Substrate processing device

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing device which processes multiple substrates at the same time and achieves high throughput.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device 100 includes: a chamber 1 for processing multiple substrates W at the sime time; a load lock chamber 2 for housing the substrates; and a vacuum transfer chamber 3 connected to the chamber and the load lock chamber. The vacuum transfer chamber is provided with a substrate transfer mechanism 31, and a substrate storage part 32 which may store and cool processed substrates W' which are processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism and unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism. The substrate storage part includes: a processed substrate cooling part 3A which may store the processed substrates processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism in a sealed state and cool the processed substrates; and an unprocessed substrate storage part 3B which is divided from the processed substrate cooling part and stores the unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that simultaneously performs predetermined processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and etching on a plurality of substrates (wafers). In particular, the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus with high throughput.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is known a substrate processing apparatus including a chamber (processing module 6 in Patent Document 1) for simultaneously processing a plurality of substrates, a load lock chamber for storing substrates, and a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the chamber and the load lock chamber. In the vacuum transfer chamber, there is provided a substrate transfer mechanism (vacuum transfer arm 5 in Patent Document 1) for transferring an unprocessed substrate stored in the load lock chamber to the chamber via the vacuum transfer chamber, and for transferring a processed substrate processed in the chamber to the load lock chamber via the vacuum transfer chamber.

[0003] Here, the processed substrate processed in the chamber may be at a high temperature. For this reason, a cooling stage for cooling the processed substrate may be provided in the vacuum transfer chamber of the substrate processing apparatus as described above. In addition, an alignment unit for adjusting the position of an unprocessed substrate before being processed in the chamber may be provided in the vacuum transfer chamber.

[0004] In the case of the above configuration, the unprocessed substrate is transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism from the load lock chamber to the alignment unit in the vacuum transfer chamber, and after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit, it is transferred to the chamber. On the other hand, the processed substrate is transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism from the chamber to the cooling stage in the vacuum transfer chamber, and after being cooled by the cooling stage, it is transferred to the load lock chamber. Therefore, for example, in the case where the substrate transfer mechanism is configured to transfer one substrate, the operation of transferring one unprocessed substrate from the load lock chamber to the chamber via the alignment unit (unprocessed substrate transfer operation) needs to be repeated for the number of substrates to be processed simultaneously in the chamber. Further, the operation of transferring one processed substrate from the chamber to the load lock chamber via the cooling stage of the vacuum transfer chamber (processed substrate transfer operation) needs to be repeated for the number of substrates to be processed simultaneously in the chamber. Furthermore, the unprocessed substrate transfer operation and the processed substrate transfer operation cannot be performed in parallel. For this reason, there is a problem that the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus is low.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a substrate processing apparatus with high throughput that can process a plurality of substrates simultaneously.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus including a chamber for processing a plurality of substrates simultaneously, a load lock chamber for storing substrates, and a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the chamber and the load lock chamber. The vacuum transfer chamber is provided with a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring an unprocessed substrate stored in the load lock chamber to the chamber and a processed substrate processed in the chamber to the load lock chamber, and a substrate storage unit capable of storing and cooling a plurality of processed substrates processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism and capable of storing a plurality of unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism.

[0008] In the present invention, "cooling" is not limited to forced cooling using a cooling gas such as N2 gas, but includes the concept of a case that is naturally cooled by being stored. According to the present invention, a substrate storage unit is provided in a vacuum transfer chamber that can store and cool a plurality of processed substrates processed in a chamber and transferred by a substrate transfer mechanism, and can store a plurality of unprocessed substrates transferred from a load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism. Therefore, prior to transferring a plurality of processed substrates from the chamber to the substrate storage unit for cooling (for example, while these substrates are being processed in the chamber), it is possible to perform an operation of previously transferring another unprocessed substrate from the load lock chamber to the substrate storage unit. As a result, after transferring the processed substrates to the substrate storage unit, it is only necessary to transfer the unprocessed substrates from the substrate storage unit to the chamber. Compared to the case where the unprocessed substrates are transferred from the load lock chamber to the chamber after waiting until the cooling of the processed substrates is completed and the processed substrates are transferred to the load lock chamber, the throughput can be increased.

[0009] Preferably, the substrate storage unit includes a processed substrate cooling unit that can store and cool a plurality of processed substrates processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism under sealing, and an unprocessed substrate storage unit that is partitioned from the processed substrate cooling unit and stores a plurality of unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism.

[0010] In the above preferred configuration, "under sealing" means that the processed substrate cooling unit is in a sealed state with respect to other parts in the vacuum transfer chamber (other parts excluding the processed substrate cooling unit and including the unprocessed substrate storage unit). According to the above preferred configuration, since the processed substrate cooling unit partitioned from the unprocessed substrate storage unit can cool the processed substrates under sealing, it is possible to suppress particles attached to the processed substrates by processing in the chamber or the like from floating in the atmosphere during cooling and adhering to the unprocessed substrates.

[0011] Preferably, after the substrate transfer mechanism transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates to the chamber, until the processing of the plurality of unprocessed substrates in the chamber is completed and the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, the substrate transfer mechanism transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber from the load lock chamber to the substrate storage unit, carries out the obtained plurality of processed substrates from the chamber, and transfers them to the substrate storage unit.

