Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

A method of operating a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for which dry cleaning is effected therein after substrates to be processed are processed therein in vacuum, said method comprising the steps of:

• disposing first storage means for storing said substrates to be processed and second storage means for storing dummy substrates in the air atmosphere;
• transferring said substrates to be processed between said first storage means and said vacuum processing chambers, and vacuum-processing said substrates to be processed;
• transferring said dummy substrates from said second storage means to said vacuum processing chambers during or after the vacuum processing of said substrates to be processed in said first storage means, and effecting dry cleaning of vacuum processing chambers in the dummy substrates therein;
• and returning used dummy substrates to original storage positions in said second storage means.

A method of operating a vacuum processing apparatus having at least one vacuum processing chamber for which dry cleaning is effected therein after a substrate to be processed has been processed therein in vacuum, said method comprising the steps of:

• disposing first storage means for storing said substrate to be processed and second storage means for storing a dummy substrate in the air atmosphere;
• transferring said substrate to be processed between said first storage means and said at least one vacuum processing chamber, and vacuum-processing said substrate to be processed;
• and
• transferring said dump substrate between said second storage means and said at least one vacuum processing chamber before and after dry cleaning of said at least one vacuum processing chamber.

A method for cleaning a vacuum processing chamber by means of dry etching with a dummy wafer, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a cassette for storing said dummy wafer;
• transferring said dummy wafer from said cassette to said vacuum processing chamber after treating a wafer, for forming a product, in said vacuum processing chamber;
• forming a plasma, for dry cleaning, in said vacuum processing chamber with said dummy wafer therein;
• transferring said dummy wafer to said cassette in an air atmosphere, from said vacuum processing chamber, after said step of forming said plasma;
• counting a number of operations of said step of forming said plasma when having a same dummy wafer in the vacuum processing chamber;
• storing in a controller said number counted by said step of counting;
• and
• replacing said dummy wafer by a new dummy wafer when said number stored in said controller reaches a predetermined number in said controller.

A method for cleaning a vacuum processing chamber by means of a dry etching with a dummy wafer, said method comprising steps of:

• disposing, in an air atmosphere, a cassette storing said dummy wafer;
• transferring said dummy wafer from said cassette in the air atmosphere to said vacuum processing chamber after treating a wafer, for forming a product, in said vacuum processing chamber;
• forming a plasma, for dry cleaning, in said vacuum processing chamber, with said dummy wafer therein;
• and
• transferring said dummy wafer to said cassette from said vacuum processing chamber after said step of forming said plasma.