High-throughput multi-chamber substrate processing system

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing system and a semiconductor processing system that have multiple process chambers.SOLUTION: A substrate processing system 100 comprises a first process module assembly 110, a second process module assembly 120, and a third process module assembly 130. The third process module assembly is between the first and second process module assemblies, and includes an opening for providing substrates to be processed in various process module assemblies. The process modules are arranged laterally relative to the opening. The substrate processing system is configured to sequentially load substrates into the process module assemblies neighboring the third process module assembly, and lastly load substrates into the process module of the third process module assembly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION This application relates to substrate processing systems, and more particularly to substrate processing systems having multiple process chambers. [Background technology]

[0002] Semiconductor device manufacturing, such as integrated circuit manufacturing, typically involves subjecting substrates (such as semiconductor wafers) to many processes, such as polishing, deposition, etching, photolithography, thermal treatment, etc. Due to stringent requirements for the quality of the process results, in some cases, these different processes may be performed in dedicated chambers configured to process a single substrate at a time. As a result, processing multiple substrates at a time requires the processing system to have multiple process chambers.

[0003] The bulkiness of these multi-chamber systems and the need to move substrates within the systems can limit process throughput. Thus, there is a continuing need for systems and methods for processing substrates in multiple chambers at high throughput. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In some embodiments, a semiconductor processing system for processing a substrate includes a first process module assembly, a second process module assembly, a third process module assembly, and a controller. The first process module includes a first transfer chamber including a first substrate transport apparatus and a plurality of first process modules. The first process modules are mounted to the first transfer chamber and accessible by the first substrate transport apparatus. The second process module assembly includes a second transfer chamber including a second substrate transport apparatus and a plurality of second process modules. The second process modules are mounted to the second transfer chamber and accessible by the second substrate transport apparatus. The third process module assembly is disposed between the first and second process module assemblies. The third process module assembly includes a third substrate transport apparatus, a third process module mounted to the third transfer chamber and accessible by the third substrate transport apparatus, and a third transfer chamber including a resealable opening for receiving a substrate from an external environment. A first side of the third process module assembly is attached to the first process module assembly and a second side of the third process module assembly is attached to the second process module assembly, and the controller is configured to perform operations including sequentially loading substrates from the load lock chamber into the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module using the first substrate transport apparatus, the second substrate transport apparatus, and the third substrate transport apparatus, processing the substrates loaded into the process modules, and removing the processed substrates from the first process module and the second process module before removing the processed substrates from the third process module using the first substrate transport apparatus, the second substrate transport apparatus, and the third substrate transport apparatus.

[0005] In some embodiments, processing the substrates includes sequentially beginning processing of the substrates in the process modules as each process module completes loading while other process modules are loaded.

[0006] In some embodiments, removing the treated substrate comprises sequentially removing the substrate from the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first process module assembly and the second process module assembly are mounted on opposite sides of the third process module assembly.

[0008] In some embodiments, the processing system further comprises a load lock chamber configured to interface with the resealable opening and a transport chamber including a plurality of load ports for interfacing with the substrate carrier, the transport chamber being attached to the load lock chamber and configured to provide the substrate to the load lock chamber.

[0009] In some embodiments, the third process module is mounted on a side of the third transfer chamber opposite the resealable opening.

[0010] In some embodiments, sequentially loading the substrates includes transferring the substrate directly from the third substrate transport apparatus to the first substrate transport apparatus, and transferring the substrate directly from the third substrate transport apparatus to the second substrate transport apparatus.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first substrate transport apparatus includes a plurality of first arms each having a first end effector, the second substrate transport apparatus includes a plurality of second arms each having a second end effector, and the third substrate transport apparatus includes a plurality of third arms each having a third end effector, wherein the first end effector, the second end effector, and the third end effector each include two pickup extensions spaced apart from one another, and the distance between the two pickup extensions of the third end effector is different from the distance between the two pickup extensions of the first end effector and the second end effector.

[0012] In some embodiments, each of the first and second transfer chambers has a hexagonal shape when viewed from above and includes five sides for interfacing with five first process modules and five second process modules, respectively.

[0013] In some embodiments, the load lock chamber includes multiple load lock stations for accommodating multiple substrates.

[0014] In some embodiments, the processing system further comprises a first buffer chamber disposed between the first process module assembly and the third process module assembly, and a second buffer chamber disposed between the second process module assembly and the third process module assembly.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include two stations configured to receive a substrate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include four stations configured to receive substrates.

[0017] In some embodiments, a semiconductor processing system for processing a substrate includes a first process module assembly, a second process module assembly, a third process module assembly, and a controller. The first process module assembly includes a first transfer chamber including a first substrate transport apparatus and a plurality of first process modules. The first process modules are mounted to the first transfer chamber and accessible by the first substrate transport apparatus. The second process module assembly includes a second transfer chamber including a second substrate transport apparatus and a plurality of second process modules. The second process modules are mounted to the second transfer chamber and accessible by the second substrate transport apparatus. The third process module assembly is disposed between the first and second process module assemblies. The third process module assembly includes a third substrate transport apparatus, a third process module mounted to the third transfer chamber and accessible by the third substrate transport apparatus, and the third transfer chamber including a resealable opening for receiving a substrate from an external environment. A first side of the third process module assembly is attached to the first process module assembly and a second side of the third process module assembly is attached to the second process module assembly, and the controller is configured to perform operations including loading a substrate into the first process module and the third process module at overlapping times, subsequently loading the substrate into the third process module, processing the substrate loaded in the process modules, removing the processed substrate from the first process module and the second process module at overlapping times, and subsequently removing the processed substrate from the third process module.

[0018] In some embodiments, the processing system further comprises a load lock chamber configured to interface with the resealable opening and a transport chamber including a plurality of load ports for interfacing with the substrate carrier, the transport chamber being attached to the load lock chamber and configured to provide the substrate to the load lock chamber.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module each include four reaction chambers for processing substrates.

