Conveying system for a vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,473,989 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• 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:
  US09/781,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/92, 342/18, 342/28, 342/29, 342/32, 342/36, 414/217, 414/222.13, 414/785, 414/937, 414/939, 414/940
• 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 vacuum processing apparatus which includes a cassette mount table for holding at least one cassette, a conveying structure that includes a robot, a cassette table for holding the cassette, an additional conveying structure for transferring a wafer held on the cassette table. Further, the apparatus is provided with a vacuum loader which is connected to the additional conveying device by a lock chamber. a controller system controls the second conveyor structure and manages the replacement of the cassette on the cassette table; and further, instructs the replacement of the cassette.

Claims

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

a first conveyor structure provided with a cassette mounter and a first robot;

a cassette mount table for holding a cassette; and

a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from a cassette held on the cassette mount table, said wafer being removed from the cassette through a window portion of the cassette,

wherein;

the first robot transfers the cassette from the cassette mounter onto the cassette mount table in a state that the window portion of the cassette faces to the vacuum processing apparatus,

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

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

the second robot is arranged to transfer the wafer horizontally from the cassette, and

the wafer is adapted to be transferred from the cassette on the cassette mount table to a vacuum processing chamber by the second robot and a third robot in a horizontal line to the extent of one cassette height during transportation of the wafer.

2. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the second transfer structure is movable in up and down directions.

3. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the cassette mount table is arranged such that a set of two cassettes is positioned thereon, and the second robot is a sole robot accessing to at least two cassettes.

4. The conveyor system according to claim 3, wherein the second robot is the sole robot accessing to a set of lock chambers located next to the second transfer structure.

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

a first conveyor structure for transferring a cassette, the first conveyor structure being provided with a first robot;

a cassette table for holding the cassette;

a lock chamber;

a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from the cassette on the cassette table to the lock chamber; and

a controller controlling said first conveyor structure, the second conveyor structure and managing a replacement of the cassette on the cassette table.

6. The conveyor system according to claim 5, wherein the first conveyor structure is provided with a cassette mounter, and the first robot is for transferring the cassette from the cassette mounter to the cassette table.

7. The conveyor system according to claim 5, wherein the second conveyor structure is provided with a second robot, and the second conveyor structure is disposed between the cassette mount table and the lock chamber.

8. The conveyor system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second robots has an arm which moves horizontally and rotationally.

9. The conveyor system according to claim 7, wherein each of the first and second robots moves in up and down directions.