Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

• US 6,655,044 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• 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 ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/766,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20010002517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 34/92, 344/06, 344/09, 344/13, 344/17, 342/28, 342/29, 414/225, 414/226, 414/207, 414/292, 414/939, 414/940, 134/902
• US Class Current: 34/406
• 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 apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used for dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

Claims

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

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 chambers; and

a lock chamber, having a first loader side and a second loader side, and having a gate valve for said first loader side and another gate valve for said second loader side, wherein;

each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain a surface of the substrate being processed horizontal during a vacuum processing,

said first loader includes cassette tables disposed adjacent to and in parallel with each other located outside of said lock chamber,

said second conveying structure is provided with an arm extendable into the lock chamber and into the plural vacuum processing chambers so as to maintain said surface of the substrate horizontal when supported by said arm,

said first and second conveying structures load the substrate from a cassette into said plural vacuum processing chambers, and

said surface of said substrate treated in said plural vacuum processing chambers is horizontal during treatment.

2. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein said first conveying structure comprises a transfer device to transfer substrates directly from said loader to said lock chamber.

3. The conveyor system according to claim 1, wherein a substrate is sequentially processed one by one in said plural vacuum processing chambers.

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

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

a second loader; and

a lock chamber, having a first loader side for said first loader and a second loader side for said second loader, and having a gate valve for said first loader side and another gate valve for said second loader side,

wherein said second loader has

(1) a transfer chamber connected to the said lock chamber via the another gate valve,

(2) a second conveying structure, and

(3) plural vacuum processing chambers,

wherein said lock chamber and at least one of said plural vacuum processing chambers are located such that a substrate to be processed is carried in and carried out between said lock chamber and said at least one of the plural vacuum processing chambers via said transfer chamber in a state where a surface of said substrate which is processed is horizontal, and said plural vacuum processing chambers treat said substrate with said surface being horizontal.

5. Apparatus for a carrying out a method including the steps of:

(i) placing a cassette containing wafers to be processed at a cassette table, such that surfaces of the wafers to be processed are horizontal;

(ii) loading said wafers sequentially in order from said cassette by means of a first conveying structure, a load lock chamber, and a second conveying structure in a transfer chamber under vacuum, into a plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to said transfer chamber;

(iii) processing said wafers under vacuum in said vacuum processing chambers; and

(iv) unloading vacuum processed wafers from said vacuum processing chambers into said cassette at said cassette table, by means of the second conveying structure in said transfer chamber under vacuum, an unload lock chamber and said first conveying structure in the atmosphere, said apparatus comprising;

the cassette table, for disposing cassettes containing wafers to be processed, said cassettes being disposed in a row in front of said load and unload lock chambers;

the transfer chamber which in use is held under vacuum;

the plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to said transfer chamber;

said load and unload lock chambers in which wafers are transferred from the atmosphere to vacuum and from vacuum to the atmosphere;

the first conveying structure, adapted to load wafers sequentially from the cassette at said cassette table into said load lock chamber and to unload processed wafers from said unload lock chamber into said cassette at said cassette table; and

the second conveying structure, maintained in said transfer chamber under vacuum, for transferring said wafers between said load lock and unload lock chambers and said vacuum processing chambers,

wherein the transfer chamber is provided with an arm extendable into the load and unload lock chambers and into the plural vacuum processing chambers to support a wafer such that a surface of the wafer to be processed is horizontal, and

wherein said first and second conveying structures load and unload wafers between the cassettes and the plural vacuum processing chambers.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said transfer chamber has a evacuating device operable independently of evacuating devices for said vacuum processing chambers.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first conveyor is maintained in the atmosphere.

8. 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 loader has a conveyor structure transferring substrates to be processed and which have been processed,

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

said lock chamber is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line.

9. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said vacuum loader has a convey chamber, a conveyor structure and plural vacuum processing chambers.

10. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a cassette loader for loading cassettes into said loader, wherein said cassette loader loads cassettes into said loader so as to maintain the substrate surface substantially horizontal.

11. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein all of said cassettes are positioned in a line in said cassette positioning plane, in front of a front wall of said lock chamber.

12. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising wherein each of plural vacuum processing chambers of the vacuum processing apparatus has a substrate table to maintain the surface of the substrate horizontal during a vacuum processing.

13. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said conveyor structure conveys substrates from said loader through said lock chamber to said vacuum loader.

14. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

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 chambers; and

a lock chamber for connecting said first and second loaders, wherein;

said first loader has 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 chamber,

the lock chamber is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line, and

each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain a surface of the substrate, which is being processed, horizontal during a vacuum processing.

15. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said first conveying structure transfers substrates to be processed from said loader to said lock chamber.

16. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a first loader, provided with a first conveying structure to be operated in an atmosphere different from an atmosphere in plural vacuum processing chambers; and

a second loader to be operated in the atmosphere in the plural vacuum processing chambers, provided with a second conveying structure and the plural vacuum processing chambers; and

double 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 chambers,

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 chamber,

wherein said first and second conveying structures load a substrate from the cassette into the plural vacuum processing chambers, and said plural vacuum processing chambers treat said substrates, with surfaces of the substrates which are being treated being horizontal, and

said first and second conveying structures load from the cassettes into said plural vacuum processing chambers.

17. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each of said double lock chambers is provided with gate valves respectively at both an inlet and an outlet and which are located in a horizontal line.

18. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a first loader provided with a conveying structure;

a second loader to be operated in a vacuum and having plural processing chambers; and

a lock chamber 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 conveying structure in said first loader transfers substrates to be processed and which have been processed,

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

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

19. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

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 chambers; 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 second loader transfers substrates to be processed and which have been processed in a substantially horizontal plane,

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,

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

said lock chambers are so disposed as to face to cassette tables of said cassette mount unit, such that said first conveying structure is disposed between said cassette tables and said lock chambers, and

the substrate is loaded from a cassette into said plural vacuum processing chambers by the first and second conveying structures, and a surface of the substrate which is treated in said plural vacuum processing chambers is horizontal in said plural vacuum processing chambers.

20. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing substrates;

a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;

cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;

an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables; and

control means (a) for transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers via said atmospheric transfer device and said vacuum transferring chamber, and (b) for transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber and said atmospheric transfer device.

21. A method for vacuum processing substrates in a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing said substrates, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;

cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;

an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables; and

a control means, wherein said method comprises steps of;

transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables, in the atmosphere, to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device and said vacuum transferring chamber; and

transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber and said atmospheric transfer device.

22. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing a substrate;

a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;

cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;

an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables; and

control means (a) for transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device, a chamber for loading non-processed substrates from the atmosphere into said vacuum atmosphere, and said vacuum transferring chamber, and (b) for transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber, a chamber for unloading said processed substrates from said vacuum atmosphere into the atmosphere, and said atmospheric transfer device.

23. A method for vacuum processing substrates in a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing said substrates, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;

cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;

an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables; and

a control means, wherein said method comprises steps of;

transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device, a chamber for loading non-processed substrates from the atmosphere into said vacuum atmosphere, and said vacuum transferring chamber; and

transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber, a chamber for unloading said processed substrates from said vacuum atmosphere into the atmosphere, and said atmospheric transfer device.