JP2015088694A - Vacuum processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum processing apparatus high in productivity per installation area and excellent in processing stability.SOLUTION: A vacuum processing apparatus includes: an atmospheric pressure side block having an atmosphere conveyance chamber where a plurality of cassette mounting bases are disposed on a front side; and a vacuum side block including a plurality of vacuum conveyance chambers 104, 104' disposed behind the atmosphere conveyance chamber in order to divide a conveyance path for a sample before processing and for a sample after processing and a vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the vacuum conveyance chambers 104, 104' and having a plurality of valves 120, 120' corresponding to the vacuum conveyance chambers 104, 104'.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a semiconductor processing apparatus, particularly a vacuum processing apparatus that processes a processing target in a decompressed apparatus, a semiconductor substrate to be processed (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) that is a processing target as well as miniaturization and refinement of the processing. Improvements in processing efficiency have been demanded. For this reason, in recent years, a multi-chamber apparatus in which a plurality of processing chambers are connected to one apparatus has been developed, and the efficiency of productivity per installation area of a clean room has been improved.

  In such a vacuum processing apparatus that includes a plurality of processing chambers or chambers and performs processing, each processing chamber or chamber is adjusted so that the internal gas and its pressure can be reduced, and a robot arm for carrying a wafer, etc. Is connected to a transfer chamber (transfer chamber) provided with.

  In order to improve the productivity per installation area, it is required to install more chambers, and it is important to improve the transfer speed and transfer more wafers.

Special table 2007-511104 gazette

  The inventors have studied the problems of the prior art when improving the productivity per installation area using a vacuum processing apparatus provided with a plurality of chambers. As a result, the following has been found.

  That is, when a plurality of chambers constituting the vacuum processing apparatus are installed, a mixture of wafers before processing and wafers after processing occurs, and the atmosphere such as gas used during processing is processed after processing. When the wafer is taken out, the wafer before processing is affected, and if the processing is further miniaturized and refined in the future, the stability and reproducibility of the processing may be hindered.

  In addition, in a vacuum processing system with multiple chambers attached, the gate valves provided in the chambers cannot be opened simultaneously by exclusive operation in order to prevent the influence of each other's chamber atmosphere. However, there were concerns that it would be an obstacle to improving the processing speed in the future.

  As described above, in the prior art, there is a concern that there is a limit to the wafer processing capacity per installation area of the vacuum processing apparatus, and that the stability and reproducibility of the processing are impaired and the yield in future products is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus having high productivity per installation area and excellent processing stability.

In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration and processing procedure described in the claims are adopted.
The present application includes a plurality of means for solving the above-described problems. For example, an atmospheric pressure side block having an atmospheric transfer chamber in which a plurality of cassette stands are arranged on the front side, and a wall arranged behind the atmospheric transfer chamber A plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, and a vacuum block connected to the vacuum transfer chamber and including a vacuum processing chamber having a plurality of valves corresponding to the plurality of vacuum transfer chambers. A vacuum processing apparatus is used.

Further, an atmospheric pressure side block having an atmospheric transfer chamber in which a cassette stand for placing a cassette into which a sample to be processed is placed is arranged on the front side, a lock chamber connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber, and a lock chamber connected to the lock chamber In a vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum transfer chamber and a vacuum block having a vacuum processing chamber connected to the vacuum transfer chamber,
The vacuum transfer chamber passes through the first region that passes when the sample is transferred from the lock chamber to the vacuum processing chamber, and passes when the sample is transferred to the lock chamber after being processed in the vacuum processing chamber. The first region and the second region are separated from each other, and are connected to the vacuum processing chamber independently of each other by opening and closing a valve. A processing device is used.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus having high productivity per installation area and excellent processing stability.

It is a schematic top view for demonstrating the whole structure of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st and 2nd Example of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Example of this invention. In the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Example of this invention, it is principal part sectional drawing in the case of carrying a sample in a process chamber and processing. In the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Example of this invention, it is principal part sectional drawing in the case of carrying out a sample from a process chamber.

