KR20160034178A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention supports a large scale holder stably, and prevents high capacity of a lock chamber by high capacity of the holder, and shortens an atmosphere conversion time of the lock chamber. The substrate processing apparatus comprises: a processing room where a substrate is processed; the lock chamber for accommodating the substrate; a transfer room for transferring the substrate between the processing room and the lock chamber; two holders which are prepared in the processing room, and individually maintain a different substrate; a holder movement means which moves the two holders between a substrate receiving position and a substrate processing position, and maintains a vertically aligned state of the two holders at the substrate receiving position; and a substrate transferring means which simultaneously transfers the two holders to the substrate receiving position while the substrate accommodated in the lock chamber is vertically aligned. Also, the holder movement means comprises a direct-acting means for moving the two holders, and a rotation means for rotating the two holders. Moreover, the direct-acting means supports the holder from an inner side rather than both ends in the movement direction of the holder.

Description

[0001] SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a process such as ion implantation on a substrate in a process chamber.

Conventional substrate processing apparatuses include a processing chamber for irradiating an ion beam to a standing substrate as shown in Patent Document 1 and a lock chamber provided adjacent to the processing chamber for receiving the substrate in a horizontally laid- Vacuum preliminary chamber). In this substrate processing apparatus, two planar plate holders (platens) provided in the processing chamber are alternately reciprocated by a holder moving mechanism provided in the processing chamber, thereby to perform ion implantation into the substrate held by the holder.

Specifically, the holder moving mechanism is composed of a ball screw provided in the process chamber, a linear motion mechanism composed of a ball nut and a rotating mechanism rotating the holder between the horizontal state and the standing state .

The holder support arm is an L-shaped body mounted on a ball nut and having a root arm extending perpendicularly to the ball screw and a support arm extending parallel to the ball screw at the tip of the base arm. And the side edge of the holder is attached to the tip of the holder support arm. On the other hand, the holder surface is set at the same height as the surface formed by the root arm and the support arm.

With this configuration, the substrate is moved from the lock chamber to the processing chamber as follows.

First, after the holder supporting arm is laid down by the rotation mechanism, that is, after the holder is in a horizontal state, the holder is held in the holder by moving the holder into the lock chamber by the direct drive mechanism. Next, the holder holding the substrate is retracted and taken out into the treatment chamber. Thereafter, the holder holding arm is rotated and raised by the rotating mechanism to stand the holder and the substrate held thereon. Then, the substrate is moved to the ion beam irradiation region where the ion beam is irradiated by the direct-drive mechanism while maintaining the posture. The substrate irradiated with the ion beam is returned into the lock chamber in the reverse order of the above.

As is evident from this configuration, the holder has its lateral edge (that is, the end edge perpendicular to the moving direction by the ball screw) supported at one end at the tip of the holder supporting arm. Furthermore, the ball nut supporting the holder support arm is located outside the holder in the moving direction of the holder.

However, recently, the dimensions of the glass substrate have become larger, and the tenth generation (substrate size 2850 mm x 3050 mm) is reached. In addition, regardless of the size of the substrate, it is necessary to satisfy the requirement for improving the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus.

Since the substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above is a system in which two substrates are stacked vertically and transported, it is considered that the throughput can be improved while reducing the size of the apparatus.

However, in the above-described conventional structure, as the size of the substrate increases, the size of the holder for holding the substrate becomes larger. For example, the following problems arise.

(1) In the conventional structure, the support structure of the holder is complicated because it is held and moved by a single holder between the lock chamber and the processing chamber while changing the posture of the substrate without passing the substrate along the way (for example, The holder supporting arm is formed into a long shape such as the above-mentioned L-shaped so as to be able to be inserted into the chamber, and the side edge of the holder is supported on one side by the holder supporting arm). Therefore, , An unreasonable force is likely to act on the holder supporting arm or the linearly moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism for moving the holder supporting arm.

More specifically, since the ball nut supports the holder through the L-shaped holder supporting arm from the outside in the moving direction thereof, if the holder becomes larger and its weight becomes larger, A large moment is always applied to the ball nut, so that the support of the holder may become unstable or the original activity of the ball nut may be damaged.

(2) Since the enlarged holder is required to be able to enter the lock chamber, it is necessary to increase the volume of the lock chamber.

