JP5057005B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called in-line vacuum processing apparatus, and in particular, a vertical type vacuum for a large substrate of 1 m class or more, which reduces tact time and improves productivity, and saves space and costs. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus.

  For example, to process a large glass substrate used for a plasma display or a liquid crystal display, a heating process for raising the temperature to a desired temperature under vacuum, a film forming process such as sputtering or CVD, or a processing means such as etching. is required.

  Hereafter, in addition to the multiple layer film forming step under vacuum, the processing step under vacuum such as the heating step accompanying this film forming step is generally referred to as vacuum processing, and sputtering is performed in the vacuum chamber. In addition to the apparatus, CVD and etching, a vacuum chamber having a vacuum processing mechanism such as heating and having a function of vacuum processing the substrate will be collectively referred to as a vacuum processing chamber.

As shown in Patent Document 1, various vacuum processing apparatuses have been put to practical use conventionally.
The inline-type sputtering apparatus of Patent Document 1 is a one-through type in which a substrate is mounted on a transfer means in a loading chamber, subjected to film formation in the film formation chamber, and collected in the unloading chamber (see FIG. 10 of Patent Document).

On the other hand, as an example of a conventional vacuum processing apparatus, a vacuum return type vertical vacuum processing apparatus different from Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a main configuration of a conventional vacuum processing apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 4, the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting a substrate attaching / detaching unit 110, a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of vacuum processing chambers 130, 132, and 134 and a substrate 112. 140 and a preliminary chamber 120 for carrying in and out between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side with the substrate 112 placed on the substrate carrier 140.
In the figure, reference numeral 150 denotes an evacuation device.

The spare chamber 120 for carrying in and out the substrate 112 between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side is hereinafter simply referred to as “spare chamber”, “load / unload chamber”, or simply “L / UL”. Sometimes referred to as a “room”.
Further, in this conventional apparatus 100, a substrate carrier 140 is disposed in front of the substrate replacement port 120a of the preliminary chamber 120.

As shown in FIG. 4, a transfer robot 114 for transferring the substrate 112 to the substrate carrier 140 is disposed in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110.
Although not shown in the drawings, the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110 is provided with a cradle on which the substrate 112 is temporarily placed in order to take out the substrate 112 from the substrate cassette by the horizontal transfer robot and deliver it to the transfer robot 114. It has been.

  When the substrate carrier 140 falls horizontally, in this state, the substrate 112 of the cradle in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110 is transferred to the substrate carrier 140 by the transfer robot 114, and after the transfer, the substrate carrier 140 rises vertically, The substrate carrier 140 conveys the substrate 112 in a substantially upright state.

Although not shown in the drawings, in each of the vacuum processing chambers 130, 132, and 134, there are a first transport path that is a forward path through which the substrate carrier 140 is transported downstream and a return path that is transported upstream. Two conveyance paths of the second conveyance path are provided.
Further, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 100, the third vacuum processing chamber 134 at the rearmost part (right end in the drawing) moves the substrate carrier 140 from the forward path to the return path in the lateral direction with respect to the two transport paths. A transfer mechanism (not shown) for transferring is provided.

Next, the basic operation of the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110, as described above, the transfer robot 114 takes the unprocessed substrate 112 stocked at a predetermined position in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110 and transfers it to the substrate carrier 140.
When the substrate 112 is placed on the substrate carrier 140 by the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110, the substrate carrier 140 is carried into the load / unload chamber (L / UL chamber) 120.

When the substrate carrier 140 enters the L / UL chamber 120, the L / UL chamber 120 is evacuated and evacuated, and then the first vacuum which becomes the forward path prepared in the first vacuum processing chamber 130. It is carried out to the conveyance route.
The substrate carrier 140 is subjected to vacuum processing such as heating and film formation in the first to third vacuum processing chambers 130, 132, and 134 while being transported in the forward path.

After the substrate is vacuum-processed in the third vacuum processing chamber 134, the substrate carrier 140 is transferred to the second transport path serving as a return path by a transfer mechanism (not shown), and the third to first vacuum processing chambers. The substrate carrier 140 is subjected to vacuum processing such as film formation at 134, 132, and 130, and the substrate 112 is placed in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 110 through the L / UL chamber 120 with the vacuum processed substrate 112 placed thereon. Is removed.
That is, this conventional example is characterized in that it is a vacuum return system in which the substrate 112 returns to the L / UL chamber 120 in a vacuum.

