TW201922604A - Vacuum treatment apparatus and method of vacuum treating substrates - Google Patents

Abstract

A vacuum treatment apparatus comprises a substrate handling chamber (1) and a substrate vacuum treatment chamber (3). Within the substrate vacuum treatment chamber (3) a multitude of substrate holders (5) are arranged along a surface locus of a cone body of rotation, namely of a cylinder with a cone angle of 0 DEG. The substrate handling chamber (1) communicates via a substrate handling slit (7) in one plane (E1) with a vacuum treatment chamber (3) and by a substrate handling slit (9) in a second plane (E2) with a substrate accommodation chamber (12). The first plane (E1) is parallel to a tangential plane on the surface locus along which the substrate holders (5) reside in the vacuum treatment chamber (3). This plane (E1) intersects the second plane (E2). The substrate handler (16) handles substrates between the two intersecting planes (E1, E2).

Description

   Vacuum processing equipment and method for vacuum processing substrate   

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus in which a plurality of substrate holders are arranged in a vacuum housing along at least one circular trajectory on a surface trajectory of a rotating cone (such as a rotating cylinder). The vacuum housing is provided with at least one vacuum processing station for processing a substrate, and the substrate holder passes through the processing station by rotating around an axis of a surface trajectory of a rotating cone (for example, a rotating cylinder) relative to the processing station. The substrate is positioned on the substrate holder so that, for example, the extended surface of the plate-shaped substrate extends along a tangent plane of the surface locus.

According to, for example, EP 1 717 338, a substrate is loaded onto and unloaded from a substrate holder by a substrate handler in a substrate handling chamber. The carrier is adapted to transport the substrates from a position in the substrate carrying chamber to the substrates along the extended surface of the substrates along a first plane that is parallel to a tangent plane on a cylinder, wherein the substrates Extending along a second plane, the second plane is parallel to a tangent plane on the cylinder.

According to, for example, JPS6039162 or JPS60238479, the substrate is loaded into or unloaded from the substrate holder in a moving direction perpendicular to the extending surface of the substrate.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative vacuum processing equipment.

This is achieved by a vacuum processing equipment, which includes: a controlled substrate carrier; a substrate vacuum processing chamber containing a plurality of substrate holders, the substrate holders follow a surface trajectory of a cone The cone has a cone axis and a cone angle α, for which the following is true: 0 ° α 60 °, and the substrate holders are adapted to hold the substrate, the center normal on the surfaces of the extended substrates is perpendicular to the surface trajectory, and the substrate vacuum processing chamber further includes a distance from the surface trajectory and the at least one circular trajectory The aligned at least one vacuum processing station, the at least one circular trajectory is a circle on the surface trajectory in a first plane perpendicular to the cone axis.

The plurality of substrate holders are commonly and the at least one vacuum processing station is driveably rotatable relative to each other about the cone axis.

The substrate carrier is in communication with the vacuum processing chamber for substrate transportation.

The controlled substrate carrier is adapted to move a substrate into or out of one of the substrate holders along all planes of the surface of the substrate along the extended surface of the substrate, and to move out along a second plane that intersects the tangent plane Or move the extended surfaces to a position.

Definition:

a) Under "surface trajectory of a cone", we understand it as the trajectory of a conical surface of a geometric cone.

b) The substrate is usually plate-shaped, flat or dome-shaped. "Extended surface" of a substrate. We understand those substrate surfaces in a substrate that do not extend through the thickness of the substrate.

c) We further understand cylinders as special cases of cones, that is, cones with a cone angle of 0 °.

d) In terms of cone angle, we understand the angle between the axis of the cone and the surface of the cone.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the cone axis is vertical.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the cone angle is at least about 0 °, and therefore the cone is at least about a cylinder.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, the second plane is at least approximately perpendicular to the cone axis.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is in communication with the vacuum processing chamber via a valve for substrate transportation.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is in communication with the vacuum processing chamber via a load-lock for substrate transportation. Therefore, the substrate carrier can reside in a pressure environment different from the pressure applied in the vacuum processing chamber, and can even reside in the atmospheric environment.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is located in an atmospheric environment or a vacuum environment.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the substrate carrier is located in a chamber.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the substrate handler is located in a specific substrate handling chamber.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier communicates with the vacuum processing chamber via a slit for substrate transportation. Therefore, this communication can be achieved via a slit valve.

An embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention includes at least one substrate receiving chamber in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the controlled substrate carrier is more suitable for carrying substrates from the at least one substrate receiving chamber toward the vacuum processing chamber along the second plane.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, instead of or in addition to the embodiment just mentioned, the controlled substrate carrier is more suitable for directing the substrate from the vacuum processing chamber toward the substrate along the second plane. Storage room handling.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is in communication with the at least one substrate receiving chamber via a valve for substrate transportation.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is in communication with the at least one substrate receiving chamber via a load lock for substrate transportation.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate carrier is in communication with the at least one substrate receiving chamber via a slit for substrate transportation. Therefore, this communication can be achieved via a slit valve.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the at least one substrate receiving chamber is a load lock chamber.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the vacuum processing chamber contains more than one vacuum processing station.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, the at least one vacuum processing station is fixed.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least some of the substrate supports include a substrate support and a holding frame. In relation to the tapered axis, substantially radially outward from the substrate support and the holding frame is drivably moved toward and away from the substrate support, leaving a space at a first position farther away from the substrate support In order to align a substrate with the substrate support by the substrate carrier, and bias a substrate on the substrate support or toward the substrate support at the second position near the substrate support.

In one embodiment of the device according to the invention, at least some of the substrate supports include a substrate support and a holding frame. In relation to the tapered axis, substantially radially inward from the substrate support and the holding frame is drivably moved toward and away from the substrate support, leaving a space at a first position farther away from the substrate support In order to align a substrate with the substrate support by the substrate carrier, and bias a substrate on the substrate support or toward the substrate support at the second position near the substrate support.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the vacuum processing chamber does not include an etching station, and the substrate carrier is in communication with an etching station for substrate transportation.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the vacuum processing chamber does not include an etching station, and at least one of the at least one substrate receiving chamber is an etching station.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate handler is located in a substrate handling chamber including a pumping port.

An embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention includes a buffer chamber which is in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation.

An embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention includes a buffer chamber which is in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation, and the buffer chamber is one of the at least one substrate receiving chamber.

In one embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, we call it Example A. A substrate handler, which may be located in a specific substrate handling chamber, communicates with the vacuum processing chamber via a vertical substrate carrying first slit in a vertical plane, so that The substrate is conveyed, and the second slit is transported through a horizontal substrate in a horizontal plane, and communicates with the substrate accommodating chamber. The substrate accommodating chamber is used to accommodate at least one substrate in a horizontal position.

The above-mentioned vertical plane is a tangent plane parallel to the surface track of the cylinder. A controllably driven substrate carrier is adapted to transfer a substrate from a horizontal position to a vertical position, and vice versa to transfer a substrate from a vertical position to a horizontal position.

In one implementation of Example A, the second slit, ie the horizontal slit, is equipped with a vacuum slit valve. In this case and in another implementation of the processing apparatus according to the present invention, the substrate accommodating chamber, such as a substrate accommodating chamber for accommodating at least one substrate, is a load lock chamber.

In another example of Example A, the vacuum processing chamber includes more than one vacuum processing station. These stations are arranged along a circle about a vertical cylindrical axis and coaxial with the vertical cylindrical axis, and are considered to be far away from the substrate holder in a radial direction with respect to the vertical cylindrical axis, and further considered to be relative to the above An axial direction of the vertical cylindrical axis is aligned with at least a part of the substrate holders.

In general, in embodiments of the apparatus according to the present invention, and also in various implementations of Example A, the vacuum processing station, as an example and most generally, may include an etching chamber, such as PVD or CVD or PECVD or ALD deposition Layer deposition chamber, and degassing or cooling chamber.

