JP5892828B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer, in a processing chamber disposed inside a vacuum vessel, and includes a transfer container connected to the vacuum vessel and to which the substrate to be processed is transferred. About things.

  In the above-described apparatus, particularly a vacuum processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) which is a sample to be processed in a processing chamber disposed in a vacuum vessel and decompressed, In addition to the miniaturization and refinement of wafers, it has been demanded to improve the processing efficiency of wafers to be processed. For this reason, in recent years, a multi-chamber apparatus has been developed in which a plurality of vacuum vessels are connected to one apparatus and wafers can be processed in parallel in a plurality of processing chambers. Increasing efficiency has been done.

  Further, in such an apparatus that includes a plurality of processing chambers or chambers for processing, each processing chamber or chamber has an exhaust means such as a means for supplying an electric field or a magnetic field thereto, an exhaust pump for exhausting the inside, or a processing chamber. Each processing unit is configured together with means for adjusting the supply of processing gas supplied to the inside, and this processing unit has a robot arm etc. for transporting the substrate by adjusting the internal gas and its pressure so that the pressure can be reduced. A transfer unit including a transfer chamber (transfer chamber) provided is detachably connected to a transfer unit in which a wafer is transferred and temporarily held.

  More specifically, the side wall of the vacuum chamber in which the processing chamber or chamber in which each processing unit is depressurized is arranged has a transport unit in which a wafer before or after processing is transported in the interior in which the pressure is reduced to the same extent. The inside of the vacuum transfer container is detachably connected so that the inside can be connected and closed. The substrate transferred from the atmospheric part of the apparatus to the vacuum part by the atmospheric transfer robot is transferred to the processing chamber through the vacuum unit, and then transferred to the same place as before the processing.

  In such a configuration, the productivity of the entire vacuum processing apparatus controls the transfer capacity of each transfer chamber in the atmosphere part and the vacuum part constituting the apparatus, the wafer processing capacity of the processing unit connected to the transfer unit, and the wafer transfer path. Determined by the transport algorithm. More specifically, the number of cassettes in which wafers are stored, the transfer capacity per unit time of the atmospheric transfer robot, the time required to exhaust and release the lock chamber, the transfer capacity per unit time of the vacuum transfer robot, the processing unit It is determined by the number and arrangement, and the processing time of the wafer in the processing unit.

  For example, in a certain unit constituting the apparatus, when the number of wafers transferred or processed per unit time is sufficiently smaller than other units due to the restrictions of each device constituting the unit, the productivity of the entire apparatus is The number of sheets transported or processed is limited.

  In particular, when a plurality of vacuum transfer robots are configured, and the transfer waiting time of any one of these is long, and thus the productivity of the entire apparatus is determined, the transfer times of the vacuum transfer robots overlap and the waiting times are biased. Therefore, it is required to improve the productivity of the entire apparatus by dispersing without any problems.

  As a conventional technique of a vacuum processing apparatus for dispersing a deviation in transfer efficiency of a vacuum transfer robot in an apparatus including a plurality of vacuum transfer robots as described above, JP 2010-147250 A (Patent Document 1). The one disclosed in was known.

JP 2010-147250 A

  In the above-described prior art, a plurality of vacuum transfer robots simultaneously carry wafers into a plurality of vacuum processing chambers and process them, thereby superimposing transfer operation times of the plurality of vacuum transfer robots configured in each transfer chamber. A control method for reducing the transfer waiting time generated in the vacuum robot is shown. In the conventional technique, by carrying out such a transfer control, it is possible to distribute the transfer waiting time of the vacuum transfer robot and improve the productivity of the entire apparatus.

  However, the above-described conventional techniques have problems due to insufficient consideration of the following points. In other words, regardless of the number and arrangement of processing chambers in the vacuum processing apparatus, the waiting time of each vacuum transfer robot is always distributed by the vacuum transfer robots simultaneously transferring wafers, so that the productivity is maximized by the apparatus configuration. The implementation of the optimum transfer control is not sufficiently considered, and the production amount per installation area of the vacuum processing apparatus is impaired.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus with high productivity per installation area.

