Reduced pressure substrate transfer vacuum chamber

Abstract

The invention relates to a substrate processing system. An exemplary substrate processing system includes a transfer vacuum chamber for handling a substrate under vacuum conditions and at least two load lock chambers in vacuum communication with the transfer vacuum chamber. The transfer vacuum chamber includes at least two transfer robots disposed within the transfer vacuum chamber, the at least two transfer robots configured to transfer a substrate between the at least two load lock chambers and the at least one substrate processing module under vacuum conditions, wherein the at least two transfer robots are each translatable along or about at least five independent axes, and the at least two transfer robots are each configured to position and retrieve a substrate relative to at least one common substrate module of the at least two substrate modules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing system and a method for processing a substrate using the substrate processing system. Background Art

[0002] In ultra-high vacuum (UHV) substrate processing equipment such as thin film vacuum processing equipment, standard practice is to perform several process steps in one processing tool. The substrate being processed, semiconductor wafer, glass panel, etc. may need to perform various different steps in different parts of the processing tool under reduced pressure. Vacuum compatible robots are frequently used to move substrates through tools. A typical process sequence may require the substrate to be transferred from an atmospheric equipment front end module (EFEM) to at least one transfer vacuum chamber through a load lock chamber to transfer the substrate to a vacuum environment, followed by a series of deposition or etching steps with various heating and cooling operations. Potentially, the in-tool metrology station can also be used to measure various physical properties of the film on the substrate or the substrate itself. Once the required process sequence is completed, the substrate is returned to the EFEM through the load lock chamber. Each of these process steps usually requires at least one dedicated module to perform a specific function, and a conveying mechanism is required to move the substrate through the process tool in a timely manner. In the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process, the cost of ownership (CoO) of the process tool is mainly determined by the productivity of the tool (the number of wafers per hour), the cost of consumables (the cost per wafer), the occupied area (area) of the system, and the tool cost. In systems where there are several sequential process steps - for example in PVD systems - where the wafer is preheated, sputter cleaned, and subsequently subjected to two to three deposition steps in an ultra-high vacuum environment, the transport system plays a significant role in determining tool throughput. For an octagonal transport module with two load lock chambers and a single bilaterally symmetrical robot, the throughput of the system may be limited by the number of process modules that the transfer chambers can accommodate, in this case up to 6 process modules. In an alternative system such as the industry standard AMATEndura disclosed in US 5186718, two transfer chambers (each with a transfer robot and an internal transport path through the load lock chamber between the transfer chambers) can provide up to 9 process module positions, 4 on the front transfer chamber and 5 on the rear transfer chamber. Due to the close proximity to the EFEM, some module positions on the front transfer chamber can only accommodate relatively small modules. The number of process modules that the transfer chamber can support depends on the module size (mainly width) and the module access requirements and type, such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma or chemical etching, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD). Different types of modules may have different vacuum requirements, which need to be managed to avoid cross contamination issues. This is usually managed by maintaining different vacuum levels in the front and rear transfer chambers. However, the handling sequence in such a dual transfer chamber system can limit productivity because the wafer processed in the first vacuum chamber needs to be placed in the load lock chamber and balanced before entering the second chamber, then picked up by the second robot and moved to the next process station. When running sequential processes with parallel process paths, handling time can be the limiting factor for tool productivity.When using bilaterally symmetrical robots, yet another limitation is the width of the transfer chamber with the load lock chamber. Conventional dual transfer chamber systems use two load lock chambers to avoid extending the width of the chamber, thereby increasing the chamber volume and thus the tool footprint. In high volume applications, having only two load lock chambers can be a limiting factor in tool productivity. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention, in at least some of its embodiments, seeks to address some of the above-described problems, desires and needs.In particular, embodiments of the present invention seek to improve the throughput and efficiency of a substrate processing system while minimizing the system's footprint.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing system comprising:

[0005] a transfer vacuum chamber for handling substrates under vacuum conditions, the transfer vacuum chamber being in communication with at least two substrate modules connected to the transfer vacuum chamber through respective connecting slots, the at least two substrate modules being capable of receiving at least one substrate, wherein at least one of the at least two substrate modules is a substrate handling module; and

[0006] at least two load lock chambers in vacuum communication with the transfer vacuum chamber;

[0007] The transfer vacuum chamber comprises at least two transfer robots disposed in the transfer vacuum chamber, the at least two transfer robots being configured to transfer substrates between the at least two load lock chambers and the at least one substrate processing module under vacuum conditions, wherein each of the at least two transfer robots is capable of translating along at least five independent axes or rotating around the at least five independent axes, and each of the at least two transfer robots is configured to place and retrieve a substrate relative to at least one common substrate module of the at least two substrate modules.