  Embodiments of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  An outline of the overall configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  A vacuum processing apparatus 100 including a vacuum processing chamber according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is roughly composed of an atmosphere side block 101 and a vacuum side block 102. The atmosphere-side block 101 is a part that carries a semiconductor wafer or the like to be processed under atmospheric pressure, performs storage positioning, and the like, and the vacuum-side block 102 is a substrate shape such as a wafer under a pressure reduced from the atmospheric pressure. This sample is a block for transporting the sample into a predetermined vacuum processing chamber and performing processing. And between the location of the vacuum side block 102 which performs the above-mentioned conveyance and processing of the vacuum side block 102 and the atmosphere side block 101, the pressure is increased and lowered between the atmospheric pressure and the vacuum pressure with the sample inside. A portion (lock chamber 105) is provided.

  The atmosphere-side block 101 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 106 having an atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 inside, and is attached to the front side of the casing 106 as a processing object for processing or cleaning. A plurality of cassette stands 107 are provided on which cassettes in which samples (wafers) are stored are placed. Here, three cassette stands are described, but the number is not limited to this.

  The vacuum side block 102 is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the atmosphere side block 101, and the pressure is set to atmospheric pressure in a state where the sample is exchanged between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. One or a plurality of lock chambers 105 that communicate between the vacuum pressure and the vacuum pressure are provided. The first vacuum transfer chamber 104 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is decompressed and the sample is transferred to the inside, so that the vacuum processing chamber 103 for processing the sample can be connected to two surfaces. In this embodiment, two are connected. In addition, a vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 for exchanging samples with the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is provided on the other side.

Furthermore, the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is connected to one of the vacuum transfer intermediate chambers 111, and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is connected to the other one. The planar shape of the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is also a substantially rectangular shape, and three vacuum processing chambers 103 can be connected, but in the present embodiment, two are connected.
The vacuum block 102 is a container that can be maintained at a high degree of vacuum by reducing the pressure as a whole.

  The inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is a transfer chamber, and each of the transfer chambers has a lock chamber 105 and a vacuum processing chamber 103 or a vacuum transfer intermediate chamber under vacuum. A vacuum transfer robot 108 for transferring a sample to and from 111 is disposed at the center thereof. In this vacuum transfer robot 108, a sample is placed on its arm, and in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, the sample is placed on the sample stage placed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 and either the lock chamber 105 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111. Samples are carried in and out, and in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110, the samples are carried in and out between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the vacuum processing chamber 103. Between the vacuum processing chamber 103, the lock chamber 105, and the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the transfer chamber of the vacuum transfer chamber 104, there are provided passages that are communicated by valves 120 that can be hermetically closed and opened, respectively. The passage is opened and closed by a valve 120.

  FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the lock chamber 105, the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected thereto.

  A plurality of the lock chambers 105 and 105 ′ and the first vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 ′ are arranged above and below, and valves 120 and 120 ′ are respectively provided between the vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 ′ connected thereto. I have. The vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 'are provided with vacuum transfer robots 108 and 108' that can be independently controlled. The vacuum processing chamber 103 is provided with two valves 120 and 120 'on the upper and lower sides, and each is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the vacuum transfer chamber 104'.

  Next, an outline of a sample transport process when the sample is processed by the vacuum processing apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  Samples such as a plurality of semiconductor wafers housed in a cassette placed on any one of the plurality of cassette tables 107 are subjected to a determination by a control device (not shown) that adjusts the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus 100 or a vacuum. In response to a command from a production line control device or the like on which the processing apparatus 100 is installed, the processing is started. Upon receiving the command from the control device, the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 takes out a specific sample in the cassette from the cassette, and transfers the taken-out sample to the lock chamber 105 in the atmospheric pressure state.

