KR20080054759A - Apparatus and method for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for treating a substrate are provided to increase the wafer throughput and decrease the foot print by equipping a lot of process chambers more than a conventional method. A substrate treatment apparatus comprises a transfer chamber(40), a plurality of process chambers(50) which is installed around the transfer chamber, a first and a second load lock chambers(32,34) which are installed around the transfer chamber, a load port(10) which settles a storage member for storing the plural substrates, and an EFEM(Equipment Front End Module)(20) which transfers the substrate between the load port and the first load lock chamber, and between the load port and the second load lock chamber. Wherein, the transfer chamber comprises a first and a second transfer chambers which are located adjacent to each other.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TREATING SUBSTRATE}

1 is a block diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to the prior art.

2 is a block diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

* Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

1 ': substrate processing apparatus

10: load port

20: if fem

30: load lock chamber

40: transfer chamber

50: process chamber

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for processing a semiconductor substrate.

Among the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, a multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of process chambers in one apparatus to perform a semiconductor process with high precision by performing a semiconductor process for each wafer. Such a multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus is used for a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus, a dry etching apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, a stepper apparatus, and the like.

1 is a view showing a general multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus (1). Referring to FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an equipment front end module (EFEM) 2, a load-lock chamber 4, A transfer chamber 6, and a plurality of process chambers 8. The EMP 2 transfers the substrate between the cassette C which accommodates the plurality of wafers and the load lock chamber 4. The load lock chamber 4 performs an interface function of the substrate between the EPM 2 and the transfer chamber 6. The transfer chamber 6 transfers the substrate between the load lock chamber 4 and the respective process chambers 8. Process chambers are arranged along the circumference of the transfer chamber 6. Each of the process chambers performs a semiconductor manufacturing process on a substrate transferred from the transfer chamber 6.

However, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the above-described structure has a low wafer throughput. That is, since the transfer chamber 6 has a structure in which the wafer must be transferred between the load lock chamber 4 and the plurality of process chambers 8, the process throughput is proportional to the wafer processing speed of the transfer chamber 6. However, if the wafer processing speed of the transfer chamber 6 is excessively increased, a wafer transfer error, a wafer alignment error, a wafer loading and unloading defect, or the like may occur, thereby lowering the process efficiency. Therefore, the wafer processing speed of the transfer chamber 6 has a limit, and therefore, the process throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a limit. Therefore, in the semiconductor manufacturing line, a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 are provided to improve wafer throughput. However, the method of providing the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 has a large footprint and a semiconductor manufacturing line. Costly to build.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above has a structure in which the process of the entire apparatus 1 is stopped when an abnormality occurs in the transfer chamber 6. That is, when an error occurs in the operation of the robot arm provided in the transfer chamber 6 or when the opening / closing member such as a slit-door provided between the process chambers 8 and the transfer chamber 6 malfunctions, Since the process of the whole apparatus 1 is interrupted, a facility operation rate falls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method for improving the processing throughput.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method for preventing the process of all process chambers from being interrupted when an abnormality occurs in a facility.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method for reducing footprint.

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate, a plurality of process chambers are installed around the transfer chamber, performing a semiconductor manufacturing process, installed around the transfer chamber A first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber, a load port for seating an accommodating member for accommodating a plurality of substrates, and the load port, the first load lock chamber, the load port, and the second load lock chamber. An IFM for transferring a substrate to the transfer chamber, wherein the transfer chamber includes a first transfer chamber and a second transfer chamber disposed adjacent to each other.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first transfer chamber includes a first robot arm for transferring a substrate between the first load lock chamber and process chambers disposed around the first transfer chamber, The second transfer chamber includes a second robot arm for transferring a substrate between the second load lock chamber and the process chambers disposed around the second transfer chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer chamber has a housing which provides a space in which the first robot arm and the second robot arm are installed, and exhausts inside the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber in common. The exhaust member further includes a temperature adjusting member for controlling the temperature in the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber in common.