[0008] By including at least two "five-axis" transfer robots in a single transfer vacuum chamber, together with at least two load lock chambers and at least one common substrate module connected to the transfer vacuum chambers, the inventors have discovered that a high productivity system with a relatively compact footprint can be produced, wherein throughput is primarily constrained by the handling time of the substrates in the at least one substrate processing chamber rather than by the transport of the substrates. The at least one common substrate module accessible to each of the transfer robots prevents the need for additional transfer vacuum chambers or load lock chambers or other components to transport substrates between areas accessible to each transfer vacuum robot, while also ensuring that the transfer vacuum chambers themselves are free of any structures or modules that may obstruct the path or movement of any of the transfer robots, thereby allowing substrate transfer times to be reduced and system throughput to be higher. In addition, by using a "five-axis" robot, the width of the chamber is primarily dictated by the size and number of load lock chambers, which can be positioned closer together because, unlike bilaterally symmetrical robots, "five-axis" robots are not limited to radial movement. This allows the width of the substrate processing system to be reduced, and therefore the footprint to be reduced.

[0009] Each connection slot may include an opening in the transfer vacuum chamber between the exterior and interior of the transfer vacuum chamber. Each connection slot may include a corresponding connection slot valve configured to isolate the interior of the transfer vacuum chamber from the exterior of the transfer vacuum chamber, thereby ensuring that a vacuum can be maintained inside the transfer vacuum chamber and that a substrate module connected to the transfer vacuum chamber via the connection slot valve can be isolated from the transfer vacuum chamber. In use, the transfer vacuum chamber may be configured to maintain a vacuum having a volume of less than 3×10 -7 Torr, optionally less than 1×10 -7 Torr, further optionally about 9×10 -8 The vacuum in the transfer vacuum chamber may be maintained by any method known in the art (eg, a vacuum pump).

[0010] The at least two load lock chambers may be connected to an equipment front end module (EFEM), the EFEM being configured to allow loading and unloading of substrates into and from the substrate processing system. The EFEM may include a third transfer robot configured to transfer substrates between the at least two load lock chambers and the exterior of the EFEM under atmospheric conditions.

[0011] The at least one substrate processing module may include a substrate module configured to perform a physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma or chemical etching or deposition, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD) process on at least one substrate. At least one substrate module of the at least two substrate modules that is not a substrate processing module may be an auxiliary substrate module, such as a multi-substrate or single substrate cooling module, a multi-substrate or single substrate buffer module, a pre-heating module and / or a metrology module.

[0012] The transfer vacuum chamber may include a plurality of facets, each facet including at least one connecting slot, wherein each of the at least two substrate modules and the at least two loading lock chambers are connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at the facets by respective connecting slots. Each of the at least two loading lock chambers may be connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at a common loading lock facet. The at least two loading lock chambers may include three loading lock chambers, wherein each of the three loading lock chambers is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at the loading lock facet. When the at least two loading lock chambers are connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at a common loading lock facet, the transfer vacuum chamber may include two facets adjacent to the loading lock facet, wherein each of the two facets is inclined toward the loading lock facet. The two facets adjacent to the loading lock facet may be inclined at an angle of up to 15° relative to a normal to a plane containing the loading lock facet. It has been found that this configuration of facets maximizes the space around the facet adjacent to the load lock facet, thereby allowing larger substrate modules to be mounted adjacent to the load lock chamber and the EFEM (if present) while minimizing the footprint of the substrate processing system.

[0013] At least one facet may include an adjustable connection slot. Three facets may include corresponding adjustable connection slots. The adjustable connection slot may include at least one opening in the facet of the transfer vacuum chamber and a blocking plate, the blocking plate including at least one orifice, wherein the blocking plate is removably fixed to the facet so that the at least one orifice is located above the at least one opening. By providing an adjustable connection slot with a removable blocking plate, the properties of the adjustable connection slot can be changed between operating cycles of the substrate processing system by changing the removable blocking plate to an alternative removable blocking plate or by completely removing the removable blocking plate, thereby allowing different substrate modules to be connected to the adjustable connection slot. This allows the substrate processing system to be adjusted depending on the specific operating requirements of the substrate process to be performed, thereby making the substrate processing system more flexible.

