JP5578539B2 - Substrate transfer processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a novel substrate transfer processing apparatus and method, and more particularly to a wafer transfer processing apparatus and method.

  In semiconductor manufacturing, a common tool called a cluster tool is one of the important units used in wafer manufacturing. A typical commercial device has a generally circular central region, along which the chamber is mounted. Each chamber extends outward around the central region. As wafers are processed, each wafer is first moved from the I / O station on the outer periphery of the central chamber into the central chamber, and then moved from the central chamber into the attached or peripheral chamber for respective processing. Is done. With this tool, as with almost all manufacturing systems in use today, wafers are typically processed one at a time. After the wafer has been moved into the chamber for processing, it can be returned to the central chamber. Subsequently, after moving to another peripheral chamber, subsequent processing can be performed and returned to the central chamber. When the wafer processing is finally completed, the entire wafer is moved out of the tool. Such outward movement is similarly performed via an input / output station or chamber coupled to a vacuum system, and such processing is commonly referred to as “load lock”. In the load lock, the wafer is moved from the vacuum to the atmosphere. This type of unit is described, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,951,601.

  In another tool, wafers are indexed along a central axis and fed through a surrounding processing chamber. With this tool, all wafers are fed simultaneously to the next processing stop. Each wafer can be processed independently, but cannot be moved independently. All wafers remain at the processing station for the same amount of time, but it goes without saying that the processing at each station can be controlled independently only for the maximum time allowed for each processing start point. The first described tool can be operated as described above, but in practice, each wafer does not move sequentially into the adjacent processing chamber, and not necessarily all wafer downtime in the processing chamber. The wafers can be moved so that they do not need to be the same.

  When any of the above systems are operating, the central region is typically located on the vacuum side, but may be located in some other preselected controlled environment or a predetermined controlled environment. In this central section there may be gases useful for processing performed, for example, in a processing chamber. The chamber or compartment along the outer surface of the central zone is also typically located on the vacuum side, but may have a preselected controlled gas environment. Processing is also performed in a vacuum, typically by moving a wafer in vacuum from a central chamber to an attached chamber or compartment. In general, when a wafer reaches a chamber or compartment for processing, the chamber or compartment is sealed off from the central chamber. This prevents the materials and / or gases used in the processing chamber or compartment from reaching the central zone, thus preventing contamination of the atmosphere in the central zone and the attached processing chamber and / or Contamination of a wafer waiting for processing or a wafer waiting for subsequent processing located in the central zone is prevented. This also allows the processing chamber to be set to a vacuum level that is different from the vacuum level used in the central chamber for the particular processing performed in the chamber. For example, if a chamber processing technique requires more vacuum, it should be in place between the central zone and the chamber to meet the processing requirements of a particular process performed within that chamber. A seal can be provided to further depressurize the chamber itself. On the other hand, if less vacuum is required, pressurization can be performed without affecting the pressure in the central chamber. After wafer processing is complete, the wafer is returned to the central chamber and then moved out of the system. In this manner, the wafer can be sequentially advanced through the chamber utilizing the tools described above and can receive all available processes. Alternatively, the wafer may only pass through selected chambers and receive only selected processing.

US Pat. No. 4,951,601 US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0102078 A1

  Various variations of the above processing are also used in equipment provided in the art. However, these variations tend to depend on the central region or central zone that is essential for the various processes. Also, since the primary use of such equipment is to make wafers, this specification primarily discusses wafers. However, it should be understood that most of the processes discussed herein are generally applicable to substrates, and that the teachings herein should be construed to apply to such substrates and manufacturing equipment as well. I want you to understand.

  In recent years, systems have been described that differ from those described above in that they are linear rather than circular in shape and that the wafer moves from one chamber to the next for processing. Since the wafers move sequentially from one chamber to adjacent chambers, there is no need to provide a central zone as part of the equipment. With this tool, when a wafer enters the unit, it is typically attached to a chuck that moves with the wafer as it moves through the system. In this unit, the processing time performed in each chamber is the same.

  The footprint of this system is smaller than the typical footprint of the art because it approximates the footprint of the process chamber only and does not include a large central zone. This is the advantage of this type of equipment. This system is described in pending US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0102078 A1. In this particular system, the downtime at each processing station is uniform. Of course, this allows some processing differences to be limited by the length of the longest pause time. Another approach may be preferred if the downtime needs to be controlled independently at various stations. This type of equipment also has the disadvantage that if one station goes down for repair or maintenance, the entire system becomes unusable for processing.

  The present invention is directed to a novel wafer processing unit that is intended to allow for individual control of downtime in a processing station while reducing the footprint. Also, with the present invention, it is possible to continue operation even if one or more of the stations go down for some reason. This is partly due to the fact that the semiconductor manufacturing cost is extremely high and various costs are increasing. In this technical field, the higher the cost, the higher the risk of capital investment. One object of the present invention is to define a device that reduces costs by a reasonable percentage according to the “Lean” manufacturing principle and provides improved systems and services. Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to maximize the processing chamber while maintaining a small footprint. Another object of the present invention is to maximize processing station utilization. Another object of the present invention is to simplify the robotics and services of the above equipment. In addition, this system achieves high redundancy including a maximum 100% system processing operation rate even during mainframe service. Even if fewer chambers are used, all processing can continue and be used for wafer processing. Also, chamber service or processing can be performed from the back or front of the processing chamber. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, each processing chamber is set up in a linear array. This guarantees a minimum system footprint and allows individual wafer programs to be provided for the various processing stations.