JP 2000-129436 A

Incidentally, in general, in the L / UL chamber, in addition to loading and unloading of the substrate carrier, evacuation and atmospheric pressure release are performed.
Therefore, the tact of the vacuum processing apparatus is affected by the exhaust / vent time of the L / UL chamber.

  However, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus, since only a single substrate carrier is disposed at the substrate exchange port of the L / UL chamber, the substrate carrier is placed on an unprocessed substrate or a processed substrate in the substrate attaching / detaching portion. During the removal, the L / UL chamber has a problem that the residence time during which the substrate cannot be charged or taken out becomes long, the tact is adversely affected, and the vacuum processing efficiency of the substrate is lowered.

  Moreover, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus, in order to take out the substrate from the substrate cassette by the horizontal transfer robot and transfer it to the transfer robot that is an articulated robot, the substrate is temporarily placed on the cradle. Then, for the method of transferring from the transfer robot to the substrate carrier, two robots, a horizontal transfer robot and a transfer robot, are required, leading to an increase in the cost of the entire apparatus.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, to shorten the tact time, to improve the productivity, and to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that saves space and costs.

According to a vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, a vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing a substrate, a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate, and the substrate on the atmosphere side and the vacuum side are provided. In the vacuum processing apparatus having a preliminary chamber for carrying in and out between, two or more of the substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere side substrate carrier replacement port of the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus A vertical processing system that performs vacuum processing in a state in which the substrate is substantially upright, and a method in which the substrate carrier is horizontally tilted when the substrate is attached to or detached from the substrate carrier. , comprising a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism for preventing interference between the plurality of substrate carriers, as the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when mounting the substrate on the substrate carrier, water one substrate carrier Rotate on the surface, the substrate carrier is tilted horizontally in the direction opposite to the other substrate carrier, and when the mounting is completed, it is restored to its original position, and when removing the substrate from the substrate carrier, One substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane, the substrate carrier is horizontally tilted in a direction opposite to the other substrate carrier, and when the removal is completed, the mechanism is restored to the original position .

The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing the substrate, a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate, and loading and unloading the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. A plurality of preliminary chambers and a substrate carrier slide chamber that is disposed between the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber and moves the substrate carrier to a loading / unloading position of the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber. In the processing apparatus, two or more of the substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere side substrate carrier replacement port of the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus performs vertical processing in which the substrate is substantially upright and performs vacuum processing. A vacuum processing apparatus that is of a mold type and in which, when a substrate is attached to and detached from the substrate carrier, the substrate carrier is horizontally tilted once, and a substrate key for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers. Comprising a rear interference prevention mechanism, as the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when mounting the substrate on the substrate carrier, one of the substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane, the substrate carrier opposite to the other of the substrate carrier Tilt horizontally in the lateral direction, and when the attachment is completed, when the substrate is removed from the substrate carrier, one substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane, and the substrate carrier The structure is a mechanism that tilts horizontally in the direction opposite to the substrate carrier and restores to the original position when the removal is completed .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum processing apparatus for vacuum processing a substrate, a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate, and transporting the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. And two or more of the substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere-side substrate carrier replacement port of the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing device can hold the substrate substantially upright. A vacuum processing apparatus that performs a vacuum process in a state in which the substrate carrier is attached to the substrate carrier, and when the substrate is attached to or detached from the substrate carrier, the substrate carrier is temporarily tilted horizontally. comprising a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism to prevent interference, as the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when mounting the substrate on the substrate carrier, at least one substrate carrier, the preliminary When moving horizontally to the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement, tilting in the same direction as the direction in which the other substrate carrier is waiting by providing a predetermined gap with the other substrate carrier, When restoring the original position and removing the substrate from the substrate carrier, move at least one substrate carrier horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the spare chamber, A mechanism is provided in which a predetermined gap is provided and the other substrate carrier is tilted horizontally in the same direction as the standby, and is restored to the original position when the removal is completed .

