Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

• US 6,263,588 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Itou, Atsushi, Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kato, Shigekazu, Nishihata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/614,770
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 344/06, 344/17, 34/92, 342/28, 342/29, 414/939, 414/940, 134/902, 156/345, 156/345.C, 156/345.PC, 118/723.F, 118/723.I, 118/730, 118/719
• US Class Current: 34/417
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/006 Processes utilising sub-atmospheric pressure; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/36 Print density control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/365 by compensation for variation in temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/564 Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67736 Loading to or unloading from a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used to dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a substrate, using an atmospheric loader comprising:

(1) a single atmospheric transferring device for carrying in and carrying out, one by one, substrates between a cassette which receives plural substrates and two lock chambers;

(2) opening and closing devices, provided at said two lock chambers and being opened and closed every carrying-in said substrate to one of the two lock chambers and very carrying-out said substrate from one of the two lock chambers; and

(3) a cassette table for mounting said cassette at a position of which an upper region thereof is open to a cassette transferring path,

wherein the method comprises the steps of;

using said single atmospheric transferring device, taking out, one by one, said substrate from said cassette which is mounted on said cassette table, at said position, and carrying in, one by one, said substrate to one of said two lock chambers; and

using said single atmospheric transferring device, taking out, one by one, said substrate from one of said two load chambers, and carrying in said substate to said cassette, wherein said opening and closing devices are opened and closed every carrying-in of said substrate, one by one, to one of the two lock chambers, and every carrying-out of said substrate, one by one, from one of the two lock chambers.

2. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1, wherein a substrate which is to be subjected to processing is carried into one of said two lock chambers, and a substrate which has been subjected to processing is carried to said cassette.

3. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 2, wherein said single atmospheric transferring device is operated substantially at a front face of said two lock chambers.

4. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1, wherein said single atmospheric transferring device is operated substantially at a front face of said two lock chambers.

5. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 4, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber.

6. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 3, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber.

7. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 2, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber.

8. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber.

9. A substrate transferring apparatus comprising:

an atmospheric loader having

(1) a single atmospheric transferring device for carrying in and carrying out, one by one, substrates between (a) a cassette which receives plural substrates and (b) two lock chambers,

(2) opening and closing devices, provided at said two lock chambers and being opened and closed every carrying-in said substrate to one of the two lock chambers and every carrying-out said substrate from one of the two lock chambers; and

(3) a cassette table for mounting said cassette at a position of which an upper region thereof is open to a cassette transferring path,

wherein said single atmospheric transferring device has a mechanism for carrying a substrate, one by one, to and out from said cassette which is mounted on said cassette table, at said position, and a mechanism for carrying a substrate, one by one, to and out from, said two lock chambers, and

wherein said opening and closing devices have structure causing the opening and closing devices to open and close every carrying-in of a substrate, one by one, to one of the two lock chambers, and every carrying-out of a substrate, one by one, from one of the two lock chambers.

10. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the mechanism for carrying the substrate to and out from the two lock chambers carries a substrate which is to be subjected to processing to one of said two lock chambers, and carries a substrate which has been subjected to processing from the other of said two lock chambers.

11. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said atmospheric loader is located at a front face of said two lock chambers.

12. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said atmospheric loader is located at a front face of said two lock chambers.

13. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrate which is to be subjected to processing and an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing.

14. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrate which is to be subjected to processing and an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing.

15. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrate which is to be subjected to processing and an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing.

16. A substrate transferring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said two lock chambers comprise a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrate which is to be subjected to processing and an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing.

17. A substrate transferring apparatus comprising:

an atmospheric loader having

(1) a single atmospheric transferring device for carrying in and carrying out, one by one, substrates between (a) a cassette which receives plural substrates and (b) two lock chambers,

(2) a opening and closing devices, provided respectively at said two lock chambers and being opened and closed every carrying-in said substrate to one of the two lock chambers and every carrying-out said substrate from one of the two lock chambers; and

(3) a cassette table for mounting said cassette, at a position of which an upper region thereof is open to a cassette transferring path,

wherein said single atmospheric transferring device has a mechanism for carrying in and carrying out, one by one, a substrate between said cassette which is mounted on said cassette table, at said position, and said atmospheric loader, and a mechanism for carrying in and carrying out, one by one, said substrate between said atmospheric loader and said two lock chambers, and

wherein said opening and closing devices have structure causing the opening and closing devices to open and close every carrying-in of a substrate, one by one, to one of the two lock chambers, and every carrying-out of a substrate, one by one, from one of the two lock chambers.