Semiconductor processing device

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor processing device capable of minimizing waiting time caused by influence of vibration when a valve device of a load lock chamber is operated, and improving the number of wafers that can be processed per unit time by the device.SOLUTION: A semiconductor processing device includes a plurality of load lock chambers, controls a valve device so as not to operate the predetermined valve device during wafer processing, and transmits a signal for permitting operation of the predetermined valve device at a timing when the wafer processing is finished. By operating the valve device based on the signal, and controlling an operation sequence of the whole semiconductor processing device so as to operate the predetermined valve device in the other load lock chamber while exchanging a processed wafer and an unprocessed wafer in one load lock chamber and the processing chamber, thereby preventing vibration from occurring during operation of an electronic optical system and reducing waiting time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus that performs observation and processing (sputtering, etc.) of semiconductor wafers using a charged particle beam and pattern exposure using light, and more particularly to a semiconductor processing apparatus that has a higher throughput than conventional apparatuses. [Background technology]

[0002] Charged particle beam equipment is used to measure fine patterns on semiconductor devices and inspect for defects. There is a strong demand for charged particle beam equipment to improve the accuracy of pattern measurement and inspection, as well as the number of wafers that can be processed per hour (hereafter referred to as throughput).

[0003] Charged particle beam equipment requires observation of samples in a high vacuum environment, so a load lock chamber (LC) is required to connect the atmospheric pressure environment outside the equipment to the high vacuum environment of the sample chamber (SC). To improve throughput, while the charged particle beam is irradiating the sample in the SC, a wafer in an atmospheric pressure environment is carried into the LC and evacuated to load the next sample to be processed into the SC.

[0004] In order to increase throughput, it is effective to minimize the time (waiting time) when measurement, inspection, etc. are not performed in the equipment. On the other hand, in order to keep up with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices in recent years, the demand for resolution and reproducibility in pattern measurement and inspection has become very high, and when vibrations caused by the operation of moving parts in the equipment are transmitted to the electron optical system, a relative displacement occurs between the electron beam and the sample due to the vibration of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) or the sample while the vibrations are occurring or until the vibrations converge, and there is a concern that the specifications required for pattern measurement and inspection cannot be met due to the superposition of vibration-like noise on the image.

[0005] As a method for achieving both accuracy in pattern measurement and inspection and throughput, Patent Document 1 discloses an exposure apparatus that improves throughput by performing exposure operation and wafer transport in parallel by stopping transport operations such as robot operation and valve operation at times when the generation of mechanical vibrations and disturbance magnetic fields is undesirable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-158616 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 makes it possible to perform the operation of the electro-optical system and the wafer transport operation in parallel while satisfying the performance required for pattern measurement and inspection. However, there is a problem in that the SEM cannot be operated while a mechanism that generates vibration, such as a piping on-off valve for vacuum exhaust of an LC, is in operation, resulting in a wait time and reduced throughput.

[0008] This waiting time is caused by, for example, vibrations accompanying the operation of valves in the piping connected to the vacuum pump that controls the LC pressure, or shutters (gate valves) that open and close the sample inlet / outlet for the LC, and reducing this waiting time is required to improve throughput.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of vibrations that occur during processing of a semiconductor wafer and shortening waiting time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0011] A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: a sample chamber having an internal processing mechanism for processing semiconductor wafers; a plurality of load lock chambers for loading semiconductor wafers into the sample chamber; and a sample exchange mechanism for exchanging semiconductor wafers between the sample chamber and each of the plurality of load lock chambers, the semiconductor processing apparatus further comprising a control mechanism for controlling operation of mechanisms of the plurality of load lock chambers so that, at a timing when any of the plurality of load lock chambers is exchanging semiconductor wafers between the sample chamber and the load lock chamber, an operation of a mechanism that generates vibration is performed in one of the plurality of load lock chambers that is not exchanging semiconductor wafers. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of vibrations that occur during processing of a semiconductor wafer and shortening waiting time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a charged particle beam device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a conventional charged particle beam device. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of wafer transport in a conventional charged particle beam device. [Figure 4] 4 is a timing chart showing the operation of a conventional charged particle beam device when the device is controlled using the method of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of wafer transport in the charged particle beam device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the charged particle beam device according to the first embodiment when the method of FIG. 5 is used to control the device. [Figure 7] 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the charged particle beam device according to the first embodiment when the method of FIG. 5 is used to control the device and the time required for evacuation of the LC is long. [Figure 8]6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the charged particle beam device according to the first embodiment when the method of FIG. 5 is used to control the device in a case where a long time is required for wafer processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description shows a specific example of the contents of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. Various changes and modifications are possible by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining the present invention, parts having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

