JP2010272743A - Substrate transport apparatus and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An orientation mark of a semiconductor substrate can be adjusted in a transfer chamber without using a new drive system or a dedicated processing chamber.
A semiconductor substrate is moved from a hand portion of a transfer arm to a transfer chamber provided with a transfer arm that can be extended, contracted, rotated, and moved up and down, and the transfer arm is raised. Thus, a substrate support member 10 is provided on which the transferred semiconductor substrate 2 is transferred back to the hand portion 9c. Then, with the transport arm 9 lowered and the semiconductor substrate 2 being moved and placed on the substrate support member 10, the transport arm 9 is rotated until the orientation of the hand portion 9c becomes a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark. After that, the transport arm 9 is raised, and the semiconductor substrate 2 can be transferred back from the substrate support member 10 to the hand portion 9c.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus suitable for transporting a semiconductor substrate (for example, a silicon wafer) provided with an orientation flat or an orientation notch (both are collectively referred to as “orientation marks” in this specification). In addition, the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus in which the substrate is sequentially transferred to a plurality of film forming apparatuses by using the substrate transfer apparatus so that film forming processing can be continuously performed.

  For example, in the manufacture of MRAM (Magnetic Resistive Random Access Memory) or the like, it is desired to efficiently form a multilayer film on a single semiconductor substrate. It is difficult to efficiently form a multilayer film in one deposition chamber, and usually a substrate in which a semiconductor substrate is sequentially transferred to a plurality of deposition chambers via a transfer chamber having a transfer arm to form a multilayer film. A processing device is used. Recently, the number of film forming chambers provided in one substrate processing apparatus has increased, and a plurality of transfer chambers are often used.

  In a substrate processing apparatus provided with a plurality of film forming chambers, it is necessary to transport the semiconductor substrate to each film forming chamber with the orientation mark directed in a predetermined correct direction. However, since the loading direction to the transfer chamber is usually different from the unloading direction, if the semiconductor substrate placed on the transfer arm and loaded into the transfer chamber is transferred directly to the next film formation chamber, In some film deposition chambers, the orientation mark may not point in the correct direction. In addition, the horizontal position of the semiconductor substrate may shift as the processing is repeated. For this reason, the orientation and horizontal position of the semiconductor substrate are adjusted during the conveyance.

  Conventionally, an apparatus has been known in which the orientation flat orientation of a semiconductor substrate can be detected by using a pre-alignment driving means and a sensor provided on a support base of a transfer arm, and the orientation of the semiconductor substrate can be adjusted in the transfer chamber. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). This apparatus is a sensor provided on a support base by a semiconductor arm moved above a pre-alignment drive means having an adsorption means at the upper part by a transfer arm, and the pre-alignment drive means is raised and sucked and rotated by the suction means. Thus, the orientation of the semiconductor substrate can be determined by detecting the position of the orientation flat.

  It is also known that the horizontal position of a semiconductor substrate is adjusted in an alignment chamber having a mounting table equipped with a position adjustment drive mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-9-115991 JP 2000-9434 A

  However, in the case of the apparatus of Patent Document 1, in addition to the transfer system of the transfer arm, a drive system dedicated for adjusting the direction for moving the pre-alignment drive means up and down is necessary, and the substrate transfer apparatus itself and the substrate processing apparatus using the same are required. There is a problem that the drive system becomes complicated.

  Further, in the case of the apparatus of Patent Document 2, a drive system dedicated to position adjustment is required, and not only the drive system of the substrate processing apparatus using the system becomes complicated, but also by providing a dedicated processing chamber called an alignment chamber. There exists a problem which a processing apparatus will enlarge. Further, since it takes time to put the semiconductor substrate into and out of the alignment chamber, it becomes extremely difficult to satisfy the high throughput requirement.

  On the other hand, recent transfer arms must be capable of horizontal expansion / contraction, vertical lift, and horizontal rotation in order to meet the requirements for high-throughput transport of semiconductor substrates to a large number of film forming chambers. ing.

  The first object of the present invention is to make it possible to adjust the orientation of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate without using a new drive system or a dedicated processing chamber, paying attention to the function of the transfer arm. To do. A second object of the present invention is to make it possible to adjust the horizontal position of the semiconductor substrate as well as the orientation of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate. Furthermore, a third object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that satisfies the high throughput requirement without complicating the drive system.