[0020] In some embodiments, each of the first transport chamber assembly and the second transport chamber has a hexagonal shape when viewed from above and includes five portions for interfacing with five first process modules and five second process modules, respectively.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first substrate transport apparatus, the second substrate transport apparatus, and the third substrate transport apparatus each include four arms.

[0022] In some embodiments, the processing system further comprises a first buffer chamber disposed between the first process module assembly and the third process module assembly, and a second buffer chamber disposed between the second process module assembly and the third process module assembly.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include two stations configured to receive a substrate.

[0024] In some embodiments, the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include four stations configured to receive substrates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1A] 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system including multiple horizontally oriented process module assemblies. [Figure 1B] 1 is a schematic plan view showing two substrate transport devices for transporting substrates relative to one another; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system with three vertically oriented process module assemblies. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system with multiple horizontally oriented process module assemblies and intervening buffer chambers. [Figure 4] 1A-1C are schematic plan views of a substrate processing system illustrating a substrate loading sequence. [Figure 5] 5 is a table illustrating the substrate loading steps in the substrate loading sequence of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the substrate processing system illustrating a substrate removal sequence. [Figure 7] 7 is a table illustrating the substrate unloading step in the substrate loading sequence of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between substrate processing time and the percentage of a process module that is empty. [Figure 9] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an overall sequence using the substrate processing system of FIGS. 4 and 6. [Figure 10] 5 is another example table illustrating a substrate loading process for the substrate processing system of FIG. 4. [Figure 11] 5 is another example of a table showing the substrate removal process of the substrate processing system of FIG. 4. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic plan view of another substrate processing system including multiple process module assemblies and intervening buffer chambers; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] In some embodiments, the semiconductor processing system includes horizontally oriented process module assemblies. Each process module assembly includes a central transfer chamber with one or more process modules arranged around a transfer chamber. Each process module assembly may include a reaction chamber for processing semiconductor substrates (e.g., semiconductor wafers). The semiconductor processing system may include at least three process module assemblies that allow substrate communication therebetween, and a central one of the process module assemblies has a resealable door (e.g., a gate valve) through which a substrate can be provided for processing in any of the process module assemblies. In some embodiments, the door may provide an opening to a load lock chamber, which in turn may have a door opening to a transport chamber for receiving a substrate carrier.

[0027] The process module assemblies are horizontally oriented in the sense that, as a unit, the process module assemblies are arranged so that they extend laterally across the door of a central one of the process module assemblies. In some embodiments, in a clean room, horizontally oriented process module assemblies may extend laterally across a wall of the clean room. This is in contrast to processing systems having vertically oriented process module assemblies, in which the process module assemblies extend in a row from an opening in the processing system toward a wall of the clean room.

[0028] As further described herein, the central process module simply enables an efficient loading and unloading sequence in which substrates may be loaded into adjacent process module assemblies first. For example, substrates may be loaded sequentially into different ones of the process module assemblies, or may be simultaneously loaded into adjacent process module assemblies in a coordinated sequence.

[0029] Advantageously, the horizontally oriented semiconductor processing systems disclosed herein may provide one or more advantages. For example, by extending laterally, the semiconductor processing system may be able to add a greater number of process module assemblies than a vertically oriented processing system, which may be constrained in adding additional process module assemblies by the available distance to the rear wall of the clean room. This distance may be undesirably less than the distance in the lateral dimension. Furthermore, as discussed herein, even if a similar number of process module assemblies are provided in a vertically oriented processing system, the horizontally oriented processing system may have a greater total number of process modules, which may increase process throughput. Furthermore, as discussed herein, loading and processing efficiency may be increased because the distance and / or number of substrates required by a processing robot to move a particular substrate from a substrate carrier to a process module may be reduced relative to a vertically oriented processing system, which may require the substrate to pass through all of the process module assemblies to reach some process modules.

[0030] Reference is now made to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

[0031] 1A is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 100 including multiple horizontally oriented process module assemblies 110, 120, and 130. Each of the process module assemblies 110, 120, and 130 includes one or more process modules 112, 122, and 132, respectively, arranged around a central transfer chamber 115, 125, and 135. Each of the process modules 112, 122, and 132 may include multiple reaction chambers 114, 124, and 134, respectively, for processing substrates, with one substrate housed within a dedicated chamber during processing. In the illustrated embodiment, three horizontally oriented process module assemblies are shown. In some other embodiments, the substrate processing system 100 may include a greater number of process module assemblies, such as four, five, etc.

[0032] The processing system 100 may further include a controller 180, which may include a hardware microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic controller, dedicated hardware, and / or memory or the like. It should be understood that the various pieces of hardware forming the controller 180 may reside in a common location or may be distributed pieces of hardware in communication with each other. The controller may be programmed or otherwise configured to perform the various processes described herein. The processes may include, for example, any of the loading, processing, and / or unloading sequences described herein. In some embodiments, the processes may be programmed into the controller by storing them as instructions in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the controller may be configured to communicate with and send instructions to the various power sources, heating systems, pumps, robots (e.g., substrate transport arms), and gas flow controllers or valves of the processing system 100 to perform the programming processes.

[0033] 1A , the substrate processing system 100 may include a first process module assembly 110, a second process module assembly 120, and a third process module assembly 130. The substrate processing system 100 may further include a load lock chamber 140 and a transport chamber 150.

