Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-21
2003-12-02
Tran, Khoi H. (Department: 3651)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
active
06658321
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a substrate processing method and apparatus, and particularly to such a method and apparatus well suited for improving the substrate alignment apparatus in an upright dispersion-CVD apparatus and enhancing the efficiency wherewith a substrate transfer apparatus is used
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional upright dispersion-CVD apparatuses, when wafers inside a pod that is a substrate accommodating vessel are supplied to a boat, the notches of the wafers accommodated in the pod are not lined up, wherefore the notches are aligned with a notch alignment apparatus, and those aligned wafers are supplied to the boat. That is, the wafers in the pod, after the door of the pod is opened by a pod opener, are moved from the inside the pod and loaded into the notch alignment apparatus, by one wafer transfer device. The wafers that have been notch-aligned are moved and loaded into the boat from the notch alignment apparatus by the wafer transfer device. Then the boat is loaded into the reaction oven and a processing treatment is performed.
For example, the wafers in the pod are contained therein in 25-wafer units, and the wafer transfer device is normally made so as to be able to transport wafers in 5-wafer units at one time. Thus the notch alignment apparatus is also made so as to be able to perform notch alignment in 5-wafer units, and only one notch alignment apparatus that carries 5 wafers is incorporated, as a unit, in the upright dispersion-CVD apparatus. Because the configuration is as described here, the wafer moving and loading flow from the pod opener to the boat is such that 5 wafers are moved and loaded at one time into the notch alignment apparatus, the 5 wafers are notch-aligned simultaneously in the notch alignment apparatus, and, after that, the five notch-aligned wafers are transferred to the boat. This action is successively repeated until the requisite number of wafers—say 100 to 150 wafers, for example—is transferred to the boat.
In a conventional substrate processing apparatus, as described in the foregoing, a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus capable of performing substrate alignment processing on the same number of substrate as can be moved and loaded are used, the substrates are successively transferred to the substrate alignment apparatus by the substrate transfer apparatus, and alignment processing is performed. The result is a serial process wherein there is a waiting period until the alignment process has finished and then the next substrates are transferred to the substrate alignment apparatus and positioning is performed. For that reason, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time is long, and substrate processing throughput does not improve.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method and apparatus wherewith, by raising the processing volume of the substrate alignment apparatus, the problems with the prior art noted in the foregoing are resolved, the substrate transfer apparatus waiting time can be reduced, and the throughput of the substrate process can be improved.
The substrate processing method described in claim
1
is a substrate processing method, comprising: providing a single substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate alignment apparatus, the substrate transfer apparatus being either for transporting at one time a plural number of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from a substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, or for transporting a plural number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to a boat, the substrate alignment apparatus being capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment on a number of substrates that is twice or more of the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time; and setting a number of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment is performed at one time with the substrate alignment apparatus to the number of substrates which the substrate transfer apparatus transports at one time, the set number is fewer than the number of substrates on which the substrate alignment apparatus is capable of performing notch or orientation flat alignment; the method being designed so as to perform, in parallel: the notch or orientation flat alignment on substrates with the substrate alignment apparatus wherein the number of substrates on which the notch or orientation flat alignment is performed at one time is set in such a way: and either the transporting of substrates by the single substrate transfer apparatus prior to the notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, or the transporting of substrates on which the notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat.
Transporting, as used here, has a broad meaning that includes, in addition to moving and loading, that is, the operation of moving substrates from one location to another location and loading them, substrate removal, from a substrate loading location, simple transporting that simply moves substrates to another location, and the operation of loading the substrates moved to another location at that location, etc that are respectively one of series of actions necessary in moving substrates to another location. The term “in parallel,” moreover, is used in a broad sense that includes both cases where the two parallel operations at issue chronologically overlap and cases where they do not so overlap, where such overlapping also includes cases of partial overlapping.
In the substrate processing method of claim
1
, three methods are comprehended, as diagrammed in FIGS.
3
A,
3
B and
3
C. The first method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from a substrate accommodating container to a substrate alignment apparatus is performed in parallel with the operation of notch or orientation flat alignment (cf. FIG.
3
A).The second method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment have been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat is performed in parallel with notch or orientation flat alignment (cf. FIG.
3
B). And the third method is a method wherewith the transporting of substrates prior to notch or orientation flat alignment from the substrate accommodating container to the substrate alignment apparatus, the transporting of the substrates on which notch or orientation flat alignment has been performed from the substrate alignment apparatus to the boat, and the notch and orientation flat alignments are performed in parallel (of. FIG.
3
C).
In order to make it possible for the substrate alignment apparatus to perform notch or orientation flat alignment on a number of substrates that is twice or more than the number of substrates that are transported at one time by one substrate transfer apparatus, the portion that performs the notch or orientation flat alignment of the substrate alignment apparatus is configured of a plurality of portions that act mutually independently, making provision so that the total number of notch or orientation flat alignments performed by that plurality of portions is a number for which it is possible to perform the substrate notch or orientation flat alignment. Alternatively, the problem can be dealt with merely by simply establishing more portions that perform the notch or orientation flat alignment of the substrate alignment apparatus. In the latter case, the increased portions will exhibit dependent action with the portions prior to the increase, and independent action cannot be effected. By independent action here is meant that, even when a plurality of portions is operated independently, there is no mutual interference between th
Matsunaga Tatsuhisa
Murobayashi Masaki
Noto Kouichi
Osaka Akihiro
Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
Tran Khoi H.
LandOfFree
Substrate processing method and apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Substrate processing method and apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Substrate processing method and apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3141985