KR102543798B1 - Hybrid System Architecture for Thin Film Deposition - Google Patents

Abstract

A processing system is provided, comprising: a vacuum enclosure having a plurality of processing windows and a continuous track located therein; a plurality of processing chambers attached to the sidewalls of the vacuum enclosures, each processing chamber around one of the processing windows; a load lock attached to one end of the vacuum enclosure and having a loading track located therein; at least one gate valve separating the load lock from the vacuum enclosure; a plurality of substrate carriers configured to move on the continuous track and the loading track; at least one track changer located within the vacuum enclosure, the track changer having a first position in which substrate carriers continuously move on the continuous track and a second position in which substrate carriers are configured to move between the continuous track and the loading track. Can be moved between -includes.

Description

Hybrid System Architecture for Thin Film Deposition

This disclosure relates generally to the field of substrate processing, such as thin film coating of substrates, particularly semiconductor wafers.

This application is a continuation in part (CIP) of US Application Serial No. 16/583,165, filed on September 25, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority from US provisional application Ser. No. 62/781,577, filed on December 18, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Vacuum processing of substrates is well known in the art and is sometimes referred to as thin film processing. In general, thin film processing systems can be classified into one of three architectures: batch processing, cluster systems, and in-line systems. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these architectures are well known in the art.

In some system architectures, particularly those used to fabricate microchips using semiconductor wafers, substrates are individually carried into processing chambers by a robotic arm and placed on a stationary chuck or susceptor. Conversely, in other systems, for example those used in the manufacture of hard disk drives or solar cells, substrates are transported and processed while being placed in transportable substrate carriers.

There is a need in the art for an improved system architecture that can be used to form thin films on different types of substrates. Moreover, there is a need in the art for machines capable of forming thin film coatings at high throughput and at a commercially acceptable cost.

The following summary of the disclosure is included to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and is not intended to specifically identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.

The disclosed embodiments provide a system specifically designed to form advanced thin film coatings in mass production and at an acceptable commercial cost. The disclosed system is particularly useful for forming multiple thin layers of different composition on semiconductor wafers, such as in the manufacture of Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory (MRAM).

In MRAM, cell data is stored by magnetic storage elements. The elements are formed from two ferromagnetic plates separated by a thin insulating layer. One of these two plates, called the reference layer, is a permanent magnet set to a specific polarity, while the other plate is a free plate, whose magnetization can be changed to match that of an external field to store memory bits. This configuration is known as a magnetic tunnel junction and is the simplest structure of an MRAM bit. MRAM memory chips are made up of a grid of these “cells”. In practice, each ferromagnetic plate is composed of several layers of thin films of different material composition, somewhat similar to the structure of a hard drive disk.

The disclosed embodiments address two important elements of a vacuum handling system suitable for high-speed deposition of thin film layers: the architecture of the vacuum system and the architecture of the wafer loading system. These architectures are designed to solve various problems associated with sputtering thin films of magnetic material onto round silicon wafers. Some issues include preventing water vapor from reaching the layers, preventing particle contamination, and preventing wafer detachment and breakage.

In the disclosed embodiments the vacuum enclosure has a plurality of processing chambers attached thereto. During processing, the carriers continuously move in unison inside the vacuum enclosure to be processed by the processing chamber. The load lock section is attached to the vacuum enclosure and may have a loading side and an unloading side, which may share or have independent vacuum environments. Gate valves separate the load lock section from the vacuum enclosure. Track exchangers are in the vacuum enclosure. The track changers are movable between a first position in which carriers continuously move inside the vacuum enclosure and a second position in which carriers are made to move between the vacuum enclosure and the load lock section.

According to general aspects, a processing system is provided, comprising: a vacuum enclosure; a plurality of processing chambers attached to sidewalls of the vacuum enclosures; a transport chamber coupled to the loading end of the vacuum enclosure through a first gate valve and having transport tracks therein; a load lock coupled to the transport chamber through a second gate valve, having a third gate valve on the inlet side, and having transport tracks therein; a wafer holding module attached to a sidewall of the load lock and having a wafer holder holding a substrate in a vertical or almost vertical direction inside the load lock; An articulated robot arm having an end effector, wherein the end effector is attached to an end of the articulated robot arm through a rotatable wrist, is located outside the load lock, and removes a substrate from the FOUP in a horizontal direction. an articulated robotic arm accessible for removing, rotating a substrate to a vertical or near vertical orientation, and placing a substrate into the wafer holder; and a plurality of substrate carriers moving along the transport tracks and exchanging substrates with the wafer holding module.

The system may include a turntable having a linear track section provided thereon. The turntable may be rotatable to transport substrate carriers from an unloading position to a loading position or from one transport track to another. The turntable may be located inside the vacuum enclosure or the load lock, and may include power wheels.

The system includes a monorail in the form of a race track located inside the vacuum enclosure; An endless belt located inside the vacuum enclosure and coupled to carriers freely riding the race track monorail; and a track exchanger located at one end of the race track monorail and transporting carriers between the race track monorail and the transport tracks.

