JPH0469917A - Multiple compartment type vacuum processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To replace processed substrates with substrates to be processed in a one stroke step of a handling arm by a method wherein the substrates to be processed and the processed substrates are concurrently accommodated and retained at varied heights in a vacuum process compartment and the substrates are moved upwardly and downwardly by a substrate lifter. CONSTITUTION:A first substrate lifter 9a halts at three places alpha, beta, and gamma, and further a second substrate lifter halts at two places alpha and beta. In addition, the first substrate lifter 9a is provided with a round substrate receiver 11a supporting a back surface of the substrate, and, at the place alpha, the substrate receiver 11a is positioned lower than the substrate on a substrate stage 8a. After the process of substrate is completed, the lifter 9a moves upwardly up to a place gamma while the processed substrate 6a is supported by the substrate receiver 11a. Thereafter, when the processed substrate 6b is carried out, the lifter 9a moves downwardly to a height place beta. The processed substrate 6b shunts and retains a height place gamma not preventing substrate transfer, and, after the substrate 6c to be processed is transferred from a transport compartment, the processed substrate 6b is returned to the transport compartment 1.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus for processing substrates in a vacuum container, and particularly to a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing substrates one by one. This invention relates to a structural vacuum processing device.

[Prior Art] Vacuum processing equipment is currently used in many fields including the semiconductor industry. Vacuum processing equipment includes evaporation equipment, sputtering equipment, CVD equipment for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate, and dry etching equipment for etching the substrate surface. In recent years, with the miniaturization and multilayering of interconnects due to the high integration of LSIs, thin films of different materials are successively formed under different conditions, or different processes such as sputtering, CVD, and dry etching are applied to substrates. There has been a growing demand for continuous processing in a vacuum without exposing it to the atmosphere. In response to these demands, a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers each having an independent exhaust system has been developed. Multi-chamber structured vacuum processing equipment is also called multi-chamber equipment, and because each chamber is completely independent, sputtering materials,
It also has the advantage that mutual contamination of substances such as reaction products and process gases is blocked, and that substrate processing can be performed under different conditions in each chamber. The order of processing can also be arbitrarily selected, and the same device can be used in various ways.

In general, a vacuum processing apparatus with a multi-chamber structure has a transfer chamber 1 located in the center, and a substrate storage cassette 2 containing substrates is moved between the transfer chamber 1 and the transfer chamber 1, as shown in FIG. 3(a). a load-lock chamber 3, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers 4a, 4b, and 4c.

A vacuum processing chamber 4d is provided, and gate valves 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are provided between each chamber 3.4a to 4c and the transfer chamber 1.
, 5e, and each chamber is evacuated by an independent vacuum pump. FIG. 3(a) shows an example having four vacuum processing chambers, but the number changes depending on the application. Generally, it often has 3 to 5 vacuum processing chambers. A substrate handling arm 7 for transferring the substrate 6 is provided inside the transfer chamber 1.
The load lock chamber 3 and each vacuum processing chamber 4a are moved by the substrate handling arm 7 rotating around point O and extending and contracting.

The substrate 6 is accessed to 4b, 4c, and 4d.

On the other hand, inside each of the vacuum processing chambers 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, there are substrate stages 8a, 8b on which substrates are placed.
, 8c, 8d, each substrate stage 8a, 8b
, 8c, and 8d are substrate lifters 13a and 13b that perform linear movement in the vertical direction.

+3c and 13d are built-in. FIG. 3(b) is a plan view showing the vacuum processing chamber 4a, and FIG. 3(c) is a sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber 4a viewed from the transfer chamber 1 side. Figure 3 (C)
As shown in , the substrate lifter 13a stops at two height positions α and β. After the processing in the vacuum processing chamber is completed, the flow chart of the operation of returning the processed substrate from the vacuum processing chamber to the transfer chamber and the operation of transporting the unprocessed substrate from the transfer chamber to the vacuum processing chamber is shown in Fig. 4(a). , (b). Also, a vacuum processing chamber 4a.

Table 2 below shows the transition of the substrate transport state in each chamber when processing is performed in the order of 4b, 4c, and 4d.

(Left below) [Issues that Sold Out attempts to solve] In conventional dual-chamber vacuum processing equipment, the substrate handling arm is forced to During the stretching motion, the substrate handling arm does not carry a substrate. On the other hand, in a series of operations for transporting unprocessed substrates from the transfer chamber to the vacuum processing chamber, when the substrate handling arm retracts,
The board handling arm does not carry any board. As described above, the actual loading and transport of the substrate by the substrate handling arm accounts for about half of its entire operation, and as a result, the transport efficiency is very low and it takes a long time.

