JP3154793B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process such as thin film growth by guiding a substrate into a processing chamber when manufacturing a semiconductor device such as an VLSI.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Thin film growth technology for growing a thin film on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is one of the key technologies for improving the performance of semiconductor devices.
Thin film growth by the VD (chemical vapor deposition) method is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Conventionally, as a substrate processing apparatus such as a thin film growth apparatus of this type, a multi-chamber type having a plurality of processing chambers has been developed, and its application range tends to gradually expand. Along with this, a substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of handler chambers has come to be seen.

[0004] Here, a large number of processing chambers provided in this type of multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus perform plasma vapor deposition or sputtering, and these processing chambers perform processing in a vacuum region. Therefore, all units constituting the substrate processing apparatus, including the handler chamber, are based on the fact that the pressure is vacuum. Here, the vacuum is
It means a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and includes a pressure range from reduced pressure to high vacuum. The vacuum described in the present invention indicates this pressure region.

[0005]

However, the expansion of the application range of the multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus has led to an increase in the number of processing chambers connected to the handler chamber, and some processing chambers are not compatible with vacuum. You may want to use it as an element. In such a case, it is necessary to provide another substrate transfer means such as a load lock chamber between the processing chamber for vacuum and the handler chamber based on vacuum in order to move the substrate in and out. is there.

[0006] Further, even if vacuum support is not possible,
It is conceivable that a new design is required in order to cope with the vacuum, and that not only the processing time is increased, but also the materials that can be used are restricted.

Further, if the pressure of all the units constituting the multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus including the handler chamber is basically vacuum, the structure becomes rigid, and this applies to, for example, a thin film growth apparatus. The current situation is that the connection location of the is limited.

As described above, various problems have been pointed out with respect to a multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of handler chambers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention provides a multi-chamber type substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of handler chambers, not all of which are based on vacuum, but having an atmosphere suitable for a processing chamber connected thereto. The purpose is to provide something that can handle expansion.

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a first handler chamber, a substrate connected to the first handler chamber, and unloading a substrate via a handler provided in the first handler chamber. A first processing chamber, a second handler chamber having a different atmosphere from the first handler chamber, and a substrate connected to the second handler chamber via a handler provided in the first handler chamber. A load lock function for separating the atmosphere in the first handler chamber from the atmosphere in the second handler chamber while being connected to the second processing chamber to be carried in and out, the first handler chamber and the second handler chamber; And a connection room having the same.

The connection chamber may have a function of performing a predetermined process on the substrate, and the first handler chamber may have a function of performing a predetermined process on the substrate.

[0012]

According to the present invention constructed as described above, for example, one handler chamber is formed on the basis of vacuum, and a processing chamber for performing processing in a vacuum region is connected to this handler chamber. The handler chamber is based on atmospheric pressure independently of the handler chamber, and by connecting a processing chamber for performing processing at atmospheric pressure to this handler chamber, the efficiency of substrate processing can be improved. .

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention applied to a thin film growth apparatus.
First and second handler chambers 4 and 5 having handlers 2 and 3 therein are provided.
The handler chamber 4 has a total of three processing chambers 9, 10 and 11 via gate valves 6, 7 and 8, and the other second handler chamber 5 has one processing chamber 12 via a gate valve 13. Each is connected.

A cassette station 15 is connected to the second handler chamber 5 via a load lock chamber 14.
A gate valve 1 is provided between the cassette station 15 and the second handler chamber 5 on both sides of the load lock chamber 14.
6, 17 are interposed respectively.

The first handler chamber 4 and the second handler chamber 5
Are connected via a connection chamber 20 having a load lock function provided with gate valves 18 and 19 on both sides, whereby the atmospheres of the first and second handler chambers 4 and 5 are separated through the connection chamber 20. Have been like that. That is, the basic pressure of the first handler chamber 4 in the normal sequence is vacuum or reduced pressure, and the basic pressure of the second handler chamber in the normal sequence is atmospheric pressure.

