Vacuum Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a vacuum treatment apparatus VM capable of removing carried-in particles as much as possible while a vacuum atmosphere is maintained.SOLUTION: A vacuum treatment apparatus comprises: upstream-side and downstream-side vacuum chambers 1a, 1b; vacuum pumps 12a, 12b which evacuate the respective vacuum chambers; and a carrier Ca which can move between the upstream-side vacuum chamber and the downstream-side vacuum chamber while holding a substrate Sw. The vacuum treatment apparatus further comprises: first blowing means 5a which blows an inert gas toward the carrier when the carrier moves from the upstream-side vacuum chamber to the downstream-side vacuum chamber; and second blowing means 5b provided on the downstream-side vacuum chamber. The first blowing means blows the inert gas at a first flow rate large enough to blow particles sticking on at least one of the carrier and the substrate. The second blowing means blows the inert gas at a second flow rate large enough to carry particles diffused in the downstream-side vacuum chamber as a result of the blowing, to the vacuum pumps.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a substrate to be processed in a vacuum atmosphere. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of vacuum processing apparatus is used to perform various vacuum processes on substrates to be processed in a vacuum atmosphere, such as film formation processes using sputtering, vacuum evaporation, or CVD, dry etching, ion implantation, and heat treatment. For example, a so-called in-line sputtering apparatus is used to perform film formation processes on large-area glass substrates by sputtering in the manufacturing process of flat display panels. This apparatus has a film formation chamber (downstream vacuum chamber) with a sputtering cathode as a processing unit on its sidewall, and an upstream vacuum auxiliary chamber (upstream vacuum chamber) and a downstream vacuum auxiliary chamber are connected to the upstream and downstream sides of the film formation chamber via transfer chambers each having a gate valve.

[0003] Rail members are laid linearly along the inner bottom wall surfaces of the film deposition chamber and the upstream and downstream vacuum auxiliary chambers, and a movable stage is slidably engaged with each rail member. A carrier is provided on the movable stage to hold the substrate in an upright position. For example, with the carrier holding the substrate in the upstream vacuum auxiliary chamber, the upstream vacuum auxiliary chamber is evacuated to a predetermined pressure, and then the gate valve is opened to move the movable stage. The movable stage then crosses the transfer chamber and is transported to the film deposition chamber, which has been evacuated to a predetermined pressure. When the substrate held by the carrier reaches a position facing the target of the processing unit, the gate valve is closed, and film deposition processing is performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] The various vacuum processing equipment described above requires periodic manual maintenance, such as replenishing the film-forming material, replacing the target material, replacing the adhesion shield that prevents the film-forming material from adhering to the inner walls of the vacuum chamber, and cleaning the moving stage and carrier. Even if the vacuum chamber is installed in a clean room with a specified air cleanliness, particles floating in the clean room may be carried into the vacuum chamber and adhere to the upper surface of the moving stage or the main surface of the carrier that holds the substrate to be processed. Because such particles may interfere with proper vacuum processing, it is desirable to remove the particles after maintenance is completed. (For example, with the recent trend toward higher resolution and higher performance, vacuum processing equipment used in the manufacturing process of flat display panels is required to minimize the number of particles below a certain size.)

[0005] One method for removing particles is known as cycle venting, in which the vacuum chamber is alternately switched between atmospheric and a vacuum atmosphere at a predetermined pressure. This method involves introducing vent gas, such as nitrogen or argon gas, into the vacuum chamber, stirring up particles adhering to the main surface of the carrier. The particles are then transferred to the vacuum pump when the vacuum chamber is evacuated by the vacuum pump, thereby eliminating as many particles as possible. While cycle venting is effective for vacuum processing equipment used in semiconductor device manufacturing processes, where the size of the substrates (silicon wafers) being processed is relatively small and the volume of the vacuum chamber is not required to be large, cycle venting is not effective for vacuum processing equipment used in flat panel manufacturing processes, where the size of the substrates being processed is relatively large and the volume of the vacuum chamber must be large. Furthermore, when the volume of the vacuum chamber is large, the venting process to return the vacuum chamber to atmospheric and the evacuation process to create a vacuum atmosphere at a predetermined pressure require significant time, which reduces productivity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5965686 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can remove as many particles as possible while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention comprises an upstream vacuum chamber and a downstream vacuum chamber connected to each other, a vacuum pump that evacuates each of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers, and a carrier that can move freely between the upstream vacuum chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber while holding a substrate to be processed, and further comprises a first spraying means that sprays an inert gas toward the carrier as it moves from the upstream vacuum chamber to the downstream vacuum chamber, and a second spraying means provided in the downstream vacuum chamber, wherein the first spraying means is configured to blow off the inert gas at a first flow rate that enables particles adhering to at least one of the carrier and the substrate to be processed to be blown off, and the second spraying means is configured to blow off the inert gas at a second flow rate that enables particles that have diffused into the downstream vacuum chamber by the blowing off to be transferred to the vacuum pump.

