Multi-chamber system having compact installation set-up for an etching facility for semiconductor device manufacturing

Abstract

A multi-chamber system of an etching facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices occupies a minimum amount of floor space in a cleanroom by installing a plurality of processing chambers in multi-layers and in parallel along a transfer path situated between the processing chambers. The multi-layers number 2 to 5 , and the transfer path can be rectangular in shape and need only be slightly wider than the diameter of a wafer. The total width of the multi-chamber system is the sum of the width of one processing chamber plus the width of the transfer path.

1 - 32 . (canceled)  
   
   
       33 . A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices in a multi-chamber wafer processing system, comprising: 
 mounting on a cassette stage a cassette that has wafers stacked thereon;    providing a plurality of processing chambers adapted to process the wafers under vacuum pressure;    providing a first load lock chamber adapted to pass wafers to and from the plurality of processing chambers;    maintaining a horizontal transfer path at atmospheric pressure, the transfer path providing space for transportation of wafers between the cassette stage and the load lock chamber; and    loading and unloading the wafers stacked on the cassette stage to and from the load lock chamber using a transfer mechanism installed in the transfer path.    
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the wafers are vacuum absorbed to the transfer mechanism while being loaded and unloaded from the cassette stage to and from the load lock chamber.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the transfer mechanism includes a plurality of transfer arms, said loading and unloading of the wafers comprising transferring a plurality of wafers using the plurality of transfer arms.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 33 , where the plurality of process chambers and the first load lock chamber are aligned along a first direction in parallel with the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising: 
 providing a second plurality of processing chambers adapted to process the wafers under vacuum pressure; and    providing a second load lock chamber adapted to pass the wafers to and from the second plurality of processing chambers.    
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37 , further comprising transferring the wafers from the first load lock chamber to the second load lock chamber using a second transfer mechanism in the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37 , where the first and second plurality of process chambers and the first and second load lock chambers are all aligned along a first direction in parallel with the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising, after a process is performed in one processing chamber, moving wafers to another processing chamber for a subsequent process without passing through the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       41 . A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices in a multi-chamber wafer processing system, comprising: 
 providing a wafer on a wafer stage;    transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along a horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to a first load lock chamber;    providing a vacuum pressure in the first load lock chamber;    transferring the wafer from the first load lock chamber to a first process chamber;    performing a first process on the wafer under a vacuum pressure in the first process chamber;    transferring the wafer from the first process chamber to a second process chamber;    performing a second process on the wafer under a vacuum pressure in the second process chamber;    transferring the wafer from the second process chamber to the first load lock chamber;    providing an atmospheric pressure in the first load lock chamber; and    transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the first load lock chamber to the wafer stage.    
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , where the first and second process chambers and the first load lock chamber are all aligned along a first direction in parallel with the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along a horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to the first load lock chamber includes vacuum absorbing the wafer to a transfer mechanism in the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 43 , further comprising transferring a second wafer from a second load lock chamber to a third load lock chamber under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path by vacuum absorbing the second wafer to a second transfer mechanism in the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44 , where the plurality of process chambers and the first, second, and third load lock chambers are all aligned along a first direction in parallel with the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the first load lock chamber to the wafer stage comprises: 
 transferring the wafer from the first load lock chamber to a second load lock chamber under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path; and    transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the second load lock chamber to the wafer stage.    
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 46 , where the plurality of process chambers and the first and second load lock chambers are all aligned along a first direction in parallel with the horizontal transfer path.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising: 
 providing a second wafer on the wafer stage; and    transferring the second wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to the first load lock chamber at a same time as transferring the first wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to the first load lock chamber, where the first and second wafers are transferred on two different transfer arms.    
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein transferring the wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to the load lock chamber comprises moving the transfer arm horizontally using a motor or a pneumatic cylinder.  
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the load lock chamber is located at a first side of the transfer path, and the cassette stage is located at a second side of the transfer path, the first side of the transfer path being opposite to the second side of the transfer path.  
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising: 
 providing a second wafer on the wafer stage; and    transferring the second wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from a second wafer stage to a second load lock chamber at a same time as transferring the first wafer under atmospheric pressure along the horizontal transfer path from the wafer stage to the load lock chamber.    
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising transferring the wafer from a first transfer mechanism in the horizontal transfer path to a second transfer mechanism in the horizontal transfer path.