[0015] An embodiment of a charged particle beam device will be described as an example of a semiconductor processing device to which the present invention is applied, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a semiconductor measuring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] A semiconductor measurement device 100, which is an embodiment of a charged particle beam device according to the present disclosure, is a device that irradiates a wafer with a charged particle beam and measures a pattern formed on the wafer. The semiconductor measurement device 100 includes a sample chamber 1 (hereinafter, SC1), a load lock chamber A: LC 2A (hereinafter, LC-A), a load lock chamber B: LC 2B (hereinafter, LC-B), a mini-environment 3, and a computer system 4.

[0018] The SC1 includes a robot 11 for transporting the wafer, a stage device 12 for positioning the wafer inside the SC, and a column 13 equipped with an electron gun for irradiating the wafer with a charged particle beam.

[0019] LC-A and LC-B are respectively equipped with gate valves 21A and 22B for opening and closing the opening between the LC and SC, gate valves 22A and 22B for opening and closing the opening between the LC and mini-en, valves 23A and 23B for opening and closing the piping leading to the roughing pump, and valves 24A and 24B for opening and closing the piping leading to a turbo molecular pump (hereinafter referred to as TMP).

[0020] The computer system 4 includes a control unit 41 that controls the operation sequence of the entire apparatus, an electron optical system control unit 43 that receives commands from 41 and controls the irradiation of the charged particle beam, a transport device control unit 44 that controls the robots 11 and 31 and the stage 12 related to the wafer transport, and a valve device control unit 45 that controls the pressure of LC-A and LC-B. Although one robot 11 is shown in Fig. 1, two or more robots may be used.

[0021] The minienvironment 3 is equipped with a robot 31 for transporting wafers within the minienvironment.

[0022] 5 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of wafer transfer in the semiconductor measuring apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied. The operation based on the flow chart in FIG.

[0023] Step 600: It is confirmed that the pressure inside LC-A and LC-B is close to atmospheric pressure, gate valves 22A and 22B are opened, and the first and second wafers are loaded into LC-A and LC-B using robot 31.

[0024] Step 601: After step 600 is completed, the gate valve 22A is closed to evacuate the LC 2A. When evacuating the LC 2A, the valve 23A that opens and closes the pipe connected to the roughing pump and the valve 24A that opens and closes the pipe connected to the TMP operate at appropriate times.

[0025] Step 604: Gate valve 22B is closed to evacuate LC-B. At this time, valves 23B and 24B operate at appropriate timing. An effective method for setting the appropriate timing is, for example, to measure the pressure inside LC-B and operate the valve when it falls below a predetermined pressure or when a predetermined time has elapsed. It is desirable to set the pressure or time within a range that is not affected by the scattering of foreign matter due to the gas flow inside LC-B.

[0026] Step 602: When evacuation of LC-A is completed, the gate valve 21A is opened, and the first wafer in LC-A is transferred onto the stage device 12 of SC1 using the robot 11.

[0027] Step 603: After step 602 is completed, wafer processing is performed on the first wafer in the same manner as in step 203 of FIG.

[0028] During this wafer processing, a signal prohibiting certain valve operations of LC-A (e.g., the operation of closing gate valve 22A and / or the operation of opening valve 23A) performed in steps 605, 606, and 607 is sent from the equipment sequence control unit 41 to the valve equipment control unit 45.

[0029] An effective method is to store information about specific valves whose operation is to be prohibited in a measurement recipe file that defines processing details such as measurement points on a wafer, and to store the information in the computer system 4 when the measurement recipe file is read. Another effective method is for the equipment user to select valves whose operation is to be prohibited during wafer processing on the equipment graphic interface (GUI), and to read the information into the computer system 4.

