Vacuum processing apparatus

• US 6,634,116 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• 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): Wilson, Pamela
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, KATHRYN S
• Application Number:
  US09/781,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20010009075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/92, 342/18, 342/28, 342/29, 342/32, 414/939, 414/940, 414/225, 414/226, 414/207, 414/217, 414/222, 414/331, 134/84, 134/85, 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

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 in a 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 conveyor structure for conveying a cassette holding substrates to be processed in a vacuum condition to a vacuum processing apparatus provided with (1) a lock chamber and (2) a vacuum loader having a vacuum processing chamber; and

a robot system to carry a substrate to the vacuum processing chamber,

 

wherein;

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

the cassette is provided with a window portion to take out the substrates and to return processed substrates to the cassette,

the robot transfers the cassette onto a cassette mount table in a state that the window portion faces to the vacuum processing apparatus, and

from a start to end of processing the substrates in the vacuum condition in the vacuum processing apparatus, including transfer of the substrates from and to the cassette, unprocessed wafers are taken out from the cassette, transferred one-by-one to the vacuum processing apparatus, and returned to their original positions in the cassette and stored there, without changing the position and posture of the cassette.

2. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the transfer structure is arranged so as to face to a set of two cassettes.

3. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the transfer structure, the robot, and the cassette, are exposed to the air.

4. The conveyor system according to claim 3, wherein the substrates in the cassette are exposed to the air.

5. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein the cassette conveyor positions said cassette on the cassette mount table such that unprocessed substrates can be unloaded from the cassette, and processed substrates returned to their original positions in the cassette and stored there, without changing the position and posture of the cassette.