U.S. patent application number 10/561799 was filed with the patent office on 2007-05-17 for processing apparatus.
Invention is credited to Shinya Mochiduki, Katsuhiko Oyama, Yasushi Takeuchi.
Application Number | 20070110548 10/561799 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33562351 |
Filed Date | 2007-05-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070110548 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Oyama; Katsuhiko ; et
al. |
May 17, 2007 |
Processing apparatus
Abstract
The present invention is a processing apparatus for an object to
be processed, the processing apparatus including: a partition that
defines an outside space area in which a container hermetically
containing an object to be processed and having a lid is conveyed,
and an inside space area in which the object to be processed taken
out from the container is conveyed; an opening part provided in the
partition, through which the two space areas are communicated with
each other; a door mechanism that can close the opening part; a lid
opening-and-closing mechanism provided at the door mechanism, and
capable of opening and closing the lid of the container located at
a predetermined position in the outside space area under a
situation wherein the door mechanism closes the opening part; a
driving unit that moves the lid opening-and-closing mechanism away
from the container relatively to the door mechanism; a cover member
that defines a driving-unit arrangement room, in which the driving
unit is contained, in the door mechanism; and a gas-discharging
mechanism that discharges a gas in the driving-unit arrangement
room.
Inventors: |
Oyama; Katsuhiko; (Tokyo-To,
JP) ; Mochiduki; Shinya; (Tokyo-To, JP) ;
Takeuchi; Yasushi; (Tokyo-To, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SMITH, GAMBRELL & RUSSELL
1850 M STREET, N.W., SUITE 800
WASHINGTON
DC
20036
US
|
Family ID: |
33562351 |
Appl. No.: |
10/561799 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
June 29, 2004 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP04/09152 |
371 Date: |
December 21, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
414/416.08 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 21/67772
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
414/416.08 |
International
Class: |
B65B 69/00 20060101
B65B069/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 3, 2003 |
JP |
2003-191180 |
Claims
1. A processing apparatus for an object to be processed comprising:
a partition that defines an outside space area in which a container
hermetically containing an object to be processed and having a lid
is conveyed, and an inside space area in which the object to be
processed taken out from the container is conveyed, an opening part
provided in the partition, through which the two space areas are
communicated with each other, a door mechanism that can close the
opening part, a lid opening-and-closing mechanism provided at the
door mechanism, and capable of opening and closing the lid of the
container located at a predetermined position in the outside space
area under a situation wherein the door mechanism closes the
opening part, a driving unit that moves the lid opening-and-closing
mechanism away from the container relatively to the door mechanism,
a cover member that defines a driving-unit arrangement room, in
which the driving unit is contained, in the door mechanism, and a
gas-discharging mechanism that discharges a gas in the driving-unit
arrangement room.
2. A processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an end edge
of the opening part on a side of the inside space area forms a
plane inclined against the partition, and the door mechanism is
hermetically connectable with the end edge and movable in a plane
direction of the partition.
3. A processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a
sealing member is provided at the whole circumference of an end
edge of the opening part on a side of the outside space area, and
the lid opening-and-closing mechanism is hermetically connectable
with the sealing member by an action of the driving unit under a
situation wherein the door mechanism closes the opening part.
4. A processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sealing
member is a member having a Y-shaped section.
5. A processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the
door mechanism has a pressure-adjusting mechanism that can
gradually open through one space and the other space with respect
to the door mechanism in order to leisurely reduce a difference
pressure between the both spaces to substantially zero.
6. A processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the door
mechanism has a pressure-adjusting mechanism that can gradually
open through one space and the other space with respect to the door
mechanism in order to leisurely reduce a difference pressure
between the both spaces to substantially zero.
7. A processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the door
mechanism has a pressure-adjusting mechanism that can gradually
open through one space and the other space with respect to the door
mechanism in order to leisurely reduce a difference pressure
between the both spaces to substantially zero.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that
takes out an object to be processed from a hermetic container and
conducts a predetermined process to the object to be processed.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] As one of semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses, for
example, there is a thermal processing apparatus that conducts a
heat treatment to a plurality of semiconductor wafers (hereafter,
to be simply referred to as "wafer") in a batch. This thermal
processing apparatus is provided with a conveying in-and-out area
where a carrier that is a container containing a plurality of
wafers is conveyed in and out by an automatic conveying robot or by
an operator, and a loading area where the wafers in the container
are transferred and placed onto a wafer boat that is a substrate
holder and are conveyed in and out from a heat treating
furnace.