For the first purpose of the present invention, for the first purpose, a transfer arm which is provided in a transfer chamber so as to be extendable, rotatable, and movable up and down, and which mounts and transfers a semiconductor substrate on a hand part at the tip,
Positioned below the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at the raised position, the semiconductor substrate is moved from the hand portion by lowering the transfer arm, and again By raising the transfer arm, the semiconductor substrate transferred from the hand unit is transferred back onto the hand unit, and a substrate support member,
The transfer arm in which the orientation of the orientation mark is known is placed on the hand unit, and the center of the semiconductor substrate placed in the correct position on the hand unit is on the extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm. The hand arm is contracted at the raised position so that the hand part moves to the position, the transport arm is lowered, the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the substrate support member, and the transport arm lowered to the lowered position in the contracted state is moved. Control for performing drive control of rotating the hand unit up to a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark and then raising the transfer arm and moving it back from the substrate support member onto the hand unit The present invention provides a substrate transport apparatus characterized by having a section.

The second aspect of the present invention is also provided with a transfer arm that can be extended, contracted, rotated, and moved up and down in the transfer chamber for the first purpose, and carries a semiconductor substrate placed on the hand part at the tip,
Detecting means for detecting a direction of an orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate placed on a hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at an elevated position;
Positioned below the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at the raised position, the semiconductor substrate is moved from the hand portion by lowering the transfer arm, and again By raising the transfer arm, the semiconductor substrate transferred from the hand unit is transferred back onto the hand unit, and a substrate support member,
The transfer arm having the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion is placed at a position where the center of the semiconductor substrate placed at a correct position on the hand portion is on an extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm. The semiconductor substrate is shrunk at the raised position so that it moves, and the direction of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm is detected by the detecting means, and then the transfer arm is lowered to move the semiconductor substrate Is moved onto the substrate support member, and the transport arm lowered to the lowered position in the contracted state is rotated until the orientation of the hand portion becomes a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark detected by the detection means. And a control unit that performs drive control to raise the transfer arm and move it back from the substrate support member onto the hand unit. There is provided a substrate transfer device that.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, the control unit also performs drive control to rotate the transport arm that has been lowered to the lowered position in a contracted state, while the semiconductor substrate is rotated by the rotation of the transport arm. It is preferable that the direction of the orientation mark can be detected by detecting the outer peripheral edge.

Also, a third aspect of the present invention is the above second aspect of the present invention, for the second purpose.
The transfer arm has a first arm that can be driven to rotate in the horizontal direction, a second arm that is connected to the tip of the first arm so that it can be tilted in the horizontal direction, and a horizontal direction at the tip of the second arm. And a hand portion connected to be tiltably driven,
The detecting means detects a direction of the orientation mark and detects a horizontal shift between a center of the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion and an extension line of a rotation center of the transfer arm. It can also detect misalignment,
Drive that moves the hand portion of the transfer arm in the lowered position in a direction to correct the positional deviation of the semiconductor substrate after the detection unit detects the orientation mark direction and the positional deviation of the substrate by the detecting means. The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that also performs control.

  Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is that a plurality of film forming chambers each for forming a film on a substrate are connected to a transfer chamber provided with any one of the first to third substrate transfer apparatuses of the present invention. A featured substrate processing apparatus is provided.

  According to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the transfer arm is rotated with respect to the direction of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate by rotating the transfer arm in a state where the semiconductor substrate carried into the transfer chamber is temporarily placed on the substrate support member. Can be adjusted freely. And by this adjustment, since the orientation of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate unloaded from the transfer chamber can be adjusted, the semiconductor substrate can be unloaded with the orientation mark directed in a predetermined fixed direction.

  The substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is intended for the case where the orientation marks of the semiconductor substrate carried into the transfer chamber are aligned in a certain direction. That is, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the orientation of the hand portion with respect to the orientation mark is adjusted based on the known orientation mark direction by the rotation of the transfer arm. According to the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the adjustment of the orientation is performed only by providing the substrate support member at a position where it does not interfere with expansion / contraction, raising / lowering, and rotation of the transfer arm. It can be performed using the functions that it has. Therefore, it is possible to prevent complication of the drive system due to the installation of a new drive system, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the size of the substrate processing apparatus by using this substrate transport apparatus, thereby realizing high throughput.

