TW200913115A - Transfer chamber with vacuum extension for shutter disks - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cluster tool for processing semiconductor substrates. One embodiment of the present invention provides a mainframe for a cluster tool comprising a transfer chamber having a substrate transferring robot disposed therein. The substrate transferring robot is configured to shuttle substrates among one or more processing chambers directly or indirectly connected to the transfer chamber. The mainframe further comprises a shutter disk shelf configured to store one or more shutter disks to be used by the one or more processing chambers, wherein the shutter disk shelf is accessible to the substrate transferring robot so that the substrate transferring robot can transfer the one or more shutter disks between the shutter disk shelf and the one or more processing chambers directly or indirectly connected to the transfer chamber.

Description

200913115 IX. INSTRUCTIONS: TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to processing semiconductor based integrated processing systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cluster tool having a transfer chamber and an extension chamber for a shutter disk. [Prior Art] The process of forming a semiconductor device is often carried out in a multi-chamber processing system (collective tool) which can process a substrate (e.g., a semi-wafer) in a controlled processing environment. A typical controlled processing environment includes a system having a main frame that houses a substrate transfer robot to transport the substrate between the load lock and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers that connect the main frame. Controlled Process Rings have several advantages, such as reduced contamination of the substrate surface during substrate transfer and during substrate processing. Therefore, it is processed in a controlled processing environment to reduce the number of defects generated and to improve the component yield. The main frame of the cluster tool typically includes a central transfer chamber with a robot within it for moving one or more substrates back and forth. The processing chamber and the load chamber are mounted on a central transfer chamber. During processing, the central transfer interior space is typically maintained in a vacuum to form an intermediate region for movement from one process chamber to another and/or to a cluster tool front load lock chamber. A processing chamber, such as a physical vapor deposition (P V D) chamber, includes a shutter to protect the substrate support during conditioning operations. Group of boards

If the group conductor frame has a step to reduce the substrate end of the lock chamber, the PVD 200913115 process is usually performed in the sealed chamber. The seal chamber has a pedestal for the substrate. The pedestal generally includes a substrate support member, wherein the pedestal is provided to electrostatically support the substrate against the substrate splicing member during processing. The material to be deposited onto the substrate is placed and supported on the substrate and at the top of the chamber. A plasma composed of a gas such as argon is supplied between the targets. The ions that are biased to accelerate the ions in the plasma to the target will evict the target material. The ejected material is attracted to the plate and a layer of material is deposited on the substrate. Conditioning operations such as burn-in processes, pasting, and/or cleaning are performed periodically to ensure the processing performance of the P V D chamber. During the process, the dummy substrate or the shutter is placed on the substrate to prevent the substrate support from being contaminated by any deposit or particles. The utility model generally includes a shutter storage space for storing the shutter during processing, and further includes a robot arm to transfer the shutter to the shutter storage space and the substrate for conditioning operation. At the time of deposition, the shutter is left in the storage space of the P V D chamber and covers the substrate support during the conditioning operation. The gap between the shutter and the arm used to transport the shutter will increase the complexity of the PVD chamber. Figure 1A shows a prior art PVD processing chamber 1 〇. The PVD 10 includes a chamber body 2 and a lid assembly 6, which defines a ventable chamber body 2 that generally includes a side wall and a bottom surface $4. The side walls are typically provided with perforations 'including access ports' pumping ports and shutter openings 56 (not shown for the spring feed ports). The sealable access port allows the substrate 12 to enter and exit the PVD process. The pumping port is connected to the pump system (also not shown), and is supported by the venting and control system. The material is usually fixed to the substrate and the material. The rushing towards the cleaning operation is in the PVD PVD chamber plate support. The storage space and the volume of the body treatment chamber are volume. Multiple ports and chambers 10. The volume of the volume of 200913115. The shutter opening 56 allows at least a portion of the shutter 14 to pass when the shutter 14 is in the clear position. The outer casing 16 generally covers the shutter opening 5 6 to maintain the vacuum of the process volume. The cover assembly 6 of the body 2 generally supports the annular shroud 62 thus suspended to support the shadow ring 58. The shadow ring 58 is typically used to limit deposit formation to a portion of the substrate 12 that exposes the center of the shadow ring 58.

The cover assembly 6 further includes a target 64 and a magnetron 66. The target 64 provides material to be deposited onto the substrate 12 during P V D processing, and the magnetron 66 improves the uniformity of consumption of the target material upon processing. Power source 84 is relatively biased toward target 64 and substrate support 4. Gas source 82 supplies a gas (e.g., argon) to process volume 60. A plasma composed of a gas is formed between the substrate 12 and the target 64. The ions in the plasma accelerate toward the target 64, causing the material to evict the target 64. The ejected target material is attracted to the substrate 12 and the material layer is deposited on the substrate 12. The substrate support 4 is generally disposed on the bottom surface 54 of the chamber body 2 to support the substrate 12 during processing. The shutter member 8 is typically disposed adjacent to the substrate support 4. The shutter member 8 generally includes a blade 18 for supporting the shutter 14 and an actuator 26 coupled to the blade 18 by the shaft 20. The vane 18 is generally moved between the clear position of the 1A drawing and the second position where the shutter 14 is substantially concentric with the substrate support 4. In the second position, the shutter 14 can be transferred to the substrate support 4 (using the lift pins) during target aging and chamber sticking. When the target is aged and the chamber is pasted, the blade 18 is typically returned to the purge position. The actuator 26 can be any device as long as it can rotate the shaft 20, thereby moving the blade 18 between the clear position and the second position. Figure 1B is a top cross-sectional view of the PVD processing chamber. Fig. 1B shows the outer casing 16 of the 2009 200915 corresponding to the shutter 14, the blade 18 and the substrate support 4. Therefore, the conventional P VD processing chamber with built-in shutter storage and transfer members is not only complicated, but also bulky. Multiple processing chambers of a clustered tool typically require a shutter to be used - or multiple steps. #, Multiple chambers with shutter storage and transfer components will significantly increase the footprint and cost of cluster tools.

Therefore, the clustered workers are in the same way as the efficient storage of the shutter storage and transmission components.

[Inventive method. The extension of the special chamber is connected to the transmission: a rack having a processing chamber configured to dispose the chamber, thereby substantially recognizing, in the present invention, wherein the processing chamber of the extension chamber is provided with a substrate The transfer substrate is moved back and forth between the chambers; the substrate transport rack and the one or more direct or another real room components of the present invention are configured to include: a plurality of interconnects for processing The clustered tool of the semiconductor substrate has a connection to < extends to include a shutter holder for storing the shutter in the standby. For example, the main frame year for cluster tools: the transfer chamber of the robot' substrate transfer machine. Moving on - or a plurality of direct or indirect connection and occlusion frame, use the slab to be used for the disk'. The mantle D'J enters; ^ The manipulator is able to pass the wheel - or multiple cover plates ^ indirectly connected to the transfer chamber ' 3 y between the processing chambers. The embodiment proposes a chamber for a main cavity of a group of central robots, and the central robot: two: main, or multiple, 8 200913115 moves back and forth between a plurality of chambers connected to the main chamber And an extension chamber of the chamber and a shutter frame placed in the extension chamber, wherein the cover is shielded to support one or more shutters therein, and the central robot is mountable. Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a cluster tool configured to process half, comprising: a chamber having a first central robot therein; a first extension chamber connecting the first transmission chamber, and a first extension chamber Wherein the first shutter frame supports one or more shutters, the central robot can enter the first shutter frame; is connected to the first transfer chamber processing chamber; and the load lock chamber connected to the first extension chamber Modes The present invention generally proposes the use of a multi-chamber processing system processing base and method. Embodiments of the present invention include a main frame, a transfer chamber of the main frame wrapper transfer robot, and an extension chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention that provides a low pressure environment for the main frame, further comprising a shelf for storing a processing chamber for connecting the main frame Cover. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cluster tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The cluster tool 100 includes a plurality of coupled single mainframes, and the cluster tool 100 includes a front end environment 1〇2 (also referred to as a worker FI) that is selectively coupled to the load lock chamber 104. One or more of the front end environments 102 are docked. One or more pods 101 are used to transport the substrate. The working interface robot 103 is disposed in the front end environment 102. The robot 103 is used to transport the substrate to the first piece and the first one of the first transmission of the box member 101 and the load lock to the main tray. Or multi-board equipment with a main control base extension chamber. And support the flat processing room to be 100 00. The interface or piece 101 is coupled to store and transmit. Working room 104 9 200913115. The load lock chamber 1 〇 4 serves as the front end environment 1 0 2 and the main frame 1 1 vacuum interface. The inner region of the main frame 110 is generally maintained in a vacuum to form an intermediate region for the substrate to be moved from one processing chamber to another. In one embodiment, the main frame 110 is divided into two sections to reduce the footprint of the tool 1 〇 0. In one embodiment of the invention, the main frame includes a transfer chamber 108 and a vacuum extension chamber 107. The transfer chamber 108 and the extension chamber 107 are coupled to each other, and when the internal processing is performed in the main frame 110, the internal volume of the main frame 110 is generally maintained at a low pressure or state. The load lock chambers 104 are connected to the front end environment 102 and the vacuum extension chamber 107 through slit valves 106, respectively. The transfer chamber 1 〇 8 is used to accommodate the central robot 1 0 9 and serves as a gateway for the replication chamber and/or passthrough chamber, an additional main frame and an expanded cluster tool 1 〇 〇. In one embodiment, the transfer chamber 108 is a multi-layer having a plurality of side walls, a bottom surface and a cover. A plurality of side walls are provided with perforations and are connected to the processing chamber, vacuum and/or passage chamber. The horizontal profile of the transfer chamber 108 of Fig. 2 is square coupled to the process chambers 111, 112, 113 and the vacuum extension chamber 107. In the example, the transfer chambers 1 〇 8 are connected to the process chambers 111, 112, 113 through slit valves 1 16 , 1 1 7 , 1 1 8 , respectively. In one embodiment, the center 1 09 is attached to the mechanical jaw at the bottom of the transfer chamber 108. The central robot 109 is disposed in the inner volume of the transfer chamber 108 and horizontally orients the state of the substrate Π4 between the processing chambers 111, 112, 1] 0 and the L/ or negative cluster 110 vacuum extension volume. The vacuum 105 is connected to the load-locking chamber 104 through a vacuum extension chamber 107 by a selective robot. Suitable robots are described in more detail in US Patent No. 5,469,035, the name "Two-axis magnetically coupled robot", and the application filed on August 30, 1994. U.S. Patent No. 5,447,409' Name "Robot assembly", application filed April 11, 1994, and US Patent No. 6,3,79,095, "Robot for handling semiconductor" The applications filed on April 14, 2000, are hereby incorporated by reference. In one embodiment, the central robot 109 includes two blades for holding the substrate, each of the blades being mounted on a robot arm that is independently controlled and coupled to the base of the same robot. In another embodiment, the central robot 109 is used to control the vertical height of the blade. The vacuum extension chamber 107 serves as an interface between the vacuum system and the transfer chamber 1〇8. In one embodiment, the vacuum extension chamber 107 includes a bottom surface, a cover and a plurality of side walls. A pressure regulating port 11 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the vacuum extension chamber 107 for switching to a vacuum pumping system, such as a low temperature pump, which can be used to maintain a high vacuum of the transfer chamber 1 〇 8. If a smaller vacuum pump is required, the setting pressure 埠1 1 5 can be omitted. The smaller vacuum pump can be coupled to the transfer chamber 108 via a smaller opening in the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 108. It should be noted that the vacuum extension chamber 107 only needs to be wide enough for the substrate to pass, so the vacuum extension chamber 107 is much smaller/narrower than the transmission chamber 108. The opening may be provided in the side wall such that the vacuum extension chamber 107 communicates with the transfer chamber 108, and in turn selectively connects the chamber to which it is connected, such as a load lock chamber, a passage chamber and/or a processing chamber. 11 200913115 In an embodiment, the cluster tool 100 benefits

