Apparatus for processing substrate and method for transporting substrate

Abstract

To provide a technique for assisting the transportation of a substrate transported using a magnetic levitation type substrate transport module through a non-travel area in which the substrate transport module cannot move.SOLUTION: An apparatus for transporting a substrate to a substrate processing chamber for processing, comprises: a substrate transfer chamber having a floor portion on which a traveling surface side magnet is provided; and a substrate transport module including a float side magnet which exerts a repulsive force between itself and the traveling surface side magnet and configured to be movable on the traveling surface by magnetic levitation. The substrate processing chamber is connected to a side wall portion of the substrate transport chamber via a gate valve which forms a non-travel area in which the substrate transport module cannot move by magnetic levitation. A transport assist mechanism assists in linear transport of the substrate transported by the substrate transport module through the non-travel area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for processing a substrate and a method for transporting a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in an apparatus for performing processing on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter also referred to as a "wafer"), which is a substrate, the wafer is transported between a carrier that contains the wafer and a wafer processing chamber in which the processing is performed. Wafer transport mechanisms of various configurations are used for transporting the wafer.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a guide structure for levitating a carrier by utilizing a magnetic force and for transporting the carrier in a non-contact manner in a transport direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-500255 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for assisting a substrate transported using a magnetic levitation type substrate transport module in transporting the substrate through a non-travel area in which the substrate transport module cannot move. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides an apparatus for transporting a substrate to a substrate processing chamber and processing the substrate, comprising: a substrate transfer chamber having a floor surface portion on which a traveling surface side magnet is provided and a side wall portion having an opening portion through which a substrate is loaded and unloaded from the substrate processing chamber; a substrate transfer module including a substrate holder for holding the substrate and a levitation body side magnet that exerts a repulsive force between the substrate holder and the traveling surface side magnet, the substrate transfer module being configured to be movable on a traveling surface formed in an area where the traveling surface side magnet is provided by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force; the substrate processing chamber is connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a gate valve that opens and closes the opening and defines a non-travel area in which the substrate transfer module cannot move by the magnetic levitation; A gap between the substrate transfer chamber and a substrate processing position in the substrate processing chamber via the non-travel area for a substrate transferred by a substrate transfer module. Linear in A transport assist mechanism for assisting the transport. R It is a device. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, for a substrate transported using a magnetic levitation type substrate transport module, it is possible to assist the substrate in being transported through a non-travel area where the substrate transport module cannot move. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a wafer processing system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a first transfer module. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a see-through perspective view of a first transfer module and a floor surface portion. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a first configuration diagram of a bridging module. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a second configuration diagram of the bridging module. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a second transfer module. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view of a second transport module and a floor portion. [Figure 8A] FIG. 11 is a first operational view of the wafer supporting module. [Figure 8B] FIG. 11 is a second operational view of the wafer supporting module. [Figure 9A] FIG. 11 is a third operational view of the wafer supporting module. [Figure 9B] FIG. 4 is a fourth operational view of the wafer support module. [Figure 10A] FIG. 11 is a first operational view of the telescopic arm inside the processing chamber. [Figure 10B] FIG. 11 is a second operational view of the telescopic arm inside the processing chamber. [Figure 10C] FIG. 11 is a third operational view of the telescopic arm inside the processing chamber. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a wafer processing system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a side view showing a state in which wafers are held on a plurality of wafer transfer sections. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a configuration in which tiles for magnetic levitation are provided outside a vacuum transfer chamber. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a layout diagram of tiles provided outside the vacuum transfer chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the overall configuration of a wafer processing system 100, which is an "apparatus for processing a substrate" according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 1 shows a multi-chamber type wafer processing system 100 equipped with a plurality of wafer processing chambers 110, which are substrate processing chambers for processing wafers W. As shown in Fig. 1, the wafer processing system 100 is equipped with a load port 141, an atmospheric transfer chamber 140, a load lock chamber 130, a vacuum transfer chamber 120, and the plurality of wafer processing chambers 110. In the following description, the side on which the load port 141 is provided is referred to as the front side.

[0010] In the wafer processing system 100, a load port 141, an atmospheric transfer chamber 140, a load lock chamber 130, and a vacuum transfer chamber 120 are arranged in this order horizontally from the front side. In addition, a plurality of wafer processing chambers 110 are arranged side by side on the left and right sides of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 when viewed from the front side.

[0011] The load port 141 is configured as a mounting table on which carriers C that accommodate wafers W to be processed are placed, and four carriers C are arranged in a row in the left-right direction when viewed from the front side. As the carriers C, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) can be used.

[0012] The atmospheric transfer chamber 140 has an atmospheric pressure (normal pressure) atmosphere, and for example, a downflow of clean air is formed. A wafer transfer mechanism 142 for transferring the wafer W is provided inside the atmospheric transfer chamber 140. The wafer transfer mechanism 142 in the atmospheric transfer chamber 140 transfers the wafer W between the carrier C and the load lock chamber 130. An alignment chamber 150 for aligning the wafer W is provided on, for example, the left side surface of the atmospheric transfer chamber 140.