[0003] In this thermal processing apparatus, an atmosphere in the
loading area is kept cleaner than an atmosphere in the conveying
in-and-out area. In addition, in order to prevent that a natural
oxide film is generated (adhered) on the wafers, the conveying
in-and-out area on an atmospheric air side and the loading area are
separated by a partition, and for example, an inside of the loading
area is an atmosphere filled with an inert gas, such as a nitrogen
(N.sub.2) gas, or an atmosphere filled with a clean dry air.
[0004] Additionally, in order to restrain that the wafers are
polluted by particles, a hermetic container (also referred to as a
closed-type carrier), wherein a wafer taking-out port on a front
side thereof is hermetically closed by a lid, is suitably used
(refer to FIG. 1).
[0005] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view that shows a structure of
a door mechanism in an example of conventional thermal processing
apparatuses. FIG. 10 shows a condition wherein a hermetic carrier
abuts on a partition 100 that defines a conveying in-and-out area
S1 and a loading area S2.
[0006] In the partition 100, an opening part 101 for making the
conveying in-and-out area S1 and the loading area S2 communicate
with each other is formed. A door 102 for opening and closing the
opening part 101 is provided with a lid opening-and-closing
mechanism 103 for opening and closing a lid of a carrier.
[0007] The carrier 120 is capable of containing internally a
plurality of wafers W that are objects to be processed. On one
surface of a main carrier body 121 of the carrier 120, a taking-out
port 122 is provided. The taking-out port 122 is closed by a lid
123 that is made detachable. Namely, the carrier 120 is a hermetic
carrier. The carrier 120 is placed on a stage 110 provided in the
conveying in-and-out area S1. Thereafter, when the stage 110
proceeds, an opening edge portion of the taking-out port 122 of the
carrier 120 abuts on an opening edge portion of the opening part
101. Then, the lid 123 is removed from the main carrier body 121 by
the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 103.
[0008] More concretely, in a condition wherein the door 102 abuts
on the partition 100 and the opening part 101 is closed, the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 103 provided at the door 102 opens
the lid 123 of the carrier 120. Then, the inside of the carrier 120
is replaced by a nitrogen gas by means of, for example, a not-shown
nitrogen gas replacing unit. In the meantime, the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 103 holding the lid 123 is moved
backward with respect to the partition 100 by means of a driving
unit 104 in the door 102. As described above, the door 102 is
withdrawn in a condition wherein the door 102 contains the lid 123
and the like. Here, the door 102 is withdrawn, for example, by
being moved away from the opening part 101 along an
anterior-posterior axis 105 and then by being moved, for example,
downward along a vertical axis 106. Accordingly, the inside of the
carrier 120 and a space in the loading area S2 are communicated
with each other, and the wafers W in the carrier 120 are conveyed
into the loading area S2 by means of a not-shown wafer transferring
mechanism.
[0009] As described above, the wafers W that are objects to be
processed are moved between the carrier 120 and the loading area
S2. Here, it is necessary for the space for conveying the wafer W
to be maintained in an atmosphere of greatly clean.
[0010] So far, techniques to restrain an influence of particles
accompanied by opening of a lid of a carrier or opening of a door
have been variously suggested.
[0011] For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
2000-150613, a hermetic container (carrier) having a detachable lid
at an opening part of a front surface thereof and containing an
object to be processed (wafer) therein, and a wafer
transferring-and-placing mechanism that conveys the wafer inside
the hermetic container into a separated transferring-and-placing
room (a loading area) and thereafter conveys the wafer into a
processing room, are disclosed. In addition, the
transferring-and-placing room on an opposite side to the opening
part of the hermetic container is provided with a separated room to
reduce pressure difference between the transferring-and-placing
room and the hermetic container, and a lid opening-and-closing
mechanism to open and close the lid of the hermetic container is
provided in the separated room.
