JP2004007014A - Carrying system of substrate, and carrying method of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a carrying system capable of partially cleaning suitable for sheet type substrate processing equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The carrying system includes a connecting means 7 formed adjoined to a treatment room 3 via a gate valve 6 provided in a load lock chamber 4 adjoined through a gate valve 5, and a storing container 2 of a substrate 11 in which airtightness and carrying are possible and which is connectible to this connecting means 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer system and a substrate transfer method.

In the conventional semiconductor substrate manufacturing process and liquid crystal substrate manufacturing process, measures have been taken against dust and contamination by providing the manufacturing process in a clean room. In recent microfabrication of semiconductors and liquid crystals, that is, high-density integration, a fine pattern larger than a conventional design rule, for example, a pattern of 0.35 μm width is formed on a substrate by repeating an etching process and a film forming process. Therefore, there is a demand for miniaturization of the minimum allowable size of dust and reduction of the allowable number of particles per unit volume, that is, a reduction in the class of cleanliness, as compared with the related art.

For this reason, the cleanliness of the clean room required for the factory is changed from class 10 to class 1, and the construction and maintenance of the clean room to achieve this is extremely expensive, which causes the cost increase of the semiconductors and liquid crystal substrates as products. Had become. On the other hand, the required cleanliness level, for example, class 1 to 10 is achieved in a local part in the manufacturing apparatus, and the external environment where the manufacturing apparatus is placed should be operated with a gentle cleanliness level, for example, class 1000. The proposal has been made.

However, for this purpose, a substrate to be manufactured, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass plate for a liquid crystal substrate, must be transported between the apparatuses in each manufacturing process through the gentle cleanness, for example, in the class 1000. During this time, garbage measures were required.

On the other hand, Patent Literature 1 “portable container having a particle filtration system”, Patent Literature 2 “Computer-assisted discrete moving system for performing consistent control”, Patent Literature 3 “Seal-type standard interface device”, Patent Literature 4 “Box-door-operated retainer”, Patent Document 5 “Manipulator for standard mechanical interface device”, Patent Document 6 “Sealable and transportable container with latch mechanism”, Patent Document 7 “Information with information” In the above publication of "Processing system with tracking function", the substrate to be processed is stored in a cassette, and further stored in a container having an airtight seal mechanism with this cassette to clean this container. By performing local cleaning, the container is transported between the manufacturing apparatuses together with the container. Instead transferred to the cassette together with the substrate in a manufacturing apparatus from a container, waste measures in the transport, is a technique for solving the cleaner issues are discussed.

However, the method of taking the substrates together with the cassettes into the manufacturing apparatus described in the above-mentioned publication includes a transfer mechanism for taking in the cassettes by lowering the mounting table corresponding to the bottom of the pod on which the cassettes are mounted in the manufacturing apparatus. There is a problem in that the cost of the manufacturing apparatus is increased because an indexer mechanism for detecting at which position of the cassette the substrate is stored and which position is empty must be added to the conventional manufacturing apparatus. Further, since the mounting table is moved right below, the manufacturing apparatus corresponding to this capacity has an increased exclusive floor area.

Further, a batch processing method in which a substrate processing apparatus or a substrate manufacturing apparatus simultaneously introduces a plurality of substrates into a processing chamber and processes the same is changed to a branch-and-leaf processing method in which substrates are introduced into the processing chamber and processed one by one. Even if a plurality of substrates, for example, 25 substrates are loaded into the apparatus, the processing is performed for each branch and leaf, and the substrates in most cassettes have a long waiting time and are effective. There is a problem that it is not a method.
JP-A-1-222429 JP-A-3-67304 JP-T-61-502994 JP-T-63-503259 JP-T-63-500691 Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-505234 Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-50275