The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 4 carries a vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing a substrate, a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate, and transports the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. A plurality of preliminary chambers and a substrate carrier slide chamber that is disposed between the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber and moves the substrate carrier to a loading / unloading position of the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber. In the processing apparatus, two or more of the substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere side substrate carrier replacement port of the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus performs vertical processing in which the substrate is substantially upright and performs vacuum processing. A vacuum processing apparatus that is of a mold type and in which, when a substrate is attached to and detached from the substrate carrier, the substrate carrier is horizontally tilted once, and a substrate key for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers. Comprising a rear interference prevention mechanism, moving As the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when mounting the substrate on the substrate carrier, at least one substrate carrier horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the preliminary chamber Tilted horizontally in the same direction as the other substrate carrier is waiting with a predetermined gap from the other substrate carrier, and when the mounting is completed, it is restored to its original position, and from the substrate carrier When removing the substrate, at least one substrate carrier is moved horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement to the spare chamber, and a predetermined gap is provided between the other substrate carrier and the other substrate carrier is on standby. The structure is a mechanism that is tilted horizontally in the same direction as the moving direction and restored to the original position when the removal is completed .

The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 5 is configured such that a horizontal transfer robot that horizontally attaches and detaches the substrate to and from the substrate carrier is used as the substrate transfer robot.

Since the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following excellent effects.
(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, while one substrate carrier enters the spare chamber, the substrate is transferred to another substrate carrier, and evacuation or venting in the spare chamber is performed. Since the blank time is reduced, the tact time of vacuum processing can be shortened and the production efficiency is improved.
(2) Even when the substrate is enlarged, a plurality of substrate carriers can be arranged in a state where installation space is suppressed, and productivity can be improved.
(3) Further, when the substrate is enlarged, the effect of wind pressure applied to the substrate can be suppressed, and a vacuum processing apparatus provided with a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism having a short operation time can be obtained.

( 4 ) According to the structure described in claim 2, while one substrate carrier enters one spare chamber, the substrate is transferred to the other substrate carrier, and vacuum exhaust or Since the blank time of the vent is reduced, the tact time of vacuum processing can be shortened and the production efficiency is improved.
(5) Even when the substrate is enlarged, a plurality of substrate carriers can be arranged in a state where installation space is suppressed, and productivity can be improved.
(6) Further, when the substrate is enlarged, the effect of wind pressure applied to the substrate can be suppressed, and a vacuum processing apparatus provided with a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism having a short operation time can be obtained.

( 7 ) When configured as described in claim 3 or 4, when the size of the substrate is medium, a vacuum processing apparatus having a substrate carrier interference preventing mechanism with a simple configuration can be provided.

( 8 ) When configured as described in claim 5 , the substrate can be attached and detached with one horizontal transfer robot, and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention.
2 and 3 are partially cut plan views for explaining the features of an embodiment of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention.

First, the main structure of the vacuum processing apparatus 10 of this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, like the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 100, has a substrate attaching / detaching unit 20 and a plurality (three in the drawing) of vacuum processing chambers 130, 132, 134, and A vacuum exhaust device 150 is provided.

On the other hand, as a first feature of the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, there are a plurality (2 in the illustrated example) of the L / UL chambers 30A, 30B, and the L / UL chambers 30A, 30B. Substrate carriers 12A and 12B are prepared in the substrate replacement ports 30Aa and 30Ba, respectively.
Also, since there are a plurality of L / UL chambers 30A and 30B, the substrate carrier 12A and 12B is controlled to the loading / unloading positions of the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B and the first vacuum processing chamber 130. Is arranged.

  In addition, as a second feature of the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when the substrate carriers 12A and 12B are tilted horizontally for attaching and detaching the substrate 24, the plurality of substrate carriers 12A and 12B are A substrate carrier interference preventing mechanism 50 is provided to prevent the two from contacting each other.

If this mechanism 50 is not provided, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to avoid contact between the substrate carriers 12A and 12B, the two L / UL chambers 30A and 30B must be separated to some extent.
This does not greatly affect the installation space of the entire apparatus 10 when the substrate 24 is small, but when the substrate 24 is 2 m class or higher, the substrate carrier slide adjacent to the two L / UL chambers 30A and 30B. As the chamber 40 becomes larger and the entire apparatus 10 becomes excessive, the number of vacuum processing apparatuses 10 that can be arranged in the clean room is limited, and there is a risk that costs such as construction cost and maintenance cost of the clean room increase. Yes.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the substrate carrier interference preventing mechanism 50, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, one substrate carrier 12A is rotated on a horizontal plane, and the substrate carrier 12A is tilted horizontally to move the substrate 24. When attaching / detaching, a rotation method is adopted in which the substrate carrier 12B is tilted horizontally in the opposite direction, and when the attachment / detachment of the substrate 24 is completed, the original position is restored.

