JP6191853B2 - Load lock chamber - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a load lock chamber in which a wafer is inserted into and removed from a pod when a wafer held in a sealed transfer container called a pod is transferred to a semiconductor processing apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like.

  In recent semiconductor manufacturing processes, the interior of a pod that accommodates a wafer and the interior of a minute space that allows the wafer to be inserted and removed by opening and closing the lid of the pod and delivering the substrate to each processing apparatus are high. By managing cleanly, the so-called yield in the process is improved. However, in an environment using so-called air in which dust or the like is simply removed, it is inevitable that a natural oxide film is formed on the wafer surface or various wirings formed on the wafer. For this reason, as shown in Patent Document 1, by filling the inside of the pod with nitrogen as an inert gas, suppression of the generation of a natural oxide film at the time of pod conveyance or the like is achieved. Further, as shown in Patent Document 2, a region where a load port door that opens and closes the lid of the pod is disposed as a closed space, and nitrogen is introduced into the region so that the wafer passes through a region having a relatively high oxygen concentration. A configuration for shortening the time has also been proposed.

JP 2003-168727 A JP 2009-164369 A

  The configuration exemplified in Patent Document 1 is for smoothly performing a so-called nitrogen purge operation inside the pod until it gets tired. The configuration for actually opening and closing the lid of the pod and further inserting and removing the wafer with respect to the inside is shown. It has not been. Reduction of the residual oxygen concentration in the space in which the wafer is transferred is achieved to some extent by opening and closing the lid of the pod with the configuration shown in Patent Document 2. However, taking into account the recent miniaturization of the wiring pattern, it is desired to perform an operation such as opening and closing the pod lid in an environment having a lower residual oxygen concentration, which cannot be obtained with this configuration.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and provides a load lock chamber capable of opening / closing a pod lid and inserting / removing a wafer into / from a pod in an environment with a lower residual oxygen concentration. Objective.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the load lock chamber according to the present invention opens and closes the lid of the pod to enable insertion / removal of the object to be processed with respect to the pod. A load lock chamber capable of transporting the object to be processed to the processing apparatus, a chamber main body having an internal space capable of accommodating the pod, and a first opening for communicating the internal space with the processing apparatus A first shutter capable of sealing the first opening, a second opening communicating the internal space and the external space, a second shutter capable of sealing the second opening, and the first a stage for supporting and fixing a pod that is carried from the second opening in a predetermined position to hold the lid of the pod, remove the lid from the pod by relatively spaced relative to the pod, opening said pod An opener that is retractable from a space between the first opening, an exhaust device that exhausts the internal space, and the opener is retracted from a space between the opening of the pod and the first opening. Opener position detecting means for detecting the exhaust, and exhaust permission means for permitting the exhaust device to exhaust the internal space in response to the detection of the retraction by the opener position detecting means . It is possible to move in a direction and stop at multiple points with a predetermined interval.

In the above-described load lock chamber, the predetermined direction is preferably a direction perpendicular to the plane of the object to be accommodated in the pod. Also, a gas introduction system capable introducing a predetermined gas before Symbol interior space, a first shutter position detecting means for the first shutter detects that it has closed the first opening, the first More preferably, the apparatus further comprises introduction permission means for allowing the introduction of the gas into the internal space by the gas introduction system in response to the shutter position detection means detecting the closure.

  According to the present invention, even when a wiring pattern on a wafer is miniaturized in a semiconductor processing process, the wiring pattern is naturally oxidized when the lid of the pod is opened and closed and the wafer is inserted into and removed from the pod. It becomes possible to suppress.

It is a figure which shows typically the internal structure of the vertical direction cross section of the load lock chamber which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the load lock chamber which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the insertion / extraction process of the wafer with respect to the pod using the load lock chamber which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example at the time of using the load lock chamber shown in FIG. 1 for a vacuum apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the internal structure of the vertical direction cross section of the load lock chamber which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a load lock chamber according to a first embodiment of the present invention in which a front opening unified pod (FOUP) pod is housed along a stage vertical axis to be described later. The schematic structure about is shown. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the load lock chamber according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, a load lock chamber 100 according to this embodiment includes a chamber body 1, a first load lock opening 3, a first load lock shutter 5, a second load lock opening 7, and a second load lock. The shutter 9, the stage 11, the stage vertical shaft 13, the opener 15, the opener vertical shaft 17, the gate valve 19, the exhaust device 21, the gas introduction system 23, and a control device 51 that controls various drive mechanisms that operate these. In the figure, the pod 200 is fixed inside the load lock chamber 100. The load lock chamber 100 is connected to the center chamber 300 through the first load lock opening 3. In the figure, the pod 200 before being housed in the load lock chamber 100, the moving position of the stage 11 after sequentially taking out the wafers housed in the pod 200, and the retracted position of the opener 15 are shown by two-dot chain lines. Together.