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer system and a processing method suitable for a processing apparatus that performs a countermeasure against dust by locally cleaning the substrate transfer between processes and processing the sheet.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, as a first invention, a storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, an airtight seal for isolating the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container, and provided in the storage container. An openable and closable door, connection means for adjoining the substrate processing apparatus via the door, opening the door and allowing the substrate processing apparatus to communicate with the front storage container, and means for transporting the substrate provided in the substrate processing apparatus Wherein the transport means transports the substrate in the storage container in a horizontal state for each of the branches and leaves into the substrate processing apparatus.
As a second invention, a storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, an airtight seal mechanism for isolating the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container, a door provided on the storage container that can be opened and closed, and the door is opened Communication means for communicating with the inside of the substrate processing apparatus through the opening of the storage container formed by the above-mentioned method, and taking out the substrate in the storage container via the communication means and transporting the substrate into the substrate processing apparatus. A substrate transporting means provided in the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transporting means transports the substrate in the storage container into the substrate processing apparatus for each branch and leaf by the transporting means. provide.
As a third invention, in the first or second invention, the door is provided on a side wall of the storage container, and the substrate transport system is provided.
According to a fourth aspect, in the first or second aspect, storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container includes storing a cassette for storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container. To provide a transport system.
As a fifth invention, in the first or second invention, the substrate is a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate.
As a sixth invention, in the first or second invention, the substrate is stored in the storage container with the surface processed or processed by the semiconductor processing apparatus facing downward. I will provide a.
As a seventh invention, in the first or second invention, the storage container is set at a positive pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure by an atmosphere of N ₂ gas, Ar gas or Xe gas. Provided is a substrate transfer system.
As an eighth invention, in the first or second invention, there is provided a substrate transfer system, wherein the inside of the storage container is set to a positive pressure than atmospheric pressure by clean air.
As a ninth invention, in the first or second invention, there is provided a transport system, wherein the opening and closing of the door is opened and closed by a command from the semiconductor processing apparatus.
As a tenth invention, in the first or second invention, the substrate processing apparatus is any one of an ashing apparatus, an etching apparatus, a film forming apparatus, and a coating phenomenon apparatus, or a semiconductor processing apparatus configured by combining these apparatuses. A substrate transport system is provided.
As an eleventh invention, in the first or second invention, there is provided a substrate transfer system, wherein the degree of cleanness in the storage container is set to class 0.1 to class 1 during transfer.
As a twelfth invention, in the first or second invention, when the inside of the storage container and the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus communicate with each other, the degree of cleanness in the storage container is equal to the degree of cleanness in the load lock chamber. And a substrate transfer system characterized by the following.
As a thirteenth invention, in the twelfth invention, there is provided the substrate transfer system, wherein the cleanliness in the load lock chamber at the time of the communication is set to class 1 to class 10.
According to a fourteenth aspect, the method includes a first step of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates in an airtight storage container, and a substrate transfer unit provided in any one of the storage container and a substrate processing apparatus or a substrate inspection apparatus. A second step of communicating with a room via an openable / closable door provided in the storage container, and taking out a substrate stored in the storage container by the substrate transfer means for each sheet, A third step of transferring the wafer to one of the substrate processing apparatus and the semiconductor inspection apparatus; and a fourth step of performing a predetermined processing or inspection on the substrate by any of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus. And a step of transporting the substrate.

According to the substrate transport system and the substrate transport method configured as described above, dust is reduced by using a storage container that locally cleans the substrate transport during the manufacturing process. The substrate can be taken out of the storage container for each branch by the substrate transfer means provided in the manufacturing apparatus, and the storage container connected to the manufacturing apparatus is connected to the same vacuum exhaust space when the manufacturing apparatus is evacuated. It can be used as a place for storing the substrate.

According to the substrate transport system of the present invention, when a substrate is transported between the substrate processing apparatuses, a locally clean environment is realized in the storage container, and the cleanliness of the substrate is maintained. When the storage container is connected to the substrate manufacturing apparatus, the processing can be performed by inserting a substrate in a horizontal direction from the side wall of the storage container for each sheet. Therefore, a mechanism and space for loading a plurality of substrates together with the cassette into each substrate processing apparatus can be omitted, and the storage container can be used as an airtight space communicating with the substrate manufacturing apparatus. Further, it is possible to provide a substrate transport system in which the storage container functions as a cassette chamber of the substrate processing apparatus while maintaining the cleanness of the substrate in the storage container.

