Processing system for object to be processed

Details Processing system for object to be processed Processing system for object to be processed

2001-08-23

2004-05-04

Keenan, James W. (Department: 3652)

Material or article handling

Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...

C414S331100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06729823

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing system that uses a carrying (containing) box capable of hermitically holding an object to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, when fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit, such as an IC or a LSI device, a semiconductor wafer is subjected repeatedly to film deposition processes, oxidation-enhanced diffusion processes, etching processes and so on. The semiconductor wafer needs to be transferred from one to another one of those systems for carrying out those processes. As generally known, contamination of the surface of the semiconductor wafer with particles and formation of an oxide film by natural oxidation on the surface of the semiconductor wafer must be avoided in order to process the semiconductor wafer at an improved yield. Thus, there is a growing tendency to use a carrying box capable of sealing wafers therein for carrying wafers with the progressively growing device miniaturization and level of integration.
As shown in
FIGS. 6
to
8
, a conventional carrying box
502
for carrying semiconductor wafers W has a box body
506
having an open front side
504
and a substantially semicircular side wall. Supporting projections
508
are arranged at vertical intervals on the inner surface of the box body
506
. Peripheral parts of semiconductor wafers W are supported on the supporting projections
508
so that the semiconductor wafers W are contained in a tier-like manner at substantially equal intervals in the box body
506
. Usually, twenty-five or thirteen semiconductor wafers W are contained in the carrying box
502
.
A square, hollow, flat lid
510
is detachably attached to the box body
506
so as to cover the open front side
504
of the box body
506
. The box body
506
is properly sealed to maintain an atmosphere of an inert gas, such as N
2
gas, therein so that the wafers W contained in the box body
506
are prevented from contacting the atmosphere as far as possible.
The lid
510
is provided with two locking mechanisms
512
. The lid
510
can be removed from the box body
506
to open the open front side
504
by releasing the locking mechanisms
512
.
More concretely, each of the locking mechanisms
512
has a locking bolt operating plate
514
having the shape of a disk and turnably supported on the lid
510
at a substantially middle position with respect to the height of the lid
510
. The locking bolt operating plate
514
is provided with a slot
516
. Circular motion of the locking bolt operating plate
514
is changed into linear motion of locking bolts
520
by crank mechanisms. One end of a link
518
is pivotally connected to the locking bolt operating plate
514
, and the other end thereof is pivotally connected to one end of the locking bolt
520
. When the locking bolt operating plate
514
is turned through an angle of 90°, in opposite directions, the locking bolts
520
are vertically moved between a locking position and an unlocking position.
As shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, free end parts of the locking bolts
520
can be engaged (inserted) in slots
522
formed in the upper and the lower section of the rim defining the open front side
504
. In
FIG. 7
, only the slots
522
formed in the lower rim are shown. When the locking bolts
520
are engaged in the slots
522
with the lid
510
set in place on the box body
506
so as to cover the open front side
504
, the lid
510
cannot be removed from the open front side
504
.
The locking bolt operating plate
514
at a locking position shown in FIG.
8
(
a
) can be turned through an angle of 90° to an unlocking position shown in FIG.
8
(
b
) by means of a lock operating member, not shown, engaged in the slot
516
of the locking bolt operating plate
514
. Consequently, the locking bolts
520
can be retracted by a distance &Dgr;L from the slots
522
(
FIG. 7
) in order to unlock the lid
510
.
Generally, the carrying box
502
is carried automatically in a processing system that includes: an automatic carrying-box carrying mechanism, a storage area for temporarily storing the carrying box, processing units for actually conducting predetermined processes to semiconductor wafers, and the like. The lid
510
of the carrying box
502
is automatically locked and unlocked by an automatic machine provided with the lock operating member according to the aforesaid procedure and is put on and removed from the box body
506
automatically.
Such processing systems are disclosed in, for example, JP-A No. Hei 4-180213 and Japan Patent Appln. No. Hei 11-201000 (patent application previously made by the applicant of the present patent application). An inert gas, such as N
2
gas, or clean air with a high cleanliness is supplied into those systems.
The lid
510
may be removed temporarily to obtain information about the semiconductor wafers contained in the carrying box
502
before carrying the carrying box
502
into a processing system. Then, a mapping operation may be carried out to confirm the positions of the wafers and/or an identifying inspection may be carried out to identify the individual wafers.
Whereas the cleanliness of the atmosphere surrounding the processing system is on the order of class 10000, the interior of the processing system is maintained at a very high cleanliness on the order of class 1. Particles are prevented from entering the processing system.
In the conventional processing system, in a clean atmosphere, the lid
510
is temporarily removed from the box body
506
of the carry box
502
and operations for acquiring information about the semiconductor wafers, such as a mapping operation, is carried out. Although the operations including the mapping operation are carried out in the clean atmosphere of a high cleanliness, there is a tendency that problems often arise because particles deposited on the outer surface of the carrying box
502
in an atmosphere of a low cleanliness, such as a class 10000 atmosphere, may enter the carrying box
502
and adhere to the wafers when the lid
510
is removed.
Solution of such problems is desired particularly in recent years where the miniaturization of semiconductor devices has progressed to use semiconductor integrated circuits including lines of a submicron width and diameter of semiconductor wafers has increased from 6 in. via 8 in. to 12 in.
In addition, since a table for supporting a carrying box is placed in a housing in a conventional vertical heat treatment apparatus, the carrying box cannot be transferred between the table and an overhead conveying device supported on the ceiling of a clean room, that is, it is difficult to use the overhead conveying device. In a single-wafer processing apparatus that processes wafers one by one, a table may be disposed on the outer side of a gate to enable transferring a wafer between the table and an overhead conveying device. However, since the lid of the carrying box is removed on the table and the wafer is taken out of the carrying box, this arrangement cannot be applied to batch processing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing problems to solve those problems effectively. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a processing system using a carrying box for holding an object to be processed therein provided with a lid and capable of preventing the entrance of particles adhering to the outer surface of the carrying box into the carrying box when the lid is removed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a processing system capable of using an overhead conveying device and of carrying out a batch-type process.
According to the present invention, a processing system for an object to be processed includes: a housing defining a closed space, the housing provided with an opening through which an airtight carrying box is carried in and out, the carrying box hermetically containing therein the object to be processed and provided with a detachable lid; a

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