[0012] According to the above preferred configuration, after a plurality of unprocessed substrates are transferred to the chamber, until the processing of the plurality of unprocessed substrates in the chamber is completed and the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber are transferred from the load lock chamber to the substrate storage unit. Therefore, after the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber and transferred to the substrate storage unit, it is only necessary to transfer the unprocessed substrates from the substrate storage unit to the chamber, and the throughput can be increased.

[0013] Preferably, after the substrate transfer mechanism transfers the plurality of processed substrates from the chamber to the substrate storage unit, a cleaning process is performed on the chamber, and the substrate storage unit cools the plurality of processed substrates that have been transferred while the cleaning process is being performed on the chamber.

[0014] According to the above preferred configuration, since the cleaning process of the chamber and the cooling of the plurality of processed substrates are performed in parallel, the throughput can be increased.

[0015] Preferably, the vacuum transfer chamber is provided with an alignment unit for adjusting the position of the substrate. After the substrate transfer mechanism transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates to the chamber, until the processing of the plurality of unprocessed substrates in the chamber is completed and the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, the substrate transfer mechanism transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber from the load lock chamber to the alignment unit, and transfers the plurality of unprocessed substrates after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit to the substrate storage unit.

[0016] According to the above preferred configuration, an alignment unit for adjusting the position of the substrate is provided in the vacuum transfer chamber. After a plurality of unprocessed substrates are transferred into the chamber, until the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber are transferred from the load lock chamber to the alignment unit, and the plurality of unprocessed substrates after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit are transferred to the substrate storage unit. Therefore, after the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber and transferred to the substrate storage unit, it is only necessary to transfer the unprocessed substrates from the substrate storage unit to the chamber, and the throughput can be increased.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus that processes a plurality of substrates simultaneously and has a high throughput.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the schematic configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment in a state where the inside is seen through. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a chamber 1 for simultaneously processing a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of substrates (wafers) W, a load lock chamber 2 for storing the substrate W, and a vacuum transfer chamber 3 connected to the chamber 1 and the load lock chamber 2. In this specification, in order to distinguish the processed substrate processed in the chamber 1 from the unprocessed substrate before being processed in the chamber 1, the end of the reference numeral may be appropriately appended with a "'", such as "W'".

[0020] The chamber 1 includes one mounting table 11 for mounting a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of substrates W. In the chamber 1, for example, by plasma processing using a predetermined processing gas in a vacuum environment, a plurality of substrates W are simultaneously subjected to predetermined processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and etching. Since the content of the process is the same as the known process, further detailed description is omitted here.

[0021] The load lock chamber 2 can switch the inside between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment. In the load lock chamber 2, a cassette 21 that can move up and down in the vertical direction is provided. In the cassette 21, a plurality of substrates W are respectively stored side by side in the vertical direction. Since the configuration for switching the inside of the load lock chamber 2 between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment is the same as the known one, further detailed description is omitted here.

[0022] The vacuum transfer chamber 3 is a chamber for transferring the substrate W in a vacuum environment, and is connected to the chamber 1 via a gate valve 4. Further, the vacuum transfer chamber 3 is connected to the load lock chamber 2 via a gate valve 5.

[0023] In the vacuum transfer chamber 3, an unprocessed substrate W stored in the load lock chamber 2 (cassette 21) is transferred to the chamber 1 via the vacuum transfer chamber 3, and a processed substrate W' processed in the chamber 1 is transferred to the load lock chamber 2 via the vacuum transfer chamber 3. A substrate transfer mechanism 31 is provided. In the present embodiment, as the substrate transfer mechanism 31, a two-axis polar coordinate type (r-axis, θ-axis) vacuum robot with a single arm that can expand and contract and rotate around a rotation center fixed to the vacuum transfer chamber 3 is used. One substrate W is placed and held on the substrate holding portion 311 of the substrate transfer mechanism 31. The substrate holding portion 311 can be arbitrarily displaced in a horizontal plane at a certain vertical position and can be displaced to any of the chamber 1, the load lock chamber 2, and the vacuum transfer chamber 3. Since a known vacuum robot can be used as the substrate transfer mechanism 31, further detailed description is omitted here.

[0024] Further, in the vacuum transfer chamber 3, a substrate storage portion 32 is provided that can store and cool a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of processed substrates W' processed in the chamber 1 and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism 31, and can store a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of unprocessed substrates W transferred from the load lock chamber 2 by the substrate transfer mechanism 31. The specific configuration of the substrate storage portion 32 will be described later.

[0025] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as a preferred aspect, an alignment unit 33 for adjusting the position of the substrate W (in this embodiment, only the unprocessed substrate) is provided in the vacuum transfer chamber 3. The alignment unit 33 includes, for example, a rotation stage 331 and a transmissive optical sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the substrate W placed on the rotation stage 331. The rotation stage 331 is movable up and down in the vertical direction and is also rotatable around the vertical axis. The substrate W placed on the rotation stage 331 is held by a predetermined method. Then, the optical sensor detects the position (the position in the rotation direction and the horizontal direction) of a notch (orientation flat or notch) provided in the substrate W placed on the rotation stage 331. Based on the deviation amount between the current position (the position in the rotation direction) of the notch of the substrate detected by the optical sensor and the predetermined target position (the position in the rotation direction) of the notch of the substrate, the rotation stage 331 on which the substrate W is placed rotates so that the substrate W reaches the predetermined target position, thereby adjusting the position of the substrate W in the rotation direction. Also, based on the deviation amount between the current position (the position in the horizontal direction) of the notch of the substrate W detected by the optical sensor and the predetermined target position (the position in the horizontal direction) of the notch of the substrate W, the position of the substrate holding portion 311 of the substrate transfer mechanism 31 can be displaced, for example, to the center of the substrate W. In the above manner, the position of the substrate W is adjusted by the alignment unit 33.