[0030] Step 605: After step 602 is completed, the gate valve 21A is closed, and in parallel with step 603, a predetermined gas, for example, nitrogen, is supplied to the LC to increase the LC pressure to near atmospheric pressure.

[0031] Step 608: When both the wafer processing in step 603 and step 604 are completed, the transfer device control unit 44 transmits a signal to the device sequence control unit 41 to permit the valve operation of LC-A, which was prohibited in step 603.

[0032] Step 606: When the pressure inside LC-A rises to near atmospheric pressure, open gate valve 22A, and transport the third wafer into LC-A using robot 31. At this time, if the operation of gate valve 22A is prohibited by valve device control unit 45, the operation is awaited in step 608 until an operation permission signal is issued.

[0033] Step 607: Gate valve 22A is closed, and LC-A is evacuated. When LC-A is evacuated, valves 23A and 24A are operated at appropriate timing. As a method for setting appropriate timing, for example, a method similar to that described in step 604 is effective. At this time, if the operation of gate valve 22A or valves 23A and 24A is prohibited by valve device control unit 45, the operation of the corresponding valve is awaited until an operation permission signal is issued in step 608.

[0034] Step 609: The gate valve 21B is opened, and the first wafer on the stage device 12 of SC1 is exchanged with the second wafer in LC-B using the robot 11.

[0035] Step 610: Wafer processing is performed on the second wafer in the same manner as in step 603. At this time, a signal for prohibiting the operation of a specific valve of LC-B (for example, the operation for closing gate valve 22B and the operation for opening valve 23B) which is to be operated in steps 612, 613, and 614 is transmitted from the equipment sequence control unit 41 to the valve equipment control unit 45.

[0036] Step 612: After step 609 is completed, the gate valve 21B is closed, and in parallel with step 610, the pressure in LC-B is increased to near atmospheric pressure.

[0037] Step 611: Similar to step 608, when the wafer processing in step 610 and step 607 are completed, the transport device control unit 43 transmits a signal to the device sequence control unit 41 to permit the specified valve operation of LC-B that was prohibited in step 610.

[0038] Step 613: When the pressure in LC-B rises to near atmospheric pressure, gate valve 22B is opened, and the first wafer (measured wafer) in LC-B is unloaded from the device using robot 31, and at the same time, a fourth wafer (unmeasured wafer) is loaded into LC-B using robot 31. At this time, if the operation of gate valve 22B is prohibited, the operation of the relevant valve is awaited until an operation permission signal is issued in step 611.

[0039] Step 614: The gate valve 22B is closed, and LC-B is evacuated to a vacuum.

[0040] Step 615: The gate valve 21A is opened, and the second wafer on the stage device 12 of SC1 is replaced with the third wafer in LC-A by using the robot 11.

[0041] Step 616: The same process as in step 603 is carried out.

[0042] Step 617: As in step 605, the pressure in the LC is increased to near atmospheric pressure.

[0043] Step 618: When the pressure in LC-A rises to near atmospheric pressure, gate valve 22A is opened, and the second wafer (measured wafer) in LC-A is unloaded from the device using robot 31, and at the same time, a fifth wafer (unmeasured wafer) is loaded into LC-A using robot 31. At this time, if the operation of gate valve 22A is prohibited, the operation of the relevant valve is awaited until an operation permission signal is issued in step 620.

[0044] Step 619: As in step 607, LC-A is evacuated to a vacuum.

[0045] Step 620: The same process as in step 608 is carried out.

[0046] Step 621: The same process as in step 609 is carried out.

[0047] Step 622: The same process as in step 610 is carried out.

[0048] Thereafter, by returning to step 611 as soon as the operations in step 622 and step 619 are both completed, it is possible to process wafers one after another.

[0049] 6 is an example of a timing chart showing the device operations of SC1, LC 2A, and LC 2B of the semiconductor measuring device 100. This timing chart shows the operation of processing two wafers. The horizontal axis represents time, and SC, LC-A, and LC-B respectively refer to SC1, LC 2A, and LC 2B in FIG. 1. The three time axes are displayed in synchronization with each other.

[0050] This timing chart is an example in which the operations of closing the gate valves 22A and 22B and the operations of opening the valves 23A and 23B are prohibited during wafer processing in steps 603, 610, and 616.