  According to the substrate transfer apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the same benefits as the substrate transfer apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained, and any orientation mark within a range detectable by the detection means can be used. Can correct this. And according to the preferable aspect, even if the orientation mark is misaligned in any direction of 360 °, this can be detected and corrected.

  According to the substrate transfer device of the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same benefits as the substrate transfer device of the second aspect of the present invention, not only adjustment based on the orientation mark direction of the semiconductor substrate, but also the semiconductor The horizontal position of the substrate can also be adjusted.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost and to make a small and simple structure that can be easily maintained and to form a multilayer film with high throughput.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a transfer chamber provided with a substrate transfer apparatus according to an example of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view showing a state in which the upper portion of the transfer chamber is removed immediately after the transfer arm is contracted and a substrate is loaded; FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an upper surface of a transfer chamber. FIGS. 2A and 2B are enlarged side views of the transfer chamber of FIG. 1 taken along the line A-A, in which FIG. 1A is a view where the transfer arm is in the raised position, and FIG. It is a top view of the state which removed the upper part of the conveyance chamber in which the conveyance arm has extended in order to carry in a semiconductor substrate. It is a top view of the state which removed the upper part of the conveyance chamber of the state which rotated the conveyance arm so that direction of a hand part may turn into a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the detected orientation mark. It is a top view of the state which removed the upper part of the conveyance chamber of the state which rotated the conveyance arm so that direction of a hand part may turn to a carrying-out direction. It is a top view of the state which removed the upper part of the conveyance chamber in which the conveyance arm has extended in order to carry out a semiconductor substrate. It is a plane schematic diagram which shows an example of the substrate processing apparatus using the conveyance chamber provided with the substrate conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the substrate holder part in a film-forming chamber. It is explanatory drawing of the operation state around the substrate holder in a film-forming chamber.

  In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer chamber, and the inside can be exhausted by an exhaust means (not shown) such as a turbo molecular pump. The transfer chamber 1 of this example has a planar rectangular shape, and has openings 3a to 3d for transfer for taking in and out the semiconductor substrate 2 on each side part. An inspection opening 5 that is airtightly closed with a removable cover 4 is formed on the upper surface of the transfer chamber 1. The lid member 4 is provided with a window portion 6 sealed with a transparent material, and a detection means 7 capable of detecting the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate 2 is provided on the window portion 6. The detection means 7 will be described later. Further, the upper part of the arm driving mechanism 8 is connected to the central part of the bottom surface of the transfer chamber 1 so as to penetrate therethrough.

  The substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention includes a transfer arm 9 and a substrate support member 10 provided in the transfer chamber 1.

  The transfer arm 9 includes a first arm 9a, a second arm 9b, and a hand portion 9c, and the semiconductor substrate 2 is placed on the placement pins 9d protruding from four locations on the hand portion 9c and transferred. ing. The first arm 9a is supported by the arm drive mechanism 8, the second arm is connected to the tip of the first arm 9a so as to be tiltable in the horizontal direction, and the hand portion 9c is connected to the tip of the second arm 9b. It is connected to be able to tilt in the horizontal direction. The first arm 9 a can be driven to rotate in the horizontal direction and vertically driven by the arm driving mechanism 8, whereby the entire transfer arm 9 can be rotationally driven and driven up and down. The second arm 9b and the hand portion 9c can be driven to tilt in the horizontal direction by the arm drive mechanism 8, respectively. The tilting drive enables the transfer arm 9 to be expanded and contracted, and allows the hand portion 9c to move in a two-dimensional direction.

  The substrate support member 10 is screwed at the four corners of the upper surface in the transfer chamber 1 and extends from the lower end of the support pillar 11 suspended in the transfer chamber 1 toward the central portion in the transfer chamber 1. It consists of Between the front-end | tip parts of each board | substrate support member 10, the space | interval which can raise / lower the hand part 9c is opened. Further, the distance between the tip portions of the substrate support members 10 is narrower than the diameter of the semiconductor substrate 2, and the peripheral portion of the semiconductor substrate 2 is placed on the tip portions of the substrate support members 10. 2 can be placed.

  The driving of the transfer arm 9 and the detection by the detecting means 7 are controlled by a control unit (not shown) such as a computer, for example. The substrate transfer according to the present invention will be described below together with the drive control by the control unit. The apparatus will be further described.