The substrate processing method according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a transfer chamber for transferring a substrate, a plurality of process chambers provided around the transfer chamber, and a first load lock chamber installed around the transfer chamber And a second load lock chamber to process the substrate, wherein the process chambers are selected from the process chambers and transfer the substrate between the first load lock chamber and the process chambers excluding the selected process chambers from the process chambers. Substrate transfer between the second load lock chamber and the second load lock chamber is performed by different robot arms installed in the transfer chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transfer chamber includes a first transfer chamber and a second transfer chamber including the robot arm, and exhaust and temperature control inside the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber are the same. Is made of conditions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the process chambers except for the process chambers disposed around the first transfer chamber and the process chambers disposed around the second transfer chamber perform the same semiconductor manufacturing process.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the process chambers arranged around the first transfer chamber and the process chambers arranged around the second transfer chamber perform different semiconductor manufacturing processes.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the selected process chambers perform a process of etching a polymer thin film on a substrate by generating a plasma, and process chambers except the selected process chambers generate a plasma to etch an oxide thin film on a substrate. Perform the process.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided so that the disclosure may be made thorough and complete, and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Portions denoted by like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the specification.

In addition, although the present embodiment has been described with an apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate as an example, the technique of the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display and an organic light emitting device.

(Example)

2 is a block diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, an apparatus for treating substrate 1 ′ according to the present invention includes a load port 10 and an equipment front end module (EFEM). 20, a load-lock chamber 30, a transfer chamber 40, and a plurality of process chambers 50. The load port 10 is disposed adjacent to one side of the EMP 20, and the load lock chamber 30 is disposed adjacent to the other side of the EFM 20. The load lock chamber 30 includes a first load lock chamber 32 and a second load lock chamber 34, and the transfer chamber 40 is connected to the first transfer chamber 42 and the second transfer chamber 44. Include. The process chambers 50 are divided into first chambers 52 and second chambers 54. Each of the first chambers 52 and the second chambers 54 includes three process chambers. However, the number of process chambers included in the first chambers 52 and the second chambers 54 may vary.

The first load lock chamber 32, the second load lock chamber 34, the first chambers 52, and the second chambers 54 are disposed along the circumference of the transfer chamber 40. Here, the first load lock chamber 32 and the second load lock chamber 34, the first transfer chamber 42 and the second transfer chamber 44, and the first chambers 52 and the second chambers ( 54 are arranged to be symmetrical to each other. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a structure in which the left and right are symmetric with respect to the line X vertically crossing the partition 41a of the housing 41 to be described later.

Subsequently, respective configurations of the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above will be described in detail. The load port 10 seats an accommodating member accommodating a plurality of semiconductor substrates W during the process. A cassette C is used as the housing member. The load port 10 includes a first port 12 and a second port 14. The first port 12 includes a port 12a on which the cassette C containing the substrates to be subjected to the substrate processing is placed, and a port 12b on which the cassette C to accommodate the substrates on which the substrate processing is completed is seated. Include. In the same manner, the second port 14 is a port 14a on which the cassette C containing the substrates to be subjected to the substrate processing is seated and a port on which the cassette C to accommodate the substrates on which the substrate processing is completed is seated. (14b).

The EMP 20 transfers the substrate between the load port 10 and the load lock chamber 20 during the process. The EMP 20 has a housing 12, a first transfer unit 22 and a second transfer unit 24, and a guide rail 26. It includes. The housing 12 provides a space for transferring the substrate therein. The first and second transfer units 22 and 24 are installed in the housing 12. The first transfer unit 22 transfers the substrate between the first port 12 and the first load lock chamber 32, and the second transfer unit 24 transfers the second port 14 and the second load lock chamber to each other. (34) Transfer the substrates to each other. The guide rail 26 guides the movement of the first transfer unit 22 and the second transfer unit 24. The first transfer unit 22 is moved along the guide rail 26 during the process, in a position opposite to the respective cassettes C and the first load lock chamber 32 seated in the first port 12. Is located. The second transfer unit 24 moves along the guide rail 26 during the process and is positioned at a position opposite to the cassette C seated on the second port 14 and the second load lock chamber 34.