  Here, the pod 200 placed and fixed in the load lock chamber 100 and the wafer 201 accommodated in the pod will be described first. Inside the main body 203 of the pod 200, a space for accommodating the wafer 201 as an object to be processed is formed. The main body 203 has a substantially box-like shape having an opening on any one surface that exists in the horizontal direction. The pod 200 includes a lid 205 for sealing the opening 203a of the main body 203. The lid 205 is provided with a latch mechanism (not shown) that is fixed to the main body 203 and released therefrom by an external operation. A shelf (not shown) having a plurality of steps for vertically stacking wafers 201 held horizontally in the main body 203 is arranged, and the wafers 201 placed here are set at a constant interval. Housed inside the pod body 203. In this embodiment, the pod 200 uses a box-like FOUP, but the shape of the pod is not limited to this.

  The first load lock opening 3 communicates with the center chamber 300 and serves as a communication path between the load lock chamber 100 and the center chamber 300. A wafer transfer robot 301 (see FIG. 3) is disposed in the center chamber 300, and the robot 301 has a pod 200 fixed in the load lock chamber 100 through the first load lock opening 3. The arm 301 a is extended to the inside, and the wafer 201 in the pod 200 is unloaded from or inserted into the pod 200. Further, the first load lock opening 3 is accompanied by a first load lock shutter 5, and when the gas existing in the load lock chamber 100 and the center chamber 300 or the pressures inside these differ, Is blocked by the first load lock shutter 5.

  The opening and closing operation of the first load lock opening 3 by the first load lock shutter 5 is performed by the first drive mechanism 53. The first load lock opening 3 is opened and closed by the first shutter position detecting means 55. The first shutter position detection means 55 is constructed by a so-called contact sensor based on the operating position of the first drive mechanism 53 or a known configuration for detecting the actual position of the first load lock shutter 5 by an optical sensor or the like. The The control device 51 commands the operation of the first drive mechanism 53 according to the detection result of the first shutter position detection means 55. The control device 51 also controls first shutter opening / closing permission means 71 that restricts the operation of the first load lock shutter 5 according to, for example, the pressure in the internal space of the load lock chamber 100 detected by the pressure detection means 79 described later. Have The first shutter opening / closing permission means 71 executes the operation restriction physically or software.

  The opening and closing operation of the second load lock opening 7 by the second load lock shutter 9 is performed by the second drive mechanism 57. The second load lock opening 7 is opened and closed by the second shutter position detecting means 59. The control device 51 commands the operation of the second drive mechanism 57 according to the detection result of the second shutter position detection means 59. In addition, the control device 51 includes second shutter opening / closing permission means 73 that restricts the operation of the second load lock shutter 9.

  The stage 11 is provided with a positioning / fixing mechanism (not shown). When the pod 200 is placed on the stage 11, the positioning / fixing mechanism performs positioning in the XY plane between the pod and the stage, and the stage 11. The pod 200 is fixed. The stage 11 can be moved in the Y-axis direction by the stage Y-axis drive mechanism 61, and transports the pod 200 between a position where the lid 205 abuts against an opener 15 described later and an initial position. The initial position refers to a position when the stage 11 receives the pod 200 when the pod 200 is loaded into the load lock chamber 100 through a second load lock opening 7 described later.

  The stage 11 is supported inside the chamber body 1 by a stage vertical axis 13, and the stage vertical axis 13 is supported by a stage Z-axis drive mechanism 63 that can position the multi-point in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). It is supported from the outside of the chamber 1. The multi-point positioning depends on the support pitch of the wafer 201 in the pod 200, and the operation position of the arm 301a of the robot 301 is synchronized with the above-described operation of inserting and removing the wafer 201 in the center chamber 300. A desired shelf in the pod 200 is positioned on the pod 200. Further, the stop position of the stage 11 is sequentially detected by the stage position detecting means 65 including an optical sensor or the like. The stage position detecting means 65 also detects the position of the stage 11 in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the stage Z-axis drive mechanism 63 is composed of a known servo motor and a ball screw. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and various known drive mechanisms capable of multipoint positioning are used. It is possible to configure.