The object is to provide a plurality of vacuum transfer chambers arranged on the back side of the atmospheric transfer chamber, connected to each other and decompressed, and provided with a vacuum transfer robot for transferring the wafer, and at least one in each of these vacuum transfer chambers. a plurality of vacuum processing chamber connected by one, the most front side of the vacuum transfer chamber when viewed from the front surface side of the atmospheric transfer chamber of the plurality of vacuum transfer chamber to a rear side of the atmospheric transfer chamber atmosphere A vacuum chamber disposed between the transfer chamber and a plurality of wafers in a cassette disposed on the front side of the atmospheric transfer chamber. A vacuum processing apparatus which returns to the cassette after carrying out the process by
In each of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers, the transferred wafer is subjected to equivalent processing,
It is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber on the back side among the plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, and includes a storage chamber capable of storing a plurality of wafers before or after processing inside.
Two or more first processed wafers and the first number of processed wafers in the storage chamber between the storage chamber and the lock chamber through the vacuum transfer chamber on the back side and the vacuum transfer chamber on the front side. An operation of transferring and processing the first number of wafers between the storage chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the deeper vacuum transfer chamber after transferring and replacing the unprocessed wafer. During the process, the wafer before processing and the processed wafer in the lock chamber are exchanged and transferred between the lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the front vacuum transfer chamber. This is achieved by a vacuum processing apparatus characterized in that operations for processing a second number of wafers are performed in parallel.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vacuum processing apparatus with high productivity per installation area can be provided.

It is a top view explaining the outline of the whole structure of the vacuum processing apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which expands and shows the vacuum conveyance chamber of the Example shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the 2nd vacuum conveyance chamber and vacuum evacuation chamber of the Example shown in FIG.

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

  FIG. 1 is a top view for explaining the outline of the overall configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A vacuum processing apparatus 100 including a vacuum processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention 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 for carrying, storing and positioning a substrate-like sample such as a semiconductor wafer as a processing object under atmospheric pressure, and the vacuum-side block 102 is under a pressure reduced from the atmospheric pressure. A block that transports a substrate-like sample such as a wafer and performs processing in a predetermined vacuum processing chamber. The vacuum side block 102 is connected to the atmosphere side block 101 between the location of the vacuum side block 102 that performs the above-described transport and processing, and the pressure is set to atmospheric pressure with the sample inside. And a portion to be moved up and down between the vacuum pressure.

  The atmosphere-side block 101 has a casing 106 that is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped atmosphere transfer chamber having an atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 therein, and is attached to the front side of the casing 106 for processing or cleaning. A plurality of cassette tables 107 are provided on which cassettes in which substrate-like samples (hereinafter referred to as wafers) such as semiconductor wafers to be processed are stored are placed.

  The vacuum-side block 102 is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 and the atmosphere-side block 101, and a wafer that communicates between the atmosphere-side and the vacuum side is placed inside. One or more lock chambers 105 for exchanging pressure between atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure are provided. The lock 105 chamber is a vacuum container whose internal space can be adjusted to the above-mentioned pressure, and a passage through which the wafer passes through the interior and a passage where the wafer is transferred are opened and closed so as to be hermetically sealed. A stopable gate valve 120 is arranged, and the atmosphere side and the vacuum side are hermetically divided. In addition, the internal space is provided with a storage unit capable of storing and holding a plurality of wafers with a gap in the vertical direction, and is closed and hermetically divided by the gate valve 120 in a state where these wafers are stored.

  The first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 are units each including a vacuum vessel having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and these are structural differences that can be regarded as substantially the same. Are two units.

  The vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is a vacuum container that can be depressurized to the same degree of vacuum as other vacuum transfer chambers or vacuum processing chambers. The vacuum transfer chambers are connected to each other and the internal chambers are communicated with each other. . Between the vacuum transfer chambers, there are arranged gate valves 120 that communicate with the internal chambers and open and shut off the passage through which the wafers are transferred inside, and the gate valves 120 are closed. Thus, the space between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber is hermetically sealed.

  The chamber inside the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is provided with a storage unit that holds a plurality of wafers with a gap between these surfaces and holds them horizontally. When a wafer is transferred between the transfer chambers 104 and 110, it has a function of a relay chamber that is accommodated at one end. That is, the wafers loaded by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in one vacuum transfer chamber and placed on the storage unit are unloaded by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the other vacuum transfer chamber and connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 103. Alternatively, it is transferred to the lock chamber 105.