[0014] At least one of the at least two load lock chambers may include a temperature control member configured to heat or cool the substrate within the at least one load lock chamber. The temperature control member may include a heating lamp, such as a spiral lamp heater. The temperature control member may include a cooled substrate support, such as a substrate support that is cooled by passing a coolant fluid through a pipe in the substrate support. By providing a temperature control member in at least one of the at least two load lock chambers, the substrate may be preheated or precooled and degassed before entering the transfer vacuum chamber, thereby reducing the substrate processing time inside the transfer vacuum chamber and potentially preventing the need for separate heating or cooling of the substrate module, depending on the specific substrate process. In at least one of the load lock chambers that does not include a temperature control member, the at least one load lock chamber may include a vacuum cassette elevator (VCE) or other member that accommodates a plurality of wafers within the respective at least one load lock chamber.

[0015] The at least one common substrate module may include a substrate processing module. The at least one common substrate module may include a multiple substrate buffer station. The at least one common substrate module may include at least two common substrate modules. By providing at least two common substrate modules accessible to both of the transfer robots, the time the transfer robot spends waiting for a common substrate module to be available to store or retrieve one or more wafers may be reduced, thereby increasing system throughput.

[0016] The at least two substrate modules may include at least nine substrate processing modules. In one configuration, the substrate processing system may include nine substrate processing modules, two common substrate modules, and three load lock chambers. The at least two substrate modules may include a plurality of substrate processing modules each configured to perform the same process on a substrate. For example, the at least two substrate modules may include a plurality of substrate processing modules configured to perform a PVD process on a substrate. By having a plurality of substrate processing modules that can perform the same function, system throughput may be increased by processing a plurality of wafers in parallel at the same time.

[0017] The substrate handling system may include at least one substrate alignment system. The at least one substrate alignment system may include a substrate alignment system associated with the EFEM. The at least one substrate alignment system may include a plurality of substrate alignment systems, wherein each substrate alignment system is associated with a respective connecting slot. The at least one substrate alignment system may include at least two optical sensors configured to detect translational or rotational misalignment of a substrate.

[0018] The substrate processing system may include at least one controller configured to control the operation of at least one component of the substrate processing system. The substrate processing system may include a controller configured to control at least one of the following: the at least two substrate modules, the at least two load lock chambers, the at least two transfer robots, at least one connecting slot valve, an EFEM, at least one temperature control member, and at least one substrate alignment system.

[0019] The substrate processing system may include three load lock chambers, each load lock chamber having a respective inner surface, the transfer vacuum chamber may include a plurality of facets, each facet including at least one connecting slot, each of the three load lock chambers being connected adjacent to each other at a common load lock facet to the transfer vacuum chamber, and the transfer vacuum chamber may have a maximum inner width at a widest point of the transfer vacuum chamber, wherein a maximum distance between inner surfaces of the load lock chambers that are furthest from each other is less than 110% of the maximum inner width of the transfer vacuum chamber.

[0020] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for processing a substrate using the substrate processing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the method comprises:

[0021] In a loading step, at least one substrate is loaded into one of the at least two load lock chambers;

[0022] in a load lock transfer step, retrieving the substrate from the one of the at least two load lock chambers into the transfer vacuum chamber using a first transfer robot;

[0023] In the common substrate module loading step, the substrate is placed in the common substrate module;

[0024] In a common substrate module unloading step, using a second transfer robot to retrieve the substrate from the common substrate module and place the substrate in a substrate processing module;

[0025] In a processing step, the substrate is processed in the substrate processing module.

[0026] The loading step may include loading a substrate into one of the at least two load lock chambers. When the loading step includes loading a substrate into one of the at least two load lock chambers, after the loading step and before the load lock transfer step, the method may further include heating or cooling the substrate in the load lock chamber using a temperature control member.

[0027] The loading step may include loading a plurality of substrates into at least one of the at least two load lock chambers, wherein the load lock transfer step, the common substrate module loading step, the common substrate module unloading step, and the processing step are performed on each of the plurality of substrates.

[0028] The common substrate module may be a substrate processing module, and the substrate may be processed in the common substrate module in a common substrate module processing step after the load lock transfer step and the common substrate module loading step and before the common substrate module unloading step.