Each of the substrate carriers may include a wafer holder and/or an electrostatic chuck positioned in a substantially vertical orientation.

The system comprises: a turntable located at the distal end of the vacuum enclosure, the distal end being opposite the loading end; a monorail in the form of a race track located inside the vacuum enclosure; an endless belt positioned inside the vacuum enclosure and combined with carriers freely riding the race track type monorail; Track exchangers located at one end of the race track monorail and transporting carriers between the race track monorail and the turntable; and at least one second processing system attached to the vacuum enclosure at the distal end. The endless belt may include a plurality of driving forks, each substrate carrier configured to engage a plurality of freely rotating wheels configured to engage with a monorail in the form of a race track, and a drive configured to engage with the driving forks. May contain pins. The turntable may also include linear track sections and drive wheels, and each substrate carrier includes a drive bar that engages the drive wheels.

The system also includes a second transfer chamber coupled to the loading end of the vacuum enclosure; and a second load lock coupled to the second transfer chamber. A transport mechanism transports carriers from the second load lock to the load lock or from the second transport chamber to the transport chamber. The transport mechanism may include at least one track exchanger comprising a movable table, a straight monorail section located on the table, and a curved monorail section located on the table, having linear track sections located thereon. It may further include a turntable. The system also includes a monorail located inside the vacuum enclosure and formed of a first monorail section in the form of a race track and a second monorail section having two parallel linear monorail extensions; a motive element located in the first monorail section; and a plurality of powered wheels located along the second monorail section, wherein the track exchanger transfers carriers between the first monorail section and the second monorail section. Each of the plurality of carriers, the base; a coupling mechanism attached to the base and configured to engage the motive element to move a carrier while in the first monorail section; and a driving bar attached to the base, the driving bar being configured to engage with a plurality of driving wheels to move the carrier while riding the second monorail section.

According to a further aspect, a vacuum enclosure having a plurality of processing windows and a continuous track disposed therein; a plurality of processing chambers attached to the sidewalls of the vacuum enclosure, each processing chamber around one of the processing windows; a load lock attached to one end of the vacuum enclosure and having a loading track located therein; at least one gate valve separating the load lock from the vacuum enclosure; a plurality of substrate carriers configured to move on the continuous track and the loading track; and at least one track changer located within the vacuum enclosure, wherein the track changer is configured to move between a first position where a substrate carrier continuously moves on the continuous track and a substrate carrier moves between the continuous track and the loading track. It is movable between the second positions.

In additional aspects, a load lock section having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; an atmospheric section coupled to the first side of the load lock section; a vacuum section attached to the second side of the load lock section and having a plurality of processing chambers attached thereto; and a carrier transport mechanism comprising: a first monorail section having a race track shape and located within the vacuum section, located within the load lock section and extending into the standby section and the vacuum section; A second monorail section having two parallel linear monorails, and a second monorail section located within the waiting section, one end meeting an extension of one of the linear monorails and the other end meeting an extension of another one of the linear monorails. A monorail formed of a curved third monorail section having an end; a motif element located on the race track; a plurality of power wheels located along the second monorail section; two track exchangers located at one end of the first monorail section, each track exchanger comprising a movable table, a straight monorail section located on the table, and a curved monorail section located above the table; and a plurality of carriers having a plurality of wheels, wherein the plurality of carriers are coupled with the monorail so that the carrier rides the monorail.

In one embodiment, the system comprises a load lock section having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a standby section attached to the first side of the load lock section; a vacuum section attached to the second side of the load lock section and having a plurality of processing chambers attached thereto; carrier transport mechanism; and a plurality of carriers, the carrier conveying mechanism comprising: a first monorail section having a race track shape and located in the vacuum section, and two parallel linear monorails located in the load lock section and extending to the standby section and the vacuum section. A second monorail section having a and a curved third monorail section located in the standby section and having one end meeting an extension of one of the linear monorails and the other end meeting an extension of another one of the linear monorails. formed monorail; an endless belt located on the race track and to which a plurality of drive forks are attached; a driving wheel located in the waiting section and having a plurality of driving forks attached thereto; a plurality of power wheels located along the second monorail section; and two track exchangers located at one end of the first monorail section, each track exchanger including a movable table, a linear monorail section located on the table, and a curved monorail section located on the table. And, each of the carriers, the base; A plurality of wheels attached to the base and combined with the monorail so that the carrier can freely ride on the monorail; a drive bar attached to the base and configured to engage a plurality of driving wheels to move the carrier while riding the second monorail section; and a drive pin attached to the base and configured to engage the drive forks to move the carrier while in the first or third monorail section, wherein the curved track changer is in a first position. The monorail section is aligned with the first monorail section so that carriers are continuously moved by the drive fork along the first monorail section, and when the track changers are in the second position, the linear monorail section moves along the first monorail section. A monorail section is connected to the second monorail section so that carriers are exchanged between the load lock section and the vacuum section.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description made with reference to the following drawings. It should be understood that the detailed description and drawings provide various non-limiting examples of various embodiments of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain and illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to schematically illustrate key features of exemplary embodiments. The drawings are not intended to depict all features of an actual embodiment or the relative dimensions of depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.
1, 1A, and 1B show embodiments of a modular system for forming thin film coatings using dual motion carriers.
FIG. 2A shows one embodiment of a dual motion substrate carrier, while FIG. 2B shows a substrate holder for rounded substrates.
3A-3B illustrate embodiments of an architecture configured to process semiconductor wafers, while FIG. 3C illustrates an embodiment for attaching a processing module to one end of a system.