  A vacuum transfer intermediate chamber in which a plurality of pre-processed or post-processed wafers can be accommodated between the side walls corresponding to one surface facing the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110. 111 is arranged to connect the two. Further, the vacuum processing chamber 103 for processing the wafer is connected to the other surface by reducing the pressure inside and transferring the wafer to the inside. In this embodiment, the vacuum processing chamber 103 is an entire unit including an electric field and magnetic field generating unit configured to include a vacuum vessel, and an exhaust unit including a vacuum pump for exhausting a space to be decompressed inside the vessel. In the internal processing chamber, an etching process, an ashing process, or a process applied to another semiconductor wafer is performed. In addition, each vacuum processing chamber 103 is connected to a pipeline through which a processing gas supplied in accordance with the processing to be performed flows.

  A maximum of two vacuum processing chambers 103 can be connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. In this embodiment, two vacuum processing chambers 103 are connected. On the other hand, a maximum of three vacuum processing chambers 103 can be connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110, but in this embodiment, up to two vacuum processing chambers 103 are connected.

  A vacuum evacuation chamber 112 capable of storing a plurality of pre-processed or processed wafers therein is connected to one surface of the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 where the vacuum processing chamber 103 is not connected. The vacuum evacuation chamber 112 is a chamber for temporarily storing processed wafers processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110. The configuration of the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is a transfer chamber, and the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 includes a lock chamber 105 and a vacuum processing chamber 103 or a vacuum under vacuum. A first vacuum transfer robot 108 for transferring a wafer to / from any of the transfer intermediate chambers 111 is disposed in the central portion of the space inside. Similarly to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110, the vacuum transfer robot 108 is arranged at the center of the inside, and the wafer is transferred between the vacuum processing chamber 103 and the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111. The vacuum transfer robot 108 has a wafer placed on its arm, and in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, the wafer is placed on the wafer stage disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 and either the lock chamber 105 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111. Wafer loading and unloading. Between these vacuum processing chambers 103, lock chambers 105, vacuum transfer intermediate chambers 111, first vacuum transfer chambers 104 and second vacuum transfer chambers 110, gate valves that can be closed and opened in an airtight manner, respectively. A passage communicating with 120 is provided, and this passage is opened and closed by the gate valve 120.

  In this embodiment, the wafer placed on the wafer support portion at the tip of the arm of the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 is sucked and held on the wafer support portion by the suction device disposed on the wafer contact surface of the wafer support portion. The movement of the arm prevents the wafer from being displaced on the support portion. In particular, a configuration is provided in which the wafer is adsorbed on the contact surface by reducing the pressure by sucking ambient gas from openings arranged on the contact surface of the wafer support portion.

  On the other hand, the wafer support part at the tip of the arm on which the vacuum transfer robot 108 places the wafer is not provided with suction by suction, but is provided with convex parts, protrusions, and pins on the support part that contact the wafer and suppress positional deviation. The movement of the arm prevents the wafer from shifting. In order to suppress such positional deviation, the speed of the arm operation or the rate of change (acceleration) of the speed is suppressed. As a result, the vacuum transfer robot 108 is used for transferring wafers of the same distance. However, it takes time, and the conveyance efficiency of the vacuum block 102 is lower.

  Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, control is performed so that optimum production efficiency is achieved in the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a state in which the transport time in the vacuum block 102 is longer than that in the atmosphere-side block 101. An example is shown. In addition, the time of processing performed on the wafer in each vacuum processing chamber 103 is any of the lock chamber 105 and the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 connected by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. Either the wafer transfer time with the vacuum processing chamber 103 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 111 connected by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 The wafer transfer time with the vacuum processing chamber 103 is equal to or less than the wafer transfer time, and the transfer time has a greater influence on the number of wafers processed in the unit time of the entire vacuum processing apparatus 100. It has a particularly dominant influence.

  Next, an operation for performing processing on a wafer in the vacuum processing apparatus 100 will be described below.

  A plurality of wafers housed in a cassette placed on any one of the cassette tables 107 are controlled by a control device (not shown) connected to the vacuum processing apparatus 100 by some communication means for adjusting the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus 100. In response to an instruction or an instruction from a control device or the like of a production line where the vacuum processing apparatus 100 is installed, the process is started. Upon receiving a command from a control device (not shown), the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 takes out a specific wafer in the cassette from the cassette and transfers the taken-out wafer to the lock chamber 105.

  For example, in the lock chamber 105 in which the wafer is transferred and stored, the gate valve 120 is closed and sealed in a state where the transferred wafer is stored, and the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure. Thereafter, in the lock chamber 105, the gate valve 120 on the side facing the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is opened, and the first lock chamber 105 and the transfer chamber of the vacuum transfer chamber 104 communicate with each other.