[0029] The substrate processing system may include a plurality of substrate processing modules, and the method may include a further transfer step of transferring at least one substrate between substrate processing modules and a further processing step of processing the at least one substrate within a respective substrate processing module. For example, the method may include at least one step after the load lock transfer step and before the common substrate module loading step: placing a substrate in a substrate processing module using the first transfer robot, processing the substrate in the substrate processing module, and then retrieving the substrate from the substrate processing module using the first transfer robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 is a first perspective view of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is a second perspective view of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 A transfer vacuum chamber and an EFEM of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 is a side view of a transfer vacuum chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a transfer vacuum chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0036] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The present invention will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments in which the substrates processed by a particular configuration of substrate modules, load lock chambers, and transfer robots are silicon wafers. However, the substrate processing systems and methods according to the present invention are equally applicable to other forms of substrates and other configurations of substrate modules, load lock chambers, and transfer robots.

[0038] Figure 1 A first isometric perspective view of a substrate processing system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, and Figure 2 A second cross-sectional perspective view of a substrate processing system 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The substrate processing system 2 includes a single transfer vacuum chamber 4 for handling at least one substrate under vacuum conditions. The transfer vacuum chamber 4 includes an interior chamber 16 defined by a wall 18, the interior chamber being configured to be maintained under vacuum and being formed from a single integral piece of material, such as a monolithic piece of aluminum, to help maintain the integrity of the vacuum within the interior chamber 16. The interior chamber 16 may have a maximum interior width at the widest point of the interior chamber 16. The vacuum within the interior chamber 16 is maintained by means of a vacuum pump (not shown), such as one or more cryogenic pumps, which may maintain a pressure of less than 3×10 -7 Torr, optionally less than 1×10 -7 Torr, further optionally about 9×10 -8The transfer vacuum chamber 4 is in communication with nine substrate processing modules 6 and two auxiliary substrate modules 8 connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 by respective connecting slots 28, and further includes two viewing ports 14. One or more of the connecting slots 28 may be provided with a slot valve 22, which may be selectively opened or closed to allow or prevent access to each attached module or load lock chamber. This allows the substrate processing modules 6 and / or the auxiliary substrate modules 8 provided with the slot valves 22 to be isolated from the transfer vacuum chamber 4, which allows the substrate modules 6, 8 to be maintained at a different pressure than the transfer vacuum chamber 4, for example by respective vacuum pumps (not shown). In one embodiment, each of the substrate processing modules 6 is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 by respective connecting slots 28 including slot valves 22, because the substrate processing modules are typically operated at a significantly higher pressure (e.g., a thousand times higher pressure) than the pressure maintained in the transfer vacuum chamber 4. Thus, each of the substrate processing modules 6 may be configured to receive a substrate from the transfer vacuum chamber 4 before the slot valve 22 is closed, bring the pressure within the substrate processing module to the target pressure, and perform a process on the substrate. Each substrate processing module 6 may then be configured to reduce the pressure within the substrate processing module 6 before opening the slot valve 22 and allowing the substrate to be retrieved from the substrate processing module 6. If the pressure within the substrate processing module 6 is still higher than the pressure within the transfer vacuum chamber 4, the pressure within the transfer vacuum chamber 4 will increase when the slot valve 22 is opened, but may be reduced again by the operation of the vacuum pump associated with the transfer vacuum chamber 4. For the same reasons as the substrate processing module 6, an auxiliary module 8 configured to perform some form of process on a substrate (e.g., a multi-substrate or single-substrate cooling module or a pre-heating module) may also be connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 via a corresponding connection slot 28 containing a slot valve 22. An auxiliary module 8 not configured to perform a process on a substrate (e.g., a multi-substrate or single-substrate buffer module) does not require a slot valve 22 as part of the connection of the auxiliary module to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 because the auxiliary module can be maintained at the same pressure as the transfer vacuum chamber 4.

[0039] Each of the nine substrate processing modules 6 and the two auxiliary substrate modules 8 is capable of receiving at least one substrate at a time. Figure 1 and 2In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each of the nine substrate processing modules 6 is a PVD module capable of receiving one substrate at a time, and the two auxiliary modules 8 include: a multi-substrate buffer station 24 capable of receiving and storing multiple substrates at any one time; and a dual substrate cooling module 26, which includes two fluid-cooled substrate supports configured to cool substrates between processing steps performed in the substrate processing modules 6. The buffer station 24, with or without a connecting slot valve 22, can accommodate up to multiple substrates, such as up to 12 300 mm wafers, and can improve substrate "scheduling" within the substrate processing system 2 by freeing up the robot 20 end effector to move another substrate. The cooling module 26, which is typically connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 through a connecting slot valve 22, allows cooling of substrates between processing steps, and can include fluid-cooled wafer supports and dedicated substrate pumping with purge gas lines (not shown).