An embodiment of the substrate transfer system and the substrate transfer method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Examples of the substrate that is an object of the present invention include a semiconductor wafer handled in a semiconductor substrate manufacturing process and a semiconductor inspection process, and a liquid crystal display substrate handled in a liquid crystal display device manufacturing process and an inspection process. These substrates are usually manufactured by forming semiconductor elements and electronic circuits on a silicon substrate, but as the material of the substrate, a transparent material such as crystal, quartz, synthetic quartz, glass, etc. other than silicon may be used. . Furthermore, as long as a material capable of forming a semiconductor can be used, various derivatives, for example, polyimide can be used as a substrate, and an insulating film such as an oxide film or a nitride film is formed on the substrate. It can be manufactured as a base substrate for forming semiconductor elements and electronic circuits.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram in which the substrate transfer system of the present invention is applied to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as one embodiment. First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is composed of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 and a storage container 2 connected thereto as a whole. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a processing chamber 3 and a load lock chamber 4. The processing chamber 3 and the load lock chamber 4 are connected by a gate valve 5.

The load lock chamber 4 and the storage container 2 are provided on the side wall surface of the storage container 2 with the cluster tool structure including the gate valve 6 provided therebetween, the connection means 7 connected to the gate valve. It is provided so as to be connectable via a door 8.

Next, a detailed configuration of the above components will be described. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 4 is an apparatus that performs an etching process or a film forming process on a substrate. The processing chamber 3 includes an airtight processing container 9, and a mounting table 10 on which the substrate 11 to be processed is mounted is provided in the container 9.

The processing container 9 is formed of a metal material, for example, aluminum or SiC. An inner wall formed of the aluminum is polished and an oxide film is formed on a surface thereof. It is configured to prevent more dust, particularly heavy metals, from coming into the processing container 9 and adhering to the surface of the substrate 11 to cause a defect of a semiconductor formed on the substrate 11. Further, the processing container 9 is electrically grounded. The mounting table 10 has a configuration in which an insulating layer for electrostatic chuck, for example, quartz, polyimide resin, or ceramics is attached to the surface of an aluminum base, and the substrate 11 is mounted thereon.

(4) The aluminum base of the mounting table is configured such that a frequency of, for example, 100 kHz to 500 kHz is applied to the high-frequency power supply through the matching circuit 13 to function as a lower electrode. Further, the mounting table 10 is provided with an electrostatic chuck that sucks and holds the substrate 11.

A shower head 14 is provided opposite to the mounting surface of the mounting table 10, and a plurality of gas supply units 15 for supplying a plurality of process gases for processing the substrate 11 are connected to the shower head. It is connected via an open / close valve 16 in the middle of the pipe. Inside the showerhead 14, a baffle plate for mixing the plurality of process gases and a mixture chamber are provided.

Further, the shower head 14 is provided with an upper electrode made of a conductive material or a semiconductive material, for example, alumina, silicon, or the like, and a high frequency power supply 17 provided outside, for example, 13.56 MH, is provided with a matching circuit 18. It is configured to be supplied via a. An exhaust port 19 is also opened on the bottom surface of the processing container 9, and the inside of the processing container 9 is several Torr to 1 × 10 ⁻ by an exhaust means 20 provided outside, for example, a combination of a rotary pump and a turbo molecular pump. It is configured to evacuate to a predetermined degree of vacuum of ⁸ Torr.

A process gas is uniformly supplied to the surface of the substrate 10 placed on the lower electrode 10 through the shower head 14, and a high-frequency wave is applied between the upper electrode 14 and the lower electrode 10. Is applied, plasma is generated, and the substrate 10 is configured to perform a predetermined process, for example, etching.

The processing chamber 3 configured as described above and the load lock chamber 4 adjacent thereto are provided so as to be connectable by a gate valve 5 that opens automatically when the object to be processed is carried in. The configuration will be described.