Embodiments of the system of the present invention and its wafer loading system for producing thin film coatings will now be described with reference to the drawings. Different embodiments or combinations thereof may be used to achieve different applications or different advantages. Depending on the result desired to be achieved, the different features disclosed herein may be utilized partially or fully, alone or in combination with other features, balancing benefits with requirements and constraints. Accordingly, certain advantages will be emphasized with reference to different embodiments, but not limited to the disclosed embodiments. That is, features disclosed herein are not limited to the embodiment in which they are described, but may be “mixed and matched” with other features and incorporated into other embodiments.

The disclosed embodiments address two important elements of a vacuum handling system suitable for high-speed deposition of thin film layers: the architecture of the vacuum system and the architecture of the wafer loading system. The information provided below begins with a description of the vacuum handling system and proceeds to a description of the loading system.

The disclosed embodiment provides a system architecture that enables continuous processing of substrates within a continuous pass processing section using a first mode of carrier motion, and a mechanism for transporting carriers from the continuous pass processing section using the second mode of carrier motion. include In the above two modes of carrier motion, the carrier freely rides the tracks, but the power applied to the carrier to ride the track is different for each mode of carrier motion. In the continuous pass processing section, all the carriers move simultaneously, but upon exiting the continuous pass processing section, the carriers can move independently.

A first embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 together with FIGS. 2A and 2B, which is specific to semiconductor wafer processing. 1 shows a top schematic view of the system, while FIG. 2A shows a carrier and FIG. 2B shows a replacement substrate holder for the carrier.

In FIG. 1 , system 100 is composed of standby section 105 , load lock section 110 , and vacuum section 115 . Carriers are loaded and unloaded in the atmospheric section 105 and transferred between the atmospheric section 105 and the vacuum section 115 via the load lock section 110 . Substrates are processed inside the vacuum section 115 forming a continuous pass processing section. Although four process chambers 120A-120D are shown in this example, any number of process chambers may be provided as further shown below. Each of the processing chambers 120A to 120D may be an etching chamber, a sputtering chamber, an ion implantation chamber, and the like. As shown, the processing chambers in this embodiment are connected to a common vacuum environment without valve gates between them and are configured for pass-through processing. In the case of MRAM fabrication, the chambers are made of different materials, such as cobalt (Co), tantalum (ta), platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru), and alloys such as cobalt-iron boron (CoFeB), for forming magnetic layers. It may be a magnetron sputtering chamber with targets of material.

The monorail segments 125 are provided in three sections 105, 110, and 115 so that the substrate carrier can traverse all three sections. The monorail segments form a monorail 127 in the form of a race track inside the continuous passing processing section 115, forming linear tracks 128A and 128B traversing the road lock section 110, and partially forming a standby section and partly into the vacuum section, forming a crescent-shaped rotating track 129 with a curve in the atmospheric section 105. An endless belt 130 is provided above the rotating drums 131A and 131B inside the continuous pass processing section 115, and a plurality of motive ports 132 are attached to the endless belt 130. A plurality of energized wheels 135 are provided next to the linear track, and a rotating wheel 137 with motive forks 132 is provided in the waiting section 105.

Inside the continuous pass processing section 115 there are provided two track exchangers 140, an enlarged view of which is provided on the callout. The track exchanger includes a table 141 provided with two track segments, namely a curved track segment 142 and a straight track segment 144 . As indicated by the double-headed arrow in Figure 1, the track changer can be moved to one of two positions. At one location the curved track segments complete a race track 127 such that carriers in the vacuum section continuously move along the race track to continuously process substrates by the chambers 120A-120D. When the processing of the substrates in the vacuum chamber is completed, the track changer moves to the second position, and the linear track forms a connection between the linear tracks 128A and 128B and the straight color line of the race track 127, Carriers inside the vacuum chamber exit the load lock and carriers inside the load lock enter the vacuum section.

One embodiment of a substrate carrier 150 is shown in FIG. 2A. In this embodiment, the carrier 150 has a base 152 and a substrate holder 154. The substrate holder 154 is detachable from the base to allow processing of several substrates having different shapes. For example, the holder 154 shown in FIG. 2A holds a square or rectangular substrate on three levels, while the holder 154' shown in FIG. 2B holds a rounded substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment advantageous for MRAM fabrication, the holder 154' includes an electrostatic chuck 157. Alternatively or additionally, the holder 154' may include optional support pins 159 that engage the periphery of the wafer. Also, the plane of the holder is inclined at an angle θ to the horizontal. In this example, the angle is 15°.