  A processing chamber may generally have the ability to perform any of a variety of processes used in connection with wafer processing. For example, in wafer manufacturing, a wafer is typically one or more etching steps, one or more sputtering or physical vapor deposition processes, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and among other processes. It is conveyed through a heating and / or cooling process. Such a number of processing steps for wafer preparation means that tools with multiple tools or large subsystems are required when these various processes are performed using prior art equipment. there's a possibility that. On the other hand, the system of this example offers the additional advantage that additional functional stations can be added without increasing the size or without having to add a new total system.

  In order to achieve these various objectives, wafer transport is structured independently of the chamber design. Thus, each chamber is designed to operate as a chamber with a certain processing capability, and the transfer system is structured to operate independently of the chamber design to feed wafers into and out of the processing chamber. Structured. The transport of the preferred embodiment described herein relies on a simple connecting arm based on linear and rotational motion coupled through a vacuum wall. To maintain low cost, the chamber design is determined based on modularity. Thus, in one embodiment, the system may have three chambers or may have six chambers utilizing a matching structure. This last sentence can be used in the same way with 4 and 8 chambers as well as other multiple chambers, and can also be applied to modules with different numbers of processing stations.

  The system can be expanded and can be expanded independently of technologies that can be applied as future processing or application examples. Linear wafer transfer is used. As a result, high throughput can be realized in a system with a small installation area that does not require excessive space in the clean room. It is also possible to structure different processing steps on the same processing platform.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing system comprising an elongated substrate transfer chamber having a vacuum section and an atmosphere section, a first straight track secured to the transfer chamber in the vacuum section, and the atmosphere. A second linear track secured to the transfer chamber of the section; a first base linearly mounted on the first linear track; and a second linearly mounted on the second linear track. On the first base, with a magnetically coupled follower as its own input and providing a lower rotational speed as its output, on the second base A rotary motor that rotates a magnetic drive source that is mounted and rotates the magnetically coupled follower through the vacuum bulkhead and that is coupled to the output of the speed reducer A substrate processing system including a chromatography beam is disclosed. A linear motor for causing linear motion can be fixed to the second base and a magnetizing wheel can be coupled thereto. A linear motion encoder can be coupled to the second base, and a rotary encoder can be coupled to the rotary motor. In a system having two robot arms, an arm extension can be coupled to one of the robot arms so that the rotational axes of the two robot arms can be matched.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transferring a wafer from a load lock to a processing chamber via a vacuum transfer chamber, the step of providing a robot arm in the transfer chamber; A method is provided that includes magnetically coupling linear motion, magnetically coupling rotational motion to the robot arm through a vacuum bulkhead, and reducing the speed of rotational motion in the vacuum transfer chamber. The method includes determining a first center point defined as the center of the wafer when the wafer is located in the loadlock; and when the wafer is located in the processing chamber. Determining a second center point defined as a center; determining a position of a pivot point of the robot arm; and the wafer disposed on the robot arm is connected to the load lock and the processing chamber. And calculating a combination of linear and rotational movements of the robot arm so as to move only within a straight line therebetween.

1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art cluster tool for PVD applications. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the system described in the aforementioned US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0102078 A1, and is a schematic diagram illustrating the nature of the prior art system. 1 is a schematic diagram of a processing system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing the transfer chamber in more detail (in this figure, three processing stations are shown, but this number of stations is used for illustrative purposes only). It is a perspective view which shows the one section in a system ranging from a load lock to a conveyance chamber. It is the schematic of the wafer moving mechanism taken out of the container of the system. 1 is a schematic diagram of a track drive system utilized in a preferred embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a linear motion assembly. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4 showing another example of the linear motion assembly. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the linear track in atmosphere, and the linear track in a vacuum. It is a figure which shows another example of the linear track in atmosphere, and the linear track in a vacuum. 1 is a schematic diagram of a four-station physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering system according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of an 8-station system according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a six chamber system according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring now to FIG. 1, a cluster tool of the type commonly used today is shown. In general, the cluster tool includes processing chambers 21 that are radially disposed and attached to surround a central chamber 22. There are two central chambers in the system. It may be a chamber having only a single central chamber. If neglected, there may be systems with more than two central chambers, but the user will generally choose another system. In operation, a robot is typically placed in each central chamber 22. The robot receives the wafer into the system, transports the wafer from the central chamber to the processing chamber, and returns the wafer to the central chamber after processing is performed. In some prior art systems, the central robot can only access one wafer and one chamber at a time. Thus, the robot can become full or busy while the wafer is in a single chamber and the associated process is being performed. The throughput of this type of cluster tool is limited by the fact that there is only one robot and that such robot is constrained to a processing station during processing. More modern units use multi-arm robotics. The processing chamber may comprise any form of processor, such as a physical vapor deposition chamber, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, an etching chamber, or other processes performed on the wafer during wafer fabrication. Chambers and the like. With this type of tool, the processing time can be varied. This is because when a wafer is processed, transfer to the chamber by the robot arm and removal of the wafer from the chamber are performed independently of other factors and are computer controlled. Needless to say, the processing can be set at the same time and in a defined order.

