Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,490,810 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• 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:
  US09/782,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 344/06, 344/12, 34/60, 34/92, 342/28, 342/29, 414/939, 414/940, 134/902, 156/345, 156/345.C, 156/345.PC, 118/723.F, 118/723.I, 118/730, 118/719
• 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

This invention relates to a vacuum processing system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus. The system has a cassette mount unit for holding a cassette of, e.g., wafers; a vacuum loader having a conveyor and at least one vacuum processing chamber; a conveyor structure for conveying a wafer from the cassette; and at least one lock chamber between the conveyor structure and the conveyor of the vacuum holder. The conveyor structure, which is between the cassette mount unit and the lock chamber, includes a track and a robot (having a robot arm) traveling on the track. The robot can transfer a wafer from the cassette mount unit to the lock chamber.

Claims

1. A vacuum processing system, comprising:

a first conveyor structure for transferring a cassette;

a cassette mount unit for holding the cassette;

a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer held in the cassette on the cassette mount unit;

a vacuum loader provided with a third conveyor structure and at least one vacuum processing chamber, and

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

wherein;

the second conveyor structure includes a track installed along the at least one lock chamber,

the second conveyor structure is provided with a robot which travels on the track,

the robot is adapted to transfer a wafer from the cassette mount unit to a lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber,

the second conveyor structure is disposed between the cassette mount unit and a set of lock chambers, as the at least one lock chamber, 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, and

the second conveyor structure is provided with a robot arm extendable to the cassette and facing to the at least one lock chamber.

2. The vacuum processing system according to claim 1, wherein the robot is movable in horizontal and rotational directions.

3. The vacuum processing system according to claim 1, wherein the track is a set of rails.

4. The vacuum processing system according to claim 2, wherein the second robot is movable in up and down directions.

5. The vacuum processing system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one lock chamber includes a load lock chamber and an unload lock chamber which are respectively provided with gate valves.

6. The vacuum processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyor structure is exposed to the atmosphere, so that an atmosphere space structure is provided by the first conveyor structure, the cassette mount unit and the second conveyor structure.

7. The vacuum processing system according to claim 1, wherein the cassette mount unit, the second conveyor structure and the at least one lock chamber are arranged in tandem, a set of two cassettes can be positioned on the cassette mount unit, and the robot accesses the set of two cassettes.

8. The vacuum processing system according to claim 5, wherein the robot is adapted to transfer a wafer from a cassette held on the cassette mount unit to a load lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber, and to transfer a processed wafer from an unload lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber, to a cassette held on the cassette mount unit.

9. The vacuum processing system according to claim 7, wherein the robot is adapted to transfer plural wafers from a cassette held on the cassette mount unit to a load lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber, and to transfer processed wafers from an unload lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber, to a cassette held on the cassette mount unit.

10. The vacuum processing system according to claim 5, wherein the robot is adapted to transfer a processed wafer from an unload lock chamber, of the at least one lock chamber, to a cassette held on the cassette mount unit, and the cassette is the cassette in which a wafer was stocked and transferred by the second robot to a load lock chamber of the at least one lock chamber, for processing the wafer in a vacuum processing chamber.

11. The vacuum processing system according to claim 5, wherein the robot arm is kept in a horizontal plane between the cassette mount unit and a load lock chamber of the at least one lock chamber.

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

a first conveyor structure for transferring a cassette;

a cassette mount unit for holding the cassette;

a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from a cassette held on the cassette mount unit;

a vacuum loader provided with a second conveyor structure, having a third robot, and plural vacuum processing chambers; and

plural lock chambers connected to the vacuum loader,

wherein;

the second robot has an arm accessing any of the plural lock chambers and the plural vacuum processing chambers to carry a wafer and a processed wafer,

the second conveyor structure is disposed between the cassette mount unit and a set of lock chambers, of the plural lock chambers, said set of lock chambers comprising 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, wherein the second conveyor structure is provided with a first robot arm extendable to the cassette and to the lock chambers, and

the plural lock chambers are each provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line, and the second robot is disposed in a conveyor chamber of the vacuum loader and provided with an arm extendable into the lock chambers.

13. The vacuum processing system according to claim 12, wherein the second robot is a sole robot disposed in the conveyor chamber.

14. The vacuum processing system according to claim 12, wherein the first robot has an arm accessing any of the plural lock chambers and the cassette mount unit.