Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Multizone chamber
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-19
2004-10-19
Hassanzadeh, Parviz (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Multizone chamber
C118S066000, C156S345310, C156S345320, C438S716000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805748
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
This invention relates to a substrate processing system and/or a substrate conveying method, usable in a semiconductor device or liquid crystal display panel manufacturing process, for example, to convey a substrate to be processed (such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display substrate, for example) to a process chamber to process the same therein.
In exposure apparatuses for transferring in very fine pattern such as a circuit pattern onto a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display substrate, further reduction in linewidth of a transferred pattern as well as further increase of throughput have been desired. The narrowing of the linewidth of a transferred pattern requires shortening of the wavelength of exposure light to be used for exposure (photoprinting), and the wavelength shortening is made by using g-line, i-line and then a KrF laser, for example. Among these light sources, X-rays to be emitted from a synchrotron ring are considered to be a short wavelength light source suitable for transferring a very fine pattern. Here, since such X-rays are much attenuated in atmosphere, usually, an exposure unit of an exposure apparatus is accommodated in a chamber while the chamber inside space is filled with a reduced pressure of He ambience, less attenuating X-rays, and the exposure process is performed therein.
In such exposure apparatuses, a substrate to be processed such as a Si wafer, for example, should be conveyed between an exposure process unit inside a chamber and a substrate supply unit in an atmosphere. To this end, a load-lock chamber is provided between them, such that each substrate is conveyed through the load-lock chamber.
FIG. 3
shows a general structure of a known type wafer processing system with a load-lock chamber wherein one or more wafers can be accommodated.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, this type of wafer processing system comprises a chamber
102
for accommodating therein a process station where a process such as an exposure process to a wafer, for example, is to be performed in an ambience different from the atmosphere, as well as a load-lock chamber
103
and a wafer supply station
110
which is disposed in the atmosphere. The load-lock chamber
103
is provided with an atmosphere side gate valve
105
for isolating the load-lock chamber
103
from the wafer supply station
110
in the atmosphere, and a chamber side gate valve
106
for isolating the load-lock chamber
103
from the chamber
102
. Further, the load-lock chamber
103
is provided with a gas discharging means (not shown) for discharging a gas out of the chamber, and gas supply means (not shown) for supplying a gas of He or N
2
into the chamber. Also, there is a table (not shown) on which a wafer is to be placed. Inside the chamber
102
, there is conveying means
107
for conveying a wafer between the load-lock chamber
103
and the process station. Also, there is conveying means
108
for conveying a wafer between the wafer supply station
110
in the atmosphere and the load-lock chamber
103
.
In operation of the load-lock chamber
103
, when the atmosphere side gate valve
105
is kept opened and one or more wafers are supplied into the chamber from a wafer carrier
104
which is placed at the wafer supply station
110
in the atmosphere, the atmosphere side gate valve
105
is closed and then ambience replacement is carried out by using the gas discharging means and the gas supplying means. Thereafter, as an ambience the same as the inside ambience of the chamber
102
is established inside the load-lock chamber
103
, the chamber side gate valve
106
is opened, such that, by the conveying means
107
inside the chamber
102
, a wafer or wafers inside the load-lock chamber
103
are taken out and conveyed to the process station. After a predetermined process is made to the wafer at the process station, the wafer is moved back to the load-lock chamber
103
by the conveying means
107
. Then, through the load-lock chamber
103
, the wafer is conveyed back to the water carrier
104
. Thereafter, through repetition of similar operations, conveyances and processes of wafers are made sequentially.
As regards the conveyance sequence of this wafer processing system, the wafer supply to the process station where an exposure process or the like is made and the wafer collection from the process station are made in parallel to each other. More specifically, there is a temporary wafer storage space before the process station. After a process is completed, a processed wafer at the process station is temporarily collected to the temporary storage space. Then, promptly after a wafer to be processed next is conveyed to the process station, the processed wafer at the temporary storage space is conveyed to the load-lock chamber. The processed wafer inside the load-lock chamber is moved out of the chamber and is collected to the wafer carrier at the wafer supply station in the atmosphere. Promptly after it, a subsequent wafer is conveyed into the load-lock chamber, and the ambience replacement is carried out.
FIG. 4
shows another type of wafer processing system having a sending-in load-lock chamber and a sending-out load-lock chamber separately. In
FIG. 4
, the wafer processing unit comprises a chamber
202
for accommodating therein a process station for processing a wafer in an ambience different from the atmosphere, a sending-in load-lock chamber
203
, a sending-out load-lock chamber
203
a
, and a wafer supply station
210
which is disposed in the atmosphere. The load-lock chambers
203
and
203
a
are provided with atmosphere side gate valves
205
and
205
a
for isolating the load-lock chambers from the wafer supply station
210
in the atmosphere, as well as chamber side gate valves
206
and
206
a
for isolating them from the chamber
202
. Further, the load-lock chambers
203
and
203
a
are provided with gas discharging means (not shown) for discharging a gas from the load-lock chambers, and gas supplying means (not shown) for supplying a gas of He or N
2
into these chambers. Furthermore, the load-lock chambers
203
and
203
a
are provided with a table (not shown) on which a wafer carrier for accommodating plural wafers (e.g., 25 wafers) therein is to be placed. Inside the chamber
202
, there is conveying means
207
for conveying wafers between the process station and the load-lock chambers
203
and
203
a
. Another conveying means
208
is provided to convey a wafer carrier
24
between the wafer supply station
210
in the atmosphere and the load-lock chambers
203
and
203
a.
In such a wafer processing system, a wafer carrier
204
having plural wafers accommodated therein is conveyed from the wafer supply station
210
into the sending-in load-lock chamber
203
by use of the conveying means
208
or by an operator, and then it is placed on the table inside the load-lock chamber
203
. At this moment, the atmosphere side gate valve
205
of the load-lock chamber
203
is open to the atmosphere. After the wafer carrier
204
is conveyed into the load-lock chamber
203
, the gate valve
205
is closed and replacement of the inside ambience of the load-lock chamber
203
is carried out. As an ambience the same as the inside ambience of the chamber
202
is established inside the load-lock chamber
203
, the chamber side gate valve
206
is opened, such that, by the conveying means
207
inside the chamber
202
, a wafer or wafers inside the load-lock chamber
203
are taken out and conveyed to the process station inside the chamber
202
. After a predetermined process is made to the wafer at the process station, the wafer is conveyed to the sending-out load-lock chamber
203
a
by the conveying means
207
. Here, the wafer carrier
204
has been set in the sending-out load-lock chamber
203
a
, and also an ambience the same as the inside ambience of the chamber
202
has been set inside the load-lock chamber
203
a
. After wafers of a predetermined number are processed and they are accommodated into t
LandOfFree
Substrate processing system with load-lock chamber 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 with load-lock chamber, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Substrate processing system with load-lock chamber will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3308111