Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,457,253 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Itou, Atsushi, Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kato, Shigekazu, Nishihata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, KATHRYN S
• Application Number:
  US09/781,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/92, 342/18, 342/28, 342/29, 342/32, 414/217, 414/222-213, 414/786, 414/937, 414/939, 414/940, 134/84, 134/85, 134/902, 438/906, 438/907
• US Class Current: 34/92
• 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

A wafer conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus wherein the conveyor structure is provided with a transfer structure and a robot apparatus is arranged on the transfer structure. The robot provides for rotation of the wafer horizontally from a position in a cassette to an opposite position of the cassette.

Claims

1. A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette mount table for holding a cassette; and

a conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from the cassette held on the cassette mount table,

wherein;

the conveyor structure is provided with a transfer structure and a robot arranged on the transfer structure,

the robot is disposed between the cassette mount table and at least one lock chamber connected to a vacuum loader having a vacuum processing chamber, the robot being in tandem horizontally to the cassette mount table and the at least one lock chamber, and

the at least one lock chamber comprises a set of two lock chambers separately disposed.

2. A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette mount table for holding at least one cassette; and

a conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from the cassette held on the cassette mount table,

wherein;

the conveyor structure is provided with a transfer structure and a robot arranged on the transfer structure,

the robot is shiftable on a track of the transfer structure and is provided with an arm accessing a cassette, of the at least one cassette, to take out a wafer from the cassette,

the robot is arranged to transfer the wafer horizontally from a position in the cassette to an opposite position of the position of the cassette, and

the system further includes a load-lock chamber and an unload-lock chamber separately disposed at said opposite position.

3. The conveyor system according to claim 2, wherein the transfer structure is movable in up and down directions.

4. The conveyor system according to claim 2, wherein the cassette mount table is arranged so as to position two cassettes thereon, and the robot is a sole robot accessing to the set of two cassettes.

5. The conveyor system according to claim 4, wherein the robot is a sole robot, accessing to the load-lock chamber and the unload-lock chamber, which are located next to the transfer structure.

6. A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a set of cassettes positioned adjacent to each other;

a cassette mount table holding the set of cassettes; and

a conveyor structure for transferring a substrate from the cassettes,

wherein;

the conveyor structure is provided with a robot, each of the cassettes is provided with a window portion open to the conveyor structure, so that the robot can take out substrates held in the cassettes through each window portion horizontally,

the robot is a sole robot approaching to the set of cassettes,

the conveyor system further comprises at least one lock chamber adjacent the conveyor structure, and each of the at least one lock chamber is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line,

the at least one lock chamber comprises a set of two lock chambers separately disposed, and the set of cassettes comprises a set of two cassettes separately disposed, corresponding to the set of two lock chambers, and

the conveyor structure is disposed between the set of two cassettes and the set of two lock chambers which comprises a chamber to take in and to take out a wafer one by one, and another chamber to take in and to take out a processed wafer.

7. The conveyor system according to claim 6, wherein:

the robot is positioned on a transfer structure of the conveyor structure,

the robot rotates horizontally, and

the transfer structure is movable in a direction of a horizontal line and in up and down directions.

8. The conveyor system according to claim 7, wherein the cassettes, the cassette mount table, the robot and the transfer structure are under an atmospheric condition.