In a multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus having four vacuum processing chambers as shown in Fig. 3, the throughput is as follows when substrate processing is performed for 60 seconds in each chamber in the order of vacuum processing chambers 4a → 4b → 4c → 4d. It is low at about 20 sheets/Hr.

As described above, while the conventional multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus has many advantages in terms of process performance, it has the disadvantage of low throughput.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-chamber structure type vacuum processing apparatus that makes it possible to replace a processed substrate with an unprocessed substrate by one reciprocating process of a substrate handling arm to each vacuum processing chamber. be.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum processing chamber, a transfer chamber, and a substrate holding mechanism. The processing equipment includes a plurality of vacuum processing chambers that process substrates one by one and are arranged around a transfer chamber, and the transfer chamber has a built-in substrate handling arm, and the vacuum processing chamber processes substrates one by one. The substrate is carried in and out of each vacuum processing chamber, and the substrate holding mechanism is built into the vacuum processing chamber, and the substrate handling arm carries the substrate before processing,
Processed substrates carried out by a substrate handling arm are accommodated and held at different heights at the same time. Further, the substrate holding mechanism has first and second substrate lifters, the first and second substrate lifters are for raising and lowering the substrate with respect to the substrate stage, and the second substrate lifter is for lifting and lowering the substrate. The first substrate lifter supports the back surface of the substrate and lifts and lowers the substrate between the substrate loading height position by the substrate handling arm and the substrate stage, and the first substrate lifter supports the back surface of the substrate on the substrate stage with a substrate holder. The substrate handling arm has an openable and closable substrate receiver for gripping the substrate.

[Effect]

The multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is equipped with a mechanism for simultaneously accommodating and holding two substrates, an unprocessed substrate and a processed substrate, in each vacuum processing chamber. After the processing is completed, the processed substrate is moved to a position where it does not interfere with the transfer of the substrate to the substrate transport mechanism, and is held there. First, the unprocessed substrate is sent from the transfer chamber, and then the processed substrate is transferred to the transfer chamber. The processed substrates and unprocessed substrates are exchanged in the order in which they are returned.

〔Example] Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1(a) is a plan view of a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the apparatus of the present invention includes a load-lock chamber 3 in which a substrate storage cassette 2 containing substrates is placed at a height, and four vacuum processing chambers 4a and 4b around a transfer chamber l located in the center. , vacuum processing chamber 4c.

The structure includes a vacuum processing chamber 4d.

Each chamber 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d has a gate valve 5a,
5b, 5c, 5d.

5e, each of which is evacuated by an independent vacuum pump. There is a load lock chamber 3 inside the transfer chamber 1.
And for each vacuum processing chamber 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d,
A substrate handling arm 7 is provided for transferring and receiving substrates 6 one by one, and the substrate handling arm 7 performs rotational movement around a point O and telescopic movement. Further, each vacuum processing chamber 4a, 4b, 4c.

4d has a substrate stage 8a on which a substrate is placed.
, 8b, 8c, and 8d, and each substrate stage 8a
, 8b.

The first substrate lifters 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d that perform linear movement in the vertical direction and the second substrate lifters 10a, Job, 1Oc, and IOd are built into the substrates 8c and 8d.

FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of the vacuum processing chamber 4a, and FIG. 1(C) is a plan view of the vacuum processing chamber 4a.

(d) is a vertical sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber 4a viewed from the transfer chamber side and from the side, respectively. As shown, the first substrate lifter 98 stops at three locations α, β, and γ, and the second substrate lifter stops at two locations α and β.

Further, the first substrate lifter 9a includes a circular substrate support Ila that supports the back surface of the substrate. Therefore, at the height position α, the substrate receiver lla is located below the substrate on the substrate stage 8a, and after the processing of the substrate is completed, the lifter 98
supports the processed substrate 6a with the substrate support Ila and rises to the height position γ. Thereafter, when the processed substrate 6b is carried out, it is lowered to the height position β.

On the other hand, the substrate handling arm 7 is equipped with two substrate supports 13a and +3b that simultaneously open and close, supporting the substrate in the closed state and supporting the substrate without contacting the substrate in the open state. It is possible to pass between the receivers 13a and +3b in the vertical direction.

