Substrate processing system and particle removal method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12062557-B2
Application number	US-202117560215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2021
Priority date	Dec 22, 2020
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

A substrate processing system is disclosed, comprising: a vacuum transfer module; a substrate processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process a substrate in a depressurized environment; a load-lock module connected to the vacuum transfer module; at least one substrate cooling stage disposed in the load-lock module; at least one substrate transfer robot disposed the vacuum transfer module and having at least one end effector; and a controller configured to control a particle removal operation. The operation includes: cooling at least one dummy substrate placed on said at least one substrate cooling stage to a first temperature; and holding said at least one end effector in any one of a plurality of positions in the vacuum transfer module or the substrate processing module for a first time period in a state where at least one cooled dummy substrate is placed on said at least one end effector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A substrate processing system comprising:
a vacuum transfer module;
a substrate processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process a substrate in a depressurized environment;
a normal pressure transfer chamber;
a load-lock module connected to the vacuum transfer module and the normal pressure transfer chamber;
at least one substrate cooling stage disposed in the load-lock module;
at least one substrate transfer robot disposed in the vacuum transfer module and having at least one end effector; and
a controller configured to control a particle removal operation,
wherein the particle removal operation includes:
(a) cooling at least one dummy substrate placed on said at least one substrate cooling stage in the load-lock module to a first temperature of 5° C. to 20° C.; and
(b) holding said at least one end effector in any one of a plurality of positions in the vacuum transfer module for a first time period of 30 seconds or longer in a state where at least one cooled dummy substrate is placed on said at least one end effector,
wherein the controller performs said holding (b) after performing said cooling (a), and
during said holding (b), particles within the vacuum transfer module are attached to said at least one cooled dummy substrate.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the first temperature is 10° C. to 15° C.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the first time period is 60 seconds or more.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are alternately repeated multiple times.

5. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are alternately repeated 5 times or more.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , comprising:
a heater, wherein
the controller performs the particle removal operation by, prior to said cooling (a), controlling the heater to heat the substrate processing module or the vacuum transfer module for 3 hours or more.

7. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second substrate cooling stage disposed in a second load-lock module, wherein
said at least one end effector has a first end effector and a second end effector, and
the particle removal operation includes:
(a) cooling a first dummy substrate and a second dummy substrate respectively placed on the at least one substrate cooling stage and the second substrate cooling stage to the first temperature; and
(b) holding the first end effector in a first position among the plurality of positions for the first period and the second end effector in a second position among the plurality of positions for the first period in a state where the cooled first dummy substrate and the cooled second dummy substrate are placed on the first end effector and the second end effector, respectively.

8. A particle removal method for the substrate processing system of claim 1 ,
the particle removal method comprising:
(a) cooling at least one dummy substrate placed on the at least one substrate cooling stage to a first temperature of 5° C. to 20° C.
(b) holding said at least one end effector in any one of a plurality of positions in the vacuum transfer module or in the substrate processing module for a first time period of 30 seconds or more in a state where at least one cooled dummy substrate is placed on said at least one end effector.

9. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein particles removed by the particle removal operation include particles generated by condensation of moisture.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the particle removal operation is performed after the vacuum transfer module is opened to the atmosphere and then is evacuated.

11. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one dummy substrate that has been used in the particle removal operation is heated to 50° C. or higher in a cleaning chamber connected to the vacuum transfer module to thereby remove particles.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein particles are removed from said at least one dummy substrate that has been used in the particle removal operation by generating high-frequency plasma in a cleaning chamber connected to the vacuum transfer module.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein
the controller performs the particle removal operation by, prior to said cooling (a), controlling a heater to heat the substrate processing module or the vacuum transfer module for 3 hours or more.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein, in said cooling (a), said at least one dummy substrate is cooled at an atmospheric atmosphere.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of positions in the vacuum transfer module is in the vicinity of a loading and unloading port in the vacuum transfer module with respect to the substrate processing module.

16. The substrate processing system of claim 4 , wherein
the substrate system comprises a plurality of substrate processing modules including said substrate processing module, and
in each iteration where said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are repeated, said at least one cooled dummy substrate placed on said at least one end effector is sequentially transferred to different positions in the vicinity of a plurality of loading and unloading ports with respect to respective substrate processing modules of the plurality of substrate processing modules in the vacuum transfer module and held for a predetermined period of time or longer.

17. The substrate processing system of claim 5 , wherein
the substrate system comprises a plurality of substrate processing modules including said substrate processing module, and
in each iteration where said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are repeated, said at least one cooled dummy substrate placed on said at least one end effector is sequentially transferred to different positions in the vicinity of a plurality of loading and unloading ports with respect to respective substrate processing modules of the plurality of substrate processing modules in the vacuum transfer module and held for a predetermined period of time or longer.

18. The substrate processing system of claim 7 , wherein the first position is in the vicinity of a loading and unloading port in the vacuum transfer module with respect to the substrate processing module, and the second position is in the vicinity of a central portion in the vacuum transfer module.

19. The substrate processing system of claim 7 , wherein said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are alternately repeated multiple times.

20. The substrate processing system of claim 7 , wherein said cooling (a) and said holding (b) are alternately repeated 5 times or more.

21. The substrate processing system of claim 7 , wherein the particle removal operation includes, prior to said cooling (a), heating the substrate processing module or the vacuum transfer module for 3 hours or more.

22. A substrate processing system comprising:
a vacuum transfer module;
a substrate processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process a substrate in a depressurized environment;
a substrate stage disposed in the substrate processing module and including a plurality of lifter pins configured to move vertically between an upper position and a lower position;
a norm

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Nanasaki Genichi
• Hara Daisuke
• Osada Hideyuki
• Nihei Hikaru
• Morioka Tatsuya
• Matsui Akihiro

Classifications

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0466 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/0432

  mainly by conduction · CPC title

• H10P72/78

  using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks · CPC title