In various implementations of Example A, the substrate holders and more than one or more of the vacuum processing stations may be rotated relative to each other about the vertical cylindrical axis. Therefore, in these cases, by this relative rotation, the substrate holder also passes through the processing station in an aligned manner.

Thus, in another implementation of Example A, more than one vacuum processing station is fixed, and thus a plurality of substrate holders are rotated together around the vertical cylindrical axis along the trajectory surface of the cylinder.

Moreover, in various examples of the apparatus according to Example A, each substrate support system includes a substrate support, and the substrate system placed in the substrate support stays on the substrate support. Such a substrate support can be formed, for example, from individual pins. The substrate holder further includes a holding frame related to the tapered or cylindrical axis leaving the substrate support or toward the substrate support, and the holding frame is drivably moved toward or away from the substrate support. The first position of the holding frame is far from the substrate support, and leaves space for the substrate slide to be aligned with the substrate support by the substrate carrier. In the second position of the holding frame, which is closer to the substrate support than the first position, the holding frame biases the respective substrates on or towards the substrate support.

Also, in the multiple implementations of Example A, the vacuum processing chamber does not include an etching station, and the substrate transfer chamber communicates with the etching station through another substrate transfer slit for substrate transfer. This prevents the etching process from affecting the process in the substrate vacuum processing chamber.

Furthermore, in various implementations of Example A, the first slit is a vertical slit in Example A and is equipped with a vacuum slit valve.

Also, in various implementations of Example A, the above-mentioned another slit leading to the etching station is equipped with a vacuum slit valve.

Also, in various implementations of Example A, the substrate transfer chamber includes a pumping port.

In still other implementations of Example A, the first slit, that is, the vertical slit in Example A, is positioned away from the second slit. Considering the above-mentioned axis in the azimuth direction, the second slit is a horizontal slit in Example A.

In particular, in Example A, the substrate carrier system includes a first portion that is controllably and drivably rotated about a first axis that is parallel to the vertical cone axis or vertical cylindrical axis described above; and Contains a second part that includes a substrate holder and is mounted on the first part. This second part is controllably and drivably pivoted around a second axis, which in particular is horizontal in Example A.

Furthermore, in many examples of Example A, a buffer chamber is provided and communicates with the substrate transfer chamber through yet another substrate transfer slit.

Generally, in a buffer chamber that is in substrate transfer communication with the substrate transfer chamber, the substrate can be in a waiting position before being transferred to a vacuum processing chamber, or before being transferred to one or more vacuum processing stations directly communicating with the substrate transfer chamber. wait.

It must be noted that, in general, it is possible to provide more than one substrate vacuum processing chamber in a substrate transfer chamber, where the substrate handler resides in the substrate transfer chamber. This is also in a number of examples according to Example A. Such more than one substrate vacuum processing chamber may be provided by a substrate from a substrate transfer chamber.

According to the device of the present invention, more than two embodiments can be combined unless they conflict with each other.

The present invention further relates to a method for vacuum processing a substrate or a method for manufacturing a vacuum processed substrate by a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention or according to one or more embodiments.