The load lock chamber 30 performs an interface function for transporting the substrate between the EPM 20 and the transfer chamber 40. The load lock chamber 30 includes a first load lock chamber 32 and a second load lock chamber 34. The first load lock chamber 32 transfers the substrate from the first transfer unit 22 to the transfer chamber 40 and the substrate 32a and the transfer chamber 40 from the transfer chamber 40 to the first transfer unit 22. And a chamber 32b for the purpose. In the same manner, the second load lock chamber 34 is the chamber 34a for transferring the substrate from the second transfer unit 24 to the transfer chamber 40 and the second transfer unit 24 from the transfer chamber 40. A chamber 34b for transporting the substrate.

The transfer chamber 40 transfers the substrate between the load lock chamber 30 and the process chambers 50. The transfer chamber 40 includes a housing 41, a first transfer chamber 42, and a second transfer chamber 44. The housing 41 provides a space in which the first transfer chamber 42 and the second transfer chamber 44 are installed. The space in the housing 41 is partitioned by the partition 41a between the area where the first transfer chamber 42 is installed and the area where the second transfer chamber 44 is installed. The partition 41a is to prevent the process conditions (temperature, pressure, and particle management) in the first transfer chamber 42 and the process conditions in the second transfer chamber 44 from being influenced by each other. In the present exemplary embodiment, the inside of the housing 41 is divided by the partition wall 41a as an example, but the housing 41 may have a structure without the partition wall 41a. That is, the inside of the housing 41 may have a structure in which an area where the first transfer chamber 42 is installed and an area where the second transfer chamber 44 is installed communicate with each other.

The first transfer chamber 42 has a first robot arm 42a and the second transfer chamber 44 has a second robot arm 44b. The first robot arm 42a transfers the substrate between the first load lock chamber 32 and the first chambers 52 of the process chambers 50, and the second robot arm 44a moves the second load lock. The substrate is transferred between the chambers 34 and the second chambers 54 of the process chambers 50. The first robot arm 42a and the second robot arm 44a have the same configuration and have a symmetrical structure. Alternatively, the structure of the first robot arm 42a and the second robot arm 44a may be changed and modified to suit the process characteristics of the corresponding first chambers 52 and the second chambers 54. Can be.

Here, the exhaust in the housing 41 of the transfer chamber 40 is commonly performed. To this end, the transfer chamber 40 has an exhaust member (not shown) which integrally regulates the exhaust in the housing 41. The exhaust member has a housing 41 in which an area within the housing 41 in which the first robot arm 42a of the first transfer chamber 42 is installed and a second robot arm 44a in the second transfer chamber 44 are installed. Integrate the internal zones to allow common exhaust. For example, the exhaust member includes a fan rotatably installed on the upper wall of the housing 41, a hollow exhaust plate installed on the lower wall, and filtering into the housing 41 through the fan. It may include a circulation line (circulation line) for circulating the air in the housing 41 by supplying filtered air and recovering the exhaust plate through it.

In addition, temperature control inside the transfer chamber 40 is commonly performed. To this end, the transfer chamber 40 has a temperature control member (not shown) which integrally regulates the temperature inside the housing 41. The temperature regulating member commonly adjusts the temperature of the region in the housing 41 in which the first robot arm 42a is installed and the region in the housing 41 in which the second robot arm 44a is installed. At least one heater may be used as the temperature regulating member.

Each of the process chambers 50 performs a semiconductor manufacturing process. The first chambers 52 perform a first semiconductor manufacturing process (hereinafter referred to as 'first process'), and the second chambers 54 are referred to as a second semiconductor manufacturing process (hereinafter referred to as 'second process'). To execute. The first process and the second process may be the same semiconductor manufacturing process. For example, the first process and the second process generate plasma to etch thin films or foreign substances on the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1 having this structure can continuously perform the etching process treatment of each of the six process chambers 50, thereby improving the process throughput.

Alternatively, the first chambers 52 and the second chambers 54 may perform different semiconductor manufacturing processes. For example, as another embodiment of the present invention, the first chambers 52 perform a process of etching a polymer thin film on a substrate, and the second chambers 54 perform a process of etching an oxide thin film on a substrate. can do. The substrate processing apparatus may selectively perform the process according to the type of thin film to be removed in the etching process. That is, the present invention can selectively perform the etching process of the polymer thin film and the etching process of the oxide thin film in one device.

