Tokyo Electron Limited

Other

Tokyo Electron Kabushiki Kaisha

Tokyo Electron Tohoku Kabushiki Kaisha

Tel Sagami Limited

Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited

Katsuhiko Iwabuchi

Naohito Yamada

Satoru Kawakami

Ryusuke Ushikoshi

Tetsuya Kawajiri

Eiichiro Takanabe

Eiichirou Takanabe

Ryo Kuwajima

Osamu Yokokawa

In a plasma processing apparatus, a temperature control of a substrate to be processed is improved. A ceramic made support member having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided in a process chamber. An upper end of the support member is airtightly connected to a back surface of a placement table by solid state bonding. A lower end of the support member is airtightly connected to a bottom of the process chamber via a lower cooling jacket and O-rings. A cooling jacket made of a disc-like aluminum block is provided in an atmosphere chamber formed inside the support member. The cooling jacket is mounted to the back surface of the placement table via a heat conductive sheet member.

Plasma processing apparatus

In a vacuum processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer, a first dielectric plate 4 is provided over an O-ring 32 on an upper surface of a main mounting stand unit 31, in which is embedded a coolant passageway 34, the upper surface thereof is configured as an electrostatic chuck, and a second dielectric plate 5 in which is embedded a heater 53 is provided thereon. Recesses and projections are machined into the surface of the first dielectric plate 4 so that crevices are formed between the resultant indentations 41 and the second dielectric plate 5. During the formation of an SiOF film, the heat from the heater 53 is not conducted through these crevices in a vacuum environment, so that the thermal conductivity between the second dielectric plate 5 and the first dielectric plate 4 is reduced and thus the temperature gradient therebetween is increased. Since the rear surface side of the first dielectric plate 4 is at no more than 200.degree. C., the O-ring is not subjected to a high temperature. This configuration suppresses deterioration of the O-ring, even during high-temperature processing, and also prevents breakdown of the insulating properties of an insulating film formed on a semiconductor wafer.

Vacuum processing method

The present invention refers to a wafer transfer robot for a wafer boat of a wafer processing apparatus wherein a turntable within a chamber of a turntable apparatus is provided with a prescribed number of stations formed thereon. Each of the stations is provided with protrusions that hold a wafer cassette that is transferred thereto and orientated thereon in such a manner that a base surface thereof is inclined at an angle to the outward direction. Although, while the wafer cassette is being transferred and orientated, it is transferred and orientated reliably with the base surface thereof held horizontal by an elevator apparatus. By providing a loadlock chamber of a rotational configuration, the apparatus of the present invention ensures good sealing, and also ensures that when regions within the apparatus are being evacuated or being filled with an inert gas, they are kept reliably airtight. The generation of particles due to linear frictional movement is thus prevented, and the wafer processing can be performed extremely reliably and efficiently.

Wafer processing apparatus

The processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a processing chamber for providing a predetermined processing to a processing object, a transfer chamber having transfer arm for transferring a holding member holding the processing object to/from the processing chamber, inactive gas supply and exhaust pipe for maintaining the inside of the transfer chamber to be in a predetermined inactive gas atmosphere, a holding member containing chamber, provided adjacent to the transfer chamber, having a capacity being capable of containing at least the holding member, and being capable of transferring the holding member to/from the transfer chamber in a state that an atmosphere of the transfer chamber is isolated from outside air, inside atmosphere substituting control for providing substitution so as to set the inside of the holding member containing chamber to be in a vacuum atmosphere or a predetermined inactive gas atmosphere, and an processing object transfer chamber, provided to be adjacent to the holding member containing chamber, having transfer arm for transferring the processing object to the holding member of the holding member containing chamber.

Processing apparatus

A heat treatment apparatus used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices and the like, for treating with a reaction gas substrates placed in a reaction tube of the apparatus. A support table is provided within the reaction tube, for supporting substrates during a treatment process, and is rotated during each treatment by a motor, via a shaft penetrating the reaction tube. That portion of the reaction tube which is penetrated by the shaft is provided with a journal bearing and a magnetic fluid seal member. The seal member is surrounded by an enclosing space which substantially separates the seal member from the reaction space within the reaction tube, the enclosing space and the reaction space communicating with each other via a narrow passage. During a heat treatment, a shield gas is supplied into the enclosing space, the pressure within the enclosing space being maintained at a higher level than that within the reaction space. As a result, the reaction gas and a gas produced during heat treatment cannot come into contact with the seal member, and thus cannot adversely affect the seal member.

Apparatus for treatment using gas

Growing community of inventors

Sagamihara, Japan

Katsuhiko Iwabuchi