[0013] Three load-lock chambers 130 are arranged side by side between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the atmospheric transfer chamber 140. The load-lock chambers 130 have lift pins 131 that push up the loaded wafer W from below and hold it there. There are three lift pins 131 provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and configured to be freely raised and lowered. The load-lock chambers 130 are configured to be able to switch between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere. The load lock chamber 130 and the atmospheric transfer chamber 140 are connected via a gate valve 133. The load lock chamber 130 and the vacuum transfer chamber 120 are connected via a gate valve 132.

[0014] The vacuum transfer chamber 120 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere by a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown). The vacuum transfer chamber 120 corresponds to the substrate transfer chamber of this embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum transfer chamber 120 in which the wafer W is transferred under a vacuum atmosphere is configured by a housing that is long in the front-rear direction and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. In the wafer processing system 100 of this embodiment, three wafer processing chambers 110 are provided on each of the left and right side walls of the vacuum transfer chamber 120, totaling six wafer processing chambers 110. If the inside of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 shown in FIG. 1 is divided into three regions, a front stage, a middle stage, and a rear stage, as viewed from the front side, the wafer processing chambers 110 are installed so as to face each other with each region sandwiched between them from the left and right. An opening 121 through which the wafer W is transferred to and from the wafer processing chambers 110 is formed in the sidewall of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 to which the wafer processing chambers 110 are connected.

[0015] Each wafer processing chamber 110 is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 120 via a gate valve 160 that opens and closes the opening 121 described above. Each wafer processing chamber 110 is depressurized to a vacuum atmosphere by a vacuum exhaust mechanism (not shown), and a wafer W is placed on a mounting table 111 provided therein, and a predetermined process is performed on the wafer W. The mounting area of ​​the mounting table 111 for the wafer W corresponds to the processing position of the wafer W. The wafer processing chamber 110 has lift pins 112 that push up the loaded wafer W from below and hold it. Three lift pins 112 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and are configured to be freely raised and lowered.

[0016] Examples of the processing performed on the wafer W include an etching process, a film forming process, a cleaning process, and an ashing process. The mounting table 111 is provided with, for example, a heater (not shown) for heating the wafer W to a preset temperature. When the process to be performed on the wafer W uses a process gas, the wafer processing chamber 110 is provided with a process gas supply unit (not shown) configured with a shower head or the like. The wafer processing chamber 110 may also be provided with a plasma generating mechanism for generating plasma from the process gas.

[0017] A first transfer module 20 formed in a square plate shape and a second transfer module 30 equipped with an arm unit 32 having a fork-shaped substrate holding portion are housed in the vacuum transfer chamber 120. The first and second transfer modules 20, 30 are each configured to be movable within the vacuum transfer chamber 120 by magnetic levitation. The first and second transfer modules 20, 30 correspond to the substrate transfer modules of this embodiment.

[0018] In the wafer processing system 100 of this embodiment, the first transfer module 20 is used to transfer the wafer W between the two load lock chambers 130 (on the left and right as viewed from the front side) and the four wafer processing chambers 110 on the front and middle sides. The second transfer module 30 is used to transfer the wafer W between the central load lock chamber 130 (as viewed from the front side) and the two wafer processing chambers 110 on the rear side.

[0019] The wafer processing system 100 includes a control unit 9 that controls the traveling surface side coil 15 and the wafer processing chamber 110, which will be described later. The control unit 9 is configured with a computer having a CPU and a storage unit, and controls each unit of the wafer processing system 100. The storage unit stores a program in which a group of steps (commands) for controlling the operation of each of the transfer modules 20, 30 and the wafer processing chamber 110 is organized. This program is stored in a storage medium, such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnet optical disk, or a memory card, and is installed in the computer from there.

[0020] Hereinafter, the configuration of devices related to the transfer and processing of the wafer W using the first transfer module 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first transfer module 20 includes a stage 2 which is a substrate holder for placing and holding a wafer W having a diameter of 300 mm. For example, the stage 2 is formed in the shape of a flat rectangular plate with each side measuring approximately 300 mm.

[0021] The first transfer module 20 enters the wafer processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130, and transfers the wafer W between the lift pins 112 and 131. The first transfer module 20 is formed with a slit 21 for transferring the wafer W while avoiding interference with the lift pins 112 and 131. The lift pins 112 and 131 hold the wafer W in a state where they protrude from the floor surface of the wafer processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130. The slit 21 is formed along a path along which the lift pins 112 and 131 pass when the stage 2 moves to and from a position below the wafer W held by the lift pins 112 and 131. The slit 21 is also formed so that the direction of entry to the position below the wafer W can be reversed by 180°. With the above-mentioned configuration, the first transfer module 20 and the lift pins 112 and 131 do not interfere with each other, and the first transfer module 20 and the wafer W can be arranged vertically so that their centers are aligned.

[0022] 3, a plurality of travel surface side coils 15 are arranged inside the floor portion 10 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120, the load lock chamber 130 into which the first transfer module 20 enters, and the floor portion 10 of the wafer processing chamber 110. The travel surface side coils 15 generate a magnetic field when power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). The travel surface side coils 15 correspond to the travel surface side magnets of this embodiment.

