Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

• US 6,301,801 B1
• Filed: 04/19/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atsushi Itou, Kouji Nishihata, Shigekazu Kato, Tsunehiko Tsubone
• Original Assignee: Atsushi Itou, Kouji Nishihata, Shigekazu Kato, Tsunehiko Tsubone
• Inventors: Itou, Atsushi, Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kato, Shigekazu, Nishihata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/552,572
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• Field of Search: 344/06, 34/92, 342/28, 342/29, 414/939, 414/940, 134/902
• US Class Current: 34/406
• 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 for 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 apparatus comprising:

a cassette table for mounting a cassette at a position of which an upper region of the position is open to a cassette transferring path, the cassette receiving plural substrates to be subjected to processing or plural substrates which have been subjected to processing;

two lock chambers for carrying in and carrying out said substrates to be subjected to processing or said substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a single atmospheric transferring device for transferring, one by one, a substrate to be subjected to processing or a substrate which has been subjected to processing, between said cassette at said position and said two lock chambers; and

opening and closing devices provided respectively at a side of the cassette of said two lock chambers and being opened or closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, so as to change over said two lock chambers to being in an atmosphere or in a vacuum, wherein the method comprises the step of;

carrying in said substrate to be subjected to processing, or carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing, one by one, between the two lock chambers in the atmosphere and the cassette at said position, the opening and closing devices being opened and closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate, one by one.

2. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1, wherein one of said two lock chambers has a function of a load lock chamber, and the other of said two lock chambers has a function of an unload lock chamber.

4. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said cassette is maintained in a transfer installation state without a change of position, and wherein a posture of plural cassettes, which are arranged in a cassette transfer space, are installed in a single row.

5. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said cassette is mounted on said cassette table according to any one of a mechanical transferring means and a manual transferring means.

6. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said carrying-in and said carrying-out of said substrate are performed to carry in and carry out, one by one, according to any one of a recognition of a product information which is given to said cassette, an information which is sent from an upper rank controlling apparatus, and a demand which is inputted manually.

7. A method of transferring a substrate according to claim 1 or 3, wherein said carrying-in and said carrying-out of said substrate are performed to carry said substrate which has been subjected to processing, to an original position at which the substrate was located prior to processing.

3. A method of transferring a substrate, using apparatus comprising:

a cassette table for mounting a cassette at a position of which an upper region of the position is open to a cassette transferring path, the cassette receiving plural substrates to be subjected to processing or plural substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrates to be subjected to processing;

an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a single atmospheric transferring device for transferring one by one a substrate to be subjected to processing or a substrate which has been subjected to processing, between said cassette at said position and said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber; and

opening and closing devices provided respectively at a side of the cassette of said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber and being opened or closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, so as to change over said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber to be in an atmosphere or in a vacuum,

wherein the method comprises the step of;

carrying in said substrate to be subjected to processing, or carrying out said substrate which has been subjected to processing, one by one, between said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber in the atmosphere and said cassette at said position, the opening and closing devices being opened and closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate, one by one.

8. A method of transferring a substrate, comprising steps of:

supplying a cassette, which receives plural substrates to be subjected to processing or plural substrates which have been subjected to processing, to a cassette table for mounting said cassette at a position of which an upper region of the position is open to a cassette transferring path;

transferring a substrate to be subjected to processing or a substrate which has been subjected to processing between the cassette and at least one of two lock chambers which carry in and carry out said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, using a single atmospheric transferring device for transferring one by one between said cassette at said position and said at least one of two lock chambers; and

opening and closing using opening and closing devices which open or close respectively at a side of the cassette of said two lock chambers, the opening and closing devices being opened or closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, so as to change over said two lock chambers in an atmosphere or in a vacuum,

wherein between said two lock chambers in the atmosphere and said cassette at said position, said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing is carried in or carried out one by one.

9. An apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:

a cassette table for mounting a cassette at a position of which an upper region of the position is open to a cassette transferring path, the cassette receiving plural substrates to be subjected to processing, or plural substrates which have been subjected to processing;

two lock chambers for carrying in and carrying out said substrates to be subjected to processing or said substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a single atmospheric transferring device for transferring one by one a substrate to be subjected to processing or a substrate which has been subjected to processing, between said cassette at said position and said two lock chambers; and

opening and closing devices provided respectively at a side of the cassette of said two lock chambers and being opened or closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, so as to change over said two lock chambers in an atmosphere or in a vacuum,

wherein between said two lock chambers in the atmosphere and said cassette at said position, said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing is carried in or carried out one by one.

10. An apparatus for transferring a substrate according to claim 9, wherein said two lock chambers have a function of a load lock chamber or an unload lock chamber.

11. An apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:

a cassette table for mounting a cassette at a position of which an upper region of the position is open to a cassette transferring path, the cassette receiving plural substrates to be subjected to processing or plural substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a load lock chamber for carrying in said substrates to be subjected to processing;

an unload lock chamber for carrying out said substrates which have been subjected to processing;

a single atmospheric transferring device for transferring one by one a substrate to be subjected to processing or a substrate which has been subjected to processing, between said cassette at said position and said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber; and

opening and closing devices provided respectively at a side of the cassette of said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber and being opened or closed every carrying-in and carrying-out of said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing, so as to change over said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber in an atmosphere or in a vacuum,

wherein between said load lock chamber and said unload lock chamber in the atmosphere and said cassette at said position, said substrate to be subjected to processing or said substrate which has been subjected to processing is carried in or carried out one by one.

12. An apparatus for transferring a substrate according to claim 9 or 11, wherein said cassette is maintained in a transfer installation state without a change of position, and wherein a posture of plural cassettes, which are arranged in a cassette transfer space, are installed in a single row.

13. An apparatus for transferring a substrate according to claim 9 or 11, wherein said cassette is mounted on said cassette table according to any one of a mechanical transferring means and a manual transferring means.

14. An apparatus for transferring a substrate according to claim 9 or 11, wherein said carrying-in and said carrying-out of said substrate are performed to carry in and carry out, one by one, according to any one of a recognition of a product information which is given to said cassette, an information which is sent from an upper rank controlling apparatus, and a demand which is inputted manually.

15. An apparatus for transferring of a substrate according to claim 9 or 11, wherein said carrying-in and said carrying-out of said substrate are performed to carry said substrate which has been subjected to processing, to an original position at which the substrate was located prior to processing.