[0034] The first process module assembly 110 may include a plurality of first process modules 112 and a first transfer chamber 115. Each of the first process modules 112 may include a plurality of first reaction chambers 114. The first transfer chamber 115 includes a substrate transport apparatus 118, which may be a transport arm and may also be referred to as a first transport arm. The first substrate transport apparatus 118 is configured to receive a substrate and transport the substrate to one of the first process modules 112 or the third transfer chamber 135. Module doors 190, illustrated schematically as a pair of rectangular partitions, are disposed between each of the first process modules 112 and the first transfer chamber 115. It should be understood that the module doors 190 may be resealable closures, such as gate valves, and the number of module doors 190 in FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes only and may vary as desired for substrate access and sealing between volumes. The module door 190 of a particular first process module 112 may be opened when the first substrate transport apparatus 118 transports a substrate to or from the first process module 112. The corresponding module door 190 may be closed after the substrate has been transported to or removed from the first process module 112. Of course, the operation of the module door 190, transport arm, etc. may be controlled by the controller 180.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first process module assembly 110 may have a hexagonal shape when viewed from above (such as the top-down view shown) and may include multiple first process modules 112, e.g., five first process modules 112. The first process modules 112 may be attached to the sides of the first transfer chamber 115. In some embodiments, each first process module 112 includes multiple first reaction chambers 114, e.g., four first reaction chambers 114. As shown, the four first reaction chambers 114 may be arranged in a 2x2 matrix, although it will be understood that other arrangements are possible. Each of the first reaction chambers 114 may be used to process a substrate. Preferably, each of the first reaction chambers 114 is a single-substrate chamber configured to process a single substrate at a time. For example, the first reaction chamber 114 may be sized to accommodate only a single substrate and may include a substrate support configured to do so. In some embodiments, the first reaction chamber 114 may be a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction chamber, a thermal CVD reaction chamber, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) reaction chamber, a thermal ALD reaction chamber, an etch reaction chamber, a UV cure reaction chamber, etc. The first reaction chamber 114 may include commercially available F-120® reaction chambers, F-450® reaction chambers, Pulsar® reaction chambers (such as Pulsar® 2000 and Pulsar® 3000), EmerALD® reaction chambers, and / or Advance® 400 series reaction chambers, available from ASM America, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, and ASM Europe BV, Almere, The Netherlands. Other commercially available reaction chambers include reaction chambers under the trade names Eagle® XP and XP8, manufactured by ASM Japan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).

[0036] In some embodiments, the first substrate transport device 118 may be a transport arm including two or more transport sub-arms. In some embodiments, the main drive portion of each of the two or more transport sub-arms may have various articulated structures, such as a three-link horizontal articulated robot arm (SCARA), a four-link SCARA, a two-symmetric arm, a frog-leg / scissor-type arm, and a linear sliding arm. Each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include one or more end effectors. For example, each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include multiple end effectors, such as two end effectors. The number of end effectors may be equal to the number of stations arranged in a matrix within the load lock chamber 140 or the number of first reaction chambers 114 within one first process module 112, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0037] Each of the first process modules 112 may be connected to the first transfer chamber 115 via a module door 190. The module doors 190 may be configured to open and close to provide access to and isolate the first reaction chamber 114 from the first transfer chamber 115, respectively. For example, the first reaction chamber 114 may be isolated from the first transfer chamber 115 after transferring a substrate to the first reaction chamber 114 while the substrate is processed. Thus, a highly controlled process environment within the first reaction chamber 114 may be maintained and cross-contamination may be prevented.

[0038] 1A , the second process module assembly 120 may include a plurality of second process modules 122 and a second transfer chamber 125. Each of the second process modules 122 may include a plurality of second reaction chambers 124. The second transfer chamber 125 includes a substrate transport apparatus, which may be a transport arm and may also be referred to as a second transport arm. The second substrate transport apparatus 128 is configured to receive a substrate and transport the substrate to one of the second process modules 122 or the third transfer chamber 135. One or more module doors 190 may be disposed between each of the second process modules 122 and the second transfer chamber 125. As mentioned herein, the module doors 190 in FIG. 1A are for illustrative purposes only and may vary as desired for substrate access and sealing between volumes. The module doors 190 may be opened when the second substrate transport apparatus 128 transports a substrate into or out of the second process module 122 (during loading and unloading, respectively). The module door 190 can be closed after the substrate is transferred to or removed from the second process module 122. The operation of the module door 190, the transfer arm, etc. can be controlled by the controller 180.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second process module assembly 120 may have a hexagonal shape when viewed from above (such as the top-down view shown) and may include multiple second process modules 122, e.g., five second process modules 122. The second process modules 122 may be attached to the sides of the second transfer chamber 125. In some embodiments, each second process module 122 includes multiple second reaction chambers 124, e.g., four second reaction chambers 124. As shown, the four second reaction chambers 124 may be arranged in a 2×2 matrix, although other arrangements are possible. Each of the second reaction chambers 124 may be used to process a substrate. Preferably, each of the second reaction chambers 124 is a single substrate chamber configured to process a single substrate at a time. Of course, the second reaction chambers 124 may be similar to the first reaction chamber 114. For example, in some embodiments, the first reaction chamber 114 may be a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction chamber, a thermal CVD reaction chamber, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) reaction chamber, a thermal ALD reaction chamber, an etch reaction chamber, a UV cure reaction chamber, etc. The first reaction chamber 114 may include commercially available F-120® reaction chambers, F-450® reaction chambers, Pulsar® reaction chambers (such as Pulsar® 2000 and Pulsar® 3000), EmerALD® reaction chambers, and / or Advance® 400 series reaction chambers, available from ASM America, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, and ASM Europe BV, Almere, The Netherlands. Other commercially available reaction chambers include reaction chambers under the trade names Eagle® XP and XP8, manufactured by ASM Japan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).