As shown in FIG. 2A , the base 152 includes a roller device 153 that engages and rides on the monorail 125 . This roller device is not motorized and may include a plurality of freely rotating wheels so that the base can ride the monorail freely. Motive power comes from either wheel 135 engaging drive bar 156 or forks 132 engaging drive pin 158 .

An example of a general process performed in system 100 will now be described. The empty carrier is driven to the loading station 160, where the roller arrangement 153 engages the linear track 128A and the driving wheels 135 engage the drive bar 156. New substrates are loaded onto the substrate holder 154 . Meanwhile, processed substrates may be removed from other carriers located at the unloading station 161 . When loading and unloading are completed, the inlet gate valve EN of the load lock of the loading unit 160 is opened. Optionally, the outlet gate valves EN of the load lock of the unloading section 161 are opened. The outlet gate valve (EX) of the loading load lock is closed. Also, when the outlet gate valve of the unloading section is open, its inlet gate valve is closed. In some embodiments, the two load locks are independent, as illustrated by dashed line partition 170, and each can hold a vacuum independently of the other. In this case, processed carriers may be loaded from the unloading load lock 161 in the vacuum section while new carriers are being loaded into the loading load lock. Although the structure of the inlet and outlet gate valves is the same, the inlet and outlet gate valves are identified with respect to the direction of carrier movement. That is, if the direction of movement is reversed, the designations of the inlet and outlet valves may also be reversed.

In this state the driving wheels 135 are activated so that the carriers of the loading station are transported to the respective load lock, while the carriers inside the other load locks can move to the standby section 105 and/or the processed carriers. may move to the unloading load lock. However, it is not necessary to perform these tasks simultaneously. Alternatively, the loading can be carried out individually in time, only the inlet valve of the carrier with new substrates is opened and moved to the load lock, while the driving wheels of the unloading section are not activated. That is, the driving wheels of the linear track section can be activated independently or in a group, so that only a subgroup of the driving wheels is activated. Also, if the load locks are independent (i.e. there is an independent, dedicated pumping device), the various gate valves can be activated independently, so loading and unloading need not be synchronized. Of course, synchronizing tasks is desirable for operational efficiency.

As an embodiment in which the load locks maintain a common vacuum atmosphere and are generally pumped, for example when there is no partition 170, the gate valves operate simultaneously. For example, the gate valve (EN) of the loading load lock may operate together with the EX gate valve of the unloading load lock, and the EX gate valve of the loading load lock may operate with the EN gate valve of the unloading load lock. can work together

When a carrier enters the load lock, the inlet gate valve closes and creates a vacuum. When processed carriers are extracted from the exit load lock, they are pumped into a vacuum. When a suitable vacuum level is achieved, the exit gate (EX) of the loading load lock is opened and the appropriate driving wheels are activated to move the carrier into the vacuum section (115). At this time, the track changer 140 moves to assume a position where the linear track section 144 is aligned with the straight section of the race track monorail 127. Consequently, when the wheels are energized to move the carrier into the vacuum section, the carrier enters the race track circuit and one of the motive forks engages drive pin 158. The track changer 140 then moves to assume a position where the curved track section 142 is aligned with the straight section of the race track monorail 127. In this position, the carrier is moved by the endless belt 130 and not by the driving wheels 135 . Also in this state, as the endless belt rotates, the carrier moves along the race track as many circuits as necessary until it is ready to exit the processing section. As a result, substrates on the carrier can be repeatedly processed as needed by each of the chambers 120A to 120D.

When processing is complete, the track changer 140 of the unloading section moves so that the linear track section 144 assumes a position aligned with the straight section of the race track monorail 127. As the endless belt continues to rotate, the carrier is moved to the track changer and disengaged from the motive fork, while driving bar 156 engages driving wheels 135. The motor drive wheel can then be activated to drive the carrier out of the race track circuit.

As can be seen, in the described embodiment the carrier has two motive modes, engaging the driving wheels on the linear track while engaging the motive forks in the race track and atmospheric return circuit ARC. In the race track the forks are attached to an endless belt, while in the atmospheric return circuit the forks are attached to the driving wheel. A track changer is also used to introduce or remove carriers to/from the race track. In one position the track changer allows carriers to run endlessly around the race track, and in a second position it can introduce or remove carriers to/from the race track.

As mentioned previously, the system is adaptable to include as many processing chambers as needed. An example is shown in FIG. 1A. The example shown in FIG. 1A is similar to that shown in FIG. 1 and like elements are labeled with the same reference. The main difference is that the system in this example includes 6 processing chambers of 120A to 120F. Otherwise, all elements are identical to those in Fig. 1, showing the versatility of this architecture.

1B provides an external view of an embodiment having six processing chambers, with 120A-120C being viewed from this perspective. Again, the system consists of three sections: a standby section 105, a load lock 110, and a vacuum section 115 comprising a vacuum enclosure 163 to which the processing chamber is attached. In the figure, service access windows 166, 167 and 168 are shown open to view the interior of the vacuum enclosure. For example, rotating drums 131A and 131B are visible in service access windows 166 and 168, respectively. A portion of the race track monorail 127 and the endless belt 130 are visible through the service access window 167.