  In the state shown in FIG. 3, the transfer arm 9 extends to extend from the transfer opening 3a to the preceding film formation chamber, and the semiconductor substrate 2 to be transferred into the transfer nitrogen 1 is placed on the hand unit 9c. It is in the state. Four placement pins 9d protrude from the upper surface of the hand portion 9c, and the semiconductor substrate 2 is placed on the placement pins 9d. At this time, the transfer arm 9 is in the raised position.

  From the above state, the state in which the transfer arm 9 is contracted so that the hand portion 9c is linearly drawn into the transfer chamber 1 without changing the direction and the semiconductor substrate 2 is transferred into the transfer chamber 1 is shown in FIGS. This is the state shown in 2 (a). The contraction of the transfer arm 9 is performed so that the hand unit 9c moves to a position where the center of the semiconductor substrate 2 placed at the correct position on the hand unit 9c is on the extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm 9. When the transfer arm 9 is contracted as described above, the position of the semiconductor substrate 2 placed on the placement pin 9d of the hand portion 9c is determined by the substrate support member 10 as shown in FIG. The hand portion 9 c, the second arm 9 b, and the first arm 9 a are at a lower position than the substrate support member 10. The position of each mounting pin 9d is adjusted so that the rotation trajectory of each mounting pin 9d is inside the tip of each substrate support member 10 when the transport arm 9 is rotationally driven in the contracted state as described above. ing. Further, the center of rotation of the transfer arm 9 is set substantially at the center of the transfer chamber 1, and the transfer chamber 1 is sized to allow the transfer arm 9 to rotate in the contracted state.

  As described above, the transport arm 9 contracted at the raised position is rotationally driven by at least 360 °, the outer peripheral edge of the rotating semiconductor substrate 2 is detected by the detecting means 7, and the orientation mark of the orientation mark is detected based on the position information of the outer peripheral edge. The direction and the positional deviation of the semiconductor substrate 2 are detected. The positional shift of the semiconductor substrate 2 is a horizontal shift (shift amount and its direction) between the center of the semiconductor substrate 2 on the hand portion 9c and the extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm 9. As the detecting means 7, for example, a laser displacement meter can be used. The detection means 7 is provided at a position where the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate 2 on the hand portion 9c of the transport arm 9 contracted at the raised position can be detected.

  After the semiconductor substrate 2 is rotated once or a plurality of times as described above, the orientation of the orientation mark and the positional deviation of the semiconductor substrate 2 are detected, and then the transfer arm 9 returned to the same direction as before the rotation is moved to the lowered position. To lower. The planar state after the lowering is the same state as shown in FIG. 1 when in the raised position, and the side surface state is the state shown in FIG.

  The transport arm 9 is lowered until the tip of the mounting pin 9d of the hand portion 9c moves to a position lower than the substrate support member 10. In the middle of the lowering, the peripheral edge portion of the semiconductor substrate 2 placed on the placement pin 9d of the hand portion 9c comes into contact with the tip end portion of the substrate support member 10, and the transport arm 9 is further lowered, whereby the semiconductor substrate 2 Is transferred onto the substrate support member 10. Then, with the transfer arm 9 lowered to the lowered position and the semiconductor substrate 2 being moved and placed on the substrate support member 10, the direction of the hand portion 9c is a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark detected previously. The transfer arm 9 is rotated until it reaches the state shown in FIG. By this rotation, the relationship between the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate 2 placed on the substrate support member 10 and the orientation of the hand portion 9c is adjusted to a predetermined relationship set in advance. Further, based on the positional deviation information of the semiconductor substrate 2 detected previously, the rotation driving of the transport arm 9 and the tilting driving of the second arm 9b and the hand portion 9c are combined to be placed on the substrate placement member 10. Position correction is performed to correct the positional deviation between the semiconductor substrate 2 and the hand portion 9c. Note that FIG. 4 assumes a case where the orientation mark is extremely deviated in order to easily display the orientation adjustment.

  After adjusting the direction and position, the transport arm 9 is raised again to the raised position in the same state. By this rise, the semiconductor substrate 2 placed on the substrate placement member 10 is moved back onto the placement pins 9d of the hand portion 9c. The transferred semiconductor substrate 2 is placed at the correct position on the hand portion 9c with the orientation mark directed in the correct direction.

