Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – With temperature or foreign particle control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-05
2004-06-15
Nguyen, Henry Hung (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
With temperature or foreign particle control
C355S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06750946
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sample processing apparatus and method and device manufacturing method and, more particularly, to a sample processing apparatus and method and device manufacturing method, which process a sample such as a wafer in a predetermined atmosphere such as a reduced-pressure atmosphere of a specific gas and are suitable for an X-ray exposure apparatus, an F2 exposure apparatus, a CVD apparatus, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As an example of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate in a predetermined atmosphere such as a reduced-pressure atmosphere, an X-ray exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a wafer in reduced-pressure helium atmosphere is known (Japanese Patent-Laid Open No. 2-100311).
FIG. 7
is a view showing a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. This apparatus uses, as exposure light, SR light, i.e., synchrotron radiation (synchrotron radiation) as soft X-rays and comprises an SR light source
101
for generating the SR light, a beam line
102
, and a hermetic process chamber
103
. The beam line
102
having an ultra-high vacuum atmosphere is connected to the SR light source
101
through a gate valve
102
a
to guide SR light to the process chamber
103
.
A mask M
0
with a transfer pattern formed on a thin membrane and a wafer W
0
are placed in the process chamber
103
. The mask M
0
and wafer W
0
are placed on alignment stages (not shown), respectively. At the time of exposure in which the pattern formed on the mask M
0
is transferred onto the wafer W
0
, a helium atmosphere at a reduced pressure of, e.g., 150 Torr is set in the process chamber
103
to suppress any attenuation of the SR light as exposure light.
The process chamber
103
has an X-ray window
104
which is normally made of beryllium. The X-ray window
104
serves as a partition for separating the helium atmosphere in the process chamber
103
from the ultra-high vacuum atmosphere in the beam line
102
.
In such a processing apparatus, if the entire process chamber
103
is opened to outer air every time the mask M
0
or wafer W
0
is loaded to or unloaded from the process chamber
103
, a considerably long time is required to open the process chamber to outer air and set the predetermined atmosphere. This reduces the throughput. To avoid this problem, a small load-lock chamber
105
is arranged next to the process chamber
103
such that the mask M
0
or wafer W
0
is loaded/unloaded to/from the process chamber
103
through the load-lock chamber
105
. The load-lock chamber
105
has a gate valve
106
on the process chamber side and a gate valve
107
on the outer air side.
The apparatus also has a coater/developer
108
for applying a resist onto the wafer and developing the wafer after exposure, and a transfer mechanism
109
inserted between the load-lock chamber
105
and the coater/developer
108
to transfer the wafer.
The procedure of loading the wafer W
0
to the process chamber
103
will be described below.
(STEP 1) The gate valve
107
on the outer air side is opened, and the wafer is fed to the load-lock chamber
105
by the transfer mechanism
109
. At this time, the gate valve
106
on the process chamber
103
side is kept closed.
(STEP 2) The gate valve
107
on the outer air side is closed, and a reduced-pressure helium atmosphere is set in the load-lock chamber
105
.
(STEP 3) The gate valve
106
on the process chamber
103
side is opened, and the wafer W
0
is transferred into the process chamber
103
by a transfer mechanism (not shown) in the process chamber
103
.
For unloading, the procedures are reversed.
In the conventional semiconductor manufacturing process, the whole manufacturing apparatus is installed in a clean room of a factory, thereby taking a measure against contamination by dust or the like. However, for micropatterning of 0.2- to 0.1-&mgr;m level coping with recent semiconductor integration, the required cleanliness becomes strict from class 10 to class 1. To achieve this cleanliness in the entire clean room, the clean room building/maintenance cost becomes incredibly high. In addition, maintenance of one apparatus decreases the cleanliness in the entire clean room, resulting in adverse effect on other apparatuses.
As described above, the processing apparatus requires a load-lock chamber to improve the throughput. Since the load-lock chamber atmosphere changes from outer air to the same atmosphere as in the process chamber
103
and vice versa, the cleanliness must be managed depending on the atmosphere.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above conventional problems, which are kept unsolved, and has as its object to provide a processing apparatus and method and a device manufacturing method which can inexpensively manage the cleanliness throughout the transfer path for a sample such as a substrate and effectively avoid contamination of the sample.
It is the second object of the present invention to manage the cleanliness throughout the sample transfer path and efficiently manage the cleanliness in the load-lock chamber at the time of loading/unloading a sample.
It is the third object of the present invention to manage the cleanliness throughout the sample transfer path and easily manage the cleanliness in the load-lock chamber depending on the atmosphere.
It is the fourth object of the present invention to manage the cleanliness throughout the sample transfer path and manage the cleanliness in the load-lock chamber depending on the atmosphere while suppressing moisture mixing.
The first aspect of the present invention is related to a processing apparatus for processing a sample. The processing apparatus comprises a process chamber for processing the sample in a predetermined atmosphere, a load-lock chamber connected to the process chamber, a transfer mechanism for transferring the sample between the load-lock chamber and another unit or container, a clean booth which covers a transfer path of the transfer mechanism, and a transfer atmosphere forming mechanism for flowing a clean gas in the clean booth.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transfer atmosphere forming mechanism preferably comprises, e.g., a supply source of the gas, and a filter inserted between the supply source of the gas and the transfer path, and more preferably, further comprises a straightening plate for passing the gas from the filter, which has passed through the transfer path.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing apparatus preferably further comprises, in the load-lock chamber, a gas control mechanism for supplying a clean gas which is the same as in the process chamber or as in the clean booth into the load-lock chamber or exhausting the gas from the load-lock chamber. To supply the gas which is the same as in the process chamber to the load-lock chamber, the gas control mechanism supplies, e.g., the clean gas in the process chamber to the load-lock chamber, and to supply the gas which is the same as in the clean booth to the load-lock chamber, the gas control mechanism supplies, e.g., the clean gas in the clean booth to the load-lock chamber. More preferably, gates are arranged between the load-lock chamber and the process chamber and between the load-lock chamber and the clean booth, in transferring the sample from the load-lock chamber to the process chamber, the gas control mechanism supplies the same clean gas as in the process chamber to the load-lock chamber before the gate between the load-lock chamber and the process chamber is opened, and in transferring the sample from the load-lock chamber to the clean booth, the gas control mechanism supplies the same clean gas as in the clean booth to the load-lock chamber before the gate between the load-lock chamber and the clean booth is opened.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the processing apparatus preferably further comprises, in the load-lock chamber, a gas control
Hara Shin-ichi
Tanaka Yutaka
Terashima Shigeru
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Nguyen Henry Hung
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