In this example, chamber 120B is shown in an open position, allowing easy access to the process chamber and service inside the vacuum enclosure through process window 172. In particular, in this example, processing chambers 120A-120C are attached to vacuum enclosure 163 via a rotatable hinge 170 (not shown in FIG. 1B, but shown in FIG. 1A). As the chamber 120B rotates on the hinge, the carrier 150 with the four substrates exposes the interior of the vacuum enclosure 163 shown.

The architecture disclosed thus far provides a substrate processing system having a standby section 105 , a load lock section 110 , and a vacuum section 115 to which a plurality of processing chambers 120 are attached. The carrier transport mechanism comprises a first monorail section 127 in the form of a race track and located in the vacuum section, two parallel linear monorails 128A, 128B located in the load lock section and extending to the atmospheric section and the vacuum section. A second monorail section having and in the form of a crescent-shaped rotating track 129, located in the waiting section, one end meeting the extension of one of the linear monorails and the other end meeting the extension of the other one of the linear monorails. A monorail formed of a third curved monorail section meeting the extension, an endless belt 130 located on the race track and attached to a plurality of driving forks 132, located on the standby section and attached to a plurality of driving forks 132 a driven drive wheel 137, a plurality of powered wheels 135 located along the second monorail section, and two track exchangers 140 located at one end of the first monorail section - each track exchanger 140 comprises: having a movable table 141, a linear monorail section 144 positioned on the table, and a curved monorail section 142 positioned on the table.

A plurality of carriers support substrates to be processed, each carrier having a base 152, a plurality of free rotating wheels 153 attached to the base and configured to engage with the monorail so that the carrier can ride freely on the monorail, A drive bar 156 attached to the base, the drive bar configured to engage a plurality of drive wheels 135 for moving a carrier while riding the second monorail section, and attached to the base and the drive fork drive pins 158 configured to engage saddles 132 to move the carrier while in the first or third monorail section.

When the track changer is in the first position, the curved monorail section is aligned with the first monorail section so that a carrier is continuously moved by the driving forks along the first monorail section, wherein the track changer is When in the second position, the linear monorail section connects the first monorail section to the second monorail section, allowing carriers to be exchanged between the load lock section and the vacuum section.

A method of processing substrates in the disclosed processing system includes loading substrates into a carrier; conveying the carrier to the load lock via the conveying track; vacuum pumping the inside of the load lock; transporting the carrier on the transport track to a processing enclosure to which a plurality of processing chambers are attached; activating the track changer to assume a first position, thereby forming a connection between the transport track and the process track, and moving the carrier on the track changer and then onto the process track inside the processing enclosure; separating the processing track from the processing track by actuating the track changer to assume a second position; continuously moving a carrier on a processing track while the processing chambers are activated; and activating the track changer to assume the first position and conveying the carrier from the processing track to the transport track when processing is complete. Continuously moving the carriers may include sequentially moving the plurality of carriers in unison, for example by coupling the plurality of carriers to an endless belt.

The general architecture of the system described so far can be used to process a variety of substrates. On the other hand, to process semiconductor wafers, for example to manufacture MRAMs, it is desirable to reconfigure the system to be readily adaptable for use in a wafer fabrication facility, commonly referred to as a fab. In a fab, wafers are transported in specially designed cassettes called Front Opening Universal Pods (FOUPs), each containing several wafers. The following disclosure provides a mechanism to transfer wafers from FOUPs to the processing system described herein.

3A shows an embodiment configured to process semiconductor wafers. This embodiment is particularly useful for fabricating magnetic layers of MRAMs on silicon wafers, but can be used to fabricate other devices on standard rounded silicon wafers. At this point, it is appropriate to highlight three potential difficulties in fabricating thin layers on rounded silicon wafers, and how the disclosed embodiments address these difficulties.

The quality of manufactured magnetic layers is very sensitive to contamination, especially water vapor. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are designed so that no part of the system's wafer transport mechanism leaves the vacuum environment. This prevents the carriers from being contaminated in the atmospheric environment. Also, since forming the magnetic layers requires sputtering which can cause particle contamination, within the system the wafer is moved in a nearly vertical orientation to reduce the possibility of particle contamination. Holding wafers in a vertical orientation inside the system is risky, as wafers are rounded and can only be secured at the perimeter edge, as they tend to fall off the carrier. Thus, within the system, the disclosed embodiments require wafers to be held on carriers in a vertical orientation. In the disclosed embodiments, near vertical orientation refers to wafers being held at an angle of 5 to 20 degrees from vertical, which reduces the possibility of contamination while also reducing the likelihood of the wafer falling off the carrier.

In FIG. 3A, elements similar to those of FIGS. 1-1B are identified with the same numbers. Also, the continuous pass processing section labeled Vac 115 is similar to that of FIGS. 1-1B. However, the apparatus for loading the wafers into the vacuum environment of the continuous pass processing section 115 is different.