[0040] In some embodiments, the second substrate transport device 128 may be a transport arm including two or more transport sub-arms. In some embodiments, the main drive portion of each of the two or more transport sub-arms may have various articulated structures, such as a three-link horizontal articulated robot arm (SCARA), a four-link SCARA, a two-symmetric arm, a frog-leg / scissor-type arm, and a linear sliding arm. Each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include one or more end effectors. For example, each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include multiple end effectors, such as two end effectors. The number of end effectors may be equal to the number of stations arranged in a matrix within the load lock chamber 140 or the number of second reaction chambers 124 within one second process module 122, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0041] Each of the second process modules 122 may be connected to the second transfer chamber 125 via a module door 190. The module door 190 may be configured to open and close to provide access to the second reaction chamber 124 and to isolate the second reaction chamber 124 from the second transfer chamber 125, respectively. For example, the second reaction chamber 124 may be isolated from the second transfer chamber 125 after transferring a substrate to the second reaction chamber 124 while the substrate is processed. Thus, a highly controlled process environment within the second reaction chamber 124 may be maintained and cross-contamination may be prevented.

[0042] 1A , the third process module assembly 130 may include a process module 132 and a third transfer chamber 135. One or more module doors 190 may be disposed between the third process module 132 and the third transfer chamber 135. Of course, the module door 190 in FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes only and may vary as desired for substrate access and sealing between volumes. The module door 190 of the third process module 132 may be opened when the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transfers substrates to or from the third process module 132. The module door 190 may be closed after the substrates have been transferred to or removed from the third process module 132. Operation of the module door 190, transport arm, etc. may be controlled by the controller 180. In some embodiments, if there is sufficient space within the area of ​​the process module 132 (e.g., if the first process module 110 and the second process module 120 are separated from the third process module assembly 130, such as by a buffer chamber), the process module 132 can be replaced with an additional process module assembly having a central chamber and process modules arranged around its transport chamber.

[0043] 1A , the process module 132 may include multiple third reaction chambers 134. In some embodiments, each third process module 132 includes four third reaction chambers 134. As shown, the four third reaction chambers 134 may be arranged in a 2×2 matrix, although other arrangements are possible. The third transfer chamber 135 may include a third substrate transport apparatus 139, which may be a transport arm and may also be referred to as a third transport arm. The third substrate transport apparatus 139 may be configured to receive a substrate and transport the substrate to the third process module 132, the first transfer chamber 115, the second transfer chamber 125, or the load lock chamber 140. Of course, the third reaction chamber 134 may be similar to the first reaction chamber 114 and the second reaction chamber 124. In some embodiments, the third reaction chamber 134 may be a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction chamber, a thermal CVD reaction chamber, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) reaction chamber, a thermal ALD reaction chamber, an etch reaction chamber, a UV cure reaction chamber, etc. The first reaction chamber 114 may include commercially available F-120® reaction chambers, F-450® reaction chambers, Pulsar® reaction chambers (such as Pulsar® 2000 and Pulsar® 3000), EmerALD® reaction chambers, and / or Advance® 400 series reaction chambers, available from ASM America, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona, and ASM Europe BV, Almere, The Netherlands. Other commercially available reaction chambers include reaction chambers under the trade names Eagle® XP and XP8, manufactured by ASM Japan Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan).

[0044] The third substrate transport device 139 may be a transport arm including two or more transport sub-arms. In some embodiments, the main drive portion of each of the two or more transport sub-arms may have various articulated structures, such as a three-link horizontal articulated robot arm (SCARA), a four-link SCARA, a two-symmetric arm, a frog-leg / scissor-type arm, and a linear sliding arm. Each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include one or more end effectors. For example, each of the two or more transport sub-arms may include multiple end effectors, such as two end effectors. The number of end effectors may be equal to the number of stations arranged in a matrix within the load lock chamber 140 or the number of third reaction chambers 134 within the third process module 132, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0045] The third process module 132 may be connected to the third transfer chamber 135 via a module door 190. The module door 190 may be configured to close to isolate the third reaction chamber 134 from the third transfer chamber 135. For example, the third reaction chamber 134 may be isolated from the third transfer chamber 135 after transferring a substrate into the third reaction chamber 134 while the substrate is processed. Thus, a highly controlled process environment within the third reaction chamber 134 may be maintained and cross-contamination may be prevented.

[0046] 1A , the load lock chamber 140 can include multiple load lock stations 142. The transport chamber 150 can include multiple load ports 152 for interfacing with external substrate carriers 153 and multiple actuators 154, e.g., robotic arms, for moving substrates from the substrate carriers 153 to the load lock stations 142. In some embodiments, the transport chamber 150 can be a front-end-of-equipment module (EFEM). In some embodiments, the substrate carriers 153 are front-opening unified pods (FOUPs). The load lock chamber 140 connects the third transport chamber 135 and the transport chamber 150 to each other, providing substrate communication between the third transport chamber 135 and the transport chamber 150.

[0047] In some embodiments, the load lock chamber 140 may be connected to the transport chamber 150 via a transport door 194 (e.g., a gate valve) and to the third transport chamber 135 via a load lock door 192 (e.g., a gate valve). In some embodiments, the transport chamber 150 and the third transport chamber 135 may be connected to opposite sides of the load lock chamber 140. The load lock chamber 140 may be configured to provide a vacuum atmosphere approximately equal to the pressure in the third transport chamber 135 when the third substrate transport device 139 of the third transport chamber 135 loads or unloads substrates into or from the load lock chamber 140. Similarly, the pressure in the load lock chamber 140 may be changed to match the pressure in the transport chamber 150 when receiving unprocessed substrates from or returning processed substrates to the transport chamber 150. Multiple load lock stations 142 may be provided within the load lock chamber 140. As shown, the load lock stations 142 may be arranged in a 2×2 matrix, although other arrangements are possible. A load lock door 192 may be located between the third transfer chamber 135 and the load lock chamber 140. Of course, the load lock door 192 in FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes and may vary. The load lock door 192 may be opened when the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transfers a substrate to or from the load lock chamber 140. The load lock door 192 may be closed after the substrate has been transferred to or from the load lock chamber 140. Operation of the load lock door 192, transport arm, etc. may be controlled by the controller 180.