[0012] Additionally, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
2002-093880, an apparatus is disclosed, comprising a stage (a
conveying in-and-out area) on which a cassette (a hermetic carrier)
containing a plurality of semiconductor wafers (objects to be
processed) is placed, a processing portion (a loading area) for
conducting a predetermined process to the wafer, a partition which
separates the stage from the processing portion and which is
provided with an opening for transfer at a position corresponding
to the opening of the cassette placed on the stage, a shutter
member (a door) which is arranged on a side of the processing
portion so as to open and close a lid, provided at the opening of
the cassette placed on the stage and capable of being opened and
closed, through the opening for transfer, and a shutter driving
mechanism (a door opening-and-closing mechanism) which drives the
shutter member, the shutter member including a holding portion (a
lid opening-and-closing mechanism) to hold the lid, an opening for
suction being formed at a circumference of the holding portion
located at a position corresponding to a circumference of the
opening of the cassette.
[0013] In either apparatus described above, when a space in an
outside space area in which the carrier containing the wafers is
placed and a space in an inside space area in which a predetermined
process is conducted to the wafers are communicated with each
other, particles in the outside space area are restrained from
entering into the inside of the carrier and adhering to the wafers
and from flowing into the atmosphere in the inside space area, and
accordingly pollution of the wafers is prevented.
[0014] However, even though the techniques as described above are
used, it is actually still difficult to sufficiently reduce an
influence degree of particles upon wafers, when a space in an
outside space area, in which a carrier containing the wafers is
placed, and a space in an inside space area, in which a
predetermined process is conducted to the wafers, are communicated
with each other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] This invention has been made based on the above
consideration, and an object of the invention is to provide a
processing apparatus for processing an object to be processed
contained in a hermitic container, wherein it is possible to reduce
as far as possible an adverse effect of a particle in an outside
space area against the object to be processed and against an inside
space area and to surely prevent pollution of the object to be
processed, when the outside space area in which the carrier is
transferred and placed and the inside space area which is kept in
clean atmosphere, for example, are communicated with each
other.
[0016] The present invention is a processing apparatus for an
object to be processed, comprising a partition that defines an
outside space area in which a container hermetically containing an
object to be processed and having a lid is conveyed and an inside
space area in which the object to be processed taken out from the
container is conveyed, an opening part provided in the partition
through which the two space areas are communicated with each other,
a door mechanism that can close the opening part, a lid
opening-and-closing mechanism provided at the door mechanism
capable of opening and closing the lid of the container located at
a predetermined position in the outside space area under a
situation wherein the door mechanism closes the opening part, a
driving unit that moves the lid opening-and-closing mechanism away
from the container relatively to the door mechanism, a cover member
that defines a driving-unit arrangement room in which the driving
unit is contained in the door mechanism, and a gas-discharging
mechanism that discharges a gas in the driving-unit arrangement
room.
[0017] According to the present invention, the driving unit that
moves the lid opening-and-closing mechanism away from the container
is located inside a driving-unit arrangement room formed separately
from a door-mechanism space which is formed between the door
mechanism itself and the container by the door mechanism, and the
gas-discharging mechanism is provided to discharge the gas in the
drive-unit arrangement room, so that a dust is removed by the
gas-discharging mechanism even when the dust is generated by
movement of the driving unit for opening and closing the lid of the
container. Therefore, it is surely prevented that the dust enters
into the door-mechanism space and adheres on the object to be
processed in the container, and also prevented that the clean
atmosphere and so on in the inside space area is polluted when the
door mechanism is opened. As a result, a degree of the adverse
effect by the dust (particle) against the object to be processed is
restrained to be small and the object to be processed to which a
predetermined process has been conducted can keep a high clean
level.
[0018] Preferably, an end edge of the opening part on a side of the
inside space area forms a plane inclined against the partition, and
the door mechanism is hermetically connectable with the end edge
and movable in a plane direction of the partition.
[0019] In this case, possibility that a dust is generated by a
withdrawing movement of the door mechanism is reduced. Therefore,
it is more surely prevented that the object to be processed or the
clean atmosphere in the inside space area are polluted by the
dust.
