Substrate processing system, storage module, and substrate processing method

Abstract

This substrate processing system comprises: a processing module for processing a substrate; a vacuum conveyance module connected to the processing module; an atmosphere conveyance module connected to the vacuum conveyance module via a load lock module; and a conveyance mechanism for conveying, to the processing module, the substrate and a tray on which the substrate is mounted. The tray has formed therein: a recess provided in the upper surface of the tray and capable of accommodating the substrate; and a hole penetrating from the recess to the lower surface of the tray. The hole is configured to movably hold a pin that is configured to protrude from either one of the recess or the lower surface in a state of being inserted into the hole.

Description

SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM, STORAGE MODULE, AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing system, a storage module, and a method for processing a substrate.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing system for processing substrates, in which a wafer to be processed and an edge ring arranged to surround the wafer are electrostatically attracted to a disk-shaped tray and transported to a process module in this state. Patent Document 1 also discloses that the substrate processing system places the wafer and edge ring on a susceptor in a process module via the tray and performs plasma processing such as etching in this state.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-34390

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure appropriately improves the temperature uniformity within the surface of a substrate during substrate processing.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a substrate processing system comprising: a processing module for processing a substrate; a vacuum transfer module connected to the processing module; an atmospheric transfer module connected to the vacuum transfer module via a load lock module; and a transfer mechanism for transporting the substrate and a tray carrying the substrate to the processing module, wherein the tray has a recess formed on an upper surface of the tray capable of accommodating the substrate, and a hole extending from the recess to a lower surface of the tray, the hole being configured to movably hold a pin configured to protrude from either the recess or the lower surface when inserted into the hole.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately improve the temperature uniformity within the surface of a substrate during substrate processing.

[0007] 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a wafer processing system. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a wafer processing module. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a tray. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a tray. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a state of a tray and a wafer. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a state of a tray and a wafer. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a pin. FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a pin. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the configuration of a pin. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a hole. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the configuration of a pin according to a modified example. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a hole according to a modified example. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a pin according to another modified example. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a hole according to another modified example. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the configuration of a tray. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the configuration of a tray. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a state in which a tray is placed on a substrate support part. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a state in which a tray is placed on a wafer loading / unloading stage. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of a state in which a tray is placed on a wafer loading / unloading stage. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a means for supplying a liquid heat transfer material to a tray. FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing the flow of a method for supplying a liquid heat transfer material to a tray. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a means for supplying a liquid heat transfer material to a tray. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing an example of the internal configuration of a tray stocker. FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a rack. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing an example of an example of a state of a rack. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an example of a state of a rack. FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing another example of a state of a rack. FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing another example of a state of a rack. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of the configuration of a first wafer processing method. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the configuration of a second wafer processing method. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a tray transport method. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional views schematically showing an example of a method for fixing a tray to a substrate support part.FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a method for fixing a tray to a substrate support part. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of sheath control using an electrostatic chuck. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of sheath control using an electrostatic chuck. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a method for fixing a tray to a substrate support part. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a locking mechanism that fixes a tray to a substrate support part. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a method for fixing a tray to a substrate support part. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a method for fixing a tray to a substrate support part. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a method for detaching a tray from a substrate support part. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another configuration example of a substrate support part. FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing another configuration example of a substrate support part.

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various plasma processes such as etching, film deposition, and diffusion are performed on semiconductor substrates (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "wafers") In these plasma processes, it is important to maintain a uniform temperature on the wafer during processing in order to obtain uniform processing results on the wafer.

[0009] In a substrate processing system, when a wafer to be processed and an edge ring are adsorbed and held on a disk-shaped tray, and then transported to a process module and plasma processed in this state, it is necessary to suppress the occurrence of temperature singularities, for example, at the contact points with lift pins that transfer the tray to the susceptor, and at the outer periphery of the wafer that does not directly contact the susceptor.

[0010] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and appropriately improves the in-plane temperature uniformity of a substrate during substrate processing. A wafer processing system including a wafer processing module according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0011] <Wafer Processing System> FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating the configuration of a wafer processing system 1. In the wafer processing system 1, various processes are performed on a wafer W serving as a substrate. The wafer W is an example of a substrate. The wafer W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a semiconductor substrate, and in one embodiment, a device layer (not shown) including multiple devices is formed on the surface. In the wafer processing system 1 according to this embodiment, the wafer W to be processed is transported and processed while placed on a tray T (described later) (see FIG. 2). The wafer W is loaded on the tray T with the surface on which the device layer is formed facing upward. For ease of explanation, the tray T in the first state holding the wafer W to be transported and processed in the wafer processing system 1 may be referred to as a "tray Tw." The detailed configuration of the tray T will be described later.

[0012] In the following embodiments, an example will be described in which a device layer is formed on the surface of the wafer W as described above, but the wafer W does not necessarily have to be a device wafer on which a device layer is formed.

[0013] 1, the wafer processing system 1 has a configuration in which an atmospheric transfer module 2 and a vacuum transfer module 3 are integrally connected via a load lock module 4. The atmospheric transfer module 2 transfers a wafer W, a tray T, or a tray Tw in an atmospheric atmosphere. The vacuum transfer module 3 transfers a tray Tw in a vacuum (reduced pressure) atmosphere.

[0014] The load lock module 4 has one or more load lock chambers 4a, for example, two in this embodiment. The load lock chamber 4a is provided so as to communicate with the internal space of the atmospheric transfer module 2 and the internal space of the vacuum transfer module 3 via a transfer port. The transfer port is configured to be freely opened and closed by a gate valve 4b.

[0015] The load lock module 4 is configured to temporarily hold the tray Tw. The load lock module 4 is also configured so that the interior can be switched between atmospheric and reduced pressure (vacuum state). That is, the load lock module 4 is configured so that the tray Tw can be appropriately transferred between the atmospheric transfer module 2, which is in the atmospheric pressure, and the vacuum transfer module 3, which is in the reduced pressure.

[0016] The atmospheric transfer module 2 comprises a rectangular housing, and the interior of the housing is maintained at atmospheric pressure. A plurality of load ports 5, for example, three load ports 5, are connected in a line to one side of the atmospheric transfer module 2, which constitutes the long side in the negative Y-axis direction. The two load lock chambers 4a described above are connected in a line to the other side of the atmospheric transfer module 2, which constitutes the long side in the positive Y-axis direction. An orienter module (not shown) that adjusts the horizontal orientation of the wafer W, tray T, or tray Tw may also be connected to the atmospheric transfer module 2.

[0017] A tray stocker 6, which serves as a storage module capable of storing a plurality of trays T, is connected to the atmospheric transfer module 2 via an openable / closable shutter 6a. Note that, although the tray stocker 6 according to this embodiment is configured to be connected to the atmospheric transfer module 2, this is not limiting. In one embodiment, the tray stocker 6 is configured to be connected to the vacuum transfer module 3. In another embodiment, the tray stocker 6 is provided outside the wafer processing system 1. Details of the tray stocker 6 will be described later.

[0018] A FOUP F capable of storing a plurality of wafers W is placed on the load port 5. Above the wafer processing system 1, there is provided an overhead transport mechanism (OHT: not shown) that is movable along rails arranged on the ceiling surface of the clean room in which the wafer processing system 1 is placed. The FOUP F accesses the wafer processing system 1 via this overhead transport mechanism and is delivered to the load port 5.

[0019] A first transfer mechanism 7 for transferring wafers W, trays T, or trays Tw is provided inside the atmospheric transfer module 2. The first transfer mechanism 7 is configured to be able to transfer trays Tw between the FOUP F of the load port 5 and the load lock chamber 4a of the load lock module 4. The configuration of the first transfer mechanism 7 is not particularly limited.

[0020] The atmospheric transfer module 2 is also provided with a wafer loading / unloading module 8 capable of loading and unloading the tray T and wafer W therein. The wafer loading / unloading module 8 includes a wafer loading / unloading stage 200, which will be described later. Note that, although the wafer loading / unloading module 8 in this embodiment is configured to be connected to the atmospheric transfer module 2, this is not limiting. In one embodiment, the wafer loading / unloading module 8 is configured to be connected to the vacuum transfer module 3. In another embodiment, the wafer loading / unloading module 8 is provided outside the wafer processing system 1.

[0021] The vacuum transfer module 3 is made of a flat rectangular housing, the interior of which can be maintained in a vacuum (reduced pressure) atmosphere. A plurality of, for example, four wafer processing modules 10 are connected to the side of the vacuum transfer module 3. The internal space of each wafer processing module 10 communicates with the internal space of the vacuum transfer module 3 via a transfer port. The transfer port is configured to be freely opened and closed by a gate valve 10a. The number and arrangement of the wafer processing modules 10 are not limited to those in this embodiment and can be set as desired.

[0022] A second transfer mechanism 18 for transferring trays Tw is provided inside the vacuum transfer module 3. The second transfer mechanism 18 is configured to be able to transfer trays Tw between the load lock chamber 4a of the load lock module 4 and one or more wafer processing modules 10. The configuration of the second transfer mechanism 18 is not particularly limited.

[0023] In one example, a wafer processing module 10 serving as a substrate processing apparatus performs a plasma processing such as an etching process on a wafer W placed on a tray T. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the wafer processing module 10 is a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus.

[0024] The wafer processing module 10, which is a capacitively coupled plasma processing apparatus, includes a plasma processing chamber 11, a gas supply 20, a power supply 30, and an exhaust system 40. The wafer processing module 10 also includes a substrate support 12 and a gas inlet. The gas inlet is configured to introduce at least one process gas into the plasma processing chamber 11. The gas inlet includes a showerhead 19. The substrate support 12 is disposed within the plasma processing chamber 11. The showerhead 19 is disposed above the substrate support 12. In one embodiment, the showerhead 19 forms at least a portion of the ceiling of the plasma processing chamber 11. The plasma processing chamber 11 has a plasma processing space 11s defined by the showerhead 19, a sidewall 11a of the plasma processing chamber 11, and the substrate support 12. The plasma processing chamber 11 is grounded. The showerhead 19 and the substrate support 12 are electrically insulated from the housing of the plasma processing chamber 11.

[0025] The substrate support 12 includes a base 13, an electrostatic chuck 14, and a lifter 15. The base 13 includes a conductive member. The conductive member of the base 13 can function as a lower electrode. The electrostatic chuck 14 is disposed on the base 13. The electrostatic chuck 14 includes a ceramic member 14a and an electrostatic electrode 14b disposed within the ceramic member 14a. The ceramic member 14a is made of a dielectric material and has a tray support surface for supporting a tray Tw. In one embodiment, the tray support surface of the ceramic member 14a has a diameter larger than that of a wafer W placed on the tray T and a diameter smaller than or approximately the same size as that of the tray T.

[0026] Furthermore, at least one RF / DC electrode coupled to an RF power supply 31 and / or a DC power supply 32, which will be described later, may be disposed within the ceramic member 14a. In this case, the at least one RF / DC electrode functions as a lower electrode. When a bias RF signal and / or a DC signal, which will be described later, is supplied to the at least one RF / DC electrode, the RF / DC electrode is also called a bias electrode. Note that the conductive member of the base 13 and the at least one RF / DC electrode may function as multiple lower electrodes. Alternatively, the electrostatic electrode 14b may function as the lower electrode. Therefore, the substrate support 12 includes at least one lower electrode.

[0027] The lifter 15 has a plurality of lift pins 15a (three in this embodiment) and an actuator 15b which is a drive mechanism for vertically moving the lift pins 15a. A plurality of through holes 13h (three in this embodiment) are formed in each of the base 13 and the electrostatic chuck 14, penetrating them in the thickness direction, and the lift pins 15a of the lifter 15 are inserted into the through holes 13h (14h). Examples of the actuator 15b include an electric actuator, an air cylinder, a motor, etc.

[0028] The lifter 15 moves the lift pins 15a along the axial direction (vertical direction) using the actuators 15b, thereby raising and lowering the tray Tw on the electrostatic chuck 14. In this way, the tray Tw is moved between a transfer height at which the tray Tw is transferred to and from the second transport mechanism 18 and a processing height at which wafer processing is performed on the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0029] The substrate support 12 may also include a temperature adjustment module configured to adjust at least one of the electrostatic chuck 14, the tray T, and the wafer W to a target temperature. The temperature adjustment module may include a heater, a heat transfer medium, a flow path 13a, or a combination thereof. A heat transfer fluid such as brine or a gas flows through the flow path 13a. In one embodiment, the flow path 13a is formed in the base 13, and one or more heaters are disposed in the ceramic member 14a of the electrostatic chuck 14. The substrate support 12 may also include a gas (e.g., nitrogen (N ２The gas supply may include a gas supply configured to supply a gas (a) or gas (b) to the gas supply 20 described below.