[0023] Meanwhile, inside the first transport module 20, a plurality of module side magnets 35, each of which is made of, for example, permanent magnets, are arranged. A repulsive force acts between the module side magnets 35 and the magnetic field generated by the running surface side coils 15. This action allows the first transport module 20 to be magnetically levitated on the running surface, which is the area of ​​the floor section 10 where the running surface side coils 15 are provided. In addition, by adjusting the strength and position of the magnetic field generated by the running surface side coils 15, it is possible to move the first transport module 20 in a desired direction on the running surface, adjust the amount of levitation, and adjust the orientation of the first transport module 20.

[0024] The module side magnets 35 provided in the first conveying module 20 correspond to the levitation body side magnets in this embodiment. The multiple module side magnets 35 are supplied with power from a battery provided in the first conveying module 20 and may be configured with coils that function as electromagnets, or may be configured with both permanent magnets and coils.

[0025] The first transfer module 20 having the above-mentioned configuration enters the wafer processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130 as described above, and transfers the wafer W between the lift pins 112, 131. Meanwhile, the gate valve 160 provided between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the wafer processing chamber 110 and the gate valve 132 provided between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the load lock chamber 130 are not provided with a coil for magnetic levitation of the first transfer module 20. For this reason, the area where the gate valves 160, 132 are provided may become a non-travel area where the first transfer module 20 cannot move.

[0026] Therefore, the wafer processing system 100 of this embodiment is provided with a bridge module 5 that assists in the transfer of the wafer W transferred by the first transfer module 20 through the non-travel area. Hereinafter, the configuration of the bridge module 5 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, taking as an example a case where a gate valve 160 provided between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the wafer processing chamber 110 is the non-travel area.

[0027] 4 and 5, which will be described below, also show secondary coordinates (X'-Y'-Z' coordinates) for explaining the positional relationship of the equipment provided in each wafer processing chamber 110. The secondary coordinates are set such that, as viewed from the vacuum transfer chamber 120, the position directly facing the wafer processing chamber 110 is defined as the front side, the Y' direction is the front-rear direction, and the X' direction is the left-right direction (the same applies to FIGS. 8A to 10C).

[0028] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the gate valve 160 is disposed between the side wall of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the side wall of the wafer processing chamber 110, and includes a valve box 162 having a loading / unloading port 163 communicating with the opening 121 on the vacuum transfer chamber 120 side, a valve body 161 for opening and closing the loading / unloading port 163, and a drive unit 165 connected to the valve body 161 via a valve rod 164 and for moving the valve body 161.

[0029] The drive unit 165 moves the valve element 161 up and down and back and forth between a closed position (FIG. 4) where the valve element 161 closes the load / unload port 163 and an open position (FIG. 5) where the valve element 161 is retracted downward within the valve box 162 to open the load / unload port 163. In addition, a seal member 161a is provided on the side of the valve element 161, which comes into close contact with the main body of the valve box 162 around the load / unload port 163 and air-tightly seals the load / unload port 163 when the valve element 161 is moved to the closed position.

[0030] In the valve box 162 having the above-mentioned configuration, the inside of the valve box 162 is a space in which the valve body 161 moves, so the travel surface side coil 15 cannot be placed. On the other hand, it may be difficult for the first transfer module 20 to move beyond a non-travel area having a dimension longer than half of its total length in the traveling direction. For this reason, if the first transfer module 20 is moved between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the wafer processing chamber 110 without taking any measures, the first transfer module 20 may fall into the valve box 162 or the area where the load / unload port 163 is formed, and it may not be possible to recover the floating state.

[0031] Therefore, as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, a bridge module 5 is provided in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 to assist the first transfer module 20 in entering and exiting between the wafer processing chamber 110 and the load lock chamber 130. As shown in the vertical side views of Figures 4 and 5, a recessed accommodation area 122 for accommodating the bridging module 5 is formed in the floor portion 10 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 in an area on the front side as viewed from the vacuum transfer chamber 120. A plurality of travel surface side coils 124 are arranged on the bottom surface portion 123 of the accommodation area 122, and generate a magnetic field when power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). The travel surface side coils 124 correspond to travel surface side magnets for the bridging module 5 for forming a travel surface for the bridging module 5 on the bottom surface portion 123.

[0032] The bridging module 5 is accommodated in the accommodation area 122 and disposed on the bottom surface portion 123. The bridging module 5 in this example is configured by stacking two rectangular base plates 52 and a bridging plate 51 in this order from the lower side. A plurality of module side magnets 54, which are formed of, for example, permanent magnets, are arranged inside the base plate 52. A repulsive force acts between the module side magnets 54 and the magnetic field generated by the running surface side coils 124. This action magnetically levitates the bridging module 5 on the running surface set in the area of ​​the bottom surface portion 123 where the running surface side coils 124 are provided, and makes it possible to move the bridging module 5 in a desired direction and adjust the amount of levitation.

[0033] The module side magnets 54 provided on the base plate 52 correspond to the levitation body side magnets for the bridge module in this embodiment. The multiple module side magnets 54 may be configured with coils that receive power from a battery provided in the base plate 52 and function as electromagnets. Also, as in the case of the first transport module 20, the module side magnets 54 may be configured with both permanent magnets and coils.

[0034] In addition, a plurality of travel surface side coils 53 are arranged inside the bridging plate 51. The travel surface side coils 53 generate a magnetic field when power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). The area where these travel surface side coils 53 are provided also becomes the travel surface of the first transport module 20, and the first transport module 20 can be magnetically levitated and moved in a desired direction, and the amount of levitation can be adjusted. From this perspective, the travel surface side coils 53 correspond to the travel surface side magnets provided in the bridging module 5.

