Semiconductor manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor manufacturing device that can increase the number of processing chambers connected to a front-end module.SOLUTION: The semiconductor manufacturing device includes a front-end module arranged on the top surface with a load port to which a conveyance container is connected and a plurality of processing units for processing a semiconductor substrate. The processing units are arranged around the front-end module in a plan view when viewed from the normal direction of the top surface of the front-end module, and the processing units are connected to the front-end module from at least two directions in the plan view. The semiconductor manufacturing device conveys the semiconductor substrate between the conveyance container and the processing units via the front-end module.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a semiconductor substrate to be processed is stored in a transfer container and transferred. In a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus used in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) is used for transferring a semiconductor substrate between a transfer container and a processing chamber for processing the semiconductor substrate. By increasing the number of processing chambers connected to the front end module, the number of semiconductor substrates processed simultaneously can be increased. Prior Art Literature Patent Literature

[0003] Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2021-10011 Summary of the Invention Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of increasing the number of processing chambers connected to a front end module. Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a front end module having an upper surface on which a load port to which a transfer container is connected is arranged; and a plurality of processing units for processing a semiconductor substrate. The processing units are arranged around the front end module in a plan view viewed from the normal direction of the upper surface of the front end module, and the processing units are respectively connected to the front end module from at least two directions in the plan view. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment comprises multiple unit units, each consisting of multiple processing units connected to a front-end module, with each unit unit sharing one processing unit and being interconnected.The semiconductor manufacturing equipment transports semiconductor substrates between the transport container and the processing unit via a front-end module. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the movement of a transport container in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of semiconductor substrate transport in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a robotic arm. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in a comparative example. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a unit of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of semiconductor substrate transport in a unit. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing another configuration of a unit of semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the arrangement of a group of units in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for illustrating a control method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the control method of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Next, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic. Furthermore, the embodiments shown below are illustrative examples of devices and methods for realizing the technical idea and do not specify the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the parts. Various modifications can be made to the embodiments.

[0008] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 processes semiconductor substrates transported by a transport container 100. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises a front-end module 10 to which load ports 11 connected to the transport container 100 are located on the upper surface 101, and a first processing unit 21, a second processing unit 22, a third processing unit 23, and a fourth processing unit 24 for processing semiconductor substrates. As shown in Figure 1, a plurality of load ports 11 are located on the upper surface 101 of the front-end module 10. Figure 1 shows an example where there are 16 load ports 11.

[0009] In the following, unless otherwise specified, each of the first processing unit 21 to the fourth processing unit 24 will be referred to as processing unit 20. Each processing unit 20 includes a plurality of processing chambers CH that process semiconductor substrates internally, and a transport device 210 that transports semiconductor substrates within the processing unit 20. The processing unit shown in Figure 1 each has 10 processing chambers CH. As shown in Figure 1, five processing chambers CH are arranged in two rows on either side of the transport device 210.

[0010] The processing units 20 are arranged around the front-end module 10 when viewed from the direction normal to the top surface 101 of the front-end module 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "plan view"). Each of the processing units 20 is connected to the front-end module 10 from a different direction.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the normal direction of the upper surface 101 of the front-end module 10 is defined as the Z direction. In FIG. 1, the Z direction is the depth direction of the drawing sheet, the X direction is the horizontal direction of the drawing sheet, and the Y direction is the vertical direction of the drawing sheet. In other words, the upper surface 101 is parallel to the XY plane perpendicular to the Z direction.

[0012] In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, processing units 20 are connected to the front-end module 10 from four mutually orthogonal directions in plan view. In other words, with the front-end module 10 as the center, the processing units 20 are respectively arranged above, below, left and right of the front-end module 10 in plan view. In the drawing sheet of FIG. 1, the first processing unit 21 is connected from the upper side of the rectangular front-end module 10 in plan view. The second processing unit 22 is connected from the right side of the front-end module 10. The third processing unit 23 is connected from the lower side of the front-end module 10. The fourth processing unit 24 is connected from the left side of the front-end module 10. In other words, the first processing unit 21 and the third processing unit 23 extend in the Y direction. The second processing unit 22 and the fourth processing unit 24 extend in the X direction.

[0013] By connecting the processing units 20 to the front-end module 10 from mutually orthogonal directions as shown in FIG. 1, the extension length of each processing unit 20 can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, the number of processing chambers CH included in the processing units 20 can be easily increased.

