Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,625,899 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishihata, Kouji, Itou, Atsushi, Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kato, Shigekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, PAMELA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/766,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/92, 342/18, 342/28, 342/29, 342/32, 414/217, 414/222.13, 414/786, 414/937, 414/939, 414/940, 134/84, 134/85, 134/902, 156/345, 156/345.C, 156/345.PC, 118/723.F, 118/723.I, 118/730, 118/719, 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 vacuum processing apparatus which includes a means for transferring substrates from a loader with a transferring device to a double lock chamber and then to a selected vacuum processing chamber. The substrates are then returned to a substrate by the vacuum loader and back into the substrate table. The surfaces of the substrates are maintained in a horizontal position during processing.

Claims

1. A vacuum processing apparatus, including:

a first loader provided with a first conveying structure for conveying substrates;

a second loader provided with a convey chamber, a second conveying structure and plural vacuum processing chamber, and

lock chambers for connecting said first loader and said second loader,

wherein;

said first loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,

said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane, which is a substantially horizontal plane in which all cassettes, containing substrates to be processed are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chambers,

a cassette is placed on and removed from said cassette positioning plane so as to maintain a surface of the substrate to be processed, in said cassette, substantially horizontal,

each of said lock chambers is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal fine in front of said cassette in said cassette positioning plane, and

said first and second conveying structures transfer the substrates sequentially one by one from said first loader to said second loader and from said second loader to said first loader through said lock chambers.

2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain the surface of the substrate horizontal during a vacuum processing.

3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrates are sputtered in one of said vacuum processing chambers.

4. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a loader;

a vacuum loader;

and a lock chamber for connecting said loader and said vacuum loader,

wherein;

said loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,

said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane,

a cassette is placed on and removed from said cassette positioning plane so as to maintain a surface of the substrate in said cassette substantially horizontal,

said lock chamber is provided with gate valves respectively at both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line, and

said first and second conveying structures transfer the substrates sequentially one by one from said loader to said vacuum loader and from said vacuum loader to said first loader through said lock chamber.

5. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising plural vacuum processing chambers in which the substrates are processed, connected to the vacuum loader, and wherein each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain the surface of the substrate, which is processed during a vacuum processing, horizontal during the vacuum processing.

6. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said substrates are dry etched in one of said vacuum processing chambers.

7. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrates are treated by chemical vapor deposition and sputtering in one of said vacuum processing chambers.

8. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrates are treated, in parallel, by dry etching, chemical vapor deposition and sputtering in said vacuum processing chambers.

9. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein processed substrates are transferred directly from one of said vacuum processing chambers to said double lock chambers by said second transfer conveyor.

10. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a wafer holder for storing wafers;

double wafer locking structures for housing wafers in the gas atmosphere during a first time period and in a vacuum during a second time period;

evacuating structure for evacuating said wafer locking structures;

gas introduction structure for introducing a gas into said wafer locking structures;

a first transfer structure for transferring the wafers between said wafer holder and said wafer locking structures;

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for one by one treating the wafers, which are to be processed in a vacuum; and

a second transfer structure for transferring said wafers between said wafer locking structures, while said wafers are maintained in a vacuum, and said vacuum processing chambers, the wafers being carried in from said wafer holder into said vacuum processing chambers,

wherein the first and second transfer structures transfer the substrates sequentially one by one from said wafer holder to said vacuum processing chambers and from said vacuum processing chambers to said wafer holder through said wafer locking structures.

11. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette holder for storing wafers;

wafer locking structures for holding the wafers in a gas atmosphere during a first time period and in a vacuum during a second time period;

evacuating structure for evacuating said wafer locking structures;

a gas introduction structure for introducing a gas into said wafer locking structures;

a first transfer structure for transferring the wafer between said cassette holder and said wafer locking structures;

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for one by one treating said wafers, which are to be processed in a vacuum and;

a second transfer structure for transferring the wafers between said wafer locking structures, while said wafers are maintained in a vacuum, and each of said vacuum processing chambers, wherein;

a cassette is placed on and removed from a cassette positioning plane of said cassette holder so as to maintain a surface of a wafer to be processed, of the wafers in said cassette, substantially horizontal,

the wafer, from the cassette, is carried into a vacuum processing chamber of said plurality of vacuum processing chambers,

the wafer, processed in said vacuum processing chamber, is carried out to the cassette, and

the wafer is sequentially transferred between the cassette on the cassette holder and said vacuum processing chamber by the two transfer structures in a state that a horizontal line of said wafer is maintained from transfer of the wafer between the first transfer structure and the wafer locking structures, to the vacuum processing chamber.