  Referring now to FIG. 2, a wafer processing tool is shown in which the wafer down time in the chamber is the same for each chamber. In the present embodiment, the processors 23 are arranged in a straight line, and the chambers of this example are arranged adjacent to each other and on top of each other so as to overlap each other. At the ends of these chambers, there is an elevator that moves the wafer to be processed from one level to the other. The wafer enters from the inlet 26 and is placed on the support. The wafer remains on this support as it moves through the system. In one embodiment of the system, after the wafer has been raised to the upper level of the processor by the support, the wafer moves continuously through the processing chamber 23 at that level. The elevator 25 changes the level of the wafer, then moves along the other level, moves again from one processing chamber to the next, and so on, and then moves out of the system.

  Next, referring to FIG. 3, the processing chamber 31 is arranged linearly along the transfer chamber 32. The wafer enters the system 34 via an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) 33 or some equivalent feed device. The EFEM 33 includes a station 30 in which a FOUP (from front opening unified pod) can be installed.

  A FOUP (not shown) includes a housing or housing in which a wafer is received and kept clean while waiting for processing operations. The EFEM 33 can also be associated with a feed mechanism. The feed mechanism is for placing the wafer in the system for processing, removing the wafer from the system after processing, and temporarily storing the wafer. Located on the EFEM 33 is a wafer FOUP where the wafer is lifted from the FOUP in the EFEM 33 and loaded into the load lock compartment 35 to place the wafer into the system. It is conveyed one by one.

  The wafer moves from the load lock compartment 35 along the transfer chamber 32 and is transferred from the transfer chamber 32 into the processing chamber 31. After entering the processing chamber, the substrate leaves the support arm and is instead placed on the substrate support in the chamber. At this point, the valve is closed to separate the processing chamber atmosphere and the transfer chamber atmosphere. This allows changes to be made inside the processing chamber without contaminating the transfer chamber or other processing chambers. After processing is performed, the valve that separates the processing chamber and the transfer chamber opens, the wafer is removed from the processing chamber, and along the transfer chamber 32 to another processing chamber for additional processing. Or is transferred to the load lock and returned from the load lock to the FOUP on the EFEM 33. In FIG. 3, four processing chambers 31 are shown.

  FIG. 3 also shows four processing power sources 37 and a power distribution unit 36. These are combined to provide the system electronics and provide power to each individual processing chamber. A process gas cabinet 38 and an information processing cabinet 40 exist on the processing chamber 31. Utilizing these units, information input to the system controls the movement of the substrate along the transfer chamber 32 and controls whether the substrate is transferred into the processing chamber for further processing. These units also provide a record of events that have occurred in the processing chamber. Gas used during processing in the chamber is supplied. Here, a robot operation mechanism for feeding a wafer between the system and each processing station in the system is described as a two-arm system. However, in reality, three or more arms may exist, The arms can be set to move independently within the transfer movement chamber or can be set to move together.

The processing chamber in the system can perform various processes as desired during wafer manufacturing. Today, many manufacturers purchase dedicated systems where the entire system is dedicated to sputtering or etching processes. In essence, there is a sufficient degree of sputtering or etching in wafer manufacturing that the entire system of four or more stages is dedicated to the sputtering process.
On the other hand, each wafer can be transported through a series of various processes required to reach the final process. For example, in the case of 5 processing stations, it is sufficiently assumed that processing can be performed in the following order when used. In the first processing station, the wafer is subjected to degassing, the second processing station is a pre-cleaning station, the third processing station is a sputtering station for depositing, for example, titanium, and the fourth processing station is a sputtering station for depositing, for example, nickel vanadium. In the fifth processing station, gold can be sputter deposited.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a three station system is shown with the top cover removed. The purpose of FIG. 4 is to enhance understanding of the transfer chamber 32. A wafer to be processed enters the system from the load lock 35 side. The load lock 35 is a dual level load lock and can process two wafers simultaneously. One is on the lower level and the other is on the upper level. Wafers that enter the system from the loadlock side enter a vacuum or controlled environment. Also, the processed wafers pass through the load lock 35 and move into the FOUP (not shown in FIG. 4) while they move away from the system and the vacuum or other controlled state within the system. Return to.
When the transition from the non-vacuum state to the vacuum state is completed, the wafer is lifted onto the arm 41 and the arm 41 moves into the transfer chamber 32. In FIG. 4, one such arm can be seen, the other arm being partially covered by the element on the left side of the first processing chamber. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the arm that can be entirely confirmed delivers a wafer into the processing chamber 31 (or a state in which a processed wafer is taken out from the chamber). The arm 41 moves on the straight rail 43 along the transfer chamber. In this embodiment, the rail in the transfer chamber 32 holds the support arm 41 above the floor surface of the chamber 32. Although not shown in FIG. 4, there is a drive mechanism that operates from the outside of the vacuum via the housing wall of the chamber 32. This drive mechanism allows for approximately linear as well as rotational movement of the arm 41 when it is desired to extend the arm 41 into the chamber or into the load lock 35.