As indicated, within continuous pass processing section 115 the wafers move in a nearly vertical orientation. However, a fab's FOUPs store wafers in a horizontal orientation. Thus, in addition to introducing wafers into the vacuum environment of the processing system, the wafers must be rotated to a near-vertical orientation. These goals are achieved as follows.

Wafers are removed from FOUPs 300 by robot 312 and held back in FOUPs 300 . In the disclosed embodiments, the robot 312 is a SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robot having an end effector 314 coupled to the robot arm by a rotating wrist 316 . The rotation wrist 316 allows the end effector 314 to rotate the wafer between horizontal and vertical orientations. The term end effector is used here in its generally accepted meaning, ie the final link of the robot arm interacting with the workpiece, in this case a wafer. Although any conventional end effector may be used, in the disclosed embodiments the end effector may be either percussive (physically grabbing the wafer at a peripheral edge) or astringent (using an attractive force such as a vacuum or magnetic/electrical attraction to move the wafer away). can be fixed from the rear).

Thus, to load a new wafer into the system, the end effector assumes a horizontal orientation to remove the wafer from the FOUP 300. When the SCARA robot rotates, the wrist 316 rotates to tilt the wafer to a vertical or near-vertical position, i.e., 0 to 20 degrees from vertical. When the IN gate valve is opened, the robot places a wafer in the wafer holding module 302 inside the load lock/exchange chamber LL/EX 305. The wafer is placed in a vertical or nearly vertical orientation on the wafer holder 304 of the wafer holding module 302, ie tilted 0 to 20 degrees from vertical. After that, the robot 312 is retracted and the gate valve IN is closed. A vacuum may then be introduced into the load lock/exchange chamber LL/EX 305. When a vacuum is introduced, the transport carrier 150 moves to a loading position in the load lock/exchange chamber LL/EX 305 and the wafer is transferred from the wafer holder 304 to the transport carrier 150 .

As noted, carrier 150 in some embodiments has a substrate holder 154' that includes an electrostatic chuck 157. In these embodiments, the method proceeds such that the end effector places the wafer onto the wafer holder 304 in an orientation with the device side of the wafer facing the wafer holder 304 and the back side of the wafer facing away from the holder 304. do. Then, when the carrier enters the load lock 305, the electrostatic chuck is activated to chuck the wafer to the substrate holder 154' by the back side of the wafer.

In this embodiment, the wafer holding module 302 has a retractable wafer holder 304 that moves horizontally between a first position and a second position, ie, an extended position and a retracted position. One location is used for exchanging wafers with robot 312, while the other location is for exchanging wafers with carriers 150. Also, one location is located to receive wafers (from a robot when loading new substrates, or from a carrier when unloading processed substrates), while the other is to receive wafers (to a carrier when loading new substrates, Or, in the case of unloading the processed board, it is a position to send).

Depending on the particular architecture used, carrier 150 may be moved to a loading position inside load lock 305 from different locations and by different methods and routes. In the example shown in FIG. 3A , the carrier 150 is moved to the loading position by rotation of the turntable 322 . This moves the carrier 150 from an unloading position to a loading position. As described with respect to FIG. 3B , in another example, transport carrier 150 moves from transport chamber TR310 to a loading position in load lock/exchange chamber LL/EX 305 . Conversely, as described with respect to FIG. 3C , in another example, a turntable is not used to move the transport carrier 150 into a loading position.

Turntable 322 includes a linear track section 321 to allow carriers to move from linear tracks 128A, 128B onto and out of turntable 322 . The turntable 322 may also have motorized wheels similar to the wheels 135 to influence the linear motion of the carriers in the linear track sections 321 .

After a new wafer is loaded onto the transfer carrier 150, the carrier 150 is moved into the transfer chamber 310 and the gate valve EN may be closed for another load cycle. After gate valve EN is closed, gate valve EN can be opened and transport carrier 150 enters continuous pass processing section 115 . Processing of the wafer then proceeds as described above for any of the disclosed embodiments, wherein the carrier enters the race track monorail and travels around the race track circuit in as many aisles as necessary.

Unloading is of course the reverse operation. The carrier with the processed wafer enters the transfer chamber 310 and then moves to an unloading position on the turntable 322, and the wafer is loaded onto the wafer holder 304. The empty carrier is then moved into a loading position to receive a new wafer. Meanwhile, the SCARA robot is used to remove wafers from the wafer holder 304 and place them in the FOUP 300 .

Accordingly, a wafer loading system is disclosed comprising a robotic arm having an end effector coupled to the robotic arm via a rotating wrist; a load lock chamber having a wafer holding module that operates a wafer holder; a transfer chamber relieving the load lock chamber; a gate valve positioned between the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber; tracks traversing the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber; and a wafer carrier configured to ride the tracks and exchange the wafers with the wafer holder. The wafer loading system may also include a turntable having track sections positioned thereon to receive carriers. The turntable may further include powered wheels for moving the carrier on the linear track sections. The carrier can be configured to run freely on tracks and to be carried by powered wheels. The carrier may further include an electrostatic chuck.