  As described above, the semiconductor arm 2 is again placed on the mounting pin 9d of the hand portion 9c, and the transport arm 9 that has been raised to the raised position is rotationally driven to a position where the hand portion 9c is correctly oriented in the carry-out direction, Assume the state shown in FIG. In this example, the semiconductor substrate 2 is unloaded from the transfer opening 3b shifted by 90 ° from the unloading opening 3a into which the semiconductor substrate 2 is loaded, and the hand portion 9c is directed in a direction perpendicular to the transfer opening 3b. It has been. Then, from the state of FIG. 5, the transfer arm 9 is extended so as to move linearly out of the transfer opening 3b without changing the direction of the hand portion 9c, so that the state shown in FIG. Thus, the semiconductor substrate 2 can be carried out from the transfer chamber 1 to the next-stage film formation chamber.

  Next, another aspect of the present invention will be described.

  For example, when the semiconductor substrate 2 is transported from the previous film formation chamber to the next film formation chamber, the direction of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate 2 in the previous film formation chamber is known. In the case where there is no fear that the orientation mark and the horizontal position of the semiconductor substrate 2 are greatly displaced, the detection means 7 is omitted, and the detection arm 7 is rotated by the detection means 7 for detecting the direction of the orientation mark. Can be omitted. The structure can be simplified as a substrate transfer device that adjusts the orientation of the hand portion 9c based on the direction of a known orientation mark.

  For example, it is assumed that the semiconductor substrate 2 needs to be carried out from the transfer opening 3b with the orientation mark facing the back of the hand portion 9c. In addition, when the semiconductor substrate 2 is carried into the transfer chamber 1, it is assumed that the semiconductor substrate 2 is always placed at a substantially correct position with the orientation mark facing the left side from the rear to the front of the hand portion 9c. In this case, the transfer arm 9 on which the semiconductor substrate 2 to be loaded is placed on the hand portion 9c is contracted to the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, and then the transfer arm 9 is lowered to the lowered position. Is transferred to the substrate support member 10 and then rotated to the position shown in FIG. Then, the semiconductor substrate 2 is placed again on the hand portion 9c with the orientation mark facing the rear of the hand portion 9c simply by raising the transfer arm 9 to the raised position again and moving the semiconductor substrate 2 back onto the hand portion 9c. be able to. In this case, since the detection means 7 is unnecessary, the apparatus configuration can be made simpler and less expensive. Further, since it is not necessary to rotate the transfer arm 9 at the time of detection by the detection means 7, higher throughput processing is possible.

  As described above, when the position and orientation of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate 2 carried into the transfer chamber 1 are substantially constant, the detection means 7 that can detect the presence and orientation of the orientation mark that has moved into a predetermined region is used. The accuracy of the orientation adjustment can also be improved. For example, a CCD camera is used as the detecting means 7 so that the direction of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate 2 carried in can be recognized. In this way, if the orientation mark moves within a range where the image can be recognized, it is possible to detect a deviation in the direction of the orientation mark. Then, after detecting the direction of the orientation mark by the detecting means 7, if the deviation of the detected direction is corrected by rotational driving of the transport arm 9, the transport can be performed while maintaining the direction of the orientation mark accurately in the correct direction. . In addition, when a CCD camera is used as the detection means 7, the detection accuracy can be improved by using not only one but also a plurality.

  As described above, when the direction of the orientation mark or the like while rotating the transfer arm 9 is not detected, when the transfer arm 9 is in the raised position, the hand portion 9c is at a position equal to or higher than the substrate support member 10 Can be located. In this case, the placement pin 9d can be omitted, and the semiconductor substrate 2 can be placed directly on the hand portion 9c.

  For example, even when using detection means 7 such as a CCD camera that can detect the presence and orientation of an orientation mark in a predetermined area, it is preferable to perform detection while rotating the transport arm 9 one or more times. In this way, the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate 2 can be detected by 360 ° with the detection means 7, and it can be reliably detected regardless of the direction of the orientation mark. Further, by obtaining the positional information of the periphery of the semiconductor substrate 2 over 360 ° by the detection means 7, it is possible to accurately detect the positional deviation of the semiconductor substrate 2 in the horizontal direction.