The load lock chamber 4 has an airtight structure, and a transfer unit 21 for transferring the substrate 11 therein and mounting the substrate 11 on the mounting table 10 of the adjacent processing chamber 3 is provided therein. ing. As a method for holding the arm 22 of the transfer means 21 for holding the substrate 11, there are a method using vacuum suction and a method using an electrostatic chuck.

When the degree of vacuum in the load lock chamber 4 is, for example, 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr to atmospheric pressure, an electrostatic chuck is suitable, and if it is 10 × 10 ⁻¹ Torr to atmospheric pressure or more, vacuum suction is performed. Each can be used. The transfer means 21 is sealed at the bottom of the load lock chamber 4 by a magnetic rail, and is connected to a drive means 23 provided outside with a drive shaft capable of rotating and vertically moving X-axis or Y-axis.

By the driving force of the driving unit 23, the transporting unit 21 is configured to move forward, backward, rotate, and move up and down. Further, an inert gas, for example, N ₂ , Xe, Ar or clean air is supplied into the load lock chamber 4 from the gas supply means 24 provided outside through the open / close valve 25. It is configured to be supplied from a filter 26 provided.

As the filter 26, a filter having many fine holes similar to that of a gas shower head or a porous body formed of a finer sintered body can be used. As a specific example of the sintered body, a sintered body obtained by sintering carbon, SiC, or the like of a gall-like fiber at a high temperature is used. The purpose of providing the filter 26 at the tip of the gas supply port is to prevent dust in the load lock chamber 4 from being rolled up until the supply of the inert gas or clean air is performed slowly by the filter. Contamination generated from the substrate 11 being conveyed is to prevent cross contamination that spreads on the bottom of the load lock chamber 4 and drops onto another substrate 11. Further, providing a baffle plate against which the supplied gas collides before the filter is also effective to achieve the above object.

At the bottom of the load lock chamber 4, an exhaust unit 28, for example, a rotary pump is provided through an exhaust port 27. The exhaust means 28 evacuates the load lock chamber 4 from atmospheric pressure to a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, several tens Torr to 1 × 10 ^-5 Torr.

Furthermore, the load lock chamber 4 is made of aluminum, and the inner wall is polished and coated with an oxide film to prevent outgassing and heavy metal deposition from the wall surface. The load lock chamber 4 configured as described above is connected to the connection means 7 adjacent to the load lock chamber 4 via a gate valve 6. The connection means 7 is provided with the storage container 2 so as to be connectable. I have.

Next, the configuration of the connection means 7 and the storage container 2 will be described. A gate valve 6 provided on a side wall of the load lock chamber 4 and capable of opening and closing is provided with the connection means 7 which is a passage to which a door 8 provided in the storage container 2 can be connected. The connection means 7 is provided with a space through which the transfer means 7 provided in the load lock chamber 4 can hold and transfer the substrate 11 as a passage.

The connection means 7 is configured to be airtight, and the storage container 2 has a crotch between the storage container 2 formed by the opening of the gate valve 6 and the door 8 and the load lock chamber 4. The communication space thus formed is isolated from the outside to form an airtight clean space.

The storage container 2 has an airtight structure, and is provided with a cassette 29 capable of storing a plurality of substrates and a holding means 30 for holding the cassette 29. The door 8 is provided on a side wall, for example, a side wall surface of the storage container 2, which can be opened and closed and has an airtight mechanism in a closed state. The size of the door 8 is desirably large enough to carry in and out all the wafers in the stored cassette. Here, only the state in which one cassette is stored in the storage container 2 is described, but the number may be two, three, four or more.

The storage container 2 has a structure capable of being transported separately from the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 while maintaining the internal cleanliness. The details of the structure will be described later. Of course, the inside of the storage container 2 may be in a normal pressure state filled with an inert gas such as N ₂ , Xe, or Ar when the container 2 is transported, or may be in a vacuum atmosphere using the inert gas.

Next, the operation of the substrate transport system configured as described above will be described. The storage container 2 holding the cassette 29 storing the plurality of substrates 11 therein is transferred by the automatic transfer robot with the door 8 closed and the internal cleanness maintained at, for example, class 1. The semiconductor device 1 is placed adjacent to the connection means 7 provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 4 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1.

