JP2000150613A - Object transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for transporting an object to be processed, which can prevent dust from entering a closed container when a lid is opened. A closed container (11) having a detachable lid (15) in a front opening (14) and containing a wafer (W) therein, and a transfer chamber (6) isolated from the closed container (11).
In the transfer apparatus for the object to be processed provided with a transfer mechanism for unloading the wafer W from the inside and loading it into the processing chamber,
An isolation chamber 17 for reducing the pressure difference between the transfer chamber 6 and the airtight container 11 is provided in the transfer chamber 6 facing the opening 14 of the container, and the lid 15 of the airtight container 11 is placed in the isolation chamber 17. A lid opening and closing mechanism 30 for opening and closing is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting an object in a multi-chamber processing system having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, miniaturization of semiconductor devices
With the increase in the degree of integration, various measures have been taken for the semiconductor manufacturing process. For example, in a vacuum processing system for semiconductor wafers, various processes can be easily reformed or changed, and the process can be shortened by integrated processing. As described above, a multi-chamber processing system called a cluster tool provided in a state where a plurality of vacuum processing chambers are arranged around has been developed.

A conventional multi-chamber processing system of this kind includes a required number (for example, a minimum of three to a maximum of six) of vacuum processing chambers (process chambers) corresponding to various semiconductor manufacturing processes, and each of these vacuum processing chambers (process chambers). One or two loader chambers and a plurality of connection ports that are air-tightly communicated via gate valves in a state in which each vacuum processing chamber and the loader chambers are arranged as a transfer system for loading and unloading an object to be processed into and out of the vacuum processing chamber. Is known which has a polygonal transfer chamber (transfer chamber) having a peripheral wall and a transfer arm (transfer robot) installed in the transfer chamber and capable of turning and extending and retracting. I have.

In such a multi-chamber processing system, a FOUP accommodating, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter simply referred to as a wafer) as an object to be processed, that is, having an opening in the front surface, and having a detachable lid in this opening. The sealed container (hereinafter, simply referred to as a sealed container) is carried into the loader chamber by an external transport device, and the loader chamber is isolated therefrom by evacuation or replacement with an inert gas. Open the gate valve on the transfer chamber side, take in the wafers one by one from the closed container in the loader chamber into the transfer chamber by the transfer arm, and sequentially carry them into the required vacuum processing chamber, where, for example, film formation, etching, etc. After performing a predetermined process, the processed wafer is taken out into the transfer chamber by the transfer arm and returned to the closed container in the loader room.

In such a multi-chamber processing system, the loader chamber, the transfer chamber, and the transfer arm, which are transfer systems, can be shared by a plurality of vacuum processing chambers arranged around the transfer chamber. As compared with the conventional processing apparatuses each having a transport system, simplification of the configuration, reduction of the installation space, improvement of the transport efficiency, and cost reduction by local cleaning are extremely advantageous.

[0006]

By the way, while the external transfer device for transferring the sealed container containing the wafers is at atmospheric pressure, the loader chamber is set at a slightly higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure. Partitioned by partitions. A communication port is provided in a part of the partition wall, and a lid opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the lid of the closed container is provided in the loader room facing the communication port.

When the wafer is transferred, the lid of the closed container is opened by the lid opening / closing mechanism, and the wafer in the closed container is gripped by the transfer arm extending from the loader chamber and transferred to the loader chamber. Although the wafer is transferred in the state, it is not known whether the pressure inside the closed container is set to a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure or a pressure set to a lower pressure. Therefore, when the lid is opened when the airtight container is lower than the atmospheric pressure, when the lid is opened, the surrounding air enters the airtight container and turbulence of the airflow occurs, dust is soaked up and adheres to the wafer, and the wafer is regarded as a defective product. There is a problem that it becomes. Conversely, if the airtight container is higher than the atmospheric pressure, the air in the airtight container is released to the outside when the lid is opened. , There is a problem that a scratch is made and the product is similarly defective.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to reduce the pressure difference between a closed container and a room around the closed container, and to reduce the pressure difference when the lid of the closed container is opened. An object of the present invention is to provide a device for transporting an object to be processed, which can prevent turbulence of an air flow and prevent dust from being attached to or scratched on a wafer as the object to be processed.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a closed container having a detachable lid at an opening on a front surface and accommodating an object to be processed therein is provided. When,
In a device for transporting an object to be processed provided with a transport mechanism for carrying out the object to be processed in the closed container to a room separated from the closed container and carrying the processed object into the processing chamber, a room opposed to an opening of the closed container is provided. An isolation chamber for reducing a pressure difference between the chamber and the closed container is provided, and a lid opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the lid of the closed container is provided in the isolated chamber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the isolation chamber of the first aspect is capable of being retracted from the opening of the closed container together with the lid opening / closing mechanism when the object is transported.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airtight container having a detachable lid at an opening on the front surface, for accommodating an object to be processed therein, and a room separated from the airtight container in the closed container. In a transfer apparatus for a target object provided with a transfer mechanism that unloads the body and loads the processing chamber, a lid opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes the lid of the closed container is provided in a room facing the opening of the closed container, The lid opening / closing mechanism is provided with a cover member forming an isolation chamber for reducing a pressure difference between the room and the closed container.

