JPH03109727A - Equipment for manufacture of semiconductor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] It relates to a semiconductor manufacturing device, and in particular, it is equipped with a plurality of processing chambers and a wafer transport mechanism in a common vacuum chamber, and is capable of performing a plurality of processes such as dry etching and resist removal on semiconductor wafers. Regarding automated single-wafer vacuum processing equipment, at least one load lock is installed in a common vacuum chamber that is evacuated, with the aim of improving the throughput during mass production of multi-chamber vacuum processing equipment. A multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus including a plurality of processing chambers arranged radially, and a rotary transfer mechanism for transferring wafers between the processing chambers is provided in the center, the rotary transfer mechanism is configured to transfer wafers between the processing chambers. This configuration has the same number of transfer arms as chambers.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a single-wafer type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that is equipped with a plurality of processing chambers and a wafer transport mechanism in a common vacuum chamber, and that automatically performs a plurality of processes on semiconductor wafers, such as dry etching and resist removal. Related to vacuum processing equipment.

Recent ASIC (Application 5P)
Semiconductor integrated circuit devices such as ICs are manufactured in small quantities with a wide variety of types, so the processing of these wafers requires not only mass production but also processing flexibility.

For this reason, it is called a multi-chamber system in which multiple reaction chambers and load lock chambers are arranged radially around a central wafer transfer mechanism, and wafers are transferred between these reaction chambers and load lock chambers using a rotating transfer mechanism. Vacuum processing equipment has been proposed.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional vacuum processing equipment places emphasis on mass production, with processing chambers for performing multiple dry etching processes, ashing processes, etc. arranged in a row, with a load lock chamber for carrying in at the front and a load rotor chamber for carrying out at the rear; A linear transfer mechanism was provided to sequentially move wafers between a plurality of vacuum chambers. With this device, the order of multiple processes is fixed, and there is no flexibility to change the combination of processes as needed (and it is not suitable for manufacturing ASICs, etc., where the combination of processes varies depending on the type. A multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus as shown in the figure has been proposed.This has, for example, four processing chambers consisting of a load lock chamber 2 and three reaction chambers 3, 4, 5 in a common vacuum chamber, and a loading/unloading gate. A transport arm 7, which is arranged radially toward the center and expands and contracts and rotates 360 degrees to carry the wafer into and out of the stage of each processing chamber, is provided at the center of the processing chamber arrangement. The arm 71 is extended toward the processing chamber where the wafer to be transferred exists, and the tray 72 at the tip picks up the wafer on the stage, and then it is reduced and rotated by the rotating shaft 73 to the processing chamber to which the wafer is to be transferred.Then, the arm extends and places the wafer on the stage within the processing chamber.By arranging the processing chamber and rotation mechanism in this way, the wafer can be placed on the bus without passing through unnecessary processing chambers. This allows for greater freedom in combining processes compared to in-line transport type processing equipment, making it possible to realize a flexible vacuum processing equipment.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional vacuum equipment mentioned above, when wafers with the same combination of processing processes are continuously mass-produced, since there is only one transfer arm, it is possible to transfer only one wafer at a time, and the wafer transfers are serial in time. Therefore, there was a problem of poor throughput when performing multiple processes.

This will be explained using the time sequence diagram in FIG.

The figure is a time chart showing the flow of wafers in a dry etching apparatus equipped with four processing chambers including one load-lock chamber. Processing chamber 1 performs evacuation and leakage in order to carry wafers into and out of the vacuum chamber. The load lock chamber and processing chamber 2.3.4 are reaction chambers 1.2.3 in which processes such as dry etching and post-processing are performed. The wafer introduced into the load-lock chamber is transported between reaction chambers by one transport arm, and after being sequentially subjected to prescribed processing in each reaction chamber, it is transported to the load-lock chamber again and taken out of the apparatus. It shows a series of processes.

The wafer #l supplied to the processing chamber 1 (load lock chamber) is transferred to the processing chamber 1 (load lock chamber) by the transfer time T12.
is transported to processing chamber 2 (first reaction chamber) for processing time P1.
After the predetermined processing is performed in the processing chamber 2 at the transport time T23,
from there to the processing chamber 3 (second reaction chamber). Wafer #1
While the second process is being performed in the second reaction chamber for a process time of P2, the transfer arm transfers two wafers #2 to T12.
The sample is transported from the processing chamber 1 (load lock chamber) to the processing chamber 2 (first reaction chamber). Next, processing chamber 3 (second reaction chamber)
The wafer #l that has undergone the second process is transported to the processing chamber 4 (third reaction chamber) for a transport time T34,
Third processing is performed. During this time, the transfer arm transfers wafer #2 from processing chamber 3 to processing chamber 4 by T23, and then transfers wafer #2 from processing chamber 3 to processing chamber 4, and then transfers the third wafer #2 newly supplied to the load lock chamber.
3 must be transported from processing chamber 1 to processing chamber 2 during transport chamber time T12. As described above, since the transfer arm is exclusively used for transferring other wafers, the wafer #l in the processing chamber 4, which has undergone the processing 3, cannot be transferred to the processing chamber I (load rotter chamber). For this reason T23+T12
>P3, a transfer waiting time occurs for wafer 1. That is, even if the wafer has been processed and is ready to be transported, it cannot be transported. Similarly, in a steady state where wafers are present in all processing chambers, the time (takt time) from when all the processing of a wafer is completed and taken out from the load lock chamber until the next wafer is taken out is T34. T23. Since this time is defined by the sum of T12 and this time is long, there is a problem that conventional equipment has low processing capacity and is not suitable for mass production.