  In the present embodiment, the second load lock opening 7 is provided on the upper surface of the chamber body 1, and the second load lock shutter 9 opens and closes the second load lock opening 7. When the pod 200 is inserted into the load lock chamber 100, the second load lock shutter 9 opens the second load lock opening 7, and the pod 200 is loaded by the transport mechanism 303 (see FIG. 3) through the opening. Is done. The loaded pod 200 is fixed at a predetermined position on the stage 11 by the positioning and fixing mechanism described above. The second load lock shutter 9 has a seal member (not shown), shuts off the interior of the chamber body 1 from the external space, and allows the space to be filled with an inert gas by evacuation or nitrogen.

  A holding mechanism for the lid 205 of the pod 200 and a latch driving mechanism for removing and attaching the lid 205 are disposed on the surface of the opener 15 facing the pod 200. The opener 15 is supported inside the chamber body 1 by an opener vertical shaft 17, and the opener vertical shaft 17 is an opener Z-axis drive mechanism 67 (not shown) capable of driving the opener vertical shaft 17 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). Is supported from the outside of the chamber 1. With the opener Z-axis drive mechanism, the opener 15 is positioned so as to face the front of the pod 200 on the stage 11 and a retracted position (a two-dot chain line position in the figure) where the opener 15 retracts from the operation line of the robot in the first load lock opening 3 ) In the Z direction. The position of the opener 15 in the Z-axis direction is detected by an opener position detecting unit 69 made of, for example, an optical sensor. In this embodiment, the opener Z-axis drive mechanism is constituted by a known linear motor and guide, but may be constituted by various known drive mechanisms that can smoothly reciprocate between predetermined positions. Is possible.

  The pod 200 fixed on the stage 11 by the positioning and fixing mechanism is conveyed in the direction of the opener 15 by the stage 11 until the lid 205 contacts the surface of the opener 15. The lid 205 is held by the opener 15 by the holding mechanism described above, and the latch mechanism for fixing to the pod body 203 is released by the latch drive mechanism. In this state, the stage 205 is retracted by a predetermined amount, whereby the lid 205 is removed from the pod body 203. Further, with the lid 205 separated from the pod main body 203, the opener 15 is lowered to the retracted position described above, so that the pod opening 203 a can face the first load lock opening 3. In the present embodiment, the stage vertical axis 13 and the opener vertical axis 17 are provided inside the chamber body 1. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the chamber volume, it is preferable to arrange the main parts of these configurations outside the chamber using a known sealing member such as an O-ring.

  The exhaust device 21 is disposed at a position communicating with the inside of the chamber body 1 through the gate valve 19. The exhaust device 21 is preferably selected as appropriate depending on the exhaust level in the chamber body 1, that is, the use status of so-called high vacuum or low vacuum. Further, when removing the lid 205 of the pod 200, it is preferable that the interior of the chamber body 1 is filled with nitrogen or the like so as to have an atmospheric pressure and a low oxygen concentration. In the present embodiment, by providing the gas introduction system 23, the internal space can be set to a predetermined gas atmosphere. Note that the actual exhaust operation of the internal space is executed by opening the gate valve 19 or the like when permission is given by the exhaust permission means 75 arranged in the control device 51. Similarly, gas introduction by the gas introduction system 23 is also performed by operating the gas introduction system 23 after the permission of the introduction permission means 77 disposed in the control device 51.

  Next, an actual operation example of the load lock chamber 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step 1, the second load lock shutter 9 is operated to open the second load lock opening 7. At that time, the stage 11 and the opener 15 are stopped at the initial position of the driving upper end. In step 2, the pod 200 is set on the stage 11 by the transport mechanism 303. At the same time, the pod 200 is fixed to the stage 11 by the positioning and fixing mechanism. After the pod 200 is carried into the chamber body 1, the second load lock opening 7 is closed by the second load lock shutter 9 in step 3. At the same time, the pod 200 is moved toward the opener 15 by the stage 11, and the latch mechanism, which is a mechanism for fixing the cover 205 to the pod body 203, is released (step 4).