[0009] According to the present invention, after an operator performs maintenance on a vacuum processing apparatus, the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers are evacuated by a vacuum pump to a predetermined pressure range in the viscous flow region (e.g., a range of 5 Pa to 1000 Pa). Once the predetermined pressure range has been reached, a carrier is moved from the upstream vacuum chamber to the downstream vacuum chamber (a substrate to be processed may be held therein). While the carrier is being moved to a film formation position in the downstream vacuum chamber where the predetermined vacuum processing is performed, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas is sprayed onto the carrier at a first flow rate by a first spraying means. The first flow rate is set, for example, in the range of 1 SLM to 100 SLM, preferably 10 SLM or more. At this time, the effective pumping speed of the vacuum pump is appropriately set so that the pressure in the downstream vacuum chamber is maintained within the above-mentioned range. The spraying time of the inert gas at the first flow rate can be determined experimentally or calculated by simulation, for example. As a result, particles adhering to the carrier or the substrate to be processed are blown off and thrown up, and are dispersed, for example, in the downstream vacuum chamber (particle flying process). The inert gas can be sprayed at the first flow rate while the carrier is moving, but it may be sprayed only in the upstream vacuum chamber or the downstream vacuum chamber.

[0010] Next, when the carrier reaches the film-forming position and stops moving, and the particles adhering to the carrier (and the substrate to be processed) finish being stirred up, the spraying of the inert gas by the first spraying means is stopped (or may be stopped before the carrier moves to the film-forming position). Then, in the downstream vacuum chamber, the second spraying means introduces the inert gas at a second flow rate into the downstream vacuum chamber. The second flow rate is set to, for example, a flow rate in the range of 300 sccm to 1000 sccm depending on the size of the stirred-up particles, and at this time, as described above, the effective exhaust speed of the vacuum pump is appropriately set so that the pressure inside the vacuum chamber is maintained within the above-mentioned range. As a result, the particles dispersed in the downstream vacuum chamber are guided to the exhaust port of the vacuum chamber connected to the vacuum pump and transferred to the vacuum pump (particle transfer process). The spraying time of the inert gas at the second flow rate can be determined experimentally or calculated by simulation, as described above. The stirring process and the transfer process may be repeated sequentially multiple times. Furthermore, the first and second spraying means may be shared by a single means provided in the downstream vacuum chamber, for example.

[0011] In this way, in the present invention, a relatively large amount (first flow rate) of inert gas is sprayed into each of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere to lift particles adhering to the carrier, etc., and a relatively small amount (second flow rate) of inert gas is introduced and directed to the exhaust port to prevent the lifted particles from further adhering to the carrier, etc., thereby eliminating as many particles as possible while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere in the vacuum chamber. Moreover, since there is no need to repeatedly vent and exhaust the vacuum chamber to return the vacuum chamber to the atmospheric atmosphere, the time required to remove particles is short, which is advantageous when the volume of the vacuum chamber is large. Furthermore, because an inert gas is used, particles can be removed prior to vacuum processing.