[0014] Although the number of the processing units 20 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is not limited to four, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing units 20. In other words, the processing units 20 are connected to the front-end module 10 from at least two directions in plan view.

[0015] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 transfers a semiconductor substrate between a transfer container 100 and the processing units 20 via the front-end module 10. The operation of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described below.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, a transfer container 100 storing a semiconductor substrate to be processed is connected to the load port 11. Although not shown in the drawings, the load port 11 includes a mechanism for fixing the transfer container 100 at a predetermined position, a mechanism for opening and closing a door of the transfer container 100 to communicate the interior of the transfer container 100 with the interior of the front-end module 10, and a mechanism for transferring the semiconductor substrate. For example, a front opening unified pod (FOUP) that seals the interior of the transfer container 100 to maintain the cleanliness around the semiconductor substrate may be used. The front-end module 10 includes a connection device 12 that transfers the semiconductor substrate to and from the processing unit 20. The connection devices 12 are respectively disposed in regions of the front-end module 10 connected to the processing units 20.

[0017] The front-end module 10 moves the transfer container 100 on the upper surface 101 such that the transfer container 100 approaches the connection device 12 connected to the processing unit 20 that processes the semiconductor substrate stored in the transfer container 100. For example, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, the transfer container 100 moves on the upper surface 101 along a fixed route. Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which the transfer container 100 moves in a zigzag pattern, the moving method of the transfer container 100 can be arbitrarily set. When the transfer container 100 sequentially goes around the plurality of load ports 11 disposed on the upper surface 101, the semiconductor substrate can be smoothly moved to any front-end module 10.

[0018] The semiconductor substrate is transferred to the processing unit 20 from the transfer container 100 transferred to the connection device 12 of the front-end module 10. Thereafter, the semiconductor substrate is processed in a predetermined processing chamber CH of the processing unit 20. For example, photolithography processes and film formation processes are performed in the processing chamber CH. After the processing in the processing chamber CH is completed, the semiconductor substrate is returned from the processing unit 20 to the transfer container 100 disposed at the connection device 12.

[0019] The semiconductor substrate may be transported between the front-end module 10 and the processing unit 20 by a transport mechanism 110 and a transport device 210, for example, as shown in Figure 4. In the example of the transport method shown in Figure 4, the semiconductor substrate 300 is removed from the transport container 100 transported to the connection device 12 by the transport mechanism 110 of the front-end module 10 and transported to the substrate placement area 201 of the processing unit 20. The processing unit 20 transports the semiconductor substrate 300 from the substrate placement area 201 into a predetermined processing chamber CH using the transport device 210. After processing in the processing chamber CH is completed, the semiconductor substrate 300 is transported back to the transport container 100 by the transport device 210 and the transport mechanism 110.

[0020] In the example shown in Figure 4, two transfer mechanisms 110 and two transport devices 210 are arranged along the direction of the arrangement of the processing chambers CH. For example, one set of transfer mechanisms 110 and transport devices 210 may be used to transport semiconductor substrates to one of the two rows of processing chambers CH arranged in the processing unit 20.

[0021] The transport device 210 may be, for example, a robot arm. Figure 5 shows an example of a robot arm 400 that can be used with the transport device 210 and the transfer mechanism 110. The robot arm 400 includes a fixed part 401, an arm 403 connected to the fixed part 401 and freely bendable at a joint part 402, and a mounting part 404 connected to the end of the arm 403 and on which the semiconductor substrate 300 is mounted. The semiconductor substrate 300 is supported, for example, by a support part 305 located on the surface of the mounting part 404.

[0022] Figure 6 shows the configuration of a comparative example semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. In the comparative example semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a processing unit 20 is connected to one side of the front-end module 10, and load ports 11 are located on the other side. In the comparative example semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the number of load ports 11 is limited by the length of the side of the front-end module 10. Therefore, if the number of processing chambers CH of the processing unit 20 is increased, the number of load ports 11 will be insufficient for the number of processing chambers CH. On the other hand, if the load ports 11 are arranged in accordance with the number of processing chambers CH, the installation area of ​​the front-end module 10 will increase.

[0023] In contrast, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1, a large number of load ports 11 are arranged on the upper surface 101 of the front-end module 10. Therefore, with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, even if the number of processing chambers CH of the processing unit 20 is increased, it is possible to prevent a shortage of load ports 11 relative to the number of processing units 20.