After the atmosphere in the load lock chamber 4 is evacuated by the exhaust means 28, the open / close valve 31 is closed, and then the load lock chamber 4 is supplied from the gas supply means 24 until the N ₂ gas reaches a predetermined pressure. 4. The gate valve 6 and the door 8 are opened, the load lock chamber 4 and the storage container 2 communicate with each other, and the inside has a common N ₂ atmosphere. Next, the transporting means 21 in the load lock chamber 4 moves to take out the substrate 11 from the cassette 29 in the storage container 2 and transport the substrate 11 into the load lock chamber 4.

Next, the gate valve 6 is closed, and the load lock chamber 4 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, 1 × 10 ⁻³ Torr. Next, the gate valve 5 is opened, and the substrate 11 held by the transfer means 21 is transferred onto the mounting table 10 in the processing chamber 3.

(4) After the transfer means 21 has retreated into the load lock chamber, the gate valve 5 is closed, and the inside of the processing chamber 3 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum. Next, a process gas is supplied into the processing chamber 3, a high-frequency voltage is applied to the upper and lower electrodes 14 and 10, plasma is generated, and a predetermined process is performed on the substrate 11.

In the processing chamber 3 where the process has been completed, the plasma is stopped, evacuated and evacuated, and replaced with an inert gas atmosphere. To be carried out.

Further, after closing the gate valve 5 and replacing the load lock chamber with the N ₂ gas atmosphere, the gate valve 6 is opened, and the substrate 11 is transferred to the cassette 29 held in the storage container 2 by the transfer means 21. It is returned to the predetermined slot. As described above, the substrate transport system operates, and this operation is sequentially taken out of the cassette 29 for each of the branches and leaves to repeat the processing for all the substrates 11 in the cassette 29.

When this series of processes is completed, the gate valve 6 is closed, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is returned to an airtight state, and the door 8 of the storage container 2 is also closed, so that the storage container 2 is closed to an airtight N ₂ atmosphere. Will be kept.

Next, the storage container 2 storing the processed substrates 11 is held by an automatic transfer robot (not shown) and transferred to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or semiconductor inspection apparatus in the next step.

With the substrate transfer system that operates as described above, the clean room, which is the external environment in which the transfer system is provided in the factory, can be a clean room with a relatively low construction cost of a class of about 100 to 1,000. On the other hand, a relatively clean internal environment having a local cleanliness class of about 0.1 to 1 is realized in the substrate storage container of the transfer system, and cleaning during transfer of the substrate is performed. When the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is connected to the storage container, the cleanliness in the communicated apparatus is made to match the cleanliness in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of class 1 to about 10, so that the substrate can be connected through all processes. A series of treatments can be performed in a clean atmosphere protected from dust, dust and contaminants in the external environment.

Next, the main part of one embodiment of the transport system of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a detailed structure of the storage container 2. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

A positioning concave portion 50 is provided at the bottom of the storage container 2, and the storage container 2 is positioned on a positioning convex portion 53 provided on a mounting means 52 of an automatic transfer robot (AGV) 51 (not shown) and transferred. It is configured so as to eliminate the positional displacement inside. A similar positioning projection is provided at the mounting position of the storage container 2 of each semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or semiconductor inspection apparatus, and the position is fixed.

An arm 54 is provided on the upper part of the storage container 2 so that the storage container 2 can be manually transported, and a side part of the storage container 2 can be transported by another automatic transport robot. A convex portion (not shown) is provided.

The storage container 2 is made of a metal such as aluminum, or a material such as SiC or plastic, is air-tightly configured, and has a space in which a cassette 29 can be stored. The cassette 29 is provided on a side surface. The container 8 is conveyed and unloaded into the storage container 2 through the door 8. A plurality of substrates 11 are horizontally placed on the cassette 29. A preferred example of the substrate mounting method and the loading / unloading device is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-47976, “Wafer Detection Device”. At the bottom of the cassette 29, positioning means 56 capable of positioning with a holding means 55 provided in the storage container 2 is provided, for example, as a combination of mechanical irregularities. 2 to prevent the cassette 29 from being displaced while the storage container 2 is being conveyed.

