Load-lock technique

a technology of loading and sealing chambers, applied in the direction of conveying, transportation and packaging, coatings, etc., can solve the problems of reducing the time required for the process itself, affecting the production yield, and affecting the quality of the product, so as to reduce or suppress the contamination or temperature drop

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-06-02
CANON KK
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017] Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, load-lock technique by which high-speed vacuum exhausting is enabl...

Problems solved by technology

However, in the load-lock chamber structure such as described above, when the gas is exhausted to create a vacuum level in place of the atmospheric pressure state, at the moment as the exhaust valve is opened the atmospheric air inside the chamber is exhausted rapidly.
As a result of this, the moisture content contained in the atmosphere is frozen and adhered to the substrate surface, causing contamination of it.
Such temperature rise is a serious factor for slowing down the production yield, particularly in a process (such as lithographic process) where precise temperature control is required.
Load-lock systems a...

Method used

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embodiment 1

[0033]FIG. 1 illustrates a load-lock system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The first embodiment is applied to an EUV (extreme ultraviolet) exposure apparatus wherein exposure is carried out in a vacuum ambience. Denoted at 1 is the load-lock system of the present invention, and denoted at 2 is a main chamber which is used as an exposure chamber of the exposure apparatus. The main chamber is filled with a vacuum ambience or a particular ambience such as reduced pressure He, for example. The load-lock chamber 1 serves to enable loading a substrate 10 thereinto from the atmosphere without breaking the vacuum ambience or particular ambience, and also to assure unloading the substrate 10, after being processed inside the main chamber 2, outwardly.

[0034] Basically, the present invention is directed to a load-lock system, and it is not always necessary that the machine placed at the main chamber side of the load-lock system is an exposure apparatus. It may be an...

embodiment 2

[0045]FIG. 3 illustrates a load-lock system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is applied to an exposure apparatus such as EUV (extreme ultraviolet) exposure apparatus wherein exposure is carried out in a vacuum ambience or a particular ambience such as reduced pressure He. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the exposure apparatus, as seen from the above. Structural components having similar functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by corresponding reference numerals. Denoted in the drawing at 1 is the load-lock system, and denoted at 2 is a main chamber that defines a place where the exposure process is to be carried out.

[0046] Denoted at 16 is a load-lock chamber which is a major component of the load-lock system 1. Denoted at 3 is a vacuum side gate valve, and denoted at 4 is an atmosphere side gate valve. These valves function to define an opening for passage of a substrate 10 between the load-lock chamber 16 and the main chambe...

third embodiment

[0068] Next, an embodiment of a device manufacturing method which uses an exposure apparatus described above, will be explained.

[0069]FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the overall procedure for semiconductor manufacture. Step 1 is a design process for designing a circuit of a semiconductor device. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the circuit pattern design. Step 3 is a process for preparing a wafer by using a material such as silicon. Step 4 is a wafer process which is called a pre-process wherein, by using the thus prepared mask and wafer, a circuit is formed on the wafer in practice, in accordance with lithography. Step 5 subsequent to this is an assembling step which is called a post-process wherein the wafer having been processed at step 4 is formed into semiconductor chips. This step includes an assembling (dicing and bonding) process and a packaging (chip sealing) process. Step 6 is an inspection step wherein an operation check, a durability check an ...

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Abstract

Disclosed is a load-lock system and an exposure apparatus having the same, wherein the load-lock system includes a chamber, an exhaust system for exhausting a gas from the inside of the chamber, a heater, a first valve for opening/closing an opening of the chamber, a supply system for supplying a gas into the chamber through the heater and the first valve, and a second valve for opening/closing an opening of the chamber provided for conveyance of an object, wherein the supply system supplies a the gas before the object is conveyed into the chamber and when the second valve is held opened, and wherein the exhaust system exhausts a gas supplied from the supply system, after the conveyance of the object.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART [0001] This invention relates to load-lock technique applicable to production of various microdevices such as, for example, semiconductor chips (e.g., IC or LSI), display devices (e.g., liquid crystal panel), detecting elements (e.g., magnetic head), and image pickup devices (e.g. CCD). [0002] The density and speed of a semiconductor integrated circuit have been improved significantly and, with this trend, the linewidth of an integrated circuit pattern has been narrowed more and more. This forces further improvements in the semiconductor manufacturing method. As regards exposure apparatuses used for forming a resist pattern in a lithographic process which is one of semiconductor manufacturing processes, those using vacuum ultraviolet light (VUV light) such as KrF laser light (wavelength 248 nm), ArF laser light (wavelength 193 nm) or F2 laser light (wavelength 157 nm) have been developed. Currently, EUV exposure apparatuses that use extreme ult...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): H01L21/027C23C16/44H01L21/677
CPCH01L21/67748Y10T137/87917
Inventor KASUMI, KAZUYUKI
Owner CANON KK
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