An Al ^ physical 瑕 * phase deposition (PVD) process is used to deposit the film onto the semiconductor substrate. The PVD process is usually carried out in a sealed chamber... ^ Λ 蚵 to the pedestal with the support substrate on it. The pedestal generally includes a substrate support member that is provided with electrodes to electrostatically hold the substrate against the substrate support during processing. The target typically contains the material to be deposited onto the substrate and is supported on the substrate and is typically attached to the top of the chamber. A plasma composed of a gas such as argon is formed between the substrate and the target. The target is biased to accelerate the ions in the plasma to the target. Ions that impact the target will drive out of the target material. The eviction material is layered on the substrate by the Μ王|board.

Conditioning operations such as aging processes, pasting and/or cleaning operations are performed periodically to ensure the processing performance of the PVD chamber. During the conditioning operation, the imitation substrate or shutter is placed on the pedestal to prevent the substrate support from being contaminated by any deposits or particles. The conventional V D chamber generally includes an entire shutter storage space for storing the shutter during PVD processing, and includes a robot arm for transferring the shutter to the shutter storage space and the substrate support for conditioning operation. During deposition, the shutter remains in the shutter storage space of the PVD chamber' and covers the substrate support during conditioning operations. The shutter storage space and the robotic arm used to transport the shutter will increase the complexity and volume of the PVD chamber. In one embodiment of the invention, the vacuum extension chamber 1 〇 7 includes a shutter frame for misaligning one or more shutters, which is further described in the third Β-Β. The PVD chamber connecting the transfer chamber 108 places its shutter on the shutter holder' and transmits the shutter with the central robot 109. It is also understood that the pvD chamber can share one or more shutters. In one embodiment, the shutter frame is used to store a shutter for use in the various processing chambers that are connected to the transmission chamber 108. The shutter holder placed in the vacuum extension chamber can also be used to store, 伫5 or accommodate other discs for the system. In addition, the shutter holder can be used to assist in quick access to components of any substrate type, such as reusable 300 mm (mm) discs. The vacuum extension chamber of the present invention provides space for processing as a checkpoint or cooling/heating station. In an embodiment, the shutter frame can be used as a charging station to calibrate the substrate with 1 (v i s i ο η ). The visual calibration substrate is a repeatable component on which one or more wireless cameras are located. The visual calibration base measures, inspects, and calibrates the clustered volume accessible to the central robot, including the transfer chamber, extension chamber, load lock chamber, pass chamber, and visual calibration substrate. It can also be used to calibrate the central robot. For details of the visual calibration, see U.S. Patent No. 7, 〇 8 5, 6 2 2. The application entitled "Vision System", which is hereby incorporated by reference for the purpose of A wireless camera that has power to allow the camera to be wirelessly transported in the clustered tool's internal volume. The wireless camera's power is charged outside the clustered tool. The charged visual calibration substrate is typically fed into the cluster from the front end environment while processing is stopped. After the task is completed or the power is exhausted, the vision tool of the collective tool is calibrated. In one embodiment of the invention, the contacts are disposed in one or more slits of the shutter frame to charge the visual calibration base. One or more vision calibration substrates are placed on the shutter holder and are ready for use. Measurements using a vision calibration substrate are less disruptive than cluster processing. Boards and/or storage and other boards that are also used visually during the system can be used with the content room. The substrate sensing system 1 〇 can be charged. The refilling group takes out the group, and the electric board is ready for use. 13 200913115 Place the shutter in the main frame of the cluster tool to eliminate the area specified in the processing chamber for the shutter and for transmission and / Or monitoring the components of the shutter to simplify the processing chamber where the shutter is needed and reduce the cost of the chamber. Placing the visor in the main frame of the cluster tool improves airflow and electrical power and enhances processing. In addition, because the processing chamber is small, the overall volume of the cluster tool is also reduced, so all costs are low. In one embodiment, the cluster tool 100 includes a pre-cleaning chamber, a PVD chamber, and a degassing chamber connected to the transfer chamber 108° of the processing chambers 111, 112, 113. FIG. 3A is a second diagram of the cluster tool 100 of FIG. Sectional side view. The vacuum extension chamber 107 includes a movable shutter frame 122 that can be used to support at least one shutter 123. In one embodiment of the invention, the load lock chamber 104 includes an upper load lock chamber 104a stacked above the lower load lock chamber 104b. The upper load lock chamber 1 0 4 a and the lower load lock chamber 1 0 4 b can be independently operated independently, so that the substrate can be simultaneously transferred between the front end environment 102 and the main frame 110 in both directions. The load lock chambers 10a' 104b pass through the slit valves 105a, 106a, 1 0 5 b, and 1 0 6 b as the first vacuum interface between the front end environment 1 0 2 and the main frame 110. In one embodiment, the two load lock chambers 1a, 4b, 104b increase throughput by alternately communicating the main frame 110 and the front end environment 102. When a load lock chamber 104a or 104b communicates with the main frame 110, another load lock chamber 104a or 104b can communicate with the front end environment 102. In an embodiment, the load lock chamber 104a or 104b can be used as a processing chamber, such as a degassing chamber, an inspection station, a preheating chamber, a cooling chamber, or a curing chamber. Example 14 200913115 If the fixed barrier can be used instead of the M & eight-tube slit valve 105b, the lock chamber 1 0 4 b can only open the main frame 1丨η. Before the degassing, the phase hand 1 09 can use the slit valve 106b to move back and forth to the dragon. The slab enters and exits 104b °. Refer to the 3A diagram. The inner total of the main frame 1 1 〇 is defined by the inner volume of the true ^ 11 9 The content of 11 9 cars ' (1) transport transmission room product 120. The opening 128 is disposed in the transmission chamber 1〇8蛊', and has an empty extension opening 128 communicating with the vacuum extension chamber 107 and the transfer chamber 108, allowing the central robot 109 to move the substrate back and forth to the seal. The lock vacuum system 125 is coupled to the vacuum extension chamber. 1〇7, and raise the low-pressure environment with the content of 12〇. Mechanical member 126 108. Transfer chamber log and vacuum extension 1 ιλλ The cookware II is extended to Μ7 to be constructed to extinguish the footprint of 100. For cluster-type work and cool bombing, when the transmission of t 0 2 "work", system (such as low temperature true) 阜 f degree (usually "emptiness", the transfer chamber U transfer wheel chamber has both mechanical transfer members The vacuum of the system is _. The mechanical Tan-like vacuum is set in the satellite position of the auxiliary Fu to the Ganduo mechanical gong, leaving the mechanical transmission 槿 Du Li to leave the product and the large content. The wheel chamber is at the age of the treatment chamber because of the load lock chamber and/or around the transfer chamber, so the transfer chamber has a large area of the ground borrowing/tool. The large footprint will be too straightforward. The example proposes to connect the vacuum system to the working degree and does not significantly increase the transfer chamber and the cluster work so that the lower load 'central mechanical load lock chamber: the extension chamber 107 10 8 content: between 10 7 and the size Sufficient room 104 〇: internal volume 1 1 9 coupled to the transmission chamber small cluster workers f need to maintain the usual large mechanical 皡 and use near the center, enough space to have a large occupied ground through the room configuration towel Chang increase the cluster transmission room To obtain a product with a floor covering 15 200913115. By making separate extensions Room "Outsourcing (square square u t s u r c i n g) '' regulator port 'can minimize the size of the transfer chamber and can be precisely placed in the space size of the center robot. The extension chamber size depends on the size of the vacuum system required. The total area of the transfer chamber with only the mechanical raft and the extension chamber with the mechanical raft is much smaller than that of the transfer chamber with vacuum 埠 and mechanical 埠. When the extension chamber is placed in the load lock chamber around the transfer chamber, the footprint of the cluster tool is more pronounced as the cluster tool is placed around the reduced transfer chamber. It should be noted that the extension chamber size is usually much smaller than the size of the transfer chamber. This is because the size of the extension chamber only needs to pass the substrate, but the transfer chamber generally needs to accommodate the central robot. Further, the internal volume of the transfer chamber and the extension chamber of the present invention is small compared to the conventional transfer chamber. This allows for rapid pumping and requires less energy and a smaller, less expensive pump to maintain vacuum. In one embodiment, the indicator 124 is coupled to the movable shutter frame 122 and is used to vertically move the shutter frame 122. When the center robot 109 moves in and out of the load lock chamber 104 via the lower portion of the inner volume 119, the movable shutter frame 122 can be disposed above the inner volume 119 of the vacuum extension chamber 107. The indicator 124 causes the shutter frame 122 to be lowered to the lower portion of the inner volume 119, allowing the central robot 109 to pick up the shutter on the movable shutter frame 122 or to lower the shutter to the movable frame 122. Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of a cluster tool 100a having a main frame 11a according to an embodiment of the present invention. The main frame 110a includes a vacuum extension chamber 133 provided with a holder 135 for storing one or more shutters. The load lock chamber 1 3 0 is used as the front end environment 1 0 2 and the main frame 1 1 0 a 16

