Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Multizone chamber
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2002-05-21
Mills, Gregory (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Multizone chamber
C118S730000, C156S345310
Reexamination Certificate
active
06391114
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates a vacuum processing apparatus including a plurality of processing chambers, which are provided with processing devices for effecting predetermined processing on an internally arranged target object to be processed under a predetermined pressure and can achieve predetermined internal pressures.
BACKGROUND ART
Semiconductor devices such as a semiconductor memory, a TFT for a liquid crystal display and a MPU are produced by effecting several kinds of processing on a substrate (i.e., an object to be processed) in a predetermined order. For example, the substrate is subjected to (1) processing of forming a film of a predetermined material on the substrate by a PVD method such as a sputtering vapor deposition method or an ion plating method, or a CVD method such as a plasma CVD method, (2) etching for removing a predetermined material from the substrate by a dry etching method such as an ECR plasma etching method, and (3) processing of implanting predetermined ions into the substrate by a doping method such as a plasma doping method. These film formation, dry etching and doping are usually performed under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure.
Therefore, a vacuum processing apparatus for effecting such processing is provided with a processing chamber in which a predetermined pressure can be achieved. The processing chamber is provided with a processing device for effecting predetermined processing on the substrate disposed in the chamber.
For effecting two or more kinds of processing on the same substrate, a plurality of vacuum processing apparatuses each provided with, e.g., only one processing chamber are prepared, and these vacuum processing apparatuses are used to effect successively the several kinds of predetermined processing on the substrate.
For effecting the several kinds of processing on the same substrate, the substrate which is subjected to predetermined processing in a certain vacuum processing apparatus is transferred to another vacuum processing apparatus for the next processing. During this transfer, the substrate is exposed to an atmosphere so that the substrate may be polluted with dust adhering onto the substrate or due to oxidization of the substrate. Particularly, in manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices, it is especially necessary to avoid mixing of impurities such as dust, and therefore the vacuum processing apparatuses are usually disposed in a clean room. However, it may be difficult to prevent pollution of the substrate even in the clean room. Therefore, pretreatment such as cleaning of the substrate prior to processing must be done that requires time and efforts, resulting in low efficiency.
For improving productivity by performing the several kinds of processing in a predetermined order, such a vacuum processing apparatus has already been proposed that is provided with a plurality of chambers for suppressing adhesion of dust or the like to the substrate and pollution of the substrate.
FIG. 8
shows a schematic plan of an example of a vacuum processing apparatus provided with a plurality of processing chambers.
The vacuum processing apparatus shown in
FIG. 8
includes five chambers Ci, C
1
, C
2
, C
3
and Co, in which predetermined pressures can be achieved, respectively. These five chambers are connected together in series via gate valves V
2
, V
3
, V
4
and V
5
. This vacuum processing apparatus is called a vacuum processing apparatus of an in-line type.
The chambers C
1
, C
2
and C
3
are provided with processing devices (not shown), respectively. The chambers C
1
, C
2
and C
3
are provided for effecting predetermined processing on a substrate (an object to be processed or a target object) disposed therein by the processing devices. Thus, the vacuum processing apparatus includes three processing chambers.
Among the five chambers connected in series, the chamber Ci on one end is provided with a valve V
1
for transferring the substrate into the chamber Ci through it. The chamber Ci serves as an inlet chamber for the substrate. The chamber Co on the other end among the five chambers is provided with a valve V
6
, through which the substrate in the chamber Co can be externally discharged. The chamber Co serves as a discharging or outlet chamber for the target object.
In the vacuum processing apparatus of the in-line type, the substrate is transferred into the inlet chamber Ci, then is moved through processing chambers C
1
, C
2
and C
3
, and is discharged from the outlet chamber Co. The substrate is usually held on a tray, and is transferred between the chambers by moving the tray. In each processing chamber, predetermined processing is effected on the substrate transferred thereinto so that a series of processing can be continuously effected on the substrate. Since the substrate is successively transferred through the chambers kept at low gas pressures, adhesion of dust or the like onto the substrate as well as pollution of the substrate can be suppressed more effectively than the case where similar processing is performed in three vacuum processing apparatuses each provided with only one processing chamber as described before. Further, several kinds of processing can be efficiently effected on the substrate.
However, the vacuum processing device of the in-line type suffers from the following three problems (1)-(3).
(1) The tray holding the substrate is transferred into the respective chambers together with the substrate, and is subjected to the predetermined processing together with the substrate. Therefore, in the step of, e.g., forming a film on the substrate, the film is also formed on the tray. Thereby, much dust is produced from the tray, and pollutes the substrate.
(2) When maintenance work is to be performed on one of the processing chambers or one of the processing devices provided for them, or when one of the processing devices provided for the processing chambers has a trouble, the whole functions of the vacuum processing apparatus stop because the plurality of processing chambers are coupled in series.
(3) If a large number of processing chambers are coupled for continuously performing many kinds of processing, a large area is required for installing the whole vacuum processing apparatus. As already described, the vacuum processing apparatus is usually arranged in a clean room, which requires high costs per unit area (construction, maintenance and other costs). Therefore, increase in installation areas of the vacuum processing apparatus results in increase in processing costs of each substrate. Further, it may be impossible to install the vacuum processing apparatus, which is formed of the many processing chambers coupled in one row, in an existing clean room because it is lengthy, and requires a large installation area.
For overcoming the problems of the vacuum processing apparatus of the in-line type, a vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS.
9
(A) and
9
(B) is already proposed. FIG.
9
(A) is a schematic plan of the vacuum processing apparatus, and FIG.
9
(B) is a schematic cross section taken along line X—X in FIG.
9
(A).
The vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS.
9
(A) and
9
(B) includes eight chambers C
1
, C
2
, C
3
, C
4
, C
5
, C
6
, Ci and Co, where predetermined inner pressures can be attained. These chambers are disposed around a central chamber Cc, and are connected to the central chamber Cc via gate valves, respectively. The central chamber Cc can likewise attain a predetermined inner pressure.
Chambers C
1
-C
6
are processing chambers provided with processing devices (not shown), respectively. The chamber Ci is an inlet chamber, and the chamber Co is an outlet chamber.
In the central chamber Cc, there is arranged a robot R which can transfer a substrate between the chamber Cc and each of the chambers C
1
-C
6
, Ci and Co.
In this vacuum processing apparatus, the substrate can be transferred to each of the processing chambers via the central chamber so that predetermined processing can be successively effected on the substrate in the respectiv
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin and Kahn PLLC
Hassanzadeh P.
Mills Gregory
Nissin Electric Co. Ltd.
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