Substrate Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a substrate treatment apparatus that can strike a balance between installation of a rotation mechanism of a rotation arm to a central part of a vacuum treatment vessel and simplification of an exhaust path.SOLUTION: A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a vacuum treatment vessel; and a rotation arm of which rotation shaft is positioned in the central part of the vacuum treatment vessel. The rotation arm has a hollow rotary cylinder that constitutes the rotation shaft. The hollow part of the rotary cylinder constitutes an exhaust path of the vacuum treatment vessel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been proposed that in a reduced pressure drying apparatus, a reinforcing rib is joined to extend in a direction intersecting adjacent edges of a quadrilateral chamber lid, thereby suppressing deformation of the chamber lid during decompression and suppressing occurrence of peeling at welded parts (Patent Document 1).In addition, as a substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates (hereinafter also referred to as wafers) in a substrate processing system, a substrate processing apparatus that processes four wafers simultaneously in one chamber is known (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-41790 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-220509 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus that can simultaneously provide a rotating mechanism for a rotating arm in the center of a vacuum processing vessel and simplify the exhaust path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure has a vacuum processing vessel and a rotating arm whose rotation axis is located in the center of the vacuum processing vessel, and the rotating arm has a hollow rotating cylinder that forms the rotation axis, and the hollow portion of the rotating cylinder forms an exhaust path for the vacuum processing vessel. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to simultaneously provide a rotation mechanism for a rotation arm in the center of a vacuum processing vessel and simplify the exhaust path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the processing space and the rotating arm at the standby position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the processing space and the rotating arm at the wafer holding position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a moving path of a wafer in the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an exhaust path of the substrate processing apparatus in this embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in this embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in Modification 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view showing an example of a cross section near the junction exhaust port in the second modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following preferred embodiments.

[0009] In the substrate processing apparatus in which the above-mentioned four wafers are processed simultaneously in one chamber, a confluence exhaust path where exhaust paths from the processing spaces of each wafer join is provided in the center (central region) of the substrate processing apparatus. In contrast, if a rotating arm is provided in the center of the chamber to transport the wafer between each processing space, exhaust paths are provided on the outer periphery side of each processing space and each exhaust path joins at the bottom of the chamber, which increases the size of the chamber and complicates the exhaust path. Furthermore, in such a configuration, since a beam cannot be provided in the center of the chamber, the center, which is a vacuum atmosphere, may deform due to atmospheric pressure, which may affect the process performance in each processing space. Therefore, it is expected that both the installation of a rotating mechanism for the rotating arm in the center of the vacuum processing vessel (chamber) and the simplification of the exhaust path can be achieved. It is also expected that deformation of the vacuum processing vessel can be suppressed.

[0010] [Configuration of substrate processing equipment] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the substrate processing apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a film forming apparatus that performs plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) processing on a wafer W. The substrate processing apparatus 2 is an example of a process module and a vacuum processing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 2 includes a processing vessel (vacuum vessel) 20 that is rectangular in plan view. The processing vessel 20 is configured to be able to maintain a vacuum atmosphere inside. That is, the processing vessel 20 is an example of a vacuum processing vessel. The processing vessel 20 is configured by closing an open portion on the upper surface with a gas supply unit 4 and a manifold 36, which will be described later. In FIG. 1, partitions and the like inside are omitted so that the relationship between the processing spaces S1 to S4 and the rotating arm 3 can be easily understood. The processing vessel 20 has two loading / unloading ports 21 formed on the side connected to a vacuum transfer chamber (not shown) so as to be aligned in the Y direction. The loading / unloading ports 21 are opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown).

[0011] A plurality of processing spaces S1 to S4 are provided inside the processing vessel 20. A mounting table 22 is provided in each of the processing spaces S1 to S4. The mounting table 22 is vertically movable, moving to an upper position when processing the wafer W, and moving to a lower position when transferring the wafer W. A transfer space T is provided below the processing spaces S1 to S4, which connects the processing spaces S1 to S4 and transfers the wafer W by a rotating arm 3. The transfer space T below the processing spaces S1 and S2 is connected to each of the transfer ports 21, and the wafer W is transferred between the vacuum transfer chamber and the transfer space T by a substrate transfer mechanism (not shown). The substrate transfer mechanism is configured such that a substrate holder of the substrate transfer mechanism can hold, for example, two wafers W simultaneously so as to transfer two wafers W to the substrate processing apparatus 2 at a time.