C 200913115 The first vacuum interface. In the embodiment, the load locks the upper substrate support members 1 3 I and Ί 132 in the load lock chamber 13 . Upper substrate support Dry I3i and lower substrate support 132 plates. In one embodiment, the #upper substrate support member 131 and the lower substrate are respectively used to support the substrate that is moved in and out of the soil. The upper substrate support substrate support 1 32 includes a heated state or cooler structure such as a built-in gate to heat or cool the substrate during transport. . The inner volume of the main frame 110a is defined by a vacuum extension chamber, and the inner volume 128a of the inner volume i34 connected to the transfer chamber 1〇8 is disposed between the transfer chamber 1〇8 and the vacuum extension chamber to communicate the vacuum extension chamber 133 and the transfer chamber 1〇8. And the size of the hand 109 moves the substrate back and forth into and out of the load lock chamber 13 and the holder 1 3 5 of the extension chamber 1 3 3 . In one embodiment, when the central robotic cassette 9 enters and exits the load lock chamber 13 via the internal transfer substrate, the inner space 134 of the holder i empty extension chamber 133 is lowered. In an embodiment, the mount 135 includes a support finger extending from the inner volume 》. Note that the embodiment in which the robot 109 can be suspended in the transfer chamber can include a retrograde 3A map that can be moved vertically or in the z direction. The support ankle 27 supports the cluster frame 110. The support legs 127 support the chambers in which the main frame 110 is connected longitudinally and laterally. The weight of at least a portion of each support leg 127 phase, including the transfer chamber 108, the vacuum extension 3 堆叠 includes a stack of substrate support members for supporting the support member 1 3 2 pieces 1 3 1 and the lower temperature control characteristics ϊ internal volume 1 34 1 2 0. Opening. The opening 128a is for the central machine to pick up the vacuum extension 134; 5 can be placed on the top wall of the opposite side of the true 1 3 4 . This is a robot. The main 1 1 0 with 100 and the main frame 1 extensions 107 and 17 200913115 optionally include a processing chamber connected thereto. Each support leg 127 can be adjusted vertically to adjust the level of the main frame 110 and its associated chamber. The support legs 127 are coupled to the main frame 110 and/or the side walls of the chambers that connect the main frames 110 to laterally support the cluster tool 1 〇 . In one embodiment, each support leg 127 includes a foot 127b that connects the tubular body 127a. The steel pipe main body 127a is coupled to the main frame 110. The foot 127b is used to contact the ground and can be adjusted by the corresponding steel tube body 127a. The vertical dimension of the support foot 127 can be adjusted by changing the foot 127b to provide a tolerance for supporting the cluster tool. In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3C-3D, the main frame 110 is supported by four support legs 1 2 7 that are individually mounted on opposite sides of the main frame 110. The two supporting legs 1 2 7 are individually fixed to the side walls of the transmission chamber 108, and the two supporting legs 1 2 7 are individually fixed to the side walls of the vacuum extending chamber 107. In another embodiment, the two support legs 127 are disposed adjacent the junction area of the vacuum extension chamber 107 and the load lock chamber 1 〇4. In one embodiment, the side walls of the main frame 110 are provided with recesses for engaging the support legs 127. Bolts can be used to secure the respective support legs 127 to corresponding positions of the main frame 110. The screw holes 318, 319 shown in Fig. 4E are provided in the chamber body 301 for fixing the support legs to the recesses 309. Figure 3C is a partial bottom perspective view of one embodiment of the support foot of the cluster tool 100 of Figure 3A. As shown in Figure 3C, the cluster tool 100 is supported by four separate support legs 127丨_4. The support legs 127!_4 are each independently mounted on the cluster tool 100. FIG. 3C illustrates a central structure 160 including a transfer chamber 108 and a vacuum extension chamber 107, and a load lock 18 200913115 fixed chamber 104. Others from the central structure 1 60 support the cluster type 1 〇 4 and the vacuum extension is used to laterally support the inner chamber 108, and the connected support legs 1 2 7 can balance the support of the cluster central structure 160. The partial bottom of the example is vertically mounted on the load-locking relative to the general collection tool support base, which is generally a conventional base to be assembled, and the conventional base is assembled. Traditional base problems, so that they are often used. Compared to traditional costs. Because of the support 'foot' caused this. Each support or other adjustments such as the process chamber, the passage chamber, and the front end interface extend. The support foot 127!_4 is coupled to the central structure 160 tool 100. A pair of notches 161 are provided in the bottom wall near the joint area of the load lock chamber 107. The support leg 127 of the recess 1 is provided. A pair of notches 162 are provided in the transfer support legs 1 2 7 3.4. The notch 1 6 2 is also laterally supported. The recesses 161, 162 can be configured to support the foot 127 tool 100, including the central structure 160 and/or the chamber. Another solid foot diagram of the guest tool 3A cluster tool 100. In this embodiment, the foot 1 27 chamber 104 or the side wall of the vacuum extension chamber 107 is supported. Including the traditional base of the embossed support, the independent support foot design has several advantages. Bulking and supporting multiple components of a clustered tool The high precision required for semiconductor process is costly. Connecting to multiple components of the cluster tool, and therefore generally causing the clear use of other components of the cluster tool or the removal of the substrate components of the substrate, the independent support legs of the present invention are greatly reduced. Manufactured so that feet that reduce the high-precision structure are typically coupled to a component, making it easier to adjust the water. The support feet are not limited to a specific cluster tool. However, the room 6 1 Hi 1-4 is connected to the group Ο another difficult to remove the low structure 19 200913115 造. When changing one or more components (such as a load lock chamber), there is no need to change the support feet. Furthermore, the support legs of the present invention are easier to transport. Fig. 4A is an exploded side view of the transfer chamber 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The transfer chamber 300 can be used as the transfer chamber 1 0 8 of the 2nd and 3rd A-B diagrams. The transfer chamber 300 includes a chamber body 301 having a top wall 313, a plurality of side walls 314, and a bottom wall 315. The chamber body 301 defines an internal volume 312 (Fig. 4C) to accommodate a substrate transport device, such as a robot. In one embodiment, the central robot is provided with a mechanical bore 304 on the bottom wall 315 of the transfer chamber 300. The transfer chamber 300 further includes a chamber cover 302 for sealing the opening 3 0 3 in the top wall 3 1 3 of the chamber body 301. The opening 3 0 3 facilitates the installation and/or maintenance of the substrate transport device. In one embodiment, the chamber cover 302 is coupled to the chamber body 301 by a seal ring 317 and a plurality of bolts 307. The chamber cover 302 can be provided with a set of handles 3 0 8 . In one embodiment, the chamber body 301 has a rectangular cross section and includes four side walls 314. Each side wall 31 is provided with an opening 305. The opening 305 selectively connects the inner volume 312 and the processing chamber, load lock chamber and/or vacuum extension chamber coupled to the transfer chamber 300. A seal tube 306 is disposed about the opening 305 that houses a seal ring (not shown) to maintain a pressure barrier boundary around the inner volume 312. Figure 4A illustrates a processing chamber 390 according to an embodiment of the invention, which is provided in the transfer chamber 300 by a chamber 埠 assembly 370. The chamber 埠 assembly 370 serves as an interface between the transfer chamber 300 and the processing chamber 390. In one embodiment, the chamber 3 assembly 370 covers the slit valve assembly 380 to open and close the substrate opening 392 through the sidewall 391 of the processing chamber 390. The substrate opening 392 provides access for the substrate to enter and exit the processing chamber 390. In addition, the chamber raft assembly 370 allows the openings 305 of the transfer chamber 30020 200913115 to be mismatched with the substrate openings 3 92 of the process chamber 390. The chamber jaw assembly 370 includes a body 371 with a transfer chamber opening 3 72 open toward the side of the body 371. The transfer chamber opening 3 7 2 is configured to cover the opening 305 of the transfer chamber 300. The transfer chamber opening 372 connects the chamber opening 373 on the other side of the body 371 to define the passage of the substrate through the chamber 埠 assembly 370. The chamber opening 373 is aligned with the substrate opening 392 of the processing chamber 390. A sealing tube 377 is disposed outside the substrate opening 392 to accommodate a seal ring (not shown) to prevent leakage of the chamber 埠 assembly 370 and the process chamber 390. The slit valve assembly 380 generally includes a slit valve 382 that is activated by the actuating member 381 to move the slit valve 382 to the open and closed positions. The slit valve assembly 382 of the slit valve assembly 380 is located inside the chamber opening 373 and selectively connects and detaches the transfer chamber opening 372 and the chamber opening 373, and selectively connects the transfer chamber 300. And processing chamber 3 90. In one embodiment, a plurality of bolts 3 74 are used to secure the chamber 埠 assembly 370 and the transfer chamber 300. In one embodiment, the seal ring 374 is placed in a sealing tube 306 that surrounds the opening 305 between the transfer chamber 300 and the chamber jaw assembly 370 to fluidly separate the interior region and transmission of the chamber chamber assembly 360. The external environment of the room 300. A plurality of bolts 373 and a seal ring 394 are used to mount the process chamber 390 and the chamber jaw assembly 370. In addition, the transfer chamber opening 372 provides additional space for receiving the robot tip within the transfer chamber 300 as the blade rotates horizontally (this will be further described in Figure 4B). The extra space of the chamber 埠 assembly 307 further reduces the size of the transfer chamber 300, thereby reducing the system footprint. In one embodiment, the 21 200913115 chamber 埠 assembly 370 includes one or more sensors for detecting substrates and/or mechanical components within the transfer chamber opening 372. Figure 4 illustrates a light source 376 and a light receiver 375 that acts as a sensor to detect substrates and/or mechanical parts. It should be noted that the load lock chamber can be coupled to the side wall 314 of the transfer chamber 300, either directly or through a chamber 埠 assembly of a similar chamber 3 assembly 370. In one embodiment, the two recesses 309 are disposed adjacent the corners of the bottom wall 315. Notch 309 is used to receive support foot 360. The support foot 360 receives the weight of the transfer chamber 300 and at least a portion of its erecting elements. The support leg 306 can be fixed to the transfer chamber 300 by a bolt 361. The notch 309 provides two planes to support the support leg 360° laterally. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the fourth transfer chamber 3 00. Figure 4C is a cross-sectional side view of the fourth transfer chamber 300. Referring to Figure 4C, the chamber body 301 can be constructed of cast aluminum and defines an internal volume 312 for movement by the built-in central robot. In one embodiment, the size of the inner volume 3 1 2 can be minimized to fit the movement space of the robot. Figure 4E is an elevational view of the transfer chamber 300 of Figure 4A with a central robot 3 16 in a rotational mode. The central robot 3 16 includes upper and lower blades 329 and 330 of the individual independent transfer substrates 331. The central robot 316 is rotatable about the z-axis, along the z-axis, and parallel to the X-y plane. Other suitable robots can also be used in the transfer chamber 300. The central robot 316 can also be suspended from the top wall 3 1 3 of the transfer chamber 300 in response to other structural changes. During processing, the central robot 316 extends from the upper blade 329 or the lower blade 330 through the opening 3 0 5 ' on the side wall 3 1 4 of the transfer chamber 300 to retrieve the substrate in the processing chamber/load lock chamber connecting the transfer chamber 300, Or a shutter that is stored in the vacuum extension chamber of the transmission chamber 300 22 200913115. The central robot 316 can be moved vertically (i.e., along the z-axis) to align the upper blade 3 29 or the lower blade 3 3 0 with the target substrate or shutter. Once the substrate/mask is picked up, the central robot 316 retracts the inner volume 312 of the upper blade 329 or the lower blade 330 to the transfer chamber 300 and rotates the upper blade 329 or the lower blade 330 within the inner volume 312 to cause the upper blade 329 or The lower blade 330 is aligned with the opening 305 to connect the chamber of the target substrate/cover. The central robot 316 then extends the upper blade 329 or the lower blade 330 into the target chamber and lowers the substrate/cover. It is desirable to minimize the internal volume 3 1 2 of the transfer chamber 300 to reduce system footprint and reduce control environment volume. In one embodiment, the inner volume 312 of the transfer chamber 300 is defined to match the moving envelope defined by the circles 324, 325 of Figures 4B and 4C for the central robot 3 16 to perform the desired function. The cylindrical moving envelope includes a large central portion (the radius of the circle 325) and a smaller upper and lower portion (the radius of the circle 3 24). The inner volume 3 1 2 and the additional space of the chamber 埠 assembly 370 and the large intermediate portion of the vacuum extension chamber 305 connecting the transfer chamber 300 (the dotted line 3 1 1 indicates the radius range) partially covers the large central portion of the moving envelope unit. In one embodiment, the moving envelope includes the space required for the central robot 316 to rotate and move vertically. The moving envelope is substantially cylindrical and has an enlarged intermediate portion (indicated by circle 325) for the tips of the blades 329, 330 to rotate internally. Thus, the inner volume 312 is substantially cylindrical, with a radius range indicated by the dashed line 310 and an enlarged intermediate portion (the radius is indicated by the dashed line 3 1 1). To further reduce the size of the transfer chamber 300, a portion of the enlarged intermediate portion (indicated by circle 3 2 5) can be placed outside of the transfer chamber 300 and extended into the vacuum extension chamber and / 23 200913115 or the chamber connecting the transfer chamber 300 The chamber assembly 370, such as the transfer chamber opening 372 of the chamber 埠 assembly 370. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4C, the radial clearance 327 between the inner volume 312 and the moving envelope is about 0.25 inches and the vertical voids 326, 3 2 8 are about 0.33 inches. In one embodiment, a software constraint can be used with the control system to leave the central robot 136 within the moving envelope. Fig. 4D is a bottom view of the transfer chamber 300 of Fig. 4A. One or more heater cartridges 320 are provided to the bottom wall 315 for connection to the card heater to heat the chamber body 301 during processing. The meter 321 can be disposed on the bottom wall 315. Meter 埠3 21 is used to transfer sensors, such as pressure sensors. An optional pressure regulating port 322 and a venting opening 323 may also be provided in the bottom wall 315 to connect a suitable pumping device. The meter 埠3 2 1 , the pressure regulation 埠 3 2 2 and the vent hole 3 2 3 can be sealed when not in use. Figure 4F illustrates an embodiment of a vacuum extension chamber 350 that is coupled to a side wall 314 of the transfer chamber 300. In one embodiment, the vacuum extension chamber 350 provides additional space for the transfer chamber 300 to connect the vacuum system to maintain the vacuum state of the internal volume of the transfer chamber 300 during processing while reducing transmission. The volume of the chamber 300 and the overall internal volume of the main frame. The vacuum extension chamber 350 also provides for the robot within the transfer chamber 300 to enter the working interface via the load lock chamber or to enter another transfer chamber via the passage chamber. The pressure regulation 埠 3 5 4 for transferring the vacuum pump (low temperature pump) is set to the bottom wall 3 5 5 of the vacuum extension chamber 350. The opening 3 5 1 connecting the transfer chamber 300 is provided on the side wall 3 5 3 of the vacuum extension chamber 350. When the vacuum extension chamber 350 is installed at the 24 200913115 transmission chamber 300, the side wall 3 5 3 of the vacuum extension chamber 350 is fixed to the side wall 3 1 of the transmission chamber 300 by, for example, a plurality of bolts 325. . The opening 3 5 1 is aligned with the opening 305 to assist in fluid communication and/or substrate passage between the transfer chamber 300 and the vacuum extension chamber 350. In one embodiment, the seal ring 356 is placed in a sealed tube 306 surrounding the opening 305 to fluidly separate the interior region of the vacuum extension chamber 350 from the external environment of the transfer chamber 300.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a cluster tool 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention having a transfer chamber. The cluster tool 400 includes a transfer chamber 401 that is similar to the transfer chamber 300 of FIG. 4A. The transfer chamber 40 1 is connected to the vacuum extension chamber 4 〇 8, which is further connected to the load lock chamber 4 1 0 by means of a slit valve assembly 409. The three processing chambers 406 are coupled to the transfer chamber 401 through a chamber chamber assembly 407 (which is similar to the chamber 埠 assembly 3 70 of FIG. 4A). The transfer chamber 401 defines an internal volume 402, and during processing, the vacuum system is maintained by a pumping system coupled to the vacuum extension chamber 408. Vacuum extension chamber 408 can be used to store one or more shutters to be used in processing chamber 406. The central robot 403 is provided in the inner volume 402 of the transfer chamber 401. The central robot 403 is used to transport the substrate and/or the shutter between the processing chamber 406, the vacuum extension chamber 408 and the load lock chamber 410. The central robot 403 includes an upper arm 405 and a lower arm 404 each having a blade for carrying a substrate or a shutter 411. As shown in Fig. 5A, the upper arm 405 and the lower arm 404 are both located in the transfer chamber 401. Figure 5B is a plan view of the cluster tool 400 of Figure 5A with the central robot 403 in the transfer chamber 401 rotated an angle from the central robot 403 shown in Figure 5A. The central robot 403 can rotate the two arms 404, 405 together or individually within the inner volume 402. 25 200913115 Figure 5C is a plan view of the cluster tool 400 of Figure 5A with the lower arm 404 of the central robot 403 proximate to the vacuum extension chamber 408 that connects the transfer chamber 401. Figure 5D is a plan view of the cluster tool 400 of Figure 5A with the lower arm 404 of the central robot 403 passing through the vacuum extension chamber 408 into the load lock chamber 410 that connects the transfer chamber 401. Figure 5E is a plan view of the cluster tool 400 of Figure 5A with the upper arm 405 of the central robot 403 proximate to the processing chamber 406 that is coupled to the transfer chamber 401. Figure 6A is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 is coupled to the transfer chamber of the transfer chamber 300 of Fig. 4A and serves as an interface between the transfer chamber and the load lock chamber, and communicates the transfer chamber and the vacuum system. The vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 includes a body 501 defining an inner volume 512 (Fig. 6B), a top plate 502 placed on the top wall 527 of the main body 501, and a frame cover 504 disposed on the top plate 502. The pressure regulation 埠 5 1 4 is provided on the bottom wall 5 2 8 of the main body 501. The pressure regulation 15 1 4 connects the vacuum pump 508' to provide an inner volume 512 and a low pressure environment in fluid communication with the inner volume 512. In one embodiment, the opening 5 1 3 is provided in the top wall 5 27 of the body 501. The inner volume 512 can be accessed from the opening 513 when the vacuum pump is installed and/or serviced. As shown in Fig. 6A, the top plate 502 covers the opening 5 1 3 of the top wall 527. The top plate 502 is provided with a slit valve opening 5 1 9 and a frame opening 5 2 0. The slit valve opening 5 19 is used to mount the slit valve 506. The shelf opening 520 places the movable 26 200913115 rack 503 in a predetermined height within the inner volume 512. In one embodiment, the chamber opening 5 10 is disposed in the side wall 520 to the transmission chamber 3 〇 例如 of the fourth drawing. Chamber opening 5 j to the chamber and providing access to the mechanical leaf of the robot in the transfer chamber