  After the release of the latch mechanism, the stage 11 is retracted to the initial position in step 5, and the lid 205 is removed from the pod body 203 by the retracting operation. This initial position is set as the origin in multipoint positioning. Thereafter, the opener 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount to form a state where the first load lock opening 3 and the pod opening 203a can face each other (step 6). The opener position detecting means 69 detects that the opener 15 has been lowered and transmits this to the control device 51. As a result, it is determined that the interior of the pod 200 and the interior of the load lock chamber 100 communicate with each other at atmospheric pressure, and the control device 51 places the exhaust permission unit 75 in an exhaust permitted state. When permitting exhaust, the second shutter position detecting means 59 confirms that the second load lock opening 7 is closed.

  Subsequently, in step 7, a so-called positioning operation of the stage 11 in the Z-axis direction is performed in order to align the pod body 203 and the transfer robot. Thereafter or in parallel, the gate valve 19 is opened in accordance with the exhaust permission, and the exhaust operation inside the chamber body 1 is performed (step 8). When it is determined in step 9 that the interior of the chamber body 1 has been sufficiently evacuated and the so-called vacuum degree of the internal space has reached a predetermined value or the pressure has reached a predetermined value as a result of detection by the pressure detection means 79. The opening permission of the first load lock opening 3 is instructed to the shutter opening / closing permission means 71.

  The flow proceeds to step 10 where the first load lock opening 3 is opened by the first load lock shutter 5. Until the degree of vacuum reaches a predetermined value in step 9, the exhaust-determination operation in steps 9 and 8 is repeated. With the above operation, an environment in which the wafer can be inserted and removed from the pod body 203 by the transfer robot is prepared. The center chamber 300 in which the transfer robot is disposed is normally evacuated, and the predetermined value or the predetermined pressure described above is set according to the degree of vacuum in the center chamber 300.

  After the above environment is prepared, pitch feed at multiple points of the stage 11 is performed, and insertion / removal accompanying processing of the wafer 205 with respect to the desired stage is executed. After all the processing for the predetermined wafer is completed (steps 12 and 11), the flow proceeds to step 13. In step 13, the first load lock opening 3 is closed by the first load lock shutter 5, and the internal space of the chamber body 1 and the center chamber 300 are blocked. In response to the detection of the closing of the first load lock opening 3 by the first shutter position detection means 55, the control device 51 permits the exhaust permission means 75 to open the gate valve 19 and exhaust the internal space. give. Further, the exhaust operation inside the chamber body 1 by the exhaust device 21 is also stopped by the gate valve 19 (step 14).

  When the pressure detection means 79 detects that the internal space has become atmospheric pressure, the control device 51 instructs the second shutter opening / closing permission means 73 to permit the second load lock opening 5 to be opened. The Subsequently, the stage 11 is raised to the initial position (step 15). In step 16, the opener 15 also starts to rise to a position corresponding to this initial position. Further, in step 17, the gas introduction system 23 is operated, and nitrogen or the like is introduced into the chamber body 1. The introduction of the nitrogen gas is continued until the pressure in the internal space of the chamber body 1 reaches atmospheric pressure (steps 18 and 17).

  After the internal pressure reaches atmospheric pressure, the introduction of nitrogen by the gas introduction system 23 is stopped (step 19). Subsequently, the stage 11 moves the pod 200 toward the opener 15, the lid 205 is brought into contact with a predetermined position of the pod body 203, and the lid 205 is attached by operating the latch mechanism described above. As a result, the pod 200 is closed (step 20). By these operations, the lid 205 is released from the opener 15 and the stage 11 can be moved in the Y-axis direction. In step 21, the stage 11 moves backward to the initial position in the Y-axis direction. After the retreat, the second load lock shutter 9 is operated to release the second load lock opening 7 (step 22). After the release, the pod 200 is removed from the load lock chamber 100 by the transport mechanism 303 (step 23), and after the removal, the second load lock opening 7 is closed by the second load lock shutter 9 (step 24). ).