The processing chambers 9 to 11 connected to the first handler chamber 4 perform predetermined processing or inspection of the substrate under vacuum or reduced pressure.
The processing chamber 12 connected to the chamber performs predetermined processing or inspection of the substrate under atmospheric pressure.

More specifically, the processing chamber 9 is a thin film forming chamber for forming a thin film such as a silicon epitaxial film on the surface of a substrate by low pressure vapor phase epitaxy.
Under reduced pressure, the removal chamber is a removal chamber for removing a natural oxide film adhered to the surface of the substrate by, for example, HF (hydrogen fluoride) gas or the like. A washing chamber for removing adhering reaction products. Also, the processing chamber 12 removes the protective film formed on the surface of the substrate in the previous process for protecting the surface under atmospheric pressure, or removes the protective film on the surface of the substrate after the thin film is formed for protecting the thin film. This is a processing chamber for forming.

The substrates that have been pre-processed and stored in a cassette or the like and conveyed from, for example, a clean room or the like are set in a cassette station 15 and are loaded one by one in conjunction with opening and closing of a gate valve 16.
The gate valve 16 is closed and the atmosphere of the load lock chamber 14 is adjusted to the atmosphere of the second handler chamber 5.

The substrate conveyed into the load lock chamber 14 is transferred to the handler 3 disposed in the second handler chamber 5 in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 17 and 13.
Thus, the wafer is transferred to the processing chamber 12 through the handler chamber 5. When a substrate is accommodated in the processing chamber 12, a protective film formed on the surface of the substrate for protecting the surface is removed.

The substrate from which the protective film has been removed is transferred to the connection chamber 20 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the gate valves 13 and 18, and the gate valve 18 is closed to reduce the pressure or to create a vacuum atmosphere. In conjunction with the opening and closing of 19 and 7, the wafer is transferred to the processing chamber (removal chamber) 10 by the handler 2 in the first handler chamber 4, where it adheres to the surface of the substrate by, for example, HF (hydrogen fluoride) gas or the like. A pre-treatment for etching the native oxide is performed.

The substrate from which the native oxide has been removed is transferred to the processing chamber (cleaning chamber) 11 by the handler 2 in the first handler chamber 4 in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 7 and 6.
Here, the reaction products such as F (fluorine) attached to the surface of the substrate are washed.

Then, the substrate after the cleaning is processed in a processing chamber (thin film forming chamber) 9 in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 8 and 6.
Here, a predetermined gas is supplied, a predetermined thin film is grown, and a thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate.

The substrate on which a predetermined thin film has been grown is moved into the connection chamber 20 by the handler 2 of the first handler chamber 4 in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 6 and 19. Then, after closing the gate valve 19 to bring the atmosphere to the atmospheric pressure, the substrate is placed in the handler 3 in the first handler chamber 5.
Is transferred to the processing chamber 12 in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the gate valves 18 and 13, where the protection film is formed. After that, the operation is reversed from the load lock chamber 14 to the cassette of the cassette station 15. The sequence is terminated after being accommodated.

The removal of the natural oxide film is performed in the connection chamber 1.
2, the removal chamber (processing chamber) 10 is omitted, or the reaction products attached to the surface of the substrate due to the removal of the natural oxide film are removed in the first handler chamber 4, and the processing chamber (cleaning chamber) is removed. 11 is omitted, and the removal of the protective film formed in the previous process is performed in the processing chamber (removal chamber) 10 connected to the first handler chamber 4, the connection chamber 20, or the first handler chamber 4,
In the processing chamber (processing chamber) 12, only a protective film for protecting a thin film may be formed.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment applied to a thin film growth apparatus.
Are two load / unload chambers 31 and 32, and two first and second chambers respectively containing handlers 33 and 34 therein.
Handler chambers 35, 36, and each of these handler chambers 35, 36
And a total of five processing chambers 37 to 41 connected to the first and second processing chambers 36, 36.
The two processing chambers 40 and 41 connected in common to 6 are connection chambers having a load lock function.

Here, the two load / unload chambers 31 and 32 are provided with a load lock function.
By providing the load lock function in this manner, the load lock chamber can be omitted.