[0030] The showerhead 19 is configured to introduce at least one process gas from a gas supply unit 20 into the plasma processing space 11s. The showerhead 19 has at least one gas supply port 19a, at least one gas diffusion chamber 19b, and multiple gas inlets 19c. The process gas supplied to the gas supply port 19a passes through the gas diffusion chamber 19b and is introduced into the plasma processing space 11s from the multiple gas inlets 19c. The showerhead 19 also includes at least one upper electrode. In addition to the showerhead 19, the gas inlet may also include one or more side gas injectors (SGIs) attached to one or more openings formed in the sidewall 11a.

[0031] The gas supply unit 20 may include at least one gas source 21 and at least one flow controller 22. In one embodiment, the gas supply unit 20 is configured to supply at least one process gas from a corresponding gas source 21 to the showerhead 19 via a corresponding flow controller 22. Each flow controller 22 may include, for example, a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller. Additionally, the gas supply unit 20 may include at least one flow modulation device that modulates or pulses the flow rate of the at least one process gas.

[0032] The power supply 30 includes an RF power supply 31 coupled to the plasma processing chamber 11 via at least one impedance matching circuit. The RF power supply 31 is configured to supply at least one RF signal (RF power) to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. This generates a plasma from at least one processing gas supplied to the plasma processing space 11s. Therefore, the RF power supply 31 can function as at least a part of a plasma generating unit. Furthermore, by supplying a bias RF signal to the at least one lower electrode, a bias potential is generated on the wafer W, thereby attracting ion components in the formed plasma to the wafer W.

[0033] In one embodiment, the RF power supply 31 includes a first RF generating unit 31a and a second RF generating unit 31b. The first RF generating unit 31a is coupled to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and is configured to generate a source RF signal (source RF power) for plasma generation. In one embodiment, the source RF signal has a frequency in the range of 10 MHz to 150 MHz. In one embodiment, the first RF generating unit 31a may be configured to generate multiple source RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more source RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode.

[0034] The second RF generator 31b is coupled to at least one lower electrode via at least one impedance matching circuit and is configured to generate a bias RF signal (bias RF power). The frequency of the bias RF signal may be the same as or different from the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency lower than the frequency of the source RF signal. In one embodiment, the bias RF signal has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 60 MHz. In one embodiment, the second RF generator 31b may be configured to generate multiple bias RF signals having different frequencies. The generated one or more bias RF signals are supplied to at least one lower electrode. In various embodiments, at least one of the source RF signal and the bias RF signal may be pulsed.

[0035] The power supply 30 may also include a DC power supply 32 coupled to the plasma processing chamber 11. The DC power supply 32 includes a first DC generator 32a and a second DC generator 32b. In one embodiment, the first DC generator 32a is connected to the at least one lower electrode and configured to generate a first DC signal. The generated first DC signal is applied to the at least one lower electrode. In one embodiment, the second DC generator 32b is connected to the at least one upper electrode and configured to generate a second DC signal. The generated second DC signal is applied to the at least one upper electrode.

[0036] In various embodiments, the first and second DC signals may be pulsed. In this case, a sequence of voltage pulses is applied to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have a rectangular, trapezoidal, triangular, or combination thereof pulse waveform. In one embodiment, a waveform generator for generating the sequence of voltage pulses from the DC signal is connected between the first DC generator 32a and at least one lower electrode. Thus, the first DC generator 32a and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator. When the second DC generator 32b and the waveform generator constitute a voltage pulse generator, the voltage pulse generator is connected to at least one upper electrode. The voltage pulses may have either positive or negative polarity. Furthermore, the sequence of voltage pulses may include one or more positive voltage pulses and one or more negative voltage pulses within one period. The first and second DC generating units 32a and 32b may be provided in addition to the RF power supply 31, or the first DC generating unit 32a may be provided instead of the second RF generating unit 31b.

[0037] The exhaust system 40 may be connected to, for example, a gas exhaust port 11e provided at the bottom of the plasma processing chamber 11. The exhaust system 40 may include a pressure regulating valve and a vacuum pump. The pressure in the plasma processing space 11s is regulated by the pressure regulating valve. The vacuum pump may include a turbomolecular pump, a dry pump, or a combination thereof.

[0038] Although the wafer processing module 10 is configured as described above in one example, the configuration of the wafer processing module 10 is not limited to this.

[0039] 2, the case where the plasma generating unit of the wafer processing module 10 generates capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) has been described as an example. However, the plasma generated by the plasma generating unit may be inductively coupled plasma (ICP), electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma (ECR plasma), helicon wave plasma (HWP), surface wave plasma (SWP), or the like. Various types of plasma generators may be used, including alternating current (AC) plasma generators and direct current (DC) plasma generators. In one embodiment, the AC signal (AC power) used in the AC plasma generator has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 10 GHz. Thus, AC signals include radio frequency (RF) signals and microwave signals. In one embodiment, the RF signal has a frequency in the range of 100 kHz to 150 MHz.

[0040] Returning to the description of FIG. 1 , the wafer processing system 1 described above is provided with a control unit 9 as shown in FIG. 1 . The control unit 9 processes computer-executable instructions that cause the wafer processing system 1 to perform the various processes described in this disclosure. The control unit 9 may be configured to control each element of the wafer processing system 1 to perform the various processes described herein. In one embodiment, part or all of the control unit 9 may be included in the wafer processing system 1. The control unit 9 may include a processing unit 9a1, a storage unit 9a2, and a communication interface 9a3. The control unit 9 is realized by, for example, a computer 9a. The processing unit 9a1 may be configured to read a program from the storage unit 9a2 and execute the read program to perform various control operations. This program may be stored in the storage unit 9a2 in advance or may be acquired via a medium when needed. The acquired program is stored in the storage unit 9a2 and read from the storage unit 9a2 by the processing unit 9a1 for execution. The medium may be various storage media readable by the computer 9a, or may be a communication line connected to the communication interface 9a3. The processing unit 9a1 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 9a2 may include a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a combination thereof. The communication interface 9a3 may communicate with the wafer processing system 1 via a communication line such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The storage medium may be temporary or non-temporary.

[0041] <Tray> Next, a detailed structure of the tray T on which wafers W are loaded will be described. Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the tray T, viewed from above, illustrating a state in which wafers W are loaded on the tray T. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, viewed from the A-A direction in Fig. 3, schematically showing an example of the configuration of the tray T, illustrating a state in which the tray T is disposed above the substrate support portion 12 of the wafer processing module 10. Note that in Fig. 3, the dashed dotted line indicates a line overlapping the diameter of the tray T, the tray T is shown shaded, and the wafers W loaded on the tray T are shown white. In Fig. 4, the through-holes 13h and 14h are omitted for simplification of the illustration.

[0042] 3 and 4 , the tray T has a generally disk-like shape and a concave cross-sectional shape in which the thickness of the central portion is smaller than the thickness of the peripheral portion in a cross-sectional view. Hereinafter, for convenience, the central portion of the tray T, which is thinner in a cross-sectional view, will be referred to as the "disk portion 101," and the peripheral portion of the tray T, which is thicker in a cross-sectional view, will be referred to as the "annular portion 102." The concave cross-sectional portion formed by the disk portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may also be referred to as the "recess 103." The tray T also has a first heat transfer material 104 disposed between the wafer W and the upper surface of the disk portion 101 when the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103, and a second heat transfer material 105 disposed between the tray mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck 14 and the lower surface of the disk portion 101 when the tray T is placed on the tray mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0043] 3 and 4, pins 110 are provided at three locations in the recess 103 of the tray T. The pins 110 are held in a state of being inserted into holes 111 provided in the recess 103, as shown in Fig. 4. The holes 111 are formed to penetrate from the recess 103 to the lower surface Tb of the tray T. In addition, pin receiving holes 112 are provided in the upper surface of the electrostatic chuck 14 at positions corresponding to the pins 110.

[0044] 5 and 6 are partial cross-sectional views showing the outline of the configuration of the pins 110 and holes 111 in the tray T. Fig. 5 shows a first state in which a wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T. Fig. 6 shows a second state including a transition state in which the wafer W is attached to or detached from the tray T.

[0045] 5 , the pin 110 includes a head portion 122 including an upper end 121 of the pin 110, and a base portion 132 including a lower end 131 of the pin 110. In a first state in which the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T, the recess 103 of the tray T and the back surface Wb of the wafer W are in contact with each other via the first heat transfer material 104. In this first state, the upper end 121 of the pin 110 does not protrude from the recess 103, and the lower end 131 protrudes from the lower surface Tb of the tray T.

[0046] 6 , in a second state including a transitional state in which the tray T and the wafer W are attached or detached, the recess 103 of the tray T and the back surface Wb of the wafer W are spaced apart, and the tray T and the wafer W are separated. This second state includes a state in which the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 contact the back surface Wb of the wafer W and protrude from the recess 103, and the lower ends 131 do not protrude from the bottom surface Tb of the tray T. Note that, in this embodiment, the bottom surface Tb of the tray T refers to the bottom surface of the second heat transfer material 105. That is, the second state in this embodiment includes a state in which the base 132 does not protrude from the bottom surface of the second heat transfer material 105. In this specification, the term "attachment / detachment" refers to a transition between a state in which the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T and a state in which the tray T and the wafer W are separated. Furthermore, the term "attached or detached" refers to a case in which the tray T is operated so that the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103, and a case in which the wafer W is separated from the tray T. In the second state according to one embodiment, the tray T and the wafer W are attached to or detached from each other in a state in which the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 protrude from the lower surface Tb of the tray T. As an example, the bases 132 of the pins 110 are sufficiently long, and the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are held in a state in which they protrude from the lower surface Tb of the tray T in a substrate attaching / detaching unit described later, and in this state, the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 protrude from the recesses 103, thereby attaching or detaching the tray T and the wafer W.

[0047] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of the pin 110 according to this embodiment. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the outline of the configuration of the pin 110 according to this embodiment, as seen from the lower end 131 side. The pin 110 according to this embodiment includes the head 122 and the base 132, as described above. The head 122 has a generally conical shape with the upper end surface including the upper end 121 as the bottom surface. The base 132 is connected to the apex of this conical shape. The base 132 has a generally cylindrical shape with the lower end surface including the lower end 131 as the bottom surface.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of the hole 111 in the recess 103 of the tray T, into which the pin 110 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is inserted. The hole 111 according to this embodiment has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the entire head 122 and a portion of the base 132 of the pin 110, thereby enabling the pin 110 to be inserted. That is, as shown in FIG. 9 , the hole 111 includes a head receiving portion 141 and a base receiving portion 142 that form the inner surface of the hole 111. The head receiving portion 141 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer surface of the head 122 of the pin 110. Furthermore, the base receiving portion 142 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the outer surface of the base 132.

[0049] 7 to 9, in the first state, the outer surface of the pin 110 and the inner surface of the hole 111 are in contact with each other without any gaps. Here, "in contact with each other without any gaps" refers, for example, to the case where the first heat transfer material 104 is a liquid heat transfer material (described later), that the liquid heat transfer material is in contact with the outer surface of the pin 110 and the inner surface of the hole 111 with no gaps to the extent that it does not leak out from the contact portion between the two.

[0050] In one embodiment, by cutting out a portion of the tray T by electrical discharge machining, it is possible to manufacture a tray T in which the outer surface of the pin 110 and the inner surface of the hole 111 are in contact with each other without any gaps. By using electrical discharge machining, it is possible to cut out a portion of the tray T to form the hole 111, and at the same time, use the cut-out portion of the tray T as part of the pin.

[0051] 10 , in one embodiment, a seal 150 is formed on the head 122 of the pin 110 at a portion that corresponds to the side surface when the head 122 is viewed as a cone. The seal 150 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the pin 110 and is formed so that the outer surface of the pin 110 and the inner surface of the hole 111 are in contact with each other without any gaps. A core 151 is embedded inside the head 122.

[0052] As one example, the seal 150 is a water-repellent or oil-repellent film formed on the side surface of the pin 110 by atomic layer deposition (ALD), or a water-repellent or oil-repellent treatment. In such an example, the seal 150 is formed to have a thickness of several nanometers. As another example, the seal 150 is an elastic thin film formed on the side surface of the pin 110.

[0053] Core 151 is made of a material with a relatively high specific gravity, such as a metal, and is a member that increases the weight of the entire pin 110. As an example, core 151 is made of tungsten. Note that the location where core 151 is embedded is not limited to this example, and core 151 may be embedded in base 132, for example.