[0012] The mounting tables 22 in the processing spaces S1 to S4 are laid out in two rows and two columns when viewed from above. In this layout, the row spacing and the column spacing have different dimensions. In other words, when comparing the Y-directional pitch (row spacing) Py of the mounting tables 22 with the X-directional pitch (column spacing) Px, the pitch Py is greater than the pitch Px.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the processing space and the rotating arm at the standby position. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the processing space and the rotating arm at the wafer holding position. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the rotating arm 3 has four end effectors 32 capable of holding the wafers W mounted on the mounting tables 22, and a base member 33 whose rotation axis is located at the center of a 2-row, 2-column layout. The four end effectors 32 are connected to the base member 33 so as to be in an X shape. That is, the rotating arm 3 has the same number of end effectors 32 as the processing spaces S1 to S4. The X shape of the rotating arm 3 is configured such that, at the wafer W holding position shown in FIG. 3, the dimension in the Y direction corresponding to the row spacing of the X shape is different from the dimension in the X direction corresponding to the column spacing.

[0014] 2, the rotating arm 3 is positioned between the processing spaces S1 to S4, and does not impede the vertical movement of each mounting stage 22. In FIG. 2, a wafer W is placed on each mounting stage 22. The movement of the rotating arm 3 will be described when, for example, the wafers W in the first and second rows are transferred from this state so as to be interchanged, that is, when the wafers W in the processing spaces S1, S2 are transferred to the processing spaces S3, S4, and the wafers W in the processing spaces S3, S4 are transferred to the processing spaces S1, S2.

[0015] First, each mounting table 22 is moved to a transfer position in the lower transfer space T, and the lift pins 26 (described later) provided on each mounting table 22 are raised to lift the wafer W. Next, the rotating arm 3 is rotated clockwise by about 30°, and each end effector 32 is inserted between the mounting table 22 and the wafer W as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the lift pins 26 are lowered to place the wafer W on each end effector 32. Next, the rotating arm 3 is rotated clockwise by 180°, and the wafer W is transported to a holding position on each mounting table 22. When each mounting table 22 raises the lift pins 26 to receive the wafer W, the rotating arm 3 is rotated counterclockwise by about 30° to move to a standby position. In this manner, the first and second rows of wafers W can be transported in a swapped manner by the rotating arm 3. This allows the time required for transporting the wafer W to be reduced when, for example, different processes are repeated in the processing spaces S1, S2 and the processing spaces S3, S4 (for example, when a film formation process and an annealing process are repeated).

[0016] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a movement path of a wafer in the substrate processing apparatus in this embodiment. Fig. 4 illustrates a movement path when a wafer W is transferred from a vacuum transfer chamber (not shown) to the inside of the substrate processing apparatus 2. First, two wafers W are simultaneously loaded onto each mounting table 22 at a transfer position in the transfer space T at the bottom of the processing spaces S1, S2 corresponding to the mounting tables 22 in the same row, as shown by a path F1, by a substrate transfer mechanism (not shown) in the vacuum transfer chamber. Each mounting table 22 in the processing spaces S1, S2 raises the lift pins 26 to receive the wafer W.

[0017] Next, the rotating arm 3 is rotated clockwise by about 30° from the standby position, the end effector 32 is inserted between the wafer W and the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S1 and S2, and the lift pins 26 are lowered to place the wafer W on each end effector 32. After the wafer W is placed, the rotating arm 3 is rotated clockwise by 180° as shown by the path F2, and the wafer W is transferred onto the mounting table 22 (the holding position of the rotating arm 3) at the transfer position of the transfer space T at the bottom of the processing spaces S3 and S4. When the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S3 and S4 raises the lift pins 26 to receive the wafer W, the rotating arm 3 is rotated counterclockwise by about 30° and moved to the standby position. In this state, the wafer W is not placed on the mounting table 22 in the processing spaces S1 and S2, and the wafer W is placed on the mounting table 22 in the processing spaces S3 and S4. Next, two wafers W are simultaneously loaded onto each mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S1, S2 by the substrate transfer mechanism in the vacuum transfer chamber, as shown by path F1, and the wafers W are placed on the mounting tables 22 in the processing spaces S1, S2, so that the wafers W are placed on all mounting tables 22 in the processing spaces S1 to S4.

[0018] Similarly, when unloading, first, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S1 and S2 is unloaded into the vacuum transfer chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism. Next, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S3 and S4 is transferred by the rotating arm 3 to the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S1 and S2. Next, the wafer W placed on the mounting table 22 at the transfer position at the bottom of the processing spaces S1 and S2 is unloaded into the vacuum transfer chamber by the substrate transfer mechanism. In this way, by using the substrate transfer mechanism capable of loading and unloading two wafers W at a time and the rotating arm 3, the wafer W can be loaded and unloaded into and from the processing spaces S1 to S4.