[0048] The transport chamber 150 may include a door opener (not shown) for opening and closing the door of the load port 152 to provide access for a robot arm 154 that transfers substrates between the load port 152 and the load lock chamber 140. The robot arm 154 may be movable within the transport chamber 150, for example, using guide rails to guide the movement of the robot arm 154. The load port 152 contains the substrates in a sealed space (e.g., inside an interfacing substrate carrier) to protect the substrates from atmospheric impurities or chemical contamination. In some embodiments, two robot arms 154 are provided, each of which may include two transport arms. Thus, four substrates can be simultaneously transferred from the load port 152 into the load lock chamber 140. As shown, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the number of substrates (e.g., four substrates) that can be simultaneously transferred by the robot arm 154 is equal to the number of load lock stations 142, which may be equal to the number of reaction chambers in each process module of the various process module assemblies.

[0049] A transport door 194 is disposed between the transport chamber 150 and the load lock chamber 140. The number of transport doors 194 in FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes only and may vary. The transport door 194 may be opened when the robot arm 154 transfers a substrate to or from the load lock chamber 140. The transport door 194 may be closed after the substrate is transferred to or from the load lock chamber 140. The operation of the load lock door 192, transport arm, etc. may be controlled by the controller 180.

[0050] 1A , the third process module assembly 130 may be disposed between the first process module assembly 110 and the second process module assembly 120. In some embodiments, the first transfer chamber 115 is attached to a first side 116 of the third transfer chamber 135. The second transfer chamber 125 is attached to a second side 126 of the third transfer chamber 135. The first side 116 and the second side 126 may be opposite and substantially parallel to each other. The load lock chamber 140 may be connected to the third side 136 of the third process module assembly 130. The third process module 132 may be attached to a fourth side 138 of the third process module assembly 130. The third side 136 and the fourth side 138 may be opposite and substantially parallel to each other. The first side 116 and the second side 126, and the third side 136 and the fourth side 138 may be perpendicular to each other. When viewed from the load lock chamber 140, the first process module assembly 110, the third process module assembly 130, and the second process module assembly 120 may be disposed laterally or horizontally. For example, the first process module assembly 110, the third process module assembly 130, and the second process module assembly 120 may extend laterally relative to the resealable opening provided by the door 192. In some embodiments, as shown, the first process module assembly 110, the third process module assembly 130, and the second process module assembly 120 may extend along a line substantially parallel to the resealable opening provided by the door 192. In some embodiments, the depth from the load port 152 to the third reaction chamber 132 may be six meters or less, which may be advantageous for accommodating the processing system 100 in a typical clean room environment. Additionally, although three process module assemblies are illustrated in FIG. 1A for simplicity and ease of explanation, the processing system 100 may include four or more process module assemblies in some embodiments.As discussed herein, four or more process module assemblies are preferably connected and arranged laterally in a line extending laterally relative to the door 192. When four or more process module assemblies are connected laterally, the length from the load port 152 to the third reaction chamber 132 remains six meters or less. As a result, flexibility to expand the processing capacity of the processing system 100 can be provided, particularly since many clean room environments can provide greater equipment capacity in the lateral dimension than in the depth dimension.

[0051] One or more chamber doors 191 may be disposed between the first transfer chamber 115 and the third transfer chamber 135, and similar chamber doors 191 may also be disposed between the second transfer chamber 125 and the third transfer chamber 135. The number of chamber doors 191 in FIG. 1A is for illustrative purposes only and may vary. The chamber doors 191 may be opened when the substrate is transferred from one transfer chamber to another. The chamber doors 191 may be closed after the substrate is transferred from one transfer chamber to another. The chamber doors 191, the operation of the transfer arm to move the substrate, etc. may be controlled by a controller 180.

[0052] In some embodiments, substrates may be transferred from one transfer chamber to another using a direct substrate handoff between the transfer arms. FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view showing two transfer arms transferring substrates directly between each other. A first transfer arm 200 may include multiple arms 210, each with an end effector 212. A second transfer arm 300 may include multiple arms 310, each with an end effector 312. In some embodiments, the pairs of transfer arms 200, 300 may correspond to the pairs of transfer arms 118, 139 and 128, 339 (FIG. 1). Each end effector 212, 312 includes one or more extensions, which fit together so that each extension can separately support a substrate. In some embodiments, the extensions may be rod-shaped, and the distance between the extensions of each of the end effectors 212 and 312 may be selected so that the extensions can be interleaved when brought together, as shown. In some embodiments, the spacing between the extensions may be adjustable. In some other embodiments, the spacing between the extensions may be fixed.

[0053] 1B, by way of example, an extension of end effector 212 may be inserted between extensions of end effector 312, and a substrate may be transferred from one end effector to another. For example, to move a substrate from end effector 312 to end effector 212, the end effector may be positioned such that the extension of end effector 212 is between the extensions of end effector 312 and beneath the substrate seated on end effector 312. End effector 212 may then be moved upward and / or end effector 312 may be moved downward, such that the substrate remains on end effector 212 and may then move away from 312 unimpeded.

[0054] It should be appreciated that the transversely or horizontally oriented process module assemblies of FIG. 1 offer various advantages over processing systems with conventional vertically oriented process module assemblies. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 5 including three vertically oriented process module assemblies 10, 20, and 30. Each process module assembly includes multiple process modules having multiple reaction chambers, as illustrated in FIG. 2. When the substrate processing system 5 includes three vertically oriented process module assemblies 10, 20, and 30, the depth of the manufacturing clean room in which the processing system 5 is located may limit the number of process module assemblies that can be accommodated. For example, as illustrated, the vertically oriented processing system 5 may occupy more than 6 meters, which is greater than the depth occupied by the processing system of FIG. 1. Therefore, it may be impossible to add additional process module assemblies to the vertically oriented processing system 5. Furthermore, the substrate processing system 5 includes nine process modules, while the substrate processing system 100 (FIG. 1A) includes eleven process modules. Therefore, the substrate processing system 5 can process fewer substrates than the substrate processing system 100 of FIG. 1A, even though the two processing systems include an equal number of process module assemblies.