[0012] In the present invention, when a transfer chamber with a gate valve is interposed between the upstream vacuum chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber, the first spraying means can be configured to be provided in the transfer chamber and include a spray nozzle having a length equal to or greater than the width of the carrier perpendicular to the direction of carrier movement, and to spray a line of inert gas at a first flow rate toward the carrier. This allows the inert gas to be sprayed over the entire main surface of the carrier on which the substrate to be processed is set, utilizing the movement of the carrier, thereby reliably stirring up particles adhering to the main surface of the carrier. In this case, since there is a risk that the stirred-up particles will also diffuse into the upstream vacuum chamber, a second spraying means may be provided in the upstream vacuum chamber to introduce a relatively small amount of inert gas (a second flow rate) and direct it to the exhaust port.

[0013] In addition, in the present invention, the second spraying means may include a spray nozzle that sprays the inert gas at the second flow rate in a line shape, and the spray nozzles of the first and second spraying means may each have a drive source that swings the nozzle hole about an axis. This configuration is advantageous in that the inert gas can be reliably sprayed over the entire main surface of the carrier while the carrier is moving, and by swinging the nozzle hole of the spray nozzle when the inert gas is sprayed at the second flow rate, the particles that are stirred up can be more reliably guided to the exhaust port.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, when an exhaust port to which an exhaust pipe from a vacuum pump is connected is provided on the vertical lower surface of the downstream vacuum chamber, the second spraying means is preferably disposed on the inner surface of the upper wall of the downstream vacuum chamber opposite the exhaust port, thereby making it possible to more reliably guide the raised particles to the exhaust port with the addition of gravity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 2(a) shows the lifting process, and Figure 2(b) shows the transfer process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described, taking as an example a case in which a sputtering process is performed in a vacuum atmosphere, a sputtering cathode is used as the processing unit, and a glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as "substrate Sw") is used as the substrate Sw. The substrate Sw is moved from an upstream vacuum chamber to a downstream vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, and a predetermined thin film is formed on one side of the substrate Sw. Hereinafter, the direction of movement of the substrate Sw is defined as the X-axis, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Z-axis. Furthermore, terms indicating directions such as up and down are based on FIG. 1, which shows the installation orientation of the vacuum processing apparatus. For convenience of explanation, this embodiment will be described using an example in which two vacuum chambers, an upstream vacuum chamber and a downstream vacuum chamber, are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to systems with three or more vacuum chambers, or to so-called cluster tool systems in which a central transfer chamber with a vacuum transfer robot is connected to a central transfer chamber with multiple processing chambers arranged around it.

[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, the vacuum processing apparatus VM includes an upstream vacuum chamber 1a and a downstream vacuum chamber 1b connected to each other. In this embodiment, the upstream vacuum chamber 1a serves as a load lock chamber for loading and unloading a substrate Sw, and the downstream vacuum chamber 1b serves as a processing chamber for performing a film deposition process on the substrate Sw. A transfer chamber 1c equipped with a gate valve Gv is interposed between the upstream vacuum chamber 1a and the downstream vacuum chamber 1b, thereby isolating the upstream vacuum chamber 1a from the downstream vacuum chamber 1b. Exhaust ports 11a and 11b are opened in the bottom walls of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b, respectively, at approximately the center in the X-axis direction. Exhaust pipes 13a and 13b from vacuum pumps 12a and 12b are connected to the exhaust ports 11a and 11b, respectively, allowing the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b to be evacuated from atmospheric pressure to a high vacuum range. Conductance valves 14a and 14b are provided in the exhaust pipes 13a and 13b, respectively, so that the effective exhaust speeds of the vacuum pumps 12a and 12b can be adjusted.

[0018] Rail members 2 are laid along the bottom walls of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a, 1b and the transfer chamber 1c, extending linearly in the X-axis direction. A movable stage 3 is slidably engaged with the rail members 2. A carrier Ca is placed on the movable stage 3, and the substrate Sw is set in an upright position with its film-forming surface facing horizontally. Since well-known methods can be used for moving the movable stage 3 and setting the substrate Sw on the carrier Ca, detailed explanations are omitted here. Then, with the gate valve Gv closed, the substrate Sw is loaded into the upstream vacuum chamber 1a in the air atmosphere and set on the carrier Ca on the movable stage 3. In this case, the substrate Sw may be set on the carrier Ca in the air atmosphere and then loaded into the upstream vacuum chamber 1a in this state. Next, the vacuum pump 12a is operated to evacuate the upstream vacuum chamber 1a, and when a predetermined pressure is reached, the gate valve Gv is opened and the moving stage 3 is transported to a predetermined position in the downstream vacuum chamber 1b through the transport chamber 1c.