[0019] Also, when the wafer W is transported by the rotating arm 3, the misalignment of the wafer W with respect to the mounting table 22 at the transport destination may be detected and the mounting table 22 may be slightly moved in the XY plane to correct the misalignment of the wafer W. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus 2 has misalignment detection sensors that detect the misalignment of the wafer W at rotationally symmetric positions within the row intervals or column intervals on the rotation trajectory of the wafer W held by the rotating arm 3. In the example of Fig. 4, sensors 31a and 31b are provided between the processing spaces S1 and S2 and between the processing spaces S3 and S4, which are within the row intervals, respectively.

[0020] The sensors 31a and 31b are, for example, a pair of two optical sensors, and are arranged on a straight line in the X direction passing through the center of the substrate processing apparatus 2, that is, the center position of the 2-row, 2-column layout. This is to reduce errors by making the expansion direction due to thermal expansion of the processing vessel 20 the same direction for the two sensors. Note that the arrangement positions of the sensors 31a and 31b are not limited to the X direction as long as they are on a straight line passing through the center of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The substrate processing apparatus 2 detects the amount of misalignment of the wafer W by comparing the front and rear edges of the wafer W detected by the sensors 31a and 31b with the output result of an encoder (not shown) provided on the rotating arm 3.

[0021] 4, position P24 indicates a state where the rear edge of the wafer W passes the sensor 31b when transferred from the processing space S2 to S4, and position P42 indicates a state where the rear edge of the wafer W passes the sensor 31a when transferred from the processing space S4 to S2. The substrate processing apparatus 2 can correct the misalignment of the wafer W by minutely moving the mounting table 22 in the XY plane according to the detected amount of misalignment. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 2 adjusts the misalignment so that the wafer W is located at the center of the processing spaces S1 to S4 when the mounting table 22 is raised. Note that the term "minor" used here means within about 5 mm.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an exhaust path of the substrate processing apparatus in this embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the processing vessel 20 viewed from above with a gas supply unit 4 described later removed. As shown in FIG. 5, a manifold 36 is disposed at the center of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The manifold 36 has a plurality of exhaust paths 361 connected to the processing spaces S1 to S4. Each exhaust path 361 is connected to a hole 351 of a thrust nut 35 described later at the center lower part of the manifold 36. Each exhaust path 361 is connected to an annular flow path 363 in each guide member 362 provided at the upper part of the processing spaces S1 to S4. That is, gas in the processing spaces S1 to S4 is exhausted to a joint exhaust port 205 described later through the flow path 363, the exhaust path 361, and the hole 351. The manifold 36 is an example of an exhaust manifold.

[0023] Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in this embodiment. The cross section of Fig. 6 corresponds to the cross section of the substrate processing apparatus 2 taken along line AA shown in Fig. 5. The four processing spaces S1 to S4 have the same configuration, and are each formed between a mounting table 22 on which a wafer W is mounted and a gas supply unit 4 arranged opposite to the mounting table 22. In other words, the mounting table 22 and the gas supply unit 4 are provided in the processing vessel 20 for each of the four processing spaces S1 to S4. Fig. 6 shows processing spaces S1 and S3. The processing space S1 will be described below as an example.

[0024] The mounting table 22 also serves as the lower electrode, and is formed in a flat cylindrical shape made of, for example, metal or aluminum nitride (AlN) with a metal mesh electrode embedded therein. The mounting table 22 is supported from below by a support member 23. The support member 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape, extends vertically downward, and penetrates a bottom 27 of the processing vessel 20. A lower end of the support member 23 is located outside the processing vessel 20 and is connected to a rotation drive mechanism 600. The support member 23 is rotated by the rotation drive mechanism 600. The mounting table 22 is configured to be rotatable in response to the rotation of the support member 23. In addition, an adjustment mechanism 700 is provided at the lower end of the support member 23 for adjusting the position and inclination of the mounting table 22. The mounting table 22 is configured to be able to rise and fall between the processing position and the transfer position via the support member 23 by the adjustment mechanism 700. In FIG. 6, the mounting table 22 at the transfer position is depicted by a solid line, and the mounting table 22 at the processing position is depicted by a dashed line. The transfer position shows a state in which the end effector 32 is inserted between the mounting table 22 and the wafer W to receive the wafer W from the lift pins 26. The processing position is a position at which a substrate process (e.g., a film formation process) is performed, and the transfer position is a position at which the wafer W is transferred between the end effector 32 and a substrate transport mechanism (not shown).

[0025] A heater 24 is embedded in the mounting table 22. The heater 24 heats each wafer W mounted on the mounting table 22 to, for example, about 60° C. to 600° C. In addition, the mounting table 22 is connected to a ground potential.

