Vacuum processing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing line using the same
First Claim
1. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for treating a sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein both of the plan shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the relation W1 -W2 ≧
- Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of said cassette.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum processing apparatus is composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block. The cassette block has a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes containing a sample and an atmospheric transfer means. The vacuum processing block has a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing on the sample and a vacuum transfer means for transferring the sample. Both of the plan views of the cassette block and the vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular, and the width of the cassette block is designed to be larger than the width of the vacuum processing block, and the overall plan view of the vacuum processing apparatus is formed in an L-shape or a T-shape.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for treating a sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein both of the plan shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the relation W1 -W2 ≧
- Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of said cassette.
- View Dependent Claims (6, 9)
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2. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for treating a sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein
the width of said vacuum processing block is smaller than the width of said cassette block, and said vacuum processing apparatus is formed, as seen in plan view, in any one of an L-shape or a T-shape.
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3. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette, table for mounting a plurality of cassettes each containing a sample and atmospheric transfer means for transferring a sample, a vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing of said sample, a load lock chamber on the loading side, a load lock chamber on the unloading side and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample between said processing chamber and said load lock chambers on the loading side and the unloading side, said atmospheric transfer means transferring sample between said cassette and said both load lock chambers, wherein
both of the shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the relation W1 -W2 ≧ - Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of one cassette.
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4. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, and atmospheric transfer means for transferring a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing on said sample, a load lock chamber on the loading side, a load lock chamber on the unloading side and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample between said processing chamber and said load lock chambers on the loading side and the unloading side, said atmospheric transfer means transferring said sample between said cassette and both load lock chambers, wherein
both of the shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the width of said vacuum processing block is smaller than the width of said cassette block, and said vacuum processing apparatus is formed, as seen in plan view, in any one of an L-shape and a T-shape.
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5. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block, a vacuum processing block and atmospheric transfer means for transferring a sample between both blocks, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a samples said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing on a sample, a load lock chamber on the loading side, a load lock chamber on the unloading side and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample between said processing chamber and said load lock chambers on the loading side and the unloading side, said atmospheric transfer means for transferring said sample between said cassette and both load lock chambers, wherein
both of the shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the relation W1 -W2 > - Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of one cassette.
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7. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing on said sample, a load lock chamber on the loading side, a load lock chamber on the unloading side and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample between said processing chamber and said load lock chambers on the loading side and the unloading side, said atmospheric transfer means for transferring said sample between said cassette and both load lock chambers, wherein
both of the shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block, as seen in plan view, are nearly rectangular, and the relation W1 -W2 ≧ - Cw and G1 <
G2 are satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, G1 is a gap between cassette blocks adjacent to each other, G2 is a gap between vacuum processing blocks adjacent to each other and Cw is the width of one cassette. - View Dependent Claims (8)
- Cw and G1 <
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10. A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having an etching processing apparatus for performing etching processing in a sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein
both said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular in plan view and the relation W1 -W2 ≧ - Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of one cassette.
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11. A semiconductor manufacturing line comprising a plurality of bay areas where a plurality of vacuum processing apparatuses composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block are arranged in order of a manufacturing process, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a cassette containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing on said sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein
at least one of said vacuum processing apparatuses is designed so that said cassette block is capable of containing a sample having a diameter not less than 300 mm and the relation W1 -W2 ≧ - Cw is satisfied, where W1 is the width of said cassette block, W2 is the width of said vacuum processing block, and Cw is the width of one cassette.
- View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A method of constructing a semiconductor manufacturing line comprising a plurality of vacuum processing apparatuses each composed of a cassette block capable of containing a sample having a diameter not less than 300 mm, and a vacuum processing block for performing vacuum processing on said sample, wherein at least one of said vacuum processing apparatuses is designed so that the width of said cassette block is larger than the width of said vacuum processing block and said vacuum processing apparatus is formed, as seen in plan view, in any one of an L-shape and a T-shape, comprising the steps of:
providing a maintenance space between any one of L-shaped and T-shaped vacuum processing apparatuses and the adjacent vacuum processing apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
Specification