Semiconductor device manufacturing system having means for reducing a

Abstract

A semiconductor manufacturing system includes a loadlock chamber, a low level vacuum pump connected to said loadlock chamber so as to create a low level vacuum in the loadlock chamber, a processing chamber in which a semiconductor manufacturing process is carried out while the processing chamber is maintained at a high level vacuum, a gate valve interposed between and connecting the loadlock chamber and the processing chamber, and a pressure relieving device for reducing the pressure difference between the low level vacuum of the loadlock chamber and the high level vacuum of the processing chamber at the time the gate valve is opened. The pressure relieving device is a high level vacuum pump which can be dedicated to the loadlock chamber or which can be the same pump as that used to evacuate the processing chamber. The high level vacuum pump is connected to the loadlock chamber by an air valve. The system is operated under a method in which air is fed to both the air valve and with a certain delay thereafter to the gate valve. The air valve opens first, and the high level vacuum pump evacuates the loadlock chamber before the fed air opens the gate valve. In this way, particles in the loadlock chamber are prevented from being induced into the processing chamber at the time of transfer of objects from the loadlock chamber to the processing chamber through the gate valve.