  The vacuum transfer robot 108 extends its arm into the lock chamber 105, receives the wafer in the lock chamber 105 on the wafer support at the tip of the arm, and carries it out into the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. Furthermore, the vacuum transfer robot 108 connected the wafer placed on the arm to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 along the transfer path designated in advance by the control device when the wafer was taken out of the cassette. It is carried into either the vacuum processing chamber 103 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111. For example, the wafer transferred to the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is then unloaded from the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 by the vacuum transfer robot 109 provided in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110. It is carried into one of the vacuum processing chambers 103 which is the destination of a predetermined transfer route.

  After the wafer is transferred to one of the vacuum processing chambers 103, the gate valve 120 that opens and closes the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 connected to the vacuum processing chamber 103 is closed to seal the vacuum processing chamber. Stopped. Thereafter, a processing gas is introduced into the processing chamber, and the vacuum processing chamber is adjusted to a pressure suitable for processing. An electric field or a magnetic field is supplied to the vacuum processing chamber to thereby excite the processing gas, and plasma is formed in the processing chamber to process the wafer.

  A gate valve 120 that opens and closes between one vacuum processing chamber 103 in which a wafer is processed and the vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 110 to which the wafer is processed receives a command from a control device (not shown) and receives the vacuum transfer chambers 104 and 110. Is opened in a state where the other gate valve 120 that can open and close the space in which it is connected and communicated is closed. For example, the control device prevents the vacuum processing chamber 103 from communicating with the other vacuum processing chamber 103 before the gate valve 120 that partitions between the one vacuum processing chamber 103 and the vacuum transfer chamber to which the vacuum processing chamber 103 is connected is opened. After confirming this, the operation of closing or closing the gate valve 120 that opens and closes the gate disposed on the passage through which the wafer in each vacuum processing chamber is conveyed is commanded. The gate valve 120 that seals one of the vacuum processing chambers 103 is opened.

  When it is detected that the processing of the wafer is completed, the gate valve 120 between the other vacuum processing chamber 103 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is closed, and the space between the two is hermetically sealed. Is confirmed, the gate valve 120 that opens and closes between the one vacuum processing chamber 103 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 connected to the one vacuum processing chamber 103 is opened, and the vacuum transfer robot 108 transfers the processed wafer to the inside. Then, the wafer is transferred to the lock chamber 105 through a transfer path opposite to that when the wafer is transferred into the processing chamber.

  When the wafer is transferred to the lock chamber 105, the gate valve 120 that opens and closes the passage that connects the lock chamber 105 and the transfer chamber of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is closed, and the pressure in the lock chamber 105 is reduced to atmospheric pressure. Raised. Thereafter, the gate valve 120 that partitions the inside of the housing 106 is opened, the interior of the lock chamber 105 communicates with the interior of the housing 106, and the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 is moved from the lock chamber 105 to the original state. The wafer is transferred to the cassette and returned to the original position in the cassette.

  In the present embodiment, wafer transfer in each of the atmosphere-side block 101 and the vacuum-side block 102 is performed by at least one of the left and right sides when viewed from the front of the cassette stage 107 or the housing 106 by the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 and the vacuum transfer robot 108. Is performed between a wafer holding station including an alignment machine, a lock chamber 105, a vacuum processing chamber 103, a vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111, and a vacuum evacuation chamber 112, which are arranged at the end of the wafer. The wafer that has been processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 and the wafer that has not been processed are exchanged or exchanged.

  In other words, the vacuum transfer robot 108 and the atmosphere side transfer robot 109 are loaded with one of the wafers before processing on one of a plurality (two in this embodiment) of each of them, and on the other arm. While the wafer is not mounted, the other arm is extended to the inside of the holding station, and the processed wafer is placed on the wafer holding hand arranged at the tip of the arm and the arm is contracted to perform the processing. After the next wafer is unloaded, one arm is extended and the unprocessed wafer placed on the hand at the tip of the wafer is loaded into the previous holding station and transferred to the Hodge holding station. It is.

