Hitachi, Ltd.

Other

Kato Manufacturing Corporation Limited

Aiwa Corporation

Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Director-general of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology

Shigekazu Kato

Kouji Nishihata

Atsushi Itou

Tsunehiko Tsubone

Naoyuki Tamura

Hiroaki Yokoi

Hiroshi Taoda

Eiji Watanabe

Tatsuro Horiuchi

Seiichiro Omori

Tsuenhiko Tsubone

Yoshifumi Ogawa

Kenji Nakata

Kimiko Minowa

Hiroko Taoda

This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used for dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chamber are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used for dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method with wafers, substrates and/or semiconductors

This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dirty-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used for dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

Vacuum processing operating method with wafers, substrates and/or semiconductors

This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used to dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.

A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a means for transferring substrates from a loader, with a transferring device, to a double lock chamber; and, then to a selected vacuum processing chamber. The substrates are returned to a substrate, by the vacuum loader, into their original position in the substrate table. The surfaces of the substrates are maintained in a horizontal position during processing.

A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a conveyor structure for transferring a substrate from a substrate storage device held on a substrate storage device mount table. The apparatus further includes a vacuum loader provided with an additional conveyor structure and a vacuum processing chamber for sequentially loading substrate to be processed. The conveyor structures are each provided with a robot.

Vacuum processing apparatus

A wafer conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus wherein the conveyor structure is provided with a transfer structure, and a robot apparatus is arranged on the transfer structure. The robot provides for rotation of the wafer in a horizontally from a position in a cassette to an opposite position of the cassette.

A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a means for transferring substrates from a loader with a transferring device to a double lock chamber and then to a selected vacuum processing chamber. The substrates are then returned to a substrate by the vacuum loader and back into the substrate table. The surfaces of the substrates are maintained in a horizontal position during processing.

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Kudamatsu, Japan

Shigekazu Kato