The opening/closing movement mechanism can be easily realized by using, for example, a spring and an electromagnet.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of exchanging the processed substrate and the unprocessed substrate after the processing in the vacuum processing chamber is completed. As shown in FIG. 2, the processed substrate 6b is retracted and held at a height position γ that does not interfere with the transfer of the substrate to the substrate transfer mechanism, and after the unprocessed substrate 6c is first sent from the transfer chamber. Then, the processed substrate 6b is returned to the transfer chamber 1. Since the processed substrates and the unprocessed substrates are replaced in this way, the vacuum processing chambers 4a, 4b, 4c,
Table 1 shows the transition of the substrate transport state in each chamber when the processing is performed in the order of 4d.

(Hereinafter, blank space) Note that the substrate lifters 9a to 9d and ]Oa to IOd are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention allows the processed substrates to be seen in the vacuum processing chamber, and the substrate holder connected to the substrate transport mechanism to be evacuated to a position where it does not interfere with the transfer. First, the unprocessed substrate is picked up from the transfer chamber, set on the substrate stage, and then the processed substrate is returned to the transfer chamber, so the substrate handling arm can handle the substrate regardless of whether it is extended or retracted. can be carried efficiently.

In the substrate transfer state transition of each chamber of the present invention and the conventional multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus shown in Tables 1 and 2, from the time a processed substrate returns to the load rotor chamber until the next processed substrate returns. Assuming one cycle, comparing the number of operations of the substrate handling arm during this one cycle, the multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention has two rotations = 5. Expansion and contraction = 6 Conventional multi-chamber vacuum processing equipment: Rotation = 15. The elongation contraction = lO, and the rotation is 173. Stretcher shrinkage is 3
It can be seen that the movement is significantly reduced to 75. In the multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the vacuum processing chamber A
When processing substrates for 60 seconds in each chamber in the order of →B→C-D, the sleep rate is approximately 35 sheets/l (r, which is about 2
This is an improvement of 1.75 times compared to 0 sheets/Ilr.

In this way, the multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention can greatly improve the low processing capacity, which has traditionally been a major drawback.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1(a) is a plan view of a multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of a vacuum processing chamber, and FIG. 1(C) and (d) are respectively vacuum A vertical cross-sectional view of the processing chamber seen from the transfer chamber side and the side, Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the exchange operation of processed substrates and unprocessed substrates after processing in the vacuum processing chamber, and Fig. 3 (a) is a conventional (b) is a plan view of the vacuum processing chamber, and (b) is a plan view of the vacuum processing chamber.
C) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vacuum processing chamber viewed from the transfer chamber side, and Figures 4(a) and (b) are the operation of returning the processed substrate from the vacuum processing chamber to the transfer chamber, and the operation of returning the unprocessed substrate to the transfer chamber. It is a flowchart of the operation of sending the sample from the sample to the vacuum processing chamber. ]... Transfer chamber 2... Board storage cassette 3... Load lock chamber 4a, 4b, 4c,
4d...Vacuum processing chambers 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d,
5e...Gate valve 6a-Substrate 6b...Processed substrate 6c...Substrate before processing 7...Substrate handling arms 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d--Substrate stage 9a, 9
b, 9c, 9d--first substrate lifter 10a,
IOb, ]Oc, l0d-second substrate lifter+
1a, ilb...shaft

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum processing chamber, a transfer chamber, and a substrate holding mechanism, wherein the vacuum processing chamber processes substrates one by one, The transfer chamber has a built-in substrate handling arm, and the arm carries the substrate in and out of each vacuum processing chamber.The substrate holding mechanism is a vacuum processing chamber. It is built into the room and handles unprocessed substrates brought in by the substrate handling arm.
A multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus characterized in that processed substrates to be carried out by a substrate handling arm are accommodated and held at different heights at the same time. (2) The substrate holding mechanism has first and second substrate lifters, the first and second substrate lifters are for raising and lowering the substrate with respect to the substrate stage, and the second substrate lifter is for lifting and lowering the substrate with respect to the substrate stage. The first substrate lifter supports the back side of the substrate on the substrate stage and raises and lowers the substrate between the substrate loading height position by the substrate handling arm and the substrate stage, and the first substrate lifter supports the back side of the substrate on the substrate stage with a substrate holder. 2. The multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is moved up and down to a retracted position above the substrate loading height position. (3) The multi-chamber structured vacuum processing apparatus according to claim (1), wherein the substrate handling arm has an openable and closable substrate holder for gripping the substrate.