Board and / or cover. Therefore, the width of the chamber opening 51〇 is usually slightly larger than the maximum substrate diameter to be processed. The height of the chamber opening 51〇 depends on the range of movement of the sheet. In one embodiment, the load lock chamber opening 51 is disposed on the side wall 530 of the side. The load lock chamber opening 5 1 1 selectively connects 5 1 2 and one or more load lock chambers that couple the side walls 5 2 9 . In the 'one or more slit valves, the selective seal load lock chamber opening is not shown in FIG. 6A. The slit valve opening 515 is provided on the bottom wall 528. The threshold 507 is placed in the inner volume 512' and the negative opening 5 is selectively sealed. 1 1. In the case of "Zhao Youshan", the two slit valves 5 0 6 , 5 0 7 load lock chamber opening 511 male = Ml selectively communicates the inner product 512 and the second negative j

In one embodiment, the cover 504 is placed over the top plate 502. The cover 504 provides a frame 5〇3 that moves the space of the internal volume 512. The movable frame 5〇3 is used to support one or more shutters for connecting to the processing chamber of the transfer chamber, and the transfer chamber is connected to the chamber assembly 50 〇. In a Pu'er, the mountain in the embodiment of the 'movable frame 503 pack pillars · 5 2 1, the vertical 夂 、, a ', each ', one or one eve of the support finger-shaped semi-supporting fingers Object 522 supports the edge of the shutter. / In one embodiment, the non-apparatus 505 is placed over the shelf cover ' movable shelf 503 connecting the indicator 504. The shaft 532 is spliced from the indicator to the splicing of the splicing base. The clustered working machine wall 5 29 is connected to the inner volume - embodiment 5 1 1. For example, 'use the slit load lock chamber to use the negative lock chamber. The sealing frame can store and cover the disk. The vacuum extension contains two relative 3 pieces 522. 505 ° refers to the 5 0 5 extension 27 200913115 The movable frame 503 is connected through the hole 557 of the frame cover 504. The shaft 532 is moved vertically to vertically move the movable frame 503, thereby adjusting the height of the movable frame 503. In one embodiment, a notch 533 is provided in the bottom wall 528 to accommodate a separate support 509. In one embodiment, the windows 516, 517 are provided on the side walls 531, 534 of the body 501 for viewing the interior space of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500. A transparent material such as quartz can be used to seal the windows 516, 517. ζ - Figure 6 is a side view of the 6th cut vacuum extension chamber assembly 500. A partially illustrated transfer chamber 551 is coupled to the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500. The transfer chamber 515 is in fluid communication with the internal volume 512 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 via the chamber opening 5 1 0 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 and the opening 554 of the transfer chamber 551. The load lock chamber 5 5 5, 5 5 6 connects the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500 of the opposite side of the transfer chamber 5 5 1 . The load lock chambers 5 5 5, 5 5 6 are connected to the inner volume 512 by slit valves 525, 526, respectively. The mechanical blades 552, 553 in the transfer chamber 551 enter the load lock chambers 555, 556 via the internal volume 512 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500. 1, / As shown in Fig. 6B, the movable frame 503 is retracted to the upper portion of the inner volume 512 to empty the passage for the mechanical blades 552, 553 to extend past the movable frame 503 to the load lock chambers 555, 556. Figure 6C is a cross-sectional side view of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500, wherein the movable frame 503 is in the lower position. The movable frame 503 is positioned by an indicator 505 located at the lower portion of the inner volume 512 such that the mechanical blades 552, 553 can pick up and lower the shutter 523 to the support finger 522. By vertically moving the movable frame 503 or at least one of the mechanical blades 552, 553, the transmission of the mechanical blades 552, 553 and the movable frame 5〇3 can be completed 28 200913115. The body 501, the top plate 502, the frame cover 504, and the movable frame 5〇3 may be made of a suitable material. In one embodiment, the body 5〇1, the top plate 5〇2, the frame cover 504, and the movable frame 5〇3 are constructed of cast aluminum. It should be noted that the indicator 5〇5 may be disposed at a lower portion of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 500, and the vacuum pump 508 may be disposed at an upper portion. Figure 7A is a view of the movable frame 5 03 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The movable frame 503 includes a chassis ". and a chassis Μ. an extension post 521. The two struts 521 can be disposed on opposite sides of the chassis 580. One or the support finger member 522 extends from the post 521. The extension from the opposite post (3): two The set of indexing members 522 are used to support the vicinity of the edge of the shutter. In the embodiment, the vertical spacing of the adjacent supporting finger members 522 can be adjusted so that the mechanical blades pick up or lower the shutter 522. The bridge is placed on the pillar Between 521. 芊 bridge 5 = finger-like transfer of the movable frame 5. 3. 81 face-to-face indicator 5: Figure 2 shows the support finger according to the invention - embodiment _ 522a directly supports the vicinity of the edge of the visor. 522b illustrates that the supporting finger member contacts the gusset member 52. The upper surface of the supporting finger member 52 is provided with two contact struts 585. Particle contamination. Contacting the shutter and providing the tip support '...reduced. In the embodiment, the contact post 5 85 (including the substrate supporting the rolled metal material, such as tantalum nitride (SiN). The 8A layer I method" 600 The vacuum extension of the embodiment of the present invention, and the solid frame The vacuum extension chamber assembly 6 〇〇 connection 29 200913115 is the transfer chamber of the transfer chamber 300 as shown in Fig. 4A, and serves as an interface between the transfer chamber and the load lock chamber, and communicates the transfer chamber and the vacuum system. The vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 includes a defined internal volume. The main body 601 and the top plate 602 of the 617 (Fig. 8B). The pressure regulating crucible 607 is disposed at the bottom wall 606 of the main body 601. The pressure regulating crucible 607 is connected to the vacuum system 612 to provide an inner volume 617 and is in fluid communication with the inner volume 61 7 The volume is a low pressure environment. In one embodiment, the sensor 613 is disposed in the vacuum system 612 outside the body 610 for monitoring the state of the vacuum system 612. In one embodiment, the opening 614 is provided. The top wall of the body 610. When the vacuum system 612 is installed and/or serviced, the inner volume 617 can be accessed from the opening 614. The top plate 602 is used to seal the opening 614. In one embodiment, the chamber opening 6 0 3 Provided on a side wall 615 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 to couple a transfer chamber, such as transfer chamber 300 of Figure 4A. The chamber opening 603 is configured to provide fluid communication with the transfer chamber, And provide access to the robot (usually located in the transmission room) The mechanical blade transports the substrate and/or the shutter. The width of the chamber opening 603 is typically slightly larger than the maximum substrate diameter processed by the cluster tool. The height of the chamber opening 603 is such that the robot exchanges the substrate between the frame and the mechanical blade and/or Depending on the operating range of the shutter, in one embodiment, the load lock chamber opening 604 is disposed on the side wall 605 opposite the side wall 61. The load lock chamber opening 604 selectively connects the internal volume 6 1 7 And one or more load lock chambers coupled to the side walls 605. Slit valve opening 608 extends through bottom wall 606 to place slit valve 609 into internal volume 617. Slit valve 609 selectively seals load lock chamber opening 604. In one embodiment, the shutter frame 616 is disposed within the inner volume 617 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600. The shutter frame 616 is used to support one or more shutters. Cover 30 200913115 The disc can be used to connect the processing chamber of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 through the transfer chamber. The shutter frame 6 16 is located in a portion of the inner volume 161 such that the passage between the chamber opening 603 and the load lock chamber opening 604 can remain clear to allow the robot to enter the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600. In one embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8B, the shutter frame 616 is disposed at the lower portion of the inner volume 617, and the load lock chamber opening 604 is disposed at the upper portion of the inner volume 617. The chamber opening 603 is of a height sufficient for the mechanical blades to move vertically into the chamber opening 603 and the shutter frame 616. In one embodiment, the shutter frame 616 includes two opposing struts 618 each having one or more support finger members 6 1 9 extending therefrom. The support finger member 6 1 9 supports the vicinity of the edge of the shutter. The support finger member 6 1 9 of this embodiment is similar to the 7B-C diagram. In one embodiment, the finger member 619 includes a roller contact for supporting the shutter. In one embodiment, the window 6 1 1 is disposed through the side wall 260 of the body 610 for viewing the interior space of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600. A transparent material such as quartz can be used to seal the window 611. The main body 601, the top plate 602, and the shutter frame 616 can be made of a suitable material. In one embodiment, body 601, top plate 602, and shutter frame 616 are constructed of cast aluminum. Figure 8B is a cross-sectional side view of the main frame of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 of Figure 8A. The transfer chamber 6550 is connected to the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600. The internal volume 654 of the transfer chamber 650 is in fluid communication with the internal volume 617 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 via the chamber opening 603 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 and the opening 655 of the transfer chamber 650. The load lock chamber 660 connects the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 to the opposite side of the transfer chamber 650. The load lock chamber 660 includes a substrate support 31 200913115 struts 661 for supporting one or more substrates. The load lock chamber 660 slit valve 610 selectively connects the inner volume 617. The central robot is disposed within the internal volume 654 of the transfer chamber 650. Central Robot 651 Pack Mechanical Blades 6 5 2, 6 5 3. The central robot 615 is configured to operate the blades 652, 653 into the load lock chamber 660 via the internal volume 617 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600 and to receive the shutter frame 616 located below the volume 617 of the vacuum extension chamber assembly 600. As shown in Fig. 8B, the mechanical blades 652, 653 are actuated by the carriage 616 and moved toward the load lock chamber 660 to pick up the substrate 622. The narrow door 61 is moved to the open position to allow the mechanical blades 6 5 2, 6 5 3 to enter the load chamber 660. Figure 8C is a cross-sectional side view of the main frame of Figure 8B, wherein the robot 651 positions the mechanical blades 652, 653 in a lower position to vacuum the shutter 621 on the shutter frame 616 of the chamber assembly 600. Figure 9 is a plan view of a cluster tool 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the cluster tool 200 of Figure 9. The collective tool 200 includes a plurality of processing chambers coupled to a second transfer chamber frame. The cluster tool 200 includes a front end environment 202 that selectively couples the lock chamber 204. One or more boxes 201 are coupled to the front end environment 202. A plurality of cartridges 210 are used to store the substrates. The working interface robot 2 0 3 sets the environment 202. The working interface robot 203 is used to transfer the substrate between the cassette and the load lock chamber 204. The load lock chamber 204 serves as a front end environment 202 and a first transfer chamber that utilizes a flat upper portion of the upper portion of the mechanical upper portion of the upper portion of the upper portion of the upper portion of the upper portion. The group's main connection is negative or in front: 201 component 32 200913115 2 1 0 vacuum interface. The inner volume of the first transfer chamber assembly 210 is generally maintained in a vacuum to form an intermediate region for the substrate to be moved from one chamber to the other and/or to the load lock chamber. In an embodiment, the first transfer chamber assembly 210 is divided into two portions. In one embodiment of the invention, the first transfer chamber assembly 210 comprises a transfer chamber 208 and a vacuum extension chamber 207. The transfer chamber 208 and the vacuum extension chamber 207 are coupled to each other. During processing, the internal volume of the first transfer chamber assembly 210 is generally maintained in a low pressure or vacuum state. The load lock chambers 2 0 