Therefore, the arm is used to move the wafer in and out of the transfer chamber 32, in and out of the processing chamber 31, or in and out of the load lock chamber 35. By avoiding such contact with the base of the chamber, the generation of particles can be suppressed, and as a result, the environment can be kept cleaner or a particle-free state can be maintained.
In the following, further details of the transport system will be discussed with reference to the subsequent figures. Also, although two arms are shown in FIG. 4, the system can have more or less than three arms on the rail, and 3 at any given time. It will also be readily appreciated that more than one wafer transfer device can be handled.

  In accordance with the method of the present invention, the support arm 41 is operated using a combination of rotational and linear motion so that the wafer is moved only in a straight line. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the arm 41 is moved using a combination of a linear motion exemplified by the double-headed arrow A and a rotational motion exemplified by the double-headed arrow B. However, the movement of the arm 41 is programmed so that the center of the wafer follows the linear motion indicated by the dashed lines BLl, BLm and BL. This allows any opening in the chamber 31 and load lock 35 to have a diameter that is slightly greater than the chamber diameter. Also, the combination of linear motion and arc motion of the arm 41 is actuated by a programmable controller, for example via a user interface UI (FIG. 3), according to any situation, so any type and any combination of chambers Can also be mounted on the transfer chamber 32.

  In accordance with the method of the present invention, the following processing is performed to calculate the combination of linear and circular motion of the arm performed by the controller. The center position of the wafer when the wafer is placed in the load lock is determined. The center of the wafer is determined when the wafer is placed in each attached processing chamber. The pivot point of each arm is determined (note that the pivot points of both arms can be matched in some embodiments, as described below). A transfer sequence is determined, ie whether each wafer needs to move between the load lock and a single chamber or between the load lock and multiple chambers. These values can be programmed in the controller using the UI. The linear and rotational motion of each arm is then moved so that the wafers placed on each arm move only within a straight line between the determined pivot point and the center determined for the load lock and each chamber. Calculated.

  In one embodiment, in part, the following features of the present invention are implemented to simplify the combination of linear and arc motion of arm 41. In FIG. 4, one of the support arms 41, specifically the arm 41 that is completely exposed in FIG. 4, is coupled to the arm extension 41 ′, and the other arm 41 is connected to the internal drive support mechanism 45 (FIG. 5 and also see FIG. 6). In the illustrated embodiment, the arm extension 41 ′ is fixed, that is, only follows the linear motion of the drive support mechanism 45, and cannot rotate. In other words, the rotational movement is only effected on the arm 41 secured to the end of the arm extension 41 '. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the arm extension 41 ′ is configured so that the center of rotation of both arms 41, that is, the center of the turning center point can coincide with each other, that is, as illustrated, the straight broken line BLm is The arm 41 is fixed so as to pass through the center of the rotation point or pivot point. Furthermore, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the arm 41 can be moved in a linear direction so that the centers of rotation of both arms 41 are exactly aligned vertically. When such a design is used, the two arms 41 follow the combination of the same linear motion and arc motion from the same turning point center line, so that the arms 41 are manufactured in the same shape. It becomes possible.

  Referring now to FIG. 5, each part of the system 34 with the lid sealing the internal elements removed, i.e., the load lock 35, continues to the beginning of the transfer chamber 32 and continues to the first processing chamber 31. Each part including is shown. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the wafer 42 in the load lock 35 is placed on the arm 41. Another arm 41 is shown extending into the processing chamber 31. As shown, each arm 41 that works independently and can be located at different levels can be extended to enter different areas simultaneously. Each arm moves the wafer along the transfer chamber 32 from the load lock into the system 34 and then from the processing chamber around the system 34 to the processing chamber.

  Finally, after each wafer is processed, each arm moves them into the load lock 35 along the transfer chamber and then moves outside the system 34. When processing is complete, the wafer can be returned from the load lock into the FOUP where the processed wafer is collected. The wafer in the load lock or processing chamber is transported by lifting itself onto the support surface associated with arm 41. Lift pins on the support surface raise the wafer, allowing the arm to enter the lower part of the wafer, so that the arm can lift the wafer and move the wafer to the next step in the system. Become.

  Alternatively, slide down the wafer and use a structure that acts as a shelf to support the wafer during transport, supporting and holding the wafer when it is taken out or taken out of the chamber or compartment The wafer can be received from the arm and released from the arm. Each arm is arranged to pass above and below each other without contact, and can pass each other.

  Each arm is connected to an internal drive support mechanism 45. The drive support mechanism 45 is provided with a linear drive track, and the drive support mechanism 45 moves in the transport chamber 32 along the linear drive track. The operation of the drive support mechanism 45 is caused by an external drive source such as a motor. One form of drive source causes the drive support mechanism 45 to move linearly along the drive track 46. Another form of driving source rotates each arm 41 to extend from the transfer chamber 32 into the load lock 35 or the processing chamber 31 in the process of moving the wafer 42 into and passing through the system. Inside the drive track 46 is an individual rail 47 (details are shown in FIG. 6) on which each drive support mechanism rests independently so that each arm 41 moves independently of each other. It can be arranged to act. The movement of the wafer into the processing chamber results in a parallel movement from the linear drive path into the chamber. This is because, in the preferred embodiment, the wafer experiences two modes of motion simultaneously. The wafer rotates as it moves linearly. By driving the mechanism in the vacuum of the transfer chamber 32 using an external motor or other form of drive mechanism, undesirable particles in the sealed vacuum region are reduced.