Furthermore, a door 8 which can be opened and closed is provided on a side wall of the storage container so as to be rotatable around a rotation center 57 of the door. A method of moving the door 8 between the opening position A and the door opening position B will be described later in detail. The door 8 includes a permanent magnet 59 (magnet) provided inside the storage container 2 above the door 8 and an electromagnet 60 provided at a position facing the permanent magnet 59 at the opening position of the door 8. Is provided with a magnetic lock for maintaining the airtightness and pulling the lock during transport.

(4) The electromagnet 60 is provided in the storage container 2 via a wire 61 and is configured so that ON / OFF is controlled by a control system 62 that is transported. Further, at the closing position A of the door 8, a sealing mechanism 63, for example, an O-ring made of rubber works so as to separate the inside of the storage container 2 from the outside and work to keep the inside cleanness at, for example, class 1. It is configured.

開 閉 An opening / closing valve 65 having an opening 64 is connected to a filter 66 in the storage container 2 at an upper portion of the storage container 2 by piping. The opening / closing valve 65 is controlled by the control system 62 so as to be opened when clean air or inert gas is supplied into the storage container 2 and closed at other times. The clean air or the inert gas is sent from a gas supply means 67 independently provided outside to a connection portion 67 having an opening via a valve 68. The connection portion 167 can be connected to the opening 64, and the supply of the clean air or the inert gas into the storage container 2 is performed before the transfer by the automatic transfer robot 51.

Next, a valve 70 is connected to the lower side of the storage container 2 via an exhaust port 69, and the valve 70 is provided with an opening 71. The valve 70 is controlled by a control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 so that the valve 70 is opened when evacuating the storage container 2 and closed at other times.

This vacuum evacuation is configured to be performed when the evacuation unit 72 is connected to a discharge unit 74 having an opening connected via a valve 73 by an evacuation unit 72 provided independently outside.

収納 As described above, the storage container 2 is configured. Next, the operation of the storage container 2 will be described. The door 8 of the storage container 2 that stores the plurality of unprocessed substrates 11 is closed, and the airtight state is established. After the interior of the storage container is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, clean air or an inert gas is introduced and maintained at the predetermined degree of vacuum. The storage container 2 separated from the exhaust unit 72 and the gas supply unit 67 is transferred by an automatic transfer robot 51 (AGV) and connected to a predetermined semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. Next, the process of opening, communicating with, and processing with the load lock chamber of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is as described above.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, a method of communication between the storage container 2 and the connecting means 7 provided adjacent to the load lock chamber 4 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described. A method of opening and closing and a method of optical communication between the storage container 2 and the outside will be described. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where the storage container 2 is connected to the connection means 7. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The storage container 2 is transferred to a vertically movable mounting means 100 provided in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 by an automatic semiconductor robot 51 (AGV). The door 8 of the storage container 2 is connected to the opening of the connection means 7 at the opening position A, and the connection means 7 and the side wall of the storage container 2 are airtightly sealed by an airtight seal 101, 101, for example, a metal ring. Connected. A control system 62 provided on the upper part of the storage container 2 is arranged so as to be opposed thereto, and is configured to be able to optically communicate with the information reading / writing device 102 provided on the connection means 7. .

The detailed configuration of the control system 62 will be described later. The information reading / writing device 102 always emits an optical signal, and if a response to the optical signal is returned from the control system 62 as a predetermined signal code as optical communication, it is determined that the storage container 2 is connected and the information reading / writing device 102 is connected. A signal is sent to a control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which is electrically connected to the apparatus 102. When the control system 103 transmits an opening signal of the door 8 to the control system 62 as an optical signal via the information reading / writing device 102, the control system 62 locks the door 8. The electromagnet 60, which is a magnet lock, is turned off, and the door 8 can be opened.

