JPS6317333B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to automatic transport in an in-line processing apparatus, and particularly to a transport mechanism that vertically attaches a sample such as a semiconductor wafer to a frame-shaped tray and transports the sample.

(b) Background of the Technology In the semiconductor process, various physical and chemical treatments are performed on integrated circuit boards under strict control conditions, and high reliability is required. On the other hand, productivity is increasing as ICs, LSIs, etc. become more widespread in various industrial fields. Further, as microfabrication technology advances, semiconductor wafers are becoming larger in diameter, and higher integration and density are required. For this reason, automation of processing equipment has become an essential condition for semiconductor processing in order to improve yield or maintain quality.

(c) Conventional technology and problems In a typical MOSIC manufacturing process, 40 to 60
Processing steps are necessary, and one example thereof is a sputtering apparatus for depositing and forming an alloy metal film such as a metal film or a silicide film on a semiconductor wafer. Usually, in-line processing equipment equipped with an automatic feeding mechanism is used to achieve stable quality and mass production.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional in-line type sputtering apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputtering processing chamber.

In the figure, a semiconductor wafer 2 is supplied to a sputter processing chamber 1 by being transferred from a carrier 4 to a rubber belt or chain belt 5 in a first loading chamber 3, and introduced through a first load lock chamber 6. The processed semiconductor wafer 2 is again transferred to the chain belt 5, and is housed in the carrier 4 via the second load lock chamber 6' and the second loading chamber 3'. The semiconductor wafer 2 placed on the chain belt 5 is moved horizontally and transferred to the wafer holder 7 in the sputter processing chamber 1 as shown in FIG. 2, and the wafer holder 7 is moved to a position facing the sputter gun 8. Spatter treated.

In the in-line device configured in this manner, the semiconductor wafer 2 is maintained horizontally, and the film quality is degraded by fine dust adhering to the wafer. Further, the peripheral portion may hit the conveyance mechanism and be damaged due to falling from the chain belt 5 or misalignment. The mechanical structure, such as the shielding structure of the sputter processing chamber 1 and the movement of the wafer holder 7, is complicated, making it easy to break down and making maintenance difficult.

(d) Purpose of the Invention The present invention prevents the adhesion of dust and damage to semiconductor wafers on the way of the processing process in a processing apparatus, and prevents damage to the semiconductor wafers when processing spatter on the wafers.
The object of the present invention is to provide an in-line processing device that can be miniaturized and does not require operations such as transferring to a wafer holder or changing the surface of the wafer to be processed, and can easily accommodate changes in wafer size.

(e) Structure of the Invention According to the present invention, a guide rail having a tray conveyance mechanism on at least one side is provided above and below the wafer processing path, and a frame-shaped frame on which the wafer is vertically mounted is provided. The tray has a coupling part on either the upper or lower side, and the tray is supported between the upper and lower guide rails so that the coupling part is coupled with the conveyance mechanism of the guide rail, and the tray is moved through the coupling part by the conveyance operation of the conveyance mechanism. This is accomplished by an in-line processing device characterized in that the trays are conveyed in the process direction.

(f) Examples of the invention Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an in-line type processing apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of main parts showing the conveyance drive system of FIG. 3, and FIG.
It is a sectional view of section A'.

In the figure, a semiconductor wafer 12 is placed in a vacuum processing chamber 11.
Upper and lower guide rails 13, 1 are installed in the conveyance system that conveys the
Tray 1 is installed between the upper and lower guide rails.
Install 5. The wafer 12 is housed in the tray 15 in the first loading chamber 16 . The lower guide rail is provided with a grooved rotating shaft that is interlocked by a motor drive as a tray conveyance mechanism, and the groove and tray 1
The concave and convex portions, which are connecting portions provided at the lower part of the tray 15, are engaged with each other, and the tray 15 is sequentially transferred to the load lock chamber 17 (vacuum preparatory chamber) and then to the vacuum processing chamber 11. In the vacuum processing chamber 11, the material is stopped at a predetermined position by a stopper, and sputter processing is performed in that state.

After the sputtering process, the wafer 12 is sent to the second loading chamber 16' via the second load lock 17', and the processed wafer 12 is removed from the tray 15 and stored in a wafer carrier. By repeating this operation, an automated processing device is obtained. The drive system is shown in Figure 4.
As shown in FIG. 5, the upper guide rail 13 is provided with a rotary roller 18 that rotates freely, while the lower guide rail 14 supports a grooved rotary shaft 20 that is interlocked with a motor as a transport mechanism and a tray 15. Rollers 18' are provided, and the tray 15 is sandwiched between these guide rails. The grooved rotary shaft 20 is driven to rotate by the drive of the motor, and the uneven portion 21 as a connecting portion provided on the lower edge of the tray 15 is connected to the groove 2.
0a and the engaging tray 15 are moved by the rotation of the grooved rotating shaft 20.

By giving forward and reverse rotation to the motor, it is easy to transport in the opposite direction, and in this case, the left and right loading chambers can be used alternately. In addition, the degree of vacuum is particularly important in equipment that performs vacuum evacuation such as sputtering equipment, and a sensor that monitors the degree of vacuum, such as a vacuum gauge, opens and closes the gate valves between each chamber based on instructions, and simultaneously controls the opening and closing of the gate valves and the conveyance drive system. do. That is, the conveyance tray is stopped while the gate valve is closed. That is, the grooved rotating shaft 20 is stopped.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view A and a side view B showing a tray.

In the figure, a wafer 12 is lifted from a wafer cassette 22 by a blade 23, and transferred to a tray 15 shown in FIG. 7 by an electrostatic chuck device. A grooved rotating shaft (fourth
Uneven part 2 formed with the same pitch as the groove in Fig. 20)
1 is provided and meshed and fitted with the groove. In addition, the tray 15 has a window 15a approximately in the center thereof to expose the surface of the wafer 12 to be processed, and a support piece 15b is provided to prevent the wafer 12 from falling off. The tray 15 is made of heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant quartz, stainless steel, or the like.

Although this embodiment describes an in-line type processing apparatus that performs sputter processing, it goes without saying that the present invention may be applied to other processing apparatuses.

(g) Effects of the invention As explained in detail above, by providing an in-line processing apparatus having the conveyance mechanism of the present invention,
Compared to the conventional method, damage to wafers and contamination by dust are improved, and the apparatus becomes simpler and more compact.
Because it uses tray transportation, it has great effects such as being able to handle wafers of different inch sizes by exchanging trays, and its range of applications is wide.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional in-line type sputtering device, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputter processing chamber, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an in-line type processing device which is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The figure is a schematic diagram of main parts showing the conveyance drive unit in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is A- in Figure 4.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a loading mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view A and a side view B showing a tray. In the figure, 11... vacuum processing chamber, 12... wafer,
13, 14...Guide rail, 15...Tray,
16... Loading chamber, 17... Load lock chamber, 18... Rotating roller, 20... Grooved rotating shaft,
21... uneven portion, 22... wafer cassette, 23
……blade.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Guide rails having a tray transport mechanism on at least one side are provided above and below the wafer processing path, and the frame-shaped tray on which the wafer is vertically mounted has a connecting part on either the top or bottom, and the tray is supported between the upper and lower guide rails so that the joint part is joined to the transport mechanism of the guide rail, and the tray is transported in the process direction via the joint part by the transport operation of the transport mechanism. In-line processing equipment.