Vacuum processing system and vacuum processing method of semiconductor processing substrate

Abstract

A vacuum processing system of a semiconductor processing substrate and a vacuum processing method using the same comprises an atmospheric transfer chamber having a plurality of cassette stands for transferring a wafer, a lock chamber for storing the wafer transferred from the atmospheric transfer chamber, a first vacuum transfer chamber to which the wafer from the lock chamber is transferred, a transfer intermediate chamber connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber, a second vacuum transfer chamber connected to the transfer intermediate chamber, at least one vacuum processing chamber connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber, and two or more vacuum processing chambers connected to a rear side of the second vacuum transfer chamber, wherein the number of vacuum processing chambers connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber is smaller than the number of vacuum processing chambers connected to the second vacuum transfer chamber, or the number of use of vacuum processing chambers connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber is restricted to one.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A vacuum processing apparatus which processes semiconductor wafers, comprising:
 an atmospheric transfer housing having a plurality of cassette stands arranged on a front side thereof, the wafer being stored in a cassette disposed on one of the plurality of cassette stands and the wafers being transferred in a space disposed inside the atmospheric transfer housing;   a lock chamber unit arranged on a rear side of the atmospheric transfer housing, an interior space of the lock chamber unit being configured to store the plurality of wafers therein;   a first vacuum transfer chamber connected to a rear side of the lock chamber unit, an inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber being configured to be evacuated and through which the wafer is transferred;   a second vacuum transfer chamber disposed in a rear side of the first vacuum transfer chamber, an inside of the second vacuum transfer chamber being configured to be evacuated and through which the wafer is transferred;   a transfer intermediate unit which is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber, an interior space of the transfer intermediate unit being configured to store the plurality of wafers and to communicate with the inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber;   a first transfer robot and a second transfer robot disposed in the first vacuum transfer and the second vacuum transfer chamber, respectively, each transfer robot including a plurality of arms on which the wafer is mounted and transferred;   a first vacuum processing chamber coupled to a lateral side of the first vacuum transfer chamber for processing the wafer transferred thereto from the first vacuum transfer chamber;   a second vacuum processing chamber coupled to a lateral side or a rear side of the second vacuum transfer chamber for processing the wafer transferred thereto from the second vacuum transfer chamber;   a control unit which controls an operation of the transfer of the plurality of wafers transferred into the lock chamber unit, the operation of the transfer of the plurality of wafers being held by the first and second transfer robot;   wherein a time period for transferring the wafer by the first transfer robot between the lock chamber unit and the first vacuum processing chamber and a time period for transferring the wafer by the second transfer robot between the transfer intermediate unit and the second vacuum processing chamber is longer than a time period for transferring the wafer by the first transfer robot between the lock chamber unit and the transfer intermediate unit; and   wherein the control unit is configured to control the operation transferring sequentially the plurality of wafers transferred into the lock chamber unit from the space in the atmospheric transfer housing so that the each of the plurality of wafers is transferred by the first transfer robot from the lock chamber unit to the first vacuum processing chamber and is processed therein and thereafter transferred back to the lock chamber unit by the first transfer robot, or is transferred by the first transfer robot from the lock chamber unit to the transfer intermediate unit and transferred by the second transfer robot from the transfer intermediate unit to the second vacuum processing chamber via the second vacuum transfer chamber and is processed therein and thereafter transferred back to the transfer intermediate unit by the second transfer robot and transferred back from the transfer intermediate unit to the lock chamber unit by the first transfer robot; and   the control unit is further configured to control the operation of the transfer so that a number of the wafers transferred to the second vacuum processing chamber and processed therein during a predetermined time is larger than a number of the wafers transferred to the first vacuum processing chamber and processed therein during the predetermined time.   
     
     
         2 . A vacuum processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control the operation of the transfer of the plurality of wafers sequentially from the lock chamber unit to the one of the first or second vacuum processing chamber and transferred back to the lock chamber unit, so that an amount of time periods for transferring the wafers between the transfer intermediate unit and the second vacuum transfer chamber is larger than an amount of time periods for transferring the wafers between the lock chamber unit and the first vacuum transfer chamber. 
     
     
         3 . An operating method of a vacuum processing apparatus which processes semiconductor wafers, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising:
 an atmospheric transfer housing having a plurality of cassette stands arranged on a front side thereof, the wafer being stored in a cassette disposed on one of the plurality of cassette stands and the wafers being transferred in a space disposed inside the atmospheric transfer housing;   a lock chamber unit arranged on a rear side of the atmospheric transfer housing, an interior space of the lock chamber unit being configured to store the plurality of wafers therein;   a first vacuum transfer chamber connected to a rear side of the lock chamber unit, an inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber being configured to be evacuated and through which the wafer is transferred;   a second vacuum transfer chamber disposed in a rear side of the first vacuum transfer chamber, an inside of the second vacuum transfer chamber being configured to be evacuated and through which the wafer is transferred;   a transfer intermediate unit which is disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber, an interior space of the transfer intermediate unit being configured to store the plurality of wafers and to communicate with the inside of the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber;   a first transfer robot and a second transfer robot disposed in the first vacuum transfer and the second vacuum transfer chamber, respectively, each transfer robot including a plurality of arms on which the wafer is mounted and transferred;   a first vacuum processing chamber coupled to a lateral side of the first vacuum transfer chamber for processing the wafer transferred thereto from the first vacuum transfer chamber; a second vacuum processing chamber coupled to a lateral side or a rear side of the second vacuum transfer chamber for processing the wafer transferred thereto from the second vacuum transfer chamber;   wherein a time period for transferring the wafer by the first transfer robot between the lock chamber unit and the first vacuum processing chamber and a time period for transferring the wafer by the second transfer robot between the transfer intermediate unit and the second vacuum processing chamber is longer than a time period for transferring the wafer by the first transfer robot between the lock chamber unit and the transfer intermediate unit; and   the operation method of the vacuum processing apparatus comprises:   transferring the plurality of wafers sequentially which are transferred from the space in the atmospheric housing into the lock chamber unit so that the each of the plurality of wafers is transferred by the first transfer robot from the lock chamber unit to the first vacuum processing chamber and is processed therein and thereafter transferred back to the lock chamber unit by the first transfer robot, or is transferred by the first transfer robot from the lock chamber unit to the transfer intermediate unit by the first transfer robot and transferred by the second transfer robot from the transfer intermediate unit to the second vacuum processing chamber via the second vacuum transfer chamber and is processed therein and thereafter transferred back to the transfer intermediate unit by the second transfer robot and transferred back from the transfer intermediate unit to the lock chamber unit by the first transfer robot; and   wherein a number of the wafers transferred to the second vacuum processing chamber and processed therein during a predetermined time is larger than a number of the wafers transferred to the first vacuum processing chamber and processed therein during the predetermined time.   
     
     
         4 . An operation method of the vacuum processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein an amount of time periods for transferring the wafers between the transfer intermediate unit and the second vacuum transfer chamber is larger than an amount of time periods for transferring the wafers between the lock chamber unit and the first vacuum transfer chamber.