12. A vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers adjacent to a common transfer chamber, comprising:

a first transfer conveyor for transferring substrates to be processed from it cassette location to one of double lock chambers, wherein the substrates, at said cassette location, are contained in at least one cassette which is placed on a cassette table;

and a second transfer conveyor for transferring the substrates to be processed from one of said double lock chambers to said common transfer chamber; and

for transferring the substrates to be processed from said common transfer chamber to one of said plural vacuum processing chambers,

wherein said first transfer conveyor is provided with a first transfer device which faces to a set of substrates disposed in a cassette and transfers the substrates one by one to the double lock chambers, and said second transfer conveyor is provided with a second transfer device which is disposed in a conveyor chamber of said common transfer chamber, and

wherein the substrates are sequentially transferred one by one from said cassette to one of said plural vacuum processing chambers by said two transfer conveyors in a state that said substrates are maintained horizontal.

13. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the substrates are treated one by one, in parallel, in said plural vacuum processing chambers.

14. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the substrates which have been processed are transferred one by one, in series, from the plurality of vacuum processing chambers to the common transfer chamber by said second transfer conveyor.

15. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette, containing substrates, placed at a position in a single row in front of lock chambers, on a cassette table,

the substrates being carried into at least one vacuum processing chamber by way of said lock chambers, and the substrates, processed in said at least one vacuum processing chamber, being carried out to said cassette;

a transfer conveyor structure for removing said cassette from the cassette table,

said transfer conveyor structure maintaining substrate surfaces, subjected to processing in the at least one vacuum processing chamber, substantially horizontal during carrying in and carrying out substrates,

the surfaces of the substrates being maintained substantially horizontal during placing and removing the cassette; and

a transfer chamber, containing a transfer device, between said lock chambers and the at least one vacuum processing chamber.

16. The vacuum processing apparatus to claim 15, wherein the substrates are semiconductor wafers.

17. A vacuum processing apparatus for treating a substrate, comprising:

a set of cassettes, containing substrates, placed on cassette tables;

a set of lock chambers for carrying in the substrates into vacuum processing chambers, and for carrying out the substrates, processed in said vacuum processing chambers, to said cassettes;

a transfer conveyor structure for removing said cassettes from the cassette tables;

a transfer conveyor conveying the substrates from one of said cassettes to one of lock chambers; and

a transfer chamber containing another transfer conveyor, disposed between said lock chambers and plural vacuum processing chambers,

wherein after processing of all substrates in one of said cassettes, in said vacuum processing chambers, said one of said cassettes is removed and another cassette, containing substrates to be processed, is placed on a cassette table of the cassette tables.

18. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette, containing a sample, placed at a position in a single row in front of lock chambers, on a cassette table,

said cassette table having a cassette positioning plane for orienting the sample at said position,

the cassette being placed on and removed from said cassette positioning plane so as to maintain a surface of a sample to be processed, in said cassette, substantially horizontal, said sample being carried into a vacuum processing chamber, of plural vacuum processing chambers, by way of a lock chamber of the lock chambers, and the sample, processed in said vacuum processing chambers, being carried out by way of a lock chamber of the lock chambers;

a structure for removing said cassette from said cassette table;

one conveyor structure disposed between said cassette and said lock chambers; and

another conveyor structure between said lock chambers and the plural vacuum processing chambers to sequentially take in and to take out a sample one by one, and to take in and to take out a processed sample,

wherein each of said lock chambers is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line, and

wherein each of the lock chambers is provided with gate valves respectively at both the inlet and the outlet located in the horizontal line.

19. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said sample is a semiconductor wafer.

20. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a wafer storing structure for containing semiconductor wafers, placed at a position in a single row in front of a front wall of a lock chamber, on a wafer storing structure table;

lock chambers for carrying in said semiconductor wafers into vacuum processing chambers, and for carrying out said semiconductor wafers, processed in said vacuum processing chambers, to said wafer storing structure;

a first transfer conveyor structure for removing said wafers from said wafer storing structure, wherein a surface of a semiconductor wafer is maintained substantially horizontal during carrying in and carrying out the semiconductor wafer, and during the semiconductor wafer processing, and wherein said surface of the semiconductor wafer is maintained substantially horizontal during placing and removing of the wafer storing structure; and

a transfer chamber containing a second transfer conveyor structure, disposed between said lock chambers and the plural vacuum processing chambers.

21. A vacuum processing apparatus to claim 20, wherein each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain the surface of the semiconductor wafer horizontal during vacuum processing.

22. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a cassette containing samples, placed at a position in a single row in front of lock chambers, on a cassette table;

said lock chambers, for carrying in the samples into vacuum processing chambers, wherein the samples are carried from the cassette to the lock chambers, and for carrying out said samples, processed in said vacuum processing chambers, to said cassette; and

a transfer conveyor for removing the cassette from the cassette table,

wherein a surface of the sample is maintained substantially horizontal during said carrying in and carrying out the sample, and during sample processing; and

said surface of the sample is maintained substantially horizontal during placing and removing the cassette.