# US 2008/0187413 A1 · Vacuum processing apparatus and method, and storage medium for executing the method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0187413 A1 - Document ID: US20080187413A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/025,326 - Filed: 2008-02-04 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-05 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Keisuke Kondoh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080187413A1 ## CPC - H10P 72/3306: {Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece} - H10P 72/50: for positioning, orientation or alignment - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A vacuum processing apparatus transfers a wafer between a first transfer arm and a second transfer arm via a rotary stage; acquires position data of a peripheral portion of the wafer by using a line sensor while rotating the rotary stage sustaining the wafer before a vacuum process thereon; calculates a center position and a direction of the wafer based on the position data; controls a rotation of the rotary stage to adjust the direction of the wafer based on the calculation result; and controls the second transfer arm such that the second transfer arm conveys the wafer to a wafer mounting member inside a vacuum processing chamber while allowing a center of the wafer to be aligned to a center of the mounting member based on the calculation result. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vacuum processing apparatus for performing a vacuum process on a wafer, which is a semiconductor substrate, in a vacuum processing chamber, the apparatus capable of transferring the wafer with respect to a preliminary vacuum chamber by a first transfer arm disposed under a normal pressure atmosphere and also capable of transferring the wafer between the preliminary vacuum chamber and the vacuum processing chamber by a second transfer arm disposed in a vacuum transfer chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber being switchable between a normal pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, wherein the preliminary processing apparatus includes: a temperature control plate for sustaining the wafer thereon while controlling a temperature thereof; and a rotary stage configured to be revolvable about a vertical axis while sustaining the wafer thereon and vertically movable between a raised position where the rotary stage maintains the wafer above the temperature control plate and a lowered position where the rotary stage is sunk inside the temperature control plate while allowing the wafer to be placed on the temperature control plate, the rotary stage allowing the wafer to be transferred with respect to the first and the second transfer arms, and wherein the vacuum processing apparatus comprises: a position data acquiring unit for acquiring position data of a peripheral portion of the wafer placed on the rotary stage; a first operation module for calculating a center position and a direction of the wafer based on the position data acquired by the position data acquiring unit; and a control module for controlling a rotation of the rotary stage to adjust the direction of the wafer based on the calculation result and for controlling the second transfer arm such that the second transfer arm conveys the wafer to a wafer mounting member inside the vacuum processing chamber while allowing a center of the wafer to be aligned to a center of the mounting member based on the calculation result. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature control plate is a cooing plate for cooling the vacuum-processed wafer placed thereon. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a detector for detecting a position of the peripheral portion of the wafer prior to the vacuum process while the wafer is being rotated by the rotary stage, and the position data are data which relate a position of the peripheral portion of the wafer to a rotational position of the wafer in a rotational direction. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a detector for detecting positions of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the vacuum-processed wafer placed on the temperature control plate, and the vacuum processing apparatus further comprises: a second operation module for calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data acquired by the position data acquiring unit; and a first transfer arm control module for controlling the first transfer arm based on the calculation result of the second operation module so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a detector for detecting positions of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the vacuum-processed wafer placed on the temperature control plate, and the vacuum processing apparatus further comprises: a second operation module for calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data acquired by the position data acquiring unit; and a first transfer arm control module for controlling the first transfer arm based on the calculation result of the second operation module so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a light emitting part disposed above or below the rotary stage and a light receiving part disposed below or above the temperature control plate and placed on an optical axis of the light emitting part, and the temperature control plate includes a light transmitting part for transmitting light from the light emitting part. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a light emitting part disposed above or below the rotary stage and a light receiving part disposed below or above the temperature control plate and placed on an optical axis of the light emitting part, and the temperature control plate includes a light transmitting part for transmitting light from the light emitting part. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the position data acquiring unit includes a light emitting part disposed above or below the rotary stage and a light receiving part disposed below or above the temperature control plate and placed on an optical axis of the light emitting part, and the temperature control plate includes a light transmitting part for transmitting light from the light emitting part. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotary stage includes a plurality of rod-shaped members extended from a center of rotation in a radial manner. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature control plate is a heating plate for preliminarily heating the wafer placed thereon prior to the vacuum process. ### Claim 11 A vacuum processing method for performing a vacuum process on a wafer, which is a semiconductor substrate, in a vacuum processing chamber, the apparatus capable of transferring the wafer with respect to a preliminary vacuum chamber by a first transfer arm disposed under a normal pressure atmosphere and also capable of transferring the wafer between the preliminary vacuum chamber and the vacuum processing chamber by a second transfer arm disposed in a vacuum transfer chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber being switchable between a normal pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, the method comprising: loading the wafer into the preliminary vacuum chamber by the first transfer arm and placing the wafer on a rotary stage disposed above a temperature control plate; acquiring position data of a peripheral portion of the wafer by means of a position data acquiring unit while the wafer is rotated by the rotary stage; calculating a direction of the wafer based on the position data of the peripheral portion of the wafer and controlling a rotation of the rotary stage to adjust the direction of the wafer; and calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data of the peripheral portion of the wafer and controlling the second transfer arm such that the second transfer arm conveys the wafer to a wafer mounting member inside the vacuum processing chamber while allowing a center of the wafer to be aligned to a center of the mounting member. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vacuum processing method of claim 11, wherein the step of acquiring the position data of the peripheral portion of the wafer is performed while the preliminary vacuum chamber is being depressurized. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vacuum processing method of claim 11, further comprising: loading the vacuum-processed wafer into the preliminary vacuum chamber by the second transfer arm and placing the wafer on the rotary stage disposed above the temperature control plate; and conveying the vacuum-processed wafer onto the temperature control plate by lowering the rotary stage and cooling the wafer placed on the temperature control plate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The vacuum processing method of claim 12, further comprising: loading the vacuum-processed wafer into the preliminary vacuum chamber by the second transfer arm and placing the wafer on the rotary stage disposed above the temperature control plate; and conveying the vacuum-processed wafer onto the temperature control plate by lowering the rotary stage and cooling the wafer placed on the temperature control plate. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The vacuum processing method of claim 11, further comprising: placing the vacuum-processed wafer on the temperature control plate and acquiring position data of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the wafer; and calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data and controlling the first transfer arm so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The vacuum processing method of claim 12, further comprising: placing the vacuum-processed wafer on the temperature control plate and acquiring position data of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the wafer; and calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data and controlling the first transfer arm so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The vacuum processing method of claim 13, further comprising: placing the vacuum-processed wafer on the temperature control plate and acquiring position data of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the wafer; and calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data and controlling the first transfer arm so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The vacuum processing method of claim 14, further comprising: placing the vacuum-processed wafer on the temperature control plate and acquiring position data of at least three locations on the peripheral portion of the wafer; and calculating a center position of the wafer based on the position data and controlling the first transfer arm so that the wafer is placed on a mounting position set on the first transfer arm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) A computer-readable storage medium for storing therein a computer-executable computer program to be used in a vacuum processing apparatus which performs a vacuum process on a wafer, which is a semiconductor substrate, in a vacuum processing chamber by transferring the wafer into the vacuum processing chamber via a preliminary vacuum chamber switchable between a normal pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, and a vacuum transfer chamber, wherein the computer program executes steps of the vacuum processing method disclosed in claim 11.