High-throughput semiconductor-processing apparatus equipped with multiple dual-chamber modules

• US 10,707,106 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2016
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Mori, Yukihiro, Yamagishi, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, Parviz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ford, Nathan K
• Application Number:
  US15/060,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32265 Waiting, queue time, buffer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J

Abstract

A wafer-processing apparatus includes: multiple discrete units of reactors disposed on the same plane; a wafer-handling chamber having a polygonal shape having multiple sides corresponding to and being attached to the multiple discrete units, respectively, and one additional side for a load lock chamber; a load lock chamber attached to the one additional side of the wafer-handling chamber; multiple discrete gas boxes for controlling gases corresponding to and being connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively; and multiple discrete electric boxes for controlling electric systems corresponding to and being detachably connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively, wherein the gas boxes and the electric boxes are arranged alternately as viewed from above under the multiple discrete units, and the electric boxes can be pulled out outwardly without being disconnected from the corresponding units so that sides of the gas boxes are accessible.

Claims

1. A wafer-processing apparatus, comprising:

multiple discrete units of reactors disposed on the same plane, each unit having two reactors arranged with their fronts aligned in a line;

a wafer-handling chamber including two wafer-handling robot arms, each having at least two end-effectors accessible to the two reactors of each unit simultaneously, said wafer-handling chamber having a polygonal shape having multiple sides corresponding to and being attached to the multiple discrete units, respectively, and one additional side for a load lock chamber, all the sides being disposed on the same plane;

a load lock chamber for loading or unloading two wafers simultaneously, said load lock chamber being attached to the one additional side of the wafer-handling chamber, wherein each wafer-handling robot arm is accessible to the load lock chamber;

multiple discrete gas boxes for controlling gases corresponding to and being connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively, said multiple discrete gas boxes being disposed under the corresponding multiple discrete units; and

multiple discrete electric boxes for controlling electric systems corresponding to and being detachably connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively, said multiple discrete electric boxes being disposed under the corresponding multiple discrete units and next to the corresponding multiple discrete gas boxes, wherein the electric boxes have casters at their bottoms and are movable,

wherein the gas boxes and the electric boxes are arranged alternately, respectively, about the perimeter of the wafer-handling chamber as viewed from above, such that one gas box and one electric box pair are disposed under each discrete unit,

wherein, for each pair, a side face of the gas box faces away from a side face of the electric box, and respective lines extending along these side faces intersect at the center of the polygonal shape as viewed from above,

said wafer-processing apparatus having a standard position and a maintenance position wherein;

at the standard position, the multiple discrete units, the multiple discrete gas boxes, and the multiple discrete electric boxes are compactly and closely disposed, without pulling out the gas boxes from their respective positions occupied in the standard position, in a manner being insufficient to conduct maintenance of the multiple discrete units, and

at the maintenance position, the electric boxes are pulled out outwardly using the casters in directions roughly orthogonally to front sides of the electric boxes, respectively, without pulling out the gas boxes from their respective positions occupied in the standard position, without being electrically disconnected from the corresponding units, in a manner making sides of the gas boxes accessible for performing maintenance of the gas boxes at their respective positions occupied in the standard position, while making sides of the electric boxes accessible for performing maintenance of the electric boxes at the pulled out position.

2. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas boxes and the electric boxes have an approximately trapezoidal shape wherein the inner face is shorter than the outer face as viewed from above.

3. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the side faces of the gas boxes and the side faces of the electric boxes are in contact with each other.

4. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each wafer-handling robot arm is a multi-axis robot arm.

5. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load lock chamber is provided with no transport robot.

6. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport zone with an atmospheric transport robot for loading or unloading wafers to or from the load lock chamber, said transport zone being connected to the load lock chamber.

7. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising multiple loading ports for storing processed or unprocessed wafers, said multiple loading ports being connected to the transport zone.

8. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reactors are plasma enhanced CVD reactors.

9. The wafer-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side faces of the gas boxes and the side faces of the electric boxes have a common shape.