Semiconductor producing apparatus comprising wafer vacuum chucking device

• US 5,534,073 A
• Filed: 09/07/1993
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Kazuo, Iwamoto, Takeshi, Kitano, Katsuhisa, Kanda, Tomoyuki, Ohnishi, Hiroshi, Kusakabe, Yoshihiko, Kosaka, Nobuyuki, Takahama, Toru, Komori, Hideki, Sasaki, Shigeo, Noguchi, Toshihiko, Tsutahara, Kouichirou, Kinoshita, Yoshimi, Yamanishi, Kenichiro, Eshima, Taizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Fourson, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUTTON, BRIAN KEITH
• Application Number:
  US08/116,968
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 269/21, 118/725, 118/728, 118/732, 250/453.11, 279/3
• US Class Current: 118/728
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 11/005 Vacuum work holders
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/481 by radiant heating of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6838 with gripping and holding devices using a vacuum; Bernoulli devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 279/11 Vacuum

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to obtain a vacuum chucking which can vacuum suck a wafer even if dusts attach thereon. The main body of vacuum chuck (101) has a plurality of block grooves (125) on the surface on which the wafer (1) is sucked and fixed, in which vacuum evacuation paths (105) each for vacuum evacuating each block groove (125) are provided for each block groove (125). When the wafer(1) is sucked and fixed under low pressure, even if the degree of vacuum in one of the block grooves (125) decreases due to attachment of dusts on part of the suction surface, or the like, the wafer (1) can surely be sucked and held.

Claims

1. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor producing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum chuck main body having a major surface for supporting a semiconductor;

separated grooves formed in the major surface of said vacuum chuck main body;

vacuum evacuation holes spaced in an area of each of the separated grooves of the vacuum chuck main body and leading to the separate grooves;

a vacuum means connected to the vacuum evacuation holes for providing a vacuum to said each of the separated grooves when the semiconductor is to be supported by the vacuum chuck main body; and

wherein, said vacuum means provides said vacuum in said each of the separated grooves at all times when the semiconductor is to be supported and each of at least two of said separated grooves is independently exhausted by a respective separated pump.

2. The vacuum chucking device in the semiconductor producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said grooves are circular shaped and form concentric circles.

3. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor producing apparatus comprising:

a vacuum chuck having a vacuum evacuation hole and a gas nozzle having a hole;

wherein the vacuum evacuation hole of said vacuum chuck is provided corresponding to said hole of said gas nozzle provided facing said vacuum chuck.

4. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor producing apparatus, comprising inner and outer grooves for wafer vacuum suction provided on a surface on which a semiconductor wafer is sucked and fixed, wherein, an exhaust resistance of said outer groove is larger than an exhaust resistance of said inner groove.

8. The vacuum chucking device in the semiconductor producing apparatus according to any of claims 6, 4, 5 or 7, wherein each of said grooves are independently exhausted by a separated pump.

9. The vacuum chucking device in the semiconductor producing apparatus according to any of claims 4, 5, 6 or 7, wherein each of said grooves are exhausted in common by a single pump.

5. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor producing apparatus, comprising:

grooves including an outer groove and an inner groove;

wherein, said outer groove for wafer outer portion vacuum suction and said inner groove for wafer inner portion vacuum suction are provided on a surface on which a semiconductor wafer is sucked and fixed;

a first vacuum evacuation path having a first set of dimensions for vacuum exhausting said outer groove;

a second vacuum evacuation path having a second set of dimensions for vacuum exhausting said inner groove;

a piping for exhausting said first and second vacuum evacuation paths; and

an exhaust resistance determined by said second set of dimensions being different from an exhaust resistance determined by said first set of dimensions.

6. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor producing apparatus, comprising:

grooves for wafer vacuum suction provided on a surface of the vacuum chucking device on which a semiconductor wafer is sucked and fixed; and

wherein, a different and constant magnitude of exhaust resistance is generated in at least two of said grooves when the semiconductor wafer is to be sucked.

7. A vacuum chucking device in a semiconductor device according to claim 6, wherein said grooves for said wafer vacuum suction have a hexagonal shape and are arranged in a honey-comb form.