[0024] The types of processing chambers CH included in the processing unit 20 can be arbitrarily selected. For example, increasing the number of processing chambers CH that perform the same processing increases the number of semiconductor substrates that can be processed simultaneously. This improves the processing efficiency of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1. Alternatively, a series of manufacturing processes may be executed by a single processing unit 20 composed of multiple processing chambers CH that perform different processing.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, a configuration in which multiple processing units 20 are connected to a front-end module 10 may be defined as a unit unit 500, and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 may be composed of multiple unit units 500 that are interconnected by sharing one of the processing units 20. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 7, two front-end modules 10 are connected to a processing unit 20 that extends in the Y direction.

[0026] For example, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the comparative example shown in Figure 6, there is only one front-end module 10 connected to one processing unit 20. Therefore, if semiconductor substrates cannot be transported between the front-end module 10 and the processing unit 20 due to a failure or maintenance of the front-end module 10, processing of semiconductor substrates cannot be performed in all processing chambers CH of the processing unit 20.

[0027] In contrast, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 7, the processing unit 20, to which two front-end modules 10 are connected, can use the other front-end module 10 if one of them is unavailable. Therefore, semiconductor substrate processing can be performed in all processing chambers CH included in the processing unit 20.

[0028] The processing unit 20, to which two front-end modules 10 are connected, may include two transport sets, each consisting of two transport mechanisms 110 and two transport devices 210, as shown in Figure 8, for example. One transport set transports the semiconductor substrate 300 between the processing unit 20 and one of the front-end modules 10. The other transport set transports the semiconductor substrate 300 between the processing unit 20 and the other front-end module 10.

[0029] In a processing unit 20 with two connected front-end modules 10, semiconductor substrates can be transported from the front-end module 10 closer to the processing chamber CH. This shortens the distance over which the semiconductor substrates are transported. As a result, transport time can be reduced, and displacement of the semiconductor substrates in the transport device 210 during transport can be suppressed.

[0030] As shown in Figure 9, a unit of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a front-end module 10 that connects only to processing units 20 that are not shared with other unit units. In the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 9, all processing units 20 of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 are connected to two front-end modules 10. This ensures that even if one of the connected front-end modules 10 is unavailable, the semiconductor substrate can still be transported by the other connected front-end module 10 in any of the processing units 20.

[0031] As shown in Figure 10, when the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 includes multiple unit groups 600, which are made up of multiple unit units connected together, the unit groups 600 may be arranged so that the processing units 20 of adjacent unit groups 600 are arranged alternately. By arranging the unit groups 600 in close proximity so that the processing units 20 are staggered, the installation area of ​​the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 can be reduced.

[0032] As described above, with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 composed of multiple unit 500s, processing of the semiconductor substrate can continue even if one of the front-end modules 10 is not working. Below, using the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 11 as an example, an example of a control method for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 composed of multiple unit 500s will be explained with reference to Figure 12.

[0033] The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 11 includes a unit group 600, a sensor 700, and a controller 800. The unit group 600 includes a first unit 501, a second unit 502, and a third unit 503. The first unit 501 includes a front-end module 10A and processing units 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D connected to the front-end module 10A. The second unit 502 includes a front-end module 10B and processing units 20E, 20F, 20G, and 20B connected to the front-end module 10B. The first unit 501 and the second unit 502 are connected by sharing processing unit 20B. The third unit 503 includes a front-end module 10C and processing units 20H, 20I, 20J, and 20F connected to the front-end module 10C. The second unit 502 and the third unit 503 are connected to each other and share the processing unit 20F.

[0034] The sensor 700 monitors the operation of the front-end module 10 included in the unit group 600. The controller 800 controls the operation of the unit group 600.

[0035] First, in step S10 of Figure 12, the semiconductor substrate processing by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 11 begins. Then, in step S20, while the semiconductor substrate 300 is being processed, the sensor 700 monitors the operation of the front-end module 10 included in the unit group 600. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the unit group 600 notifies the sensor 700 of the operation information of the front-end module 10 by an operation information signal AS.

[0036] If the sensor 700 does not detect any abnormality in the operation of the front-end module 10 in step S30, the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if the sensor 700 does detect an abnormality in the operation of the front-end module 10, the sensor 700 notifies the controller 800 of the information about the front-end module 10 in which the abnormality was detected (hereinafter referred to as the "abnormal front-end module") by an abnormality detection signal BS. The process then proceeds to step S40.