[0026] Further, the mounting table 22 is provided with a plurality of (for example, three) pin through holes 26a, and the lift pins 26 are disposed inside the pin through holes 26a. The pin through holes 26a are provided so as to penetrate from the mounting surface (upper surface) of the mounting table 22 to the back surface (lower surface) opposite to the mounting surface. The lift pins 26 are slidably inserted into the pin through holes 26a. The upper ends of the lift pins 26 are suspended from the mounting surface side of the pin through holes 26a. That is, the upper ends of the lift pins 26 have a larger diameter than the pin through holes 26a, and the upper ends of the pin through holes 26a have a recessed portion formed therein that is larger in diameter and thickness than the upper end of the lift pin 26 and can accommodate the upper end of the lift pin 26. As a result, the upper ends of the lift pins 26 are engaged with the mounting table 22 and suspended from the mounting surface side of the pin through holes 26a. The lower ends of the lift pins 26 protrude from the rear surface of the mounting table 22 toward the bottom 27 of the processing vessel 20 and are provided so as to be able to come into contact with a lifting mechanism (not shown).

[0027] When the mounting table 22 is raised to the processing position, the upper ends of the lift pins 26 are stored in the recesses of the pin through holes 26a on the mounting surface side. When the mounting table 22 is lowered from this state to the delivery position and the lift pins 26 are raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown), the upper ends of the lift pins 26 protrude from the mounting surface of the mounting table 22.

[0028] The gas supply unit 4 is provided above the mounting table 22 on the ceiling of the processing vessel 20 via a guide member 362 made of an insulating member. The gas supply unit 4 functions as an upper electrode. The gas supply unit 4 includes a lid 42, a shower plate 43 that forms an opposing surface provided to face the mounting surface of the mounting table 22, and a gas flow chamber 44 formed between the lid 42 and the shower plate 43. A gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the lid 42, and the shower plate 43 has gas discharge holes 45 that penetrate the shower plate 43 in the thickness direction and are arranged, for example, vertically and horizontally, so that gas is discharged toward the mounting table 22 in a shower-like manner.

[0029] Each gas supply unit 4 is connected to a gas supply system 50 via a gas supply pipe 51. The gas supply system 50 includes supply sources of, for example, a reactive gas (film forming gas) which is a processing gas, a purge gas, and a cleaning gas, as well as piping, a valve V, and a flow rate adjustment unit M. The gas supply system 50 includes, for example, a cleaning gas supply source 53, a reactive gas supply source 54, a purge gas supply source 55, valves V1 to V3 provided in the piping of each supply source, and flow rate adjustment units M1 to M3.

[0030] The cleaning gas supply source 53 is connected to a cleaning gas supply path 532 via a flow rate regulator M1, a valve V1, and a remote plasma unit (RPU) 531. The cleaning gas supply path 532 branches into four systems downstream of the RPU 531, and each system is connected to the gas supply pipe 51. Valves V11 to V14 are provided for each branch pipe downstream of the RPU 531, and the corresponding valves V11 to V14 are opened during cleaning. For convenience, only the valves V11 and V14 are shown in FIG. 6.

[0031] The reactive gas supply source 54 and the purge gas supply source 55 are connected to a gas supply line 52 via flow rate adjusters M2 and M3 and valves V2 and V3, respectively. The gas supply line 52 is connected to a gas supply line 51 via a gas supply line 510. Note that in FIG. 6, the gas supply line 52 and the gas supply line 510 are a collective representation of the supply lines and supply lines corresponding to the gas supply units 4.

[0032] A high-frequency power supply 41 is connected to the shower plate 43 via a matching box 40. The shower plate 43 functions as an upper electrode facing the mounting table 22. When high-frequency power is applied between the shower plate 43 as the upper electrode and the mounting table 22 as the lower electrode, the gas (reactive gas in this example) supplied from the shower plate 43 to the processing space S1 can be turned into plasma by capacitive coupling.

[0033] Next, the exhaust path from the processing spaces S1 to S4 to the joint exhaust port 205 will be described. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the exhaust path runs from annular flow paths 363 in guide members 362 provided in the upper parts of the processing spaces S1 to S4 through exhaust paths 361, via a joint part at the center lower part of the manifold 36, and hole 351, to the joint exhaust port 205. The cross section of the exhaust path 361 is formed to be, for example, circular.

[0034] Around each of the processing spaces S1 to S4, an exhaust guide member 362 is provided so as to surround each of the processing spaces S1 to S4. The guide member 362 is, for example, an annular body provided so as to surround the area around the mounting table 22 at the processing position with a gap therebetween. The guide member 362 is configured to form an internal flow path 363 having, for example, a rectangular vertical cross section and an annular shape in plan view. In FIG. 5, the processing spaces S1 to S4, the guide member 362, the exhaust path 361, and the manifold 36 are shown in schematic form.

[0035] The guide member 362 forms a slit-shaped slit exhaust port 364 that opens toward the processing spaces S1 to S4. In this way, the slit exhaust port 364 is formed along the circumferential direction on the side periphery of each of the processing spaces S1 to S4. An exhaust path 361 is connected to the flow path 363, and the processing gas exhausted from the slit exhaust port 364 is caused to flow toward the junction at the center lower part of the manifold 36 and the hole 351.

