JPH0480733B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly to a vacuum processing apparatus that prevents toxic gases remaining in a vacuum chamber from being released to the outside.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

FIG. 2 shows a conventional plasma etching apparatus as a vacuum processing apparatus, in which an etching chamber 1 is connected to a discharge apparatus 2 that generates plasma by introducing a reactive gas and microwaves, and this apparatus In this system, a mechanical booster pump 3 and a rotary pump 4 are connected via a main valve 5 as a vacuum exhaust system.

In the above apparatus, the object to be processed 6 is placed inside the etching chamber 1, the main valve 5 is opened, and the inside of the etching chamber 1 is evacuated by the pumps 3 and 4. Then, discharge plasma generated by the discharge device 2 is sent into the etching chamber 1 to etch the object 6 to be processed.

After performing etching as described above, when an operator opens the lid of the etching chamber 1 to replace the object 6 in the etching chamber 1 or to clean the inside of the etching chamber 1, There is a risk that toxic gas adhering to the inner wall of the etching chamber 1 will be released to the outside. In order to prevent this toxic gas from spreading outside, various methods have been used.

This includes a method of covering the etching chamber 1 with a case 7 as shown in FIG. 3, a method of installing the etching apparatus 8 itself in a clean bench 9 as shown in FIG. , 5th
As shown in the figure, there is a means for arranging an exhaust duct 11 near the lid 10 of the etching chamber 1.

However, any of the above means requires large-scale equipment such as the case 7 and the clean bench 9, and requires a large amount of installation space.

In addition, the above method only prevents the toxic gas from spreading over a wide area, but cannot completely remove the toxic gas, so there is a problem that it may have a negative impact on the workers or contaminate the clean room. .

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can reliably remove toxic gas adhering to the inner wall of an etching chamber.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus in which a vacuum exhaust system is connected to a vacuum chamber through a main valve, in which a vacuum chamber is constantly maintained in a reduced pressure state between the vacuum chamber and the main valve. The retained exhaust system is connected through a draft valve in the middle, and the draft valve is opened when the lid of the etching chamber is opened.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and the same parts as in FIGS. 2 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, an exhaust system 12 such as an exhaust duct, which is always kept in a reduced pressure state, is connected between the etching chamber 1 and the main valve 5 via a draft valve 13. The draft valve 13 is controlled to open and close by a control device such as a microcomputer, and the opening and closing timing is set to coincide with the opening and closing of the lid of the etching chamber 1. That is, etching chamber 1
When the lid of the etching chamber 1 is closed, the draft valve 13 is closed, and the draft valve 13 is controlled to be opened at the same time as the lid of the etching chamber 1 is opened. In addition, in order to detect the opening and closing of the lid of the etching chamber 1, an atmospheric pressure detector is installed inside the etching chamber 1, and when the inside of the etching chamber 1 reaches atmospheric pressure, the lid is opened. may be detected, or a timer may be used to open the draft valve 13 when a certain processing time has elapsed.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the lid of the etching chamber 1 is opened, the draft valve 13 is closed.
By opening, air flows to the exhaust system 12, and the toxic gas adhering to the inner wall of the etching chamber 1 is exhausted to the exhaust system 12 without being released to the outside. As a result, there is no adverse effect on workers, the clean room can be prevented from being contaminated, and cases, clean benches, etc. are no longer necessary.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that an exhaust system is connected between the etching chamber and the main valve 5 via a draft valve, and when the lid of the etching chamber is opened, the draft valve Since it is opened, the toxic gas inside the etching chamber can be reliably exhausted without being released to the outside. As a result, there are no adverse effects on workers, no contamination of the clean room, and furthermore, space efficiency is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a system diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is a system diagram showing a conventional plasma etching apparatus, and FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 are explanatory diagrams showing conventional countermeasures against toxic gas, respectively. 1... Etching chamber, 2... Discharge device, 3,
4...Pump, 5...Main valve, 6...Workpiece, 12
...Exhaust system, 13...Draft valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a vacuum processing apparatus in which an evacuation system is connected to a vacuum chamber containing a workpiece through a main valve, the evacuation system, which is constantly maintained at a reduced pressure state, is connected to a draft midway between the vacuum chamber and the main valve. A vacuum processing device characterized in that it is connected via a valve.