[0054] In this embodiment, it is preferable that the pins 110 have substantially the same linear expansion coefficient or thermal conductivity as the tray T. As an example, the pins 110 are made of the same material as the tray T.

[0055] In the tray T having the above configuration, the pin 110 is inserted into the hole 111 and movably held so as to protrude from either the recess 103 or the underside Tb of the tray T. That is, the base 132 of the pin can move up and down in the base receiving portion 142. Furthermore, the head 122 of the pin 110 is held in the head receiving portion 141 of the hole 111, thereby locking the pin 110 so that it does not come out of the hole 111 in response to a force acting on the pin 110 from the recess 103 toward the underside Tb of the tray T. Here, the force acting on the pin 110 from the recess 103 toward the underside Tb of the tray T is, for example, gravity.

[0056] <Modified Tray> The pins 110 and holes 111 in the tray T according to the present embodiment are configured as described above, but are not limited to this example. The configurations of the pins 110 and holes 111 in the tray T according to modified embodiments of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.

[0057] In the first modification, as shown in Fig. 11, the pin 110 has a head 122 that is flat and generally cylindrical, with the top surface serving as the bottom surface. Also, as shown in Fig. 12, the hole 111 has a head receiving portion 141 that has a shape corresponding to the head 122 of the pin 110 shown in Fig. 11.

[0058] In the second modification, as shown in FIG. 13 , the pin 110 includes a head 122 having a shape similar to that of the first modification. The base 132 also includes a locking portion 152. The locking portion 152 has a portion larger in diameter than at least the rest of the base 132 excluding the locking portion 152. In the illustrated example, the lower end 131 is included in the locking portion 152. The locking portion 152 includes a substantially conical portion with the lower end 131 as its bottom. The locking portion 152 may be provided separately from the head 122 and the rest of the base 132 excluding the locking portion 152, and in this case, may be provided from a different material. The entire base 132 may also be provided as the locking portion 152. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14 , the hole 111 includes a locking portion receiving portion 153 having a shape corresponding to the locking portion 152 of the pin 110 shown in FIG. 13 . 13 and 14 , the portion of the pin 110 excluding the locking portion 152 is inserted into the hole 111 from above. Furthermore, the locking portion 152 of the pin 110 is inserted into the hole 111 from below. As a result, the portion of the pin 110 excluding the locking portion 152 is engaged with the locking portion 152, thereby assembling the pin 110. As a result, the base 132 of the pin can move up and down in the base receiving portion 142, and can be locked so as not to move upward once the locking portion 152 comes into contact with the locking portion receiving portion 153. In other words, the pin 110 is locked so as not to come out of the hole 111 when a force is applied from the underside Tb of the tray T to the recess 103 side of the pin 110. Here, the force acting on the pins 110 from the lower surface Tb of the tray T toward the recess 103 may be, for example, surface tension acting to attract the upper end surfaces of the pins 110 to the wafer W when the wafer W and the upper end surfaces of the pins 110 are in contact with each other via a liquid. In this case, when the wafer W is lifted upward, additional force may be applied to the pins 110 so that the wafer W is lifted upward by the surface tension. Even in this case, the locking portions 152 according to the second modified example prevent the pins 110 from coming out of the holes 111. Note that although the shape of the locking portions 152 is generally conical, the shape is not limited thereto as long as the pins 110 do not come out of the holes 111. For example, the locking portions 152 may have a generally cylindrical shape having a diameter larger than the diameter of the portion of the base 132 excluding the locking portions 152.

[0059] The configurations of the pin 110 and the hole 111 according to the present embodiment, including the modified examples, can be combined in a preferred manner. That is, in the first and second modified examples, a seal 150 may be formed on the side of the head 122. Also, a seal 150 may be formed on the bottom surface of the head 122 opposite the upper end surface. Also, a core 151 may be embedded in the head 122 or the base 132. Also, in examples other than the second modified example, a locking portion 152 may be provided on the base 132.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 4, the disk portion 101 is made of, for example, Si, SiC, SiN, C, SiO2, or Al. ２ O ３ , Y ２ O ３ , YOF, W, Ti, TiN, ZeO ２ , and green sheets. Therefore, the disk portion 101 may be made of a conductive material or an insulating material. The relative dielectric constant of the disk portion 101 may be 8.0 or less. The volume resistivity of the disk portion 101 may be 1×10e12 [Ω cm] or less when the electrostatic chuck 14 is a JR (Johnson-Rahbek) type, or 1×10e13 [Ω cm] or more when the electrostatic chuck 14 is a Coulomb type.

[0061] 4 , the diameter r1 of the circular plate portion 101 is slightly larger than the diameter r3 of the wafer W so that the wafer W can be accommodated therein. Therefore, the circular plate portion 101 of the tray T has a wafer mounting surface for supporting the wafer W, and the tray T has a recess 103 for accommodating the wafer W. When the wafer W is placed on the wafer mounting surface, a gap G (the difference between the diameter r1 and the diameter r3) between the outer edge of the wafer W and the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 102 is preferably 0.1 mm or less. Furthermore, in order to efficiently cool the wafer W (described later), the diameter r1 of the circular plate portion 101 is preferably equal to or smaller than the diameter r4 of the substrate support portion 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) that holds the tray Tw in the wafer processing module 10.

[0062] The thickness t1 of the disk portion 101 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it be set to a thickness that can efficiently cool the wafer W described below and ensure the mechanical strength of the tray T.

[0063] The annular portion 102 is made of, for example, Si, SiC, SiN, C, SiO2, or Al. ２ O ３ , Y ２ O ３ , YOF, W, Ti, TiN, ZeO ２ , and green sheets, and may be made of the same material as the disk portion 101 or a different material. Therefore, the annular portion 102 may be made of a conductive material or an insulating material. However, when the annular portion 102 is used as an edge ring in plasma processing as described below, it may be made of the same material as a conventional edge ring. In addition, it is preferable that the relative permittivity and volume resistivity of the annular portion 102 are the same as those of the wafer W.

[0064] The thickness t2 of the annular portion 102 can be changed as appropriate depending on the purpose of wafer processing. Therefore, the height of the upper surface of the annular portion 102 may be greater than, less than, or the same as the height of the upper surface of the wafer W. The thickness t2 of the annular portion 102 is, for example, 3 mm to 5 mm. During plasma processing in the wafer processing module 10, the annular portion 102 is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the wafer W held on the disk portion 101, and also functions as an edge ring (also called a focus ring) to reduce non-uniformity in the plasma processing. Therefore, the thickness t2 and width r2 of the annular portion 102 may be configured to be approximately the same as the thickness and width of an edge ring (not shown) used in conventional plasma processing.

[0065] The diameter of the entire tray T (i.e., the outer diameter of the annular portion 102, which is diameter r1+width r2) may be equal to or larger than the diameter r4 of the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) that holds the tray Tw in the wafer processing module 10 (diameter r1+width r2≧diameter r4). In this case, by making the tray T larger than the substrate support 12, it is possible to prevent the surface of the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) from being exposed to plasma during plasma processing in the wafer processing module 10. This reduces wear on the substrate support 12 and reduces the time and frequency required for maintenance of the wafer processing module 10.

[0066] Furthermore, as described above, a gap G is formed between the outer edge of the wafer W and the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 102. In the area where this gap G is formed, the corners of the recess 103 may be exposed to plasma during plasma processing in the wafer processing module 10. In this case, depending on the material of the tray T, wear may easily occur at the corners, which may shorten the life of the tray T or cause particle generation. It has been found that this wear at the corners is more likely to occur when the corners have a right-angle shape.

[0067] Therefore, in order to suppress wear at the corners of the recess 103, the corners may not be shaped like right angles, but may fill the space between the wafer W and the tray T. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15 , for example, it is preferable to provide rounded spacers 106 at the corners 103 a of the recess 103. Although not shown, instead of rounded spacers, spacers configured to match the shape of the outer edge of the wafer W may be provided. In this case, the spacers 106 are made of a material that is at least plasma-resistant. By providing the spacers 106 at the corners 103 a in this manner, exposure of the corners 103 a to plasma during plasma processing in the wafer processing module 10 is suppressed, thereby suppressing a reduction in the lifespan of the tray T and the generation of particles.

[0068] In addition, the spacer 106 to be placed in the corner portion 103a may be configured as a separate body from the tray T (disk portion 101 and annular portion 102) as shown in Figure 15, and may be configured as an integral part with at least one of the disk portion 101 or the annular portion 102, although this is not shown in the figure.

[0069] 4 and 15, the wafer W is held on the circular plate portion 101 of the tray T. However, as shown in FIG. 16, a step 107 for holding the outer periphery of the wafer W may be provided on the annular portion 102, and the wafer W may be held on the step 107. Alternatively, instead of the step 107, the wafer W may be held on the spacer 106 shown in FIG. 15. In other words, the spacer 106 may have a rectangular cross section and may be formed with the step 107 for holding the outer periphery of the wafer W. In this case, a gap is generated between the back surface of the wafer W and the circular plate portion 101 of the tray T. However, by filling this gap with a first heat transfer material 104, which will be described later, the wafer W can be appropriately cooled, as will be described later.

[0070] In addition, in Figure 4, an example is shown in which the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 of the tray T are integrally constructed using the same material, but the configuration of the tray T is not limited to this.

[0071] Specifically, instead of integrally forming the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 as shown in Fig. 4, the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may be formed as separate bodies and then bonded together to form the tray T. In this case, the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may be bonded together using, for example, an adhesive sheet or glue, or may be joined mechanically or chemically. Furthermore, the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may be made of different materials as shown in Fig. 17, or may be made of the same material (not shown).

[0072] 4 and 17 illustrate an example in which the annular portion 102 surrounds the disc portion 101, in other words, the diameter r1 of the disc portion 101 is the same as the inner diameter of the annular portion 102. However, as shown in FIG. 18 , the tray T may be configured such that the diameter r1 of the disc portion 101 and the outer diameter of the annular portion 102 are the same, and the annular portion 102 is disposed on the upper surface of the disc portion 101. In this case, the disc portion 101 has a mounting surface (ring mounting surface) for the annular portion 102 as an edge ring on its upper surface. Although not shown, even in this case, the disc portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may be made of the same material. Furthermore, in this case, a conventional edge ring may be used as the annular portion 102.

[0073] 4, 17, and 18, the disk portion 101 and the annular portion 102 are each made of a single member, but at least one of the disk portion 101 and the annular portion 102 may be made of two or more laminated members as shown in Fig. 19. In this case, the laminated members may be made of different materials as shown in Fig. 19, or may be made of the same material, although this is not shown.

[0074] 4 and 17 to 19 illustrate an example in which the recess 103 is formed on the upper surface (wafer mounting surface) of the tray T, but instead of or in addition to this, a recess 108 may be further formed on the lower surface of the tray T as shown in Figures 20 and 21. In this case, the recess 108 formed on the lower surface of the tray T preferably has a shape that fits into the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14, as shown in Figure 21.

[0075] 4, the first heat transfer material 104 is disposed between the wafer W and the wafer mounting surface of the tray T. Therefore, the first heat transfer material 104 is disposed in the recess 103 of the tray T. As will be described later, a liquid heat transfer material or a heat transfer sheet can be used as the first heat transfer material 104. The wafer W placed on the tray T comes into thermal contact with the tray T over the entire surface via the first heat transfer material 104, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the wafer W by the heat transfer fluid flowing through the flow path 13a formed in the base 13.

[0076] More specifically, in conventional plasma processing apparatuses, in order to prevent the surface of the electrostatic chuck from being worn down due to exposure to plasma, the wafer support surface of the electrostatic chuck is generally made smaller than the wafer to be held by the electrostatic chuck (diameter of the wafer > outer diameter of the electrostatic chuck). However, in this case, the outer periphery of the wafer is not directly held by the electrostatic chuck, and as a result, there is a risk that the outer periphery of the wafer may be insufficiently cooled compared to the center of the wafer.

[0077] Furthermore, for example, if the wafer W is deformed due to warping, it becomes difficult to achieve uniform solid contact between the electrostatic chuck and the entire surface of the wafer. As a result, the pressing force against the electrostatic chuck is weakened in a part of the wafer surface (the part that is warped upward), which may result in insufficient cooling in a part of the wafer surface.

[0078] In this regard, as in the technology according to this embodiment, by storing the wafer W inside the recess 103 of the tray T and further providing a first heat transfer material 104 between the wafer W and the disk portion 101 of the tray T, the wafer W and the tray T can be easily brought into full contact with each other via the first heat transfer material 104, and the entire surface of the wafer W can be uniformly cooled.