In a fourth aspect, the covering member of the third aspect is
It is characterized in that it can be retracted from the opening of the sealed container together with the lid opening / closing mechanism when the object is transported.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the isolation chamber according to the first or third aspect is provided with a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the internal pressure thereof to the pressure of the closed container and the room.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the lid opening / closing mechanism according to the first or third aspect has a lid locking member that can move forward and backward in opposition to the opening of the closed container, and the opening is closed by the forward operation of the lid locking member. It is characterized in that the body is closed and the opening is opened by a retreat operation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the lid locking member of the first or third aspect, an engaging member is provided which can be disengaged from an engagement receiving portion of the lid, and the relative position between the lid locking member and the closed container is increased. The lid locking member and the lid are disengaged by a specific contact and separation movement.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the lid opening / closing mechanism according to the first or third aspect has a lid locking member which can move forward and backward facing the opening of the closed container, and the opening is closed by an advance operation of the lid locking member. It is characterized in that the body is closed and the opening is opened by a retreat operation.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the lid locking member of the first or third aspect, an engaging member is provided which can be disengaged from an engaging receiving portion of the lid. The lid locking member and the lid are disengaged by a specific contact and separation movement.

According to the above configuration, after adjusting the internal pressure of the isolation chamber to the internal pressure of the closed container, the lid of the closed container is opened by the lid opening / closing mechanism, so that when the opening of the closed container is opened, the closed container is opened. There is no turbulence in the air flow inside, and it is possible to prevent dust from entering the inside of the closed container.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 7 show a first embodiment, and FIG.
Is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transfer device in a multi-chamber processing system in which three vacuum processing chambers are arranged, FIG.
3 is a front view of the lid opening / closing mechanism, FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinal side views of the same, FIG. 6 is a front view in which a part of FIG. 3 is enlarged, and FIG.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a multi-chamber processing system and a transfer apparatus in which three vacuum processing chambers 1a, 1b and 1c for processing a wafer W as an object to be processed are arranged in a single transfer system. These vacuum processing chambers 1a, 1b, 1c
Are cubic hermetic processing containers called process chambers and the like mounted on the gantry 2 having a predetermined height.

Of the three, two vacuum processing chambers 1a,
1b has a required processing function for the wafer W, for example, a processing function selected from among sputtering, CVD, etching, ashing, oxidation, diffusion, and the like, and the other vacuum processing chamber 1c has a wafer processing function. This is a preliminary vacuum treatment chamber for performing pre- and post-processing such as heating and cooling of W. Although not shown, a vacuum suction mechanism, a process gas injection mechanism, a heating / cooling mechanism, and the like are provided for the processing purpose.

Usually, in this type of multi-chamber processing system, the pattern including the three vacuum processing chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c is assumed to be the minimum unit as the number of vacuum processing chambers arranged around. The transfer device for the multi-chamber processing system having the minimum pattern includes three vacuum processing chambers 1a, 1b,
A polygonal load lock chamber 3 is connected to each other in a circumferential arrangement surrounding three sides 1 c, two loader chambers 4 connected to the front end of the load lock chamber 3, and a load lock chamber 3 inside the load lock chamber 3. The wafer W can be taken in from the loader chamber 4 and carried into the vacuum processing chambers 1a, 1b, 1c, and the processed wafer W in the vacuum processing chamber can be taken out and returned to the loader chamber 4 to be swivelable and extendable. Transfer arm 5
And a transfer chamber 6 communicating with the two loader chambers 4 and a transfer chamber 6
A transfer arm 7 is provided as a transfer mechanism provided therein.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an alignment mechanism for once receiving the wafer W from the transfer arm 7 and performing alignment. Further, a table 10 on which a sealed container 11 to be described later is mounted is provided outside the transfer chamber 6 via a gantry 9.