A ₃ ‧‧‧ vertical axis

A ₁₈ ‧‧‧ vertical axis

A ₁₉ ‧‧‧ vertical axis

A ₂₀ ‧‧‧ vertical axis

A ₂₁ ‧‧‧horizontal axis

A ₆₁ ‧‧‧ axis

E ₁ ‧‧‧First plane

E ₂ ‧‧‧ second plane

E ₁₆ ‧‧‧ Tangent plane

E ₂₆ ‧‧‧plane

U ₇ ‧‧‧Double Arrow

U ₉ ‧‧‧Double Arrow

V ₉ ‧‧‧Slit Valve

V ₁₂ ‧‧‧Slit valve

Z‧‧‧ Arrow

α‧‧‧ cone angle

P ₁ ‧‧‧Position

P ₂ ‧‧‧Position

P ₃ ‧‧‧Position

N‧‧‧center normal

g‧‧‧cross line

L‧‧‧ Arrow

UL‧‧‧Arrow

T‧‧‧extended

W‧‧‧turn

1‧‧‧ substrate transfer room

1a‧‧‧ substrate transfer room

3‧‧‧ substrate vacuum processing chamber

3a‧‧‧Substrate Processing Room

3a‧‧‧Substrate Vacuum Processing Chamber

3b‧‧‧Substrate Vacuum Processing Chamber

5‧‧‧ substrate holder

7‧‧‧ slit

7‧‧‧ substrate handling slit

9‧‧‧ substrate handling slit

12‧‧‧ substrate receiving room

14‧‧‧ substrate wafer

14 _a ‧‧‧ position

14 _a ‧‧‧ substrate

14 _b ‧‧‧ position

16‧‧‧ substrate carrier

18‧‧‧ parts

19‧‧‧ Parts

20‧‧‧ clamping part

20‧‧‧ Parts

22 _a ‧‧‧vacuum treatment station

22 _b ‧‧‧vacuum treatment station

22 _c ‧‧‧vacuum processing station

22 _x ‧‧‧vacuum processing station

23‧‧‧Load Lock

24‧‧‧ hook

26‧‧‧ studs or pins

28‧‧‧Frame board

30‧‧‧Contact member

32‧‧‧ central opening

34‧‧‧Drive stud

40‧‧‧Input / output box device

42‧‧‧processing station

45‧‧‧processing station

45‧‧‧ Etching Station

46‧‧‧Load Lock Room

46‧‧‧processing station

48‧‧‧ degassing room

48‧‧‧processing station

50‧‧‧ pumping port

61‧‧‧ surface trajectory

64‧‧‧Extended surface

65‧‧‧ substrate

67‧‧‧ circular track

The invention will now be further exemplified with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Figure 1: a schematic and simplified view, a top view of an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2: in the embodiment of Figure 1, another modified A part; FIG. 3 schematically and simplifiedly shows a substrate holder of an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention in a top view, for example, a substrate holder of the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2; Figure: Schematic and simplified display, cross-sectional view of the substrate holder as shown in Figure 3; Figures 5a and 5b: shown schematically and simplified map, in the embodiment of the vacuum processing equipment according to the present invention Two embodiments for offsetting a substrate on a substrate holder; FIG. 6: another embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention is shown in a diagram similar to FIG. 1; FIG. 7: schematically and Simplified illustration of an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention that incorporates more than one vacuum processing chamber and additional processing stations; Figure 8: shows schematically and simplified the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention Of an embodiment A substrate transfer mechanism.

FIG. 1 is a simplified and schematic view showing a top view of an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention. This equipment includes a substrate transfer chamber 1 and a substrate vacuum processing chamber 3. The substrate vacuum processing chamber 3 includes a plurality of substrate holders 5 which are arranged along a surface trajectory of a rotating cylinder (such as a cone) having a cone angle of at least about 0 °, and Has a vertical axis A ₃ . As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, the substrates on the substrate holder 5 are arranged and held so that their center normal N is related to the above-mentioned vertical axis A ₃ in the radial direction. The substrate transfer chamber 1 communicates with the vacuum processing chamber 3 via the vertical substrate transfer slit 7 in the vertical plane E1, and communicates with the substrate storage chamber 12 through the horizontal substrate transfer slit 9 in the horizontal plane E2. The horizontal plane E2 is in the plane of FIG. 1. The substrate accommodating chamber 12 is used to accommodate at least one substrate 14 in a horizontal position, parallel to the plane E2 or on the plane E2.

The vertical plane E1 is a tangent plane parallel to the surface locus of a cylinder (not shown) about the vertical axis A3.