[0079] As the first heat transfer material 104, for example, a liquid heat transfer material or a heat transfer sheet can be selected, but a gas may be used as the first heat transfer material 104 as long as the wafer W and the tray T are appropriately brought into contact with each other over their entire surfaces and the heat transfer efficiency between the wafer W and the tray T can be improved. Details of the liquid heat transfer material and the heat transfer sheet will be described later.

[0080] 4, the second heat transfer material 105 is disposed between the tray T and the tray mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck 14. As the second heat transfer material 105, a liquid heat transfer material or a heat transfer sheet can be used, as described below. The second heat transfer material 105 may be the same material as the first heat transfer material 104, or a different material. The tray T held by the electrostatic chuck 14 is in thermal contact with the electrostatic chuck 14 through the second heat transfer material 105. This improves the cooling efficiency of the tray T, and therefore the cooling efficiency of the wafer W mounted on the tray T, by the heat transfer fluid flowing through the flow path 13a formed in the base 13.

[0081] More specifically, in conventional plasma processing apparatuses, in order to sufficiently cool the wafer on the electrostatic chuck, it was necessary to increase the pressing force of the wafer against the wafer mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck, for example, by electrostatic force, and to appropriately maintain solid contact between the electrostatic chuck and the wafer.

[0082] In this regard, as in the technology according to the present embodiment, by providing the second heat transfer material 105 between the tray T and the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14, the tray T and the electrostatic chuck 14 can be easily brought into thermal contact via the second heat transfer material 105, and a sufficient cooling effect for the wafer W can be expected due to the weight of the tray Tw without applying stress such as electrostatic adsorption. Note that although the wafer W can be cooled by the weight of the tray Tw by providing the second heat transfer material 105 in this manner, it is of course possible to hold the tray T on the electrostatic chuck 14 by electrostatic adsorption or the like. In this case, the pressing force of the tray T against the electrostatic chuck 14 is increased, and the cooling efficiency for the wafer W can be further improved.

[0083] 4 and 22 , the electrostatic chuck 14 is provided with pin receiving holes 112. When the tray Tw in the first state is placed on the electrostatic chuck 14, the base 132 protruding from the lower surface Tb of the tray T is inserted into the pin receiving hole 112 provided in the electrostatic chuck 14. As a result, when the tray Tw in the first state is placed on the electrostatic chuck 14, the lower end 131 of the base 132 does not come into contact with the electrostatic chuck 14 and push up the pins 110.

[0084] 6 and 23 , in a second state including a transition state in which the tray T and the wafer W are attached or detached, the tray T (tray Tw) is placed on a wafer attachment / detachment stage 200 serving as a substrate attachment / detachment unit according to this embodiment. The wafer attachment / detachment stage 200 according to this embodiment is provided in the wafer attachment / detachment module 8. Note that in FIGS. 23 and 24 , the second heat transfer material 105 does not necessarily have to be provided on the wafer attachment / detachment stage 200 on which the tray T and the wafer W are attached or detached.

[0085] When the tray T in the first state is placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, first, the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 protruding from the lower surface Tb of the tray T come into contact with the stage scaffolding 200b provided on the upper surface 200a of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. The stage scaffolding 200b is a substantially cylindrical portion provided on the tray T at a position corresponding to the pins 110 so as to protrude from the upper surface 200a of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. Next, in this state, the lower surface Tb of the tray T is lowered until it comes into contact with the stage scaffolding 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, causing the bases 132 of the pins 110 to move upward relative to the base receiving portions 142 and act to push the wafer W upward. As a result, when the lower surface Tb of the tray T comes into contact with the stage scaffolding 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, the wafer W is separated from the recessed portion 103 of the tray T with the wafer W placed on the upper ends 121 of the pins 110.

[0086] 24 , in a third state in which the tray T is placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 when no wafer W is loaded on the tray T and no wafer W is being loaded / unloaded, the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 protrude from the recesses 103 due to the action of the pins 110 and the holes 111 as described above, and the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 do not protrude from the lower surface Tb of the tray T. For the tray T in the third state, a wafer W can be transferred to above the tray T by a desired transfer device, and then the wafer W can be lowered and placed so that the back surface Wb of the wafer W contacts the upper ends 121 of the pins 110. Specifically, the lowering of the wafer W can be performed by moving the tray T in the reverse order of the order in which the wafer W was removed from the tray T. That is, by lifting the tray T, the bases 132 of the pins 110 move downward relative to the base receiving portions 142 until the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 separate from the stage foothold 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, thereby lowering the wafer W downward. Thereafter, the back surface Wb of the wafer W comes into contact with the recess 103 of the tray T, and the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103. At this time, the heads 122 of the pins 110 come into contact with the head receiving portions 141, and the pins 110 are locked and held in place. Note that the third state according to one embodiment is a state in which the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 protrude from the lower surface Tb of the tray T. As an example, the third state is achieved when the bases 132 of the pins 110 are sufficiently long, and the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are engaged with recesses provided at corresponding positions on the stage footing 200b, and the pins 110 are held in a state in which they protrude from the lower surface Tb of the tray T, and when the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 protrude from the recess 103 in this state.

[0087] The wafer loading / unloading stage 200 as the substrate loading / unloading unit according to this embodiment may be, for example, an electrostatic chuck configured to be able to electrostatically attract the tray T by electrostatic force. Alternatively, a ferromagnetic material and / or at least one permanent magnet may be provided at a position corresponding to the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 and the annular portion 102 of the tray T, thereby enabling the tray T to be attracted by magnetic force. Alternatively, the annular portion 102 of the tray T may be pressed down by a transport arm 7a (described later) to press it against the wafer loading / unloading stage 200.

[0088] As long as the above-described functions and effects are achieved, the dimensions of the pins 110 and the holes 111 can be determined as desired depending on the application and usage of the tray T, the type of processing performed on the wafers W, the types of the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105, etc. In one embodiment, the diameter of the upper end surface, including the upper end 121, of the head 122 of the pin 110 is 2.0 mm or more and 5.0 mm or less. Also, the diameter of the lower end surface, including the lower end 131, of the base 132 is 0.5 mm or more and less than 2.0 mm.

[0089] The tray T according to this embodiment is configured as described above as an example. According to this embodiment, the annular portion 102, which functions as a conventional edge ring, is transported together with the wafer W. In other words, the edge ring (annular portion 102) and the wafer W are transported together from the wafer processing module 10 after a single wafer has been processed in the wafer processing module 10. As a result, even if the edge ring (annular portion 102) is worn out by plasma processing, it is not necessary to stop operation of the wafer processing module 10 for edge ring replacement, as in the conventional method. Instead, the annular portion 102 transported from the wafer processing module 10 after a single wafer has been processed can be replaced directly outside the wafer processing module 10. This allows for maximizing the operating time of the wafer processing module 10.

[0090] Furthermore, since the edge ring (annular portion 102) is replaced for each wafer processed in this manner, wear on the edge ring due to continuous wafer processing in the wafer processing module 10 is suppressed, and as a result, the impact of edge ring wear on the process results is suppressed.

[0091] Note that the tray T worn by the plasma processing in this way may be regenerated by adding on only the worn portion after being carried out from the wafer processing module 10, and then the wafer W may be loaded again and transported to the wafer processing module 10. For example, the worn portion may be regenerated by adding on using thermal spraying, or by using CVD, PVD, sol-gel, or additive manufacturing technology (3D printing technology). Alternatively, the tray T may be subjected to rough sorting and surface blasting to separate the constituent materials, and then reused as a new processed product separate from the tray T. Furthermore, the Si powder obtained by sorting may be used to regenerate the worn portion of the tray T described above after powder production.

[0092] <Liquid Heat Transfer Material> Next, the liquid heat transfer material used as the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material will be described in detail.

[0093] When a liquid heat transfer material is used as the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material 105, a material that does not volatilize at least under vacuum (reduced pressure) and has high thermal conductivity is selected as the liquid heat transfer material. An example of the liquid heat transfer material is a low vapor pressure liquid, which can be selected from ionic liquids, silicone oils, and fluorine oils.

[0094] Ionic liquids are ionic compounds that are liquid at room temperature and are also called room-temperature molten salts. Ionic liquids have characteristics such as almost zero vapor pressure and are non-volatile (they do not evaporate at high temperatures or in a vacuum). Ionic liquids are composed of positive ions (cations) and negative ions (anions).

[0095] Examples of cations that constitute ionic liquids include nitrogen-containing cations such as pyridinium, imidazolium, ammonium, pyrrolidinium, and piperidinium cations, and phosphorus-containing cations such as phosphonium cations. These cations have an alkyl group [-(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ Other examples of cations that constitute ionic liquids include morphonium and sulfonium cations.

[0096] The anions constituting the ionic liquid include TfO － , Tf2N － (TFSA － ), Tf3C － , F.S.A. － , C.H. ３ COO － , C.F. ３ COO － , BF4 － , P.F. ６ － , (CN) ２ N － , AlCl ４ － , Al ２ Cl ７ － Other anions that can be used to form ionic liquids include, but are not limited to, PF ６ － , Cl － Other examples include:

[0097] Specific examples of the ionic liquid include potassium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, potassium bis(nonafluorobutanesulfonyl)imide, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide.

[0098] Next, an example of a method for supplying a liquid heat transfer material as the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 will be described. Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the substrate support part 12 when supplying a liquid heat transfer material inside the wafer processing module 10. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, Fig. 25 omits illustration of the flow path 13a formed in the base 13, the pins 110 and holes 111 in the tray T, and the pin receiving holes 112 in the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0099] When supplying the liquid heat transfer material inside the wafer processing module 10, for example, the through holes 13h and 14h formed in the substrate support 12 can be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 25 as an example, by connecting a liquid supply unit 210 to the through holes 13h and 14h formed in the base 13 of the substrate support 12 and the electrostatic chuck 14, the liquid heat transfer material (second heat transfer material 105) can be supplied to the underside of the tray T through the through holes 13h and 14h. In addition, by forming a through hole 101h for liquid supply in the disk portion 101 of the tray T, the liquid heat transfer material (first heat transfer material 104) can be supplied inside the tray T. The through hole 101h is preferably formed circumferentially and / or radially offset from the through hole 14h so as not to interfere with the transfer of the tray Tw by the lift pins 15a. The number of through holes 101h is not limited to this, and they may be arranged in multiple locations (preferably three or more locations) within the surface of the disk portion 101. The shape of the through holes 101h is not particularly limited, and any shape can be selected, such as a circular shape or a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0100] The liquid supply unit 210 has a liquid supply source 211, a flow rate controller 212, a pressurizing mechanism 213, and a decompression mechanism 214. The liquid supply unit 210 also has a liquid supply path 210a and a liquid discharge path 210b, with the flow rate controller 212 and pressurizing mechanism 213 being disposed in the liquid supply path 210a, and the decompression mechanism 214 being disposed in the liquid discharge path 210b. Valves V1 to V5 for controlling the flow of the liquid heat transfer material are disposed in the liquid supply path 210a and the liquid discharge path 210b.

[0101] The liquid supply source 211 stores the liquid heat transfer material (the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material 105) to be supplied to the tray T. The flow rate controller 212 controls the flow rate of the liquid heat transfer material to be supplied to the tray T. The pressurizing mechanism 213 applies an inert gas (e.g., N ２The liquid supply source 211 supplies a gas (gas) to the liquid supply source 211, thereby sending the liquid heat transfer material stored in the liquid supply source 211 toward the tray T. The pressure reducing mechanism 214 reduces the pressure inside the liquid supply source 211, thereby recovering the liquid heat transfer material supplied toward the tray T back into the liquid supply source 211. Valves V1, V2, and V3 are arranged on the liquid supply path 210a side. Specifically, the valves V1 and V2 are arranged upstream and downstream of the flow rate controller 212, respectively, and the valve V3 is arranged near the pressurizing mechanism 213. Valves V4 and V5 are arranged on the liquid discharge path 210b side. Specifically, the valve V4 is arranged near the liquid supply source 211 in the liquid discharge path 210b, and the valve V5 is arranged near the pressure reducing mechanism 214.

[0102] Furthermore, when a liquid heat transfer material is used as the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105, a sealing member for preventing leakage of the liquid heat transfer material is disposed on the substrate support part 12. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 25, at least a first sealing member 215 for preventing leakage from the interface between the tray T and the electrostatic chuck 14 to the outer periphery of the substrate support part 12 and a second sealing member 216 for preventing leakage downward of the substrate support part 12 through the through hole 13h are disposed. As the sealing member, for example, an O-ring made of FKM or FFKM can be used.

[0103] FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the valves V1 to V5 when the liquid supply unit 210 configured as described above supplies / discharges the liquid heat transfer material.