[0051] Times 700, 701, and 702 required for evacuation of LC 2A, air supply, and wafer exchange with the mini-environment represent the times taken to perform steps 619, 617, and 618, respectively. 700 includes operation times VA3 and VA4 of valves 23A and 24A. 702 includes operation times VA1 and VA2 for opening and closing gate valve 22A.

[0052] Time 703, 704, and 705 required for supplying air to LC 2B, exchanging the wafer with the mini-environment, and evacuation represent the time taken to perform steps 612, 613, and 614, respectively. Time 705 includes operation times VB3 and VB4 of valves 23B and 24B. Time 704 includes opening and closing operation times VB1 and VB2 of gate valve 22B.

[0053] Time 706 for wafer exchange with LC 2B, wafer processing times 707 and 709, and time 708 for wafer exchange with LC 2A represent the times required for steps 621, 622, 616, and 615, respectively.

[0054] Due to operation times VA4, VB1, VB4, and VA1 of the valves that operate in parallel with the wafer processing, waiting times W71, W72, W73, and W74 occur in the wafer processing, respectively.

[0055] Comparing this with Figure 4 (to be described later), it can be seen that the number of times the valve device operates during wafer processing has decreased, reducing waiting time and thereby improving throughput.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows an example of a timing chart for a case where a long time is required for evacuation of the LC in the semiconductor measuring device 100 to which the present invention is applied.

[0057] For example, if the performance of the vacuum pump provided around the apparatus is low, or if the wafer being processed generates a large amount of outgas, a long time is required for evacuation.

[0058] Since the next wafer processing cannot start until both the previous wafer processing and the evacuation of the LC containing the next wafer have been completed, throughput decreases if the evacuation finishes later than the wafer processing.

[0059] In this case, the decrease in throughput can be avoided by prohibiting the operation of the valves during wafer processing from operating, for example, the valves 24A and 24B. Figure 7 is a timing chart showing a case in which the operation of the valves 24A and 24B is not performed during wafer exchange.

[0060] During wafer processing times 707 and 709, waiting times W75, W76, W77, W78, W79, and W710 occur due to the operation of the valves VB1, VB2, VB3, VA1, VA2, and VA3, respectively, but since there is no time to wait for the completion of evacuation of LC-A and LC-B after wafer processing times 707 and 709, a decrease in throughput due to a delay in evacuation is avoided. Also, compared with the timing chart of the conventional charged particle beam device in Figure 4 described later, it can be seen that the number of waiting times during wafer processing can be reduced and throughput is improved.

[0061] FIG. 8 shows a timing chart for the semiconductor measuring device 100 when the time required for wafer processing is short.

[0062] For example, when a semiconductor measurement tool requires pattern measurement at only a few locations, the time required for wafer processing is shorter than when many locations are required for measurement. In this case, similar to the case described in Fig. 7, the throughput decreases if the evacuation of the LC containing the next wafer to be loaded into the SC is delayed.

[0063] Even when the wafer processing time is short, by prohibiting the valve operation similar to that shown in FIG. 6 during wafer processing, the number of waiting times during wafer processing can be reduced compared to the conventional method, thereby improving throughput.

[0064] One of the advantages of the present invention, which has multiple LCs, is that even when the wafer processing time is short, it is possible to finish evacuation of the LC containing the wafer to be next loaded into the SC, thereby improving throughput.

[0065] In steps 603 and 610 in FIG. 5, a method for prohibiting the operation of a specific valve during wafer processing in the SC has been described. As explained up to this point, the time required for evacuation of the LC and the time required for wafer processing may change depending on the type of wafer.

[0066] Even in such a case, we will describe a method for maximizing the throughput by determining the operation timing of the valve device based on the time required for evacuation of the LC and wafer processing.

[0067] The time Ta required for air supply to the LC, the time Tm required for the operation of exchanging wafers between the mini-environment and the LC, and the time Tc required for exchanging wafers between the LC and the SC are given as parameters. Since these times do not vary significantly depending on the type of wafer, they are determined, for example, by measuring them in advance and stored as parameters in the computer system 4. It is also effective to measure the above parameters as needed when the equipment is actually in use, and give the average time as a parameter.