[0035] 4 and 5, when viewed along the front-rear direction of the bridging module 5, the length dimension of the upper bridging plate 51 is set to be greater than the length dimension of the lower base plate 52. Furthermore, the bridging module 5 is configured such that the end of the upper bridging plate 51 protrudes toward the arrangement area of ​​the gate valve 160.

[0036] The bridging module 5 having the above-mentioned configuration can move between a storage position shown in Fig. 4 and a bridging position shown in Fig. 5 with the first transfer module 20 placed on its upper surface. The storage position corresponds to a position where the bridging module 5 forms a travel surface integral with the floor surface portion 10 when the bridging module 5 is stored in the storage area 122 formed on the floor surface portion 10 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120. The bridging position corresponds to a position where the travel surface is formed so as to cover the non-travel area, which is the area where the gate valve 160 is provided, when the gate valve 160 is in an open state.

[0037] Regarding the wafer processing system 100 having the above-described configuration, an example of an operation in which the wafer W is transferred using the first transfer module 20 and the wafer W is processed in the wafer processing chamber 110 will be described. First, a carrier C containing a wafer W to be processed is placed on the load port 141, and the wafer W is removed from the carrier C by the wafer transfer mechanism 142 in the atmospheric transfer chamber 140. Next, the wafer W is transferred to the alignment chamber 150 where alignment is performed. Furthermore, when the wafer W is removed from the alignment chamber 150 by the wafer transfer mechanism 142, the gate valve 133 of either the left or right load lock chamber 130 as viewed from the front side of the wafer processing system 100 is opened.

[0038] Next, the wafer transfer mechanism 142 enters either the left or right load lock chamber 130, and the lift pins 131 push up and receive the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer transfer mechanism 142 retreats from the load lock chamber 130, and the gate valve 133 is closed. Furthermore, the atmosphere inside the load lock chamber 130 is switched from atmospheric pressure to a vacuum atmosphere.

[0039] When the inside of the load lock chamber 130 is filled with a vacuum atmosphere, the gate valve 132 on the vacuum transfer chamber 120 side is opened. At this time, inside the vacuum transfer chamber 120, the first transfer module 20 is waiting on the bridge module 5 arranged at a position directly opposite the load lock chamber 130. Then, the first transfer module 20 is advanced into the load lock chamber 130 using the bridge module 5 by the same operation as that of the bridge module 5 on the wafer processing chamber 110 side described later.

[0040] Then, the first transfer module 20 is moved inside the load lock chamber 130 by magnetic levitation using a repulsive force acting between the first transfer module 20 and the floor 10 of the load lock chamber 130. Next, the first transfer module 20 is positioned below the wafer W supported by the lift pins 131, and the lift pins 131 are lowered to transfer the wafer W to the first transfer module 20. Thereafter, the first transfer module 20 holding the wafer W exits the load lock chamber 130 using the bridge module 5 in the reverse order to that of the entrance.

[0041] The first transfer module 20 that has returned to the vacuum transfer chamber 120 moves within the vacuum transfer chamber 120 by magnetic levitation utilizing the repulsive force acting between the first transfer module 20 and the floor surface portion 10. Then, the first transfer module 20 moves toward one of the four wafer processing chambers 110 on the front and middle stages where the wafer W to be transferred is to be processed.

[0042] At a position directly facing the wafer processing chamber 110 to which the transfer is to be made, the bridging module 5 is waiting at the accommodation position as shown in FIG. 4. For example, the upper surface of the floor surface portion 10 in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the upper surface of the bridging module 5 at the accommodation position are almost flush with each other, and an integrated travel surface is formed in the area where the travel surface side coils 15, 53 are arranged. Thus, the first transfer module 20 can move from the floor surface portion 10 side of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 onto the bridging module 5 while maintaining the magnetic levitation state. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic levitation state may be released once, and the first transfer module 20 may be placed on the bridging module 5.

[0043] Next, the valve body 161 of the gate valve 160 is moved to open the loading / unloading port 163. Thereafter, the bridging module 5 is moved from the accommodation position to the bridging position by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force acting between the bridging module 5 and the bottom surface 123 of the accommodation area 122. The bridging module 5 that has moved to the bridging position is positioned so that the protruding portion of the tip of the bridging plate 51 is inserted into the loading / unloading port 163. As a result, the bridging module 5 comes to cover the non-traveling area, which is the area where the gate valve 160 is provided.

[0044] After the bridging module 5 moves to the bridging position, the first transfer module 20 moves by magnetic levitation from the running surface of the bridging module 5 to the running surface of the floor section 10 in the wafer processing chamber 110. The first transfer module 20 that has entered the wafer processing chamber 110 moves to an arrangement area of ​​the lift pins 112. Then, by lifting the lift pins 112, the wafer W held by the first transfer module 20 is pushed up from below and received.

[0045] The first transfer module 20, which has handed over the wafer W, moves to the bridge module 5 waiting at the bridge position, and retreats from the wafer processing chamber 110 via the path opposite to that taken when entering. After the first transfer module 20 retreats, the lift pins 112 descend downward, and the wafer W is transferred to the mounting table 111. The above-described operation of the bridge module 5 serves as a transfer assist mechanism that assists in the transfer of the wafer W between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the processing position via the non-travel area.