[0104] 26 , when supplying the liquid heat transfer material to the tray T during wafer processing, the valves V1 to V3 on the liquid supply path 210a side are opened, and the valves V4 and V5 on the liquid discharge path 210b side are closed. Then, as the liquid supply source 211 is pressurized by the pressurizing mechanism 213, the liquid heat transfer material in the liquid supply source 211 is supplied to the flow rate controller 212. The liquid heat transfer material whose flow rate is controlled by the flow rate controller 212 is then supplied to the underside of the tray T as the second heat transfer material 105 through the through holes 13h and 14h, and is also supplied to the inside of the tray T as the first heat transfer material 104 through the through hole 101h.

[0105] On the other hand, when recovering the liquid heat transfer material supplied to the tray T when the tray is carried out, the valves V4 and V5 on the liquid discharge path 210b side are opened, and the valves V1 to V3 on the liquid supply path 210a side are closed. Then, as the pressure of the liquid supply source 211 is reduced by the pressure reduction mechanism 214, the first heat transfer material 104 is recovered into the liquid supply source 211 through the through-hole 101h, the lower surface side of the tray T, and the through-holes 13h and 14h, and the second heat transfer material 105 is recovered into the liquid supply source 211 through the through-holes 13h and 14h.

[0106] In this manner, the liquid heat transfer material is supplied to the tray T as the first and / or second heat transfer material 105. By supplying the liquid heat transfer material using the through holes 13h and 14h of the existing lift pins 15a for raising and lowering the tray T in this manner, there is no need to form new through holes for supplying the liquid heat transfer material in the substrate support 12, and the liquid heat transfer material can be efficiently supplied / discharged.

[0107] In Figure 25, an example is shown in which the liquid heat transfer material is supplied from the liquid supply source 211 to both the inside of the tray T (first heat transfer material 104) and the bottom of the tray T (second heat transfer material 105), but the liquid heat transfer material may be supplied from the liquid supply source 211 to only one of them.

[0108] For example, when the liquid heat transfer material is supplied from the liquid supply source 211 only to the inside of the tray T (first heat transfer material 104) (for example, when the second heat transfer material 105 is a heat transfer sheet, which will be described later), the first sealing member 215 is disposed so as to surround at least the periphery of the through-hole 14h and the through-hole 101h, as shown in Fig. 27. In this case, in order to supply the liquid heat transfer material only to the inside of the tray T, the heat transfer sheet is not disposed in a part between the tray T and the tray mounting surface of the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0109] Furthermore, for example, when the liquid heat transfer material is supplied from the liquid supply source 211 only to the underside (second heat transfer material 105) of the tray T (for example, when the first heat transfer material 104 is a heat transfer sheet as described later), the arrangement of the first sealing member 215 does not need to be changed from that shown in Figure 25, and no through hole 101h needs to be formed in the disc portion 101 of the tray T.

[0110] In this way, even when the liquid heat transfer material is supplied from the liquid supply source 211 to only either the inside of the tray T (first heat transfer material 104) or the lower part of the tray T (second heat transfer material 105), the liquid heat transfer material can be supplied using the through holes 13h and 14h for raising and lowering the tray T, thereby enabling efficient supply / discharge of the liquid heat transfer material.

[0111] In the examples shown in Figures 25 and 27, the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material 105 as liquid heat transfer materials are supplied inside the wafer processing module 10, but at least the first heat transfer material 104 inside the tray T may be supplied in advance outside the wafer processing module 10.

[0112] In one embodiment, before the wafer W is loaded onto the tray T, a coating device (not shown) supplies a liquid heat transfer material (first heat transfer material 104) toward the recess 103 of the tray T. The method for supplying the liquid heat transfer material onto the tray T is not particularly limited, but for example, the liquid heat transfer material may be supplied by so-called spin coating, in which the liquid heat transfer material is supplied from a nozzle disposed above the tray T while the tray T is rotating.

[0113] When supplying the liquid heat transfer material, the liquid heat transfer material may be supplied radially inward of the hole 111 formed in the tray T so as to prevent the liquid heat transfer material from leaking from the hole 111 exposed in the recess 103 in the third state shown in FIG. 24 . The liquid heat transfer material supplied to such a position is spread between the rear surface of the wafer W and the recess 103 when the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T. When the spread liquid heat transfer material reaches the hole 111, the outer surfaces of the pins 110 are in contact with the inner surfaces of the hole 111 without any gaps, preventing the liquid heat transfer material from leaking from the hole 111. Thereafter, the tray T supplied with the liquid heat transfer material is loaded with a wafer W or stored in the tray stocker 6.

[0114] In one embodiment, after all the processes have been performed on the tray T and the tray T has been separated from the wafer W, the recesses 103 are cleaned in a cleaning device (not shown) to remove the first heat transfer material 104. The method for cleaning the tray is not particularly limited, but for example, so-called spin cleaning may be performed in which a cleaning liquid is supplied from a nozzle disposed above the tray T while the tray T is being rotated.

[0115] The application device that supplies the liquid heat transfer material to the trays T and the cleaning device that cleans the trays T may be provided inside or outside the wafer processing system 1. Therefore, the liquid heat transfer material (first heat transfer material 104) may be supplied to the trays T inside or outside the wafer processing system 1.

[0116] As described above, by using a liquid heat transfer material as the first heat transfer material 104, the entire surfaces of the wafer W and the tray T can be in appropriate thermal contact with each other via the liquid heat transfer material. Therefore, the heat transfer efficiency between the wafer W and the tray T can be improved. Furthermore, by using a liquid heat transfer material as the second heat transfer material 105, the entire surfaces of the tray T and the electrostatic chuck 14 can be in appropriate thermal contact with each other via the liquid heat transfer material. Therefore, the heat transfer efficiency between the tray T and the electrostatic chuck 14 can be improved, and ultimately, the heat transfer efficiency between the wafer W and the electrostatic chuck 14 can be improved. As a result, the entire surface of the wafer W can be appropriately cooled by the heat transfer fluid flowing inside the base 13.

[0117] In addition to the above-mentioned effects, according to the tray T of this embodiment, the wafer W accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T can be easily attached and detached by the pins 110 and the holes 111 .

[0118] In the example shown in Figure 27, the through holes 13h and 14h for the lift pins 15a that were previously formed in the substrate support part 12 were used as flow paths for supplying the liquid heat transfer material, but it goes without saying that new through holes (not shown) for supplying the liquid heat transfer material may also be formed in the substrate support part 12.

[0119] <Heat Transfer Sheet> Next, the heat transfer sheet used as the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material will be described in detail.

[0120] When a heat transfer sheet is used as the first heat transfer material 104 and / or the second heat transfer material 105, a material that does not deteriorate at least under vacuum (reduced pressure) and has high thermal conductivity and plasma resistance is selected as the heat transfer sheet. In one example, the thickness of the heat transfer sheet may be less than 100 μm. Examples of heat transfer sheets include Si-containing materials, SiC-containing materials, W-containing materials, Al2O3-containing materials, AlN-containing materials, nano-SiC-containing materials, diamond powder-containing materials, CNT-containing materials, fluororubber-based sheets, silicone sheets, acrylic sheets, and mesh sheets impregnated with the above-mentioned liquid heat transfer materials. Furthermore, when the above-mentioned fluororubber-based sheets, silicone sheets, or acrylic sheets are used as the heat transfer sheet for the first heat transfer material 104, the heat transfer sheet preferably has UV (Ultra Violet) curability. Furthermore, the heat transfer sheet for the first heat transfer material 104 preferably has thermoplastic properties.

[0121] In one embodiment, the first heat transfer material 104 is a heat transfer sheet having UV curability and / or thermoplasticity, and is cured by UV irradiation when the wafer W is placed in the recess 103 of the tray T, for example, in a substrate processing method described below. This allows the tray T and the wafer W to be bonded together and maintain a tightly adhered state. Furthermore, when the wafer W is to be separated from the tray T, the first heat transfer material 104 is softened by heating, which facilitates separation.

[0122] <Other Heat Transfer Materials> In the above description, an example has been given in which a liquid heat transfer material or a heat transfer sheet is used as the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105. However, when the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 are newly provided externally to the tray T in this manner, the number of interfaces between the wafer W and the base 13 increases compared to the conventional case in which the wafer W is attracted and held on the electrostatic chuck 14, and the combined thermal resistance for cooling the wafer W by the heat transfer fluid flowing through the flow path 13 a may increase.

[0123] Therefore, in the tray T according to this embodiment, instead of or in addition to attaching the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 to the outside as described above, CNTs (Carbon Nanotubes) may be synthesized as a heat transfer layer on the surface of the tray T (the recess 103 and the underside of the tray T).

[0124] According to this embodiment, it is no longer necessary to apply an electrostatic chucking voltage to the substrate support portion 12 in order to reduce the combined thermal resistance, and efficient, high heat transfer can be achieved simply by bringing the CNTs into contact with the electrostatic chuck 14. This also reduces the interfacial thermal resistance that occurs in the tray structure according to this embodiment, and also simplifies the structure around the lower electrode by reducing the number of electrostatic electrodes for applying the electrostatic chucking voltage and reducing their power.

[0125] The CNTs synthesized on the tray T in this manner are particularly susceptible to O (oxygen)-based plasma, and may be consumed during plasma processing in the wafer processing module 10, resulting in the generation of particles. Therefore, when synthesizing CNTs on the surface of the tray T in this manner, a sealing member may be disposed to protect the CNTs from plasma. FKM or FFKM can be used as the material for the sealing member.

[0126] The heat transfer layer synthesized on the surface of the tray T (the recess 103 and the underside of the tray T) is not limited to CNT, but can be any material that can be synthesized on the tray T and improve the heat transfer performance, such as nano-SiC, diamond film, sol-gel film, etc.

[0127] <Tray Stocker> Next, the configuration of the tray stocker 6 as a storage module for storing the trays T according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0128] FIG. 28 is a side view schematically illustrating a portion of the internal configuration of the tray stocker 6. As shown in FIG. 28, multiple racks 300a, 300b, and 300c are provided inside the tray stocker 6. In the following description, when describing the common configuration of the multiple racks 300a, 300b, and 300c, they will not be distinguished from one another and will simply be referred to as "racks 300." Each rack 300 is spaced apart vertically so that the transfer arm 7a of the first transfer mechanism 7 can enter and lift and remove the trays T in the wafer processing method described below. Note that while FIG. 28 illustrates only three racks 300, this is not limiting and more racks 300 may be provided.

[0129] Fig. 29 is a plan view of one rack 300 as viewed from above. As shown in Figs. 28 and 29, the rack 300 includes a rack base 301 and a plurality of rack scaffolds 302 on the upper surface of the rack base 301. The rack scaffolds 302 are provided at least at positions corresponding to the pins 110 on the tray T when the tray T is placed on the rack 300. In this embodiment, the tray T has three pins 110 provided at rotationally symmetric positions, and therefore three rack scaffolds 302 are also provided at rotationally symmetric positions. In the example shown in Fig. 29, the rack base 301 is circular, but other shapes are also possible.

[0130] 30 and 31 are a side view and a plan view showing an example of a state in which trays T are placed and stored on racks 300 in the tray stocker 6. As shown in Fig. 30, the tray T placed on the rack 300 is in a third state in which the lower ends 131 of the bases 132 of the pins 110 contact the rack scaffolding 302, so that the tray T does not protrude from the underside Tb of the tray T, and the upper ends 121 of the heads 122 of the pins protrude from the recesses 103. That is, in this embodiment, the trays T are stored in each rack 300 in the third state. The racks 300 function as a substrate loading / unloading unit in this embodiment.

[0131] In one embodiment, trays T having different dimensions are placed on the racks 300a, 300b, and 300c. As an example, the inner diameters of the recesses 103 of the trays T placed on the racks 300a, 300b, and 300c are different. In another embodiment, trays T having the same dimensions are placed on the racks 300a, 300b, and 300c. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of tray stockers 6 are provided. In this case, the tray stockers 6 each store trays T having different dimensions, and the racks 300a, 300b, and 300c in one tray stocker 6 each store trays T having the same dimensions.

[0132] 32 and 33 are a side view and a plan view showing an example of the positional relationship with the transport arm 7a when placing a tray T on a rack 300 in the tray stocker 6 or lifting a tray T from the rack 300. As shown in Fig. 30, the rack base 301 of the rack 300 and the underside Tb of the tray T are separated by a rack scaffold 302, allowing the transport arm 7a to enter between them. Also, as shown in Fig. 33, the rack scaffold 302 is provided at a position and with a diameter that does not interfere with the transport arm 7a in a plan view.

[0133] <First Wafer Processing Method> Next, a first wafer processing method Mt1 will be described, which is an example of a wafer processing method including the transportation of the wafer W, the tray T, and the tray Tw in the first state, the attachment and detachment of the wafer W to and from the tray T, and the processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1 described above.