[0026] Hereinafter, the specific configuration of the substrate storage unit 32 will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the specific configuration of the substrate storage unit 32. Specifically, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate storage unit 32 as viewed from the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2(a) shows an example of the state where the elevating portion 322 constituting the substrate storage unit 32 has descended (the state where the elevating portion 322 is located outside the housing 321), and FIG. 2(b) shows the state where the elevating portion 322 has risen to the maximum (the state where the elevating portion 322 has risen until the flange portion 32f contacts the lower end of the housing 321). The straight line PL shown by the broken line in FIG. 2 indicates a certain vertical position (substrate transfer height) of the substrate holding portion 311. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate storage unit 32 includes a housing 321 having an opening 32a formed at the lower end, and a lifting unit 322 disposed below the housing 321 and capable of lifting in the vertical direction. As a mechanism for lifting the lifting unit 322 in the vertical direction, although not limited to this, for example, a ball screw (not shown) is used.

[0027] In the state shown in FIG. 2(b), N2 gas as cooling gas is supplied into the housing 321 through a pipe 32b from a gas supply source (not shown), and the supplied N2 gas is exhausted to the outside of the housing 321 through a pipe 32c by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like. As a result, N2 gas for cooling the processed substrate W' circulates in the housing 321. Note that the circulation of N2 gas in the present embodiment includes, in addition to the mode of supplying N2 gas into the housing 321 with exhaust stopped and then exhausting N2 gas to the outside of the housing 321 with the supply stopped, a mode of simultaneously supplying and exhausting N2 gas.

[0028] The lifting unit 322 has a plurality (2×4 sets = 8 in this embodiment) of shelf portions 32d that protrude inward and support the processed substrate W' by placing the edge portions (the edge portions located on the left and right in FIG. 2) of the processed substrate W' thereon. Each shelf portion 32d is provided with a set on the left and right at the same vertical position, and a plurality of sets are provided side by side in the vertical direction with a certain gap therebetween. Similarly, the lifting unit 322 has a plurality (2×4 sets = 8 in this embodiment) of shelf portions 32e that protrude inward and support the unprocessed substrate W by placing the edge portions (the edge portions located on the left and right in FIG. 2) of the unprocessed substrate W thereon. Each shelf portion 32e is provided with a set on the left and right at the same vertical position below the shelf portion 32d, and a plurality of sets are provided side by side in the vertical direction with a certain gap therebetween. When the elevating part 322 stores (supports the edge part at the shelf part 32d) one processed substrate W' conveyed by the substrate conveying mechanism 31, the elevating part 322 is in a lowered state (a state as shown in Fig. 2(a)) so as to be located outside the housing 321. Specifically, the elevating part 322 moves up and down such that the vertical position of the shelf part 32d that is planned to support the edge part of the processed substrate W' is slightly lower than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding part 311. Then, until the processed substrate W' is positioned above the shelf part 32d, after the substrate holding part 311 is displaced (displaced in the direction of arrow A shown in Fig. 1), the elevating part 322 rises such that the vertical position of the shelf part 32d is slightly higher than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding part 311. As a result, the processed substrate W' is transferred to the shelf part 32d and supported by the shelf part 32d. After the processed substrate W' is transferred to the shelf part 32d, the substrate holding part 311 is displaced in the opposite direction to the above and moves away from the elevating part 322. By repeating the above operations a plurality of times (four times in this embodiment), the edge parts of a plurality of processed substrates W' are supported by the plurality of shelf parts 32d. Similarly, when the lifting part 322 stores (supports the edge at the shelf part 32e) a single untreated substrate W conveyed by the substrate conveyance mechanism 31, the lifting part 322 is in a lowered state (the state as shown in Fig. 2(a)) where it is located outside the housing 321. Specifically, the lifting part 322 moves up and down such that the vertical position of the shelf part 32e that is planned to support the edge of the untreated substrate W is slightly lower than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding part 311. Then, until the untreated substrate W is positioned above the shelf part 32e, after the substrate holding part 311 is displaced (displaced in the direction of arrow A shown in Fig. 1), the lifting part 322 rises such that the vertical position of the shelf part 32e is slightly higher than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding part 311. As a result, the untreated substrate W is transferred to the shelf part 32e and is supported by the shelf part 32e. After the untreated substrate W is transferred to the shelf part 32e, the substrate holding part 311 is displaced in the opposite direction to the above and moves away from the lifting part 322. By repeating the above operations multiple times (four times in this embodiment), the edges of a plurality of untreated substrates W are supported by the plurality of shelf parts 32e.