[0040] The substrate processing system 2 further includes three load lock chambers 10 in vacuum communication with the transfer vacuum chamber 4 and connected to the EFEM 12, which is configured to allow substrates to be loaded into and unloaded from the substrate processing system 2 from the atmosphere. The load lock chambers 10 are configured to reduce the atmospheric pressure within the load lock chambers 10 upon loading of the substrate from outside the substrate processing system 2 to allow the substrate to be transferred from the external environment at a first atmospheric pressure to the vacuum maintained within the transfer vacuum chamber 4. Although three load lock chambers 10 are illustrated in the exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that a different number of load lock chambers 10, such as 2 or 4 or more, may be provided depending on the specific requirements of the substrate processing system 2. Similarly, the substrate processing system 2 may be configured to operate only the subsidiary load lock chambers of the load lock chambers 10 for substrate processing, such as by using only two of the three load lock chambers 10 for a specific process.

[0041] At least one of the load lock chambers 10 includes a temperature control member (not shown) configured to heat or cool a substrate within at least one of the load lock chambers 10. The temperature control member may include a heating lamp, such as a spiral lamp heater, which may be configured to increase the temperature of the substrate relative to the temperature of the substrate before loading into the load lock chamber 10. For example, the spiral lamp heater may uniformly heat a single 300 mm wafer from room temperature to 450° C. in less than 60 seconds. Additionally or alternatively, the temperature control member may include a cooled substrate support, such as a substrate support cooled by passing a coolant fluid through a tube in the substrate support, which may be configured to reduce the temperature of the substrate relative to the temperature of the substrate before loading into the load lock chamber 10.

[0042] like Figure 3As shown in , the transfer vacuum chamber 4 includes a plurality of facets 30, 32, 34, 36, 38. Each facet 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 may be unique in shape or configuration, or may share its shape and / or configuration with at least one other facet to facilitate construction of the transfer vacuum chamber 4. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the transfer vacuum chamber includes: a loading lock facet 30 where each of the three loading lock chambers 10 connects to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 adjacent to each other; two protruding facets 32 adjacent to the loading lock facet 30; and three facets including at least one adjustable connection slot, a side facet 34, and an end facet 38. This is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 However, other numbers of facets and facet arrangements and configurations may also be provided. In the case where three load lock chambers 10 are connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 at a single load lock facet 30, the maximum distance between the inner surfaces of the load lock chambers that are farthest from each other may be less than 110% of the maximum internal width of the transfer vacuum chamber. This ensures that the overall width of the substrate processing system 2, and therefore the overall footprint, is kept to a minimum.

[0043] Each facet 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 includes at least one connection slot 28, and may include a plurality of connection slots 28. Protruding facets 32 are disposed at either side of the load lock facet 30 and protrude from the transfer vacuum chamber 4 at an angle such that the protruding facets are inclined toward the EFEM 12 and the load lock chamber 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the protruding facets 32 are inclined at an angle of 15° relative to the normal to the plane containing the load lock facet 30. It has been found that this configuration of the facets maximizes the space around the protruding facets 32, thereby allowing the option of mounting a larger substrate processing module 6 adjacent to the load lock chamber 10 while minimizing the footprint of the substrate processing system 2. Any of the facets 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 may include a standard sized connection slot 28 for connecting a substrate processing module 6 or an auxiliary substrate module 8, such as the facet 36. For example, when handling 300 mm wafers, a standard PVD module would be approximately 820 mm wide and connected at a connecting slot (approximately 400 mm in width) via a slot valve having an opening approximately 336 mm in width. However, the facets 34, 38 including at least one adjustable connecting slot 40 can interchangeably accommodate different substrate modules, such as a substrate processing module 6 or an auxiliary substrate module 8, or accommodate substrate modules with connections of non-standard sizes. This is achieved by providing at least one opening 42 in the facets 34, 38, which is typically larger than a corresponding opening configured to receive the substrate processing module 6 or the auxiliary substrate module 8. The at least one opening 42 is then at least partially covered by a blocking plate 44, which includes at least one orifice 46, which is removably secured to the facets 34, 38 by a removable securing member 48 (e.g., a screw). The at least one orifice 46 effectively provides a replacement opening in the facets 34, 38 into which the substrate module 6, 8 can be mounted. For example, as Figure 3 , the protruding facet 32 ​​and the facet 36 each include a connection slot 28 compatible with a substrate processing module 6 that can accommodate 300 mm wafers. The facet 34 includes one of these connection slots 28 and an opening 42 partially covered by a blocking plate 44 having a single orifice 46. The single orifice 46 is sized to accommodate the substrate processing module 6 on the left hand side of the orifice and an auxiliary substrate module with a larger connection size, such as a multi-substrate or single substrate cooling module 26, a multi-substrate or single substrate buffer module 24, or a metrology module. If it is necessary to change the substrate module connected to the transfer vacuum chamber 4, for example, if it is intended to change the substrate processing system 2 to perform a different process, then the blocking plate 44 can be removed from the facets 34, 38 and replaced with an alternative blocking plate, or at least one opening 42 can be exposed. This configuration change of the facets 34, 38 allows different substrate modules 6, 8 or different numbers of substrate modules 6, 8 to be installed on the facets 34, 38.