(3) The lock chamber is for transferring the substrate between the processing chamber and the atmosphere without returning the processing chamber to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The substrate is changed from a vacuum atmosphere to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and from an atmospheric pressure atmosphere to a vacuum atmosphere. As described above, when the volume of the lock chamber is large, it takes time to switch the atmosphere of the lock chamber.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-135146

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems and to provide a method for manufacturing a lock chamber, which is capable of stably supporting an enlarged holder and preventing a large capacity of the lock chamber by enlarging the holder, The task is to do.

That is, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a processing chamber in which a substrate is processed in a vacuum atmosphere, a lock chamber which is switched to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere to receive the substrate, a vacuum chamber provided between the processing chamber and the lock chamber, A transfer chamber in which the substrate is transferred between the processing chamber and the lock chamber in the process chamber, two holders provided in the process chamber for holding different substrates, and two holders for holding the substrates carried from the transfer chamber A holder moving mechanism for moving the holder between a receiving position and a processing position where the substrate is processed and aligning the two holders at the receiving position in an up-and-down direction; A substrate chamber for collectively transporting the substrate accommodated in the lock chamber in a vertically aligned state to two holders at the receiving position Wherein the holder moving mechanism comprises a linear motion mechanism for moving the two holders along different movement paths set in a predetermined axial direction for each holder and a linear motion mechanism for rotating the two holders about the predetermined axial direction And the direct drive mechanism supports the holder inwardly of both ends in the predetermined axial direction of the holder.

Such a substrate processing apparatus is, in other words, a substrate processing apparatus that does not transfer a substrate from a lock chamber to a processing chamber by a holder and a holder support arm, but transfers the substrate held in the lock chamber to the processing chamber To the holder provided in the holder.

Therefore, only the function of transporting the substrate between the lock chamber and the transport chamber can be given to the substrate transport mechanism without changing the posture of the substrate, and the structure can naturally be simple and compact. The fact that the structure of the substrate transport mechanism for loading and unloading the substrate into and out of the lock chamber can be made simple and compact can lead to the minimization of the capacity of the lock chamber to a minimum so that the switching time of the lock chamber atmosphere can be shortened .

On the other hand, the holder moving mechanism can move the holder only in the processing chamber, and as a result, the direct drive mechanism constituting the holder moving mechanism supports the holder from inside both ends of the holder in the axial direction. Here, "the holder is supported from the inside of both ends of the holder in the axial direction" means that at least a part of the holder supporting portions set in the direct drive mechanism is substantially inside the both ends of the holder, that is, (The support may be slightly outboard). According to this configuration, the support portion can be made as close to the holder as possible, and the holder can be stably supported.

It is preferable that the rotating mechanism rotates the two holders individually.

If the two holders are rotated individually, the driving force can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which two holders and the linearly moving mechanism are rotated at once as in the conventional case. This is particularly effective when the holder is enlarged.

Wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the holder to change the posture between a position where the substrate is in a horizontal state and a standing position where the substrate is, for example, a vertical state, for example, It is preferable that the rotation axes of the two holders are shifted up and down so that the one holder does not interfere with the rotation axis of the other holder.

If this is the case, the interference between the one holder and the rotation axis of the other holder, which may occur when the two holders are rotated individually, can be solved by a simple configuration.

Since the rotation axes of the two holders are shifted up and down, for example, even if the two holders at the position of the coat are held unchanged, the positions of the boards are shifted when the holders are rotated to the standing position. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a substrate position correcting mechanism that aligns the position of the substrate in the up-and-down direction when the one holder is in the standing position and the position in the up-down direction of the substrate when the other holder is in the standing position desirable.

If this is the case, the processing position in the vertical direction, for example, ion implantation, can be made coincident with the substrate held in one holder and the substrate held in the other holder.

Wherein the substrate position correcting mechanism is arranged to move at least one of an upper stage side and a lower stage side on which the upper and lower substrates are respectively mounted on the substrate stage provided in the lock chamber to move relative to the other side, It is preferable that the displacement amount of the stage surface is made equal to the displacement amount of the substrate position caused by the rotation of the two holders.

By providing the substrate position correcting mechanism on the substrate stage in this manner, the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided in the substrate transport mechanism, the holder, and the like.