  As described above, when the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism 50 is configured, the gap between the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B is increased in conjunction with the size of the substrate even when the substrate 24 is enlarged to 2 m class or larger. There is no need, and the size of the adjacent substrate carrier slide chamber 40 can be minimized, and at the same time, the installation space of the vacuum processing apparatus 10 can be kept small.

  In particular, when vacuum processing is performed on a huge substrate 24 of 2 m class or higher, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate carrier 12A is slid in the direction of the arrow as indicated by the solid line from the wavy line, so that the substrate carriers 12A and 12B are Since the air resistance is less than when avoiding the contact, stable operation is possible.

Next, the basic operation of the vacuum processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
Among the plurality of substrate carriers 12A and 12B, for example, one substrate carrier 12A is rotated horizontally by the substrate carrier interference preventing mechanism 50 in the substrate attaching / detaching unit 20 as shown in FIG. The unprocessed substrate is transferred from the transfer robot 22, which is a single horizontal transfer robot, and enters any of the plurality of L / UL chambers 30A and 30B that are open to the atmosphere.

  When the substrate carrier 12A enters one of the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B, the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B are evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum. ) Is opened, and the substrate carrier slide chamber 40 is withdrawn.

When the substrate carrier 12A enters the substrate carrier slide chamber 40, the position of the substrate carrier 12A is controlled to the entry position of the first vacuum processing chamber 130 by a position control mechanism (not shown) of the substrate carrier slide chamber 40, and the vacuum processing chamber 130 Sent out.
After that, as in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 100, vacuum processing such as film formation is performed in the first to third vacuum processing chambers 130, 132, and 134, and the liquid is returned to the substrate carrier slide chamber 40, where L / UL The position is controlled to one of the entry positions of the chambers 30A and 30B, and the user enters one of the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B.

  When the substrate carrier 12A enters one of the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B, the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B are released to the atmosphere, and the substrate carrier 12A is retreated to the substrate attaching / detaching unit 20, and is transferred by the substrate transfer robot 22. The processing substrate 24 is removed.

By the way, in the vacuum processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, while one substrate carrier 12A enters one of the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B and is evacuated, the other substrate carrier 12B has a horizontal The unprocessed substrate 24 can be transferred by the transfer robot 22.
Therefore, in the conventional vacuum processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, it takes time to transfer the substrate carrier 140 from the L / UL chamber 120 to the vacuum side and to evacuate the L / UL chamber 120. However, there is a feature that the blank of this time can be reduced, the tact can be shortened, and the production efficiency can be improved.

  Further, as described above, even when the size of the substrate 24 is increased by the substrate carrier interference preventing mechanism 50, it is not necessary to increase the interval between the L / UL chambers 30A and 30B in conjunction with the increase in size. The size of the carrier slide chamber 40 is also minimized, and the space of the apparatus 10 can be saved.

The vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
For example, in the vacuum processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the example in which a single substrate carrier is disposed in each of the plurality of L / UL chambers has been described. However, the first feature of the present invention is that a plurality of substrate carriers are disposed. While one substrate carrier is evacuated or released to the atmosphere in the L / UL chamber, other substrate carriers can be removed and mounted by a transfer robot, eliminating the problem of blank time in the L / UL chamber. Therefore, when a plurality of substrate carriers are arranged in front of the substrate exchange port of a single L / UL chamber, or a plurality of substrate carriers are arranged in front of the substrate exchange ports of a plurality of L / UL chambers. Of course, the present invention also includes the case.

In the above embodiment, the substrate interference prevention mechanism is configured to rotate one substrate carrier on a horizontal plane and horizontally tilt the substrate carrier in the opposite direction to the other substrate carriers when the substrate is attached or detached. Explained with things.
As described above, in particular, when a huge substrate of 2 m class or higher is transferred in the atmosphere, such a structure that is reversed is advantageous in consideration of wind pressure.
However, if you do not need to consider the effect of wind pressure, such as when transferring a medium substrate, for example, slide one substrate carrier so that it does not interfere with other substrate carriers. Since the substrate may be attached and detached, the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism is not necessarily limited to that described in the above embodiment.