[0020] In addition, preferably, a sealing member is provided at the
whole circumference of an end edge of the opening part on a side of
the outside space area, and the lid opening-and-closing mechanism
is hermetically connectable with the sealing member by an action of
the driving unit under a situation wherein the door mechanism
closes the opening part.
[0021] In this case, it is possible to prevent that the
door-mechanism space is exposed to the atmosphere in the outside
space area even when the container is not located at a
predetermined position (on the stage, for example). Therefore, it
is surely prevented that a dust floating in the outside space area,
for example, enters into the door-mechanism space.
[0022] For example, the sealing member is a member having a
Y-shaped section.
[0023] Incidentally, if the space inside the carrier and the space
of the inside space area are communicated with each other at once,
a dust existing in the door-mechanism space rises up due to a
pressure difference between a pressure inside the carrier and a
pressure in the inside space area, and then adheres on the object
to be processed in the container and mixes into the inside of
inside space area. Therefore, it is preferable that the door
mechanism has a pressure-adjusting mechanism that can gradually
open through one space and the other space with respect to the door
mechanism in order to leisurely reduce a difference pressure
between the both spaces to substantially zero.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hermetic container in
such a condition that a lid is removed;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vertical thermal
processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an inside
structure of the vertical thermal processing apparatus shown in
FIG. 2;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the inside structure of the
vertical thermal processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one example
of a door mechanism which opens and closes an opening part formed
in a partition, in such a condition that a carrier containing a
wafer abuts on the partition;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a back view of the door mechanism shown in FIG.
5;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a condition
wherein a bottom of the carrier and an engaging member of a second
stage are engaged;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 5, showing
a condition wherein the door mechanism is withdrawn upward and a
space inside a conveying in-and-out area and a space inside a
loading area are communicated with each other;
[0032] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, similar to FIG. 5, showing
a condition wherein the opening part in the partition is closed by
the door mechanism when the carrier is not on the second stage;
and
[0033] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a
door mechanism in one example of a conventional thermal processing
apparatus in such a condition that a hermetic carrier abuts on a
partition which defines a conveying in-and-out area and a loading
area.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0034] In a processing apparatus of the present invention, a
hermetic container containing an object to be processed is placed
at a predetermined position, and then the object to be processed is
taken out from the container, and conveyed into an inside space
area, which is maintained under a clean atmosphere, to be subjected
to a predetermined process.
[0035] A carrier 10 including a main carrier body 11 is used, for
example, as a container containing the object to be processed, as
shown in FIG. 1. A taking-out port 11A is opened at one surface of
the main carrier body 11. The taking-out port 11A is closed by a
lid 12 that is provided to be removable. The carrier 10 is, for
example, made of resin. The object to be processed is, for example,
a wafer W whose diameter is 300 mm. The carrier 10 is composed so
as to be capable of holding a plurality of, for example, 25 wafers
W in a tier-like manner.
[0036] The lid 12 of the carrier 10 includes a not-shown latch
mechanism (a lock mechanism) for the lid 12 to be held at the
taking-out port 11A. When the latch mechanism is unlatched
(released) by a lid opening-and-closing mechanism which is
described later, the lid 12 can be removed from the main carrier
body 11.
[0037] In FIG. 1, 13 represent a keyhole used for unlatching the
latch mechanism. An unlock member of the lid opening-and-closing
mechanism is inserted into the keyhole 13 and engaged with it. 14
represents a square-shaped flange portion provided above a top
surface of the carrier 10 via a space. 15 represents a recess
portion, whose cross section is round-shaped, formed at a center
part of the flange portion 14.
[0038] Next, a vertical thermal processing apparatus in one
embodiment of the present invention is explained in details.
[0039] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the
vertical thermal processing apparatus according to this embodiment.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively a longitudinal sectional view and a
plan view showing an inside structure of the vertical thermal
processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal
sectional view showing an outline of a structure of one example of
a door mechanism which opens and closes an opening part formed in a
partition, under a condition wherein the carrier containing the
wafers abuts to the partition. FIG. 6 is a back view of the door
mechanism shown in FIG. 5.