The lock chamber is switched to a vacuum atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and convection is generated therein. Therefore, when the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided in the lock chamber, the substrate position correcting mechanism may become a particle generating source. Further, since the capacity is increased by the amount of the substrate position correcting mechanism, the atmosphere switching time of the lock chamber becomes long, and the throughput is adversely affected.

Therefore, the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided in the substrate transport mechanism, and at least one of the upper transport surface and the lower transport surface on which the upper and lower substrates are respectively mounted is moved relative to the other, so that the upper transport surface and the lower transport surface It is preferable that the shift amount of the carrying surface is made equal to the shift amount of the substrate position caused by the rotation of the two holders.

By providing the substrate position adjusting mechanism in the substrate transport mechanism in this way, the capacity of the lock chamber can be reduced, and the atmosphere changeover time of the lock chamber can be shortened to improve the throughput.

Wherein the substrate position correcting mechanism comprises at least one of an upper holder and a lower holder which is provided between the holder and the rotary mechanism or between the holder and the rotary mechanism and which holds upper and lower substrates, It is preferable that the shift amount of the upper holder and the lower holder be made equal to the shift amount of the substrate position caused by the rotation of the two holders.

By thus providing the substrate position adjusting mechanism between the holder, the rotating mechanism, or the holder and the rotating mechanism, the capacity of the lock chamber can be reduced, and the atmosphere switching time of the lock chamber can be shortened to improve the throughput. Here, it is not necessary to provide a new power by making the substrate position correcting mechanism use the power of the rotation mechanism.

According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to stably support the enlarged holder, to prevent a large capacity of the lock chamber due to the enlargement of the holder, and to shorten the atmosphere switching time of the lock chamber.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front view and a side view schematically showing the structure of the holder moving mechanism of the embodiment.
3 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the holder moving mechanism of the embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the position of the two positions of the two holders of the embodiment and the standing position. Fig.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the case where the substrate position correcting mechanism of the embodiment is provided in the substrate transport mechanism.
Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the substrate position correcting mechanism of the embodiment is provided on a substrate stage.
Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the substrate position correcting mechanism of the embodiment is provided in a holder. Fig.
8 is a schematic view showing a processing position and a retreat position of the substrate of the embodiment.
9 is a schematic view showing a supporting portion of a slider in another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a schematic view showing a supporting portion of a slider in still another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment irradiates an ion beam IB onto a large substrate W used in a flat panel display or the like in the vacuum chamber. Here, the substrate W in the present embodiment includes, for example, a glass substrate, a glass substrate with an orientation film, a semiconductor substrate, and a substrate to which an ion beam is irradiated. The shape of the substrate W is a substantially rectangular thin plate in the present embodiment, but may be circular.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a processing chamber S1 in which a substrate W is irradiated with an ion beam IB in a vacuum atmosphere, The wafer W is transferred into and out of the vacuum chamber while the process chamber S1 is maintained in the vacuum atmosphere and the lock chamber S2 for accommodating the substrate W and the transfer chamber S2 for transferring the processing chamber S1 and the lock chamber And a transfer chamber S3 provided between the processing chamber S1 and the lock chamber S2 for transferring the substrate W in a vacuum atmosphere between the processing chamber S1 and the lock chamber S2. A vacuum valve such as a gate valve is provided at a connecting portion of each of the chambers S1 to S3 so that the chambers S1 to S3 can be individually maintained in a vacuum state. On the other hand, in the treatment chamber S1, a strip-shaped ion beam IB, for example, which is drawn by the extraction electrode from the ion source and passed through a mass spectrometer such as analytical electromagnet and analysis slit, is introduced.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the processing chamber S1 is provided with two holders 21 and 22 for holding different substrates W, and holder holders 21 and 22 for moving the two holders 21 and 22 A mechanism 3 is provided.

The two holders 21 and 22 have the same shape and are configured to be individually movable by the holder moving mechanism 3. [

The holder moving mechanism 3 includes two holders 21 and 22 as shown in Fig. 1, and a receiving position P1 for receiving the substrate W carried from the carrying chamber S3, And the processing position P2 to be processed, and the two holders 21 and 22 are aligned vertically at the receiving position P1.

