Vacuum processing method and vacuum processing apparatus

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• a buffer chamber inside of which a pressure is reduced and a wafer is transferred;
• a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the buffer chamber, inside each of the plural processing chambers the wafer is transferred to and processed therein;
• a vacuum robot disposed in the buffer chamber transferring the wafer located thereon to the one of the plural processing chambers through a combination of a rotation movement and an arm's expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot, consequently performed;
• a plurality of θ axis sensors which detects an interception of the wafer during the rotation of the vacuum robot;
• a plurality of R axis sensor which detects an interception of the wafer during the expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot;
• and
• a control unit, which controls movement of the vacuum robot, for transferring the wafer according to a distance of the wafer with respect to the vacuum robot which is detected while the wafer is located on the vacuum robot based on both of an output from a θ axis sensor and an R axis sensor;
• wherein;
• a distance K from the center of the vacuum robot to the center of the wafer on the vacuum robot expanded inside the processing chamber is detected based on the outputs from both the θ axis sensor and R axis sensor and a correction quantity Sθ in the rotational direction and a correction quantity SR in the advancing direction of the wafer position with respect to the vacuum robot is detected;
• and
• an operation of the transferring the wafer is changed if the correction quantity Sθ in the rotational direction or the correction quantity SR in the advancing direction exceeds a predetermined value.

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• a buffer chamber having a inside of which a pressure is reduced and a wafer is transferred;
• a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the buffer chamber, inside each of the plural processing chambers the wafer is transferred to and processed therein;
• a vacuum robot, disposed in the buffer chamber transferring the wafer located thereon to the one of the plural processing chambers through a combination of a rotation movement, and an arm's expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot consequently performed;
• a plurality of θ axis sensors which detects an interception of the wafer during the rotation of the vacuum robot;
• a plurality of R axis sensors which detects an interception of the wafer during the expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot;
• and
• a control unit which controls the movement, of the vacuum robot, transferring the wafer according to a distance of the wafer with respect to the vacuum robot, which is detected while the wafer is located on the vacuum robot based on both of an output from a θ axis sensor and an R axis sensor, the control unit changing an operation of the transferring the wafer by the vacuum robot when the distance data exceeds a predetermined value.

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:

• a buffer chamber having a vacuum robot disposed therein;
• a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the buffer chamber, inside each of the plural processing chambers the wafer is transferred to and processed therein;
• a plurality of load lock chambers coupled to the buffer chamber;
• an atmospheric transfer chamber coupled to the load lock chambers and having an atmospheric robot;
• a plurality of cassette mounting platforms connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber;
• a vacuum robot disposed in the buffer chamber transferring the wafer located thereon to the one of the plural processing chambers through a combination of a rotation movement and an arm's expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot consequently performed;
• wherein the vacuum robot receives a wafer disposed in the load lock chamber or the processing chamber and transfers the wafer to another load lock chamber or processing chamber via rotational movement and expansion/contraction movement;
• the apparatus further comprising a plurality of θ axis sensor which detects an interception of the wafer during the rotation of the vacuum robot and a plurality of R axis sensor which detects an interception of the wafer during the expansion or contraction of the vacuum robot;
• a control unit which controls the movement of the vacuum robot transferring the wafer according to a distance of the wafer with respect to the vacuum robot based on both of an output from θ axis sensor and an R sensor, the control unit changing an operation of the transferring the wafer by the vacuum robot or determining that a displacement error has occurred to stop transferring the wafer when the distance data exceeds a predetermined value.