The substrate transfer chamber 1 is provided with a substrate carrier 16 that is controllably driven. With the substrate carrier 16, the substrate 14 is transported in a horizontal position, and thus is transported along the horizontal plane E2 between the substrate storage chamber 12 and the substrate transport chamber 1 via the slit 9. In addition, the substrate carrier 16 is adapted to transport the substrate 14 through the slit 7 and thus along the vertical plane E1 at a vertical position between the substrate holder 5 and the substrate carrying chamber 1. To do so, the carrier 16 has a plurality of members 18, 19 which can be rotated about a vertical axis A _18, A _19, A ₂₀ and A ₂₁ about a horizontal axis and rotary. The component 20 includes a substrate holder (not shown in FIG. 1) for the substrate 14. On the one hand, it can rotate W about the axis A ₂₁ and controllably extend T and retract in the direction of the axis A ₂₁ . . By, for example, a 90 ° rotation W, the horizontally positioned wafer 14 is placed in a vertical position, and conversely, the vertically positioned wafer 14 is placed in a horizontal position.

The slit 9 may be equipped with a vacuum slit valve, as shown by the dotted line V ₉ in FIG. 1. In this case, the substrate accommodating chamber 12 for accommodating at least one substrate 14 may be a load lock chamber having a second vacuum slit valve as shown by a dotted line V ₁₂ .

As shown in Fig. 1, the vacuum processing chamber 3 includes more than one vacuum processing station marked 22a, 22b, 22c. These processing stations may be layer deposition stations such as PVD, CVD, PECVD, ALD, etc., etc. , Degassing station, etc. The vacuum processing station 22 _x is arranged along a circle around the vertical axis A ₃ , is radially away from the substrate holder 5, and is aligned with at least a part of the substrate holder 5 in the direction of the vertical axis A ₃ . The substrate holder 5 and more than one vacuum processing station 22 _x can rotate relative to each other about the vertical axis A ₃ . Thereby, the substrate holders 5 are sequentially moved to be aligned with the respective vacuum processing stations 22 _x . In one embodiment, more than one vacuum processing station 22x is fixed, and the substrate holder 5 is commonly rotated around a vertical axis A3 by a controlled driver (not shown).

The slit 7 has a width that allows the substrate 14 swiveled or tilted to a vertical position to pass along with the clamping portion of the controlled substrate carrier 16 to align with the respective substrate holders 5. This is shown schematically in FIG. 1 by a double arrow U ₇ . Please note that the through slits 7 and the through slits 9 and U ₉ are bidirectional, and the substrates 14 that have not been processed in the substrate vacuum processing chamber 3 are loaded into this processing chamber 3 and in the above processing chamber 3 The processed substrates 14 are unloaded from the respective substrate holders 5 toward the receiving chamber 12. Please note that in this embodiment: a) the substrate vacuum processing chamber 3 includes a plurality of substrate holders 5, and the substrate holders 5 are arranged along at least one circular trajectory on the surface trajectory of a cylinder (that is, a cone). The cone has a cone axis and a cone angle α, for which the following holds: α = 0 °; b) the substrate holder 5 is adapted to hold the substrate 14 and the center normal on the extended substrate surface N is perpendicular to the surface trajectory; c) the vacuum processing chamber 3 includes at least one vacuum processing station 22 _x which leaves the surface trajectory of the cone and is aligned with at least one circular trajectory, whereby the at least one circular trajectory is a circle, On a surface trajectory perpendicular to the plane of the cone axis A ₃ ; d) the plurality of substrate holders 5 and the at least one processing chamber 22 _x are rotationally driven relative to each other around the cone axis A ₃ ; e) The substrate transfer chamber 1 is in communication with the vacuum processing chamber 3 for substrate transfer; f) In the substrate transfer chamber 1, a controlled substrate handler 16 is provided, and the controlled substrate handler 16 is suitable and corresponding to constitute a substrate surface 14 extending along its surface tangent to the trajectory of the plane E ₁ or into Such a substrate holder 5 by one, and such a surface at a location extending along a second planar substrate transport chamber in a tangential plane E ₁ and E ₂ intersects into or out of.