  Referring now to FIG. 6, the drive system utilized in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. In FIG. 6, each rail 47 of the drive track 46 can be independently confirmed. In this figure, a wafer 42 is shown on one support arm 41. In this figure, the other support arm is shown in a state where it is simply extended. Each of the drive support mechanisms 45 is placed on one of the rails 47. Thereby, the arm 41 is easily arranged at various levels. A magnetic head or a magnetically coupled follower 48 is disposed at the base of each drive support mechanism 45.

  A magnetic drive source 50 is disposed at a position away from the magnetic head 48. The magnetic head 48 is placed in the vacuum of the transfer chamber, and the vacuum chamber wall (53 in FIG. 7A) passes below each magnetic head 48 and between the magnetic head 48 and the drive source 50. Therefore, the drive source 50 is outside the vacuum wall of the transfer chamber 32. As described above, the arm 41 moves the wafer 42 into the processing system and passes it through the processing system, and moves independently of each other. These arms 41 are driven by a magnetic coupler device including a drive source 50 and a magnetic head 48. This coupler provides both linear and rotational movement with respect to the arm 41. The drive source 50 is placed on the outer rail 51 that appears outside the vacuum and appears on both sides of the rail system. One rail set is shown in opposing relationship with another rail set appearing on the opposite side. The rotation of the arm is transmitted through the magnetic coupler and is driven by the rotary motor 52. In FIG. 6, although magnetic coupling is shown as being used for linear motion and rotation, it will be readily appreciated that separate magnetic couplers and drive sources can also be used. Thus, although linear and rotational motion is preferably transmitted through the same coupler, it is possible to use separate couplers for linear and rotational motion.

  One type of arm that can be used for wafer movement and manipulation, including stop motion at the processing station 31, is described as a selectively compliant articulated robotic arm, also referred to as SCARA robot for short. The SCARA systems tend to be faster and cleaner than Cartesian systems that are likely to be replaced by themselves.

  A repulsion magnet that reduces the attractive force generated by the motion coupling magnet may also be included to reduce and / or eliminate load factors associated with the magnetic drive system. Magnets that couple rotational and linear motion to a vacuum have a considerable attractive force. This is a load on the mechanical mechanism that supports the component. As the load increases, the life of the bearing is shortened and more particles are generated. By using repulsive magnets arranged in a magnetic coupler or separate device, the attractive force can be reduced. In practice, the innermost magnet in the magnetic coupler does not achieve a very high coupling stiffness. However, their inner magnets can be used to create repulsive forces with coupled magnets that are placed at NS pole locations that alternate around the diameter of the coupler and are used to attract each other.

  Of course, it should be understood that a drive mechanism can be included in the sealed chamber if there is no concern of particle dust entering the sealed chamber.

  Referring now to FIG. 7A, a side view of the track drive system with the lid removed is shown. In FIG. 7A, the vacuum wall or vacuum partition 53 is disposed at a position between the magnetic coupler 48 and the magnetic coupler 50 that drive and control the position of the arm 41. The drive track 46 houses a rail 47 that provides linear motion provided by the outer rail 51 to the drive support mechanism 45 and the arm 41. Rotational motion is provided by a rotary motor 52. In FIG. 7A, the side indicated by Va is in a vacuum, and the side indicated by AT is in an atmosphere. As shown in FIG. 7A, the magnetic coupler 50 is driven by a rotary motor 52 and directs the magnetic coupler 48 to perform the same rotational operation by magnetic coupling through the vacuum partition 53. On the other hand, the magnetic coupling hysteresis may cause the accuracy of the rotational motion of the arm to decrease.

  In practice, due to the length of the arm, a small angular error between the coupler 48 and the coupler 50 may greatly displace the wafer placed at the end of the arm 41. Also, transient motion may last for an unacceptable time due to the length and weight of the arm and due to the change in weight depending on whether the arm supports the wafer. In order to avoid these problems, a reduction gear (sometimes referred to as a reduction gear or a gear reduction gear) 55 is interposed between the magnetic coupler 48 and the rotary coupler 56 or the arm 41. The gear reducer 55 receives the rotation of the magnetic coupler 48, and the gear reducer 55 obtains a lower rotational speed output in order to operate the arm 41 at a rotational speed lower than the rotational speed of the motor 52. It is done. In this specific example, the reduction ratio of the gear reducer 55 is set to 50: 1. This greatly improves the accuracy of the angular arrangement of the arm 41, greatly reduces transient motion and greatly reduces the moment of inertia of the drive assembly technology.