[0029] The lifting part 322 includes a flange part 32f having a horizontal dimension larger than that of the opening 32a formed in the housing 321. An O-ring OR is attached to the peripheral edge of the flange part 32f. As a result, as shown in Fig. 2(b), when the flange part 32f rises until it contacts the lower end of the housing 321, the inside of the housing 321 is sealed. For this reason, in the state shown in Fig. 2(b), by circulating N2 gas inside the housing 321, the housing 321, the flange part 32f, and the O-ring OR function as a processed substrate cooling part 3A that can store and cool a plurality of processed substrates W' under a sealed condition. On the other hand, the remaining part of the lifting part 322 is partitioned from the processed substrate cooling part 3A and functions as an untreated substrate storage part 3B that stores a plurality of untreated substrates W.

[0030] According to the substrate storage unit 32 described above, since the processed substrate cooling unit 3A, which is partitioned from the unprocessed substrate storage unit 3B for storing the unprocessed substrate W, can cool the processed substrate W' under sealing, it is possible to suppress particles adhering to the processed substrate W' due to processing in the chamber 1 or the like from floating in the atmosphere during cooling and adhering to the unprocessed substrate W. Here, it is preferable that the components constituting the substrate processing apparatus 100 have as small a footprint as possible. Since the substrate storage unit 32 of the present embodiment is configured to store the processed substrate W' and the unprocessed substrate W side by side in the vertical direction, for example, the footprint in the horizontal plane can be made smaller than a configuration in which they are stored side by side in the horizontal direction. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the substrate storage unit 32, and various sealing forms in the processed substrate cooling unit 3A can be adopted as long as it is possible to suppress particles adhering to the processed substrate W' from adhering to the unprocessed substrate W.

[0031] Hereinafter, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment (mainly the operation of the substrate transfer mechanism 31) will be described. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, a case where the unprocessed substrate W is processed 3 times in the chamber 1 every 4 sheets (a total of 12 unprocessed substrates W are processed) will be described as an example.

[0032] FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining the general procedure of the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the change in the position of the substrate W in each step shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the change in the position of the substrate W in each step shown in FIG. 4. The thick arrows shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 indicate the change in the position of the substrate W. Note that in FIGS. 5 and 6, for the sake of convenience, the position of the substrate holding portion 311 of the substrate transfer mechanism 31 is shown fixed, but in actuality, the substrate holding portion 311 will be displaced according to the position where the substrate W is transferred. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the substrate processing apparatus 100 executes steps S1 to S20. Hereinafter, each of steps S1 to S20 will be described.

[0033] <Step S1> In the initial state of step S1 shown in FIG. 3, under the atmospheric environment where the gate valve 5 shown in FIG. 1 is closed, twelve unprocessed substrates W (W1 to W12) are stored in the cassette 21 of the load lock chamber 2. Next, in step S1, after the inside of the load lock chamber 2 is switched to a vacuum environment, the gate valve 5 is opened. Next, the substrate holding portion 311 of the substrate transfer mechanism 31 is displaced to the load lock chamber 2, and the vertical position of the location storing the unprocessed substrate W1 in the cassette 21 is adjusted to a position where the unprocessed substrate W1 can be transferred to the substrate holding portion 311, and then the cassette 21 moves up and down in the vertical direction. Next, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 places and holds the unprocessed substrate W1 with the substrate holding portion 311, and transfers the unprocessed substrate W1 from the load lock chamber 2 to the alignment unit 33. Next, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 places and holds the unprocessed substrate W1 after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit 33 again with the substrate holding portion 311, and transfers it to the chamber 1 with the gate valve 4 open. Specifically, the substrate holding portion 311 is displaced to a position above the mounting table 11 of the chamber 1 where the unprocessed substrate W1 is to be placed, and lift pins (not shown) project upward from the mounting table 11 to transfer the unprocessed substrate W1 from the substrate holding portion 311 to the lift pins. Thereafter, the substrate holding portion 311 is displaced again from the chamber 1 toward the load lock chamber 2, and the lift pins descend and the unprocessed substrate W1 is placed on the mounting table 11. In step S1, among the twelve unprocessed substrates W1 to W12, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the same operations as described above are repeated until four unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 are transferred to the chamber 1.

[0034] <Step S2> In step S2, the gate valve 4 is closed, and predetermined processes such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and etching are performed on the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 transferred to the chamber 1.