[0044] The transfer vacuum chamber 4 includes at least two transfer robots 20 located within the internal chamber 16. In one embodiment, the only component located within the internal chamber 16 is the transfer robot 20. This allows the transfer robot 20 to have a relatively unobstructed path of movement within the internal chamber 16, with only other transfer robots 20 being potential sources of obstruction. In the illustrated embodiment, the at least two transfer robots 20 include a first transfer robot 20a located closer to the three load lock chambers 10 and a second transfer robot 20b located farther away from the three load lock chambers 10. The exact positions of the transfer robots 20 are selected so that the first transfer robot (e.g., the first transfer robot 20a) can retrieve and place at least one substrate from each of the load lock chambers 10 and at least one common substrate module, and the second transfer robot (e.g., the second transfer robot 20b) can retrieve and place at least one substrate from at least one common substrate module and at least one other substrate module. In the illustrated embodiment, at least one common substrate module is two auxiliary substrate modules 8. However, in other embodiments, at least one common substrate module may be a substrate processing module 6, or a combination of one or more substrate processing modules 6 and one or more auxiliary substrate modules 8. If at least one common substrate module is a substrate processing module 6, at least one handling step by the transfer robot 20 may be prevented, thereby increasing the throughput of the substrate processing system 2.

[0045] Each of the transfer robots 20 is capable of translating along or rotating about at least five independent axes and may be referred to as a "five-axis robot". Each robot 20 includes at least one end effector configured to engage with and removably secure a substrate to allow the robot 20 to translate a substrate from one location to another. In one embodiment, each robot 20 includes two end effectors, wherein each end effector is configured to engage with and removably secure a respective substrate, thereby allowing the robot 20 to interact with up to two substrates at any one time. By using a five-axis robot 20, any substrate handled by the robot can be maintained in a specific orientation, thereby eliminating the need for a dedicated wafer orientation component.

[0046] The substrate handling system 2 may include at least one substrate alignment system (not shown). The at least one substrate alignment system may be located outside of the transfer vacuum chamber 4, such as in the EFEM 12 or associated with one or more connecting slots 28. Although different substrate alignment systems are known in the art, in the illustrated embodiment, the substrate alignment system includes two optical sensors (not shown) configured to image a substrate passing through an imaging region and detect a translational or rotational misalignment of the substrate, such as by comparing the orientation of the imaged substrate to a predetermined "ideal" substrate orientation in a processor. The substrate alignment system may then affect the alignment of the substrate, such as by notifying a controller (not shown) of the misalignment, and the controller controls the proximal-most robot 18 to rotate about one or more axes and / or translate along one or more axes to realign the substrate when the proximal-most robot engages the substrate. If present, the controller may be configured to control any of the other components of the substrate handling system, such as the other substrate modules 6, 8, the at least two load lock chambers 10, any other of the at least two transfer robots 20, the at least one connecting slot valve 22, the EFEM 12, at least one temperature control member, and any other substrate alignment system.

[0047] Figure 6 A method 100 for processing a substrate using a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The method 100 includes:

[0048] In a loading step 110 , at least one substrate is loaded into one of at least two load lock chambers;

[0049] In a load lock transfer step 120, a substrate is retrieved from one of the at least two load lock chambers into a transfer vacuum chamber using a first transfer robot;

[0050] In a common substrate module loading step 130 , a substrate is placed in the common substrate module;

[0051] In a common substrate module unloading step 140, a second transfer robot is used to retrieve the substrate from the common substrate module and place the substrate in a substrate processing module;

[0052] In process step 150, the substrate is processed in a substrate processing module.