[0046] When the first transfer module 20 is evacuated from the wafer processing chamber 110, the valve body 161 closes the load / unload port 163 communicating with the opening 121 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 (closing the opening 121). Meanwhile, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 111 is heated by a heater, a process gas is supplied via a process gas supply unit, and the process gas is turned into plasma as necessary, thereby performing a predetermined process.

[0047] After the wafer W has been processed for the preset period in this manner, the heating of the wafer W is stopped and the supply of the processing gas is stopped. If necessary, a cooling gas may be supplied into the wafer processing chamber 110 to cool the wafer W. Thereafter, the first transfer module 20 is moved into the wafer processing chamber 110 in the reverse order to that of the loading, and the wafer W is returned from the wafer processing chamber 110 to the load lock chamber 130 via the vacuum transfer chamber 120. Furthermore, after the atmosphere in the load lock chamber 130 is switched to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, the wafer W in the load lock chamber 130 is removed by the wafer transfer mechanism 142 on the atmospheric transfer chamber 140 side and returned to a predetermined carrier C.

[0048] According to the embodiment described above, for the wafer W transferred by the first transfer module 20, the transfer of the wafer W through the non-travel area can be assisted by the bridge module 5.

[0049] Here, the method of moving the bridging module 5 between the accommodation position and the bridging position is not limited to the magnetic levitation. For example, a mechanical moving mechanism for moving the bridging module 5 may be provided for the vacuum transfer chamber 120, and the positions may be moved using the moving mechanism.

[0050] Next, an example will be described in which the wafer W transported by the second transport module 30 shown in FIG. 1 is assisted in transporting the wafer W through a non-traveling area using the wafer transfer section 4 in the vacuum transport chamber 120 and the intra-processing chamber substrate transport section in the wafer processing chamber 110. 1, 6 and 7, the second transfer module 30 includes a rectangular plate-like floater 31 having approximately the same width as the first transfer module 20. An arm 32 is provided on the floater 31 so as to extend laterally and to horizontally hold the wafer W. A fork is provided at the tip of the arm 32 so as to surround from the left and right an area in which the three lift pins 41, 131 are provided. The fork corresponds to the substrate holder in the second transfer module 30.

[0051] Here, even if there is the non-travel area between the wafer processing chamber 110 and the arm unit 32, if a sufficiently long arm unit 32 is used, the arm unit 32 can be inserted into the wafer processing chamber 110 to transport the wafer W to the processing position. However, the longer the arm unit 32 is, the more difficult it becomes to change the direction of the second transport module 30 within a narrow surface, which may force the vacuum transport chamber 120 to be enlarged.

[0052] On the other hand, by using the second transfer module 30 including the arm unit 32, it is possible to separate the floatation body unit 31 on which the module side magnets 35 are provided and the wafer W held by the arm unit 32. As a result, it is possible to reduce the magnetic effect of the module side magnets 35 on the wafer W. From this perspective, there is an advantage to using the second transfer module 30 including the arm unit 32.

[0053] Therefore, in this example, the wafer processing system 100 is configured so that the arm portion 32 is not inserted into the wafer processing chamber 110, and the wafer W is transferred between the wafer transfer portion 4 arranged in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the intra-processing chamber substrate transfer portion provided in the wafer processing chamber 110. As configuration examples of the substrate transport section inside the processing chamber, two examples will be described: a case in which a wafer support module 170 is used, which will be described using Figures 8A to 9B; and a case in which an extendable arm 180 inside the processing chamber is used, which will be described using Figures 10A to 10C.

[0054] The wafer transfer unit 4 is provided at a position facing the opening 121 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120, i.e., at a position facing the wafer processing chamber 110 connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 120. As described above, in the wafer processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the wafer W is transferred to the two subsequent wafer processing chambers 110 using the second transfer module 30. Therefore, the wafer transfer unit 4 is also provided at a position facing these two wafer processing chambers 110. The wafer transfer unit 4 corresponds to a substrate transfer unit that transfers the wafer W between the second transfer module 30 and the wafer W and holds the transferred wafer W.

[0055] In this embodiment, the wafer transfer section 4 is provided with three lift pins 41 so as to form a triangular support surface in a plan view. The lift pins 41 are configured to protrude and retract from the floor 10 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 by a lift mechanism (not shown), and push up and hold the wafer W from below. In FIG. 1, the area in which the wafer W supported by the lift pins 41 is projected onto the bottom surface of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 is indicated by a dashed line as the wafer transfer section 4.

[0056] Meanwhile, within the wafer processing chamber 110, an intra-processing chamber substrate transfer section for transferring the wafer W between the processing position of the wafer W and the wafer transfer section 4 is provided. 8A to 9B show an example in which a wafer support module 170 is provided, which is one configuration example of the substrate transport section within the processing chamber. Although not shown in these figures, a plurality of travel surface side coils 15 are arranged on the floor portion 10 of the wafer processing chamber 110, similar to the floor portion of the wafer processing chamber 110 shown in FIG.