[0134] 34 is a flowchart showing an outline of the first wafer processing method Mt1 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the types of the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 are not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 are already formed on the tray T prior to the wafer processing method. In one embodiment, the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105 are formed on the tray T during the execution of the first wafer processing method Mt1.

[0135] The first wafer processing method Mt1 according to this embodiment includes the following steps St101 to St109.

[0136] In step St101, the tray T is transported from the tray stocker 6 to the wafer loading / unloading module 8 and placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. As described above, when placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 as the substrate loading / unloading section in this embodiment, the tray T is in the third state ( FIG. 24 ) in which the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 protrude from the recesses 103.

[0137] In step St102, the wafer W is transported from the FOUP F to the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 in the wafer loading / unloading module 8. Subsequently, the wafer W is placed on the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 of the tray T in the third state placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, thereby bringing the tray T into the second state ( FIG. 6 ) in which the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 and the wafer W are in contact with each other.

[0138] In step St103, the tray T in the second state is lifted from the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 to return to the first state ( FIG. 5 ). That is, by lifting the tray T, the bases 132 of the pins 110 move downward relative to the base receiving portions 142 until the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are separated from the stage footholds 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, causing the wafer W to descend relatively downward. Thereafter, the back surfaces Wb of the wafer W come into contact with the recesses 103 of the tray T, and the wafer W is accommodated in the recesses 103. At this time, the heads 122 of the pins 110 come into contact with the head receiving portions 141, thereby locking and holding the pins 110.

[0139] In step St104, the tray Tw in the first state is transported from the wafer loading / unloading module 8 to the wafer processing module 10. The tray Tw is placed on the electrostatic chuck 14 and held by suction so that the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are inserted into the pin receiving holes 112.

[0140] In step St105, a wafer is processed in the wafer processing module 10. The processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing module 10 is, for example, a plasma processing such as etching. Specifically, the plasma processing is performed by, for example, loading the wafer W, depressurizing the interior of the plasma processing chamber 11 to a desired vacuum level, and then supplying a desired processing gas into the plasma processing space 11s. Then, the RF power source 31 supplies at least one RF signal (RF power) to at least one lower electrode and / or at least one upper electrode to excite the processing gas and generate plasma. The plasma processing is then performed on the wafer W by the action of the plasma thus generated. At this time, the plasma processing of the wafer W is performed while the wafer W is mounted on the tray T. At this time, the wafer W and the tray T are in full contact with each other via the first heat-conductive material 104, and the tray T and the electrostatic chuck 14 are in full contact with each other via the second heat-conductive material 105. As a result, the entire surface of the wafer W is appropriately thermally connected to the electrostatic chuck 14, and the wafer W is efficiently cooled by the heat transfer fluid flowing inside the base 13.

[0141] In step St106, after the processing of the wafer W is completed, the tray Tw in the first state is transported from the wafer processing module 10 to the wafer loading / unloading module 8 and placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. The tray Tw placed on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 is placed in the second state as the wafer W is separated from the recess of the tray T. The specific operation is as follows: In the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, the tray Tw is placed in the second state as the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 come into contact with the stage foothold 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. Next, in this state, the tray T is lowered until the lower surface Tb of the tray T comes into contact with the stage foothold 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, whereby the bases 132 of the pins 110 move upward relative to the base receiving portions 142 and push the wafer W upward. As a result, when the lower surface Tb of the tray T is in contact with the stage footing 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, the wafer W is separated from the recess 103 of the tray T with the wafer W placed on the upper ends 121 of the pins 110. In one embodiment, if the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 is configured as an electrostatic chuck, or if a magnetic force is applied to the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 and the annular portion 102 of the tray T, or if the annular portion 102 of the tray T can be pushed downward by the transfer arm 7a, it is possible to press the tray T more strongly against the wafer loading / unloading stage 200. In this case, when the tray T is pressed more strongly against the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are pressed more strongly against the stage footing 200b of the wafer loading / unloading stage 200, and as a reaction, the bases 132 of the pins 110 move upward, thereby increasing the force pushing the wafer W upward. This allows the wafer W to be easily separated from the tray T even when the wafer W and the tray T are bonded together.

[0142] In step St107, the wafer W is lifted from the tray T in the second state, and is unloaded from the wafer loading / unloading module 8 and transferred to, for example, the FOUP F. As a result of the transfer of the wafer W in step St107, the tray T in the third state is left on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 of the wafer loading / unloading module 8.

[0143] In step St108, it is determined whether or not to continue using the tray T in the third state left on the wafer loading / unloading stage 200 of the wafer loading / unloading module 8. If it is to be continued, the process returns to step St102, and this is used as the tray T in the third state in step St102. If it is not to be continued, in step St109, the tray T is carried out of the wafer loading / unloading module 8 and transported to, for example, the tray stocker 6 for storage.

[0144] According to this series of steps St101 to St109, the wafer W can be easily attached and detached from the tray T in a configuration in which the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T to improve the in-plane temperature uniformity of the wafer W during processing.

[0145] <Second Wafer Processing Method> Next, a second wafer processing method Mt2 will be described, which is an example of a wafer processing method including the transportation of the wafer W, the tray T, and the tray Tw in the first state, the attachment and detachment of the wafer W to and from the tray T, and the processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1 described above.

[0146] 35 is a flowchart showing an outline of the second wafer processing method Mt2 according to this embodiment. The second wafer processing method Mt2 according to this embodiment includes the following steps St201 to St206.

[0147] In step St201, the wafer W is transported from the FOUP F to the rack 300 in the tray stocker 6. As described above, in the rack 300 serving as the substrate loading / unloading unit in this embodiment, the tray T is in the third state ( FIG. 30 ) in which the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 protrude from the recesses 103. The wafer W is placed on the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 in the third state, and the state is changed to the second state ( FIG. 6 ) in which the upper ends 121 of the pins 110 and the wafer W are in contact with each other.

[0148] In step St202, the tray T in the second state is lifted from the rack 300 to return to the first state ( FIG. 5 ). That is, by lifting the tray T, the bases 132 of the pins 110 move downward relative to the base receiving portions 142 until the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are separated from the rack scaffolding 302, causing the wafer W to move downward relatively. Thereafter, the back surfaces Wb of the wafer W come into contact with the recesses 103 of the tray T, and the wafer W is accommodated in the recesses 103. At this time, the heads 122 of the pins 110 come into contact with the head receiving portions 141, thereby locking and holding the pins 110.

[0149] In step St203, the tray Tw in the first state is transported from the tray stocker 6 to the wafer processing module 10. The tray Tw is placed on the electrostatic chuck 14 and held by suction so that the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 are inserted into the pin receiving holes 112.

[0150] In step St204, the wafer is processed in the wafer processing module 10. The processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing module 10 is similar to step St105 in the first wafer processing method Mt1.

[0151] In step St205, after the processing of the wafer W is completed, the tray Tw in the first state is transported from the wafer processing module 10 to the tray stocker 6 and placed on the rack 300. The tray Tw placed on the rack 300 is placed in the second state, with the wafer W separated from the recessed portion of the tray T. The specific operation is as follows: In the tray stocker 6, the lower ends 131 of the pins 110 of the tray T come into contact with the rack footing 302. Subsequently, in this state, the tray T is lowered until the lower surface Tb of the tray T comes into contact with the rack footing 302, causing the bases 132 of the pins 110 to move upward relative to the base receiving portions 142 and push the wafer W upward. As a result, with the lower surface Tb of the tray T in contact with the rack footing 302, the wafer W is separated from the recessed portion 103 of the tray T with the wafer W placed on the upper ends 121 of the pins 110.

[0152] In step St206, the wafer W is lifted from the tray T in the second state, and the wafer W is unloaded from the tray stocker 6 and transported, for example, to the FOUP F. As a result of the transport of the wafer W in step St206, the tray T in the third state is left behind in the rack 300 of the tray stocker 6. The left tray T is stored on the rack 300 as is.

[0153] According to this series of steps St201 to St206, the wafer W can be easily attached to and detached from the tray T in a configuration in which the wafer W is accommodated in the recess 103 of the tray T to improve the in-plane temperature uniformity of the wafer W during processing. Furthermore, compared to the first wafer processing method Mt1, the step of transporting the tray T can be omitted, further improving throughput.

[0154] In one embodiment, step 201 of the second wafer processing method Mt2 may further include a step of selecting a tray T on which to place the wafer W transferred to the tray stocker 6. As described above, in one embodiment, the plurality of racks 300a, 300b, and 300c each carry trays T having different inner diameters of the recesses 103. The outer diameter of the wafer W is measured in an orienter module (not shown) connected to the atmospheric transfer module 2 or the like. In this step, a rack 300a, 300b, and 300c carrying an appropriate tray T is selected from the plurality of racks 300a, 300b, and 300c so that the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the tray T is small. Thereafter, the wafer W is placed on the tray T placed in the selected rack 300, thereby further reducing the gap G between the wafer W and the recesses 103 of the tray T.

[0155] In another embodiment, step 201 of the second wafer processing method Mt2 may further include a step of selecting one tray stocker 6 to access from among a plurality of tray stockers 6. As described above, in one embodiment, a plurality of tray stockers 6 are provided, each containing trays T of different dimensions. In this step, a tray stocker 6 containing an appropriate tray T is selected from the plurality of tray stockers 6 so that the difference between the outer diameter of the wafer W measured in the same manner as above and the inner diameter of the tray T is reduced. Thereafter, the wafer W is placed on the tray T placed in the rack 300 in the selected tray stocker 6, thereby further reducing the gap G between the wafer W and the recess 103 of the tray T.

[0156] In one embodiment, in a wafer processing system 1 that performs the first wafer processing method Mt1, the rack 300 provided in the tray stocker 6 may be configured not to function as a substrate loading / unloading unit. Also, in a wafer processing system 1 that performs the second wafer processing method Mt2, the wafer loading / unloading module 8 may not be provided.

[0157] <Method of Transporting / Placing Tray on Electrostatic Chuck> Next, a method of transporting / placing the tray Tw on the electrostatic chuck 14 in the wafer processing module 10 in step St104 of the first wafer processing method Mt1 or step St203 of the second wafer processing method Mt2 according to this embodiment will be described. Note that in the following figures, the pins 110 and holes 111 in the tray T are omitted from illustration.

[0158] (1) Use of Lift Pins When placing the tray Tw on the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14, the lift pins 15a inserted through the above-described through holes 13h and 14h can be used. That is, for example, in a state where the tray Tw is placed above the electrostatic chuck 14 by the second transport mechanism 18, the lift pins 15a are caused to protrude from the upper surface of the electrostatic chuck 14 through the through holes 13h and 14h, thereby transferring the tray Tw from the second transport mechanism 18 to the upper ends of the lift pins 15a. Thereafter, the second transport mechanism 18 is retracted, and the lift pins 15a are lowered, thereby transferring the tray Tw from the lift pins 15a to the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0159] In this way, by supporting the underside of the tray Tw using the second transport mechanism 18 and the lift pins 15a and transporting / transferring the tray Tw, the tray Tw can be transferred onto the electrostatic chuck 14 without damaging the device layer formed on the surface of the wafer W mounted on the tray T.

[0160] (2) Holding the Tray from Above / Side Note that when transferring the wafer W to the electrostatic chuck 14, it is necessary to prevent damage to the device layer formed on the front surface of the wafer W, and in conventional wafer processing that does not use a tray T, it is necessary to transfer / transfer the wafer W while holding the back side of the wafer W as a rule. In this regard, in wafer processing according to this embodiment, the wafer W is transferred / transferred while being mounted on the tray T as described above. In addition, in this embodiment, the tray T has an annular portion 102 that is arranged radially outward of the wafer W.

[0161] Therefore, in wafer processing according to this embodiment, instead of supporting the underside of the tray Tw with the second transport mechanism 18 and the lift pins 15a as described above, the tray Tw may be held from the upper side or the side, and transported / transferred between the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0162] 36 , for example, the tray T may be transported by holding the annular portion 102 of the tray T carrying the wafer W from above using the second transport mechanism 18. In this case, since holding the annular portion 102 of the tray T prevents damage to the device layer formed on the surface of the wafer W, the second transport mechanism 18 may transport the tray T by physically holding the annular portion 102 of the tray T. The method for holding the tray T by the second transport mechanism 18 is not particularly limited, and any method such as magnets, vacuum suction, or electrostatic suction may be selected.