[0040] In FIGS. 2 to 4, 20 represents a housing which composes an
outer cover of the processing apparatus. In this housing 20, a
conveying in-and-out area S1 that is an outside space area, in
which the above-described hermetic carrier 10 containing the wafers
W that are objects to be processed is conveyed, and a loading area
S2 that is an inside space area, in which the wafers W being taken
out from the carrier 10 are conveyed, are defined (divided) by a
partition 21.
[0041] The atmosphere of the conveying in-and-out area S1 is, for
example, an air atmosphere, to be concrete, an environmental
atmosphere of a clean room in which the thermal processing
apparatus is installed. On the other hand, the atmosphere of the
loading area S2 is maintained to be an inert gas atmosphere cleaner
than the atmosphere of the conveying in-and-out area S1, such as a
nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas atmosphere or a clean dry gas (an air which
includes less particles and less organic constituents and whose dew
point is maintained not higher than -60.degree. C.) atmosphere.
[0042] The conveying in-and-out area S1 includes a first conveying
area S1A located on a front side of the thermal processing
apparatus and a second conveying area S1B located on a back side
thereof.
[0043] In the first conveying area S1A, two first stages 22, 23 are
arranged side by side in the right-and-left direction (in the
vertical direction in FIG. 4). Accordingly, when the carrier 10 is
placed on any one of the first stages 22, 23, it can be conveyed by
a carrier conveying mechanism 31 which is described later.
[0044] On a placing surface of each of the first stages 22, 23,
positioning pins 24 for fitting with a recess portion formed at a
bottom portion of the carrier 10 to locate the carrier 10 on the
first stages 22, 23 are provided, for example, at three spots
(refer to FIG. 2).
[0045] Additionally, on a front side of the housing 20, a panel
part 25, whose cross section shape seen from above is C-shaped, is
provided in such a manner that it surrounds an upper space of the
first stages 22, 23. An area surrounded by the panel part 25 is an
area wherein the carrier 10 is transferred between a not-shown
automatic conveying robot movable along a ceiling portion in a
clean room and the first stages 22, 23.
[0046] In the second conveying area S1B in the conveying in-and-out
area S1, two second stages 26, 27 respectively corresponding to the
first stages 22, 23 are arranged side by side in an
anterior-posterior direction with respect to the first stages 22,
23.
[0047] The second stages 26, 27 are composed so that they are
capable of proceeding and withdrawing in the anterior-posterior
direction (in the right-and-left direction in FIG. 4) between a
position wherein the carrier 10 is placed thereon by means of a
carrier conveying mechanism 31 to be described later and a position
wherein the carrier 10 abuts to the partition 21, by means of, for
example, a driver composed of an air cylinder (not shown).
[0048] Similar to the first stages 22, 23, positioning pins 28 for
positioning the carrier 10 are provided at three spots on each
placing surface of the second stages 26, 27. Additionally, on each
placing surface of the second stages 26, 27, as shown in FIG. 7, a
hook-shaped engaging member 29 to be engaged with an engaging
recess portion 16 at a bottom portion of the carrier 10 is
provided. The engaging member 29 is composed pivotable around a
horizontal axis by a driver 29A between a position to engage with
the engaging recess portion 16 of the carrier 10 and a position
wherein the engagement is disengaged.
[0049] In an upper part of the second conveying area S1B, a carrier
storing part 30 for storing the carrier 10 temporarily is provided.
The carrier storing part 30 in this example is composed of a shelf
having two steps and two rows.
[0050] Furthermore, in the second conveying area S1B, a carrier
conveying mechanism 31 which conveys the carrier 10 between the
first stages 22, 23 and the second stages 26, 27 as well as between
the second stages 26, 27 and the carrier storing part 30, and
between the first stages 22, 23 and the carrier storing part 30, is
provided.
[0051] The carrier conveying mechanism 31 comprises: a guide part
32 extending right and left and freely movable upward and downward;
a moving part 33 that moves right and left while guided by the
guide part 32; and a joint arm 34 provided at the moving part 33 to
hold the flange portion 14 on the top surface of the carrier 10 and
to convey the carrier 10 in the horizontal direction.