Specifically, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the holder moving mechanism 3 includes a linear driving mechanism 31 for moving the two holders 21, 22 along a predetermined axial direction for each of the holders 21, 22 And a rotating mechanism 32 for rotating the two holders 21 and 22 around a predetermined axial direction. On the other hand, the predetermined axial direction in the present embodiment is an axial direction along the left-right direction transverse to the ion beam as shown in Fig.

The linear motion mechanism (31) linearly moves the holders (21, 22) in parallel with each other and along another movement path set in the predetermined axial direction.

Specifically, the direct drive mechanism 31 includes a first guide rail 31a for defining a movement path of the one holder 21, a second guide rail 31b for sliding on the first guide rail 31a, An actuator not shown for moving the first slider 31b above the first guide rail 31a and a second guide rail 31b for defining a movement path of the other holder 22, A second slider 31d which slides on the second guide rail 31c and supports the other holder 22 and a second slider 31d which slides on the second guide rail 31c, And an actuator (not shown) for moving the actuator from above.

The first guide rail 31a and the second guide rail 31c are provided parallel to each other along the predetermined axial direction (left-right direction). In this embodiment, the single rail member 301 is provided with opposed faces Front and rear sides).

The first slider 31b supports the one holder 21 at the lower side of one holder 21 and the second slider 31d supports the other holder 22 at the lower side of the other holder 22. [ It is to support. More specifically, each of the sliders 31b and 31d has a block shape. The sliders 31b and 31d hold the holders 21 and 22 in a rotatable manner in the support portions X1 and X2 provided on the upper end surface thereof And supports the base of the U-shaped support rim 32a (details will be described later). That is, the support portions X1 and X2 set in the direct drive mechanism 31 for supporting the holders 21 and 22 are substantially inwardly lower than both ends (left and right ends) of the holders 21 and 22 in the axial direction Respectively.

The rotation mechanism 32 rotates the two holders 21 and 22 individually and is provided with a rotation position Q1 in which the substrate W is in a horizontal state as shown in Fig. And the holders 21 and 22 are rotated by 90 DEG between the standing positions Q2 where the state is set. On the other hand, the substrate is not always required to be horizontal at the position where the substrate is held. For example, if the substrate holding posture in the lock chamber is slightly oblique, the substrate may be inclined. Further, the substrate need not always be vertical at the standing position, but may be inclined in accordance with the irradiation angle of the ion beam, for example.

Specifically, the rotating mechanism 32 is provided for each of the holders 21 and 22 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the holders 21 and 22 are rotated by the rotating shaft 4 provided along the predetermined axial direction An actuator 32b such as a motor provided below the supporting frame 32a and a driving shaft 32b for transmitting the driving force of the actuator 32b to the rotating shaft 4, And 22, respectively. The rotary shafts 4 are respectively connected to the left and right sides of the holders 21 and 22. The support rim 32a has a substantially U-shaped shape when viewed from the front, (4).

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the holders 21 and 22 according to the present embodiment can be rotated by the rotation mechanism 32 such that the position Q1 when the substrate W is received, And is rotated at the shortest rotational angle between the standing position Q2 where the ion beam IB is injected. For example, when the standing position Q2 is a vertical position in which the substrate is vertical, the rotating mechanism 32 rotates the holders 21, 22 in 90 degrees between the turned position Q1 and the standing position Q2 .

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the sliders 31b and 31d of the direct drive mechanism 31 are fixed to the lower surface of the lower wall of the support frame 32a of the rotation mechanism 32. [ That is, the direct drive mechanism 31 is configured to support the holders 21 and 22 by supporting the rotation mechanism 32 below the rotation mechanism 32.

The two holders 21 and 22 are vertically aligned in the receiving position P1 at which the two holders 21 and 22 together become the wrapping position Q1 by the holder moving mechanism 3 having the above- State. Therefore, when one of the holders 21 is in the closed position Q1, the two holders 21 and 22 are moved so that the one holder 21 does not interfere with the rotational axis 4 of the other holder 22, The rotary shaft 4 of the rotary shaft 4 is vertically shifted. Concretely, in the receiving position P1, the rotary shaft 4 of the upper holder 21 is shifted upward from the rotary shaft 4 of the other holder 22 located at the lower position.