  In FIG. 7A, the reduction gear assembly 55 is mounted on the base 49. The base 49 is non-motorized and can be freely placed on the straight rail 47. On the other hand, the rotary motor 52 is mounted on a base 54 that is placed on the straight rail 51 using mechanized power. Since the base 54 is moved linearly by the mechanized power, the magnetic coupling between the magnetic coupler 50 and the magnetic follower 48 provides a linear motion to the base 49 that is freely mounted on the linear rail 47, thereby causing the arm 41 to move linearly. Move. This device is therefore advantageous in that all motorized motion, i.e. linear motion and rotational motion, is performed under ambient conditions and there is no motor drive system in the vacuum environment. In the following, various embodiments relating to motor driven movement in atmosphere and free non-motor driven movement in vacuum will be described by way of example.

FIG. 7B shows an example of a linear motion assembly. In FIG. 7B, a belt or chain drive source is coupled to the base 54. The belt or chain 58 is placed on a rotating body 59, and as indicated by an arrow C, one of the rotating bodies 59 is motor-driven so that it can move in both directions. In order to control the linear motion, the encoder 57a sends a signal identifying the linear motion of the base 54 to the controller. For example, the encoder 57a may be an optical encoder that reads the encoding provided on the linear track 46. Further, on the motor 52 is provided with a rotary encoder 57b, rotary encoder 57b transmits the encoding of rotational movement to the controller. Using these read data for rotational and linear motion, the rotational and linear motion of arm 41 can be controlled so that the centerline of the wafer moves only within the straight line.

  7C is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4 showing another embodiment of a linear motion assembly. In FIG. 7D, the drive track 46 supports the rail 47, and wheels 61 and 62 are placed on the rail 47. These wheels can improve traction by being magnetized. The wheels 61 and 62 are coupled to the base portion 54, and the rotary motor 52 is mounted on the base portion 54. A linear motor 63 that interacts with a series of magnets 64 mounted on the drive track 46 is attached to the lower portion of the base 54. The linear motor 63 interacts with the magnet 64 to bring the linear power toward the inside and outside of the drawing sheet to the base 54. The linear motion of the base 54 is monitored and reported by an encoder 57b that reads a position / motion encoding 57c provided on the track 46. In this specific example, the accuracy of the encoder 57b is 1 / 5,000th of an inch.

  FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a straight track in an atmosphere and a straight track in a vacuum. The vacuum side and the atmosphere side are separated by a vacuum partition wall 53 and a chamber wall 32 interposed therebetween. On the atmosphere side, the rider 61 is placed on the straight track 47. Since this is in the atmosphere, the generation of particles is not as important as the vacuum side. Therefore, the rider 61 may include a wheel or may be made of a sliding material such as a fluororesin. The base 54 is attached to the slider 61 and supports a rotary motor that rotates the magnetic coupler 50. On the vacuum side, a linear track 78 is adapted to receive a sliding bearing 73 attached to the base 70 via a coupler 72. The straight track 78 can be made of stainless steel and is manufactured to minimize particle generation. In addition, lids 74 and 76 are provided to keep the generated particles within the bearing assembly. Base 70 extends beyond the bearing assembly and supports a gear reducer 55 coupled to magnetic follower 48.

  FIG. 7E shows another example of a straight track in the atmosphere and a straight track in vacuum. In FIG. 7E, the atmosphere side can be constructed similar to that of FIG. 7D. On the other hand, on the vacuum side, magnetic levitation is used instead of sliding bearings to minimize contamination. As shown in FIG. 7E, the electromagnetic assembly 80 in the active state cooperates with the permanent magnet 82 to form magnetic levitation, allowing free linear movement of the base 70. In particular, the permanent magnet 82 maintains the free space 84 and is not in contact with the electromagnetic assembly 80. As the base 54 moves linearly with the slider 61, the magnetic coupling between the coupler 50 and the follower 48 provides a linear motion of the levitated base 70. Similarly, the follower 48 is rotated by the rotation of the coupler 50, and this rotation is transmitted to the gear reducer 55.

  Referring now to FIG. 8, a processing system according to the present invention is shown. As in the case of FIG. 3, the EFEM 33 receives and receives a wafer that is passed to a system 34 that includes a processing chamber 31. In the present embodiment, the processing chamber 31 exemplifies a chamber in which sputter deposition is performed by first transferring a wafer to the load lock 35 and then transferring the wafer along the transfer chamber 32. The processed wafer is then fed along the transfer chamber 32 to the load lock 35 and then to the outside of the system and returned to the EFEM 33.

  Referring now to FIG. 9, an eight station processing system according to the present invention is shown. The EFEM 33 feeds the wafer to the load lock 35. The wafer is then moved along the transfer chamber 32 from the transfer chamber 32 to the processing chamber 31. In FIG. 9, both transfer chamber sets are arranged in the central region, and the respective processing chambers 31 are arranged outside thereof. In FIG. 10, all processing sections are aligned so that one processing chamber set is a duplicate of the next processing chamber set. Thus, the processing chambers of this system appear to be aligned in parallel.

  Of course, other variations are possible and will be readily envisaged. For example, instead of arranging the processing chambers in the form shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, each set can be arranged one above the other or each set can be arranged in succession. When each set is arranged in sequence, each set is arranged so that the second set is arranged in a row following the first set, or the second set forms an angle with the first set. And can be aligned so that they can be set. Since the transfer chamber can feed wafers to the chamber on each side, two sets of processors can be set around a single transfer chamber and can be fed by the same transfer chamber (FIG. 11A). Reference: Each reference number in Figure 11A indicates an element similar to that discussed with respect to the previous figures.