[0068] ·Transport wafers from LC 2A to SC1.

[0069] The time Tw required for wafer processing of the wafer carried into SC1 is given as a parameter. For example, it may be predicted as MAM time x measurement points = Tw based on the total time required to measure one point on the pattern on the wafer and the time required for the stage device 12 to move to that point (MAM time), and information on how many points on the pattern are to be measured. In addition, when creating a measurement recipe file that defines the processing details such as the measurement points on the wafer, it is also effective to predict the MAM time from the number of measurement points on the wafer and the movement distance of the stage device 12, and calculate and predict Tw within the computer system 4.

[0070] The evacuation time Te for the next wafer to be loaded into LC 2A is given as a parameter. For example, the time Te1 from when valve 23A is opened until 24A is opened and the time Te2 from when valve 24A is opened until the pressure drops to a predetermined value may be measured in a prior experiment and given as Te=Te1+Te2. Here, an effective method for setting the predetermined pressure is to measure the pressure inside LC 2A and SC1, and set the pressure so that the difference between them is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 0.0001 Pa).

[0071] From the time parameters given so far, the valves to be operated during wafer exchange between the LC and SC, i.e. the valves to be prohibited from operating during wafer processing, are determined. An example of this method is explained below.

[0072] · When Ta + Tm + Te > 2Tw + Tc: Since evacuation is completed slower than wafer processing, the LC evacuation is given priority without setting a valve to prohibit operation during wafer processing.

[0073] · When Te>Tc+Tw: If the operation of opening the valve 23A is prohibited during wafer processing, the end of evacuation will be delayed compared to the wafer processing, and therefore the operation of opening the valve 24A is prohibited during wafer processing.

[0074] When Tm+Te>Tc+Tw: If the operation of opening the gate valve 22A is prohibited during wafer processing, the end of evacuation will be slower than the wafer processing, so other valve operations are prohibited. For example, the operation of closing the gate valve 22A and the operation of opening the valve 23A are prohibited.

[0075] When wafers are carried from LC 2B to SC1 and processed, the above method also makes it possible to select appropriate valve operation timing.

[0076] The time Te required for evacuation of the LC and the time Tw required for wafer processing may be corrected successively based on actual data of the operation of the apparatus, or may be given in advance as parameters according to the type of wafer.

[0077] As described above, by setting the valve operation timing so that the end of evacuation is not later than the end of wafer processing, it is possible to improve throughput while minimizing waiting time associated with valve operation.

[0078] The process of determining the operation timing of the valve device is effectively performed by the device sequence control unit 41 when performing a process of exchanging wafers between the LC 2A or LC 2B and the SC1. Also, when performing a process of exchanging wafers between the LC 2A or LC 2B and the mini-environment 3, the process can be performed based on the type of wafer transported to the LC.

[0079] By automatically performing the above process, the throughput can be maximized according to the type of wafer, but the user of the apparatus may be allowed to select on the apparatus GUI whether or not to execute the above process.

[0080] Next, in order to compare the difference in effect with the embodiments of the present invention, the operation of a charged particle beam device when the present invention is not applied (hereinafter referred to as the conventional device) will be described as a comparative example of a semiconductor measuring device using Figures 2 to 4.

[0081] 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional semiconductor measurement apparatus 800. The conventional semiconductor measurement apparatus 800 includes an SC 81, an LC 82, a mini-environment 83, and a computer system 84.

[0082] The SC 81 includes a robot 811 for transporting the wafer, a stage device 812 for positioning the wafer inside the sample chamber, and a column 813 for irradiating the wafer with a charged particle beam.

[0083] The LC 82 includes a gate valve 821 that opens and closes the opening to the SC 81, a gate valve 822 that opens and closes the opening to the mini-environment, a valve 823 that opens and closes the piping to the roughing pump, and a valve 824 that opens and closes the piping to the turbo molecular pump (TMP).

[0084] The computer system 84 includes an apparatus control sequence control unit 841 which controls the operating sequence of the entire apparatus, an electron optical system control unit 843 which receives commands from 841 and controls the irradiation of the charged particle beam, a transport device control unit 844 which controls the robots 811, 831 and stage device 812 involved in transporting the wafer, and a valve device control unit 845 which controls the pressure of the LC 82.