In order to move the transport carrier from the unloading position to the loading position, the transport carrier can simply be moved from the unloading position to the continuous passing processing section 115, using an endless belt 130, so that the carrier can be moved to the race track. It can be moved around and out to the loading station. However, in the disclosed embodiments, this transport process is avoided by using turntable 322, for example. In the embodiment of FIG. 3A , turntable 322 is located inside the load lock chamber. However, turntable 322 may be located in other chambers of the system, or may be removed entirely, as described below.

3B shows another embodiment configured to process semiconductor wafers. The embodiment of FIG. 3B is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3A except that the turntable 322 is located outside the load lock chamber and transfer chamber. In this example, the turntable is positioned between the transfer chamber 310 and the processing section 115, ie between the transfer chamber and the race track section. In another embodiment (not shown), the turntable 322 may be located within the transfer chamber TR310.

Accordingly, the wafer loading system may further include a turntable having linear track sections thereon. Alternatively, the processing chamber may further include a turntable having linear track sections thereon. As another alternative, a turntable having a linear track section thereon may be positioned between the processing chamber and the wafer loading system.

Any of the embodiments described so far may be coupled to other processing chambers and/or systems. One such example is provided in FIG. 3C. For clarity, the example of FIG. 3C omits part of the loading section, but any loading section described in any of the embodiments detailed herein may be used to load substrates into the system.

A turntable 323 is located beyond the race track at the end side opposite to the loading side. Turntable 323 is configured to receive transport carriers from the race track and transport the carriers to an attached processing chamber or processing system (eg, a conventional main frame processing system). In the example of FIG. 3C , any of the elements 326 may represent such a processing chamber or processing system, such as a main frame. The carriers 150 may be transported from the race track monorail 127 to the turntable 323 using a track changers 140A arrangement similar to the track changers 140 arrangement on the opposite side. The turntable 323 includes linear track sections 321 for accommodating carriers and may also include driving wheels 135 for moving the carriers on the linear track sections 321 .

Also shown in FIG. 3C is a different configuration of a turntable, which can be used with any of the disclosed embodiments and can also be simply referred to as a turntable. Specifically, the turntable 327 is structures such as a hub 328 having spokes 329 . A linear track section 331 is attached to the end of each spoke 329 . Each linear track section 331 is interleaved to form a series of tracks 128 .

In the embodiments of figures 3a to 3c separate loading and unloading devices are shown together with a turntable for moving the carriers from the unloading side to the loading side. However, this is not required and instead a single device can be used for loading and unloading. In situations where the processing sequence leaves sufficient time, a single loading/unloading device may be used to unload processing wafers and then to load new wafers. An example is provided in Figure 3d. After the load lock 305 is emptied, the gate valve EN is opened and the carrier 150 having processed wafers waiting in the transfer chamber 310 can be moved to the load lock 305 . The processed wafer moves from carrier 150 to wafer holder 304 . The carrier can then be returned to the transport chamber 310 and the gate valve EN closed. When the load lock is brought to atmospheric pressure and the IN gate valve is opened, the robot 312 can remove the processed wafer from the holder 304 and place a new wafer into the holder 304 . The IN gate valve then closes and a vacuum is introduced to the load lock 305. The gate valve EN is then opened and the carrier 150 moves back to the load lock, loading a new wafer from the wafer holder 304 . The carrier returns to the transfer chamber and the gate valve (EN) closes. Then, the gate valve EX is opened, and the carrier can be transported through the track changer 140 onto the race track monorail 127.

It should be understood that the processes and techniques described herein are not inherently related to any particular device, and may be implemented by any suitable combination of components. In addition, various types of general-purpose devices may be used in accordance with the teachings described herein. The invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. One skilled in the art will understand that many different combinations are suitable for practicing the present invention.

Moreover, other implementations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. The various aspects and/or components of the described embodiments may be used alone or in any combination. The specification and examples of the invention are to be regarded as illustrative only, with the true scope and meaning of the invention being indicated by the claims that follow.

Claims (21)