[0019] A sputtering cathode 4 serving as a processing unit is provided on the sidewall of the downstream vacuum chamber 1b. Although not specifically illustrated or described, the sputtering cathode 4 includes a target positioned directly opposite the substrate Sw on the movable stage 3, which has been transported to a predetermined position in the downstream vacuum chamber 1b. The sputtering cathode 4 is attached to the sidewall of the downstream vacuum chamber 1b via a backing plate bonded to one side of the target. The downstream vacuum chamber 1b is also configured to allow the introduction of rare gases, such as argon, for plasma generation and reactive gases for reactive sputtering. A sputtering power supply (not shown) applies a predetermined negative electric power or AC power, depending on the target species, to the target. This generates plasma in the space between the substrate Sw and the target within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b, and sputters the target, depositing a predetermined thin film on the surface of the substrate Sw. After the film is formed, the substrate Sw is returned to the upstream vacuum chamber 1a and transported out of the upstream vacuum chamber 1a into the atmospheric air.

[0020] Meanwhile, maintenance of the vacuum processing apparatus VM, such as replacing targets and adhesion shields (not shown), is performed manually by an operator periodically. Even if the vacuum chambers 1a, 1b, and 1c are installed in a clean room with a predetermined air cleanliness level, particles floating in the clean room may be brought into the chamber and adhere to the main surface of the carrier Ca holding the substrate Sw or the movable stage 3. Because such particles adversely affect film formation on the substrate Sw, it is necessary to minimize the number of particles below a predetermined size prior to film formation. In this embodiment, first and second spraying means 5a and 5b are provided to spray inert gas toward the main surface of the carrier Ca and the movable stage 3.

[0021] Referring also to FIG. 2, the first spraying means 5a includes a first spray nozzle 51 extending in the Z-axis direction within the transfer chamber 1c. The first spray nozzle 51 is composed of a metal cylinder longer than the combined height of the carrier Ca and the movable stage 3 in the Z-axis direction. A plurality of nozzle holes 51a are arranged at intervals in one direction on its outer circumferential surface (the surface facing the main surface of the carrier Ca), and an inert gas can be sprayed from each nozzle hole 51a in a line. In this case, each nozzle hole 51a of the first spray nozzle 51 is tilted relative to the Z-axis so that it faces the downstream vacuum chamber 1b when particles adhering to the carrier Ca, the movable stage 3, or the substrate Sw are blown away. A gas pipe 52 penetrating the sidewall of the transfer chamber 1c and protruding into the interior of the transfer chamber 1c is connected to the first spray nozzle 51. In this case, although not specifically shown or described, a diffusion plate may be disposed within the first spray nozzle 51 to diffuse the inert gas supplied through the gas pipe 52 so that the inert gas is sprayed out approximately evenly from each nozzle hole 51a. The gas pipe 52 is connected to a gas source (not shown) via a flow control valve 53. A rare gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas is used as the inert gas, and the flow control valve 53 adjusts the inert gas so that it is supplied to the first spray nozzle 51 at a first flow rate that enables particles adhering to the carrier Ca, the moving stage 3, and the substrate Sw to be blown away. Note that, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which a single first spray nozzle 51 is provided facing the main surface of the carrier Ca, but the number of first spray nozzles is not limited thereto. For example, another first spray nozzle may be provided on the back side of the carrier Ca.