The transfer chamber 6 and the table 10 on which the closed container 11 is placed are partitioned by partitions 12 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and the table 10 on which the closed container 11 is placed is under atmospheric pressure. The transfer chamber 6 is set at a pressure slightly higher than the atmospheric pressure, and there is a pressure difference between the two. The partition 12 is provided with a rectangular communication port 13 for communicating the two with each other.
Is opposed to the communication port 13, and the table 10 is moved forward and backward by a cylinder or a motor (not shown).

The closed container 11 has a FOUP, that is, an opening 14 on the front surface thereof.
5 is a dust-free hermetic cassette in which a plurality of wafers W are stored in a multi-stage manner. Front 2 of lid 15
A keyhole 16 is provided at each location as an engagement receiving portion. The interior of the sealed container 11 may be in the air, may be filled with N2 gas for preventing oxidation, or may be set to an internal pressure depending on the condition of the wafer W.

An isolation unit 18 is provided inside the transfer chamber 6 to face and open the communication port 13 and to form an isolation chamber 17 inside. The isolation unit 18 includes a front wall 18a and a peripheral wall 18b provided around the front wall 18a. A packing 18c mounted on an opening edge of the peripheral wall 18b faces the opening edge of the communication port 13 so as to face the communication port. 13 can be closed.

Further, a vertically long box 19 is provided below the communication port 13 and located on the transfer chamber 6 side, and a linear guide 20 is provided inside the vertically long box 19 in a vertical direction. The linear guide 20 is provided with an elevating table 22 that can be moved up and down by a Z-axis air cylinder 21. A movable table 24 is provided above the elevating table 22 via a roller 23 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the partition wall 12. The separating unit 18 is mounted on the movable table 24.

A cam plate 26 having a cam groove 25 is mounted on the moving table 24, and the cam roller 2 is movable in the cam groove 25 by an X-axis cylinder 27 fixed to the moving table 24.
8 are engaged. When the cam roller 28 moves forward by the X-axis cylinder 27, the isolation unit 18 moves back together with the moving table 24 from the partition 12, and when the cam roller 28 moves backward, the separating unit 18 moves together with the moving table 24 into the partition 1
2, the packing 18c comes into contact with the partition wall 12, and the isolation chamber 17 is sealed.

The lifting platform 22 is provided with a lid opening / closing mechanism 30. That is, the partition 1 is located above the elevator 22.
A guide rail 31 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the direction 2, and a support member 32 is movably supported on the guide rail 31. A lid lock member 33 that is rectangular and that can close the communication port 13 is attached to the support member 32. A latch 34 as an engagement member is provided on the front surface of the lid lock member 33 corresponding to the keyhole 16 of the lid 15, and the latch 34 is turned by a latch drive mechanism 35 provided on the back surface of the lid lock member 33. It is being moved.

Further, an air cylinder 36 for opening and closing the lid is rotatably supported on the lift 22.
Reference numeral 6 is connected to the support member 32 via a bending / extending link mechanism 37. The cover lock member 33 advances and retreats from the communication port 13 via the support member 32 by the bending and stretching movement of the bending and stretching link mechanism 37 operated by the air cylinder 36.

A purge port 38 as a pressure adjusting means and an exhaust boat 39 are provided below the isolation unit 18.
The support member 24 is provided with a labyrinth seal 40 so that the pressure does not fluctuate even when the isolation unit 18 moves.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7 (a), the closed container 11 placed on the table 10 is located at a position facing the communication port 13 of the partition 12, and the table 10 advances and docks as shown in FIG. ), The opening 14 of the closed container 11 faces the communication port 13, the lid 15 is joined to the lid lock mechanism 33 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 30, and the latch 34 is
Fits. Then, when the latch drive mechanism 35 is driven to rotate the latch 34 approximately 90 °, the latch 34
And the lid 15 and the lid lock member 33 are coupled. Here, the primary isolation chamber 18 is brought into close contact with the partition wall 12, and the internal pressure of the isolation chamber 17 is reduced by purging or exhausting the gas through the purge port 38 and the exhaust port 39.
Adjust to internal pressure.