In other embodiments, the following can be achieved:

The substrate carrier 16 is installed in an atmospheric environment having a pressure different from the pressure environment in the vacuum processing chamber 3. The environment in which the substrate carrier 16 is installed may be an atmospheric environment. In this case, as shown schematically and simplified in FIG. 2, the load lock 23 is provided at the position of the slit 7 in the first diagram or integrated at the position of the slit 7 in the first diagram. Thereby, it is not necessary to mount the substrate carrier 16 in the specific transfer chamber 1 as shown in FIG. 1. In fact, the substrate carrier 16 may not necessarily be mounted in the chamber at all.

FIG. 3 schematically and simplifies the substrate holder 5 in two cases, which obviously do not occur at the same time, that is, the substrate 14a is in a position toward or away from the substrate holder 5 and the substrate A position 14 b located on the substrate holder 5 and held on the substrate holder 5. When, for example, a circular-shaped substrate (14a) is loaded onto or removed from the substrate holder 5, it is grasped by the holding portion 20 (see FIG. 1) of the controlled substrate carrier 16. As shown schematically, the gripping portion 20 may include a controllable, releasable hook 24 that is grasped when the substrate is removed from the chamber 12 and during 90 ° rotation to a vertical position and supply through the slit 7 Substrate. When the substrate 14 is transported to the position 14b, ie aligned with the respective substrate holder 5, it is released by a clamping part, for example by a hook 24 and stored on a stud or pin 26. Thereby, the clamping portion of the substrate and the controlled substrate carrier 16 at the position 14 a is moved below the frame plate 28, as shown schematically in FIG. 4. According to the position 14b, once the substrate 14 is placed on the pin 26, as shown by the arrow Z in FIG. 4, the frame plate 28 is driven to move toward the substrate 14, and thereby the substrate at the position 14b is biased to the substrate holder 5. In this way, as shown in FIG. 3, the frame plate 28 is in contact with the contact member 30. The contact members 30 are distributed along the central opening 32 of the frame plate 28 and protrude inwardly, or are all distributed along the periphery of the central opening 32 at the peripheral surface of the substrate at position 14b and protrude inwardly. As described above, the frame plate 28 has a central opening 32 that is slightly larger than the substrate 14 and is provided with individual contact members 30 or is slightly smaller than the substrate 14 and contacts such a substrate along its periphery. The frame plate 28 is, for example, supported by the driving stud 34, and the frame plate 28 is moved to the first position by the driving stud 34, as shown in FIG. 4, allowing the substrate holder 5 to be loaded or unloaded, and in the second position, the frame The plate 28 biases the substrate at the position 14b.

As FIG. 5a and 5b schematically shows, in one example of the embodiment of FIG. 5a, the substrate holder 5 is located in the frame plate and therefore in a direction away from the axis A ₃ according to the frame plate 28 away from the axis A ₃ a remote location, and the ratio The substrate moves in a second position offset.

In this embodiment, the substrate holder 5 is located on the frame plate therefore moves in a direction toward the axis A ₃ of the substrate bias in a second position according to another embodiment of FIG. 5b than the frame plate 28 near the position of the axis A _3, and.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the invention in a simplified and schematic manner and in a manner similar to FIG. Thereby, the substrate accommodating chamber 12 for accommodating at least one substrate is a two-way load lock chamber and communicates with the input / output box device 40. In this embodiment and as another difference from the embodiment of FIG. 1, the substrate transfer chamber 1 directly communicates with an additional processing station 42 through another substrate transfer slot (possibly having its own slit valve or load lock). Connected. In one embodiment, at least one of the processing stations 42 is an etching station. Thereby, no etching station is provided in the substrate vacuum processing chamber 3 so that the etching does not affect the substrate processing in the substrate vacuum processing chamber 3. In addition, at least one of the processing stations 42 may be a buffer chamber for buffering more than one substrate before or after processing the substrate. As indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 6, as described above, two or even more substrate vacuum processing chambers 3 may be operated by the controlled carrier 16 in the manner described above. In Fig. 6, such another substrate processing chamber is indicated by reference numeral 3a.

