Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 5,391,260 A
• Filed: 03/26/1993
• Issued: 02/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Makino, Akitaka, Tamura, Naoyuki, Kaji, Tetsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): BUEKER, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US08/037,459
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 156/345, 156/646, 427/248.1
• US Class Current: 216/69
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/935 Gas flow control

Abstract

To improve an actual exhaust speed, in a vacuum processing device for processing a work located in a vacuum processing chamber by using a processing gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber, the vacuum processing device having means for introducing the processing gas into the vacuum processing chamber, means for controlling a gas flow of the processing gas, and means for exhausting the processing gas after the work is processed by the processing gas; the exhausting means comprises an exhaust pump, a buffer space extended in a direction substantially perpendicular to a center of the work with an extended area larger than a size of a suction port of the exhaust pump, and a gas outlet formed on a back side of a surface of the work to be processed, the gas outlet having a size substantially equal to or larger than the size of the suction port of the exhaust pump.

Claims

1. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a vacuum processing chamber having a gas inlet and a gas outlet for processing a sample located therein by using a processing gas introduced through said gas inlet; and

an exhaust pump having a suction port coupled to said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber for exhausting said processing gas introduced into said vacuum processing chamber, a cross-sectional area of said suction port of said exhaust pump being not larger than a cross-sectional area of said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber.

2. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said suction port of said exhaust pump is directly connected to said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber.

3. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein there is provided a conductance valve at an output port of said exhaust pump.

4. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a cross-sectional area of said conductance valve is not larger than a cross-sectional area of said output port of said exhaust pump.

5. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said suction port of said exhaust pump is connected to said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber through a conductance valve, and wherein a cross-sectional area of said conductance valve is not larger than said cross-sectional area of said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber and is not smaller than said cross-sectional area of said suction port of said exhaust pump.

11. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a location of said gas outlet is displaced from a center axis of said vacuum processing chamber.

12. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said exhaust pump is directly connected to said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber without use of an exhaust conduit.

6. A vacuum processing apparatus for processing a sample in a vacuum processing chamber by a processing gas comprising:

a means for introducing said processing gas into said vacuum processing chamber through a gas inlet provided in a wall of said vacuum processing chamber above a top surface of said sample disposed therein;

a means for controlling a gas flow of said processing gas; and

an exhaust pump for exhausting said processing gas from said vacuum processing chamber through a gas outlet provided in a side wall of said processing chamber at a location beneath a back surface of said sample disposed therein, said exhaust pump having a suction port connected to said gas outlet, a cross-sectional area of said suction port of said exhaust pump being not larger than a cross-sectional area of said gas outlet of said vacuum processing chamber.

7. A vacuum processing apparatus for processing a sample located in a vacuum processing chamber by using a processing gas introduced into said vacuum processing chamber, said vacuum processing apparatus having:

a means for introducing said processing gas into said vacuum processing chamber,

a means for controlling a gas flow of said processing gas, and

a means for exhausting said processing gas after said sample is processed by said processing gas;

said means for exhausting comprising an exhaust pump having a suction port, a buffer space extended in a direction below a back surface of said sample, a gas outlet provided in a wall of said processing chamber at a location beneath said sample to be processed, said gas outlet having a cross-sectional area equal to a cross-sectional area of said section port of said exhaust pump, and a means provided between said sample and said exhaust pump for uniforming a conductance of a processing gas flow around said sample.

8. A vacuum processing apparatus for processing a sample located in a vacuum processing chamber by using a processing gas introduced into said vacuum processing chamber, said vacuum processing device having:

a means for introducing said processing gas into said vacuum processing chamber,

a means for controlling a gas flow of said processing gas, and

a means for exhausting said processing gas after said sample is processed by said processing gas;

said means for exhausting comprising a plurality of exhaust pumps each having a suction port, a buffer space extended in a direction below said sample, and a plurality of gas outlets provided in at least one wail of said processing chamber at locations beneath said sample to be processed, each of said gas outlets having a cross-sectional area substantially equal to or larger than a cross-sectional area of said suction port of a corresponding exhaust pump connected thereto.

9. A vacuum processing apparatus for processing a work located in a vacuum processing chamber by using a processing gas introduced into said vacuum processing chamber, said vacuum processing device having:

a means for introducing said processing gas into said vacuum processing chamber,

a means for controlling a gas flow of said processing gas, and

a means for exhausting said processing gas after said sample is processed by said processing gas;

said means for exhausting comprising a plurality of exhaust pumps, and a plurality of gas outlets provided in a wall of said processing chamber at a location beneath said sample to be processed and arranged in parallel relationship to the surface of said sample and in symmetrical relationship to each other with respect to a center line of said sample, each of said gas outlets having a cross-sectional area substantially equal to or larger than a cross-sectional area of a suction port of a corresponding exhaust pump connected thereto.

10. A vacuum processing method for a vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum processing chamber and an exhaust pump for exhausting a used gas from said vacuum processing chamber, comprising the steps of:

introducing a processing a gas into said vacuum processing chamber;

treating a sample disposed in said vacuum processing chamber by use of an introduced said processing gas; and

after the step of treating, exhausting a used said processing gas from said vacuum processing chamber through an outlet provided in a wail in said vacuum processing chamber using said exhaust pump having a suction port with a cross-sectional area which is equal to or smaller than a cross-sectional area of said outlet of said vacuum processing chamber.