[0053] The loading step 110 may include loading one substrate into one of the at least two load lock chambers. When the loading step 110 includes loading one substrate into one of the at least two load lock chambers, after the loading step 110 and before the load lock transfer step 120, the method may further include heating or cooling the substrate in the load lock chamber using a temperature control member.

[0054] The loading step 110 may include loading a plurality of substrates into at least one of at least two load lock chambers, wherein a load lock transfer step 120 , a common substrate module loading step 130 , a common substrate module unloading step 140 , and a processing step 150 are performed on each of the plurality of substrates.

[0055] The common substrate module may be a substrate processing module, and after the load lock transfer step 120 and the common substrate module loading step 130 and before the common substrate module unloading step 140 , the substrate may be processed in the common substrate module in a common substrate module processing step 135 .

[0056] The substrate processing system may include a plurality of substrate processing modules, and the method may include a further transfer step of transferring at least one substrate between substrate processing modules and a further processing step of processing at least one substrate within a respective substrate processing module, thereby effectively repeating the load lock transfer step 120, the common substrate module loading step 130, the common substrate module unloading step 140 and the processing step 150 and the optional common substrate module processing step 135, and optionally introducing additional processing and handling steps. For example, the method may include: after the load lock transfer step 120 and before the common substrate module loading step 130, placing the substrate in the substrate processing module using a first transfer robot, processing the substrate in the substrate processing module, and then retrieving the substrate from the substrate processing module using the first transfer robot (step 125). This step 125 may be repeated multiple times, for example in different substrate processing modules, before performing the common substrate module loading step 130.

[0057] Example

[0058] An example of a configuration of a substrate processing system 2 is provided below. The substrate processing system 2 is configured to perform AlCu deposition on a silicon wafer to form a 3 μm bond pad and is shown in FIG. Figure 5 The AlCu deposition process includes preheating the wafer, followed by soft sputtering etching of the wafer, physical vapor deposition of TaN, and physical vapor deposition of AlCu. This deposition process requires four separate processing steps and therefore represents a process at or near the disposal limit of a typical substrate processing system. In order to provide for this, the substrate processing system 2 is configured to include three load lock chambers 10 (LL1, LL2, LL3), each load lock chamber 10 including a temperature control member configured to preheat the wafer before the wafer is transferred to the transfer vacuum chamber 4 and nine substrate processing module positions, eight of which are used, such as Figure 5, as shown in . Specifically, soft sputtering etching chambers (SE1, SE2) are provided at positions 4 and 6, and physical vapor deposition modules are provided at positions 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9, two of which are configured to perform PVD of TaN (PVD TaN 1, PVD TaN 2), and four of which are configured to perform PVD of AlCu (PVD AlCu 1, PVD AlCu 2, PVD AlCu 3, PVD AlCu 4). In this case, at least one common substrate module is provided by two auxiliary substrate modules, wherein the auxiliary substrate modules are located between positions 2 and 3 and positions 7 and 8, respectively. In this case, the two auxiliary modules will each be a buffer module. The longest residence time of the wafer is during the PVD of AlCu, where the duration is approximately 200 seconds, so this represents a major limitation on the throughput of the substrate processing system 2. By providing multiple AlCu PVD modules, multiple wafers can be subjected to PVD of AlCu at the same time, which together with providing at least two TaN PVD modules and at least two soft sputter etch chambers allows at least two wafers to be processed at any one time by the substrate processing system 2. This significantly increases the throughput of the substrate processing system 2, allowing 60 wafers to be processed per hour. A comparable octagonal substrate processing system with two soft sputter etch chambers, two PVD TaN modules, two PVD AlCu modules and a bilaterally symmetrical robot, even with two pre-heated load lock chambers, can only achieve 32 wafers per hour.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system, comprising: a transfer vacuum chamber for handling substrates under vacuum conditions, the transfer vacuum chamber being in communication with at least two substrate modules connected to the transfer vacuum chamber through respective connecting slots, the at least two substrate modules being capable of receiving at least one substrate, wherein at least one of the at least two substrate modules is a substrate handling module; and at least two load lock chambers in vacuum communication with the transfer vacuum chamber; The transfer vacuum chamber comprises at least two transfer robots disposed in the transfer vacuum chamber, the at least two transfer robots being configured to transfer substrates between the at least two load lock chambers and the at least one substrate processing module under vacuum conditions, wherein each of the at least two transfer robots is capable of translating along at least five independent axes or rotating around the at least five independent axes, and each of the at least two transfer robots is configured to place and retrieve a substrate relative to at least one common substrate module of the at least two substrate modules.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least two load lock chambers are connected to an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), the EFEM being configured to allow substrates to be loaded into and unloaded from the substrate processing system.