According to FIG. 7, the substrate transfer chamber 1 a may be configured so that more than 4 chambers or stations can be mounted thereon, and operated through respective slits that may have a vacuum slit valve, or through load lock.

According to FIG. 7, such an expanded substrate transfer chamber 1a can operate the load lock chamber 46, the degassing chamber 48, the other substrate vacuum processing chamber 3a, the etching station 45, and the second substrate as described above in both directions. Vacuum processing chamber 3b. This has shown the flexibility with which a vacuum processing device according to the present invention can be applied in a variety of different configurations in a flexible design manner.

The passage for the substrate carrier 16 facing the vacuum processing chamber 3 and / or 3a and / or towards another processing station 42 and / or 45 and / or 46 and / or 48 may be provided without a separate valve or may be equipped with Set up their own vacuum valves, or set up their own load locks.

Please note that, in one embodiment, the substrate transfer chamber 1 can be independently pumped as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, and then a pumping port 50 is provided.

Figure 8 is based on a surface trajectory 61 which is a cone with a cone angle α, showing the generalized handling concept of the device according to the invention, for which the following is true: 0 ° α 60 °.

One of the plurality of substrate holders 5 (not shown in FIG. 8) holds a substrate, such as a circular substrate 65 at position P ₁ , where it has just been loaded onto or removed from the respective substrate holder 5. The bracket 5 is unloaded. The substrate 65 at the position P ₁ is actually positioned on the surface trajectory 61 such that the normal N on the extended surface 64 of the substrate 65 is perpendicular to the surface trajectory 61 and thus along the respective tangent on the tapered surface trajectory 61 Plane E ₁₆ . The substrate 65 is related to the axis A _{61 of the} conical surface trajectory 61 and is rotated away from the position P ₁ toward the processing station (not shown in FIG. 8) along the circular trajectory 67.

As described above, the substrate 65 at the position P ₁ extends along the tangent plane E ₁₆ on the surface track 61.

At the position P ₂ , as schematically indicated by the arrow L / UL, the substrate 65 is loaded or removed by a substrate carrier (not shown in FIG. 8). In the position of the substrate transfer chamber P _2, if provided, the substrate 65 with its surface 64 extends along a plane resides E _26, E ₂₆ lines intersect the plane tangent plane E _16, as shown in the cross line g. The unprocessed substrate 65 at the position P ₂ is grasped by a controlled substrate carrier (not shown in FIG. 8) and transported to the position P ₃ , where the extended surface 64 of the substrate 65 is along The tangential plane E ₁₆ extends or actually extends on the tangent plane E ₁₆ . If a substrate is provided, the substrate is still in the substrate transfer chamber. This is shown schematically in FIG. 8 by the double arrows E ₂₆ / E ₁₆ .

Subsequently, the substrate 65 is moved into a substrate vacuum processing chamber (not shown in FIG. 8) by a controlled substrate carrier (not shown in FIG. 8), and its extended surface 64 is along the tangent plane E ₁₆ or actual The upper surface faces the substrate holder at the position P ₁ in the tangential plane E ₁₆ and is on the substrate holder. This is shown schematically in FIG. 8 by the double arrows P ₂ / P ₁ .

The processed substrates 65 are respectively removed from the positions P ₁ via P ₃ to P ₂ .

Claims (27)