[0163] In this manner, in wafer processing according to the present embodiment in which wafers W to be processed are loaded on trays T and transported / transferred, holding the trays T eliminates the need for direct contact between the wafers W and the second transport mechanism 18, and therefore the trays Tw carrying the wafers W can be accessed from above to be held / transferred. Furthermore, because the trays Tw can be held from above in this manner, the trays Tw can be transferred to the electrostatic chuck 14 directly from the second transport mechanism 18 without the need for lift pins 15a as in the conventional method. Therefore, when the trays Tw are held from above or from the side in this manner, the lifter 15 for transferring the trays Tw to the electrostatic chuck 14 can be omitted, and the configuration of the wafer processing module 10 can be simplified.

[0164] <Method of Fixing Tray to Substrate Support> Next, an example of a method of fixing the tray Tw transported as described above to the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) in the wafer processing module 10 will be described.

[0165] As described above, the tray Tw is held on the tray support surface of the substrate support part 12. However, in order to efficiently cool the wafer W by the heat transfer fluid flowing through the flow path 13a formed in the base 13, it is necessary to increase the pressing force (surface pressure) of the tray Tw against the electrostatic chuck 14. Therefore, in the following description, a method for holding the tray Tw on the electrostatic chuck 14 with a pressing force equal to or greater than its own weight will be described in order to increase the cooling efficiency of the wafer W.

[0166] 2, an electrostatic electrode 14b for supporting the tray Tw is provided on the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14 of the substrate support part 12. The substrate support part 12 can attract and hold the tray Tw using this electrostatic electrode 14b.

[0167] First, a case where the disk portion 101 of the tray T is made of a conductive material will be described.

[0168] When attracting and holding the tray T, first, as shown in Figure 37(a), a voltage (positive (+) charge in the illustrated example) is applied to the electrostatic electrode 14b, which then becomes positively charged.

[0169] 37(b), when the electrostatic electrode 14b is positively charged, charges of the opposite polarity (i.e., negative (-)) to the charges accumulated on the electrostatic electrode 14b are accumulated on the disk portion 101 of the tray T and the wafer W across the dielectric ceramic member 14a. This generates a Coulomb force between the tray T (wafer W) and the electrostatic electrode 14b, which acts as both poles, and this attracts and holds the tray Tw on the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0170] Furthermore, when the tray Tw is attracted and held by the electrostatic chuck 14 by Coulomb force in this manner, by generating plasma in the wafer processing module 10, the Coulomb force can be increased, thereby increasing the attracting and holding force of the electrostatic chuck 14. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 37(c) , by generating plasma in the plasma processing space 11s, charges of the opposite polarity (i.e., negative (-)) to the charge accumulated on the electrostatic electrode 14b are transferred from the plasma to the disk portion 101 of the tray T and the wafer W. In other words, the charges can be compensated for from the plasma, increasing the Coulomb force, and the tray Tw can be attracted and held more firmly.

[0171] Next, a description will be given of a case where the disc portion 101 of the tray T is made of an insulating material. When the disc portion 101 of the tray T is made of an insulating material, a charging electrode 101b is disposed inside the disc portion 101.

[0172] When attracting and holding the tray T, first, as shown in Figure 38(a), a voltage (positive (+) charge in the illustrated example) is applied to the electrostatic electrode 14b, which then becomes positively charged.

[0173] 38(b), when the electrostatic electrode 14b is positively charged, charges of the opposite polarity (i.e., negative (-)) to the charges accumulated on the electrostatic electrode 14b are accumulated on the charging electrode 101b arranged on the disk portion 101 and the wafer W, across the ceramic member 14a, which is a dielectric, and the disk portion 101, which is an insulating member. As a result, a Coulomb force is generated between the charging electrode 101b (wafer W) and the electrostatic electrode 14b, and the tray Tw is attracted and held on the tray support surface of the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0174] Furthermore, even when the disk portion 101 of the tray T is made of an insulating material, by generating plasma in the wafer processing module 10, it is possible to increase the Coulomb force and thereby increase the attracting and holding force of the electrostatic chuck 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 38( c), by generating plasma in the plasma processing space 11s, charges of the opposite polarity (i.e., negative (−)) to the charge accumulated on the electrostatic electrode 14b are transferred from the plasma to the charging electrode 101b and the wafer W. In other words, the charges can be compensated for from the plasma to increase the Coulomb force, and the tray Tw can be attracted and held more firmly.

[0175] In this way, whether the disk portion of the tray T is made of a conductive material or an insulating material, the tray Tw can be appropriately attracted and held on the tray support surface by applying a voltage to the electrostatic electrode 14b of the electrostatic chuck 14. In addition, at this time, by generating plasma in the plasma processing space 11s, the Coulomb force between the tray Tw and the electrostatic chuck 14 is increased, and the tray Tw can be more firmly attracted and held.

[0176] Furthermore, by utilizing the Coulomb force in this manner, the attracting and holding of the tray Tw can be controlled simply by controlling the voltage applied to the electrostatic electrode 14b. Therefore, the tray Tw can be attracted and held without complicating the structure of the substrate support unit 12. Furthermore, since the attracting and holding can be performed simply by controlling the voltage in this manner, controllability is good, and the attracting force within the surface of the tray Tw can be made uniform, i.e., the surface pressure of the tray Tw against the electrostatic chuck 14 can be controlled uniformly, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the wafer W and increasing the reproducibility of this attracting force.

[0177] In addition, when the tray Tw is adsorbed and held using Coulomb force in this manner, tilting at the outermost periphery of the wafer W can be controlled by controlling the adsorption force within the surface of the tray Tw when the wafer processing in the wafer processing module 10 is an etching process as a plasma process.

[0178] If the annular portion 102 of the tray T is worn away by plasma processing, causing a change in the height of the top surface of the annular portion 102, the position of the plasma sheath formed above the outer periphery of the wafer W will be lower than the position of the plasma sheath formed above the center of the wafer W, causing the angle of ion incidence onto the wafer W to tilt, and the etching groove formed at the outermost periphery of the wafer W to tilt (tilting).

[0179] Therefore, in the wafer processing module 10 according to this embodiment, the suction force of the electrostatic chuck 14 is controlled within the surface of the tray Tw (more specifically, in two areas: a circular area on the inner side in the radial direction and an annular area on the outer side in the radial direction) according to the degree of wear (amount of wear) of the annular portion 102 of the tray T.

[0180] Specifically, for example, by making the suction force on the outer periphery side of the tray Tw stronger than that on the central side of the tray Tw, the suction shape of the tray Tw in cross section is deformed into an upwardly convex shape as shown in Fig. 39. As a result, the height of the top surface of the outer periphery and annular portion 102 of the wafer W becomes lower than the height of the top surface of the central portion of the wafer W, and as a result, the position of the plasma sheath formed above the outer periphery side of the wafer W becomes lower, and the ion incident angle can be tilted radially inward of the wafer W as shown in Fig. 39.

[0181] On the other hand, for example, by weakening the suction force on the outer periphery side of the tray Tw compared to the suction force on the central side of the tray Tw, the suction shape of the tray Tw in cross section is deformed into an upward concave shape as shown in Fig. 40. In this way, the height of the top surface of the outer periphery and annular portion 102 of the wafer W becomes higher than the height of the top surface of the central portion of the wafer W, and as a result, the position of the plasma sheath formed above the outer periphery side of the wafer W becomes higher, and the ion incidence angle can be tilted radially outward of the wafer W as shown in Fig. 40.

[0182] According to this embodiment, by controlling the suction force within the surface of the tray Tw in accordance with the degree of wear (amount of wear) of the annular portion 102 of the tray T and the purpose of the etching process, the angle of ion incidence onto the wafer W can be controlled, and the tilting of the etching groove formed on the outermost periphery of the wafer W can be controlled.

[0183] 37 to 40, the tray Tw is electrostatically attracted by the electrostatic chuck 14 of the substrate support 12, but the method of holding the tray Tw on the substrate support 12 is not limited to this. Therefore, in the wafer processing module 10, the substrate support 12 does not necessarily have to be equipped with the electrostatic chuck 14.

[0184] 41 , a plurality of pin members 157, for example, two or more, may be provided on the underside of the tray T, and the pin members 157 may be inserted into fixing holes formed in the substrate support portion 12, and then a locking mechanism 158 may be used to mechanically hold / fix the tray T and the substrate support portion 12 together. The pin members 157 and the locking mechanism 158 are preferably configured such that the pin members 157 are pulled into the fixing holes (substrate support portion 12) when the tray T is fixed (locked) to the substrate support portion 12, and the pin members 157 are pushed up against the fixing holes (substrate support portion 12) when the tray T is detached (unlocked). In this way, locking the pin members 157 provided on the tray T to the substrate support portion 12 increases the adhesion (surface pressure) between the tray T and the substrate support portion 12 (electrostatic chuck 14), improving heat transfer and improving the cooling efficiency of the wafer W.

[0185] The structure of the locking mechanism 158 is not particularly limited as long as it can improve the adhesion between the substrate support portion 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) and the tray T when fixing (locking) the tray T. One example of the locking mechanism 158 is a clamp chuck mechanism, which may include a tapered pull-in member 158a for pulling in the pin members 157 and a tapered push-out member 158b for pushing out the pin members 157, which are moved horizontally by a slide mechanism 158c, as shown in FIG.

[0186] Alternatively, for example, the locking mechanism 158 may be a ring rotation mechanism configured to rotate relative to the pin members 157 in the circumferential direction after the pin members 157 are inserted into the fixing holes, as shown in FIG. 42 . In this case, the rotation mechanism that rotates the tray T and the substrate support 12 relative to each other may be a motor. Furthermore, the ring rotation mechanism may rotate only the locking mechanism 158 relative to the pin members 157, or may rotate the entire substrate support 12 relative to the pin members 157. When only the locking mechanism 158 is configured to be rotatable, the structure of the locking mechanism 158 can be made smaller. When the entire substrate support 12 is configured to be rotatable, the structure of the locking mechanism 158 becomes larger. However, when the liquid heat transfer material is supplied through the through holes 13h and 14h described above (see FIG. 25 ), the rotation allows the through holes 13h and 14h to move in the circumferential direction between when the tray T is transferred and when the liquid heat transfer material is supplied. In other words, both the transfer of tray T and the supply of liquid heat transfer material can be achieved without shifting the position of through hole 101h formed in tray T circumferentially and / or radially from the formation positions of through holes 13h and 14h.

[0187] (3) Magnetic Force Holding Also, for example, the tray Tw may be attracted and held to the substrate support portion 12 by magnetic force.

[0188] 43 , magnets 102m, 12m are arranged inside the annular portion 102 of the tray T and on the outer periphery of the substrate support portion 12 corresponding to the annular portion 102 (opposing the annular portion 102). Electromagnets or permanent magnets can be selected as the magnets 102m, 12m arranged inside the annular portion 102 and the substrate support portion 12. By arranging the tray Tw above the substrate support portion 12 on which the magnet 12m is arranged so that the magnet 12m faces the magnet 102m, a magnetic force is generated between the magnet 12m and the magnet 102m, and the tray Tw can be attracted and held on the substrate support portion 12.

[0189] 43, a demagnetizer 140 is configured to be freely inserted into and removed from between the annular portion 102 of the tray Tw and the outer periphery of the substrate support portion 12. By disposing the demagnetizer 140 between the annular portion 102 and the substrate support portion 12, the magnetic force generated between the magnet 12m and the magnet 102m is canceled, and the tray Tw can be transported from the tray support surface of the substrate support portion 12.

[0190] In this way, in the wafer processing module 10 according to this embodiment, magnets may be disposed inside each of the tray T and the substrate support portion 12, so that the tray T can be attracted and held by the substrate support portion 12.

[0191] (4) Vacuum Adsorption The substrate support 12 of the wafer processing module 10 may be provided with a vacuum chuck instead of the electrostatic chuck 14. In this case, it is preferable to select an elastic heat transfer sheet as the second heat transfer material 105 disposed at least on the underside of the tray T.

[0192] 44(a), for example, through holes 105h are formed in a second heat transfer material 105 (heat transfer sheet) disposed on the underside of the tray T at positions corresponding to the vacuum lines 11v formed on the substrate support part 12 in a plan view. Then, as shown in FIG. 44(b), by starting a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum line 11v, the tray Tw is attracted and held on the tray support surface of the substrate support part 12 by vacuum force.

[0193] Furthermore, at this time, by selecting an elastic heat transfer sheet as the second heat transfer material 105, the second heat transfer material 105 is compressed in the thickness direction as the tray T is pressed against the tray support surface by the vacuum force. In this manner, the through holes 105h are closed by the plastic deformation of the second heat transfer material 105, and the entire surfaces of the tray T and the substrate support part 12 come into contact with each other via the second heat transfer material 105, thereby enabling the tray T to be appropriately vacuum-adsorbed and improving the cooling efficiency of the wafers W placed on the tray T.