The substrate transfer mechanism 5 for transferring the substrate W accommodated in the lock chamber S2 to the two holders 21 and 22 at the receiving position P1 of the process chamber S1 is provided in the transfer chamber S3 Lt; / RTI >

The substrate transport mechanism 5 is configured to move the two substrates W accommodated in the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2 to the two holders 21 and 22 at the receiving position P1 in a vertically aligned state And returns them collectively. Specifically, the substrate transport mechanism 5 includes an upper hand 51 for transporting the upper substrate W among the upper and lower substrates W, a lower hand 52 for transporting the lower substrate W, And a hand driving device 53 for moving the hand 51 and the lower hand 52 between the lock chamber S2 and the process chamber S1. In the present embodiment, the upper hand 51 and the lower hand 52 are integrally formed by a common hand supporting portion 54. [

Next, the operation of the substrate transport mechanism 5 and the holder moving mechanism 3 will be described.

First, the two holders 21 and 22 at the receiving position P1 by the holder moving mechanism 3 are in a state of being aligned up and down together with the turning position Q1. In this state, one substrate W is transported and placed on the holders 21, 22 by the substrate transport mechanism 5.

Next, the two holders 21 and 22 are rotated from the turned position Q1 to the standing position Q2 by the rotating mechanism 32. [ Thereafter, the two holders 21 and 22 are reciprocally moved one by one to the processing position P2 along the moving path by the direct drive mechanism 31. [ As a result, the substrate W is irradiated with the ion beam IB to perform the ion implantation process. 8, the processing position P2 has a predetermined width in the axial direction as shown in Fig. 8, and one side edge of the ion-implanted region set in the substrate W as shown in Fig. 8 (a) Refers to a range from the position where the beam IB is irradiated to the position where the other side edge of the ion implantation region irradiates the ion beam IB as shown in Fig. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3 (c), the direct drive mechanism 31 here passes the processing position P2 to the retracted position (processed position) P3 on the opposite side of the receiving position P1 The holder 21, 22 holding the wafer W can be moved, but it is also possible to move the holder 21, 22 only to the processing position P2.

After the completion of the processing, the two holders 21 and 22 are moved to the receiving position P1 by the direct drive mechanism 31 and the rotating mechanism 32, and the substrate W is transported to the processed substrate W by the substrate transport mechanism 5. [ To the lock chamber S2 from the process chamber S1.

In the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, since the rotary shaft 4 of the two holders 21 and 22 is shifted in the vertical direction, as shown in Fig. 4, the holders 21 In order to make the treatment height (position of the beam center of the ion beam) with respect to the substrate W held by the holders 21 and 22 in the closed position Q1 uniform, (In the carrying direction with respect to the holders 21, 22). Here, the predetermined amount refers to the amount of displacement of the rotational axis 4 of the two holders 21 and 22 in the vertical direction and the amount of deviation of the two holders 21 and 22 in the forward and backward directions of the holders 21 and 22 In the transport direction).

Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured such that the position of the substrate W in the vertical direction when one holder 21 is at the standing position Q2 and the position of the other holder 22 in the up- And a substrate position correcting mechanism 6 for aligning the position of the substrate W in the vertical direction when the position Q2 is set.

Specifically, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 may be provided as follows: (1) in the transport chamber S3, (2) in the lock chamber S2, (3) in the process chamber S1 The case can be considered.

(1) In the case of being provided in the transport chamber S3

In the case of being provided in the transport chamber S3, the substrate transport mechanism 5 in the transport chamber S3 can be considered.

More specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, at least one of the conveying surface (upper conveying surface) of the upper hand 51 and the conveying surface (lower conveying surface) of the lower hand 52 on which the two upper and lower substrates W are placed, respectively The shift amount between the upper carrying face and the lower carrying face is shifted by the rotation of the two holders 21 and 22 from the winding position Q1 to the standing position Q2, Is equal to the displacement amount of the position of the wafer W.

An example shown in Fig. 5 is for correcting the position by relatively moving the upper conveying surface in the anteroposterior direction with respect to the lower conveying surface. The position of the vacuum servomotor (for example, a linear guide mechanism 6a2 extending between the hand supporting portion 54 and the upper hand 51 and extending in the front and rear direction and a driving mechanism for moving the driving force of the actuator 6a1 to the upper hand 51, and a transmission portion 6a3 such as a timing belt for linearly moving the upper hand 51 with the linear guide mechanism 6a2. On the other hand, the electric power supply in the actuator 6a1 is performed by Cable Bear (registered trademark) not shown.