  By removing the lid 205 from the pod 200 and inserting / removing the wafer 201 to / from the pod 200 using the load lock chamber 100 as described above, the oxygen concentration is high under the conditions of the atmosphere in which the wafer is exposed. Can be managed. Further, by inserting / removing the wafer 1 with respect to the pod 200 by the transfer robot 301 under high vacuum, the dust flow due to the gas flow which has been possible by the insertion / removal of the wafer 201 is eliminated. It is also expected to suppress the adhesion of dust.

  An example in which the load lock chamber 100 according to the above-described embodiment is applied to an actual vacuum apparatus will be described below. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the vacuum apparatus 400. In the vacuum apparatus 400, a center chamber 300 in which a transfer robot 301 for transferring the wafer 201 is disposed is placed at the center. The center chamber 300 is provided with an unillustrated center chamber exhaust device to regulate the pressure of the atmosphere of the transfer robot 301. Around the center chamber 300, a plurality of processing chambers 305 for performing various processes on the load lock chamber 100 and the wafer 201 are arranged. In this example, two load lock chambers 100 and three processing chambers 305 are arranged.

  As described above, the load lock chamber 100 switches the external atmosphere such as the atmosphere and the atmosphere in the center chamber 300 (in this example, vacuum), thereby introducing the wafer 201 into the vacuum apparatus 400 and from the inside of the apparatus. Allows discharge. In the present invention, by allowing the pod 200 to be directly inserted into the load lock chamber 100, the removal of the lid 205 from the pod 200 and the insertion / removal of the wafer 201 with respect to the pod 200 are controlled and performed in an atmosphere. It is possible. In the embodiment described above, nitrogen is exemplified as the introduced gas, but the gas is not limited to nitrogen as long as the oxidation of the wiring or the like can be suppressed. Further, in the above-described flow, each step is described so as to be sequentially performed. However, for example, an exhaust operation and an operation such as a stage can be performed in parallel. The various drive mechanisms and detection means exemplified in this embodiment are preferably appropriately replaced by various known mechanisms and means.

  Next, a load lock chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 schematically shows the relationship in the arrangement of the load lock chamber, the center chamber, the processing chamber, and the pod. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations as those shown in FIG. 1, and the description thereof is omitted here. The load lock chamber 100 of the present embodiment has a second load lock opening. 7 and the arrangement of the second load lock shutter 9, the point having the mounting table 25 on which the pod 200 is placed by the transport mechanism 303, the mutual relationship between the opener 15 and the stage 11, and the first load lock opening 3. The difference is that the buffer chamber is arranged at the position where Hereinafter, the differences will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, the second load lock opening 7 is disposed at a position facing the first load lock opening 3 reaching the center chamber 300. A mounting table 25 on which the pod 200 is mounted is disposed in front of the second load lock opening 7. The mounting table 25 is provided with a roller conveyor or a pick-and-place type transfer mechanism 27 for transporting the mounted pod 2 into the load lock chamber 100 and mounting it on the stage 11. With the second load lock shutter 9 releasing the second load lock opening 7, the transfer mechanism 27 transports the pod 200 and transfers and fixes it to a predetermined position on the stage 11.

  In this embodiment, the stage 11 only performs multipoint positioning in the Z-axis direction, and driving in the Y-axis direction does not move when the pod lid 205 is released. Instead, the lid 205 is removed from the pod body 203 by the opener 15 moving in the Y-axis direction. The opener 15 itself is disposed in a buffer chamber 31 provided between the center chamber 300 and the main chamber 29 where the stage 11 is disposed. A communication opening 33 is provided between the buffer chamber 31 and the main chamber 29, and the communication opening 33 is closed by the opener 15. In this embodiment, the opener 15 is provided with a seal member, and the opener 15 moves in the Y-axis direction to airtightly separate the main chamber 29 and the buffer chamber 31. Each chamber is connected to a corresponding exhaust device (not shown), a first gas introduction system 35 and a second gas supply system 37 to individually manage the pressure in each chamber. It is possible.

  Since this embodiment requires a buffer chamber, the apparatus configuration is complicated. However, by providing the buffer chamber, there are obtained effects such as reduction of dust brought into the center chamber 300 from the periphery of the pod 200 and suitable suppression of an increase in oxygen concentration in the center chamber 300 when the wafer 201 is transferred. It is done. Further, the interior space of the load lock chamber 100 is made into two smaller spaces of the main chamber 29 and the buffer chamber 31, and the stage 11 and the opener 15 which are individual driving members are separated into the respective chambers, so that The volume of the chamber can be made more compact. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time required for exhausting the chamber, or to perform an operation under a higher vacuum.