  The lock chamber 105 in which the sample is transported and stored is sealed with the valve 120 closed in a state where the transported sample is stored, and the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure. Thereafter, the valve 120 on the side facing the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is opened so that the lock chamber 105 communicates with the transfer chamber of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, and the vacuum transfer robot 108 moves its arm to the lock chamber. The sample in the lock chamber 105 is transferred to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 side by being extended into the inside 105. The vacuum transfer robot 108 carries the sample placed on the arm into either the predetermined vacuum processing chamber 103 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 when the sample is taken out from the cassette.

  After the sample is transferred to the predetermined vacuum processing chamber 103, the valve 120 that opens and closes between the processing chamber and the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is closed to seal the processing chamber. Thereafter, a processing gas is introduced into the processing chamber to process the sample.

  After the processing of the sample is finished, the processing gas is stopped, and the processing gas is exhausted from the processing chamber, the other valve 120 ′ installed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 is opened, and the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 ′ is opened. Is transferred by the vacuum transfer robot 108 '. Thereafter, the valve 120 ′ on the vacuum processing chamber 103 side is closed, the gate valve 120 ′ connected to the lock chamber 105 ′ is opened, and the vacuum chamber 105 ′ is transferred to the vacuum lock chamber 105 ′. When the sample is transported to the lock chamber 105 ′, the valve 120 ′ that opens and closes the passage that connects the lock chamber 105 ′ and the transport chamber of the first vacuum transport chamber 104 ′ is closed, and the first vacuum transport chamber is closed. The transfer chamber 104 ′ is sealed, and the pressure in the lock chamber 105 ′ is increased to atmospheric pressure. Note that the end of the processing in the vacuum processing chamber can be obtained from the processing time or can be known by detecting the concentration of a predetermined gas in the processing chamber. Further, since the pressures in the lock chambers 105 and 105 'can be controlled independently, one can be set to an atmospheric pressure state and the other can be set to a vacuum state.

  Thereafter, the valve 120 ′ inside the housing 106 is opened to allow the inside of the lock chamber 105 ′ to communicate with the inside of the housing 106, and the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 transfers the sample from the lock chamber 105 ′ to the original cassette. Transport it back to its original position in the cassette.

  Since the sample processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 is transferred to the lock chamber 105 ′ via the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 ′ by transferring the sample as described above, the lock through which the unprocessed sample passes is transferred. The predetermined gas adhering to the processed wafer in the chamber 105 and the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is not contaminated by the reaction product. Thereby, the state of the sample before processing can be made constant (improvement of processing quality), and processing can be executed stably with good reproducibility. In this embodiment, the first vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 ′ and the lock chambers 105 and 105 ′ are arranged. However, the lock chamber is not separated, and the effect can be obtained by separating only the first vacuum transfer chamber. . However, a higher effect can be obtained by separating the two.

  Further, by arranging the first vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 ′ and the lock chambers 105 and 105 ′ vertically stacked, the floor area on which the vacuum processing apparatus is disposed does not increase.

  The same effect can be obtained by arranging a plurality of vacuum transfer intermediate chambers 111 and second vacuum transfer chambers 110 and also by stacking them vertically.

  In the present embodiment, the valve 120 provided in the same vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the valve 120 ′ provided in the vacuum processing chamber 104 ′ are opened and closed exclusively in the respective vacuum transfer chambers. That is, the sample transferred to the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is closed by the valve 120 that opens and closes between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111. Thereafter, the valve 120 that opens and closes between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is opened, the vacuum transfer robot 108 provided in the second vacuum transfer chamber is extended, and the second vacuum is set. The sample is transferred to the transfer chamber 110. The vacuum transfer robot 108 transfers the sample placed on the arm to one of the predetermined vacuum processing chambers 103 when the sample is taken out from the cassette.

  Further, the valve 120 and the valve 120 ′ provided in one vacuum processing chamber are controlled exclusively. That is, the sample before processing and the sample after processing are transported in a state where they do not cross each other directly.

As described above, the throughput is improved by independently controlling the plurality of lock chambers', the plurality of first vacuum transfer chambers, the plurality of vacuum transfer intermediate chambers, and the plurality of second vacuum transfer chambers, etc. The conveyance efficiency can be improved.
As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a vacuum processing apparatus with high productivity per installation area and excellent processing stability.