[0022] The second spraying means 5b includes a second spray nozzle 54 extending in the X-axis direction within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b. The second spray nozzle 54 is composed of a metal cylinder longer than the width of the carrier Ca in the Z-axis direction. Multiple nozzle holes 54a are arranged at intervals along its outer periphery, allowing the inert gas to be sprayed linearly from each nozzle hole 54a. A gas pipe 55 is connected to the second spray nozzle 54, penetrating the upper wall of the downstream vacuum chamber 1b and projecting into the interior thereof. In this case, a diffuser plate may be disposed within the second spray nozzle 54 to diffuse the inert gas supplied through the gas pipe 55 and ensure that the inert gas is sprayed uniformly from each nozzle hole 54a. The gas pipe 55 is connected to a gas source (not shown) via a flow control valve 56. The inert gas used is a rare gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and the flow control valve 56 adjusts the inert gas to be supplied to the second spray nozzle 54 at a second flow rate that can diffuse the raised particles downstream within the vacuum chamber 1b and send them to the exhaust port 11b. A rotary shaft 57a of a motor 57 serving as a drive source for rotating the second spray nozzle 54 about its X axis is also connected to the second spray nozzle 54, and by rotating the second spray nozzle 54 back and forth within a predetermined angular range, each nozzle hole 54a can be swung back and forth about the X axis within a predetermined angular range. The procedure for removing particles after maintenance is described below.

[0023] After maintenance is performed, as shown in FIG. 1, with gate valve Gv closed, vacuum pumps 12a and 12b are operated to evacuate upstream vacuum chamber 1a and downstream vacuum chamber 1b, which are in the atmosphere containing carrier Ca and stage 3, to a predetermined pressure range in the viscous flow region (e.g., a range of 5 Pa to 1000 Pa). Once the predetermined pressure range has been reached, gate valve Gv is opened, and carrier Ca is transported by movable stage 3 through transfer chamber 1c to a predetermined position in downstream vacuum chamber 1b. As shown in FIG. 2(a), as carrier Ca passes through transfer chamber 1c, flow control valve 53 of first spraying means 5a is controlled to supply inert gas at a first flow rate to first spray nozzle 51, and the inert gas is sprayed in a line from each nozzle hole 51a at the first flow rate. The first flow rate is set to, for example, a range of 1 SLM to 100 SLM, preferably 10 SLM or more, and the opening of the conductance valve 14b is appropriately adjusted so that the pressure inside the downstream vacuum chamber 1b is maintained within the above-mentioned range. Note that the inert gas at the first flow rate is sprayed onto the carrier Ca and the moving stage 3 by the vacuum pumps 12a and 12b while the upstream vacuum chamber 1a and the downstream vacuum chamber 1b are kept at a high vacuum (for example, 10 -5 This step can be performed after the chamber is evacuated to a vacuum pressure of 1000 Pa (Pa), or can be performed with the substrate Sw set on the carrier Ca for film formation on the substrate Sw. In this way, a line of inert gas is sprayed onto the entire main surface of the carrier Ca on which the substrate Sw is set and onto the stage 3, and particles adhering to these surfaces are blown away, and are then lifted up and dispersed within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b (particle lifting step).

[0024] Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), when the moving stage 3 is moved to a predetermined position within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b, the gate valve Gv is closed and the flow control valve 56 is controlled to supply inert gas at a second flow rate to the second spray nozzle 54. The inert gas is sprayed linearly from each nozzle hole 54a at the second flow rate. In addition, the motor 57 rotates the second spray nozzle 54 back and forth within a predetermined angular range. The second flow rate is set to, for example, a range of 300 sccm to 1000 sccm depending on the size of the particles being stirred up. At this time, the aperture of the conductance valve 14b is appropriately adjusted to maintain the pressure within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b within the above-mentioned range. As a result, the particles dispersed within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b are guided, along with gravity, to the exhaust port 11b and transferred to the vacuum pump 12b (particle transfer process). The spraying time of the inert gas at the second flow rate can be determined experimentally or calculated by simulation. Moreover, the lifting step and the transporting step can be repeated multiple times.

[0025] According to the above-described embodiment, while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere within the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b, a relatively large amount (first flow rate) of inert gas is sprayed to lift particles adhering to the carrier Ca, moving stage 3, substrate Sw, etc. To prevent these particles from further adhering to the carrier Ca, moving stage 3, substrate Sw, etc., a relatively small amount (second flow rate) of inert gas is introduced into the downstream vacuum chamber 1b and directed to the exhaust port 11b. This allows for as much removal of particles as possible while maintaining the vacuum atmosphere within the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b. Furthermore, because repeated venting and exhaust processes to return the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b to the atmospheric atmosphere are not required, the time required for particle removal is short, which is advantageous when the volumes of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers 1a and 1b are large. Furthermore, the use of inert gas allows for particle removal prior to vacuum processing.

