Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a first loader provided with a first conveying structure for conveying substrates,
• a second loader;
• and
• a lock chamber, having a first loader side for said first loader and a second loader side for said second loader, and having a gate valve for said first loader side and another gate valve for said second loader side,
• wherein said second loader has
• (1) a transfer chamber connected to the said lock chamber via the another gate valve,
• (2) a second conveying structure, and
• (3) plural vacuum processing chambers,
• wherein said lock chamber and at least one of said plural vacuum processing chambers are located such that a substrate to be processed is carried in and carried out between said lock chamber and said at least one of the plural vacuum processing chambers via said transfer chamber in a state where a surface of said substrate which is processed is horizontal, and said plural vacuum processing chambers treat said substrate with said surface being horizontal.

Apparatus for a carrying out a method including the steps of:

• (i) placing a cassette containing wafers to be processed at a cassette table, such that surfaces of the wafers to be processed are horizontal;
• (ii) loading said wafers sequentially in order from said cassette by means of a first conveying structure, a load lock chamber, and a second conveying structure in a transfer chamber under vacuum, into a plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to said transfer chamber;
• (iii) processing said wafers under vacuum in said vacuum processing chambers;
• and
• (iv) unloading vacuum processed wafers from said vacuum processing chambers into said cassette at said cassette table, by means of the second conveying structure in said transfer chamber under vacuum, an unload lock chamber and said first conveying structure in the atmosphere, said apparatus comprising:
• the cassette table, for disposing cassettes containing wafers to be processed, said cassettes being disposed in a row in front of said load and unload lock chambers;
• the transfer chamber which in use is held under vacuum;
• the plurality of vacuum processing chambers connected to said transfer chamber;
• said load and unload lock chambers in which wafers are transferred from the atmosphere to vacuum and from vacuum to the atmosphere;
• the first conveying structure, adapted to load wafers sequentially from the cassette at said cassette table into said load lock chamber and to unload processed wafers from said unload lock chamber into said cassette at said cassette table;
• and
• the second conveying structure, maintained in said transfer chamber under vacuum, for transferring said wafers between said load lock and unload lock chambers and said vacuum processing chambers,
• wherein the transfer chamber is provided with an arm extendable into the load and unload lock chambers and into the plural vacuum processing chambers to support a wafer such that a surface of the wafer to be processed is horizontal, and
• wherein said first and second conveying structures load and unload wafers between the cassettes and the plural vacuum processing chambers.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a loader;
• a vacuum loader;
• and
• a lock chamber for connecting said loader and said vacuum loader, wherein:
• said loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,
• said loader has a conveyor structure transferring substrates to be processed and which have been processed,
• said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane and on which all cassettes, horizontally containing substrates to be processed, are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chamber, and
• said lock chamber is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a first loader provided with a first conveying structure for conveying substrates;
• a second loader provided with a convey chamber, a second conveying structure and plural vacuum processing chambers;
• and
• a lock chamber for connecting said first and second loaders, wherein:
• said first loader has a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,
• said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane in which all cassettes, containing substrates to be processed, are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chamber,
• the lock chamber is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line, and
• each of said plural vacuum processing chambers has a substrate table to maintain a surface of the substrate, which is being processed, horizontal during a vacuum processing.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a first loader, provided with a first conveying structure to be operated in an atmosphere different from an atmosphere in plural vacuum processing chambers;
• and
• a second loader to be operated in the atmosphere in the plural vacuum processing chambers, provided with a second conveying structure and the plural vacuum processing chambers;
• and
• double lock chambers for connecting said first loader and said second loader, wherein:
• said first loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chambers,
• said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane in which all cassettes, containing substrates to be processed, are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chamber,
• wherein said first and second conveying structures load a substrate from the cassette into the plural vacuum processing chambers, and said plural vacuum processing chambers treat said substrates, with surfaces of the substrates which are being treated being horizontal, and
• said first and second conveying structures load from the cassettes into said plural vacuum processing chambers.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a first loader provided with a conveying structure;
• a second loader to be operated in a vacuum and having plural processing chambers;
• and
• a lock chamber for connecting said first loader and said second loader,
• wherein said first loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,
• said conveying structure in said first loader transfers substrates to be processed and which have been processed,
• said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane in which all cassettes, horizontally containing substrates to be processed, are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chamber, and
• said lock chamber is provided with gate valves respectively at both an inlet and an outlet, which are located in a horizontal line.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a first loader provided with a first conveying structure for conveying substrates,
• a second loader provided with a convey chamber, a second conveying structure and plural vacuum processing chambers;
• and
• lock chambers for connecting said first loader and said second loader, wherein:
• said first loader includes a cassette mount unit located outside of said lock chamber,
• said second loader transfers substrates to be processed and which have been processed in a substantially horizontal plane,
• said cassette mount unit has a cassette positioning plane which is a substantially horizontal plane in which all cassettes, containing substrates to be processed, are positioned in a row in front of a front wall of said lock chambers,
• each of said lock chambers is provided with both an inlet and an outlet located in a horizontal line,
• said lock chambers are so disposed as to face to cassette tables of said cassette mount unit, such that said first conveying structure is disposed between said cassette tables and said lock chambers, and
• the substrate is loaded from a cassette into said plural vacuum processing chambers by the first and second conveying structures, and a surface of the substrate which is treated in said plural vacuum processing chambers is horizontal in said plural vacuum processing chambers.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing substrates;
• a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;
• cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;
• an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables;
• and
• control means (a) for transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers via said atmospheric transfer device and said vacuum transferring chamber, and (b) for transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber and said atmospheric transfer device.

A method for vacuum processing substrates in a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing said substrates, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;
• cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;
• an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables;
• and
• a control means, wherein said method comprises steps of:
• transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables, in the atmosphere, to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device and said vacuum transferring chamber;
• and
• transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber and said atmospheric transfer device.

A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing a substrate;
• a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;
• cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;
• an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables;
• and
• control means (a) for transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device, a chamber for loading non-processed substrates from the atmosphere into said vacuum atmosphere, and said vacuum transferring chamber, and (b) for transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber, a chamber for unloading said processed substrates from said vacuum atmosphere into the atmosphere, and said atmospheric transfer device.

A method for vacuum processing substrates in a vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing said substrates, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• a vacuum transferring chamber for transferring said substrates in a vacuum;
• cassette mount tables for mounting cassettes storing a plurality of non-processed substrates or processed substrates in an atmosphere;
• an atmospheric transfer device for transferring said substrates in an atmosphere, being capable of moving at least vertically and being controlled such that at least one of said non-processed substrates can be taken out of any location in said plurality of cassettes mounted on said cassette mount tables;
• and
• a control means, wherein said method comprises steps of:
• transferring non-processed substrates from any location in one of the cassettes mounted on the cassette mount tables in the atmosphere to at least one of the vacuum processing chambers, via said atmospheric transfer device, a chamber for loading non-processed substrates from the atmosphere into said vacuum atmosphere, and said vacuum transferring chamber;
• and
• transferring processed substrates in said vacuum processing chambers to original locations of original cassettes, in which the substrates are respectively stored prior to processing, via said vacuum transferring chamber, a chamber for unloading said processed substrates from said vacuum atmosphere into the atmosphere, and said atmospheric transfer device.