[0036] 5, the sets of processing spaces S1-S2 and S3-S4 are arranged with 180° rotational symmetry around the manifold 36 when viewed from the top. As a result, the flow paths of the processing gas from each of the processing spaces S1 to S4 through the slit exhaust port 364, the flow path 363 of the guide member 362, and the exhaust path 361 to the hole 351 are formed with 180° rotational symmetry around the hole 351.

[0037] The hole 351 is connected to an exhaust pipe 61 via a joint exhaust port 205 inside a thrust pipe 341 of a two-axis vacuum seal 34 arranged in the center of the processing vessel 20. The exhaust pipe 61 is connected to a vacuum pump 62 constituting a vacuum exhaust mechanism via a valve mechanism 7. One vacuum pump 62 is provided for each processing vessel 20, for example, and exhaust pipes downstream of the vacuum pumps 62 are joined together and connected to, for example, a factory exhaust system.

[0038] The valve mechanism 7 opens and closes a flow path for the process gas formed in the exhaust pipe 61, and has, for example, a casing 71 and an opening / closing unit 72. A first opening 73 connected to the upstream exhaust pipe 61 is formed on the top surface of the casing 71, and a second opening 74 connected to the downstream exhaust pipe is formed on the side surface of the casing 71.

[0039] The opening / closing unit 72 includes an opening / closing valve 721 formed to a size for closing the first opening 73, and a lifting mechanism 722 provided outside the casing 71 for lifting the opening / closing valve 721 in the casing 71. The opening / closing valve 721 is configured to be freely raised and lowered between a closed position for closing the first opening 73 shown by a dashed line in FIG. 6 and an open position for retreating below the first and second openings 73 and 74 shown by a solid line in FIG. 6. When the opening / closing valve 721 is in the closed position, the downstream end of the joint exhaust port 205 is closed, and exhausting of the inside of the processing vessel 20 is stopped. When the opening / closing valve 721 is in the open position, the downstream end of the joint exhaust port 205 is opened, and exhausting of the inside of the processing vessel 20 is performed.

[0040] Next, a description will be given of the biaxial vacuum seal 34 and the thrust nut 35. The biaxial vacuum seal 34 has a thrust pipe 341, bearings 342 and 344, a rotor 343, a main body 345, magnetic fluid seals 346 and 347, and a direct drive motor 348.

[0041] The thrust pipe 341 is a non-rotating central shaft, and receives a thrust load applied to the central upper portion of the substrate processing apparatus 2 via the thrust nut 35. That is, when the processing spaces S1 to S4 are made into a vacuum atmosphere, the thrust pipe 341 receives a vacuum load applied to the central portion of the substrate processing apparatus 2, thereby suppressing deformation of the upper portion of the substrate processing apparatus 2. The thrust pipe 341 has a hollow structure, and its inside is a joint exhaust port 205. The upper surface of the thrust pipe 341 abuts against the lower surface of the thrust nut 35. The gap between the inner surface of the upper portion of the thrust pipe 341 and the outer surface of the convex portion on the inner periphery side of the thrust nut 35 is sealed by an O-ring (not shown). The lower surface of the thrust pipe 341 is fixed to the main body 345 by a bolt (not shown).

[0042] The outer peripheral side of thrust nut 35 has a threaded structure, and thrust nut 35 is screwed into a partition wall at the center of processing vessel 20. Manifold 36 is provided on the upper part of the center of processing vessel 20. The thrust load is received by manifold 36, the partition wall at the center of processing vessel 20, thrust nut 35, and thrust piping 341. A part of the lower surface of manifold 36 contacts the upper surface of thrust nut 35.

[0043] The bearing 342 is a radial bearing that holds the rotor 343 on the thrust pipe 341 side. The bearing 344 is a radial bearing that holds the rotor 343 on the main body 345 side. The rotor 343 is disposed concentrically with the thrust pipe 341 and is a rotation shaft at the center of the rotating arm 3. In addition, the base member 33 is connected to the rotor 343. When the rotor 343 rotates, the rotating arm 3, that is, the end effector 32 and the base member 33 rotate.

[0044] The main body 345 accommodates therein the bearings 342, 344, the rotor 343, the magnetic fluid seals 346, 347, and the direct drive motor 348. The magnetic fluid seals 346, 347 are disposed on the inner and outer circumferential sides of the rotor 343, and seal the processing spaces S1 to S4 from the outside. The direct drive motor 348 is connected to the rotor 343, and drives the rotor 343 to rotate the rotating arm 3. The main body 345 is fixed to the bottom 27 (bottom surface) of the processing vessel 20 by bolts (not shown), and the thrust load applied to the thrust piping 341 is received by the processing vessel 20 via the main body 345.