Alternatively, as another embodiment of the present invention, the first chambers 52 perform a deposition process of forming a thin film on the substrate, and the second chambers 54 may etch the thin film on the substrate. The process can be carried out. The substrate processing apparatus transfers the substrates in which the deposition process is completed in the first chambers 52 to the second chambers 54 to perform an etching process, thereby continuously performing a series of semiconductor manufacturing processes in one facility. Can be.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 'and the method according to the present invention improve the throughput of the substrate by carrying out the process processing with six process chambers in one apparatus. In particular, it can be seen that the substrate processing apparatus 1 ′ according to the present invention has a similar foot-print as the substrate processing apparatus 1 of the prior art, but the process throughput is greatly improved. The substrate processing apparatus 1 ′ has a footprint of about 70% of the footprint of the three conventional substrate processing apparatuses 1 combined, but the process throughput is the process throughput of the three substrate processing apparatuses 1 combined. Have similar process throughput. In particular, in order to install the three substrate processing apparatuses 1, it is generally required to maintain a certain distance between the apparatuses for maintenance. Therefore, in consideration of this, the substrate processing apparatus 1 ′ according to the present invention can significantly reduce the footprint compared to the method of having three substrate processing apparatuses 1.

In addition, since the present invention can obtain a process throughput similar to that of using three substrate processing apparatuses 1 as one substrate processing apparatus 1 ', the construction cost of a semiconductor manufacturing line can be greatly reduced. Even if an abnormality occurs in either the first transfer chamber 42 or the second transfer chamber 44, another transfer chamber can perform the process, thereby reducing the operation rate of the equipment due to the error of the transfer chamber.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the present invention. In addition, the foregoing description merely shows and describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments. That is, changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the concept of the invention disclosed in this specification, the scope equivalent to the disclosed contents, and / or the skill or knowledge in the art. The above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the best state in carrying out the present invention, the use of other inventions such as the present invention in other state known in the art, and the specific fields of application and uses of the present invention. Various changes are also possible. Accordingly, the detailed description of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to the disclosed embodiments. Also, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus and method according to the present invention improve the processing throughput of the substrate.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus and method according to the present invention can perform different or different processes continuously or selectively in one apparatus.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus and method according to the present invention can reduce the footprint of the apparatus.

In addition, the sheet processing apparatus and method according to the present invention prevents the process of all process chambers from being interrupted in the event of an abnormality of the apparatus, thereby improving the facility operation rate.

Claims (6)

In the apparatus for processing a substrate, A transfer chamber for transferring the substrate, A plurality of process chambers installed around the transfer chamber and performing a semiconductor manufacturing process; A first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber installed around the transfer chamber; A load port for seating a storage member for storing a plurality of substrates; And an EMP to transfer a substrate between the load port, the first load lock chamber, and the load port and the second load lock chamber. The transfer chamber, Substrate processing apparatus comprising a first transfer chamber and a second transfer chamber disposed adjacent to each other. The method of claim 1, The first transfer chamber, A first robot arm for transferring a substrate between process chambers disposed around the first load lock chamber and the first transfer chamber, The second transfer chamber is, And a second robot arm for transferring a substrate between the process chambers arranged around the second load lock chamber and the second transfer chamber. The method of claim 2, The transfer chamber, A housing providing a space in which the first robot arm and the second robot arm are installed; An exhaust member which performs exhaust in the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber in common; And a temperature adjusting member for controlling a temperature in the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber in common. The substrate is provided with a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate, a plurality of process chambers installed around the transfer chamber, and a first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber installed around the transfer chamber, Substrate transfer between the process chambers selected from the process chambers and the first load lock chamber and substrate transfer between the process chambers except the selected process chambers from the process chambers and the second load lock chamber may be performed in the transfer chamber. Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that made by different robot arms installed therein. The method of claim 4, wherein The transfer chamber, A first transfer chamber and a second transfer chamber having the robot arm, And evacuating and controlling temperature inside the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber under the same conditions. The method of claim 5, wherein Process chambers disposed around the first transfer chamber and process chambers disposed around the second transfer chamber may include: A substrate processing method comprising performing a semiconductor manufacturing process different from each other.

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