[0057] The wafer support module 170 can transport the wafer W by magnetic levitation using a repulsive force acting between the wafer support module 170 and the travel surface side coils 15 provided on the floor 10 of the wafer processing chamber 110. From this perspective, the travel surface side coils 15 provided on the floor 10 of the wafer processing chamber 110 correspond to travel surface side magnets for forming a travel surface for the wafer support module 170.

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 9A, two wafer support modules 170 are arranged in the wafer processing chamber 110. Each wafer support module 170 includes a square plate-like levitation body part 171 arranged with its plate surface facing vertically, and a square bar-like support part 172 provided to extend laterally from the upper end of the plate thickness surface of the levitation body part 171. A plurality of module side magnets 173, for example, made of permanent magnets, are arranged inside the levitation body part 171 (FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B). A repulsive force acts between the module side magnets 173 and the magnetic field generated by the running surface side coils 15. This action allows the wafer support module 170 to be magnetically levitated on the running surface set in the area where the running surface side coils 15 are provided on the floor part 10 of the wafer processing chamber 110. The module side magnets 173 correspond to the levitation body side magnets for the wafer support module 170.

[0059] 8A, the two wafer support modules 170 are arranged on either side of the mounting table 111 in a plan view. Moreover, each levitation body portion 171 is arranged such that the tip of the support portion 172 faces the gate valve 160 side, i.e., the opening 121 side of the vacuum transfer chamber 120. According to the wafer support module 170 configured as described above, the two wafer support modules 170 that move by magnetic levitation cooperate with each other to support a common wafer W on each support portion 172. These two wafer support modules 170 correspond to the substrate transfer portion within the processing chamber in this embodiment.

[0060] A description will be given of the transfer operation of the wafer W between the wafer supporting module 170 having the above-described configuration and the wafer transfer part 4. Figures 8A and 8B show an example of the operation of unloading the wafer W which has been processed in the wafer processing chamber 110. 8A, during the processing of the wafer W, the wafer support module 170 waits in the wafer processing chamber 110. At this time, in order to avoid the influence of the processing gas, plasma, etc., a shutter may be used to separate the waiting area of ​​the wafer support module 170 from the processing space of the wafer W.

[0061] When the processing of the wafer W to be transferred is completed, the wafer W is pushed up and raised by the lift pins 112. Thereafter, each wafer support module 170 is magnetically levitated, and the support parts 172 are moved to the lower side of the wafer W. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9A, the wafer support module 170 is levitated and moved to the vicinity of the wafer W, and then rotated around the vertical axis. After the support parts 172 are thus advanced to the lower side of the wafer W, the wafer W is lowered, and the wafer W is transferred from the lift pins 112 to the wafer support module 170 (FIG. 9B). In addition, by adding a rotational operation of the wafer support module 170 around the vertical axis, the two wafer support modules 170 hold the wafer W in a state in which they are diagonally facing each other when viewed in a plane.

[0062] Next, when the gate valve 160 is opened, the wafer support module 170 holding the wafer W moves towards the vacuum transfer chamber 120. Then, as shown in Fig. 8B, the support part 172 holding the wafer W passes through the non-travel area where the gate valve 160 is provided, while the floating body part 171 is positioned within the wafer processing chamber 110. As a result, the support part 172 protrudes from the opening 121 of the vacuum transfer chamber 120, allowing the wafer W to be transferred to the wafer transfer part 4. When the wafer W is loaded into the wafer processing chamber 110, the transfer is performed in the reverse order to the above-mentioned operations.

[0063] Next, a case in which a processing chamber extendable arm 180 is used, which is another configuration example of the processing chamber substrate transfer section, will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10C. The processing chamber telescopic arm 180 is configured as a multi-joint arm that can freely telescopically extend and retract while holding the wafer W. The processing chamber telescopic arm 180 is disposed in the wafer processing chamber 110, and is disposed in a region between the mounting table 111, which is the processing position of the wafer W, and the gate valve 160. Here, a shutter 113 may be provided to avoid the influence of processing gas, plasma, etc. supplied to the wafer processing chamber 110 during the processing of the wafer W (FIGS. 10B and 10C). The shutter 113 serves to separate a space in which the processing of the wafer W is being performed from a space in which the shutter 113 is disposed, during the processing of the wafer W disposed at the processing position.

[0064] A description will now be given of the transfer operation of the wafer W between the processing chamber extendable arm 180 and the wafer transfer part 4. Figures 10A to 10C show an example of the operation of unloading the wafer W after processing in the wafer processing chamber 110. When the processing of the wafer W to be transferred is completed, the wafer W is pushed up and raised by the lift pins 112. Thereafter, the processing chamber extendable arm 180 is extended toward the mounting table 111, and the wafer holder provided at the tip of the processing chamber extendable arm 180 is inserted below the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer W is lowered, and the wafer W is transferred from the lift pins 112 to the processing chamber extendable arm 180 (FIG. 10A).

[0065] Next, when the gate valve 160 is opened, the processing chamber telescopic arm 180 holding the wafer W retracts and then reverses the extension direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the processing chamber telescopic arm 180 passes through the non-travel area while holding the wafer W, and transfers the wafer W to the wafer transfer unit 4. After transferring the wafer W to the wafer transfer unit 4, the processing chamber telescopic arm 180 retreats into the wafer processing chamber 110. Thereafter, the second transfer module 30 receives the wafer W from the wafer transfer unit 4, and transfers it within the vacuum transfer chamber 120. When the wafer W is loaded into the wafer processing chamber 110, the transfer is performed in the reverse order to the above-mentioned operations.