4 are connected to the front end environment 202 and the vacuum extension chamber 207 through slit valves 2 0 5, 068, respectively. In one embodiment, the transfer chamber 202 is a polygonal structure having a plurality of side walls, a bottom surface, and a cover. A plurality of side walls are provided with perforations and are connected to the processing chamber, the vacuum extension chamber, and/or the passage chamber. The transfer chamber 208 of Fig. 9 is square or rectangular and is coupled to the process chambers 211, 213, the passage chamber 231, and the vacuum extension chamber 207. The transfer chamber 208 is selectively connectable to the process chambers 211, 213 and the passage chamber 231 through slit valves 216, 218, 217, respectively. In one embodiment, the central robot 209 is disposed on a mechanical jaw on the underside of the transfer chamber 208. The central robot 209 is disposed in the inner volume 22 of the transfer chamber 208 and moves the substrate 214 back and forth between the processing chambers 211, 213, the passage chamber 231, and the load lock chamber 204. In one embodiment, the central robot 209 includes two blades for holding the substrate, the blades being each mounted on a robot arm that is controlled by the sink and coupled to the base of the same robot. In another embodiment, the central robot 209 can move the blades vertically. The vacuum extension chamber 2 0 7 serves as an interface between the vacuum system and the first transfer chamber assembly 2 1 0 . In one embodiment, the vacuum extension chamber 207 includes a bottom surface, a 33 200913115 cover and a plurality of side walls. The pressure regulator is disposed on the bottom surface of the vacuum extension chamber 207 to transfer the vacuum pump system. An opening may be provided in the side wall to allow the vacuum extension chamber to communicate with the transfer chamber 208 to selectively connect the load lock chamber 204. In one embodiment, the cluster tool 200 utilizes a physical vapor phase (PVD) process to deposit a film layer onto a semiconductor substrate. Conditioning operation The imitation substrate or the cover is placed on the pedestal to prevent the substrate support from being deposited. In one embodiment of the invention, the vacuum extension chamber 207 includes a shutter frame 222 (shown in Figure 10) with one or more shutters 223. The processing chamber, or indirectly connected to the transfer chamber 208, places its shutter on the cover 222 and transmits the shutter with the central robot 209. The cluster tool 200 further includes a second transfer chamber assembly 230 that connects the first transfer chamber assembly 210 through the chamber 231. In one embodiment, the chamber 2 31 is similar to the load lock chamber and serves as an interface for the two process environment. In the example, the chamber 2 3 1 serves as a vacuum interface between the first transfer chamber assembly 2 10 and the second chamber assembly 2 30 . In one embodiment, the second transfer chamber assembly 203 is divided into two portions of the footprint of the cluster tool 200. In one embodiment of the invention, the second transfer chamber assembly 230 includes a transfer chamber 233, an air extension chamber 232, coupled to each other. During processing, the contents of the second transfer chamber assembly 230 are maintained in a low pressure or vacuum state. The chambers 2 3 1 are connected to the transfer chamber 208 and the vacuum extension chamber 232 through the narrow 217' 238, respectively, to maintain the pressure in the chamber 208 at a different degree of vacuum. In one embodiment, the transfer chamber 233 has a plurality of side walls, one, with a 207 deposition chamber, the dirt is stored for direct storage through the tray, where it is transferred for retraction, and the true product is separated by a slit valve. 200913115 A polygonal structure with a cover. A plurality of side walls are provided with perforations and are connected to the processing chamber, the vacuum extension chamber, and/or the passage chamber. The transfer chamber 233 of Fig. 9 is square or rectangular and is lightly coupled to the process chambers 235, 236, 237 and the vacuum extension chamber 232. The transfer chamber 233 is selectively connectable to the processing chambers 235, 236, 237 through slit valves 241, 240, 239, respectively. The center robot 234 is disposed on the mechanical cymbal on the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 233. The central robot 234 is disposed in the inner volume 249 of the transfer chamber 233 and moves the substrate 214 back and forth between the processing chambers 235, 236, 237 and the passage chamber 231. In one embodiment, the central robot 234 includes two blades that are used to hold the substrate. The blades are each mounted on a robot arm that is independently controlled and coupled to the same robot base. In another embodiment, the central robot 234 can move the blades vertically. In one embodiment, the vacuum extension chamber 232 serves as the interface between the vacuum system and the second transfer chamber assembly 203. In one embodiment, the vacuum extension chamber 2 3 2 includes a bottom surface, a cover and a plurality of side walls. The pressure regulating crucible is disposed on the bottom surface of the vacuum extension chamber 2 3 2 to transfer the vacuum system. An opening may be provided in the side wall to extend the vacuum to the 232 communication transfer chamber 233' for selective connection to the passage chamber 231. In one embodiment of the invention, the vacuum extension chamber 232 includes a shutter frame 243 (shown in Figure 10) for storing one or more shutters 223. The processing chamber, which directly or indirectly connects the transfer chamber 233, places its shutter on the shutter holder 243' and transmits the shutter with the central robot 234. In one embodiment, the cluster tool 200 is used to perform a PVD process. The processing chamber 21 1 may be a pre-cleaning chamber to perform a cleaning process prior to the p v D treatment. The processing chambers 235, 236, 237 can be PVD chambers that utilize a physical vapor deposition process to deposit a film onto the substrate. The processing chamber 213 may be a degassing chamber '35 200913115 to degas and clean the substrate after the deposition process is performed in the PVD chamber. In one embodiment, the design of the transfer chambers 2 0 8 , 2 3 3 is similar to the 4A - 4 F map. The configuration of the transfer chambers 208, 233 can reduce the footprint of the cluster tool 200 and individually connect the vacuum system through a separate vacuum extension chamber. The design of the vacuum extension chambers 2 0 7 , 2 3 2 is similar to the vacuum extension chamber assemblies 500, 600 of Figures 6A - 6 C and 8A-8C. As shown in Fig. 10, the load lock chamber 204 includes an upper load lock chamber 204a stacked above the lower load lock chamber 204b. The upper load lock chamber 204a and the lower load lock chamber 205b can be independently operated independently so that the substrate can be transferred bidirectionally between the front end environment 202 and the first transfer chamber assembly 210. The load lock chambers 204a, 204b serve as a first vacuum interface between the front end environment 202 and the first transfer chamber assembly 210. In one embodiment, the two load lock chambers 204a, 204b increase throughput by alternately communicating the first transfer chamber assembly 210 with the front end environment 202. When a load lock chamber 204a or 204b communicates with the first transfer chamber assembly 210, another load lock chamber 204a or 204b can communicate with the front end environment 202. In one embodiment, the load lock chambers 204a, 204b are batch load lock chambers that are capable of receiving two or more substrates from the working interface, retaining the substrate while the chamber is sealed, and then discharging to a low vacuum for transmission The substrate is to the first transfer chamber assembly 2 1 0. The inner volume of the first transfer chamber assembly 210 is defined by the inner volume 219 of the vacuum extension chamber 207, and the inner volume 219 is coupled to the inner volume 220 of the transfer chamber 208. The opening 2 2 8 is provided between the transfer chamber 208 and the vacuum extension chamber 207. The opening 228 communicates with the vacuum extension chamber 207 and the transfer chamber 208 and is of sufficient size to allow the central robot 209 to move the substrate back and forth into and out of the load lock chamber 2〇4. The vacuum system 225 is coupled to the vacuum extension chamber 2〇7 and provides an inner volume 2b and an inner volume 220 as a low-grinding environment. Mechanical member 226 is coupled to transfer chamber 208. Transfer chamber 208 and vacuum extension chamber 2〇7 are constructed to reduce the footprint of cluster tool 200. On the one hand, the load lock chamber can transfer substrates simultaneously in both directions, increasing system throughput. The other-side stack of load lock chambers requires a larger vertical approach space. In order to enable a robot such as the central robot 2〇9 to enter the load lock chambers 2〇4a, 20 and the shutter frame 222, the shutter frame 222 of the vacuum extension chamber 2〇7 is made into a vertically movable type <; The indicator 224 is attached to the shutter frame 222' U to vertically move the shutter frame 222 to a position where the robot is unobstructed to move through the vacuum extension 1 2〇7. The indicator can lower the shutter frame 222 to the lower portion of the inner volume 219, so that the central robot 209 connecting the shutter frame 222 picks up the shutter on the shutter frame 222 or lowers the shutter to the shutter frame 222 as shown in FIG. It is shown that the chamber 231 serves as an interface between the first transfer chamber assembly 21 and the second transfer chamber assembly 230, and the [the first and second transfer chamber assemblies 210, 230 have different degrees of vacuum. In an embodiment, the temperature control substrate support 246, 247' is included through the chamber 231 to prepare the substrate for subsequent processing steps. In an embodiment, the substrate fulcrum W can be heated while cooling the substrate fulcrum member 247. The inner volume of the second transfer chamber assembly 230 is defined by the inner volume 248 of the vacuum extension chamber 232. The inner volume 248 is coupled to the inner volume 249 of the transfer chamber. The opening 244 is provided between the transfer chamber 2S3 and the vacuum extension chamber. Open 37 200913115 Port 244 provides a vacuum extension chamber 2 passage and is sized to allow the central robot to::: fluid chamber 231 between chambers 233. Moving the substrate back and forth through the vacuum system 242 couples the vacuum extension internal volume 249 - a low ink ring to the sub-provided internal volume 248 and the transfer chamber (1) and the vacuum extension chamber unit 24 5 (four) to the transfer chamber - 200 ,,, Constructed to reduce the footprint of the cluster tool 2〇〇. If the transfer chamber 讦讳悴D 姑田甘1 white is kept at the same vacuum, then only one of the vacuum systems can be used. As shown in Fig. 10, the vacuum tray Λ to 232 of the shutter frame 243 is fixed. The shutter frame 2 is placed in the vacuum extension and the central robot 234 is 248 via the content 232. The upper part of each product 248 is used to transport the substrate in and out to 2 3 1 . It should be noted that any processing chamber that passes through the connection can be replaced by a chamber and/or an extension chamber, so that the group 曰 曰 γ fruit tool can be Another transfer chamber is added. As shown in Fig. 10, the support fork 227 supports the cluster tool 200. The support legs 2 2 7 longitudinal and lateral support] the fork support main frame and the cluster tool 2 Each of the support legs 227 can be 锢敕+士一+. The circumference is vertical. The support legs 227 are coupled to the transfer chambers 208, 233, the vacuum extensions to the 207, 232, and/or the load lock chamber 2 0 4 and through the side of the chamber 2 3 1 , | ^ 4 , wrongly laterally supporting the cluster tool 200. In a consistent embodiment, the four oblique λ 0 ΪΚ η, Ο, for the support foot 227 is used to support the cluster Tool 200. - Pair of support legs 227 _ connected to the rear end of transfer chamber 2 () 8, (1) (away from front end environment 202). Transfer chamber 2G8' 23 3 The end is provided with a recess for supporting the support leg 227 laterally. The support leg 227 is coupled to the engagement area adjacent to the load lock chamber 204 and the vacuum extension chamber 207. The other pair of support foot couplings 38 200913115 are adjacent to the passage chamber 23 1 The joint area with vacuum and 彳曱 to 232. Compared with the support frame, the independent branch feet of the soil 1 not only greatly reduce the cost, but also provide greater flexibility of the system. The cluster tool can also be transported according to the requirements and assembled independent support feet. The figure is a perspective view of the cluster tool 200 of Figure 9, which is provided with a transport bracket 260 for engaging the support foot 227 and the transport tool (such as a fork). Shaped lifts) 'to transport all or part of the assembled cluster tool. One or more 传输 transport bracket 260 light pick up fish #, , tool 200, to transport the whole or part of the installed cluster In the embodiment of the coupling, each of the transfer brackets 26 is connected to a pair of independent support legs 227. The U-picture shows a transfer bracket 26 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The elongated body of the 260, the basket 261 is composed of a rigid material Such as steel and Ming. To reduce weight, hosting

