Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Multizone chamber
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-20
2001-03-27
Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Multizone chamber
C118S052000, C118S056000, C118S066000, C118S668000, C118S712000, C118S641000, C118S319000, C118S320000, C118S500000, C118S708000, C118S715000, C118S719000, C414S935000, C414S936000, C414S937000, C414S941000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206974
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing system for forming a film such as an interlayer insulation film, an interface apparatus used in the system, and a substrate transportation method.
In the process of manufacture of semiconductor devices, in general, a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a surface of each substrate to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer or the like, by using photolithography technique. Meanwhile, with recent improvement in the integration of semiconductor devices, more and more circuit patterns have come to be formed in layers, and in such a multilayer wiring structure, it is essential that irregularities of a lower wiring should be as small as possible. Studies have therefore been focused on techniques of flattening an interlayer insulation film for insulating a lower wiring from an upper wiring.
As a conventional method for flattening an interlayer insulation film, a method using SOG (Spin On Glass) is known. In the SOG application method, a processing solution (SOG solution) containing a silanol compound such as Si(OH)4, which is a constituent of a film to be obtained, mixed in ethyl alcohol or the like as a solvent is applied to a wafer, which is a substrate to be processed, and the wafer is subjected to a heating process to allow the solvent to evaporate and advance the polymerization reaction of the silanol compound, thereby forming an insulation film.
More specifically, a wafer is placed on a spin chuck, and with the wafer rotated at a rotational speed of 2000 to 6000 rpm, the SOG solution is made to drip onto the wafer so that the solution may be applied to the wafer, thereby forming an SOG film. Subsequently, the SOG film is subjected to a preheating process at 100 to 140° C. to evaporate the solvent, and then further to a heating process at a temperature of about 400° C. so that the silanol compound forming the SOG film may be polymerized by means of siloxane bonds. In cases where SOG films are to be formed in layers, the step of applying the SOG solution to a wafer and evaporating the solvent is repeated and then the wafer is subjected to the heating process, or the step of applying the SOG solution to the wafer and evaporating the solvent and the heating process are repeatedly carried out.
A coating apparatus for applying the SOG solution to surfaces of wafers employs a spin coating method wherein, with a single wafer rotated as stated above, the SOG solution is made to drip onto the wafer surface so that the solution may be spread over and applied to the wafer. Thus, wafers are coated with the SOG solution one by one according to so-called single wafer processing.
In a heating apparatus for subjecting wafers to a heating process after the application of the SOG solution, on the other hand, batch process is employed in view of operating efficiency wherein a plurality of wafers are held by a wafer boat and the wafer boat is transported into a heater to subject the wafers collectively to the heating process.
Thus, the application of the SOG solution, which is single wafer processing, and the heating process, which is batch processing, need to be carried out with the use of respective different apparatuses, and therefore, an interface apparatus is provided for transporting semiconductor wafers applied with the solution by the application apparatus to the heating apparatus.
In the interface apparatus, plural wafers, which have been transported one by one from the application apparatus, are placed one over another in a boat, and the boat carrying the wafers is conveyed into the heating apparatus by a transporting arm of the heating apparatus.
In the heating apparatus, the plural wafers are subjected to a heating process together with the boat, and after the heating process, the wafer boat carrying the wafers is returned to the interface apparatus by the transporting arm of the heating apparatus.
The interface apparatus has a stationary stage provided therein for permitting a plurality of boats to be placed thereon side by side, and is constructed such that before and after the transportation of each boat to and from the heating apparatus, the boat is placed exactly at a reference position on the stationary stage.
Occasionally, however, the boat is placed with shift position in a direction of rotation (circumferential direction) displaced from the reference position, and in this case an alarm is issued. If this occurs, the operator must correct the circumferential position of the boat; however, this operation is complicated.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing system whereby, even if a substrate holding member, such as a wafer boat or the like, is transported to a stationary stage in an interface apparatus with the circumferential position thereof displaced, such displacement can be automatically corrected, so that the substrate holding member can be positioned with accuracy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an interface apparatus for use in the substrate processing system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transportation method whereby, even if the substrate holding member is transported to the stationary stage in the interface apparatus with the circumferential position thereof displaced when substrates are conveyed via the interface apparatus, such displacement is automatically corrected and thus the substrate holding member can be accurately positioned.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing system comprising: a first processing apparatus for performing single substrate processing on each of substrates to be processed; a second processing apparatus for performing batch processing on plural substrates to be processed with the substrates held by a substrate holding member; and an interface apparatus to which the substrates processed by the first processing apparatus are transported one by one, the interface apparatus causing the substrates to be held by the substrate holding member, transporting the substrate holding member holding plural substrates to the second processing apparatus, and after completion of the batch processing, retrieving the substrate holding member, the interface apparatus including a stage, a rotary table rotatably arranged on the stage, for placing the substrate holding member thereon, and positioning means for turning the rotary table in a direction of displacement of the substrate holding member to permit the substrate holding member to be placed on the rotary table when the substrate holding member is being placed on the rotary table with a shift position thereof displaced from a reference position in a rotatable direction of the rotary table, and after completion of placement of the substrate holding member, turning the rotary table in a direction opposite to the displacement direction to thereby position the substrate holding member at the reference position.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interface apparatus for placing in a substrate holding member a plurality of substrates transported thereto one by one from a first processing apparatus for performing single substrate processing on each of substrates to be processed, then transporting the substrate holding member having the plural substrates placed therein to a second processing apparatus for performing batch processing, and after completion of the batch processing, receiving the substrate holding member, the interface apparatus comprising: a stage, a rotary table rotatably arranged on the stage, for placing the substrate holding member thereon; and positioning means for turning the rotary table in a direction of displacement of the substrate holding member to permit the substrate holding member to be placed on the rotary table when the substrate holding member is being placed on the rotary table with a shift position thereof displaced from a reference position in a rotatable dire
Iida Naruaki
Shigaki Yukio
Jones Deborah
Miranda Lymarie
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Tokyo Electron Ltd.
LandOfFree
Substrate processing system, interface apparatus, and... 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 system, interface apparatus, and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Substrate processing system, interface apparatus, and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2487684