[0066] In the wafer processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1, the wafer transfer unit 4 and the wafer support module 170 or the processing chamber extendable arm 180 configured as described above are also provided for the load lock chamber 130 located in the center when viewed from the front side. In FIG. 1, the wafer support module 170 and the processing chamber extendable arm 180 in the downstream wafer processing chamber 110 and the central load lock chamber 130 are omitted.

[0067] Regarding the wafer processing system 100 having the above-described configuration, an example of an operation in which the wafer W is transferred using the second transfer module 30 and the wafer W is processed in the wafer processing chamber 110 will be described. The wafer W to be processed is loaded into the load lock chamber 130, which is located in the center as viewed from the front side, in the same procedure as in the case of transferring the wafer W using the first transfer module 20 described above. When the inside of the load lock chamber 130 is filled with a vacuum atmosphere, the gate valve 132 on the vacuum transfer chamber 120 side is opened. Then, the wafer W is transferred to the wafer transfer unit 4 arranged on the vacuum transfer chamber 120 side using the wafer support module 170 or the processing chamber extendable arm 180 provided in the load lock chamber 130.

[0068] The wafer W held in the wafer transfer section 4 is transferred to the arm section 32 of the second transfer module 30, which moves by magnetic levitation, and moves toward one of the two downstream wafer processing chambers 110 in which the wafer W is processed.

[0069] A wafer transfer section 4 is provided at the front side of the wafer processing chamber 110, which is the transfer destination. After the second transfer module 30 is moved to the wafer transfer section 4, the lift pins 41, which have been lowered to the floor surface side, are raised. By this operation, the wafer W is transferred from the arm section 32 to the lift pins 41. 10C, the movement path of the second transfer module 30 may be set so that the second transfer module 30 moves toward or away from the arrangement area of ​​the lift pins 41 while looking diagonally forward at the wafer processing chamber 110. This path setting makes the movement path of the second transfer module 30 more compact than when the path is set so that the second transfer module 30 moves toward or away from the direction directly facing the wafer processing chamber 110, and makes it possible to prevent the vacuum transfer chamber 120 from becoming larger.

[0070] Next, the gate valve 160 is opened, and the wafer W held by the lift pins 41 in the wafer processing chamber 110 is received by the above-mentioned operation using the wafer support module 170 or the processing chamber telescopic arm 180, and is transferred to the mounting table 111. The wafer W is received by raising the lift pins 112 on the mounting table 111 side. Thereafter, the wafer support module 170 or the processing chamber telescopic arm 180 is retracted, and the wafer W is lowered to be mounted at the processing position. Once the wafer W is mounted at the processing position, the gate valve 160 is closed (the opening 121 is closed), and the wafer W is processed in a predetermined procedure. After the wafer W is processed, the wafer W is unloaded in the reverse procedure to that of loading.

[0071] The wafer transfer section 4 and the wafer support module 170 or the processing chamber extendable arm 180 described above function as a transfer assistance mechanism that assists in the transfer of the wafer W between the vacuum transfer chamber 120 and the processing position via the non-traveling area.

[0072] According to the above-described embodiment, for the wafer W transferred using the second transfer module 30, the transfer of the wafer W through the non-travel area can be assisted by the wafer transfer section 4, the wafer support module 170, and the processing chamber extendable arm 180.

[0073] 1, for the sake of convenience, an example has been described in which transfer modules 20 and 30 having different configurations are arranged in a common vacuum transfer chamber 120. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and either one of the transfer modules 20 and 30 may be arranged in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 to transfer the wafer W.

[0074] Furthermore, in the embodiment described using Figures 6 to 10C, from the viewpoint of explaining the effect of the length of the arm section 32, an example has been described in which the second transfer module 30 is used in combination with the wafer transfer section 4 and the substrate transfer section within the processing chamber (the wafer support module 170 and the extendable arm 180 within the processing chamber).

[0075] On the other hand, for example, a second transfer module 30 including an arm unit 32 may be used, and the second transfer module 30 may transfer the wafer W by utilizing the bridge module 5, which is a transfer auxiliary mechanism. In this case, it is not essential that the second transfer module 30 enters the wafer processing chamber 110. For example, on the bridge module 5 that has been moved to the bridge position, only the arm unit 32 may be inserted into the wafer processing chamber 110 to transfer the wafer W. It is also possible to use the rectangular plate-shaped first transfer module 20 to transfer the wafer W by utilizing the wafer transfer section 4, which is a transfer auxiliary mechanism, and the substrate transfer section inside the processing chamber (wafer support module 170, processing chamber extendable arm 180).

[0076] 11 shows a wafer processing system 100a in which a vacuum transfer chamber 120a is configured as a polygon having 5 or more sides (a dodecagon in the example of FIG. 11) when viewed from above. The wafer processing system 100a is configured such that a wafer processing chamber 110 is connected to each of a plurality of side walls (seven side walls in the example of FIG. 11) of the vacuum transfer chamber 120a. In the wafer processing system 100a configured as above, a telescopic articulated arm is conventionally disposed in the center of the vacuum transfer chamber 120a, and the wafer W is sometimes transferred in and out of each wafer processing chamber 110 using the articulated arm.

