Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method of vacuum processing apparatus

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• at least one vacuum transport chamber in which a wafer that is a processing target is transported in a decompressed space;
• a plurality of vacuum processing units each of which includes a vacuum container constituting a vacuum processing chamber in which the wafer disposed on the decompressed inside is processed by using plasma, and a base plate on which the vacuum container is mounted and which has an opening through which a gas from the processing chamber on the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is exhausted, and the vacuum container being coupled to the at least one vacuum transport chamber in an attachable and detachable manner;
• and
• an atmospheric transport chamber which is connected to said at least one vacuum transport chamber with a lock chamber interposed therebetween, and which is constructed to transport the wafer on an inside of the atmospheric transport chamber having an atmospheric pressure,
• wherein each of the vacuum processing units is configured to provide a work space between one said vacuum processing unit and an adjacent vacuum processing unit, or between one said vacuum processing unit and the atmospheric transport chamber,
• wherein at least one of the vacuum processing units includes a turning lifter which is disposed at an outer circumferential position of the base plate between the work space and the vacuum container mounted on the base plate,
• wherein the vacuum container of the at least one vacuum processing unit includes a sample table unit comprising a sample table base, a sample table, and a sample table bottom portion lid, and the vacuum container further including an upper container mounted above the sample table unit, and said turning lifter of the vacuum container includes a vertical shaft, and the at least one vacuum processing unit further includes a maintenance arm which is disposed above said turning lifter and which is attached to the turning lifter and is configured to turn in a horizontal direction around a maintenance arm turning shaft disposed above the vertical shaft of said turning lifter and to lift said upper container in a vertical direction using a winch and an attachment member affixed to the upper container such that the upper container becomes suspended in a lifted state,
• wherein the sample table unit is coupled to the turning lifter via a turning shaft of a turning base and is configured to be capable of turning around said turning shaft of the turning base and is capable of being locked in a fixed position to maintain a predetermined angular position, and
• wherein the maintenance arm turning shaft is disposed at a position which is aligned with the turning shaft of the turning base when viewed from above in plan view, and the maintenance arm is configured to be locked in a fixed angular position above the sample table unit such that a center portion of the maintenance arm is directly aligned, when viewed above in the plan view, with the center of the sample table unit when said sample table unit is locked in the predetermined angular position.