[0085] Inside the mini-environment 83, a robot 831 for transporting wafers is provided.

[0086] Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of wafer transfer in a conventional semiconductor measuring apparatus 800. The operation based on the flow chart in Fig. 3 is as follows.

[0087] Step 200 : The gate valve 822 is opened, and the first wafer is transferred from the mini-environment 83 into the LC 82 using the robot 831 .

[0088] Step 201: Gate valve 822 is closed, and LC 82 is evacuated to a vacuum in order to transport the first wafer transferred to LC 82 to SC 81 in a vacuum environment. When evacuating, valve 823 for opening and closing a pipe connected to a roughing pump and valve 824 for opening and closing a pipe connected to a TMP operate at appropriate timing according to the pressure inside LC 82.

[0089] Here, as a method for setting an appropriate timing, for example, a method of measuring the pressure inside the LC82 and operating the valve when it falls below a predetermined pressure or when a predetermined time has elapsed is effective. Here, it is desirable to set the pressure or time within a range that is not affected by the scattering of foreign matter due to the gas flow inside the LC82.

[0090] Step 202: When the pressure in LC 82 drops to a value at which gate valve 821, which opens and closes the opening to SC 81, can be opened, gate valve 821 is opened and the first wafer is transported onto stage device 812 in SC 81 using robot 811.

[0091] Here, an effective method for setting the pressure of LC82 at which gate valve 821 can be opened is, for example, to measure the pressure inside LC82 and SC81 and set the pressure so that the difference between them is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 0.0001 Pa). In this case, it is desirable to set the pressure within a range in which the pressure inside SC81 does not rise significantly when gate valve 821 is opened.

[0092] Step 203: After step 202 is completed, the stage device 812 is operated to position the first wafer while sequentially measuring the patterns on the first wafer. Hereinafter, this series of operations is referred to as wafer processing.

[0093] Step 204: After step 202 is completed, the gate valve 821 is closed, and in parallel with step 203, a predetermined gas, for example, nitrogen, is supplied to the LC 82 to increase the pressure of the LC 82 to near atmospheric pressure.

[0094] Step 205: When the pressure in the LC 82 rises to near atmospheric pressure, the gate valve 822 is opened and the second wafer is transferred from the mini-environment 83 into the LC 82 using the robot 831.

[0095] Step 206: As in step 201, the LC 82 is evacuated to a vacuum.

[0096] Step 207: When both the wafer processing started in step 203 and the evacuation of LC82 performed in step 206 are completed, the gate valve 821 is opened, and the second wafer (unmeasured wafer) in LC82 is exchanged with the first wafer (measured wafer) in SC81 using the robot 811.

[0097] Step 208: Similar to step 203, wafer processing is performed on the second wafer.

[0098] Step 209: Air is supplied to the LC 82 in the same manner as in step 204.

[0099] Step 210: When the pressure in LC82 rises to near atmospheric pressure, gate valve 822 is opened, and the second wafer (measured wafer) in LC82 is removed from the device using robot 831, while at the same time, a third wafer (unmeasured wafer) is loaded into LC82 using robot 831.

[0100] Step 211: As in step 201, the LC 82 is evacuated to a vacuum.

[0101] Thereafter, by returning to step 207 as soon as the operations in steps 208 and 211 are both completed, it is possible to carry out wafer processing one after another.

[0102] FIG. 4 is an example of a timing chart showing the device operations in the SC 81 and the LC 82 of the conventional charged particle beam device when the conventional charged particle beam device is controlled using the method of FIG.

[0103] This timing chart shows the operation of processing two wafers. The horizontal axis indicates time, with the upper side showing the equipment operation of LC82 and the lower side showing the equipment operation of SC81, and both time axes are displayed in sync.

[0104] Time 500 for exchanging the wafer with the LC and time 501 for performing wafer processing represent the times required to perform the operations of steps 207 and 208 in FIG. 2, respectively.