The correction operation of the position of the substrate W by the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 will be described.

When the substrate transport mechanism 5 takes out two substrates W from the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2, the upper hand 51 and the lower hand 52 are at the same upper and lower positions, The two substrates W placed on the substrates 51 and 52 are in the same vertical position. While the substrate transfer mechanism 5 transfers the two substrates W from the lock chamber S2 to the process chamber S1, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 transfers the upper hand 51 to the lower hand 52 So that the position of the substrate W is corrected. In this state, the two substrates W are transferred to the two holders 21 and 22 at the receiving position P1 of the processing chamber S1. The processing height of the substrate W held by the holders 21 and 22 (the height of each substrate W (W)) held by the holders 21 and 22 ) Of the beam center of the ion beam IB to be irradiated) becomes equal. On the other hand, when the processed substrate W is accommodated in the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2 from the holders 21 and 22, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 performs an operation opposite to the above- When the processed substrate W is accommodated in the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2, the upper hand 51 and the lower hand 52 are vertically positioned at the same position.

(2) In the case of being provided in the lock chamber S2

The lock chamber S2 may be provided on the substrate stage 7 in the lock chamber S2.

More specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, a surface (upper stage surface) on which the upper stage 71 on which the upper and lower two substrates W are placed and a surface (lower stage surface) on which the lower stage 72 is placed, The amount of displacement of the upper stage surface and the lower stage surface is adjusted by the rotation of the two holders 21 and 22 from the winding position Q1 to the standing position Q2 Is equal to the shift amount of the substrate W position.

An example shown in Fig. 6 is for performing positional correction by relatively moving the lower stage surface in a direction to turn the upper stage surface relative to the upper stage surface, and includes an actuator 6b1 such as a servo motor, And a link portion 6b3 for linearly moving the lower stage 72 by the linear guide mechanism 6b2 by transmitting the driving force of the actuator 6b1 to the lower stage 72, .

The correction operation of the position of the substrate W by the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 will be described.

The upper stage 71 and the lower stage 72 are in the same vertical position when the substrate is received from the outside (atmosphere) of the vacuum chamber to the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2. Thereafter, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 moves the lower stage 72 relative to the upper stage 71 in the atmospheric pressure atmosphere or the vacuum atmosphere of the lock chamber S2 to adjust the position of the substrate W . Thereafter, the hands 51 and 52 of the substrate transport mechanism 5 receive the substrate W on the upper stage 71 and the lower stage 72, Two substrates W are passed to the holders 21 and 22, respectively. On the other hand, the lengths of the upper hand 51 and the lower hand 52 of the substrate transport mechanism 5 are set to be the sum of the displacement amounts of the upper stage 71 and the lower stage 72. Therefore, when the two holders 21 and 22 receiving the substrate W are rotated at the standing position Q2, the processing heights of the substrates W held on the holders 21 and 22 W) of the beam center of the ion beam IB to be irradiated) becomes equal. On the other hand, when the processed substrate W is accommodated in the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2 in the holders 21 and 22, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 performs an operation opposite to the above operation, After the processed substrate W is received in the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2, the upper stage 71 and the lower stage 72 are vertically positioned at the same position.

(3) In case of being provided in the treatment chamber S1

It is conceivable to provide the treatment chamber S1 between the holders 21 and 22 and the rotation mechanism 32 in the treatment chamber S1.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, at least one of the upper holder 21 and the lower holder 22, which hold the two upper and lower substrates W, respectively, is moved relative to the other, 22, which are located at the standing position Q2, are corrected by correcting the displacement amount of the position of the substrate W caused by the rotation of the substrates W, 21, 22 from the turned position Q1 to the standing position Q2, The height position of the held substrate W in the vertical direction is made to coincide.

An example shown in Fig. 7 is for correcting the position by relatively moving the upper holder 21 relative to the lower holder 22. While the upper holder 21 is rotating from the turned position Q1 to the standing position Q2 The upper holder 21 extends in the carrying direction with respect to the rotating shaft 4 while the upper holder 21 enters the lower side of the rotating shaft 4 and rotates from the standing position Q2 to the lower position Q1 .

