Semiconductor device producing apparatus and producing method of semiconductor device

• US 7,198,447 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Morimitsu, Kazuhiro, Matsushima, Masaki, Kaneko, Masanori, Matsunaga, Tatsuhisa, Noto, Kouichi, Yanagawa, Hidehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; Dean J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADAMS, GREGORY W
• Application Number:
  US10/360,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20040052618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 414/217, 414/416.03, 414/416.08, 414/937, 414/939, 414/152, 414/160, 414/811
• US Class Current: 414/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67757 vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces
• 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

Abstract

A semiconductor device producing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a carrier-holding stage for placing a carrier; first, second and third stages each for holding first and second boats one at a time, each boat holding one or more substrates; a boat transfer mechanism for transferring the boats among the first, second and third stages; and a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate(s) from the carrier to the boat held by the first stage. A controller controls the first stage, the boat transfer mechanism and the substrate transfer mechanism so that the boat transfer mechanism transfers one of the boats from the second stage to the first stage, the substrate transfer mechanism then transfers the substrate(s) from the carrier to the boat held by the first stage, and the first stage then moves the boat into the processing chamber for processing.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device producing apparatus, comprising:

a carrier-holding stage for placing a carrier for accommodating a substrate or substrates;

a processing chamber for thermal processing the substrate or the substrates therein;

a first boat holder for holding first and second boats one at a time which are capable of respectively holding the substrate or the substrates and for moving the first and second boats one at a time into and out from said processing chamber, wherein said first boat holder is located directly below said processing chamber, and said first boat holder moves vertically to move the first and second boats one at a time into and out from said processing chamber;

a second boat holder for holding the first and second boats one at a time in standby, said second boat holder not being located directly below said processing chamber in contrast to said first boat holder;

a third boat holder for holding the first and second boats one at a time for cooling the substrate or the substrates after thermal processing in the processing chamber, said third boat holder not being located directly below said processing chamber in contrast to said first boat holder;

a boat transfer mechanism which transfers the first and second boats between said first, second and third boat holders, said boat transfer mechanism including a linear actuator disposed in parallel to a line connecting a center of said second boat holder and a center of said first boat holder to transfer the first and second boats one at a time at least from said second boat holder to said first boat holder;

a substrate transfer mechanism which transfers the substrate or substrates directly from the carrier placed at said carrier-holding stage directly to either one of the first and second boats, said substrate transfer mechanism being located at a position which allows the substrate or substrates to be transferred from the carrier placed at the carrier-holding stage to either one of said first and second boats held by said first boat holder; and

a controller which controls said first boat holder, said boat transfer mechanism and said substrate transfer mechanism for said boat transfer mechanism to transfer one of the first and second boats from said second boat holder to said first boat holder, for said substrate transfer mechanism to thereafter transfer the substrate or the substrates from the carrier held at said carrier-holding stage to said one of the first and second boats held by said first boat holder, and for said first boat holder thereafter to move said one of the first and second boats into said processing chamber to process the substrate or the substrates in said processing chamber.

2. A semiconductor device producing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

said boat transfer mechanism further includes a second linear actuator disposed in parallel to a line connecting the center of said first boat holder and a center of said third boat holder to transfer the first and second boats one at a time at least from said first boat holder to said third boat holder;

said controller controls said first boat holder, said boat transfer mechanism and said substrate transfer mechanism, before the transfer of said one of the first and second boats from said second boat holder to said first boat holder, for said boat transfer mechanism to transfer the other of the first and second boats from said first boat holder to said third boat holder.

3. A semiconductor device producing apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein

said controller controls said first boat holder, said boat transfer mechanism and said substrate transfer mechanism before the transfer of the other of the first and second boats from said first boat holder to said third boat holder, for said first boat holder to move the other of the first and second boats out from said processing chamber.

4. A semiconductor producing apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein

said boat transfer mechanism further includes a third linear actuator disposed in parallel to a line connecting the center of said third boat holder and the center of said second boat holder to transfer the first and second boats one at a time at least from said third boat holder to said second boat holder.

5. A semiconductor device producing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the substrates are processed in said processing chamber and the first and second boats are respectively to hold the substrates.

6. A semiconductor device producing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor device producing apparatus is a batch-type semiconductor device producing apparatus.

7. A producing method of a semiconductor device, comprising processing a substrate or the substrates using the semiconductor device producing apparatus as recited in claim 1.

8. A producing method of a semiconductor device, comprising:

thermal processing a first substrate or first substrates held by a first boat in a processing chamber;

moving, after processing the first substrate or the first substrates, said first boat holding said first substrate or the substrates out from said processing chamber by a first boat holder;

transferring said first boat holding said first substrate or the substrates from said first boat holder to a second boat holder, only said first boat holder being located directly below said processing chamber;

transferring a second boat from a third boat holder to said first boat holder parallel to a line connecting a center of said third boat holder and a center of said first boat holder;

charging a second substrate or second substrates directly to said second boat held directly below said processing chamber by said first boat holder, wherein the first boat holder is located directly below the processing chamber and moves vertically to move the first and second boats one at a time into and out from the processing chamber;

moving said second boat charged with the second substrate or the second substrates into said processing chamber by said first boat holder; and

processing the second substrate or the second substrates held by said second boat in said processing chamber.

9. A producing method of a semiconductor device as recited in claim 8, wherein said second boat is transferred from said second boat holder to said third boat holder parallel to a line connecting a center of said second boat holder and the center of said third boat holder, before said first boat is transferred from said first boat holder to said second boat holder.

10. A producing method of a semiconductor device as recited in claim 9, further comprising discharging the first substrate or the first substrates from said first boat placed at said third boat holder.

11. A producing method of a semiconductor device as recited in claim 8, wherein said first boat is transferred from said first boat holder to said second boat holder parallel to a line connecting the center of said first boat holder and a center of said second boat holder, before said second boat is transferred from said third boat holder to said first boat holder.