Vacuum processing apparatus
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsShinji Wakabayashi, Sensho Kobayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In this vacuum processing apparatus, four process modules and four load-rock modules are arranged in clusters around a two-stage conveyance vacuum chamber. In the apparatus, the entirety of the second stage of the vacuum conveyance chamber is a third vacuum conveyance area and the third vacuum conveyance area extends from the second stage to the first stage through an aperture to enter between first and second vacuum conveyance areas. A third vacuum conveyance robot has: left and right-side conveyance units, which can move straight in the depth direction in the second stage of the third vacuum conveyance area; and left and right-side conveyance units, which can move straight in the vertical direction, i.e. can move up and down, in the aperture of the vacuum conveyance area.
Claims17
A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum conveyance chamber of which the interior is partitioned into an upper section and a lower section by a horizontal partition plate provided with an aperture at a central portion thereof;
- first and second vacuum conveyance areas formed in the lower section within the vacuum conveyance chamber to be separated from each other in a horizontal direction;
- a first set of process modules and a first set of load-lock modules arranged around the vacuum conveyance chamber adjacent to the first vacuum conveyance area;
- a second set of process modules arranged around the vacuum conveyance chamber adjacent to the second vacuum conveyance area;
- a first vacuum conveyance mechanism configured to access the first set of process modules and the first set of load-lock modules to give and take a substrate with each module of an access place and convey the substrate within the first vacuum conveyance area;
- a second vacuum conveyance mechanism configured to access the second set of process modules to give and take a substrate with each module of an access place and convey the substrate within the second vacuum conveyance area;
- a third vacuum conveyance area provided in the upper section within the vacuum conveyance chamber;
- a second set of load-lock modules provided adjacent to the upper section within the vacuum conveyance chamber and arranged on a floor higher than the first set of load-lock modules;
- and
- a third vacuum conveyance mechanism configured to access the second set of load-lock modules to give and take a substrate with each module of an access place and to give and take the substrate with the second vacuum conveyance mechanism at a first transfer position formed at the aperture of the central portion in the third vacuum conveyance area so as to convey the substrate in the third vacuum conveyance area,
- wherein the first vacuum conveyance mechanism includes a first pair of conveyance arms and each arm of the first pair of conveyance arms is configured to carry a substrate, so that the first pair of arms provide two substrate carrying locations and the second vacuum conveyance mechanism includes a second pair of conveyance arms and each arm of the second pair of conveyance arms is configured to carry a substrate so that the second pair of arms provide two substrate carrying locations, and
- the first and second pairs of conveyance arms are each configured to continuously carry-out a processed substrate and carry-in a non-processed substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.