  The loading and unloading operations by the vacuum transfer robot 108 and the atmosphere-side transfer robot 109 may be reversed, and unprocessed wafers may be transferred first. As described above, the wafer transfer to each holding station in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present embodiment copes with an abnormality such that the wafer is returned to the atmosphere side block 101 preferentially because an abnormality has occurred in the holding station. In general, in the wafer processing operation of the vacuum processing apparatus that is not the operation for the wafer processing, the wafer replacement operation before and after the processing is performed in principle.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum transfer chamber shown in FIG. The vacuum transfer robot 108 includes a first arm 201 and a second arm 202 for transferring a wafer. In this embodiment, there are two arms, but there may be three or four. The vacuum transfer robot 108 has a configuration in which the first arm 201 and the second arm 202 perform operations in the rotation direction and the height direction simultaneously and in the same direction, and can operate independently only with respect to the arm expansion / contraction operation. Yes. In addition, with regard to the expansion / contraction operation of the arm, after one arm expands, the contraction operation is started, and at the same time, the other arm can perform the expansion operation. With such a configuration, when the vacuum transfer robot 108 shown in FIG. 2 holds an unprocessed wafer in any arm, the processed wafer held in any transfer destination and the vacuum transfer robot 108 The unprocessed wafer held by the wafer can be replaced without requiring a turning operation, and the efficiency and capacity of wafer transfer can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 including the vacuum evacuation chamber 112. At the place where the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 and the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 are connected, a passage through which the wafer passes through the inside and a gate valve 120 which can be hermetically sealed by opening and closing the passage are disposed. Has been. The vacuum evacuation chamber 112 has an exhaust mechanism including an exhaust valve 205 and a dry pump 206, and an inert gas introduction line including a gas line valve 208. A vacuum gauge 207 capable of monitoring the pressure inside the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 is controlled to an arbitrary pressure. Usually, the pressure in the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 is set to be approximately the same as or lower than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber 110 to which the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 is connected. It is operated so as not to affect it.

  The space inside the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 is provided with a storage section that can store and hold a plurality of wafers with a gap between them vertically, and is closed by the gate valve 120 in a state in which these wafers are stored. Divided. It is desirable that the number of wafer storage tables is the same as the number of wafers stored per cassette mounted on the cassette table 107. The wafer storage table may be movable or fixed. In the case of the fixed type, the number of wafer storage tables is configured such that the maximum number of wafers can be stored within the range of vertical movement of the vacuum transfer robot 108.

  The vacuum evacuation chamber 112 increases the production efficiency of the apparatus when the apparatus configuration is such that two or less processing chambers are connected in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 connected to the innermost side of the vacuum block shown in FIG. In order to improve, the processing chamber of the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is connected to a surface that is not connected. The reason will be described with reference to the embodiment of FIG.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the processing performed on the wafer in the vacuum processing chamber 103 is performed under the same conditions including the processing time. Further, the number of wafers that can be transferred per unit time in the lock chamber 105 is smaller than the number of wafers that can be processed per unit time in the vacuum processing chamber 103, and the vacuum transfer robot provided in each vacuum transfer chamber. It is the same or slightly less than the number of wafers transferred per unit time of 108. This is because the time required for exhaust or opening to the atmosphere required when introducing or discharging wafers in the lock chamber 105 is longer due to restrictions on the equipment constituting the lock chamber 105.

  A vacuum transfer robot 108 (hereinafter referred to as “vacuum transfer robot 1”) provided in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and a vacuum transfer robot 108 (hereinafter referred to as “vacuum transfer” provided in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110). Comparing the number of wafers transferred per unit time of “robot 2”), the vacuum transfer robot 1 has a larger number of transferred wafers. This is because the vacuum transfer robot 1 transfers a wafer to be processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 in addition to transferring the wafer to the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 104. Because you have to do it. That is, the time during which the vacuum transfer robot 2 is not operating increases.

The vacuum transfer robot 1 transfers an unprocessed wafer introduced from the lock chamber 105 to the vacuum block toward each vacuum processing chamber. On the other hand, the vacuum transfer robot 2 takes out the wafer transferred by the vacuum transfer robot 1 from the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and transfers the wafer toward one of the vacuum processing chambers 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110. To do.

  After the processing is completed, processed wafers are transferred from the respective vacuum processing chambers 103 toward the lock chamber 105. As described above, the time required for the wafers to be transferred to the atmospheric block in the lock chamber 105 is long. The vacuum transfer robot 1 that must return all processed wafers to the lock chamber 105 because it is sufficiently longer than the processing time can transfer the wafers to the lock chamber 105 while holding the processed wafers in its own arm. There is a waiting time until In order to eliminate the waiting time, a controller (not shown) controls each vacuum transfer robot so that only wafers processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 are positively transferred to the lock chamber 105. Command to 108.