As a substrate processing system,
a vacuum enclosure having a plurality of processing windows and a continuous track located therein;
a plurality of processing chambers attached to the sidewall of the vacuum enclosure, each processing chamber around one of the processing windows;
a load lock attached to one end of the vacuum enclosure and having a loading track therein;
at least one gate valve separating the load lock from the vacuum enclosure;
a plurality of substrate carriers configured to move on the continuous track and the loading track;
at least one track changer located within the vacuum enclosure, wherein the track changer has a first position configured for continuous movement of substrate carriers on the continuous track and a second position configured for movement of substrate carriers between the continuous track and the loading track. can be moved between positions -;
an endless belt located inside the vacuum enclosure; and
Includes a plurality of power wheels located inside the load lock,
the substrate carriers engage the endless belt when moving on the continuous track and engage the driving wheel when moving on the loading track;
The endless belt includes a plurality of driving forks,
Each of the substrate carriers,
a plurality of freely rotating wheels configured to engage the continuous track and the loading track;
a drive bar configured to engage the drive wheels; and
and a drive pin configured to engage the drive fork.
According to claim 1,
an atmospheric section attached to the load lock opposite the vacuum enclosure;
The standby section,
return track; and
A system comprising a drive wheel to which a plurality of drive forks are attached.
According to claim 1,
wherein the continuous track comprises a racetrack monorail and the loading track comprises a straight monorail.
According to claim 3,
The system of claim 1 , wherein the track exchanger includes a base, a curved monorail section located on the base, and a straight monorail section located on the base.
According to claim 1,
wherein each processing chamber is attached to the vacuum enclosure via a rotating hinge.
According to claim 1,
wherein at least one of the plurality of processing chambers includes a sputtering source having a shutter.
As a substrate processing system,
a load lock section having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
a standby section coupled to the first side of the load lock section;
a vacuum section attached to the second side of the load lock section and to which a plurality of processing chambers are attached;
As a carrier transport mechanism,
i. A first monorail section in the form of a racetrack and located within the vacuum section, a second monorail section located within the load lock section and having two parallel linear monorails extending to the atmospheric section and the vacuum section, and a second monorail section located within the atmospheric section and comprising the A monorail formed of a curved third monorail section having one end meeting the extension of one of the linear monorails and the other end meeting the extension of the other one of the linear monorails,
ii. A motif element located on the race track,
iii. a plurality of power wheels located along the second monorail section;
iv. Carrier transport comprising two track exchangers located at one end of the first monorail section, each track exchanger comprising a movable table, a straight monorail section located above the table, and a curved monorail section located above the table. mechanism; and
A system comprising a plurality of carriers having a plurality of wheels and configured to engage the monorail such that the carriers ride on the monorail.
According to claim 7,
wherein each of the plurality of carriers includes a drive bar attached to a base, the drive bar configured to engage a plurality of drive wheels to move the carrier while riding the second monorail section.
According to claim 8,
wherein each of the plurality of carriers further comprises a coupling mechanism attached to the base and configured to engage the motive element for moving the carrier while in the first monorail section.
According to claim 9,
When the track exchanger is in the first position, the curved monorail section is aligned with the first monorail section to allow carriers to move continuously along the first monorail section;
wherein the straight monorail section connects the first monorail section to the second monorail section such that carriers are exchanged between the load lock section and the vacuum section when the track exchanger is in the second position.
According to claim 9,
The system of claim 1 , wherein the waiting section includes an unloading section and a loading section, and further includes an exchanger that transfers carriers from the unloading section to the loading section.
According to claim 11,
The system of claim 1, wherein the exchanger includes a drive wheel.
According to claim 7,
wherein the motive element comprises an endless belt located on the racetrack and to which a plurality of drive forks are attached.
As a substrate processing system,
a load lock section having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side;
a standby section attached to the first side of the load lock section;
a vacuum section attached to the second side of the load lock section and to which a plurality of processing chambers are attached;
As a carrier transport mechanism,
i. A first monorail section in the form of a racetrack and located within the vacuum section, a second monorail section located within the load lock section and having two parallel linear monorails extending into the atmospheric section and the vacuum section, and located within the atmospheric section, A monorail formed of a curved third monorail section having one end meeting the extension of one of the linear monorails and the other end meeting the extension of the other of the linear monorails,
ii. An endless belt located on the race track and attached with a plurality of driving forks,
iii. a drive wheel located within the waiting section and having a plurality of drive forks attached thereto;
iv. a plurality of power wheels located along the second monorail section;
v. Carrier transport comprising two track exchangers located at one end of a first monorail section, each track exchanger comprising a movable table, a straight monorail section located on said table, and a curved monorail section located on said table. mechanism;
A plurality of carriers each having a base, a plurality of wheels attached to the base and engaged with the monorail so that the carrier can freely ride on the monorail, attached to the base and in a state of riding on the second monorail section a drive bar configured to engage the plurality of drive wheels to move a carrier; and a drive pin attached to the base and configured to engage the drive fork to move a carrier while in the first or third monorail section. and
When the track changer is in the first position, the curved monorail section is aligned with the first monorail section to cause carriers to move continuously by the drive fork along the first monorail section;
When the track exchanger is in the second position, the curved monorail section connects the first monorail section to the second monorail section so that carriers are exchanged between the load lock section and the vacuum section.
According to claim 14,
wherein each substrate carrier includes a substrate holder removably attached to the base.
According to claim 14,
wherein each of the plurality of processing chambers includes a shutter.
According to claim 14,
The system, wherein the load lock section includes a loading load lock and an unloading load lock having vacuum environments independent of each other.
According to claim 14,
wherein at least one of the plurality of processing chambers includes a sputtering source having a shutter.
According to claim 14,
wherein the plurality of processing chambers are connected to a common vacuum environment without valve gates between the plurality of processing chambers.
According to claim 14,
The system of claim 1, wherein the standby section includes a loading section and an unloading section.
According to claim 14,
The system of claim 1, wherein the load lock section includes a loading load lock and an unloading load lock having gate valves operating simultaneously and maintaining a common vacuum atmosphere.

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