Furthermore, the bottom wall of the connecting means 7 is sealed by a magnetic sealing means, and the airtight connecting means 7 is provided with an arm 104 connecting the inside and the outside of the container. The arm is driven by a driving mechanism 105 provided outside, and is configured to rotate and move up and down. A hook 105 is provided inside the connection means 7 of the arm 104 so as to hold the door 8 of the storage container 2 at the opening position A and move the door 8 to the opening position B by driving the arm 104. It is configured.

{Circle around (2)} The information read / write device 102 obtains information on the housed substrate 11 from the storage device in the control system 62 by optical communication and transmits it to the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The control system 103 controls the transfer means 21 in the load lock chamber 4 based on the information, takes out the substrate 11 placed on the cassette 2 for each branch and leaves, and transfers the substrate 11 to the processing chamber 3. Transport. For the storage container 2 storing the substrate 11 after the series of processes, the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus sends the end of the process to the control system 62 by optical communication via the information reading / writing means 102. Upon transmission, the control system 62 turns on the electromagnet 60. At the same time, the control system 103 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus issues a signal to the drive mechanism 105 to drive the arm 104 to move the door 8 at the opening position A, thereby closing the storage container 2 in an airtight manner. State.

(4) Next, the hook 105 releases the holding of the arm 58, and the storage container 2 can be separated from the connection means 7. Next, the automatic transfer robot 51 (AGV) pinches and transfers a convex portion (not shown) provided on the side surface of the storage container 2 and transfers the storage container 2 to the next manufacturing process or inspection process. . As described above, the storage container 2 is configured, and the opening and closing of the door 8 and optical communication with the outside are performed.

Next, the control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing blocks of the information reading / writing device 102 and the control system 103 in the control system 62 of the storage container 2 and an example of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The same components as those in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. A control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 indicated by a broken line includes a calculation CPU, a ROM 201 in which a control program and data are stored, a read / write data storage RAM 202, and a power supply 203 which constantly supplies power to these electronic circuits. , An optical communication control (protocol) LSI 20, an I / O 205 for driving the optical communication module 206 by this LSI, and an I / O 207 for turning on / off the electromagnet 60 that opens and closes the magnetic lock of the door. ing.

The information read / write device 102 on the semiconductor manufacturing device side facing the control system 62 is provided with an optical communication module 208, an I / O 209 for driving the module, and an optical communication LSI (protocol) 210.

Next, the operation of the optical communication system configured as described above will be described. The control system 62 provided in the storage container 2 communicates with the external information reading / writing device 102 by optical communication in a non-contact manner, so that the electrical connection is made by a mechanical part such as connection of a connector. It is suitable for a semiconductor manufacturing process because it does not generate dust, dust, or dust, and does not generate heavy metal dust.

Also, since the backup power supply 203 for the electronic circuit is provided, the control system can always be activated and maintained in an active state, so that it is suitable for external communication control. Further, since the I / O 211 performs the plurality of valves 65 and 70 for setting the atmosphere inside the airtight container based on the optical communication from the outside, as specified by the CPU 200, the configuration is suitable for automation.

Furthermore, since the control of the magnet lock for opening and closing the door 8 provided inside the airtight storage container 2 and the control for turning on / off the electromagnet 60 are performed by the sheet metal of the CPU 200, the configuration is such that it is externally provided. The opening / closing of the magnet can be commanded by the optical communication. The optical communication system operates as described above.

According to the embodiment described above, in a transfer system that stores substrates and transfers them between manufacturing apparatuses, the substrates can always be placed in a local clean space, and the external transfer space is kept clean. A low-cost and low-cost clean room can be configured. Furthermore, since the substrate transport system is configured to be able to take out and take in each branch and leaf corresponding to the branch and leaf processing, there is no need for a transport device for transferring the substrate to the manufacturing apparatus for each cassette. It is not necessary to provide a new space for accommodating the inside of the manufacturing apparatus, and the exclusive floor area of the manufacturing apparatus can be reduced to achieve cost reduction.