[0077] However, the more wafer processing chambers 110 are connected to a common vacuum transfer chamber 120a, the more space is required to arrange these wafer processing chambers 110. This means that the distance from the center of the polygonal vacuum transfer chamber 120a to the wafer processing chambers 110 becomes longer. On the other hand, there is a limit to the distance that the wafer W can be transferred by the extension and contraction of the articulated arm. This means that it is sometimes difficult to connect many wafer processing chambers 110 to the vacuum transfer chamber 120a.

[0078] 11 uses the second transfer module 30, the wafer transfer unit 4, and the processing chamber substrate transfer unit (wafer support module 170 or processing chamber extendable arm 180, not shown in FIG. 11) to transfer the wafer W. By using the second transfer module 30, the wafer W can be transferred without being restricted by the extension range of the articulated arm.

[0079] 11, a plurality of wafer processing chambers 110 are connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 120a and arranged adjacent to each other. A plurality of wafer transfer parts 4 are provided at positions facing the openings 121 to which the wafer processing chambers 110 are connected. As described above, each of the wafer transfer parts 4 is configured to support and hold the wafer W transferred from the second transfer module 30 from the lower surface side.

[0080] In this case, if the spacing between adjacently arranged wafer transfer parts 4 is narrow, the wafers W may overlap and interfere with each other, as shown in Fig. 11. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 12, in the wafer processing system 100a of this embodiment, when the wafers W are supported by the adjacently arranged wafer transfer parts 4, the height positions at which the wafers W are supported differ from each other. This makes it possible to prevent the wafers W from interfering with each other. In the wafer processing system 100a shown in FIG. 11, the wafer W may be transferred using the first transfer module 20, and a wafer processing chamber 110 into which the transfer modules 20 and 30 enter using a bridge module 5 may also be provided.

[0081] Here, a configuration example of the floor surface portion 10a provided in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 13 shows an example in which a floor surface portion 10a is formed on the outer surface side of a housing constituting a vacuum transfer chamber 120. As shown in Fig. 14, the lower surface of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 is divided into a lattice shape by reinforcing ribs 102, and tiles 101 are arranged in each section. The running surface side coils 15 shown in Figs. 3, 7, etc. are arranged on these tiles 101. As described above, these running surface side coils 15 generate a magnetic field for magnetically levitating the first transfer module 20 and the second transfer module 30 by receiving power from a power supply unit (not shown).

[0082] A non-magnetic plate 103 forming the bottom surface of a housing constituting the vacuum transfer chamber 120 is disposed on the upper surface side of the tile 101. By forming the non-magnetic plate 103 from a non-magnetic material such as aluminum, a magnetic field can be formed in the vacuum transfer chamber 120 without being affected by the non-magnetic plate 103. As a result, the running surfaces of the first transfer module 20 and the second transfer module 30 can be provided on the upper surface side of the non-magnetic plate 103.

[0083] 13 and 14, the floor portion 10a is reinforced by providing lattice-shaped reinforcing ribs 102. Therefore, even if the vacuum transfer chamber 120 is enlarged, the housing structure of the vacuum transfer chamber 120 can be maintained against the force acting due to the vacuum atmosphere inside, without making the non-magnetic plate 103 excessively thick. From the viewpoint of merely improving the strength of the vacuum transfer chamber 120, the floor portion 10a formed by combining the reinforcing ribs 102 and the tiles 101 may be disposed inside the vacuum transfer chamber 120.

[0084] Meanwhile, by arranging the tiles 101 on the atmospheric side, it is easy to dissipate heat that is generated when electricity is applied to the running surface side coil 15 arranged inside the tiles 101. As a result, the temperature rise of the tiles 101 is suppressed, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the efficiency of magnetic force generation in the running surface side coil 15 that is caused by a temperature rise. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of distortion caused by thermal expansion of each component of the floor surface portion 10 (tiles 101, reinforcing ribs 102, non-magnetic plate 103) that is caused by a temperature rise of the tiles 101.

[0085] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] W wafer 10 Floor section 15 Running surface coil 100, 100a Wafer Processing Systems 110 Wafer processing chamber 120, 120a Vacuum transfer chamber 121 Opening 160 Gate Valve 20 First Transfer Module 30 Second transfer module 35 Module side magnet 5. Bridging Module 9. Control Unit

Claims

[Claim 1] An apparatus for transporting a substrate to a substrate processing chamber and processing the substrate, a substrate transfer chamber having a floor surface portion on which a traveling surface side magnet is provided and a side wall portion having an opening portion through which a substrate is loaded and unloaded from the substrate processing chamber; a substrate transfer module including a substrate holder for holding the substrate and a levitation body side magnet that exerts a repulsive force between the substrate holder and the traveling surface side magnet, the substrate transfer module being configured to be movable on a traveling surface formed in an area where the traveling surface side magnet is provided by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force; the substrate processing chamber is connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a gate valve that opens and closes the opening and defines a non-travel area in which the substrate transfer module cannot move by the magnetic levitation; An apparatus comprising: a transport assistance mechanism that assists in linear transport of a substrate transported by a substrate transport module between the substrate transport chamber and a substrate processing position in the substrate processing chamber via the non-running area.

Images