Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9378991-B2
Application number	US-58534109-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2009
Priority date	Sep 12, 2008
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a transport chamber and a processing chamber that processes substrates. The transport chamber has a first substrate transport member transporting the substrates from the transport chamber to the processing chamber. The processing chamber has a first processing unit which is adjacent to the transport chamber and has a first substrate placing base, a second processing unit which is adjacent to the other side of the transport chamber in the first processing unit and has a second substrate placing base, a second substrate transport member transporting the substrates between the first processing unit and the second processing unit, and a control unit controlling at least the second substrate transport member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a transport chamber;
a processing chamber that processes substrates;
a first processing unit provided in the processing chamber and having a first substrate placing base;
a second processing unit provided in the processing chamber and having a second substrate placing base and a substrate holding pin configured to hold the substrate thereon and move the substrate vertically onto an upper surface of the second substrate placing base;
a first substrate transport member provided in the transport chamber and configured to transport the substrates from the transport chamber to the processing chamber;
a second substrate transport member provided in the processing chamber and configured to transport the substrates substantially horizontally from a position above the first processing unit to a position above the second processing unit in the processing chamber, the second substrate transport member comprising an arm having an arcuate portion and a plurality of claw portions that inwardly extend from the arcuate portion; and
a controller configured to position the second substrate transport member to wait in a position below an upper surface of the second substrate placing base such that the arcuate portion surrounds a circumference of an outer peripheral lower portion of the second substrate placing base in the course of processing the substrate,
wherein the second substrate transport member is configured to move up and down vertically and to turn about a shaft portion.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first substrate transport member and the second substrate transport member are configured to wait above the first processing unit.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first substrate holding portion configured to hold a substrate in a state maintaining a predetermined distance from an upper surface of the first processing unit; and
a second substrate holding portion configured to hold a substrate in a state maintaining a predetermined distance from an upper surface of the second processing unit,
wherein the first processing unit includes a first heater configured to heat a substrate of the substrates on the first processing unit,
wherein the second processing unit includes a second heater configured to heat a substrate of the substrates on the second processing unit, and
wherein the first substrate holding portion moves so that a distance between the substrate held on the first substrate holding portion and the first heater and a distance between the substrate held on the second substrate holding portion and the second heater are equal.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the outer peripheral lower portion of the second substrate placing base is a height where a gas flow from an outer periphery of the second substrate placing base is not disturbed by the second substrate transport member.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer diameter of the arcuate portion is larger than that of the substrates,
and
wherein the arm is configured to move up and down vertically and to turn about a shaft portion.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first substrate transport member has a finger pair including an upper finger and a lower finger, and
wherein the upper finger and the lower finger are separated by a predetermined vertical interval.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the finger pair of the first substrate transport member is configured to stop above the first processing unit, and
wherein the second substrate transport member is configured to stop between the upper finger and the lower finger of the finger pair above the first processing unit.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first processing unit has a plurality of first substrate holding pins configured to move up and down vertically,
wherein the plurality of the first substrate holding pins are configured to move up so as to hold a substrate placed on the lower finger of the finger pair on top of the plurality of the first substrate holding pins, and
wherein the second substrate transport member is configured to move up so as to hold a substrate placed on the upper finger of the finger pair on the second substrate transport member.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first substrate placing base and the second substrate placing base are provided on one surface in the processing chamber.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second substrate transport member is configured to move between a position above the first processing unit and a position above the second processing unit.

Assignees

• Takahashi Akira
• Yanai Hidehiro
• Sakata Masakazu
• Hitachi Int Electric Inc

Inventors

• Takahashi Akira
• Yanai Hidehiro
• Sakata Masakazu

Classifications

• H10P72/32

  between different workstations · CPC title

• H10P72/0462 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title

• H01L21/67703

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/6719 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title