Body 261 can be a rectangular or square tube. The second lift opening 262 is located near the M code at both ends of the main body 261. The lift opening 262 serves as an interface for lifting tools such as fork lifts. Value #士士 1 ^ The two-lift opening of the support bracket 260 262 The spacing is suitable for the lifting tool, and the δ is the distance between the lifting and the lifting. In one embodiment, the independent support has the foot 227 bolted into one or more of the holes 263 of the body 261 and inserted into the carrier. The frame 260 0 can be elongated to provide a distance between the pair of support legs 227. The tolerance of change. Referring back to the first and second figures, the second transmission bracket 260 is coupled to the independent support leg 2 of the cluster tool 200 and is substantially close to the substantially aligned sweating port 262. The lifting tool can pass through two or more transfer brackets to raise the opening, such as to enclose and transport the cluster tool. The transmission bracket of the present invention provides a connector assembly (e.g., independent support 39 200913115 foot) interface and a rugged structure during transmission. Transfer brackets can be easily attached to cluster tools and removed for shipping and handling. The transfer bracket allows the cluster tool to use a separate support foot, allowing the cluster tool to be easily transported with simple, unobstructed support components and a rugged construction. Although the invention has been described with respect to a P V D process application, the cluster tool of the present invention can be used in other suitable processes. While the present invention has been described above by way of a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the invention, and the present invention may be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of protection is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to make the above-described features of the present invention more apparent and easy to understand, reference may be made to the accompanying embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments of the invention are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. . Figure 1A is a cross-sectional side view of a prior art PVD processing chamber. Figure 1 B is a top view of a prior art PVD processing chamber. Figure 2 is a plan view of a cluster tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional side view of a cluster tool having a vacuum extension chamber including a movable shelf for storing a shutter, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 40 200913115 Figure 3B is a cross-sectional side view of a cluster tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention having a vacuum extension chamber including a holder for storing a shutter. Figure 3C is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the embodiment of the support foot of one of the cluster tools of Figure 3A. Figure 3D is a partial bottom perspective view of another embodiment of the support foot of the cluster tool of Figure 3A. Figure 4A is a perspective view of the bottom of the transfer chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4B is a top view of the transfer chamber of Figure 4A. Figure 4C is a cross-sectional side view of the transfer chamber of Figure 4A. Figure 4D is a bottom view of the transfer chamber of Figure 4A. Figure 4E is an elevational view of the transfer chamber of Figure 4A with a central robot in a rotating mode. Figure 4F is an elevational view of the transfer chamber of Figure 4A coupled to the vacuum extension chamber of the present invention. Figure 5A is a plan view of a cluster tool having a transfer chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5B is a plan view of the cluster tool of Figure 5A with the central robot in the transfer chamber in a rotating mode. Figure 5C is a plan view of the cluster tool of Figure 5A with the central robot in the transfer chamber approaching the extension chamber connecting the transfer chamber. Figure 5D is a plan view of the cluster tool of Figure 5A with the central robot in the transfer chamber entering the load lock chamber that connects the transfer chamber. Figure 5E is a plan view of the cluster tool of Figure 5A with the central robot in the transfer chamber 41 200913115 approaching the processing chamber connected to the transfer chamber. Fig. 6A is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum extension chamber having a movable frame in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6B is a cross-sectional side view of the vacuum extension chamber of Figure 6A. Figure 6C is a cross-sectional side view of the vacuum extension chamber of Figure 6A with the movable frame in a lower position. Figure 7A is a perspective view of the movable frame of Figure 6A. Figure 7B illustrates a support finger member in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7C illustrates a support finger member in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8A is an elevational view of a vacuum extension chamber having a mounting bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8B is a side view of the carrier surface provided with the main frame of the vacuum extension chamber of Fig. 8A. Figure 8C is a cross-sectional side view of the main frame of Figure 8B with the robot picking up the shutter of the vacuum extension chamber. Figure 9 is a plan view of a cluster tool in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the cluster tool of Figure 9. Figure 11A is a perspective view of the cluster tool of Figure 9, with a carriage bracket. FIG. 1 1 B illustrates a transfer bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate similar elements. The components employed in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments without particular detail. 42 200913115 [Description of main component symbols] 2, 261, 301, 371, 501, 601 main body 4, 131, 132, 246, 247, 661 support 6 cover assembly 8 shutter member 10, 111, 112, 113, 211, 213, 235, 236, 237' 390, 406 processing chambers 12, 114, 214, 331, 622 substrates 14, 123, 223, 411, 523, 621 shutter 16 housings 18, 329, 330, 552, 553, 652, 653 blade 20, 532 shaft 26 actuator 314, 353, 391, 529, 530, 531, 534, 605, 615, 620 side wall 54 bottom surface 56 shutter opening 58 shielding ring

60, 119, 120 ' 134, 219 ' 220, 248, 249, 312, 402 ' 512 ' 617 > 654 volume 62 shield 64 target 66 magnetron 8 2 gas source 84 power source 100, 100a, 200 ' 400 Cluster tool 101, 201 box 102' 202 front end environment 103, 109, 203, 209, 234 '316, 403, 651 robot 43 200913115

104, 104a, 104b '13 0' 204 · '204a, 204b, 4 10, 555 660 load lock chambers 105, 106, 116, 117, 118 slits 105a, 105b, 106a, 106b, 205, 206, 216, 2 17, 2 18 23 9 > 240 > 241, 506, 507, 609 slit valve 107 ' 133 > 207 ' 232, 3 50, 408 extension chamber 108, 208, 23 3, 3 00, 401 ' 55卜 6 5 0 transfer chamber 110' 110a main frame 115, 322 ' 3 54 ' 5 14 , 607 pressure regulation 122 , 135 > 222 ' 243 , 503 , 616 rack 124 , 224 ' 505 indicator 125 , 225 ' 242 , 612 vacuum system 126 ' 226 ' 245 mechanical components 127, 127,. 4 ' 227 ' 36C 丨, 5 09 struts 127a steel pipe body 127b feet 128, 128a, 228, 244, 262, 303, 3 0 5 , 351 ' 372 392, .510, 511, 513, 515 > .519, 520 ' 554 , 603 608 , 614 , 655 opening 160 central structure 161 , 162 , 309 , 533 210 , 230 transmission chamber assembly 231 through chamber 260 Bracket 263 Hole 302 Room Cover 304 Mechanical 埠306, 377 seal ^ tube 307, 352, 361, 374, 393 bolt 5 56, 23 8 ' 373 ' 604, notch 44 200913115 308 handle 313 ' 527 top wall 317, 356, 378, 394 seal 318 ' 319 screw hole 321 Meter 324 '325 Circle 3 70 > 407 Chamber 埠 Assembly 376 Light source 381 Starting member 4〇4, 405 Arm 502, 602 Top plate 508 Pump 521, 5 8 5 ' 61 8 Pillars 522, 522a, 522b &gt 619 means 5 57 hole 581 bridge 310' 311 dotted line 315, 355 '528, 606 bottom wall ring 320 heater 埠 3 23 venting holes 326, 327, 328 clearance 3 75 light receiver 3 8 0 ' 409 slit valve Assembly 382 '525 > 526 > 610 Η 5 00 '600 Extension chamber assembly 504 Cover 516, 517, 611 Window member 5 80 Chassis 613 Sensor 45

Claims (1)

200913115 X. Patent application scope: 1. A mainframe for a cluster tool, comprising at least: a transmission chamber, a substrate transmission robot, and a substrate transmission robot configuration Moving the substrate back and forth between one or more processing chambers directly or connected to the transfer chamber; and a shutter tray configured to store one or more shutters to be used for the one or more processes, Wherein the substrate transport robot can enter the mask, the substrate transport robot being capable of transporting the one or more shutter trays and directly or indirectly connected between the one or more of the transfer chambers. 2. The main frame of claim 1, wherein the base robot is configured to move the substrates over a range of movement extending across the shutter frame. 3. The main frame of claim 1, further comprising an extension chamber of the transmission chamber, wherein the shutter frame is disposed on the extension 4. The main frame as described in claim 3, Further comprising a load lock chamber or a pass chamber of one of the extension chambers, wherein the load lock chamber or the main frame of the extension chamber is connected to the transfer chamber and a front end environment The tray in the indirect connection chamber is connected back and forth to the chamber in the transmission of the shielding chamber. Connected to the through chamber, the internal volume 46 200913115 provides a robotic path between the load lock chamber or the passage chamber and the transfer chamber to the substrate transfer robot. 5. The main frame of claim 4, wherein the shutter frame is located in the inner volume of the extension chamber and away from the robot channel. 6. The main frame of claim 4, wherein the shutter frame is movably disposed in the inner volume of the extension chamber. 7. The main frame of claim 6, further comprising an indexer coupled to the shutter frame, wherein the indicator is configured to be vertically within the inner volume of the extension chamber Move the shutter holder. 8. The main frame of claim 3, wherein the transfer chamber is in fluid communication with the extension chamber, and a vacuum pump is transferred to a pressure regulation port on a bottom surface of the extension chamber to provide The transfer chamber has a low pressure environment. 9. The main frame of claim 1, wherein the shutter frame comprises: a first pillar; a second pillar disposed opposite the first pillar; and one or more pairs of supporting finger members (finger) extending from each of the first leg and the second leg, wherein the one or more pairs of supporting finger members form a 47 200913115 or a plurality of slits, and each slit is used to support a cover plate. The main frame of claim 9, wherein the supporting finger member comprises two contact balls configured to contact a rear side of a shutter. 11. A transfer chamber assembly for a cluster tool, comprising: a main chamber having a central robot therein, wherein the main chamber is configured to connect to a plurality of chambers, and the central robot Configuring to move one or more substrates back and forth between the chambers connected to the main chamber; an extension chamber connected to the main chamber; and a shutter frame disposed in the extension chamber Wherein the shutter frame is configured to support one or more shutters therein, and the central robot can enter the shutter frame. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 11, wherein the main chamber and the extension chamber form a single vacuum seal region. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 12, wherein a low pressure crucible is formed in the extension chamber for connection to a vacuum system. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 11, wherein the shutter frame is disposed in a first portion of an inner volume of the extension chamber, and the one of the internal contents of the 48 200913115 extension chamber The second portion is configured to provide a transfer chamber assembly of the central robot into a load lock chamber or a passage chamber of the extension chamber. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 14 wherein the The shutter frame is placed at the lower part of the inner volume. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 14, wherein the shutter frame is movably disposed in the inner volume of the extension chamber. 1. The transfer chamber assembly of claim 16, further comprising an indicator coupled to the shutter frame, wherein the indicator is configured to vertically move the shutter frame within the extension chamber such that The central robot can enter the shutter frame. 18. A cluster tool for processing a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a first transfer chamber having a first central robot therein; a first extension chamber coupled to the first transfer chamber, the first a first shutter frame is disposed in the extension chamber, wherein the first shutter frame is configured to support one or more shutters thereon, and the first central robot can enter the first shutter frame; one or more a processing chamber connected to the first transfer chamber; and a load lock chamber connected to the first extension chamber. 49. The method of claim 18, wherein the clustering tool of claim 18 further comprises: a passage chamber connected to the first transfer chamber; and a second transfer chamber having a second central robot therein, wherein a second transfer chamber is coupled to the pass chamber; and one or more processing chambers are coupled to the second transfer chamber. 20. The cluster tool of claim 19, further comprising a second extension chamber disposed between the passage chamber and the second transfer chamber, wherein the second extension chamber comprises A second shutter frame is disposed therein, and the second central robot can enter the second shutter frame. 21. The cluster tool of claim 18, wherein the first shutter frame is movably disposed in the first extension chamber. 22. The cluster tool of claim 18, further comprising a pump system coupled to the first extension chamber, wherein the pump system is configured to maintain the first extension chamber and the first The transfer chamber is in a low pressure environment. 50