Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Susumu Tauchi

Akitaka Makino

Hideki Kihara

Kohei Sato

Minoru Soraoka

Takashi Uemura

Youji Takahashi

Hideaki Kondo

Keita Nogi

Teruo Nakata

Seiichi Watanabe

Motohiko Yoshigai

Naoki Yasui

Tsutomu Nakamura

Manabu Edamura

Yoshifumi Ogawa

Atsushi Shimoda

Muneo Furuse

Takahiro Shimomura

Yasuhiro Nishimori

Masanori Kadotani

Ryoichi Isomura

Takafumi Chida

Kohei Satou

Takanori Nakatsuka

A plasma processing apparatus has a vacuum container having a processing chamber in which a wafer is processed by plasma and at least one member constituting the vacuum container movable and detachable in a horizontal direction with respect to a base plate. The plasma processing apparatus includes a lifter arranged at a side of the vacuum container across the vacuum container on the base plate, coupled to an end portion on the opposite side of a vacuum transfer chamber on which the wafer is transferred in a decompressed interior, and having a vertical shaft to move the detachable member vertically. The lifter includes: a coupling portion coupled to the vertical shaft and the detachable member and moved along the vertical shaft; and a turning shaft being a joint portion arranged at the coupling portion and having a vertical rotational shaft, the detachable member being horizontally turned around the turning shaft.

Plasma processing apparatus

Upper chamber for a plasma processing apparatus

Cover ring for a plasma processing apparatus

Lower chamber for a plasma processing apparatus

Electrode cover for a plasma processing apparatus

A vacuum processing apparatus is disclosed for processing workpieces. The apparatus includes a load lock adapted to store the workpiece inside and to be switched between atmosphere and vacuum. Vacuum transport chambers are connected to the load lock and to the corresponding process chambers in a state where the load lock and each of the process chambers are isolated. The workpiece can be transferred between each of the process chambers and the load lock via the corresponding vacuum transport chamber. The apparatus also includes load lock valves for switching between interrupt and opening between the load lock and the corresponding vacuum transport chambers, and process chamber valves for switching between interrupt and opening between the process chambers and the corresponding vacuum transport chambers. Timing for opening and closing the valves is controlled in synchronization with the transfer of the workpieces.

Vacuum processing apparatus

A vacuum processing apparatus includes a row of containers of vacuum transfer chambers connected to each other behind a lock chamber, a wafer being transferred through depressurized inside of the row of the containers of the vacuum transfer containers, an intermediate chamber disposed between the containers of the vacuum transfer chambers, a plurality of processing units including processing containers respectively connected to left or right side walls of the containers of the vacuum transfer chambers and the wafer is processed therein, and a bypass chamber which constitutes a bypass path connecting the processing units, where only either the wafer which is being transferred from the lock chamber toward one of the processing units or the wafer which was processed in one of the processing units and is being transferred toward the lock chamber is transferred through the containers of the vacuum transfer chambers.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method of the same

A vacuum processing apparatus which includes an atmospheric transfer chamber having a plurality of cassette stands for transferring a wafer, a lock chamber for storing the wafer, 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, and a second vacuum transfer chamber connected to the transfer intermediate chamber. At least one vacuum processing chamber is connected to the first vacuum transfer chamber, and two or more vacuum processing chambers are connected to a rear side of the second vacuum transfer chamber. A plurality of gate valves are disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and each of the lock chamber, the transfer intermediate chamber, and the vacuum processing chamber coupled to the first vacuum transfer chamber. A control unit is also provided for controlling operation of the gate valves.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method of vacuum processing apparatus

The present invention provides an efficient transferring control method in a vacuum processing apparatus of a linear tool in which plural vacuum robots are arranged in transferring mechanical units to which process chambers are connected and processing-target members are passed and received among the plural vacuum robots. In addition, the present invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus in which there are provided plural controlling methods, and a unit which determines whether rates of the transferring robots are to be controlled or rates of the process chambers are to be controlled on the basis of processing time of each processing-target member and switches the controlling method in accordance with a site whose rate is controlled.

Vacuum processing apparatus and program

The vacuum processing apparatus is comprised of two vacuum transfer vessels in which a wafer is transferred through; two vacuum process vessels connected to these vacuum transfer vessels respectively; an intermediate chamber vessel capable of storing thereinto the wafer connected between the vacuum transfer vessels; a lock chamber connected to one of the vacuum transfer vessels; and a plurality of valves disposed among the vacuum transfer vessels, the vacuum process vessels, the intermediate chamber vessel, and the lock chamber respectively, for airtightly opening/closing communications among these vessels and the chamber; in which any one of the valves disposed on both sides of the intermediate chamber vessel is closed before the valves disposed between processing chambers of the vacuum process vessels and vacuum transfer chambers of the vacuum transfer vessels is opened.

A vacuum processing apparatus that includes a vacuum vessel; an opening disposed in a wall of the vacuum vessel, through which a sample to be processed is taken in and out; a valve body disposed outside the wall for airtightly sealing the opening; and a drive unit driving the valve body to carry out a sealing or opening operation. The drive unit includes a first member coupled to an actuator that moves along a substantially linear first direction as a result of operation of the actuator, and a second member coupled to the first member that moves along a substantially linear second direction that intersects with the first direction. The valve body, coupled to the second member, seals the opening as a result of movement of the second member.

Provided is a method for controlling efficient transferring operations in a vacuum processing apparatus with a linear tool. In the apparatus, plural transferring robots are arranged in transferring mechanism units in which plural process chambers are connected with each other, and to-be-processed wafers are received and passed between plural transferring robots. As the transferring robots is far from the load lock, the number of transferring operations to the process chambers is set larger, the number of times of continuous transferring operations to the process chambers is set as small as possible, and an odd number of times of continuous transferring operations to buffer rooms is set, by a destination determination unit and operation control rules. Further, transferring operations are performed based on the destination determination unit and the operation control rules.

A vacuum processing apparatus includes a transfer unit disposed at a center thereof, plural processing chambers, each processing chamber having a processing table for supporting an object to be processed and carrying out processing using a gas, and a mass flow controller unit interposed between two of the processing chambers for supplying gas to the chambers.

The invention provides a highly reliable plasma processing apparatus having stable sealing performance. The vacuum processing apparatus comprises a vacuum vessel having its inside decompressed; an opening disposed in a wall of the vacuum vessel for communicating the inside with the outside thereof and through which a sample to be processed is taken in and out; a valve bodydisposed outside the wall for airtightly sealing or opening the opening; and a drive unit for driving the valve body to carry out the sealing or opening operation, the drive unit comprising a first membercoupled to an actuatorthat moves along a substantially linear first direction as a result of operation of the actuator, a second membercoupled to the first memberthat moves along a substantially linear second direction that intersects with the first direction, and the valve bodycoupled to the second member that seals the opening as a result of the movement of the second member.

Growing community of inventors

Shunan, Japan

Susumu Tauchi