That is, the first and second load / unload chambers 31, which accommodate pre-processed substrates stored in a cassette or the like and transported from a clean room or the like, for example.
32 are provided, and doors 42, 43 of these chambers 31, 32 are provided.
The substrate is set in the chambers 31 and 32 by opening and closing the chamber, and the atmosphere of the load / unload chambers 31 and 32 is adjusted to the atmosphere of the second handler chamber.

First or second load / unload chamber 3
The substrates set in 1, 32 are gate valves 44,
The gate valve is conveyed into the handler chamber 36 by the handler 34 disposed in the second handler chamber 36 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the gate valve 45 and then into the connection chamber (treatment room) 40 via the handler chamber 36. It is moved in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of 46. The connection chamber 40 is a removal chamber for performing a pretreatment on the substrate to remove a natural oxide film. When the substrate is accommodated therein, the connection chamber 40 adheres to the surface of the substrate by, for example, HF (hydrogen fluoride) gas or the like. A pretreatment for etching the native oxide is performed.

The substrate from which the native oxide has been removed is transferred by the handler 33 into the first handler chamber 35 in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the gate valve 47. The substrate passing through the handler chamber 35 is then moved by the handler 33 to a processing chamber 39 serving as an orientation flat chamber in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the gate valve 48.

In the processing chamber (orientation flat chamber) 39, the position of the orientation flat of the substrate is detected, and the substrate is aligned in a predetermined direction. When the orientation flat alignment is not necessary or when the orientation flat alignment is performed by another method, there is no need to provide the processing chamber 39 independently.
In this case, the thickness of the substrate can be measured before and after the epitaxial growth to measure the thickness of the grown thin film.

After aligning the orientation flat, the substrate is placed in the handler 33
As a result, the gate valves 49 and 50 are moved into the processing chambers 37 and 38 which are the first or second thin film growth chambers in conjunction with the opening and closing operations. Each processing chamber (thin film growth chamber) 37,
38, first, when HF gas is used during the previous etching (pre-treatment), the F
(Fluorine) is removed by irradiating ultraviolet rays or the like, and then a predetermined thin film is grown while supplying a predetermined gas.
A thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate.

After the predetermined thin film growth, the substrate
Alternatively, the gate valves 49,
The handler 33 moves the first handler chamber 35 into the first handler chamber 35 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the 50. The substrate that has passed through the handler chamber 35 is transferred by the handler 33 into a processing chamber (connection chamber) 41, which is a measurement chamber in which the measurement device 52 is disposed, in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the gate valve 51. .

In the processing chamber (measurement chamber) 41, various measurements and inspections are performed on the thin film.

After the measurement is completed, the substrate is transferred into the second handler chamber 36 by the handler 34 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the gate valve 53.
After that, the handler 34 accommodates the cassette in the first or second load / unload chamber 31, 32, and a series of sequences is completed.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, a processing chamber that cannot or cannot handle a vacuum can also be a constituent element. There is no need to prepare a separate substrate transfer device for the transfer of the substrate into and out of the handler chamber, which is a chamber, and it is not necessary to newly design a vacuum-compatible device.

In addition to shortening the processing time,
This is advantageous in that it can be advantageous in terms of cost and the device can be highly flexible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,30 Thin film growth apparatus 2,3,33,34 Handler 4,5,35,36 Handler room 9-12,37-39 Processing room 14 Load lock room 20 Connection room 40,41 Connection room (processing room)

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-273606 (JP, A) JP-A-4-14222 (JP, A) JP-A-3-263320 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21/205

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A first processing chamber connected to the first processing chamber, to which a substrate is loaded and unloaded via a handler provided in the first processing chamber; and a first processing chamber. A second handler chamber connected to the second handler chamber, to which a substrate is carried in and out via a handler provided in the second handler chamber; and a first handler. Chamber and the second handler chamber, and the atmosphere of the first handler chamber and the second
A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a connection chamber having a load lock function for separating an atmosphere of a handler chamber. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connection chamber has a function of performing a predetermined process on the substrate. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first handler chamber has a function of performing a predetermined process on the substrate.