Furthermore, although the connection to the manufacturing apparatus has been described as an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can also be applied to a transport system between a stocker that stores a plurality of storage containers 2 side by side and the manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, the pressure in the storage container 2 can be set optimally for the manufacturing process. For example, the pressure in the N ₂ atmosphere is reduced to match the pressure of the load lock chamber to be connected in advance, for example, 1 × 10 ⁻³ Torr. It is also possible to carry.

Conversely, the N ₂ atmosphere is set to a positive pressure than the atmospheric pressure to prevent the atmosphere from entering the storage container 2, and the storage container 2 is depressurized prior to connection with the load lock chamber, and It is also possible to communicate with the load lock chamber after bringing it closer to the atmospheric pressure. Further, in addition to the N ₂ gas, the storage container is set in a desired gas atmosphere such as a CO ₂ gas, a Xe gas, an Ar gas or the like which is optimal for the process, and the quality of the film formed on the surface of the substrate being transported is set. It is also possible to manage and promote reactions.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal section showing the important section of the substrate transfer system which is one example of the present invention. It is a longitudinal section showing the important section of the substrate transfer system which is one example of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram relating to optical communication of the substrate transport system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 2 Storage container 3 Processing chamber 4 Load lock chamber 7 Connection means 8 Door
11 Substrate
29 cassettes
60 electromagnet
62 Control system
63 Seal mechanism
101 hermetic seal

Claims (14)

A storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, an airtight seal for isolating the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container, an openable / closable door provided in the storage container, and adjacent to the substrate processing apparatus via the door. And a connecting means for opening the door to allow the substrate processing apparatus and the front storage container to communicate with each other, and a transfer means for transferring the substrate provided in the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transfer means transfers the substrate in the storage container. A substrate transport system, wherein the substrate is transported horizontally into the substrate processing apparatus for each branch. A storage container capable of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates, an airtight seal mechanism for isolating the atmosphere inside and outside the storage container, a door provided on the storage container, which can be opened and closed, and the door is formed by opening. A communication unit that communicates with the inside of the substrate processing apparatus through an opening of the storage container, and a substrate processing apparatus that takes out the substrate in the storage container through the communication unit and conveys the substrate into the substrate processing apparatus. And a substrate transporting means provided in the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the transporting means transports the substrate in the storage container into the substrate processing apparatus for each of the branches and leaves. 3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein the door is provided on a side wall of the storage container. 3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container includes storing a cassette storing the plurality of substrates in the storage container. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate. 3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is stored in the storage container with a surface processed or processed by the semiconductor processing apparatus facing down. 3. The substrate transfer according to claim 1, wherein the storage container is set to a positive pressure than the atmospheric pressure by an atmosphere of N ₂ gas, Ar gas, or Xe gas. 4. system. 3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the storage container is set to a positive pressure than atmospheric pressure by clean air. 3. The substrate transport system according to claim 1, wherein the door is opened and closed by a command from the semiconductor processing apparatus. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is any one of an ashing apparatus, an etching apparatus, a film forming apparatus, and a coating phenomenon apparatus, or a combination of these apparatuses. 3. The substrate transport system according to 2. 3. The substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the degree of cleanness in the storage container is set to a class 0.1 to a class 1 during the transfer of the storage container. The cleanness in the storage container is determined by the cleanness in the load lock chamber when the inside of the storage container and the load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus communicate with each other. The substrate transfer system according to claim 2. 13. The substrate transfer system according to claim 12, wherein the cleanliness in the load lock chamber at the time of the communication is set to class 1 to class 10. A first step of storing and transporting a plurality of substrates in an airtight storage container, and a room equipped with the storage container and a substrate transfer unit provided in any of a substrate processing apparatus or a substrate inspection apparatus, A second step of communicating via an openable / closable door provided in the storage container, and taking out the substrate stored in the storage container by the substrate transporting unit for each sheet, the substrate processing apparatus or the semiconductor. A third step of transferring the wafer to any of the inspection apparatuses, and a fourth step of performing predetermined processing or inspection on the substrate by any of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate inspection apparatus. A method for transporting a substrate.

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