  The transfer chamber 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 has a planar quadrangle, but may be a triangle or a polygon that is a pentagon or more. In addition, the transfer chamber 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 is provided with transfer openings 3a to 3d on all side surfaces constituting each side of the plane quadrangle. However, it is sufficient that the transfer openings 3a, 3b,... Are provided in at least two side portions even when the transfer chamber 1 has any planar shape.

  The substrate support member 10 can also be used as a temporary storage place for the emergency evacuated semiconductor substrate 2.

  Next, an example of a substrate processing apparatus provided with the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

  In FIG. 7, reference numerals 1A to 1C denote transfer chambers equipped with the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present invention. The transfer chambers 1A and 1B have the four transfer openings 3a to 3d described in FIGS. 1 to 6, and the transfer chamber 1C has only the two transfer openings 3a and 3d. ing. Reference numerals 12A to 12D denote film forming chambers in which the semiconductor substrate 2 (see FIGS. 1 to 6) is transferred through the transfer chambers 1A to 1C. The transfer openings 3b and 3c of the transfer chamber 1A, the transfer openings 3a to 3d of the transfer chamber 1B, and the transfer openings 3a and 3d of the transfer chamber 1C are respectively adjacent to the film forming chambers 12A to 12D and the gate. Connected through a valve. The transfer openings 3a and 3d of the transfer chamber 1A are connected to the LL chamber and the like via gate valves, respectively.

  The semiconductor substrate 2 is transported in the order of arrows 13a to 13j. That is, first, as indicated by an arrow 13a, the semiconductor substrate 2 carried into the transfer chamber 1A from the LL chamber or the like by the transfer device provided in the transfer chamber 1A is formed into a film formation chamber as indicated by an arrow 13b. It is carried out to 12A. The semiconductor substrate 2 processed in the film forming chamber 12A is transferred to the film forming chamber 12B via the transfer chamber 1A by the transfer device provided in the transfer chamber 1B, as indicated by arrows 13c and 13d. The semiconductor substrate 2 processed in the film forming chamber 12B is transferred to the film forming chamber 12C via the transfer chamber 1C by the transfer device provided in the transfer chamber 1C as indicated by arrows 13e and 13f. After the processing there, as shown by arrows 13g and 13h, it is transferred again to the film forming chamber 12D via the transfer chamber 1B, and after further processing, the transfer chamber 1A is moved as shown by arrows 13i and 13j. Through the LL chamber.

  The delivery of the semiconductor substrate 2 in each of the film forming chambers 12A to 12D is performed by providing each film forming chamber 12A to 12D with a holder 15 having lifting pins 14 as shown in FIG. Can be done in a simple procedure.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the transfer arm 9 described in FIGS. 1 to 6 is extended to the holder 15 at the raised position with the lifting pins 14 raised and protruding onto the holder 15. The hand portion 9c is positioned above the elevating pins 14. In the state shown in FIG. 9B, the semiconductor substrate 2 placed on the placement pin 9d of the hand portion 9c is located directly above the holder 15, and the direction of the orientation mark is also determined. Is consistent with The alignment of the orientation mark is performed in the transfer chambers 1A to 1C before being transferred onto the holder 15, as described above. Next, the transfer arm 9 is lowered to the lowered position, and the position of the hand portion 9c is lowered to place the semiconductor substrate 2 on the raising / lowering pins 14, as shown in FIG. 9C. After that, the transfer arm 9 is contracted and pulled into the transfer chambers 1A to 1C to obtain the state shown in FIG. 9D, and the lift pins 14 are lowered to hold the semiconductor substrate 2 in the correct position and direction. 15 can be installed. The semiconductor substrate 2 can be carried into the transfer chambers 1A to 1C from above the holder 15 in the reverse procedure. First, the lift pins 14 are raised from the state of FIG. 9E to the state of FIG. 9D, the transfer arm 9 in the lowered position is extended, and the hand portion 9c is moved to the lower side of the semiconductor substrate 2. Thus, the state shown in FIG. Thereafter, the transfer arm 9 is raised to the raised position, the semiconductor substrate 2 is placed on the hand portion 9c as shown in FIG. 9B, and the transfer arm 9 is contracted, thereby transferring the transfer chambers 1A to 1C. Can be carried in.