More specifically, the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 includes a rotation base 6c1 connected to the holder side end portion of the rotation shaft 4 and rotated together with the rotation shaft 4, And a planetary gear wheel 6c4 which is fixed to a link arm 6c3 rotatably connected to the rotation base 6c1 and rotates in engagement with the fixed gear wheel 6c2, A driven link 6c5 having one end connected to the link arm 6c3 and the other end connected to the upper holder 21, And a linear guide mechanism 6c6 provided between the holders 21. As shown in Fig. On the other hand, the driven link 6c5 is a telescopic link and has a first link element 6c51 having one end fixed to the link arm 6c3 and a second link element 6c51 rotatably connected to the other end of the first link element 6c51, And a second link element (6c52) rotatably connected to the first link element (21).

The correction operation of the position of the substrate W by the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 will be described.

When two substrates are transported to two holders 21 and 22 at the receiving position P1, the two holders are at the same upper and lower positions and the two holders 21 and 22 are at the same position, The two substrates W are placed at the same position in the vertical direction.

Then, the rotation mechanism 32 rotates the holders 21, 22 from the turned position Q1 to the standing position Q2. At this time, when the rotation mechanism 32 of the upper holder 21 rotates the rotary shaft 4 of the upper holder 21, the fixed toothed wheel 6c2 and the rotating base 6c1 are rotated thereby to rotate the fixed toothed wheel The planetary gear 6c4 rotates around the circumference of the planetary gears 6c2. The link arm 6c3 is rotated by the rotation of the planetary gear wheel 6c4 and the first link element 6c51 of the driven link 6c5 fixed to the link arm 6c5 is rotated to rotate the driven link 6c5 And the upper holder 21 slides along the linear guide mechanism 6c6. In the present embodiment, as the upper holder 21 rotates from the closed position Q1 to the standing position Q2, the driven link 6c5 contracts and the driven link rotates from the standing position to the lowered position, Stretching). Therefore, when the two holders 21 and 22 receiving the substrate W are rotated from the closed position Q1 to the standing position Q2, the processing of the substrate W held by the holders 21 and 22 (The height of the beam center of the ion beam IB irradiated on each substrate W) becomes equal. When the substrate W is rotated from the standing position Q2 to the rough position Q1, the substrate W held by the holders 21 and 22 is positioned at the same position vertically.

≪ Effect of the present embodiment &

The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment thus configured is provided with the transfer chamber S3 between the process chamber S1 and the lock chamber S2 and the substrate transfer mechanism 5 The substrate W accommodated in the lock chamber S2 is transferred to the holders 21 and 22 provided in the process chamber S1 by the lock chamber S2 so that the holders 21 and 22 can be moved into the lock chamber S2 It is possible to prevent the capacity of the lock chamber S2 from becoming large due to the large size of the holders 21 and 22 and to shorten the atmosphere change time of the lock chamber S2.

Since the direct drive mechanism 31 supports the holders 21 and 22 inwardly below the both ends of the holders 21 and 22 in the predetermined axial direction, 22 so that the holders 21, 22 can be stably supported.

Even if the rotary shaft 4 of the two holders 21 and 22 is displaced upward and downward, the substrate W held by one holder 21 and the other holder The processing positions in the up and down direction, such as ion implantation, can be made coincident with each other on the substrate W held on the substrate 22.

Here, when the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 is provided on the substrate stage 7 of the lock chamber S2, the structure is simplified as compared with the case where the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 is provided in the substrate transport mechanism 5, the holders 21 and 22, . In the case where the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 is provided in the substrate transfer mechanism 5 of the transfer chamber S3, the capacity of the lock chamber S2 can be reduced, and the atmosphere change time of the lock chamber S2 The throughput can be improved. Further, when the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 is provided between the holders 21 and 22 and the rotating mechanism 32 of the process chamber S1, the capacity of the lock chamber S2 can be reduced, and the lock chamber S2 ) Can be shortened and the throughput can be improved. In this embodiment, since the substrate position correcting mechanism 6 uses the power of the rotating mechanism 32, it is not necessary to provide a new power, so that the structure of the apparatus can be simplified or miniaturized.