[0055] 3 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 200 with three process module assemblies 110, 120, and 130. The substrate processing system 200 includes a first process module assembly 110, a second process module assembly 120, a third process module assembly 130, a first buffer chamber 160, and a second buffer chamber 170. The substrate processing system 200 may further include a load lock chamber 140 and a transport chamber 150. The substrate processing system 200 is similar to the substrate processing system 100 and has the same functions and configurations as those described for the system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A, except for the first buffer chamber 160 and the second buffer chamber 170.

[0056] The first buffer chamber 160 is disposed between the first process module assembly 110 and the third process module assembly 130. The first buffer chamber 160 may separate the first transfer chamber 115 from the third transfer chamber 135. The first buffer chamber 160 may include multiple stations 165 for accommodating substrates being transferred between the first transfer chamber 115 and the third transfer chamber 135. The number of stations 165 may vary depending on the configuration of the system 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the number of stations 165 may be two in total, although other numbers of stations may be provided. Thus, two substrates may be transferred at overlapping times, e.g., simultaneously. The first buffer chamber 160 may temporarily store substrates while the first substrate transport apparatus 118 or the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transports other substrates. For example, when a substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber 140 to one of the first process modules 112, the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transfers the substrate from the load lock chamber 140 and places the substrate in station 165 of the first buffer chamber 160, and the first transport apparatus 118 transfers the substrate from station 165 to one of the first process modules 112. In some embodiments, the first buffer chamber 260 can be configured to provide high vacuum functionality, degassing functionality, or heating functionality.

[0057] The second buffer chamber 170 is disposed between the second process module assembly 120 and the third process module assembly 130. The second buffer chamber 170 may separate the second transport chamber 125 and the third transport chamber 135. The second buffer chamber 170 may include multiple stations 175 for accommodating substrates. The number of stations 175 may vary depending on the configuration of the system 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the number of stations 175 may be two in total, although other numbers of stations may be provided. The second buffer chamber 170 may temporarily store substrates while the second substrate transport apparatus 128 or the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transports other substrates. For example, when a substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber 140 to one of the second process modules 122, the third substrate transport apparatus 139 transfers the substrate from the load lock chamber 140 and places the substrate in station 175 of the second buffer chamber 170, and the second transport apparatus 128 transfers the substrate from station 175 to one of the second process modules 122. In some embodiments, the second buffer chamber 170 can be configured to provide high vacuum functionality, degassing functionality, or heating functionality.

[0058] As mentioned above, the buffer chambers 160, 170 can include a variety of numbers of stations 165, 175. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of another substrate processing system 300 including three process module assemblies 110, 120, 130. The substrate processing system 300 is similar to the substrate processing system 200 of FIG. 3 and has the same functions and configurations as those described for the system 200 illustrated in FIG. 3, except for the first buffer chamber 260 and the second buffer chamber 270, which replace the first buffer chamber 160 and the second buffer chamber 170, respectively. As shown in FIG. 12, the total number of stations 265, 275 in the first and second buffer chambers 200-620070 can be four, respectively. Thus, four substrates can be transferred simultaneously to and from the buffer chambers 260, 270.

[0059] Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of the substrate processing system 200 of Figure 3, with arrows indicating substrate movement to describe a substrate loading sequence. Figure 5 is a table describing the substrate loading steps in the substrate loading sequence of Figure 4. As discussed herein, operations to perform the loading sequence may be controlled by the controller 180.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the number of process modules may be 11, each having four reaction chambers, and the number of substrates that can be processed may be 44, i.e., four substrates per process module. Other arrangements with different numbers of process modules and / or reaction chambers per process module are possible. For ease of illustration, the process modules in Figure 4 are identified as 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 3-1 as shown. Substrates 1-44 are transported from the load port 152 to the respective process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 3-1 via the transport chamber 150, the load lock chamber 240, and the first buffer chamber 160 or the second buffer chamber 170. The number of stations 165, 175 in each buffer chamber 160, 170 may be two, and two substrates may be transferred to the first transfer chamber 115 or the second transfer chamber 125 at a time. With reference to FIG. 5 , the first row indicates a loading step (e.g., steps 1-25) or time, and the first column indicates the position of the substrate at that step or time. The "a, b" format numbers in the various entries on the table indicate a particular pair of substrates, such that the table can be understood to indicate the position of the pair of substrates within the processing system after performing a particular sequence step. Each step indicates the movement of the substrate from the position indicated in the row above to the position indicated in the row in which the particular number pair resides. Naturally, the time elapsed between individual steps may vary or be the same, depending on the time required to perform a particular substrate transfer from one designated location to another.

[0061] 5, substrates 1-20 to be processed in process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 are sequentially transferred to the respective process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 via a transfer chamber 150, a load lock chamber 140, a third transfer chamber 135, a first buffer chamber 160, and a first transfer chamber 115 (FIG. 4). Substrates 21-40 to be processed in process modules 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 are sequentially transferred to the respective process modules 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 via a transfer chamber 150, a load lock chamber 140, a third transfer chamber 135, a second buffer chamber 170, and a second transfer chamber 125 (FIG. 4). The substrates 41 to 44 to be processed in the process module 3 - 1 are transferred via the transfer chamber 150 , the load lock chamber 140 , and the third transfer chamber 135 .

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5 , a total of 25 steps may be performed until all 44 substrates have been transferred to their respective process modules. In some embodiments, in step 24, substrates 37-38 and substrates 41-42 may be transferred simultaneously to process modules 2-5 and 3-1, respectively, because substrates 41-42 can be transferred from the third transfer chamber 135 to process module 3-1 without being obstructed by the movement of other substrates. In step 25, substrates 39-40 and substrates 43-44 may be transferred simultaneously to process modules 2-5 and 3-1, respectively, because substrates 43-44 can be transferred from the third transfer chamber 135 to process module 3-1 without being obstructed by the movement of other substrates. Furthermore, because the third substrate transfer device 139 has four arms, the movement of substrates 41-44 may be facilitated.

