and 522 uses two corresponding atmospheric robots 531 and 532 , 533 and 534) can be bidirectionally switched.

As a result, more cluster devices can be installed in the same space, and the space efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

The substrate processing method according to another aspect of the present invention can use the substrate processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, and a method of processing the substrate will be described step by step.

Transferring the unprocessed substrate to a conveyor belt, elevating the buffer cassette during transfer to load the unprocessed substrate, transferring the unprocessed substrate on the loaded unprocessed substrate or the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber by the atmospheric robot, Transferring the processed substrate processed in the process chamber to the load lock chamber by the transfer chamber vacuum robot, and transferring the transferred processed substrate to the conveyor belt by the atmospheric robot, .

Specifically, referring to the first embodiment described above, the unprocessed substrate is transferred onto the upstream conveyor belt toward the cluster apparatus.

When the transferred substrate is placed on the intermediate conveyor belt during transfer, the substrate is stopped by the stopper, and at the same time, the buffer cassette is lifted and the unprocessed substrate is loaded on the buffer cassette.

The unprocessed substrate loaded on the buffer cassette is transferred to the load lock chamber by the atmospheric robot. At this time, when there are no or few unprocessed substrates loaded on the buffer cassette, the unprocessed substrates on the intermediate conveyor belt are transferred to the load lock chamber.

The transferred untreated substrate is introduced into the process chamber by a vacuum robot in the transfer chamber, and processed in the process chamber such as deposition, etching, and cleaning.

The processed substrate processed in the process chamber is transferred to the load lock chamber by the vacuum robot in the transfer chamber.

The transported substrate is placed on the intermediate conveyor belt by an atmospheric robot and the processed substrate on the intermediate conveyor belt is transported to the downstream conveyor belt in accordance with the traveling path of the conveyor belt.

Although the substrate processing method by the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment has been described above, it is needless to say that the substrate processing apparatuses of the second to fifth embodiments can be used.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

110: Conveyor belt
111: upstream conveyor belt
112: intermediate conveyor belt
113: downstream conveyor belt
114:
115: Stopper
120: Buffer cassette
130: Atmospheric robot
40: Cluster device
41: load lock chamber
42: transfer chamber
43: Process chamber

Claims (16)

A conveyor belt for conveying the substrate;
A buffer cassette for loading the substrate on the conveying path of the conveyor belt by an ascending / descending operation;
An atmospheric robot for exchanging a substrate with either one of the conveyor belt and the buffer cassette; And
A cluster device including a load lock chamber for exchanging substrates with the atmospheric robot, a transfer chamber coupled to the load lock chamber and having a vacuum robot installed therein, and at least one process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber; Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the atmospheric robot transfers an untreated substrate from the buffer cassette or the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber and transfers the unprocessed substrate from the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber when the unprocessed substrate load of the buffer cassette is low or absent, And the substrate processing apparatus. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the conveyor belt comprises an upstream conveyor belt, a middle conveyor belt and a downstream conveyor belt along a substrate travel path,
Wherein the intermediate conveyor belt is disposed inside the buffer cassette. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the intermediate conveyor belt comprises a speed adjusting unit for adjusting an advancing speed. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a stopper for stopping the progress of the substrate between the intermediate conveyor belt and the downstream conveyor belt. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the load lock chamber comprises an inlet load lock chamber for drawing the untreated substrate into the transfer chamber and an outlet load lock chamber for withdrawing the process substrate from the transfer chamber,
Wherein the atmospheric robot is disposed between the inlet / outlet load lock chambers to exchange substrates with the inlet / outlet load lock chambers. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the at least one gate formed in the inlet / outlet load lock chamber and adapted to exchange the substrate with the atmospheric robot is disposed to face each other. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the buffer cassette is disposed opposite to the atmospheric robot. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the buffer cassette comprises first and second buffer cassettes along a substrate advancing path,
Wherein the intermediate conveyor belt comprises first and second intermediate conveyor belts corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes,
Wherein the first buffer cassette is configured to load the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt,
Wherein the second buffer cassette seats the processed substrate via the first intermediate conveyor belt from the second intermediate conveyor belt. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the load lock chamber comprises an inlet load lock chamber for drawing the untreated substrate into the transfer chamber and an outlet load lock chamber for withdrawing the process substrate from the transfer chamber,
Wherein the atmospheric robot exchanges substrates with the inlet / outlet load lock chamber while reciprocally driving the front of the inlet / outlet load lock chamber. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the buffer cassette comprises first and second buffer cassettes along a substrate advancing path,
Wherein the intermediate conveyor belt comprises first and second intermediate conveyor belts corresponding to the first and second buffer cassettes,
Wherein the first buffer cassette is configured to load the unprocessed substrate from the first intermediate conveyor belt,
Wherein the second buffer cassette loads the processed substrate by the atmospheric robot. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the atmospheric robot transfers the processed substrate from the load lock chamber to the conveyor belt. The method according to claim 1,
A plurality of buffer cassettes are arranged on a substrate traveling path of the conveyor belt,
Wherein the atmospheric robot and the cluster device are arranged alternately on one side or the other side of each of the buffer cassettes based on a substrate traveling path. The method according to claim 1,
A plurality of buffer cassettes are arranged on a substrate traveling path of the conveyor belt,
Wherein the atmospheric robot and the cluster device are disposed facing each other on both sides of the respective buffer cassettes based on the substrate traveling path. A substrate processing method using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
Transferring the untreated substrate to the conveyor belt;
Elevating the buffer cassette during transfer to load the unprocessed substrate;
Transferring the unprocessed substrate or the unprocessed substrate on the conveyor belt to the load lock chamber by the atmospheric robot;
Withdrawing the transferred untreated substrate into the process chamber with the vacuum robot in the transfer chamber;
Transferring a processed substrate processed in the process chamber to the load lock chamber by the vacuum robot in the transfer chamber; And
Transporting the transported substrate to the conveyor belt with the atmospheric robot; Wherein the substrate is a substrate.
KR1020150178202A 2015-12-14 2015-12-14 Substrate treatment apparatus and substrate tretment method KR101967888B1 (en)

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Citations (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2004075203A (en) * 2002-08-09 2004-03-11 Dainippon Printing Co Ltd Buffer device

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KR100490702B1 (en) * 2002-11-21 2005-05-19 주성엔지니어링(주) Multi cluster module
KR100965511B1 (en) * 2005-08-01 2010-06-24 엘아이지에이디피 주식회사 System for transferring the substrate
KR100959680B1 (en) * 2005-08-01 2010-05-26 엘아이지에이디피 주식회사 System for transferring the substrate
JP4884039B2 (en) * 2006-03-14 2012-02-22 東京エレクトロン株式会社 Substrate buffer apparatus, substrate buffering method, substrate processing apparatus, control program, and computer-readable storage medium

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