  As described above, the present invention relates to a load lock chamber suitably used for a semiconductor processing apparatus. However, the applicability of the present invention is not limited to the processing apparatus. For example, for a so-called load lock chamber used in various processing apparatuses that perform various processes in accordance with semiconductors, such as a processing apparatus that handles a panel of a liquid crystal display. Is applicable. Therefore, it is preferable that the wafer in the above-described embodiment is interpreted as a workpiece, the pod accommodates various workpieces, and the semiconductor processing apparatus is treated as a processing apparatus for processing the workpiece.

1: chamber body, 3: first load lock opening, 5: first load lock shutter, 7: second load lock opening, 9: second load lock shutter, 11: stage, 13: vertical axis of stage 15: Opener, 17: Opener vertical axis, 19: Gate valve, 21: Exhaust device, 23: Gas introduction system, 25: Mounting table, 27: Transfer mechanism, 29: Main chamber, 31: Buffer chamber, 33: Opening for communication, 35: first gas introduction system, 37: second gas introduction system, 51: control device, 53: first drive mechanism, 55: first shutter position detection means, 57: second Drive mechanism, 59: second shutter position detection means, 61: stage Y-axis drive mechanism, 63: stage Z-axis drive mechanism, 65: stage position detection means, 67: opener Z position drive mechanism, 69: opener position detection means, 71: first shutter opening / closing permission means, 73: second shutter opening / closing permission means, 75: exhaust permission means, 77: introduction permission means, 79: pressure detection means, 100: Load lock chamber, 200: Pod, 201: Wafer, 203: Pod body, 203a: Pod opening, 205: Lid, 300: Center chamber, 301: Transfer robot, 301a: Arm, 303: Transfer mechanism, 305: Processing chamber, 400: vacuum apparatus

Claims (4)

By opening and closing the lid of the pod to permit insertion and removal of the workpiece with respect to the pod, it said in association with the processing device of the object, a load lock to allow the transport of the object to be treated to said processing unit A chamber,
A chamber body having an internal space capable of accommodating the pod;
A first opening for communicating the internal space and the processing device;
A first shutter capable of sealing the first opening;
A second opening communicating the internal space and the external space;
A second shutter capable of sealing the second opening;
A stage for supporting and fixing the pod carried in from the second opening at a predetermined position;
An opener that holds the lid of the pod, removes the lid from the pod by being spaced apart relative to the pod, and is retractable from a space between the opening of the pod and the first opening;
An exhaust device for exhausting the internal space;
Opener position detecting means for detecting that the opener has retreated from the space between the opening of the pod and the first opening;
An exhaust permission means for permitting exhaust of the internal space by the exhaust device in response to the opener position detecting means detecting the retraction,
The stage is movable in a predetermined direction and can be stopped at multiple points with a predetermined interval. A load lock that allows a workpiece to be inserted into and removed from the pod by opening and closing a lid of the pod, and accompanying the processing device for the workpiece to be transferred to the processing device. A chamber,
A chamber body having an internal space capable of accommodating the pod;
A first opening for communicating the internal space and the processing device;
A first shutter capable of sealing the first opening;
A second opening communicating the internal space and the external space;
A second shutter capable of sealing the second opening;
A stage for supporting and fixing the pod carried in from the second opening at a predetermined position;
An opener that holds the lid of the pod, removes the lid from the pod by being spaced apart relative to the pod, and is retractable from a space between the opening of the pod and the first opening;
A gas introduction system capable of introducing a predetermined gas into the internal space;
First shutter position detecting means for detecting that the first shutter has closed the first opening;
An introduction permission unit that permits introduction of the gas into the internal space by the gas introduction system in response to the first shutter position detection unit detecting the closure. Lock chamber. An exhaust device for exhausting the internal space;
An opener position detecting means for detecting that the opener has retreated from the space between the opening of the pod and the first opening;
3. The load lock according to claim 2, further comprising: an exhaust permission unit that permits exhaust of the internal space by the exhaust device in response to detection of the retraction by the opener position detection unit. Chamber. The load lock chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined direction is a direction perpendicular to a plane of the object to be processed accommodated in the pod.

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