[0035] <Step S3> In step S3, after the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 are conveyed into chamber 1 in step S1, and after the processing of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 in chamber 1 in step S2 is completed, until the obtained processed substrates W1' to W4' are carried out of chamber 1 in step S4 described below, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the unprocessed substrate W5 stored in the load lock chamber 2 (cassette 21) from the load lock chamber 2 to the alignment unit 33 in the same procedure as in step S1. Next, during the above period, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the unprocessed substrate W5 after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit 33 to the substrate storage unit 32. Specifically, at this time, the elevating unit 322 of the substrate storage unit 32 elevates so that the vertical position of the shelf portion 32e that is supposed to support the edge of the unprocessed substrate W5 is slightly lower than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding portion 311. Then, until the unprocessed substrate W5 is positioned above the shelf portion 32e, after the substrate holding portion 311 is displaced, the elevating unit 322 rises so that the vertical position of the shelf portion 32e is slightly higher than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding portion. As a result, the unprocessed substrate W5 is transferred from the substrate holding portion 311 to the shelf portion 32e of the elevating unit 322 and stored in the substrate storage unit 32. After that, the substrate holding portion 311 is displaced again from the substrate storage unit 32 toward the load lock chamber 2. In step S3, as shown in FIG. 5(b), until four unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 are conveyed to and stored in the substrate storage unit 32, the same operations as described above are repeated. Incidentally, the transfer of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage section 32 may be performed after the processed substrates W1' to W4' are unloaded from the chamber 1 in step S4 described below. However, in order to further increase the throughput, it is preferably performed while the processing of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 in the chamber 1 in step S2 is in progress. For example, if the processing time of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 in the chamber 1 is short and the transfer of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage section 32 does not end before the processing of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 in the chamber 1 is completed, the unloading of the processed substrates W1' to W4' from the chamber 1 must be waited for until the transfer of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 to the substrate storage section 32 is completed (that is, the throughput deteriorates by the amount of waiting for the unloading of the processed substrates W1' to W4' after the processing of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 is completed). For this reason, as described above, it is preferable that the transfer of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage section 32 is performed while the processing of the unprocessed substrates W1 to W4 in the chamber 1 is in progress.

[0036] <Step S4> In step S4, the gate valve 4 opens, and the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W1' obtained by processing the unprocessed substrate W1 in the chamber 1 in step S2 from the chamber 1 to the substrate storage section 32. Specifically, at this time, the elevating section 322 of the substrate storage section 32 elevates so that the vertical position of the shelf section 32d that is supposed to support the edge of the processed substrate W1' is slightly lower than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding section 311. Then, after the substrate holding section 311 is displaced until the processed substrate W1' is positioned above the shelf section 32d, the elevating section 322 rises so that the vertical position of the shelf section 32d is slightly higher than the vertical position PL of the substrate holding section. Thereby, the processed substrate W1' is transferred from the substrate holding section 311 to the shelf section 32d of the elevating section 322 and stored in the substrate storage section 32. Thereafter, the substrate holding section 311 is displaced again from the substrate storage section 32 toward the chamber 1. In step S4, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the same operations as described above are repeated until the four processed substrates W1’ to W4’ are transported to and stored in the substrate storage unit 32.

[0037] <Step S5> In step S5, after the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrates W1’ to W4’ from the chamber 1 to the substrate storage unit 32 in step S4, the gate valve 4 is closed, and the chamber 1 is subjected to a cleaning process. The cleaning process is, for example, a process of evacuating the inside of the chamber 1 and then supplying a cleaning gas such as O2 into the chamber 1 to be plasmaized, and the O radicals contained in the generated plasma react with the film composition adhered to the inside of the chamber 1 to remove this film composition. Since the details of the cleaning process are the same as those of known ones, further detailed description is omitted here.

[0038] <Step S6> In step S6, while the chamber 1 is being subjected to the cleaning process in step S5, the substrate storage unit 32 cools the transported processed substrates W1’ to W4’. The cleaning time of the chamber 1 and the cooling time of the processed substrates W1’ to W4’ do not need to completely overlap, and it is sufficient that at least a part of them overlaps. When cooling the processed substrates W1’ to W4’, the elevating part 322 of the substrate storage unit 32 rises as shown in FIG. 2(b) until its flange part 32f contacts the lower end of the housing 321. Thereby, the processed substrates W1’ to W4’ are stored in the processed substrate cooling unit 3A under sealing. On the other hand, the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 transported in step S3 are stored in the unprocessed substrate storage unit 3B partitioned from the processed substrate cooling unit 3A. And in this state, by circulating N2 gas in the housing 321, the processed substrates W1’ to W4’ are cooled. In this way, the processed substrate cooling unit 3A, which is partitioned from the unprocessed substrate storage unit 3B storing the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8, can cool the processed substrates W1' to W4' under sealing. Therefore, it is possible to suppress particles adhering to the processed substrates W1' to W4' due to processing in the chamber 1 from floating in the atmosphere during cooling and adhering to the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8.

[0039] <Step S7> In step S7, after the cleaning process of the chamber 1 in step S5 and the cooling of the processed substrates W1' to W4' in step S6 are completed, the gate valve 4 opens, and the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the unprocessed substrate W5 stored in the substrate storage unit 32 into the chamber 1. Specifically, at this time, the elevating unit 322 of the substrate storage unit 32 elevates so that the vertical position of the shelf unit 32e that supports the edge of the unprocessed substrate W5 is slightly above the vertical position PL of the substrate holding unit 311. Then, after the substrate holding unit 311 is displaced until it is positioned below the unprocessed substrate W5, the elevating unit 322 descends until the edge of the unprocessed substrate W5 separates from the shelf unit 32e. As a result, the unprocessed substrate W5 is transferred from the shelf unit 32e to the substrate holding unit 311, and then the substrate holding unit 311 holding the unprocessed substrate W5 is displaced from the substrate storage unit 32 toward the chamber 1, and the unprocessed substrate W5 is placed on the mounting table 11. In step S7, as shown in FIG. 5(d), until the four unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 are transferred into the chamber 1 and placed on the mounting table 1, the same operations as those described above are repeated.