  On the other hand, the wafer processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is transferred so as not to cause the vacuum transfer robot 1 to have a transfer waiting time or to reduce the production efficiency of the entire apparatus. Only when the control device determines that it is a waiting time, the wafer is transferred to the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and transferred into the lock chamber 105. Here, when it is determined by the control device (not shown) that the vacuum transfer robot 1 has a transfer waiting time and the waiting time affects the transfer efficiency, the processed wafer is transferred to the vacuum evacuation chamber 112.

  That is, in order to transfer a wafer between the lock chamber 105 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110, a vacuum is used by using the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. It is necessary to transfer the wafer between the transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the lock chamber 105, and the transfer of the wafer through the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. Even if the processing of the wafer is completed in any one of the vacuum processing chambers 103, it is not possible to replace the wafers that are unloaded and loaded with unprocessed wafers from the lock chamber 105. In addition, when a waiting time occurs in replacing the wafer between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the lock chamber 105, the waiting time for transferring the processed wafer is further required.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the wafer is transferred (replaced) between the lock chamber 105 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. ) Is the transfer (replacement) of wafers between the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 by the vacuum transfer robot 108 in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110, or This is performed in parallel with the wafer transfer (replacement) between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110.

  That is, in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, an unprocessed wafer is unloaded from the lock chamber 105 by the vacuum transfer robot 108 disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber and the processed wafer held by the vacuum transfer robot 108 is transferred. After being transferred into the lock chamber 105 and replaced, the processed wafer is unloaded from one of the vacuum processing chambers 103 connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 140 by the vacuum transfer robot 108. The second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is connected to the unprocessed wafer held in the first vacuum transfer chamber 110 while it is transferred to the vacuum processing chamber 103 and transferred for a predetermined number or period. Vacuum transfer robot in which unprocessed wafers are arranged in the vacuum transfer chamber from the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 After the processed wafers carried out by 08 and held in the vacuum transfer robot 108 are loaded into the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 and replaced, the second vacuum transfer robot 108 causes the second wafer to be transferred. A processed wafer is unloaded from one of the vacuum processing chambers 103 connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 110, and an unprocessed wafer taken out first held by the vacuum transfer robot 108 is transferred to the vacuum processing chamber 103. The replacement operation is then repeated.

  In order to perform the transfer operation in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 in parallel with the transfer of the wafers in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 for the predetermined number or period, the first vacuum transfer is performed. Prior to the transfer in the chamber 104, it is necessary to transfer an unprocessed wafer to the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or the vacuum evacuation chamber 112. For this reason, the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 of the present embodiment is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of wafers therein, and can store a plurality of unprocessed wafers and processed wafers. It is configured.

  The vacuum processing chamber 103 and the lock chamber 105 connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 are longer than the number of wafers that can be stored in the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or longer than the period required to process the number of wafers. In the case of performing processing and transfer between the vacuum processing chamber 103 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transporting chamber 110, an unprocessed wafer is loaded into the vacuum storing chamber 112 in advance. Wafers are transferred and exchanged between them.

When processing and transport of a predetermined number or number of wafers between the vacuum processing chamber 103 and the lock chamber 105 connected to the first vacuum transport chamber 104 are completed, the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 or the vacuum transport intermediate chamber 111 The operation of transferring the processed wafer stored in the former and the unprocessed wafer supplied into the lock chamber 105 to and from the lock chamber 105 is performed by the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the second vacuum. This is performed by each vacuum transfer robot 108 disposed inside each of these through the transfer chamber 110. In this replacement operation, the number of wafers introduced into the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is a predetermined number of wafers to be implemented between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the lock chamber 105 after the replacement operation. It is the same as or less than the number of processes.

  That is, in this embodiment, at the end of the processing and transfer operation of the predetermined number of wafers in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104, the wafer processing and transfer operations in the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 are performed. It has ended. After the processing of the predetermined number of wafers in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the transfer operation are completed, the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 or between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 and the lock chamber 105 can be performed with as little waiting time as possible. A transfer operation for exchanging wafers is started. For this reason, the number of wafers introduced into the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 or the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 is equal to a predetermined number of wafers that are implemented between the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the lock chamber 105 after the replacement operation. The number of wafers is slightly smaller than the number of wafers processed.