[0045] In other words, the rotor 343 is an example of a rotating cylinder having a hollow interior, and corresponds to the outer cylinder of the biaxial vacuum seal 34, which is an example of a coaxial magnetic fluid seal. The rotor 343 is located at an equal distance from each of the processing spaces S1 to S4. Meanwhile, the thrust pipe 341 is located in a hollow portion on the inner periphery side of the rotor 343, and the joint exhaust port 205 therein is an example of an exhaust path, and corresponds to the inner cylinder of the biaxial vacuum seal 34. The upper surface of the thrust pipe 341 is fixed to a partition wall at the center of the processing vessel 20, i.e., the upper wall of the processing vessel 20, via the thrust nut 35. That is, the thrust pipe 341 supports the manifold 36 against the bottom wall (bottom 27) of the processing vessel 20 via the partition wall at the center of the processing vessel 20 and the thrust nut 35.

[0046] In this way, the two-axis vacuum seal 34 has a thrust pipe 341, which is the non-rotating central axis of the first axis, supporting the load on the upper part of the processing vessel 20 while also serving as a gas exhaust pipe, and a rotor 343, which is the second axis, serving to rotate the rotating arm 3.

[0047] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, the rotating arm 3 is rotated 180° clockwise to transport the wafer W from processing space S1 to processing space S3 and the wafer W from processing space S2 to processing space S4. However, the rotating arm 3 may be divided into two and each may be rotated independently. This embodiment will be described as variant example 1.

[0048] Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus in Modification 1. As shown in Fig. 7, the substrate processing apparatus 2a in Modification 1 has rotating arms 3a and 3b instead of the rotating arm 3 in the embodiment. Also, although not shown, it has a three-axis vacuum seal instead of the two-axis vacuum seal 34. Note that the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 2a in Modification 1 is similar to that of the substrate processing apparatus 2 in the embodiment other than the rotating arms 3a and 3b and the three-axis vacuum seal that drives the rotating arms 3a and 3b, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] The rotating arm 3a has two end effectors 32a capable of holding wafers W to be placed on two mounting tables 22 (a pair of processing spaces S1-S3 or S2-S4) that are rotationally symmetric about the center position of the layout of two rows and two columns, and a base member 33a whose rotation axis is located at the center position of the layout of two rows and two columns. The two end effectors 32a are connected to the base member 33a so as to be rotationally symmetric, i.e., linear.

[0050] Like the rotating arm 3a, the rotating arm 3b has two end effectors 32b capable of holding wafers W to be placed on two mounting tables 22 (a pair of processing spaces S1-S3 or S2-S4) that are rotationally symmetric about the center position of the layout of two rows and two columns, and a base member 33b whose rotation axis is located at the center position of the layout of two rows and two columns. The two end effectors 32b are connected to the base member 33b so as to be rotationally symmetric, i.e., linear.

[0051] The triaxial vacuum seal is an example of a coaxial magnetic fluid seal in which the rotating shaft corresponding to the rotor 343 of the biaxial vacuum seal 34 is a first rotating cylinder and a second rotating cylinder, each of which can rotate independently. The first rotating cylinder and the second rotating cylinder are arranged concentrically with the thrust pipe 341. The second rotating cylinder is located outside the first rotating cylinder. In other words, the first rotating cylinder is a first outer cylinder of the triaxial vacuum seal, and the second rotating cylinder is an example of a second outer cylinder of the triaxial vacuum seal.

[0052] In the substrate processing apparatus 2a, for example, the rotating arm 3a is connected to a first rotating cylinder, and the rotating arm 3b is connected to a second rotating cylinder. This allows the rotating arm 3a and the rotating arm 3b to rotate independently. That is, by rotating the rotating arm 3a and the rotating arm 3b at different rotation angles, even if the pitch Px and the pitch Py of the mounting table 22 are different, the wafer W can be transported between adjacent processing spaces (reactors). That is, in the substrate processing apparatus 2a, the wafer W can be transported from the processing space S1 to S2, from the processing space S2 to S3, from the processing space S3 to S4, and from the processing space S4 to S1.

[0053] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the inner wall of the thrust pipe 341 is the wall surface of the joint exhaust port 205, but a gas pipe having a heater may be further provided inside the thrust pipe 341, and such an embodiment will be described as variant example 2.

