Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Coating – forming or etching by sputtering
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-26
2001-11-20
McDonald, Rodney G. (Department: 1753)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Coating, forming or etching by sputtering
C204S298350, C118S719000, C118S729000, C156S345420, C414S217000, C414S221000, C414S222010, C414S222070, C414S222080, C414S222090, C414S226030, C414S222120, C414S226050, C414S937000, C414S938000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06319373
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus of a substrate processing system, and more particularly, to a substrate transfer apparatus used in an inline film deposition system which deposits a film on a diskshaped substrate such as a magnetic disk or optical disk having a center hole. Further, this present invention relates to a technique for shortening a loading/unloading time to improve the throughput in film deposition etc. when loading or unloading a substrate by the transfer operation in the substrate transfer apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A substrate transfer apparatus related to the present invention is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-274142. This publication discloses an in-line film deposition system. This film deposition system includes a plurality of vacuum chambers functioning as film deposition chambers and other processing chambers. The plurality of vacuum chambers is connected continuously in series in a ring. Due to this, a polygonal ring-shaped transport path is formed. In this transport path, a substrate rotation vacuum chamber including a rotational mechanism is provided at each of corners. FIG. 1 of this publication shows a substrate loader for loading an unprocessed substrate from the outside to an in-line film deposition system and a substrate unloader for unloading a processed substrate from the inside of the film deposition system to the outside. The substrate loader mounts the substrate loaded into the film deposition system onto a carrier and moves it, for example, in the clockwise direction along the polygonal ring-shaped transport path to receive the necessary processing in the individual vacuum chambers. After the processing is completed, the substrate is unloaded to the outside by the substrate unloader.
The substrate loader and the substrate unloader are respectively provided with substrate transfer mechanisms and each of them functions as a substrate transfer apparatus.
The “substrate transfer apparatus” means an apparatus which takes out two substrates from substrate cassettes carrying a plurality of (25 etc.) substrates and mounts the two substrates to the substrate holders provided on the carrier moving inside the chambers of the in-line film deposition system, for example. In taking out and mounting the substrates according to the substrate transfer apparatus, for example, operations for picking up the substrates from the substrate cassettes, moving them, and mounting them onto holders are performed. The substrate transfer apparatus is provided with a robot having an arm for performing these operations. Further, in the above case, the substrate to be transferred is disk shaped and has a center hole. In transferring the substrate, the center hole is used as a hook portion when picking up the substrate.
Next, a more detailed explanation will be given about a conventional substrate transfer apparatus with reference to the figures. In this explanation,
FIG. 6
to
FIG. 9
will be referred.
FIG. 6
is a plane view of a substrate loader and a substrate unloader in the above in-line film deposition system. This figure schematically shows the internal structures of the substrate loader and part of the transport path. The substrate loader
101
and substrate unloader
102
are connected to a vacuum chamber
100
forming the part of the transport path.
FIG. 6
shows only the internal structure of the substrate loader
101
. The substrate loading operation in the substrate loader
101
and the substrate unloading operation in the substrate unloader
102
are opposite to each other. In the following paragraph, the transfer operation of a conventional typical substrate transfer apparatus will be explained by describing the substrate loading operation of the substrate loader
101
.
The vacuum chamber
100
serving as part of the transport path is connected to vacuum chambers
103
provided at its both sides and is connected through these vacuum chambers
103
to vacuum chambers
104
forming the polygonal ring-shaped transport path. Valve gates
105
are provided between the vacuum chamber
100
and the vacuum chambers
103
. Processing for film deposition is performed in the plurality of vacuum chambers
103
forming parts of the transport path. Reference numeral
106
indicates a carrier moving along the transport for carrying or transporting the substrates. The carrier
106
moves in the direction of the arrows
107
. The vacuum chambers
103
are positioned at corners or bent portions of the polygonal transport path. Rotational mechanisms are built inside the vacuum chambers
103
. Due to the rotational mechanisms, the direction of movement of the carrier
106
moving along the transport path is changed. Examples of the specific structures of the rotational mechanisms of the vacuum chambers
103
and polygonal transport path are disclosed in the above Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-274142 for example. A detailed explanation will be omitted here.
The substrate loader
101
connected to the vacuum chamber
100
is comprised of one vacuum chamber
108
and two auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
. The vacuum chamber
108
is connected to the above vacuum chamber
100
and includes a built-in robot
111
for the substrate loading operation. The auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
are connected to the vacuum chamber
108
through gate valves
112
and
113
. In
FIG. 6
, the gate valve
112
is in the open state, while the gate valve
113
is in the closed state. The auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
are provided with loading doors, that is, gate valves
114
and
115
, connected to the outside. The unprocessed substrates are introduced into the auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
through the gate valves
114
and
115
. The auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
are provided with substrate cassettes
117
each carrying, for example, 25 substrates
116
arranged in a single row in a standing state in parallel with center axes aligned. The substrate cassettes
117
are affixed inside the auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
. Only the substrates are introduced into the auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
. At the auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
, first, the inside and outside pressures are adjusted, and the gate valves
114
and
115
are operated to open the chambers to the atmosphere. Afterward, 25 unprocessed substrates are introduced, the gate valves
114
and
115
are closed and the chambers is evacuated, and the gate valves
112
and
113
are opened to transfer the substrates by the robot
111
. These operations are repeated. The auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
are alternately used. The robot
111
moves as shown by the arrows
120
to pick up two substrates
116
from the substrate cassette
117
by the substrate pickup portion
119
formed at the front end of the front arm
18
. Then it rotates as shown by the arrows
121
and moves the front arm
118
as shown by the arrows
122
to mount the two substrates
116
at predetermined locations of the holders of the carrier
106
.
In the above, the auxiliary vacuum chambers
109
and
110
, the vacuum chamber
100
forming the part of the transport path, and the vacuum chamber
108
provided with the robot
111
are evacuated up to a required vacuum level at desirable timings. The evacuation system is provided below the vacuum chamber. Here, the illustration and explanation of the evacuation system will be omitted since it is well known.
FIG. 7
shows an example of the substrate cassette
117
. The substrate cassette
117
is comprised of four rods
130
arranged substantially in parallel. The four rods
130
are connected by end frames so that both ends thereof satisfies the positional relationship shown in FIG.
7
. In
FIG. 7
, for convenience of the explanation, the illustration of the end frames is omitted. The substrate cassette
117
configured by the four rods
130
is in a state that at least
Miyauchi Nobuhito
Shiba Takashi
Takeyama Terushige
Anelva Corporation
McDonald Rodney G.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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