[0105] Time 400 required for supplying air to LC82, time 401 required for wafer exchange between LC82 and mini-environment 83, and time 402 required for evacuation of LC82 are the times required for steps 209, 210, and 211 in Fig. 2, respectively. Time 401 includes time V1 required for opening gate valve 822 and time V2 required for closing it, and waiting times W1 and W2 occur in wafer processing due to vibrations caused by the opening and closing operation of gate valve 822. Time 402 also includes operation times V3 and V4 for valves 823 and 824 that open and close the pipes connected to the vacuum pump. Waiting times W3 and W4 similarly occur in wafer processing due to vibrations caused by the operation of these valves.

[0106] In the example shown in FIG. 4, waiting times W1, W2, W3, and W4 occur during the processing of one wafer, which causes a decrease in throughput. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 Processing Room 11 Wafer transport robot 12 Stage Equipment 13 Column 2A, 2B Load lock chamber 21A, 21B Gate valve for opening and closing the opening between LC and SC 22A, 22B Gate valve for opening and closing the opening between LC and Mini Energizer 23A, 23B Valves that open and close the piping leading to the roughing pump 24A, 24B Valves that open and close the piping leading to the turbo molecular pump 3 Minien 31 Wafer transport robot 4. Computer Systems 41 Equipment sequence control section 43 Electro-optical system control section 44 Conveyor device control section 45 Valve device control section 100 Semiconductor measuring equipment 800 Conventional semiconductor measurement equipment

Claims

1. a sample chamber having a processing mechanism therein for processing a semiconductor wafer; a plurality of load lock chambers for loading semiconductor wafers into the sample chamber; a sample exchange mechanism for exchanging semiconductor wafers between the sample chamber and each of the plurality of load lock chambers; A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: When any one of the plurality of load lock chambers is exchanging a semiconductor wafer with the sample chamber, a mechanism that generates vibrations is operated in a load lock chamber that is not performing semiconductor wafer exchange among the plurality of load lock chambers; 4. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising: a control mechanism for controlling operations of mechanisms of the plurality of load lock chambers.

2. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, the mechanism that generates vibrations includes at least one of a gate valve for loading and unloading semiconductor wafers into the load lock chamber and an opening / closing valve for a pipe connected to an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the air pressure inside the load lock chamber.

3. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, The semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the processing mechanism is at least one of a mechanism for observing and / or processing a semiconductor by using a charged particle beam and a mechanism for exposing the semiconductor by using light.

4. 3. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 2, The piping connected to the adjustment mechanism is A pipe for supplying a predetermined gas to the load lock chamber; Piping connected to roughing pump, A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising at least one pipe connected to a turbo molecular pump.

5. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, The semiconductor processing apparatus, wherein the sample exchange mechanism transfers the sample in the sample chamber to the load lock chamber at the same timing as a semiconductor wafer is transferred from the load lock chamber to the sample chamber.

6. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, a change means for changing the timing at which a mechanism that generates vibrations performs an operation based on at least one of a time required to process the semiconductor wafer and a time required to evacuate the load lock chamber.

7. 7. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 6, The processing of the semiconductor wafer is a processing of irradiating the semiconductor wafer with a charged particle beam, A semiconductor processing apparatus characterized in that the time required for the processing is calculated from the sum of the time required to irradiate a point on the semiconductor wafer with a charged particle beam and the time required to move the semiconductor wafer so that the charged particle beam is irradiated to the point, and the number of irradiation points of the charged particle beam on the semiconductor wafer.

8. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, A first control device that controls an operation of the mechanism that generates vibrations; a second control device that controls a transport device that transports the semiconductor wafer; a third control device for controlling the processing mechanism for processing the semiconductor wafer; a fourth control device that controls the operation of the entire device by transmitting control signals from the first control device to the third control device; A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising:

9. 9. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 8, transmitting a signal from the fourth control device to the first control device to inhibit operation of a predesignated mechanism among the mechanisms that generates vibrations while the semiconductor wafer is being processed by the processing mechanism; when the processing of the semiconductor wafer in the processing mechanism is completed, the second and third control devices transmit a notification of the completion of the processing in the processing mechanism for processing the semiconductor wafer to the fourth control device; the fourth control device transmits to the first control device a signal permitting operation of the mechanism involving a vibration-generating operation that has been prohibited; A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising:

10. 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1, 13. A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising: a transport device for transporting semiconductor wafers, the transport device including a transport robot.

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