Substrate processing apparatus

Details Substrate processing apparatus Substrate processing apparatus

1999-12-08

2001-09-04

Valenza, Joseph E. (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor system for moving a specific load as a separate unit

System includes an oscillating or reciprocating load...

C414S749100, C414S941000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06283273

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing and manufacturing a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art for placing and taking out a wafer on and from a susceptor in a reaction chamber having the susceptor therein will be described below.
FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of a reaction chamber
900
described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H6-318630. A wafer
902
is processed in a reaction chamber
901
in a state where the wafer
902
is placed on a susceptor
903
. The wafer
902
rotates together with the susceptor
903
and a susceptor supporting cradle
905
.
Next, a taking out operation of the wafer
902
will be explained. A hollow driving shaft
904
moves downward in a state where the susceptor
903
stops rotating, and with this downward motion, the susceptor supporting cradle
905
, the susceptor
903
, the wafer
902
and wafer supporting pins
906
also move downward. Among their downward movements, the downward movement of the wafer supporting pins
906
is stopped by an arm
907
during its downward motion.
Since the wafer supporting pins
906
are located in through holes
913
in the susceptor
903
, the hollow driving shaft
904
further moves downward, and the susceptor supporting cradle
905
and the susceptor
903
keep moving downward even after the downward movement of the wafer supporting pins
906
is stopped.
As a result, the wafer
902
is separated from the susceptor
903
by the wafer supporting pins
906
. Then, a wafer transfer arm
911
is inserted between the wafers
902
and the susceptor
903
from an access port
910
. Next, a wafer supporting cradle
909
comprising the arm
907
and a hollow shaft
908
moves downward together with the susceptor supporting cradle
905
, and the wafer
902
is placed on the wafer transfer arm
911
.
By pulling the wafer transfer arm
911
from the reaction chamber
901
, the wafer
902
can be taken out from the reaction chamber
901
. Since the wafer
902
can be transferred into the reaction chamber
901
by reversing the taking out procedure, its explanation will be omitted here.
According to this prior art, the wafer supporting pins
906
are brought into contact with the arm
907
by moving the susceptor supporting cradle
905
downward, thereby separating the wafer
902
from the susceptor
903
. Then, after the wafer transfer arm
911
is inserted between the wafer
902
and the susceptor
903
, moving means for moving both the susceptor supporting cradle
905
and the wafer supporting cradle
909
downward is required.
Further, in order to enhance the uniformity in thickness of a thin film formed onto the wafer, the prior art also includes rotating means for rotating the susceptor
903
. Therefore, complicated vertically moving/rotating means
912
comprising means for vertically moving the two cradles
905
and
909
and rotating means for the susceptor
903
which are coaxially incorporated is required at a lower portion of the reaction chamber.
Further, in order to decompress the reaction chamber, it is necessary to dispose a plurality of O-rings for vacuum sealing in the vertically moving/rotating means
912
. Therefore, the above-described prior art has a problem that the vertically moving/rotating means
912
having extremely complicated structure is required.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H8-97274 discloses a wafer thermal treating apparatus comprising first and second transfer means in its reaction chamber. However, when such transfer means are provided in the reaction chamber, dust and the like can not be prevented from being generated from mechanically sliding portions, and it is not preferable because this can be a factor of contamination of a semiconductor wafer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art, and to provide a substrate processing apparatus, such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, capable of transferring a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, into and out from a substrate processing chamber, such as a reaction chamber, having a substrate mounting body, such as a susceptor, without being provided with a transferring means having a complicated mechanism at a lower portion of a substrate processing chamber, such as a reaction chamber.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a substrate processing chamber for processing a substrate;
a transfer chamber;
a substrate mounting body for mounting the substrate, the substrate mounting body having a through hole formed in a vertical direction and being provided in the substrate processing chamber;
a substrate lifting member capable of vertically moving in the through hole;
a first arm, capable of extending from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber, for transferring the substrate in a horizontal direction;
a second arm capable of extending from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber, capable of moving in a vertical direction, and capable of separating the substrate upward from the substrate mounting body by moving the substrate lifting member upward; and
a driving mechanism provided in the transfer chamber for extending the first and second arms from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber and for moving the first arm in the horizontal direction and moving the second arm in the vertical direction.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a substrate processing chamber for processing a substrate;
a transfer chamber;
a substrate mounting body for mounting the substrate, the substrate mounting body having a through hole formed in a vertical direction and being provided in the substrate processing chamber;
a substrate lifting member capable of vertically moving in the through hole;
a first arm, capable of extending from outside the substrate processing chamber into the substrate processing chamber, for transferring the substrate in a horizontal direction;
a second arm capable of extending from outside the substrate processing chamber into the substrate processing chamber, capable of moving in a vertical direction, and capable of separating the substrate upward from the substrate mounting body by moving the substrate lifting member upward; and
a driving mechanism provided outside the substrate processing chamber for extending the first and second arms from outside the substrate processing chamber into the substrate processing chamber and for moving the first arm in the horizontal direction and moving the second arm in the vertical direction.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method using a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a substrate processing chamber for processing a substrate;
a transfer chamber;
a substrate mounting body for mounting the substrate, the substrate mounting body having a through hole formed in a vertical direction and being provided in the substrate processing chamber;
a substrate lifting member capable of vertically moving in the through hole;
a first arm, capable of extending from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber, for transferring the substrate in a horizontal direction;
a second arm capable of extending from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber, capable of moving in a vertical direction, and capable of separating the substrate upward from the substrate mounting body by moving the substrate lifting member upward; and
a driving mechanism provided in the transfer chamber for extending the first and second arms from the transfer chamber into the substrate processing chamber and for moving the first arm in the horizontal direction and moving the second arm in the vertical direction, comprising the

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