[0040] <Step S8> In step S8, the gate valve 4 closes, and a predetermined process is performed on the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 transferred into the chamber 1.

[0041] <Step S9> In step S9, after the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 are conveyed into chamber 1 in step S7, and after the processing of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 in chamber 1 in step S8 is completed, until the obtained processed substrates W5' to W8' are carried out of chamber 1 in step S11 described below, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W1' after cooling in step S6 from the substrate storage unit 32 to the load lock chamber 2. Specifically, when carrying out the processed substrate W1' from the substrate storage unit 32, the elevating part 322 of the substrate storage unit 32 moves up and down so that the vertical position of the shelf part 32d that holds the edge of the processed substrate W1' is slightly above the vertical position PL of the substrate holding part 311. Then, after the substrate holding part 311 is displaced until it is located below the processed substrate W1', and until the edge of the processed substrate W1' leaves the shelf part 32d, the elevating part 322 descends. Thereby, the processed substrate W1' is transferred from the shelf part 32d to the substrate holding part 311, and then, the substrate holding part 311 that holds the processed substrate W1' is displaced from the substrate storage unit 32 toward the load lock chamber 2. Also, when carrying the processed substrate W1' into the load lock chamber 2, the cassette 21 moves up and down in the vertical direction so that the vertical position of the location where the processed substrate W1' is to be stored in the cassette 21 becomes a position where the processed substrate W1' can be transferred to the said location, and the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W1' from the substrate holding part 311 to the cassette 21. Thereby, the processed substrate W1' is stored in the cassette 21. In step S9, as shown in FIG. 5(e), until the four processed substrates W1' to W4' are conveyed into the load lock chamber 2 and stored in the cassette 21, the same operations as those described above are repeated.

[0042] <Step S10> In step S10, after the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 are transferred to chamber 1 in step S7, and after the processing of the unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 in chamber 1 in step S8 is completed, until the obtained processed substrates W5' to W8' are unloaded from chamber 1 in step S11 described below, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the unprocessed substrate W9 stored in the load lock chamber 2 (cassette 21) to the alignment unit 33 from the load lock chamber 2 in the same procedure as in step S3, and transfers the unprocessed substrate W9 after being positionally adjusted in the alignment unit 33 to the substrate storage unit 32. In step S10, as shown in FIG. 5(f), until four unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 are transferred to and stored in the substrate storage unit 32, the same operations as described above are repeated.

[0043] <Step S11> In step S11, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W5' obtained by processing the unprocessed substrate W5 in chamber 1 in step S8 from chamber 1 to the substrate storage unit 32 in the same procedure as in step S4. In step S11, as shown in FIG. 5(g), until four processed substrates W5' to W8' are transferred to and stored in the substrate storage unit 32, the same operations as described above are repeated.

[0044] <Step S12> In step S12 shown in FIG. 4, similar to step S5, after the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrates W5' to W8' from chamber 1 to the substrate storage unit 32 in step S11, the gate valve 4 is closed, and chamber 1 is subjected to a cleaning process.

[0045] <Step S13> In step S13, similar to step S6, while chamber 1 is being subjected to a cleaning process in step S12, the substrate storage unit 32 cools the transferred processed substrates W5' to W8'.

[0046] <Step S14> In step S14, similar to step S7, after the cleaning process of chamber 1 in step S12 and the cooling of the processed substrates W5' to W8' in step S13 are completed, the gate valve 4 opens, and the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the unprocessed substrate W9 stored in the substrate storage unit 32 to chamber 1. In step S14, as shown in FIG. 5(h), the same operations as described above are repeated until the four unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 are transferred to chamber 1 and placed on the placement table 1.

[0047] <Step S15> In step S15, similar to step S8, the gate valve 4 closes, and a predetermined process is performed on the unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 transferred to chamber 1.

[0048] <Step S16> In step S16, similar to step S9, after the unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 are transferred to chamber 1 in step S14, until the processing of the unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 in chamber 1 in step S15 is completed and the obtained processed substrates W9' to W12' are unloaded from chamber 1 in step S17 described later, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W5' after cooling in step S13 from the substrate storage unit 32 to the load lock chamber 2. In step S16, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the same operations as described above are repeated until the four processed substrates W5' to W8' are transferred to the load lock chamber 2 and stored in the cassette 21. Note that in the aforementioned step S9, subsequently, step S10 of transporting the unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage section 32 via the alignment section 33 is executed. However, at the stage of executing step S16, since there are no unprocessed substrates W remaining in the load lock chamber 2 (in this embodiment, the case of processing a total of 12 unprocessed substrates W1 to W12 is taken as an example), after step S16, steps similar to the aforementioned step S10 are not executed. Different from this embodiment, when processing 12 or more unprocessed substrates W, such as 16 or 20, after step S16, steps similar to the aforementioned step S10 will be executed.

[0049] <Step S17> In step S17, similar to step S11, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W9' obtained by processing the unprocessed substrate W9 in chamber 1 in step S15 from chamber 1 to the substrate storage section 32. In step S17, as shown in FIG. 6(b), until the four processed substrates W9' to W12' are transferred to and stored in the substrate storage section 32, operations similar to those described above are repeated.

[0050] <Step S18> In step S18, similar to step S12, after the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrates W9' to W12' from chamber 1 to the substrate storage section 32 in step S17, the gate valve 4 is closed, and chamber 1 is subjected to a cleaning process.