[0194] <Method of Detaching Tray from Electrostatic Chuck> Next, an example of a method of detaching the tray Tw fixed to the substrate support portion 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) from the substrate support portion 12 will be described.

[0195] As described above, the substrate support unit 12 according to this embodiment is provided with the lifter 15, and the lift pins 15a support the tray Tw from below, enabling it to be detached from the tray support surface of the substrate support unit 12 (electrostatic chuck 14). However, when detaching the tray Tw from the substrate support unit 12 using the lift pins 15a, there is a concern that the tray Tw may not be easily peeled off from the tray support surface due to, for example, residual suction or vacuum suction. If the tray Tw is raised by the lift pins 15a in such a state where residual suction or the like exists, there is a concern that the tray T or the wafer W may be damaged due to an overload.

[0196] Therefore, in the wafer processing module 10 according to this embodiment, in order to prevent damage due to an overload caused by the lift-up, an inert gas (e.g., N ２ gas).

[0197] 45, an inert gas supply flow path 161 connected to a gas supply unit 160 having a gas supply source is added to the through holes 13h, 14h through which lift pins 15a for raising and lowering the tray Tw are inserted. When the tray Tw is to be detached, the supply of the inert gas is started before the lift pins 15a lift the tray Tw, thereby pressurizing the interface between the tray Tw and the substrate support unit 12 and assisting in the detachment of the tray Tw from the substrate support unit 12. The gas supply unit 160 may be used in common with the gas supply unit 20 shown in FIG.

[0198] According to this embodiment, by supplying an inert gas when the tray Tw is removed from the substrate support portion 12, the tray Tw can be easily removed.

[0199] As described above, the substrate support portion 12 has three through holes 13h, 14h for inserting the lift pins 15a (three in this embodiment), and the inert gas for removing the tray Tw may be supplied to at least one of these through holes 13h, 14h. ２ However, the gas to be supplied is not limited to an inert gas as long as the interface between the tray Tw and the substrate support part 12 can be appropriately pressurized under vacuum. Specifically, for example, the above-mentioned ionic liquid may be supplied to the interface between the tray Tw and the substrate support part 12 when the tray Tw is removed.

[0200] <Effects of the Technique of the Present Disclosure> As described above, in the wafer processing system 1 according to the technique of the present disclosure, a wafer W to be processed is loaded on a tray T, and the tray T and wafer W are transported and processed together. A first heat transfer material 104 and a second heat transfer material 105 are disposed at the interface between the tray T and the wafer W (inside the recess 103) and at the interface between the tray T and the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14), respectively, thereby bringing the wafer W and the tray T, and the tray T and the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) into full contact with each other. This improves the heat transfer performance from the wafer W to the substrate support 12 in the wafer processing module 10 according to the technique of the present disclosure, and allows the entire surface of the wafer W to be uniformly cooled by a heat transfer fluid flowing through a flow path 13 a formed in the base 13 of the substrate support 12.

[0201] In addition, in this configuration, the wafer W and the tray T can be easily attached and detached by simply lifting or placing the tray T (Tw) by the action of the pins 110 and the holes 111.

[0202] Furthermore, by lifting or placing the tray T (Tw) on the rack 300 of the tray stocker 6, the process of transporting the tray T related to attaching and detaching the wafer W to and from the tray T can be omitted, further improving throughput.

[0203] Furthermore, by bringing the wafer W and the tray T, and the tray T and the substrate support 12 (electrostatic chuck 14) into full contact with each other in this manner, it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated between the back surface of the wafer W and the outer periphery of the electrostatic chuck 14, as has been the case in the past. This prevents deposits (so-called "shoulder deposits") from accumulating on the outer periphery of the electrostatic chuck 14, particularly on the shoulder, and reduces the frequency of cleaning (WLDC: Waferless Dry Cleaning) steps for the wafer processing module 10.

[0204] Furthermore, in the wafer processing module 10 according to the technology of the present disclosure, the pressing force (surface pressure) of the tray T against the tray support surface of the substrate support part 12 is improved by electrostatic adsorption or clamping, as described above, which further improves the heat transfer performance from the wafer W to the substrate support part 12, thereby enabling the cooling efficiency of the wafer W to be further improved appropriately.

[0205] In the wafer processing module 10 according to the technology of the present disclosure, although the wafer W can be cooled uniformly within the surface by interposing the first heat transfer material 104 and the second heat transfer material 105, there is a concern that temperature singularities with reduced cooling efficiency may occur in the areas where through holes (e.g., through holes 13h and 14h for lift pins 15a, He gas supply holes, and through holes through which cables for supplying electrostatic adsorption power or RF power are inserted) are formed within the surface of the substrate support part 12.

[0206] Therefore, in the substrate support part 12 arranged in the wafer processing module 10 according to this embodiment, it is preferable that these through holes formed in the substrate support part 12 do not overlap at least in the vertical direction with the wafer W to be processed. More specifically, it is preferable to change the positions at which these through holes are formed in the tray Tw held on the tray support surface of the substrate support part 12 so that no through holes are formed directly below the circular plate part 101 (recess 103) on which the wafer W is mounted.

[0207] In this case, the positions where these through holes are formed are preferably directly below the annular portion 102 of the tray T, as shown in Figures 46 and 47. In this case, the PCD (Pitch Circle Diameter) of the through holes (through holes 13h and 14h in the illustrated example) is preferably set to be larger than the sum of the outer diameter r3 (see also Figure 4) of the wafer W to be processed and the hole diameter r5 of the through hole (PCD>r3+r5).

[0208] According to this embodiment, the through holes formed in the substrate support portion 12, such as the through holes 13h and 14h for the lift pins 15a, the He gas supply holes, and the through holes through which cables for supplying electrostatic chucking power and RF power are inserted, are arranged so as not to overlap in the vertical direction with the wafer W. This prevents singular points from occurring in the in-plane temperature of the wafer W during wafer processing, and allows the wafer W to be cooled more appropriately.

[0209] In the above description, the wafer processing module 10 is a plasma processing module that performs plasma processing such as etching on wafers W. However, the wafer processing performed in the wafer processing module 10 is not limited to plasma processing, and the technology disclosed herein can be applied to any processing that requires maintaining a uniform temperature across the wafer W to be processed.

[0210] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the components of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Such an arbitrary combination naturally provides the functions and effects of each of the components involved in the combination, and also provides other functions and effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification.

[0211] Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely descriptive or exemplary and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure may achieve other effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification, in addition to or in place of the above-described effects.

[0212] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 wafer processing system 2 atmospheric transfer module 3 vacuum transfer module 4 load lock module 7 first transfer mechanism 10 wafer processing module 11 plasma processing chamber 18 second transfer mechanism 103 recess 110 pin 111 hole T tray Tw tray (with wafer) W wafer

Claims

1. A substrate processing system comprising: a processing module for processing a substrate; a vacuum transfer module connected to the processing module; an atmospheric transfer module connected to the vacuum transfer module via a load lock module; and a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate and a tray carrying the substrate to the processing module, wherein the tray has a recess formed on an upper surface of the tray capable of accommodating the substrate, and a hole penetrating from the recess to a lower surface of the tray, the hole being configured to movably hold a pin configured to protrude from either the recess or the lower surface when inserted into the hole.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the tray further comprises pins, the pins being inserted into the holes.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein in a first state in which the substrate is accommodated in the recess, a lower end of the pin protrudes from the lower surface of the tray, and in a second state including a transition state in which the recess and the substrate are attached or detached, an upper end of the pin contacts the substrate and protrudes from the recess.

4. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, wherein the upper ends of the pins include upper end surfaces that come into surface contact with the substrate in the first state.

5. A substrate processing system as described in claim 4, wherein the pin has a head including the upper end, and the head has a shape that engages the pin so that the pin does not slip out of the hole when a force is applied from the recess side to the underside side of the pin.

6. The substrate processing system according to claim 5, wherein the head portion includes a cone shape with the upper end surface as a bottom surface, or a column shape with the upper end surface as one bottom surface.

7. A substrate processing system as described in claim 6, wherein the pin has a base including the lower end, and the base has a shape that engages the pin so that the pin does not slip out of the hole when a force is applied from the underside of the pin to the recess side.

8. The substrate processing system according to claim 7, wherein the base portion includes a cone shape having a bottom surface included in the lower end as a base surface, or a column shape having the bottom surface as one base surface.

9. A substrate processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hole has an inner surface that contacts an outer surface of the pin.

10. A substrate processing system as described in any one of claims 3 to 8, further comprising a substrate attachment / detachment section configured to be able to place the tray thereon, and in a third state in which the tray, without the substrate contained in the recess, is placed on the substrate attachment / detachment section, the upper ends of the pins protrude from the recess, and the substrate and the tray are attached and detached in the substrate attachment / detachment section by transitioning between the first state, the second state and the third state.

11. A substrate processing system as described in claim 10, further comprising a control unit which executes control including: (a) transporting the tray to the substrate loading / unloading unit and placing it thereon to change the state to the third state; (b) transporting the substrate to the substrate loading / unloading unit and placing it on the upper ends of the pins of the tray to change the state to the second state; (c) lifting the tray in the second state to change to the first state; (d) transporting the tray in the first state from the substrate loading / unloading unit to the processing module; (e) processing the substrate in the processing module; (f) transporting the tray in the first state from the processing module to the substrate loading / unloading unit; (g) placing the tray in the first state on the substrate loading / unloading unit to change the state to the second state; and (h) lifting the substrate from the tray in the second state and transporting the substrate from the substrate loading / unloading unit.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the control unit uses the tray in the third state placed on the substrate loading / unloading unit after the step (h) as the tray in the step (b) and performs control including the steps (b) to (h).

13. The substrate processing system according to claim 10, further comprising a storage module, the storage module including the substrate loading / unloading section, and storing the tray in the third state in the substrate loading / unloading section.

14. A substrate processing system as described in claim 13, further comprising a control unit which performs control including: (a) transporting the substrate to the substrate loading / unloading unit in the storage module and placing it on the upper ends of the pins of the tray to change the state to the second state; (b) lifting the tray in the second state to change the state to the first state; (c) transporting the tray in the first state from the substrate loading / unloading unit to the processing module; (d) processing the substrate in the processing module; (e) transporting the tray in the first state from the processing module to the substrate loading / unloading unit in the storage module and placing it thereon to change the state to the second state; and (f) lifting the substrate from the tray in the second state and transporting the substrate from the substrate loading / unloading unit.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein in step (a), the control unit selects the tray having the recess having an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the substrate, and places the substrate on the tray.

16. A storage module for storing trays used in a substrate processing system that transports and processes substrates loaded on the trays, the storage module comprising a substrate attachment / detachment section, the tray having a recess provided on an upper surface of the tray capable of accommodating the substrate, and a hole penetrating from the recess to a lower surface of the tray, the hole being configured to movably hold a pin configured to protrude from either the recess or the lower surface when inserted into the hole.

17. The storage module described in claim 16, wherein the tray further comprises the pin, the pin is inserted into the hole, and when the tray without the substrate contained in the recess is placed on the substrate attachment / detachment section, an upper end of the pin protrudes from the recess.

18. A substrate processing method for transporting and processing a substrate using a substrate processing system, the substrate processing system comprising: a processing module for processing a substrate; a vacuum transfer module connected to the processing module; an atmospheric transfer module connected to the vacuum transfer module via a load lock module; a transport mechanism for transporting the substrate and a tray carrying the substrate to the processing module; and a substrate attachment / detachment unit on which the tray can be placed, the tray being formed with a recess provided on an upper surface of the tray in which the substrate can be accommodated, and a hole penetrating from the recess to an underside of the tray, the tray being provided with a pin inserted into the hole and movably held so as to protrude from either the recess or the underside, the pin being configured such that in a first state in which the substrate is accommodated in the recess, a lower end of the pin protrudes from the underside of the tray, and in a second state including a transition state in which the recess and the substrate are attached to or detached from the recess, an upper end of the pin contacts the substrate and protrudes from the recess, (b) transporting the substrate to the substrate loading / unloading section and placing the substrate on the upper ends of the pins of the tray to achieve the second state; (c) lifting the tray in the second state to achieve the first state; (d) transporting the tray in the first state from the substrate loading / unloading section to the processing module; (e) processing the substrate in the processing module; (f) transporting the tray in the first state from the processing module to the substrate loading / unloading section; (g) placing the tray in the first state on the substrate loading / unloading section to achieve the second state; and (h) lifting the substrate from the tray in the second state and transporting the substrate from the substrate loading / unloading section. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

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