Substrate processing system, substrate processing method and storage medium

摘要

In the vacuum substrate processing equipment of the present invention, a posttreatment chamber for carrying out a posttreatment in an atmospheric atmosphere adjoins a load-lock chamber. Products produced on a substrate during a vacuum process are removed by processing the substrate in the posttreatment chamber before the substrate is carried to an atmospheric carrying chamber in order to avoid or reduce adverse influence on the atmospheric carrying chamber. A carrying means installed in the said atmospheric carrying chamber carries the substrate to and from the said posttreatment chamber. The said posttreatment chamber and the atmospheric carrying chamber are separated from each other by a partition wall, and the partition wall is provided with an opening having the shape of a slit through which the said carrying means and the substrate can pass. The said carrying means carries the substrate into and out of the posttreatment chamber through the slit.

主权项

1. A substrate processing system comprising:
a carrier table for supporting thereon a plurality of substrates; a vacuum processing chamber in which a substrate is processed by a vacuum process in a vacuum atmosphere; a vacuum carrying chamber, having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of joints, in which a carrying arm is installed, for carrying a substrate to and from the vacuum processing chamber by the carrying arm, wherein the vacuum carrying chamber is adjoined with the vacuum processing chamber through a first gate valve; first and second load lock chambers disposed symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vacuum carrying chamber and capable of being selectively set in either of a vacuum atmosphere and a normal pressure atmosphere, each separately adjoined with the vacuum carrying chamber through second and third gate valves, respectively, through which a substrate is sent out to and received from the vacuum carrying chamber; a posttreatment chamber disposed between the first and second load-lock chambers via respective chevron-shaped gateways bent with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vacuum carrying chamber, wherein the posttreatment chamber is provided to process in an atmospheric atmosphere a processed substrate processed by the vacuum processing chamber; fourth and fifth gate valves provided at each of the respective chevron-shaped gateways to separate the first and second load-lock chambers, respectively, from the posttreatment chamber, wherein the fourth and fifth gate valves are bent so as to conform to the shape of the respective chevron-shaped gateways; an atmospheric transfer chamber having an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis and interposed between the first load-lock chamber, the second load lock chamber and the carrier table and provided with a carrying means for sending out and receiving a substrate from in an atmospheric atmosphere, wherein the carrying arm can carry a processed substrate from either of the first load-lock chamber or the second load-lock chamber to the posttreatment chamber directly by transversely moving the processed substrate through chevron-shaped gateways and the fourth and fifth gate valve; and a partition wall separating the post treatment chamber and the atmospheric carrying chamber that is provided a partition wall and a third opening in the partition wall having the shape of a slit, wherein the carrying means and a substrate can pass through the slit without passing through the posttreatment chamber directly.