# US 11,898,246 B2 · Vapor deposition device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,898,246 B2 - Document ID: US11898246B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/415,410 - Filed: 2019-11-05 - Published: 2022-02-24 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-27 - Assignees: Sumco Corporation - Applicants: Sumco Corporation - Inventors: Naoyuki Wada; Yu Minamide - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11898246B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/458: characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber - H10P 72/18: {characterised by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports} - C23C 16/4401: {Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber} - C23C 16/4583: {the substrate being supported substantially horizontally} - H10P 72/0466: {characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber} - H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - H10P 72/3306: {Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece} - H10P 72/7602: {the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance} - H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A vapor deposition device is provided that can ameliorate or improve the LPD quality. A vapor deposition device includes a first holder that supports a carrier at a topmost-level and a second holder that supports the carrier under the first holder in a load-lock chamber, and a second robot mounts a before-treatment wafer extracted from a wafer storage container on the carrier standing by at the first holder in the load-lock chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vapor deposition device comprising a plurality of robots configured to: transport a plurality of before-treatment wafers from a wafer storage container, through a factory interface, load-lock chamber, and wafer transfer chamber, to a reaction chamber in that order, and transport a plurality of after-treatment wafers from the reaction chamber, through the wafer transfer chamber, load-lock chamber, and factory interface, to the wafer storage container in that order, wherein: the load-lock chamber communicates with the factory interface via a first door and also communicates with the wafer transfer chamber via a second door, the wafer transfer chamber communicates, via a gate valve, with the reaction chamber in which a CVD film is formed on the wafer, the plurality of robots comprises a first robot provided with the wafer transfer chamber and a second robot provided with the factory interface, the vapor deposition device further comprises a plurality of ring-shaped carriers each which support an outer edge of a wafer, the first robot deposits a before-treatment wafer transported into the load-lock chamber into the reaction chamber in a state where the before-treatment wafer is mounted on a carrier of the plurality of carriers, and also withdraws an after-treatment wafer for which treatment in the reaction chamber has ended from the reaction chamber in a state where the after-treatment wafer is mounted on a carrier of the plurality of carriers and transports the wafer to the load-lock chamber, the second robot extracts a before-treatment wafer from the wafer storage container and mounts the wafer on a carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by in the load-lock chamber, and also stores in the wafer storage container an after-treatment wafer mounted on the carrier of the plurality of carriers that has been transported to the load-lock chamber, the load-lock chamber is provided with a first holder that supports a carrier of the plurality of carriers at a topmost-level and a second holder that supports a carrier of the plurality of carriers under the first holder, and the second robot mounts the before-treatment wafer extracted from the wafer storage container on the carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by at the first holder in the load-lock chamber. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the first robot transfers the carrier of the plurality of carriers supported by the second holder to the first holder when the first holder supports no carrier of the plurality of carriers upon the first robot mounting the before-treatment wafer extracted from the wafer storage container by the second robot on the carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by in the load-lock chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the first robot withdraws the after-treatment wafer for which the treatment in the reaction chamber has ended from the reaction chamber in the state where the after-treatment wafer is mounted on the carrier of the plurality of carriers and transports the wafer to the second holder in the load-lock chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the load-lock chamber is provided with a third holder that supports a carrier of the plurality of carriers under the second holder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the first robot is provided with a first blade on which the carrier is mounted. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vapor deposition device according to claim 5, wherein the first blade is provided with a recess corresponding to a part of an outer circumferential wall of surfaces of the plurality of carriers on an upper face. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the second robot is provided with a second blade on which the wafer is mounted. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the CVD film is a silicon epitaxial film. ### Claim 9 A vapor deposition method using a vapor deposition device which is provided with a plurality of robots, the method comprising: transporting, via the plurality of robots, a plurality of before-treatment wafers from a wafer storage container, through a factory interface, load-lock chamber, and wafer transfer chamber, to a reaction chamber in that order, and transporting, via the plurality of robots, a plurality of after-treatment wafers from the reaction chamber, through the wafer transfer chamber, load-lock chamber, and factory interface, to the wafer storage container in that order, wherein: the load-lock chamber communicates with the factory interface via a first door and also communicates with the wafer transfer chamber via a second door, the wafer transfer chamber communicates, via a gate valve, with the reaction chamber in which a CVD film is formed on the wafer, the plurality of robots includes a first robot provided with the wafer transfer chamber and a second robot provided with the factory interface, the vapor deposition device further includes a plurality of ring-shaped carriers each which support an outer edge of a wafer, the first robot deposits a before-treatment wafer transported into the load-lock chamber into the reaction chamber in a state where the before-treatment wafer is mounted on a carrier of the plurality of carriers and also withdraws an after-treatment wafer for which treatment in the reaction chamber has ended from the reaction chamber in a state where the after-treatment wafer is mounted on a carrier of the plurality of carriers and transports the wafer to the load-lock chamber, second robot extracts a before-treatment wafer from the wafer storage container and mounts the wafer on a carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by in the load-lock chamber, and also stores in the wafer storage container an after-treatment wafer mounted on the carrier of the plurality of carriers that has been transported to the load-lock chamber, the load-lock chamber is provided with a first holder that supports a carrier of the plurality of carriers at a topmost-level and a second holder that supports a carrier of the plurality of carriers under the first holder, the second robot mounts the before-treatment wafer extracted from the wafer storage container on the carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by at the first holder in the load-lock chamber, and the first robot transfers the carrier of the plurality of carriers supported by the second holder to the first holder when the first holder supports no carrier of the plurality of carriers upon the first robot mounting the before-treatment wafer extracted from the wafer storage container by the second robot on the carrier of the plurality of carriers standing by in the load-lock chamber.