  A second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the matters described in the first embodiment and not described in the present embodiment can be applied to the present embodiment as long as there is no special circumstances.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part when a sample is carried into the processing chamber in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the sample is carried out of the processing chamber. The structure from the atmospheric pressure block side and the lock chambers 105 and 105 ′ to the first vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 104 ′ is the same as that in FIG. 2, and the stage 210 provided in the vacuum processing chamber 103 has a vertical mechanism (not shown). doing. When the valve 120 provided between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 is opened in order to transfer the sample from the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 to the vacuum processing chamber 103, the stage 210 is moved upward. The volume inside the vacuum processing chamber is reduced to eliminate the useless space during sample processing. Gas is introduced in the state of FIG. 3 and exhausted by the pump 220 for processing. When it is detected that the processing of the sample is completed, as shown in FIG. 4, the stage 210 is lowered downward, and the valve 120 ′ between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 ′ and the vacuum processing chamber 103 is opened, The sample is transferred to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 ′ by the vacuum transfer robot 108.

  Also in this case, the valve 120 and the valve 120 ′ are controlled exclusively and processed in a state where the samples before and after the processing do not intersect.

  In this embodiment, the volume increased by installing two valves 120 and 120 ′ in the vacuum processing chamber 103 can be made the processing volume as in the conventional apparatus, and the sample processing can be performed by vacuum processing without a plurality of valves. Processing similar to that in the room can be performed.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, by providing means for partitioning the vacuum processing chamber, the processing chamber volume during processing can be reduced, and the amount of introduced gas can be reduced, the exhaust efficiency can be improved, and the like.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of a certain embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vacuum processing apparatus, 101 ... Atmosphere side block, 102 ... Vacuum side block, 103 ... Vacuum processing chamber, 104, 104 '... First vacuum transfer chamber, 105, 105' ... Lock chamber, 106 ... Housing, 107 ... cassette stage, 108, 108 '... vacuum transfer robot, 109 ... atmospheric transfer robot, 110 ... second vacuum transfer chamber, 111 ... vacuum transfer intermediate chamber, 120, 120' ... valve, 210 ... stage, 220 ... pump.

Claims (7)

  Connected to the atmospheric pressure side block having an atmospheric transfer chamber having a plurality of cassette stands arranged on the front side, a plurality of vacuum transfer chambers partitioned by a wall arranged behind the atmospheric transfer chamber, and the vacuum transfer chamber And a vacuum block including a vacuum processing chamber having a plurality of valves corresponding to the plurality of vacuum transfer chambers. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The said valve | bulb opens and closes between the said vacuum processing chamber with which the said vacuum conveyance chamber was each connected, The vacuum processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a stage that can be moved up and down and a wall that can be sealed by the stage are installed in the vacuum processing chamber. An atmospheric pressure side block having an atmospheric transfer chamber in which a cassette stage for placing a cassette into which a sample to be processed is placed is arranged on the front side, a lock chamber connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber, and a lock chamber connected to the lock chamber In a vacuum processing apparatus having a vacuum transfer chamber and a vacuum block having a vacuum processing chamber connected to the vacuum transfer chamber,
The vacuum transfer chamber passes through the first region that passes when the sample is transferred from the lock chamber to the vacuum processing chamber, and passes when the sample is transferred to the lock chamber after being processed in the vacuum processing chamber. The first region and the second region are separated from each other, and are connected to the vacuum processing chamber independently of each other by opening and closing a valve. Processing equipment. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
The vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the first region and the second region are stacked in the vertical direction in the vacuum transfer chamber. In the vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
A first vacuum transfer robot is disposed in the first area, and a second vacuum transfer robot is disposed in the second area.
The vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the first vacuum robot and the second vacuum robot can be controlled independently of each other. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6,
The first vacuum transfer robot is a dedicated robot for transferring the sample to the vacuum processing chamber,
The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second vacuum transfer robot is a robot for carrying out the sample from the vacuum processing chamber.

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