[0037] In step S40, the controller 800 transmits a control signal CS to the unit group 600, causing the other front-end modules 10 to take over the transport of the semiconductor substrate from the processing unit 20 connected to the faulty front-end module. This ensures that the semiconductor substrate is transported between the processing unit 20 connected to the faulty front-end module and the transport container 100. Therefore, processing of the semiconductor substrate can continue even while the faulty front-end module is not functioning.

[0038] For example, suppose the front-end module 10 of the first unit unit 501 fails in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 11. In this case, the controller 800 controls the unit group 600 to have the second unit unit 502, which shares the processing unit 20B with the first unit unit 501, transport the semiconductor substrate between the processing unit 20B and the transport container 100. As a result, the front-end module 10 of the second unit unit 502 transports the semiconductor substrate between the processing unit 20B and the transport container 100. Therefore, processing in the processing unit 20B can continue.

[0039] Subsequently, in step S50, it is determined whether or not the processing of the semiconductor substrate is complete. If the processing of the semiconductor substrate is not complete, the process returns to step S20. If the processing of the semiconductor substrate is complete, the process in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 is terminated.

[0040] As described above, since two front-end modules 10 are connected to the processing unit 20, even if one front-end module 10 fails, the semiconductor substrate can still be transported by the other front-end module 10. That is, when the sensor 700 detects an abnormality in the operation of one of the front-end modules 10 connected to the processing unit 20, the controller 800 controls the unit group 600 to process the semiconductor substrate using the other front-end module 10. This makes it possible to increase the efficiency of semiconductor substrate processing by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, in which all of the processing units 20 described with reference to Figure 9 are connected to two front-end modules 10, processing can continue in all processing units 20 even if either of the front-end modules 10 fails.

[0042] As described above, in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment, a load port 11 is arranged on the upper surface 101 of the front-end module 10, and a plurality of processing units 20 are arranged around the front-end module 10 in a plan view. Therefore, with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1, even if the number of processing chambers CH of the processing unit 20 is increased, it is possible to prevent a shortage of load ports 11 relative to the number of processing chambers CH. Thus, the number of processing chambers CH of the processing unit 20 can be increased. Furthermore, with the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 composed of a plurality of unit units 500, it is possible to suppress a decrease in processing efficiency, such as when the front-end module 10 fails.

[0043] (Other embodiments) The above example illustrates the case where four processing units 20 are connected to one front-end module 10, but the number of processing units 20 connected to the front-end module 10 is not limited to four. For example, the number of processing units 20 connected to the front-end module 10 may be two or three. Also, the above example describes the case where the front-end module 10 has a rectangular shape in plan view, but the shape of the front-end module 10 in plan view may be a polygon other than a rectangle. For example, the shape of the front-end module 10 in plan view may be hexagonal, and processing units 20 may be connected to each side of the hexagon. In other words, six processing units 20 may be connected to one front-end module 10 to constitute a unit unit 500.

[0044] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in various other forms, and various omissions, rewrites, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1… Semiconductor manufacturing equipment 10…Front-end module 11…Load port 21…First Processing Unit 22...Second Processing Unit 23…Third Processing Unit 24…Fourth Processing Unit 100... Transport container 500... Unit 600... Unit group 700...Sensor 800... Controller CH... Processing Chamber

Claims

1. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates transported by a transport container, A front-end module with a load port on its upper surface to which the transport container is connected, A processing unit for processing the semiconductor substrate, wherein a plurality of processing units are arranged around the front-end module in a plan view as seen from the normal direction to the upper surface of the front-end module, and are connected to the front-end module from at least two directions in the plan view. Equipped with, A configuration in which multiple processing units are connected to the front-end module is defined as a unit unit, and the system comprises multiple such unit units that share one of the processing units and are interconnected, A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that transports the semiconductor substrate between the transport container and the processing unit via the front-end module.

2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises a plurality of processing chambers, each of which processes the semiconductor substrate internally.

3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is connected to the front-end module from four mutually orthogonal directions in the plan view.

4. A control method for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, The operation of the front-end module is monitored, When an abnormality in the operation of the front-end module is detected, the second unit unit, which shares the processing unit with the first unit unit including the front-end module where the abnormality occurred, is controlled to transport the semiconductor substrate between the processing unit shared with the first unit unit and the transport container. A control method for semiconductor manufacturing equipment equipped with the following features.

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