[0051] <Step S19> In step S19, similar to step S13, while chamber 1 is being subjected to a cleaning process in step S18, the substrate storage section 32 cools the transferred processed substrates W9' to W12'.

[0052] <Step S20> In step S20, similar to step S16, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transfers the processed substrate W9' after cooling in step S19 from the substrate storage section 32 to the load lock chamber 2. In step S20, as shown in FIG. 6(c), until the four processed substrates W9' to W12' are transported to the load lock chamber 2 and stored in the cassette 21, the same operations as described above are repeated.

[0053] As described above, by the substrate processing apparatus 100 executing steps S1 to S20, the 12 unprocessed substrates W1 to W12 stored in the cassette 21 of the load lock chamber 2 are processed in the chamber 1 and are stored again in the cassette 21 of the load lock chamber 2 as the processed substrates W1' to W12'.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a timing chart of the conveyance of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment described above and an example of a timing chart of the conveyance of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus according to the reference example. FIG. 7(a) shows an example of a timing chart of the conveyance of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 7(b) shows an example of a timing chart of the conveyance of the substrate W by the substrate processing apparatus according to the reference example. The substrate processing apparatus according to the reference example is different from the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment only in that the substrate storage unit 32 is replaced with a configuration capable of storing one processed substrate W' and cooling (a configuration incapable of storing the unprocessed substrate W). The timing chart shown in FIG. 7 is a timing chart when a film forming process for forming a film type A on the substrate W is performed in the chamber 1. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents the position of each substrate W. Also, the changes in the positions of substrates W1 to W4 (untreated substrates W1 to W4 and treated substrates W1' to W4') are shown by solid lines, the changes in the positions of substrates W5 to W8 (untreated substrates W5 to W8 and treated substrates W5' to W8') are shown by broken lines, and the changes in the positions of substrates W9 to W12 (untreated substrates W9 to W12 and treated substrates W9' to W12') are shown by dotted lines. That is, when a line (solid line, broken line, or dotted line) is located within the frame of the load lock chamber 2 on the vertical axis, it means that the substrate W is located in the load lock chamber 2; when the line is located within the frame of the vacuum transfer chamber 3, it means that the substrate W is located in the vacuum transfer chamber 3; and when the line is located within the frame of the chamber 1, it means that the substrate W is located in the chamber 1. Further, the origin of the horizontal axis shown in FIG. 7 (elapsed time = 0) indicates the time when the untreated substrates W1 to W4 have been completely stored in the cassette 21 of the load lock chamber 2 in the atmospheric environment. In FIG. 7, the time from when the elapsed time = 0 until the substrate W1 starts to be unloaded from the load lock chamber 2 is the time required for the transfer preparation to be completed in the load lock chamber 2 (the time required for switching the inside of the load lock chamber 2 to the vacuum environment, etc.). Also, in FIG. 7, the transfer time from the load lock chamber 2 to the vacuum transfer chamber 3 (substrate storage section 32) and the transfer time from the load lock chamber 2 to the chamber 1 via the vacuum transfer chamber 3 include the time required for the position adjustment of the substrate W in the alignment section 33.

[0055] According to the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, after a plurality of unprocessed substrates W are transported into the chamber 1, until a plurality of processed substrates W' obtained after the processing in the chamber 1 are carried out of the chamber 1, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W stored in the load lock chamber 2 are transported from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage unit 32 via the alignment unit 33 (steps S3, S10). In the example shown in FIG. 7(a), while a plurality of processed substrates W1' to W4' are being carried out of the chamber 1, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W5 to W8 stored in the load lock chamber 2 are transported from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage unit 32 of the vacuum transfer chamber 3. Similarly, while a plurality of processed substrates W5' to W8' are being carried out of the chamber 1, a plurality of unprocessed substrates W9 to W12 stored in the load lock chamber 2 are transported from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage unit 32 of the vacuum transfer chamber 3. Therefore, after the obtained plurality of processed substrates W' are carried out of the chamber 1 and transported to the substrate storage unit 32, it is only necessary to transport the unprocessed substrate W from the substrate storage unit 32 to the chamber 1 (steps S7, S14), and the throughput can be increased as compared with the reference example shown in FIG. 7(b). Further, according to the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, after the substrate transfer mechanism 31 transports a plurality of processed substrates W' from the chamber 1 to the substrate storage unit 32, the chamber 1 is subjected to a cleaning process, and the substrate storage unit 32 cools the plurality of transported processed substrates W' while the chamber 1 is being subjected to the cleaning process. In the example shown in FIG. 7(a), while the chamber 1 is being subjected to the cleaning process, a plurality of processed substrates W1' to W4' are being cooled. Similarly, while the chamber 1 is being subjected to the cleaning process, a plurality of processed substrates W5' to W8' are being cooled. Further, while the chamber 1 is being subjected to the cleaning process, a plurality of processed substrates W9' to W12' are being cooled. That is, since the cleaning process of the chamber 1 (steps S5, S12, S18) and the cooling of the plurality of processed substrates W' (steps S6, S13, S19) are performed in parallel, the throughput can be increased as compared with the reference example shown in FIG. 7(b).