<Other Modified Embodiments>

On the other hand, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the sliders 31b (31d) may be separated from each other and provided below both side edge portions of the holder 21 (22). In addition, as shown in Fig. 10, a part of the slider 31b (31d) may be located on the outer side than the both side edge portions of the holder 21 (22). However, the support portion X1 (X2) may be substantially inward of the both side edges of the holder 21 (22). 10, strictly speaking, the support portion X1 is slightly outward of the holder 21, but the support portion X1 supports the base portion of the support frame 32a holding the both side edges of the holder 21 So that it is substantially inside of the holder 21.

Further, the two holders of the above embodiments may hold a tray containing a plurality of substrates. If this is the case, a plurality of substrates can be collectively processed.

Although the above embodiment has two lock chambers, it may have one lock chamber, or may have three or more lock chambers.

Furthermore, when the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided in the processing chamber, the substrate position correcting mechanism may be provided in the holder itself or may be provided in the rotating mechanism itself, in addition to the case where the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided between the holder and the rotating mechanism. Further, the structure may be provided in the linear motion mechanism itself. Here, in the case where a linear mechanism for moving the two holders is provided for each holder and each guide rail is constituted by another member, the position of the substrate may be corrected by relatively moving the guide rail.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

100: substrate processing apparatus W: substrate S1: processing chamber
S2: Lock chamber S3: Transport chamber 21: Upper holder
22: lower holder P1: receiving position P2: processing position
3: holder moving mechanism 5: substrate transport mechanism 31: linear driving mechanism
32: Rotating mechanism Q1: Clothes position Q2: Standing position
4: rotating shaft 6: substrate position correcting mechanism 7: substrate stage
71: upper stage 72: lower stage 51: upper hand
52: Lower hand

Claims (7)

A processing chamber in which a substrate is processed in a vacuum atmosphere,
A lock chamber which is switched to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere and accommodates the substrate,
A transfer chamber which is provided between the processing chamber and the lock chamber and in which the substrate is transferred between the processing chamber and the lock chamber in a vacuum atmosphere,
Two holders provided in the processing chamber and holding different substrates, respectively,
The two holders are moved between a receiving position for receiving the substrate conveyed from the conveyance chamber and a processing position where the substrate is processed and the two holders are moved up and down A holder moving mechanism for moving the holder,
And a substrate transport mechanism provided in the transport chamber for transporting the substrate housed in the lock chamber collectively to two holders at the receiving position while being vertically aligned,
Wherein the holder moving mechanism comprises:
A linear motion mechanism for moving the two holders along different movement paths set in a predetermined axial direction for each holder,
And a rotating mechanism for rotating the two holders around the predetermined axial direction,
Wherein said direct drive mechanism supports said holder inside both ends of said holder in said predetermined axial direction. The method according to claim 1,
And the rotating mechanism rotates the two holders individually. 3. The method of claim 2,
The rotation mechanism rotates the holder to change the posture between the standing position and the standing position of the substrate,
Wherein the rotary shafts of the two holders are shifted up and down so that the one holder does not interfere with the rotation axis of the other holder when the one holder is in the covered position. The method of claim 3,
And a substrate position correcting mechanism that aligns the position of the substrate in the vertical direction when the one holder is in the standing position and the position in the vertical direction of the substrate when the other holder is in the standing position, Processing device. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the substrate position correcting mechanism is configured to move the upper stage surface and the lower stage surface of the substrate stage provided on the lock chamber so that one of the upper stage surface and the lower stage surface on which the upper and lower substrates are respectively mounted is moved relative to the other, Wherein a displacement of the surface is made equal to a displacement of the position of the substrate caused by the rotation of the two holders. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the substrate position correcting mechanism is configured to move the one of the upper conveying surface and the lower conveying surface, which are provided in the substrate conveying mechanism, on which the upper and lower substrates are respectively placed, with respect to the other, Wherein the amount of deviation is equal to the displacement of the position of the substrate caused by the rotation of the two holders. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the substrate position correcting mechanism is provided between the holder and the rotary mechanism or between the holder and the rotary mechanism so that one of the upper holder and the lower holder for holding the upper and lower substrates respectively is moved relative to the other, Wherein the shift amount of the holder and the lower holder is made equal to the shift amount of the position of the substrate caused by the rotation of the two holders.

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