Next, when the pressure in the isolation chamber 17 and the pressure in the closed container 11 become substantially the same, when the air cylinder 36 is driven to rotate the bending / extending link mechanism 37, the support member 32 supported by the guide rail 31 is rotated. Retreats from the partition 12, and the lid 15 connected to the lid lock member 33 is drawn into the isolation chamber 17 as shown in FIG.
Opening 14 is opened. At this time, since there is almost no pressure difference between the inside of the sealed container 11 and the isolation chamber 17, there is no turbulence of the air flow inside the sealed container 11, and there is no fear that dust enters the inside of the sealed container 11, and the wafer W There is no movement and there is no worry about scratching. Next, the purge port 3 is set so that the pressure in the isolation chamber 17 becomes substantially the same as the pressure in the transfer chamber 6.
8 and exhaust or exhaust from the exhaust port 39.

When the X-axis cylinder 27 operates and the cam roller 28 moves forward when the pressures in the isolation chamber 17 and the transfer chamber 6 become substantially the same, the cam groove 2 engaged with the cam roller 38
Due to the inclination of 5, the isolation unit 18 retreats from the partition 12 via the moving table 24, and a gap g is formed between the peripheral wall 18b of the isolation unit 18 and the partition 12 as shown in FIG.

Next, when the Z-axis cylinder 21 is driven to retract the cylinder rod 21a, the lifting platform 22 is guided by the linear guide 20 and descends, as shown in FIG.
The entirety of the isolation unit 17 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 mounted on the elevating table 22 is stored inside the vertically long box 19, and the isolation unit 17 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 are retracted from the communication port 13.

Next, the transfer arm 7 provided inside the transfer chamber 6 extends to grip the wafer W inside the sealed container 11 from the communication port 13 and transfer the wafer W into the transfer chamber 6. After a predetermined process, the wafer is carried into the multi-chamber processing system. When the processing of all the wafers W in the closed container 11 is completed, the opening 14 of the closed container 11 is closed by the lid 15, but the operation of closing the lid 15 is performed in the reverse order to the above.

In the first embodiment, the isolation unit 18 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 are configured to retreat downward from the communication port 13, but they may be retracted laterally or upward.

FIG. 8 shows the second embodiment. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description and drawings are omitted.

A frame-shaped isolation unit 50 facing the opening edge of the communication port 13 is provided inside the transfer chamber 6, and a packing 51 for sealing with the partition 12 is provided on the partition 12 side of the isolation unit 50. Is provided. The outer peripheral portion of the isolation unit 50 and the outer peripheral portion of the lid lock member 33 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 are connected by a rectangular tubular bellows 52 as a covering member, and the isolation chamber 17 is formed inside. Therefore, the extension and contraction of the bellows 52 causes the lid locking member 33 to move.
The separation unit 50 comes in contact with and separates from the main body.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the closed container 11 placed on the table 10 is positioned to face the communication port 13 of the partition 12, and the table 10 advances and docks as shown in FIG. 8 (b). As shown in (2), the opening 14 of the closed container 11 faces the communication port 13, the lid 15 is joined to the lid lock mechanism 33 of the lid opening / closing mechanism 30, and the latch 34 is fitted into the keyhole 16. Then, when the latch drive mechanism 35 is driven to rotate the latch 34 by approximately 90 °, the latch 34 is engaged with the keyhole 16 and the lid 15 and the lid lock member 33 are connected.
Here, the isolation unit 50 is brought into close contact with the partition wall 12 and purged or evacuated from the purge port 38 and the exhaust port 39 to adjust the internal pressure of the isolation chamber 17 to the pressure in the closed vessel 11.

Next, when the pressure of the isolation chamber 17 and the pressure of the closed container 11 become substantially the same, when the air cylinder 36 is driven to rotate the bending / extension link mechanism 37, the support member 32 supported by the guide rail 31 is rotated. Is retracted from the partition wall 12, and the lid 15 connected to the lid lock member 33 is disengaged from the opening 14 of the closed casing 11 and is opened as shown in FIG. At this time, the isolation unit 50 is in a state of being joined to the partition wall 12 via the packing 51, and the bellows 52 is extended so that the lid 15 is housed inside the isolation chamber 17. Further, since there is almost no pressure difference between the inside of the sealed container 11 and the isolation chamber 17, there is no turbulence of the air flow inside the sealed container 11, and there is no fear that dust enters the inside of the sealed container 11, and the wafer W No movement, no worries about scratching. Next, purge or exhaust is performed from the purge port 38 and the exhaust port 39 so that the pressure in the isolation chamber 17 becomes substantially the same as the pressure in the transfer chamber 6.

When the X-axis cylinder 27 is operated and the cam roller 28 moves forward when the pressures in the isolation chamber 17 and the transfer chamber 6 become substantially the same, the cam groove 2 engaged with the cam roller 38
Due to the inclination of 5, the isolation unit 50 retreats from the partition 12 via the moving table 24, and a gap g is formed between the packing 51 of the isolation unit 50 and the partition 12 as shown in FIG.