[0026] Furthermore, by providing the first spraying means 5a in the transfer chamber 1c and configuring the first spraying nozzle 51 as described above, the inert gas can be sprayed over the entire main surface (the surface that holds the substrate Sw) of the carrier Ca by utilizing the movement of the movable stage 3, thereby reliably stirring up the particles. Note that, since there is a risk that some of the stirred-up particles will also diffuse into the upstream vacuum chamber 1a, a second spraying means having a similar configuration to the above may also be provided in the upstream vacuum chamber 1a, and a relatively small amount (second flow rate) of inert gas may be introduced and directed to the exhaust port 11a.

[0027] Although the above describes an embodiment of the present invention, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the first spraying means 5a is provided within the transfer chamber 1c. However, the configuration and arrangement of the spraying means are not limited to this, as long as the inert gas can be sprayed onto the main surface of the carrier Ca at the first flow rate. In the above embodiment, the substrate Sw is transported in an upright position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to substrates Sw transported in a horizontal position with the processing surface facing vertically upward (or downward). In this case, the spraying means is appropriately set within the vacuum chamber depending on the substrate's position (i.e., the position of the carrier or robot hand holding the substrate). Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first and second spraying means 5a, 5b are provided. However, if the spraying means includes a drive source for oscillating its nozzle hole, a single spray nozzle may be provided in the downstream vacuum chamber 1b, and a single flow control valve may be used to switch between the first and second flow rates. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the second spray nozzle 54 sprays inert gas at a second flow rate, but the flow control valve 56 may be configured to switch between the first flow rate and the second flow rate to supply inert gas to the second spray nozzle 54, so that the inert gas at the first flow rate is sprayed onto the carrier Ca or the movable stage 3 until it is transported to a predetermined position within the downstream vacuum chamber 1b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] VM...vacuum processing apparatus, Ca...carrier, Gv...gate valve, Sw...substrate (substrate to be processed), 1a...upstream vacuum chamber, 1b...downstream vacuum chamber, 1c...transport chamber, 11b...exhaust port, 12a, 12b...vacuum pump, 13b...exhaust pipe, 5a...first spraying means, 51...first spraying nozzle, 51a...nozzle hole, 5b...second spraying means, 54...second spraying nozzle, 54a...nozzle hole, 57...motor (drive source).

Claims

1. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising an upstream vacuum chamber and a downstream vacuum chamber connected to each other in one direction, a vacuum pump for evacuating each of the upstream and downstream vacuum chambers, and a carrier that can move freely between the upstream vacuum chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber while holding a substrate to be processed, a first blowing means provided in a transfer chamber between the upstream vacuum chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber for blowing an inert gas toward the carrier when the carrier moves from the upstream vacuum chamber through the transfer chamber to the downstream vacuum chamber while maintaining a vacuum atmosphere; and a second blowing means provided in the downstream vacuum chamber, the first spraying means is configured to blow the inert gas toward the downstream vacuum chamber at a first flow rate that enables particles adhering to at least one of the carrier and the substrate to be processed to be blown away, and the second spraying means is configured to blow the inert gas toward the downstream vacuum chamber at a second flow rate that enables particles diffused in the downstream vacuum chamber by the blowing away to be transferred to the vacuum pump, while the transfer chamber and the downstream vacuum chamber are isolated from each other; an exhaust port to which an exhaust pipe from a vacuum pump is connected is provided on a vertically lower surface of the downstream vacuum chamber, and a second spraying means is disposed on an inner surface of an upper wall portion of the downstream vacuum chamber opposite the exhaust port; A vacuum processing apparatus characterized in that the first spraying means has a spray nozzle having a length equal to or greater than the width of the carrier perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carrier, and sprays a first flow rate of inert gas in a line toward the carrier.

2. 2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second spraying means includes a spray nozzle that sprays the inert gas at the second flow rate in a line shape, and the spray nozzle of each of the first and second spraying means has a drive source that swings its nozzle hole around an axis.

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