[0054] FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view showing an example of a cross section near the joint exhaust port in the second modification. As shown in FIG. 8, in the second modification, a gas pipe 352 is provided inside the thrust pipe 341. That is, the gas pipe 352 is an innermost cylinder located further inside than the thrust pipe 341, which corresponds to the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal. The gas pipe 352 has a hollow structure, and its inside is the joint exhaust port 205. A sheet-shaped heater 353 is provided on the outer side of the gas pipe 352. The gas pipe 352 does not rotate like the thrust pipe 341, and the outer periphery side of the upper part of the gas pipe 352 abuts against the inner periphery side of the thrust nut 35. In addition, the outer surface of the upper part of the gas pipe 352 and the surface of the inner periphery side of the thrust nut 35 are sealed by an O-ring (not shown). The lower part of the gas pipe 352 abuts against the upper part of the exhaust pipe 61 via a heat insulating material (not shown) and is sealed by an O-ring (not shown).

[0055] The heater 353 uniformly heats the gas pipe 352 to a temperature of, for example, 180° C. By controlling the heating of the gas pipe 352 with the heater 353, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of deposits to the inner wall of the gas pipe 352 (the joint exhaust port 205 side). The heater 353 is provided with a plurality of control regions, so that it is possible to heat only the portion to be heated. When heating the gas pipe 352, the heater 353 also heats the thrust pipe 341 by radiation. Since the temperature of the thrust pipe 341 is increased by radiation heating by the heater 353, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of deposits to the surface (outer surface) on the processing space S1 to S4 side.

[0056] That is, in the second modification, one of the three shafts, the rotor 343, is rotatable at the center of the processing vessel 20, and two shafts, the thrust pipe 341 and the gas pipe 352, are fixed. The gas pipe 352 and the heater 353 in the second modification may be combined with the three-shaft vacuum seal of the first modification to form four shafts. In this case, in the center of the processing vessel 20, two of the four shafts, the first rotating cylinder and the second rotating cylinder corresponding to the rotating arms 3a and 3b, are rotatable, and the thrust pipe 341 and the gas pipe 352 are fixed.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the direct drive motor 348 is used as a method for driving the rotor 343 in the biaxial vacuum seal 34, but this is not limiting. For example, a pulley may be provided on the rotor 343, and the rotor 343 may be driven by a timing belt from a motor provided outside the biaxial vacuum seal 34. Alternatively, the rotor 343 may be driven by a gear provided on the rotor 343, which is an outer cylinder, engaged with a gear of a motor provided outside the rotor 343. Similarly, the first and second rotating cylinders in the triaxial vacuum seal may be driven by any of the direct drive motor, the timing belt, and the gears.

[0058] As described above, according to this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 2 includes a vacuum processing vessel (processing vessel 20) and a rotating arm 3 whose rotation axis is located in the center (central region) of the vacuum processing vessel. In the rotating arm 3, a hollow rotating cylinder (rotor 343) constitutes the rotation axis, and the hollow portion of the rotating cylinder constitutes the exhaust path (junction exhaust port 205) of the vacuum processing vessel. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously install the rotating mechanism (rotor 343, direct drive motor 348) of the rotating arm 3 in the center of the vacuum processing vessel and simplify the exhaust path.

[0059] According to this embodiment, the rotating cylinder is formed of the outer cylinder (rotor 343) of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal (two-axis vacuum seal 34), and the exhaust path is formed of the inner cylinder (thrust piping 341) of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously install the rotating mechanism of the rotating arm 3 in the center of the vacuum processing vessel and simplify the exhaust path.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the rotating cylinder is the outer cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal, and the exhaust path is the innermost cylinder (gas pipe 352) located further inside than the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal. As a result, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of deposits to the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal.

[0061] According to this embodiment, the rotating cylinder includes a first rotating cylinder and a second rotating cylinder, the outer cylinder includes a first outer cylinder and a second outer cylinder located outside the first outer cylinder, the first rotating cylinder is composed of the first outer cylinder, and the second rotating cylinder is composed of the second outer cylinder. As a result, even if the pitch Px and the pitch Py of the multiple processing spaces (reactors) are different, the wafer W can be transported between the adjacent processing spaces.

[0062] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the first outer cylinder and the second outer cylinder are independently rotatable, so that even if the pitch Px and the pitch Py of the processing spaces (reactors) are different, the wafer W can be transferred between the adjacent processing spaces.

[0063] According to this embodiment, the lower end of the inner cylinder is fixed to the bottom wall of the vacuum processing vessel, and the upper end of the inner cylinder is fixed to the upper wall of the vacuum processing vessel. As a result, deformation of the vacuum processing vessel can be suppressed. The bottom wall and the upper wall to which the inner cylinder is fixed are not limited to the bottom wall and the upper wall strictly. For example, the concept includes not only the case where the inner cylinder is directly fixed to the bottom wall and the upper wall, but also the case where the inner cylinder is indirectly fixed to the bottom wall and the upper wall via an intermediate member between the inner cylinder and the bottom wall, as long as the load of the upper wall is supported by the bottom wall via the inner cylinder.