The present invention was created in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the throughput of a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus during mass production.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above problem is solved by a common vacuum chamber that is evacuated, in which a plurality of processing chambers including at least one load lock chamber are arranged radially, and a rotary transfer mechanism for transferring wafers between the processing chambers is provided in the center. The problem is solved by the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, which is a multi-chamber type vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that the rotary transfer mechanism has the same number of transfer arms as the processing chambers.

[Effect]

Since the plurality of transfer arms can be rotated in synchronization and the wafers in each processing chamber can be simultaneously transferred to the next processing chamber, transfer waiting time can be eliminated and processing capacity can be increased.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a time sequence diagram showing its operation.

Figure 1 shows an example of a single-wafer type dry etching apparatus having four processing chambers; 1 is a common vacuum chamber that is evacuated to the same degree of vacuum and surrounds the four processing chambers; 2 is a common vacuum chamber that surrounds the four processing chambers; 3.4.5 is a reaction chamber such as a dry etching chamber or a post-processing chamber; Stage 21.3
1.41.51 is provided. These processing rooms are
They are arranged radially toward the center with an opening (not shown) through which wafers are taken in and taken out. Reference numeral 6 denotes a rotary transfer mechanism for transferring wafers between processing chambers, and transfer arms 61 to 64, which are equal to the number of processing chambers (4) including load lock chambers, are attached to a rotating shaft 65 at the same angle as the arrangement angle of the processing chambers. , it is designed to rotate 360° while maintaining the relative angle. Each transfer arm includes an extendable arm 60a and a wafer loading tray 60b at its tip. The figure shows a state where the arm is contracted, and when the arm is extended and shown as a dotted line, a wafer is placed on a tray on a stage in a processing chamber, or a wafer is picked up from the stage onto a tray.

The arms can be extended and retracted independently of each other, but rotated simultaneously. In the contracted state, the arm can rotate independently of the processing chamber, so
Even when other processing chambers are undergoing processing, only some of the transfer arms can be operated to move the wafer between arbitrary processing chambers.

Further, when performing the plurality of processes described above in sequence, all the transfer arms can be operated to simultaneously pick up the wafers in each processing chamber and transfer them to the next processing chamber at the same time.

This operation will be explained using the operation sequence diagram shown in FIG.

First, the first wafer #1 is taken out from the load rotor chamber which has been evacuated by the arm 1 and transported to the stage of the first reaction chamber. While wafer #1 is being processed, second wafer #2 is supplied to the load lock chamber, the gate valve on the supply side is closed, and a predetermined evacuation is performed. When the first reaction of wafer #1 is completed, arm 1 synchronously transports wafer #1 to the second reaction chamber, and arm 2 synchronously transports wafer #2 from the load lock chamber to the first reaction chamber.

In this way, the wafer #1 is transported between the reaction chambers by the arm 1 and sequentially processed, and then transported to the load lock chamber and taken out of the apparatus.

Similarly, wafer #2 is transported by arm, wafer #3 is transported by arm 3, and wafer #4 is transported by arm 4. When the processing in each reaction chamber is completed, each arm takes out a wafer from the opposing processing chamber and simultaneously transfers it to the stage of the next processing chamber. i.e. wafer #4
After time A when the wafer is supplied, the four transfer arms operate simultaneously to transfer each wafer to the next processing chamber.

In this case, the takt time from when one wafer is taken out to when the next wafer is taken out is defined by the sum of the longest processing time of P1 to P3 and the transport time T, and is significantly shortened compared to the conventional 3T. Ru.

In addition, in this radially arranged multi-chamber type vacuum processing equipment, it is possible to bypass unnecessary processing chambers and take out from the load lock chamber only after the first reaction is completed, or to separate the load lock chamber for supply and the load lock chamber for takeout. It has a large degree of freedom in process combinations, such as setting up a separate dry etching chamber and using two reaction chambers as dry etching chambers to simultaneously etch two wafers. By incorporating the arm method, it becomes possible to process with the same processing power as the inline method.

In addition, as another embodiment, instead of the telescopic transport arm, the same number of bending and rotating transport arms as the number of processing chambers may be attached to the rotating shaft. In this case, the joints can be configured with rotary bearings that have excellent dust-proofing effects, and therefore have the advantage that they are easier to use than telescopic arms as a transport mechanism installed in a vacuum chamber.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by providing the same number of transfer arms as processing chambers, it is possible to increase the processing capacity of a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus that has a high degree of freedom in process changes, resulting in excellent mass production and flexibility. It is possible to provide a semiconductor device with a large number of features.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a multi-chamber semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a time sequence diagram showing wafer processing by the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a conventional multi-chamber semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a time sequence diagram showing wafer processing by a conventional apparatus. In the figure, 1--Common vacuum chamber, 2--Load lock chamber, 21--Stage, 3--First reaction chamber, 4--Second reaction chamber, 5--Third reaction chamber. reaction chamber, 31.41.51-... stage, 6-...
One-rotation transport mechanism, 61.62.63.64--transport arm, 64--rotation shaft. ) 1 Multi + γ Shiba Daido of the present invention 1 Hand view side to the side of the main occlusion 2 I Conventional multi 1,000 V Shiba 2 ゛ Semiconductor 1 Clothed pupil placement I 7) Model plane fork figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of processing chambers (2) including at least one load lock chamber (2) within a common vacuum chamber (1) that is evacuated.
, 3, 4, and 5) are arranged radially, and a rotary transfer mechanism (7) for transferring a wafer between the processing chambers is provided in the center, the rotary transfer mechanism comprising: (7) is the processing chamber (2, 3, 4, 5)
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus characterized by having the same number of transfer arms (61, 62, 63, 64).