[0052] The loading area S2 is provided with a vertical heat
treating furnace 40 whose lower end is opened as a furnace opening.
On a lower side of the heat treating furnace 40, a wafer boat 41,
which is a holder for holding a plurality of wafers W in a
tier-like manner, is placed on a cap 43 via an insulation member
42. The cap 43 is supported on an elevating mechanism 44. By means
of the elevating mechanism 44, the wafer boat 41 is conveyed in or
out of the heat treating furnace 40.
[0053] The loading area 52 is provided with a wafer transferring
mechanism 45, which transfers the wafers W between the wafer boat
41 and the carrier 10 on the second stages 26, 27. The wafer
transferring mechanism 45 is composed as a plurality of, for
example 5, arms 48 capable of proceeding and of withdrawing and
provided at a moving part 47 that moves along a guide mechanism 46
extending right and left and that can pivot around a vertical
axis.
[0054] In the partition 21 defining the conveying in-and-out area
S1 and the loading area S2, an opening part 21A is formed at a
position corresponding to each of the second stages 26, 27. The
opening part 21A can cause the inside of the carrier 10 and the
space of the loading area S2 to communicate with each other when
the carrier 10 placed on the second stages 26, 27 abuts to the
partition 21. An end edge of the opening part 21A on a side of the
conveying in-and-out area S1 is provided with a sealing member 50
for hermetically connecting with the carrier 10, in details, with
an opening end edge of the taking-out port 11A of the carrier 10,
at the whole circumference of the end edge of the opening part
21A.
[0055] This sealing member 50 is, for example, composed of a
packing whose cross section is Y-shaped.
[0056] Additionally, on a side of the conveying in-and-out area S1
of the partition 21, pressing means 55, 56 for pressing an upper
surface of the carrier 10 placed on the second stages 26, 27 from
above to stabilize the pose of the carrier 10 when the lid 12 is
opened and closed, are provided at respective positions
corresponding to the second stages 26, 27.
[0057] In this embodiment, an opening plane of the opening part 21A
is formed in an inclined condition with respect to a conveying
direction of the wafer. Concretely, as shown in FIG. 5, an inclined
opening plane is formed by allowing a frame member 60, whose cross
section is a substantial wedge-shaped, to be fitted tightly in the
opening part formed in the partition 21.
[0058] Furthermore, a side edge portion of the opening part 21A of
the partition 21 is provided with a nitrogen gas supplier (not
shown). Accordingly, an inert gas, for example, a nitrogen gas is
supplied under a condition wherein the lid 12 of the carrier 10 has
been removed, and the atmosphere of the carrier 10 is replaced by a
nitrogen gas atmosphere.
[0059] On a side of the loading area S2 of the partition 21,
provided is a door mechanism 70 which opens and closes the opening
part 21A. The door mechanism 70 is held by holding members 66, 66
which are provided to be capable of moving respectively on two
guide shafts 65, 65 extending upward and downward along the
partition 21 in such a manner that they are arranged side by side
from each other (in the right and left direction in FIG. 6).
[0060] The door mechanism 70 includes a door 71, which forms an
atmosphere adjusting space separated from the loading area S2 by
abutting to the opening plane of the opening part 21A. The door 71
hermetically closes the opening part 21A via a sealing member 79
provided at the frame member 60.
[0061] A lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 which opens and
closes the lid 12 of the carrier 10 is provided inside the door 71.
In addition, a driving unit 76 which moves the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75 in a direction for connecting or
disconnecting to the carrier 10 (in the right and left direction in
FIG. 5) is arranged in a driving-unit arrangement room 81 formed
and defined by the cover member 80 at a lower end portion of the
door 71. On an upper defining wall of the driving-unit arrangement
room 81, a guiding groove 81A to guide a supporting member for
supporting the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 is formed.
[0062] The lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 includes an unlock
member 77 which can tightly fit in the keyhole 13 of the lid 12 of
the carrier 10 and is exposed to an outside surface of the outer
box, and a driving unit 78 composed of, for example, an air
cylinder provided inside the outer box. Under a condition wherein
the unlock member 77 is inserted into the keyhole 13 of the lid 12
and is tightly fitted therein, when the unlock member 77 is rotated
by an bending and/or stretching movement of the driving unit 78,
lock of the lid 12 of the carrier 11 is adapted to be unlocked.