[0063] As shown in Figure 4, the substrate is transferred to the first transfer chamber 115 or the second transfer chamber 125 through a third transfer chamber 135 disposed between the first transfer chamber 115 and the second transfer chamber 125. Thus, unlike the conventional vertically oriented process module assembly illustrated in Figure 2, in which a substrate for the farthest process module assembly may need to traverse two different transfer chambers to reach that process module assembly, the substrate does not need to traverse the first transfer chamber 115, the second transfer chamber 125, and the third transfer chamber 135. This may provide advantages over processing systems with more conventional vertically oriented process module assemblies. For example, the number of transfer steps may be reduced.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the substrate processing system 200 illustrating the substrate unloading sequence. FIG. 7 is a table illustrating the substrate unloading steps in the substrate loading sequence of FIG. 6. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, after processing is completed in each of the process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 3-1, the substrates 1-44 are sequentially transferred from each of the process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, and 3-1 to the load port 152 via the transport chamber 150, the load lock chamber 240, and the first buffer chamber 160 or the second buffer chamber 170.

[0065] For example, substrates 1-20 in process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 are transferred to load port 152 via first transfer chamber 115, first buffer chamber 160, third transfer chamber 135, load lock chamber 140, and transfer chamber 150. Substrates 21-40 in process modules 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 are transferred to load port 152 via second transfer chamber 125, second buffer chamber 170, third transfer chamber 135, load lock chamber 140, and transfer chamber 150. Substrates 41-44 in process module 3-1 are transferred to load port 152 via third transfer chamber 135, load lock chamber 140, and transfer chamber 150. After the process is completed, substrates 41-44 wait in process module 3-1' until third chamber 135 becomes available. As seen in FIG. 7, a total of 27 steps may be performed until all 44 substrates are transferred to the load port 152.

[0066] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the relationship between substrate processing time and the percentage of time a process module is empty. FIG. 9 is a diagram that schematically illustrates an overall sequence using the substrate processing system 200 of FIGS. 4 and 6. The X-axis of FIG. 8 represents the processing cycle time in a process module. The processing cycle time can vary depending on the type of process being performed. The Y-axis of FIG. 8 represents the percentage of the total process cycle time during which a process module is empty and waiting for a substrate to be processed. With reference to FIG. 9, the total process cycle time can be defined as the duration from when a substrate is loaded into a process module, when the substrate is processed in the process module, when the process module is removed, and when a new substrate is loaded into the process module. The duration of time during which a substrate is processed in a process module can vary depending on the process being performed. However, the duration during which a substrate is transferred out of a process module and when a new substrate is transferred into a process module is fixed due to the configuration of the substrate processing system and the steps required to achieve substrate movement within the system. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 8, as the processing time increases, the percentage of the processing cycle time during which a process module is empty and waiting for the next substrate to be processed decreases. For example, if the processing time is about 38 minutes, the percentage of the process cycle time that the process module receives a new substrate to process can be less than 10 percent, and if the processing time is about 82 minutes, the percentage of the process cycle time that the process module receives a new substrate to process can be less than 5 percent.

[0067] FIG. 10 is another example of a table illustrating the substrate loading process of the substrate processing system of FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 4, the first substrate transport apparatus 118 and the second substrate transport apparatus 128 can transport substrates at approximately the same time (or overlapping times). For example, the process modules of the first process module assembly 110 and the second process module assembly 120 can be loaded simultaneously. In some embodiments, the transport arm 154 picks up four substrates from the load port 152 and transports them into the load lock chamber 142. The third substrate transport apparatus 139 picks up four substrates from the load lock chamber 140 and transports two substrates each to the first buffer chamber 160 and the second buffer chamber 170. The first substrate transport apparatus 118 and the second substrate transport apparatus 128 pick up two substrates from the first buffer chamber 160 and the second buffer chamber 170, respectively. The first substrate transport apparatus 118 and the second substrate transport apparatus 128 transport two substrates to each of the process modules of the first process module assembly 110 and the second process module assembly 120, respectively. Thus, as shown in FIG. 10 , substrates can be transported into process modules 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5 at approximately the same (or overlapping) times. In steps 11-14, four substrates 41-44 can be transported together to process module 3-1 because the four substrates 41-44 are transported directly to process module 3-1 using substrate transport apparatus 139. Because process module 3-1 can potentially be filled with four substrates earlier than process modules 1-5 and 2-5, the process for process module 3-1 can begin earlier than the processes for process modules 1-5 and 2-5. In this embodiment, a total of 15 steps can be performed until all 44 substrates are transported to their respective process modules.

[0068] FIG. 11 is a table illustrating the substrate unloading process of the substrate processing system of FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the first substrate transport apparatus 118 and the second substrate transport apparatus 128 may transport substrates at approximately the same (or overlapping) times. If all processes for each process module take approximately the same amount of time, the process for module 3-1 may be completed earlier than the processes for modules 1-5 and 2-5 because the process for process module 3-1 may start earlier than the processes for process modules 1-5 and 2-5, as described with reference to FIG. 10. In some embodiments, in steps 8 through 12, the third transport chamber 135 can be used to transport substrates from process modules 1-4 and 2-4 (and 1-5 and 2-5), and the substrate in process module 3-1 may remain in process module 3-1 until the substrate transport for process modules 1-4 and 3-4 (and 1-5 and 2-5) is completed, even after the process in process module 3-1 is completed. Therefore, a process with a longer process time may be performed in process module 3-1. In this embodiment, a total of 16 steps may be performed until all 44 substrates have been transferred to their respective process modules.