3. A substrate processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the transfer vacuum chamber includes a plurality of facets, each facet including at least one connecting slot, wherein each of the at least two substrate modules and the at least two loading lock chambers is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at the facet via a corresponding connecting slot.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 3, wherein each of the at least two load lock chambers is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at a common load lock facet. 5 . The substrate processing system of claim 4 , wherein the at least two load lock chambers include three load lock chambers, wherein each of the three load lock chambers is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber at the load lock facet.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 4, wherein the transfer vacuum chamber includes two facets adjacent to the load lock facet, wherein each of the two faces is sloped toward the load lock facet.

7. The substrate processing system of claim 3, wherein at least one facet comprises an adjustable connection slot.

8. The substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein three facets include corresponding adjustable connection slots.

9. A substrate processing system according to claim 7, wherein the adjustable connecting slot includes at least one opening in the small face of the transfer vacuum chamber and a sealing plate, the sealing plate including at least one orifice, wherein the sealing plate is removably fixed to the small face so that the at least one orifice is located above the at least one opening.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one of the at least two load lock chambers comprises a temperature control component configured to heat or cool a substrate within the at least one load lock chamber.

11. The substrate processing system of claim 10, wherein the temperature control member comprises a heating lamp.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 10, wherein the temperature control component comprises a cooled substrate support.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one common substrate module comprises a substrate processing module.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one common substrate module comprises a multi-substrate buffer station.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one common substrate module comprises at least two common substrate modules.

16. The substrate processing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least two substrate modules include at least nine substrate processing modules.

17. A substrate processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the substrate processing system comprises at least one substrate alignment system.

18. The substrate processing system of claim 17, wherein the at least one substrate alignment system comprises a plurality of substrate alignment systems, wherein each substrate alignment system is associated with a respective connecting slot.

19. The substrate processing system of claim 17, wherein the at least one substrate alignment system comprises at least two optical sensors configured to detect translational or rotational misalignment of the substrate.

20. A substrate processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the substrate processing system includes three loading lock chambers, each loading lock chamber has a corresponding inner surface, the transfer vacuum chamber includes a plurality of facets, each facet includes at least one connecting slot, each of the three loading lock chambers is connected to the transfer vacuum chamber adjacent to each other at a common loading lock facet, and the transfer vacuum chamber has a maximum internal width at the widest point of the transfer vacuum chamber, wherein the maximum distance between the inner surfaces of the loading lock chambers that are farthest from each other is less than 110% of the maximum internal width of the transfer vacuum chamber.

21. A method of processing a substrate using the substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the method comprises: In a loading step, at least one substrate is loaded into one of the at least two load lock chambers; in a load lock transfer step, retrieving the substrate from the one of the at least two load lock chambers into the transfer vacuum chamber using a first transfer robot; In the common substrate module loading step, the substrate is placed in the common substrate module; In a common substrate module unloading step, the substrate is retrieved from the common substrate module using a second transfer robot and placed in a substrate processing module; In the processing step, the substrate is processed in the substrate processing module.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the loading step comprises loading a substrate into one of the at least two load lock chambers.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein after the loading step and before the load lock transfer step, the method further comprises heating or cooling the substrate using a temperature control member in the load lock chamber.

24. The method of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the loading step comprises loading a plurality of substrates into at least one of the at least two load lock chambers, and performing the load lock transfer step, the common substrate module loading step, the common substrate module unloading step, and the processing step on each of the plurality of substrates.

25. The method of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the common substrate module is a substrate processing module, and the substrate is processed in the common substrate module in a common substrate module processing step after the load lock transfer step and the common substrate module loading step and before the common substrate module unloading step.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the substrate processing system comprises a plurality of substrate processing modules, and the method comprises a further transfer step of transferring at least one substrate between substrate processing modules and a further processing step of processing the at least one substrate within a respective substrate processing module.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the method further comprises at least one step after the load lock transfer step and before the common substrate module loading step: placing a substrate in a substrate processing module using the first transfer robot, processing the substrate in the substrate processing module, and then retrieving the substrate from the substrate processing module using the first transfer robot.

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