It is a top view which shows the main structures of the vacuum processing apparatus of one embodiment of this invention. It is a partially cut top view explaining the characteristic of the vacuum processing apparatus of this invention. It is a partially cut top view explaining the characteristic of the vacuum processing apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows the main structures of the conventional vacuum processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

10: Vacuum processing apparatus 12A, 12B: Substrate carrier
20: Substrate attaching / detaching portion
22: Horizontal transfer robot 30A, 30B: L / UL room (spare room)
30Aa, 30Ba: Substrate replacement port
40: Substrate carrier slide chamber
50: Substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism 130, 132, 134: Vacuum processing chamber

Claims (5)

A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing a substrate; a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate; and a preliminary chamber for transporting the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. In
Two or more substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere-side substrate carrier replacement port in the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus is a vertical type that performs vacuum processing in a state where the substrate is substantially upright. And, when attaching and detaching the substrate to and from the substrate carrier, it is a vacuum processing apparatus of a method of once tilting the substrate carrier horizontally, and includes a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers, As the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when attaching a substrate to the substrate carrier, one substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane, and the substrate carrier is tilted horizontally in the opposite direction to the other substrate carrier, When the attachment is completed, the substrate is restored to the original position, and when removing the substrate from the substrate carrier, one substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane to Carrier horizontally reclined on the opposite side direction to the other of the substrate carrier, the removal is complete, the vacuum processing apparatus which is a mechanism to restore to its original position. A vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing the substrate; a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate; a plurality of spare chambers for carrying the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side; And a substrate carrier slide chamber disposed between the vacuum processing chamber and moving the substrate carrier to a loading / unloading position of the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber,
Two or more substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere-side substrate carrier replacement port in the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus is a vertical type that performs vacuum processing in a state where the substrate is substantially upright. And, when attaching and detaching the substrate to and from the substrate carrier, it is a vacuum processing apparatus of a method of once tilting the substrate carrier horizontally, and includes a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers, As the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when attaching a substrate to the substrate carrier, one substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane, and the substrate carrier is tilted horizontally in the opposite direction to the other substrate carrier, When the attachment is completed, the substrate is restored to the original position, and when removing the substrate from the substrate carrier, one substrate carrier is rotated on a horizontal plane to Carrier horizontally reclined on the opposite side direction to the other of the substrate carrier, the removal is complete, the vacuum processing apparatus which is a mechanism to restore to its original position. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing a substrate; a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate; and a preliminary chamber for transporting the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. In
Two or more substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere-side substrate carrier replacement port in the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus is a vertical type that performs vacuum processing in a state where the substrate is substantially upright. And, when attaching and detaching the substrate to and from the substrate carrier, it is a vacuum processing apparatus of a method of once tilting the substrate carrier horizontally, and includes a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers, As the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when attaching a substrate to the substrate carrier, at least one substrate carrier is moved horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the spare chamber, Tilt horizontally in the same direction as the other substrate carrier waiting with a predetermined gap, and when the attachment is completed, the original position is restored and the substrate key is restored. When removing the substrate from the rear, at least one substrate carrier is moved horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction to the spare chamber, and a predetermined gap is provided between the other substrate carrier and the other substrate carrier. The vacuum processing apparatus is a mechanism that is tilted horizontally in the same direction as the waiting direction and is restored to its original position when the removal is completed . A vacuum processing chamber for vacuum processing the substrate; a substrate carrier for mounting and transporting the substrate; a plurality of spare chambers for carrying the substrate between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side; And a substrate carrier slide chamber disposed between the vacuum processing chamber and moving the substrate carrier to a loading / unloading position of the preliminary chamber and the vacuum processing chamber,
Two or more substrate carriers can be arranged in front of the atmosphere-side substrate carrier replacement port in the preliminary chamber, and the vacuum processing apparatus is a vertical type that performs vacuum processing in a state where the substrate is substantially upright. And, when attaching and detaching the substrate to and from the substrate carrier, it is a vacuum processing apparatus of a method of once tilting the substrate carrier horizontally, and includes a substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism for preventing interference between a plurality of substrate carriers, As the substrate carrier interference prevention mechanism, when attaching a substrate to the substrate carrier, at least one substrate carrier is moved horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction to the spare chamber, Tilt horizontally in the same direction as the other substrate carrier waiting with a predetermined gap, and when the attachment is completed, the original position is restored and the substrate key is restored. When removing the substrate from the rear, at least one substrate carrier is moved horizontally in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction to the spare chamber, and a predetermined gap is provided between the other substrate carrier and the other substrate carrier. The vacuum processing apparatus is a mechanism that is tilted horizontally in the same direction as the waiting direction and is restored to its original position when the removal is completed . 5. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a horizontal transfer robot that horizontally attaches and detaches the substrate to and from the substrate carrier is used as the substrate transfer robot.

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