[0069] In the foregoing description, the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, but is not intended to be limiting. Indeed, various modifications of the present invention, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and are within the scope of the appended claims. In all of the embodiments of the present disclosure, any element used in certain embodiments may be used interchangeably or additionally in other embodiments, except where such substitution is not feasible, would cause adverse effects, or would not function for its intended purpose. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Further details of the present invention are provided in the following non-limiting examples.

[0070] Throughout this application, the use of the singular includes the plural unless expressly stated otherwise. In this application, the use of "or" includes "and / or" unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and "comprising" are not limiting.

Claims

1. 1. A semiconductor processing system for processing a substrate, the semiconductor processing system comprising: a first process module assembly, a first transport chamber including a first substrate transport apparatus; and a first process module assembly including a plurality of first process modules, each mounted in the first transport chamber and accessible by the first substrate transport device; a second process module assembly, a second transport chamber including a second substrate transport apparatus; and a second process module assembly including a plurality of second process modules, each mounted in the second transport chamber and accessible by the second substrate transport apparatus; a third process module assembly between the first process module assembly and the second process module assembly, the third process module assembly comprising: a third transport chamber including a third substrate transport apparatus; a third process module mounted in the third transport chamber and accessible by the third substrate transport device; and a resealable opening for receiving the substrate from an external environment; a third process module assembly, a first side of the third process module assembly attached to the first process module assembly and a second side of the third process module assembly attached to the second process module assembly; a controller, sequentially loading substrates from a load lock chamber into the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module using the first substrate transport device, the second substrate transport device, and the third substrate transport device; processing a substrate loaded into each process module; and a controller configured to perform operations including removing a processed substrate from the first process module and the second process module using the first substrate transport apparatus, the second substrate transport apparatus, and the third substrate transport apparatus before removing the processed substrate from the third process module.

2. 10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein processing the substrate comprises sequentially beginning processing of the substrate in each process module as each process module completes loading while other process modules are loaded.

3. 10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein removing the processed substrate comprises sequentially removing the substrate from the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module.

4. 10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first process module assembly and the second process module assembly are mounted on opposite sides of the third process module assembly.

5. a load lock chamber configured to communicate with the resealable opening; 10. The processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a transport chamber including a plurality of load ports for coupling with substrate carriers, the transport chamber being attached to the load lock chamber and configured to provide substrates to the load lock chamber.

6. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the third process module is mounted on a side of the third transfer chamber opposite the resealable opening.

7. 10. The processing system of claim 1, wherein each of the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module includes four reaction chambers for processing substrates.

8. sequentially loading the substrates; transporting the substrate directly from the third substrate transport device to the first substrate transport device; and transferring the substrate directly from the third substrate transport apparatus to the second substrate transport apparatus.

9. the first substrate transport device includes a first arm having a first end effector; the second substrate transport device includes a second arm having a second end effector; the third substrate transport device includes a third arm having a third end effector; 2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein each of the first end effector, the second end effector, and the third end effector includes two pickup extensions spaced apart from one another, and the distance between the two pickup extensions of the third end effector is different from the distance between the two pickup extensions of the first end effector and the second end effector.

10. 2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein each of the first transport chamber assembly and the second transport chamber has a hexagonal shape when viewed from above and includes five sides for coupling with five first process modules and five second process modules, respectively.

11. The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the load lock chamber comprises a plurality of load lock stations for accommodating a plurality of substrates.

12. 10. The processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a first buffer chamber located between the first process module assembly and the third process module assembly; and a second buffer chamber located between the second process module assembly and the third process module assembly.

13. 13. The processing system of claim 12, wherein the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include two stations configured to receive a substrate.

14. 13. The processing system of claim 12, wherein the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include four stations configured to receive substrates.

15. 1. A semiconductor processing system for processing a substrate, the semiconductor processing system comprising: a first process module assembly, a first transport chamber including a first substrate transport apparatus; and a first process module assembly including a plurality of first process modules, each of the first process modules mounted in the first transport chamber and accessible by the first substrate transport device; a second process module assembly, a second transport chamber including a second substrate transport apparatus; and a second process module assembly including a plurality of second process modules, each of the second process modules mounted in the second transport chamber and accessible by the second substrate transport apparatus; a third process module assembly between the first process module assembly and the second process module assembly, the third process module assembly comprising: a third transport chamber including a third substrate transport apparatus; a third process module mounted in the third transport chamber and accessible by the third substrate transport device; and a resealable opening for receiving the substrate from an external environment; a third process module assembly, a first side of the third process module assembly attached to the first process module assembly and a second side of the third process module assembly attached to the second process module assembly; a controller, loading substrates into the first process module and the second process module at overlapping times; Thereafter, loading the substrate into the third process module; processing a substrate loaded into each process module; removing the treated substrate from the first process module and the second process module; and then removing the processed substrate from the third process module.

16. a load lock chamber configured to communicate with the resealable opening; 16. The processing system of claim 15, further comprising: a transport chamber including a plurality of load ports for coupling with substrate carriers, the transport chamber being attached to the load lock chamber and configured to provide substrates to the load lock chamber.

17. 16. The processing system of claim 15, wherein each of the first process module, the second process module, and the third process module includes four reaction chambers for processing substrates.

18. 16. The processing system of claim 15, wherein each of the first and second transfer chambers has a hexagonal shape when viewed from above and includes five portions for coupling with five first process modules and five second process modules, respectively.

19. 16. The processing system of claim 15, wherein the first substrate transport apparatus, the second substrate transport apparatus, and the third substrate transport apparatus each include four arms.

20. 16. The processing system of claim 15, further comprising: a first buffer chamber located between the first process module assembly and the third process module assembly; and a second buffer chamber located between the second process module assembly and the third process module assembly.

21. 21. The processing system of claim 20, wherein the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include two stations configured to receive a substrate.

22. 21. The processing system of claim 20, wherein the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber each include four stations configured to receive a substrate.

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