Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

• US 6,968,630 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• 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): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, KATHRYN S
• Application Number:
  US10/796,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20040187337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 134/902, 34/23, 342/18, 342/19, 341/07, 34/92, 344/06
• 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 vacuum processing apparatus, comprising;

a cassette hold means for holding a first cassette storing substrates to be processed and a second cassette storing dummy substrates on a substantially horizontal plane, in the atmosphere;

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, having a substrate table on which either one of said substrates or one of said dummy substrates is placed;

a transfer chamber connected to said plurality of vacuum processing chambers with gate valves;

two lock chambers, having an evacuating device, a gas introduction device and gate valves, for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates between the atmosphere and said transfer chamber in a vacuum;

an atmosphere conveyor for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates, between (a) said first and second cassettes and (b) said two lock chambers;

an evacuating conveyor for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates, between (a) said two lock chambers and (b) said plurality of vacuum processing chambers; and

a control means arranged to control said atmosphere conveyor so as to transfer said substrates between said first cassette and said plurality of vacuum processing chambers through gate valves, and said dummy substrates between said second cassette and said plurality of vacuum processing chambers through gate valves,

wherein said control means is arranged to control said atmosphere conveyor and said evacuating conveyor so that said substrates to be processed and said dummy substrates do not coexist inside the same chamber in vacuum.

2. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising;

a cassette hold means for holding a first cassette storing substrates to be processed and a second cassette storing dummy substrates on a substantially horizontal plane, in the atmosphere;

a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, having a substrate table on which either one of said substrates or one of said dummy substrates is placed for processing one by one;

a transfer chamber connected to said plurality of vacuum processing chambers with gate valves;

two lock chambers, having an evacuating device, a gas introduction device and gate valves;

for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates between the atmosphere and said transfer chamber in vacuum;

an atmosphere conveyor for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates, between (a) said first and second cassettes and (b) said two lock chambers;

an evacuating conveyor for transferring said substrates and said dummy substrates, between (a) said two lock chambers and (b) said plurality of vacuum processing chambers; and

a control means arranged to control said atmosphere conveyor and said evacuating conveyor so as to transfer said substrates between said first cassette and said plurality of vacuum processing chambers through gate valves, and said dummy substrates between said second cassette and said plurality of vacuum processing chambers through gate valves,

wherein said control means is arranged to control said atmosphere conveyor and said evacuating conveyor so that said substrates to be processed and said dummy substrates do not coexist inside the same chamber in vacuum.