  The transfer apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 is, so to speak, provided in the transfer chamber 1B in the center of the substrate processing apparatus, and the contents described as the operation status thereof are to the transfer chamber 1B indicated by arrows 13c and 13d. It corresponds to the content from the loading to unloading of The transfer devices provided in the transfer chambers 1A and 1C also perform the same operation when the semiconductor substrate 2 is transferred. With such a substrate processing apparatus, even when a large number of film forming chambers 12A, 12B,... Are connected, the semiconductor substrate 2 is formed with each orientation mark in a predetermined direction while realizing high throughput. It can be conveyed to the chambers 12A, 12B,. Further, even if a deviation occurs in the direction of the orientation mark or the horizontal position of the semiconductor substrate, it can be transported while correcting the deviation.

  1, 1A, 1B, 1C: transfer chamber, 2: semiconductor substrate, 3a to 3d: transfer opening, 4: cover material, 5: inspection opening, 6: window, 7: detection means, 8: arm Drive mechanism, 9: transfer arm, 9a: first arm 9b: second arm, 9c: hand portion, 9d: mounting pin, 10: substrate support member, 11: support pillar, 12A to 12D: film formation chamber, 13a ... 13j: An arrow indicating the transport direction of the semiconductor substrate

Claims (5)

A transfer arm which is provided in the transfer chamber so as to be capable of extending, contracting, rotating and moving up and down, and which carries a semiconductor substrate placed on the hand part at the tip;
Positioned below the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at the raised position, the semiconductor substrate is moved from the hand portion by lowering the transfer arm, and again By raising the transfer arm, the semiconductor substrate transferred from the hand unit is transferred back onto the hand unit, and a substrate support member,
The transfer arm in which the orientation of the orientation mark is known is placed on the hand unit, and the center of the semiconductor substrate placed in the correct position on the hand unit is on the extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm. The hand arm is contracted at the raised position so that the hand part moves to the position, the transport arm is lowered, the semiconductor substrate is transferred onto the substrate support member, and the transport arm lowered to the lowered position in the contracted state is moved. Control for performing drive control of rotating the hand unit up to a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark and then raising the transfer arm and moving it back from the substrate support member onto the hand unit And a substrate transport apparatus. A transfer arm which is provided in the transfer chamber so as to be extendable, rotatable, and movable up and down, and which carries and transfers a semiconductor substrate on the hand part at the tip,
Detecting means for detecting a direction of an orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate placed on a hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at an elevated position;
Positioned below the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm contracted at the raised position, the semiconductor substrate is moved from the hand portion by lowering the transfer arm, and again By raising the transfer arm, the semiconductor substrate transferred from the hand unit is transferred back onto the hand unit, and a substrate support member,
The transfer arm having the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion is placed at a position where the center of the semiconductor substrate placed at a correct position on the hand portion is on an extension line of the rotation center of the transfer arm. The semiconductor substrate is shrunk at the raised position so that it moves, and the direction of the orientation mark of the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion of the transfer arm is detected by the detecting means, and then the transfer arm is lowered to move the semiconductor substrate Is moved onto the substrate support member, and the transport arm lowered to the lowered position in the contracted state is rotated until the orientation of the hand portion becomes a predetermined direction with respect to the direction of the orientation mark detected by the detection means. And a control unit that performs drive control to raise the transfer arm and move it back from the substrate support member onto the hand unit. That substrate transport apparatus.   The control unit also performs drive control to rotate the transfer arm in a contracted state, and the detection unit detects the outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor substrate rotated by the rotation of the transfer arm, thereby changing the direction of the orientation mark. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate transfer apparatus is detectable. The transfer arm has a first arm that can be driven to rotate in the horizontal direction, a second arm that is connected to the tip of the first arm so that it can be tilted in the horizontal direction, and a horizontal direction at the tip of the second arm. And a hand portion connected to be tiltably driven,
The detecting means detects a direction of the orientation mark and detects a horizontal shift between a center of the semiconductor substrate placed on the hand portion and an extension line of a rotation center of the transfer arm. It can also detect misalignment,
Drive that moves the hand portion of the transfer arm in the lowered position in a direction to correct the positional deviation of the semiconductor substrate after the control unit detects the orientation mark direction and the positional deviation of the substrate by the detecting means. 4. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2, wherein control is also performed.   5. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of film forming chambers each for forming a film on a substrate are connected to a transfer chamber provided with the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1.

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