  11A and 11B show a state in which the processing chamber 31 and the transfer chamber 32 are separated by the valve 39 as described above). If a second set of processors is connected to the first set of processors, it may be beneficial to place additional load locks along the system. Needless to say, it is also possible to add an EFEM to the end portion and place a load lock in front of the EFEM so that the wafer can move linearly and enter from one side (see FIG. 11B). Each reference numeral in FIG. 11B indicates the same elements as those in the previous drawings). In the latter case, the wafer can be programmed to enter and exit from one side or both sides. The processing chambers can be arranged at irregular intervals along the transfer chamber, that is, with a space between the processing chambers. An important feature of this arrangement is that each processing chamber is arranged so that the transfer chambers can feed the wafers to the individual processing chambers in the desired form and in response to computer-controlled commands for the system. .

  Although each chamber has been described under vacuum conditions, in practice it may be beneficial to include certain gases or other fluids in the area in which each chamber is housed. Thus, as used herein, the term “vacuum” should be construed as a self-contained environment capable of containing special gases that can be utilized, for example, throughout the system.

In FIG. 1, the cluster tool includes seven processing chambers. In FIG. 9, the disclosed system includes eight processing chambers. The total installation area of the tool and peripheral equipment of FIG. 1 is about 38 m ² . The total footprint of the tool of FIG. 9 (and additional processing chambers and peripherals) is 23 m ² . Therefore, if the linear arrangement according to the present invention is used, the installation area of the system is considerably reduced even when the number of chambers is increased. For the most part, such improvements are achieved when utilizing an improved feed system, shown as transfer chamber 32 in FIG. 9, rather than using a central section associated with a system of the type shown in FIG. The

  The linear architecture of the present invention is extremely flexible and accommodates multiple substrate sizes and shapes. Wafers used for semiconductor fabrication are typically circular and have a diameter of 200 or 300 mm. In the semiconductor industry, attempts are constantly being made to increase the number of devices per wafer, and the wafer size has steadily increased to 75 mm, 100 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm, and efforts aimed at wafers with a diameter of 450 mm continue. It has been. With the architecture unique to the present invention, the floor space required in a clean room wafer manufacturing plant is not as large as with typical cluster tools where each process is located in the vicinity.

  In addition, if it is desired to increase the size of this type (FIG. 1) of cluster tools to increase power, the overall dimensions will increase exponentially, while the system described herein is unidirectional Increase in size, i.e. the width of the system is the same and the length is only increased. In a similar process such as aluminum processing, the apparatus of FIG. 9 is similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 in terms of throughput when the system of the type shown in FIG. Produces approximately twice as many wafers (approximately 170% increase) as the system shown in FIG. Thus, using the system disclosed herein, the wafer power per clean room area to be measured is greatly improved compared to prior art units. As a result, it goes without saying that the purpose of cost reduction during wafer manufacture is achieved.

  The design of this device is not limited to circular substrates. A cluster tool that moves a wafer in a circular path is particularly advantageous when the substrate is rectangular and the tool needs to be sized to handle a circular substrate inscribed in the rectangular shape of the actual substrate. On the other hand, the linear tool may be smaller than the size required to pass the actual shape in either direction. For example, when processing a 300 mm square substrate, the cluster tool needs to be sized to handle a 424 mm circular substrate, while the linear tool may be smaller than the size required for a 300 mm circular substrate.

  The size of the transfer chamber 32 is also a space necessary for moving a substrate that passes through the entrance chamber and enters the processing chamber and is moved from the processing chamber to the outside of the system. You just have to provide it. Therefore, the width of this chamber is only slightly larger than the size of the substrate being processed. However, smaller members can be processed in the system, or multiple members can be processed together at the substrate holder.

  Although the present invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments consisting of specific materials and specific processes, various modifications can be made and / or used to each specific example, Such structures and methods are described in each embodiment described and illustrated herein, as well as a discussion of each process that can be readily modified without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that it can be obtained by understanding the above.

30 station 31 processing chamber 32 transfer chamber 33 EFEM
34 system 35 load lock 36 power distribution unit 38 process gas cabinet 40 information processing cabinet 41 arm 41 ′ arm extension 42 wafer 43 linear rail 45 drive support mechanism 46 drive track 47 rail 48 magnetic coupling follower 50 magnetic drive source 49, 54, 70 Base 51 Outer rail 52 Rotary motor 53 Vacuum partition wall 55 Gear reducer 56 Rotary coupler 57a, 57b Encoder 57c Position / motion encoding 58 Belt or chain 59 Rotating body 61, 62 Wheel 64 Magnet 72 Coupler 74, 76 Lid 78 Linear track 80 Electromagnetic Assembly 82 Permanent magnet 84 Free space

Claims (19)

A substrate processing system,
An elongated substrate transfer chamber having a vacuum section and an atmosphere section;
A first linear track secured to the substrate transfer chamber in the vacuum section;
A second straight track secured to the substrate transfer chamber of the atmosphere section;
A first base that is linearly mounted on the first straight track;
A second base that is linearly mounted on the second straight track;
Mounted on the first base so as to move on the first linear track integrally with the first base, and has a magnetically coupled follower as its own input, and as its own output A decelerator providing a slower rotational speed,
A magnetic drive source mounted on the second base and providing rotational motion to the magnetically coupled follower through a vacuum bulkhead is rotated , whereby both linear motion and rotational motion are coupled to the magnetically coupled in the first linear track. and a rotary motor Ru given to the follower,
A substrate processing system comprising: a robot arm coupled to the output of the speed reducer.   The substrate processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a linear motor fixed to the second base.   The substrate processing system of claim 2, further comprising a linear motion encoder coupled to the second base and a rotary encoder coupled to the rotary motor.   The substrate processing system of claim 3, further comprising a magnetizing wheel coupled to the second base. A third base that is linearly mounted on the first straight track;
A fourth base that is linearly mounted on the second straight track;
A second reducer mounted on the third base and having a second magnetically coupled follower as its own input and providing a lower rotational speed as its own output;
A second rotary motor mounted on the fourth base and rotating a second magnetic drive source that provides rotational movement to the second magnetically coupled follower through a second vacuum bulkhead;
The substrate processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a second robot arm coupled to the output of the second speed reducer.   The arm extension part couple | bonded between the said robot arm and the said reduction gear so that the rotating shaft of the said robot arm and the rotating shaft of the said 2nd robot arm can be made to correspond. 5. The substrate processing system according to 5.   The substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first linear track includes a magnetic levitation mechanism. A substrate processing system,
An elongated substrate transfer chamber having a vacuum section and an atmosphere section;
A first linear track secured to the substrate transfer chamber in the vacuum section;
A second straight track secured to the substrate transfer chamber of the atmosphere section;
A non-motor driven base that is freely mounted on the first linear track;
A motor drive base that is linearly mounted on the second straight track;
Mounted on the non-motor drive base so as to move on the first linear track integrally with the non-motor drive base, and has a magnetically coupled follower as its own input, and as its own output A decelerator providing a slower rotational speed,
A magnetic drive source mounted on the motor drive base and providing rotational motion to the magnetically coupled follower through a vacuum bulkhead is rotated , thereby allowing both linear motion and rotational motion to be applied to the magnetically coupled follower in the first linear track. and a rotary motor Ru given to,
A substrate processing system comprising: a robot arm coupled to the output of the speed reducer. A load lock opening;
A plurality of processing chamber openings;
The motor driving base and the rotary motor are linearly moved so that the substrate disposed on the robot arm moves only within a plurality of line segments connected to each other between the load lock opening and the processing chamber opening. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, further comprising a controller programmed to operate with a combination of motion and rotational motion.   The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the motor drive base includes a linear motor.   The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the non-motor drive base includes a magnetic levitation mechanism.   The substrate processing system of claim 10, further comprising a linear motion encoder coupled to the motor drive base and a rotary encoder coupled to the rotary motor. A second non-motor driven base that is linearly mounted on the first straight track;
A second motor drive base that is linearly mounted on the second straight track;
A second reducer mounted on the second non-motor driven base, having a second magnetically coupled follower as its own input and providing a slower rotational speed as its own output;
A second rotary motor mounted on the second motor drive base and rotating a second magnetic drive source that provides rotational movement to the second magnetically coupled follower through a second vacuum bulkhead;
The substrate processing system according to claim 8, further comprising: a second robot arm coupled to the output of the second reducer.   14. The second robot arm according to claim 13, wherein the second robot arm is coupled to the second speed reducer so that the second robot arm can pass linearly below the robot arm. Substrate processing system.   The substrate processing system according to claim 14, wherein when the second robot arm is positioned below the robot arm, a rotation axis of the robot arm and a rotation axis of the second robot arm coincide with each other.   The robot further comprises an arm extension coupled between the second robot arm and the second speed reducer so that the second robot arm can pass over the robot arm. Item 14. The substrate processing system according to Item 13.   The substrate processing system according to claim 16, wherein the arm extension is fixed so as not to rotate. A method for transporting a wafer into the processing chamber from the load lock through the evacuated by substrate transfer chamber,
Providing a robot arm in the substrate transfer chamber that moves along a linear track on a non-motor driven base;
Magnetically coupling linear motion to the robot arm through a vacuum bulkhead using a magnetic coupling follower ;
Magnetically coupling rotational movement to the robot arm through the vacuum bulkhead using the magnetic coupling follower ;
Look including the step of decreasing the speed of the rotary movement of the substrate transfer chamber by using a reduction gear,
The speed reducer and the non-motor driven base move together on the linear track, and both linear motion and rotational motion are applied to the magnetic coupling follower in the linear track . Determining a first center point defined as the center of the wafer when the wafer is located in the load lock;
Determining a second center point defined as the center of the wafer when the wafer is located in the processing chamber;
Determining a position of a turning point of the robot arm;
A combination of linear and rotational movements of the robot arm such that the center of the wafer disposed on the robot arm moves only within a plurality of interconnected segments between the load lock and the processing chamber. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

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