Next, when the Z-axis cylinder 21 is driven and the cylinder rod 21a is retracted, the lifting table 22 is guided by the linear guide 20 and descends, as shown in FIG.
The entirety of the isolation unit 50 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 mounted on the elevator 22 is stored inside the vertically long box 19, and the isolation unit 50 and the lid opening / closing mechanism 30 are retracted from the communication port 13.

Next, the transfer arm 7 provided inside the transfer chamber 6 extends to grip the wafer W inside the sealed container 11 from the communication port 13 and transfer the wafer W into the transfer chamber 6. After a predetermined process, the wafer is carried into the multi-chamber processing system. When the processing of all the wafers W in the closed container 11 is completed, the opening 14 of the closed container 11 is closed by the lid 15, but the operation of closing the lid 15 is performed in the reverse order to the above.

In the above-described embodiment, the transfer device for taking out a wafer from a sealed container accommodating a semiconductor wafer and transferring the same is described. However, the present invention is also applicable to a transfer device for an object to be processed such as an LCD substrate.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention, the internal pressure of the isolation chamber is adjusted to the internal pressure of the closed container before opening the lid of the closed container accommodating the object to be processed. By reducing the pressure difference, when the lid is opened, air does not penetrate outside into the closed container, or air or gas inside the closed container is not released,
Airflow turbulence can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the object to be processed that has entered the closed container, or to prevent the object from sliding and being damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a transfer apparatus in a multi-chamber processing system having three vacuum processing chambers arranged therearound according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the lid opening / closing mechanism of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of the lid opening and closing mechanism of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of the lid opening and closing mechanism of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of a part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 transfer chamber (room) 11 closed container 12 partition 13 communication opening 14 opening 15 lid 17 isolation chamber 30 lid opening / closing mechanism

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Teruo Asakawa 2381, Kita-Shimojo, Fujii-machi, Nirasaki-shi, Yamanashi Prefecture F-term in Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Co., Ltd. 5F031 CA02 CA05 DA08 DA17 EA12 EA14 FA01 FA11 FA12 GA43 GA47 NA10 NA17 NA18 5F045 BB14 DQ17 EB08 EN01 EN04

Claims (9)

[Claims] An opening on a front surface has a detachable lid,
A sealed container accommodating the object to be processed therein, and a transfer device for the object to be processed including a transfer mechanism for unloading the object to be processed from the sealed container into a room separated from the sealed container and loading the object into the processing chamber. A room facing the opening of the closed container is provided with an isolation chamber for reducing a pressure difference between the room and the closed container, and a lid opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the lid of the closed container is provided in the isolated room. An apparatus for transporting an object to be processed. 2. The apparatus for transporting an object to be processed according to claim 1, wherein the isolation chamber can be retracted from an opening of the closed container together with a lid opening / closing mechanism when the object to be processed is transported. 3. A detachable lid is provided at an opening on the front surface,
A sealed container accommodating the object to be processed therein, and a transfer device for the object to be processed including a transfer mechanism for unloading the object to be processed from the sealed container into a room separated from the sealed container and loading the object into the processing chamber. A lid opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the lid of the closed container in a room facing the opening of the closed container, and forming an isolation chamber for reducing a pressure difference between the room and the closed container in the lid opening / closing mechanism; A device for transporting an object to be processed, comprising a covering member. 4. The apparatus for transporting an object to be processed according to claim 3, wherein the cover member can be retracted from the opening of the closed container together with the lid opening / closing mechanism when the object to be processed is transported. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the isolation chamber includes pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the isolation chamber to the pressure in the closed container and the room. 6. The lid opening / closing mechanism has a lid lock member which can move forward and backward in opposition to an opening of the closed container, and closes the opening by a forward operation of the lid lock member, and opens by a retreat operation. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the part is opened. 7. The lid lock member is provided with an engagement member capable of being disengaged from an engagement receiving portion of the lid body, and the lid lock member is moved relative to and away from the closed container. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid and the lid are disengaged. 8. The lid opening / closing mechanism has a lid lock member which can move forward and backward in opposition to the opening of the closed container. The opening is closed by a forward operation of the lid lock member, and the lid is opened by a retreat operation. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the part is opened. 9. The lid lock member is provided with an engagement member that can be disengaged from an engagement receiving portion of the lid, and the lid lock member is moved relative to and away from the lid. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid and the lid are disengaged.