[0056] Regarding the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, when evaluating the throughput in the case of processing the unprocessed substrates W in batches of 4, six times in chamber 1 (processing a total of 24 unprocessed substrates W (forming a film of film type A)), it was 10.29 wph. "wph" is an abbreviation for wafers per hour and means the number of substrates W processed per hour. On the other hand, regarding the reference example, when evaluating the throughput in the case of processing the unprocessed substrates W in batches of 4, six times in chamber 1 (processing a total of 24 unprocessed substrates W), it was 6.16 wph. That is, it was found that according to the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the throughput is improved by 67.0% compared to the reference example. In addition, when similarly evaluating the throughput in the case of performing a film-forming process for forming a film of a film type B different from the film type A on the substrate W in chamber 1, for the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, it was 7.06 wph, and for the reference example, it was 4.93 wph. That is, it was found that according to the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the throughput is improved by 43.2% compared to the reference example.

[0057] In this embodiment, chamber 1 has been described by taking as an example a configuration including one mounting table 11 for mounting four substrates W, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as chamber 1 can simultaneously process a plurality of substrates W, it is also possible to adopt a configuration including one mounting table 11 for mounting two, three, or five or more substrates W. Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which chamber 1 includes a plurality of mounting tables 11 for mounting one substrate W, the number of which is equal to the number of substrates W to be processed simultaneously.

[0058] Also, in this embodiment, the substrate holding portion 311 on which one substrate W is mounted and held has been described by taking as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a plurality of substrates W are mounted and held on the substrate holding portion 311, such as the vacuum transfer arm described in Patent Document 1.

[0059] In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate storage unit 32 that can store four processed substrates W' and four unprocessed substrates W has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The substrate storage unit 32 may have a configuration that can store the processed substrates W' and the unprocessed substrates W in the number corresponding to the number of substrates W to be processed simultaneously in the chamber 1, respectively.

[0060] Also, in this embodiment, as a preferred aspect, the configuration in which the alignment unit 33 is provided in the vacuum transfer chamber 3 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration without the alignment unit 33 may also be adopted. In this case, in the aforementioned step S1, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 directly transfers the unprocessed substrate W from the load lock chamber 2 to the chamber 1. Further, in the aforementioned steps S3 and S10, the substrate transfer mechanism 31 directly transfers the unprocessed substrate W from the load lock chamber 2 to the substrate storage unit 32.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the substrate holding unit 311 of the substrate transfer mechanism 31 is displaceable in a horizontal plane at a certain vertical position has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration in which the substrate holding unit 311 is also displaceable in the vertical direction in addition to the horizontal plane may also be adopted. When adopting this configuration, when transferring the substrate W between the substrate holding unit 311 and the substrate storage unit 32, a mode in which the substrate holding unit 311 moves up and down instead of the substrate storage unit 32 moving up and down as described above, or a mode in which the substrate holding unit 311 moves up and down in addition to the substrate storage unit 32 moving up and down may be considered.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0062] 1 ··· Chamber 2 ··· Load Lock Chamber 3 ··· Vacuum Transfer Chamber 31 ··· Substrate Transfer Mechanism 32 ··· Substrate Storage Unit 33 ··· Alignment Unit 3A ··· Processed Substrate Cooling Unit 3B ··· Unprocessed Substrate Storage Unit 100 ··· Substrate Processing Apparatus W... substrate, untreated substrate W’... treated substrate

Claims

1. A chamber for simultaneously processing a plurality of substrates, a load lock chamber for storing substrates, and a vacuum transfer chamber connected to the chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein in the vacuum transfer chamber, a substrate transfer mechanism for transferring an unprocessed substrate stored in the load lock chamber to the chamber and transferring a processed substrate processed in the chamber to the load lock chamber, a substrate storage unit that can store and cool a plurality of processed substrates processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism, and can store a plurality of unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism, is provided. A substrate processing apparatus.

2. The substrate storage unit includes a processed substrate cooling unit that can store and cool a plurality of processed substrates processed in the chamber and transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism under sealing, and an unprocessed substrate storage unit that is partitioned from the processed substrate cooling unit and stores a plurality of unprocessed substrates transferred from the load lock chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism. The substrate processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The substrate transfer mechanism after transferring a plurality of unprocessed substrates to the chamber, until the processing of the plurality of unprocessed substrates in the chamber is completed and the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber from the load lock chamber to the substrate storage unit, carries out the obtained plurality of processed substrates from the chamber and transfers them to the substrate storage unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. After the substrate transfer mechanism transfers the plurality of processed substrates from the chamber to the substrate storage unit, a cleaning process is performed on the chamber, and the substrate storage unit cools the plurality of transferred processed substrates while the cleaning process is being performed on the chamber. The substrate processing apparatus according to Claim 3.

5. An alignment unit for adjusting the position of the substrate is provided in the vacuum transfer chamber, and the substrate transfer mechanism after transferring a plurality of unprocessed substrates to the chamber, until the processing of the plurality of unprocessed substrates in the chamber is completed and the obtained plurality of processed substrates are carried out of the chamber, transfers a plurality of unprocessed substrates stored in the load lock chamber from the load lock chamber to the alignment unit, and transfers the plurality of unprocessed substrates after being position-adjusted by the alignment unit to the substrate storage unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3.

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