Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of transferring a substrate, using apparatus comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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3. A method of transferring a substrate, using apparatus comprising:
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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.
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8. A method of transferring a substrate, comprising steps of:
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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.
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9. An apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An apparatus for transferring a substrate, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification