Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,484,414 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• 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:
  US09/781,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 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 wafer conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus wherein the conveyor structure is provided with a robot disposed in the conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader. The robot includes an arm which is extendible into the lock chambers which are connected to the conveyor structure.

Claims

1. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum loader provided with a conveyor structure in a conveyor chamber and at least three vacuum processing chamber; and

two lock chambers, connected to the conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader through a gate valve located at outlets of two lock chambers, repectively,

wherein the conveyor structure is provided with a robot,

wherein the robot is the sole robot disposed in a conveyor chamber and having an arm accessing inlets to the at least three vacuum processing chambers and the two lock chambers, and

wherein the two lock chambers are each provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line.

2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot has an arm which moves in horizontal and rotational directions.

3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot transfers wafers one by one.

4. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a computer control system for controlling movement of the robot.

5. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the robot is disposed in a vacuum condition.

6. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a first conveyor structure for horizontally transferring a wafer from a cassette held on a cassette mount table;

a vacuum loader provided with a second conveyor structure; and

at least one lock chamber disposed between the first conveyor structure and the second conveyor structure,

wherein;

the first conveyor structure and the second conveyor structure are respectively provided with a first robot and a second robot, and the vacuum loader is provided with a conveyor chamber connected to at least five chambers which comprise at least three vacuum processing chambers and the at least one lock chamber, and

the second robot is provided with an arm extendable into the at least one lock chamber and the at least three vacuum processing chambers.

7. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first robot transfers a wafer from the cassette to any of the at least one lock chamber, and the second robot transfers the wafer from any of the at least one lock chamber through the conveyor chamber to any of the at least three vacuum processing chambers.

8. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second robot transfers a processed wafer from any of the at least three vacuum processing chambers through the conveyor chamber to any of the at least one lock chamber, and the first robot transfers the processed wafer from any of the at least one lock chamber to the cassette mount table.

9. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first robot travels on a track and is movable in horizontal and rotational directions.

10. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first robot and the second robot maintain a plane of a surface of the wafer substantially horizontal during transferring the wafer, so that the plane of the surface of the wafer is kept in a horizontal state during the steps from the cassette mount table to a vacuum processing chamber.

11. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one lock chamber comprises a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber which are separate from each other.

12. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one lock chamber is provided with a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber;

and

the first robot transfers the wafer between the first conveyor structure and the load lock chamber and a processed wafer between the unload lock chamber and the first conveyor structure.

13. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein during at least a part of the period the first robot is transferring the wafer from the first conveyor structure to a lock chamber, the second robot is transferring a wafer from the conveyor chamber to any of the vacuum processing chambers.

14. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein during at least a part of the period the first robot is transferring a wafer from the first conveyor structure to a lock chamber, the second robot is transferring a processed wafer from any of the vacuum processing chambers to the conveyor chamber.

15. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein during at least a part of the period the second robot is transferring a processed wafer from the conveyor chamber to a lock chamber, the first robot is transferring the processed wafer from the first conveyor structure to the cassette mount table.

16. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one lock chamber is provided with a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber which are separate chambers, and the second robot is a sole robot which accesses both the load lock chamber and the unload lock chamber.

17. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum loader provided with a conveyor structure and a vacuum processing chamber in which a wafer is horizontally processed; and

a plurality of lock chambers connected to the vacuum loader,

wherein;

the conveyor structure has a robot, and the robot has an arm accessing any of the plurality of lock chambers and the vacuum processing chamber, to carry the wafer and a processed wafer, and

the robot is disposed in a conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader, and the arm is extendable into the plurality of lock chambers and the vacuum processing chamber.

18. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the robot is a sole robot disposed in the conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader.

19. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a vacuum loader provided with a conveyor chamber and a conveyor structure installed in the conveyor chamber, the conveyor structure including a robot,

wherein;

the vacuum loader is provided with at least three different vacuum processing chambers which at least includes an etching chamber, a post-processing chamber and a film-formation chamber, and

a lock chamber is provided, having both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line and an interior space sufficient to store only one wafer, and the robot is disposed in the conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader and provided with an arm extendable into the at least three different vacuum processing chambers.

20. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the vacuum processing chambers include at least one of a dry etching chamber, a chemical vapor deposition chamber and a sputtering chamber.