A vacuum processing equipment includes: a controlled substrate carrier; a substrate vacuum processing chamber including a plurality of substrate holders, the substrate holders are along at least one circular track on a surface track of a cone; Configuration, the cone has a cone axis and a cone angle α, for which the following is true: 0 ° α 60 °, and the substrate holders are adapted to hold the substrate such that the center normal on the extended substrate surface is perpendicular to the surface trajectory, and the substrate vacuum processing chamber further includes leaving the surface trajectory and being aligned with the at least one circular trajectory At least one vacuum processing station, the at least one circular trajectory is a circle on the surface trajectory in a first plane perpendicular to the cone axis; the plurality of substrate holders are in common and the at least one vacuum processing station surrounds The cone axis can be driven to rotate relative to each other; the substrate carrier is in communication with the vacuum processing chamber for substrate transportation; the controlled substrate carrier is adapted to track a substrate with its extended surface along the surface track All planes of the line are moved into or out of one of the substrate supports, and the extended surfaces at a position are moved out or in along a second plane that intersects the tangent plane.     The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cone axis is vertical.         The vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the cone angle is at least about 0 °, and thus the cone is at least about a cylinder.         The vacuum processing apparatus of at least one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second plane is at least approximately perpendicular to the cone axis.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 4, the substrate carrier communicates with the vacuum processing chamber via a valve for substrate transportation.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 5, the substrate carrier communicates with the vacuum processing chamber via a load lock for substrate transportation.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 6, the substrate carrier is located in an atmospheric environment or a vacuum environment.         If the vacuum processing apparatus of at least one of claims 1 to 7, the substrate carrier is located in a chamber.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of the items 1 to 8 is requested, the substrate carrier is located in a substrate carrying room.         According to the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 9, the substrate carrier communicates with the vacuum processing chamber through a slit for substrate transportation.         The vacuum processing equipment according to at least one of claims 1 to 10, comprising at least one substrate accommodating chamber, which is in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation.         As in the apparatus of claim 11, the controlled substrate carrier is more suitable for transferring substrates from the at least one substrate receiving chamber, and toward the vacuum processing chamber along the second plane.         If the equipment of at least one of claims 11 or 12, the controlled substrate carrier is more suitable for carrying a substrate from the vacuum processing chamber and facing the substrate receiving chamber along the second plane.         As in the vacuum processing apparatus of at least one of claims 11 to 13, the substrate carrier communicates with the at least one substrate receiving chamber via a valve for substrate transportation.         According to the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 11 to 14, the substrate carrier is in communication with the at least one substrate accommodating chamber via a load lock for substrate transportation.         According to the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 11 to 15, the substrate carrier communicates with the at least one substrate accommodating chamber via a slit for substrate transportation.         The vacuum processing apparatus according to at least one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the at least one substrate receiving chamber is a load lock chamber.         The vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the vacuum processing chamber contains more than one vacuum processing station.         The vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the at least one vacuum processing station is fixed.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 19, at least some of the substrate holders include a substrate support, and a holding frame outward from the substrate support with respect to the cone axis, the holding frame may be Driven towards and away from the substrate support, at a first position farther away from the substrate support, leaving space to slide a substrate by the substrate carrier to align with the substrate support, and closer At a second position of the substrate supporting member, a substrate in the substrate holder is offset.         If the vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 1 to 20, at least some of the substrate supports include a substrate support, and a holding frame inward from the substrate support with respect to the tapered axis, the holding frame may be Driven towards and away from the substrate support, at a first position farther away from the substrate support, leaving space to slide a substrate by the substrate carrier to align with the substrate support, and closer At a second position of the substrate supporting member, a substrate in the substrate holder is offset.         The vacuum processing equipment according to at least one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the vacuum processing chamber does not include an etching station, and the substrate carrier is in communication with an etching station for substrate transportation.         The vacuum processing equipment of at least one of claims 11 to 22, wherein the vacuum processing chamber does not include an etching station, and at least one of the at least one substrate receiving chamber is an etching station.         The vacuum processing apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the substrate carrier is located in a substrate handling chamber including a pumping port.         The vacuum processing equipment according to at least one of claims 1 to 24, comprising a buffer chamber, which is in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation.         The vacuum processing equipment according to at least one of claims 11 to 25, comprising a buffer chamber which is in communication with the substrate carrier for substrate transportation, and the buffer chamber is one of the at least one substrate accommodating chamber. .         A vacuum-processed substrate or a method for manufacturing a vacuum-processed substrate is performed by using a vacuum processing apparatus such as at least one of claims 1 to 26.