  The slightly smaller number processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 through the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 is introduced from the lock chamber 105 to the vacuum side block 101 and then into the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. An unprocessed wafer to be processed in the connected vacuum processing chamber 103 is supplied to the lock chamber 105, and replacement of the wafer with the vacuum processing chamber 103 is resumed. The transfer operation including wafer processing and replacement between the lock chamber passing through the inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 is the same as described above. , Operation of transfer and exchange between the vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 111 or the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 passing through the inside of the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 and the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 Done in parallel.

  The processed wafers that are not transferred to the original position and are held in the vacuum evacuation chamber 112 may be returned after the processing of all the wafers in the cassette placed on the cassette table 107 is completed. good.

  In this embodiment, the number of wafers processed in the vacuum processing chamber 103 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110 per unit time is equal to the vacuum processing chamber connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber 104. The number of wafers processed in 103 is the same as or larger than the number of wafers per unit time.

  By performing such an operation, a series of wafer processing and transfer operations including a wafer replacement operation in the first vacuum transfer chamber 104 connected to the front side are performed in the first vacuum transfer chamber connected to the back side. The processing time and throughput of the entire vacuum processing apparatus 100 can be reduced by reducing the waiting time due to the wafer transfer operation between the vacuum processing chamber 103 and the lock chamber 105 connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber 110. Can be improved.

  Further, when the timing for returning the processed wafer to the lock chamber 105 does not match, the vacuum transfer robot 1 efficiently transfers the processed wafer to the lock chamber 105 by temporarily evacuating the wafer to the vacuum evacuation chamber 113. It becomes possible to do. Further, it is possible to disperse the transfer load of the vacuum transfer robot 1 and the vacuum transfer robot 2 and improve the productivity of the entire apparatus.

101 atmosphere side block 102 vacuum side block 103 vacuum processing chamber 104 first vacuum transfer chamber 105 lock chamber 106 housing 107 cassette stand 108 vacuum transfer robot 109 atmospheric transfer robot 110 second vacuum transfer chamber 111 vacuum transfer intermediate chamber 112 vacuum Retreat chamber 120 Gate valve 201 First arm 202 Second arm 205 Exhaust valve 206 Dry pump 207 Vacuum gauge 208 Gas line valve

Claims (3)

A plurality of vacuum transfer chambers arranged on the back side of the atmospheric transfer chamber, connected to each other and depressurized, and having a vacuum transfer robot for transferring wafers, and at least one connected to each of these vacuum transfer chambers and a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, and the atmospheric transfer chamber of the rear-side in a in the most front of the vacuum transfer chamber when viewed from the front surface side of the atmospheric transfer chamber of the plurality of vacuum transfer chamber the atmospheric transfer chamber A plurality of wafers in a cassette disposed on the front side of the atmospheric transfer chamber, and the wafers are sequentially transferred to the plurality of vacuum processing chambers by the vacuum transfer robot. A vacuum processing apparatus that returns to the cassette after processing,
In each of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers, the transferred wafer is subjected to equivalent processing,
It is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber on the back side among the plurality of vacuum transfer chambers, and includes a storage chamber capable of storing a plurality of wafers before or after processing inside.
Two or more first processed wafers and the first number of processed wafers in the storage chamber between the storage chamber and the lock chamber through the vacuum transfer chamber on the back side and the vacuum transfer chamber on the front side. An operation of transferring and processing the first number of wafers between the storage chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the deeper vacuum transfer chamber after transferring and replacing the unprocessed wafer. During the process, the wafer before processing and the processed wafer in the lock chamber are exchanged and transferred between the lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the front vacuum transfer chamber. A vacuum processing apparatus, wherein operations for processing a second number of wafers are performed in parallel. After transferring and processing the second number of wafers between the lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the front vacuum transfer chamber, the back vacuum chamber and the front vacuum The first processed wafer and the unprocessed wafer are transferred and exchanged between the storage chamber and the lock chamber through a transfer chamber, and then transferred to the storage chamber and the back vacuum transfer chamber. between the operation and the process by transferring the wafer of the first number with the concatenated said vacuum processing chamber, and said vacuum processing chamber connected to the vacuum transfer chamber of the front and the lock chamber The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation for transporting and processing the second number of wafers is performed in parallel. The second number of wafers transferred between the lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber connected to the front vacuum transfer chamber is connected to the storage chamber and the back vacuum transfer chamber. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of wafers is larger than the first number of wafers transferred to and from the vacuum processing chamber. 4.

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