[0064] According to this embodiment, a plurality of processing spaces S1 to S4 are formed in the vacuum processing vessel, and the rotation axis is positioned at an equal distance from each of the processing spaces S1 to S4. As a result, the wafer W can be transported between each of the processing spaces S1 to S4 by using the rotation arm 3.

[0065] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rotating arm 3 is provided with the end effector 32 capable of holding the same number of wafers W as the plurality of processing spaces S1 to S4. As a result, the wafers W in each of the processing spaces S1 to S4 can be transported simultaneously.

[0066] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the vacuum processing vessel includes an exhaust manifold (manifold 36) that connects the processing spaces S1 to S4 to the exhaust path, and the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal supports the exhaust manifold against the bottom wall, thereby suppressing deformation of the vacuum processing vessel.

[0067] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rotating cylinder rotates when the outer cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal is driven by the direct drive motor 348. As a result, the drive unit of the rotating arm 3 can be made compact.

[0068] Moreover, according to this embodiment, the innermost cylinder is heated by the heater 353. As a result, adhesion of deposits to the inner wall of the gas pipe 352 can be suppressed.

[0069] Moreover, according to this embodiment, the inner cylinder is radiantly heated by the heater 353. As a result, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of deposits to the surface of the inner cylinder (thrust pipe 341) on the processing spaces S1 to S4 side.

[0070] According to this embodiment, the lower end of the innermost cylinder is fixed to exhaust pipe 61 of the exhaust path, and the upper end of the innermost cylinder is fixed to the upper wall of the vacuum processing vessel. As a result, adhesion of deposits to the exhaust path (junction exhaust port 205) up to exhaust pipe 61 can be suppressed.

[0071] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects, and may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0072] For example, in the above embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 2 is an apparatus that performs plasma CVD processing as the substrate processing, but the disclosed technology may be applied to any apparatus that performs other substrate processing such as plasma etching. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 2, 2a Substrate processing equipment 3,3a,3b Rotating arm 4 Gas supply section 7 Valve mechanism 20 Processing vessel 21 Loading / unloading entrance 22 Placement table 26 Lift pin 32, 32a, 32b End effector 33, 33a, 33b Base member 34 2-axis vacuum seal 35 Thrust nut 36 Manifold 50 Gas supply system 205 Combined exhaust port 341 Thrust piping 342,344 Bearings 343 Rotor 345 Main body 346,347 Magnetic fluid seal 348 Direct Drive Motor 351 hole 352 Gas piping 353 Heater 361 Exhaust duct 362 Guide member S1~S4 Processing space T Transport space W wafer

Claims

1. A vacuum processing vessel; a rotating arm having a rotation axis located at a center portion of the vacuum processing vessel; having The rotating arm has a hollow rotating cylinder that constitutes the rotating shaft, and a hollow portion of the rotating cylinder constitutes an exhaust path of the vacuum processing vessel, The rotating cylinder is composed of an outer cylinder of a coaxial magnetic fluid seal, The exhaust path is formed by the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal. Substrate processing equipment.

2. A vacuum processing vessel; a rotating arm having a rotation axis located at a center portion of the vacuum processing vessel; having The rotating arm has a hollow rotating cylinder that constitutes the rotating shaft, and a hollow portion of the rotating cylinder constitutes an exhaust path of the vacuum processing vessel, The rotating cylinder is composed of an outer cylinder of a coaxial magnetic fluid seal, The exhaust path is composed of an innermost cylinder located further inside than the inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal. Substrate processing equipment.

3. The rotating cylinder includes a first rotating cylinder and a second rotating cylinder, The outer cylinder includes a first outer cylinder and a second outer cylinder located outside the first outer cylinder, the first rotating cylinder is formed by the first outer cylinder, The second rotating cylinder is composed of the second outer cylinder. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. The first outer cylinder and the second outer cylinder are independently rotatable. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. a lower end of the inner cylinder is fixed to a bottom wall of the vacuum processing vessel; The upper end of the inner cylinder is fixed to the upper wall of the vacuum processing vessel. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A plurality of processing spaces are formed in the vacuum processing vessel, The rotation axis is located at an equal distance from each of the plurality of processing spaces. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the rotating arm is provided with an end effector capable of holding the same number of wafers as the plurality of processing spaces; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 .

8. the vacuum processing vessel includes an exhaust manifold that connects the plurality of processing spaces to the exhaust path; The inner cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal supports the exhaust manifold against a bottom wall. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The rotating cylinder is rotated by driving the outer cylinder of the coaxial magnetic fluid seal by a direct drive motor or a gear. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The innermost cylinder is heated by a heater. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 .

11. The inner cylinder is radiatively heated by the heater. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 .

12. a lower end of the innermost cylinder is fixed to an exhaust pipe of the exhaust path, The upper end of the innermost cylinder is fixed to the upper wall of the vacuum processing vessel.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, 10 or 11.

Images