[0063] The lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 is moved forward to
the conveying in-and-out area S1 by the driving unit 76 and abuts
to the lid 12 of the carrier 10 under a condition wherein the door
71 is closed and the conveying in-and-out area S1 and the loading
area S2 are closed. At this time, the lid opening-and-closing
mechanism 75 is also hermetically connected to the sealing member
50 which is provided on the partition 21. Accordingly, a high-level
air-tightness is secured between the conveying in-and-out area S1
and the loading area S2. And then, the lid opening-and-closing
mechanism 75 is moved apart from the opening part 21A after holding
the lid 12 of the carrier 10 in order to convey the wafers W in the
carrier 10 to the loading area S2. Accordingly, the lid 12 is
contained inside the door 71.
[0064] The door mechanism 70 is provided with a gas-discharging
mechanism for discharging a gas from an inside of the driving-unit
arrangement room 81 and from an inside of the outer box of the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75.
[0065] In the concrete, the gas-discharging mechanism comprises: a
suction port 86 A opening to the inside space of the driving-unit
arrangement room 81; a suction port 86B opening to the inside space
of the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75; a common
gas-discharging port 87 provided at an outside of the door
mechanism 70 and connected to each of the suction ports 86A, 86B;
and a suction means (not shown), such as a pump and so on, provided
at an outside of the processing apparatus.
[0066] Furthermore, when the door mechanism 70 opens the opening
part 21A of the partition 21, the door mechanism 70 has a function
for adjusting pressure so as to leisurely reduce a pressure
difference between a pressure inside the carrier 10 and a pressure
of the loading area S2 to substantially zero.
[0067] In the concrete, an opening 90 formed at a back wall of the
door 71 is provided with a damper mechanism 92 through a filter 91.
The pressure inside the door 71 is adjusted by controlling a
movement of the damper mechanism 92 to gradually open the opening
90. For example, when the pressure in the carrier 10 is
19.6.times.10.sup.4-29.4.times.10.sup.4 Pa (20-30 mAq) and the
pressure in the loading area S2 is
49.times.10.sup.4-98.times.10.sup.4 Pa (50-100 mAq) under a
condition wherein the lid 12 has been removed and a nitrogen gas
has been purged, the pressure in the carrier 10 is adjusted so as
to become the same as the pressure in the loading area S2 by taking
a time for 1-10 seconds.
[0068] Hereinafter, an operation of the vertical thermal processing
apparatus as described above is explained.
[0069] Firstly, the carrier 10 is moved down through the inside
space of the panel part 25 by the not-shown automatic conveying
robot which moves along the ceiling portion of the clean room, and
is placed on the first stage 22 (23). And then, the carrier 10 is
conveyed onto the second stage 26 (27) by means of the carrier
conveying mechanism 31.
[0070] Next, the second stage 26 (27) is moved to a side of the
partition 21. Accordingly, the end edge of the opening of the
taking-out port 11A of the carrier 10 hermetically abuts to the end
edge of the opening of the partition 21 via the sealing member 50.
Under this situation, the pressing means 55 (56) is driven by an
appropriate driving unit and is made to lie on its side. At this
time, a protruding portion (not shown) of the pressing means 55
(56) is tightly fitted in the recess portion 15 of the flange
portion 14 of the carrier 10, and the carrier 2 is fixed in such a
condition that the carrier 2 is pressed from above by the pressing
means 55 (56).
[0071] Thereafter, the gas-discharging mechanism in the door
mechanism 70 is activated, and the atmosphere in the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75 and in the driving-unit
arrangement room 81 is discharged at a flow rate of, for example,
0.01-0.1 m.sup.3/min. Under this situation, the lock of the lid 12
of the carrier 10 is unlocked by the lid opening-and-closing
mechanism 75, and the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 is
withdrawn with holding the lid 12. Accordingly, the inside space of
the carrier 10 is opened. Under this situation, an inert gas such
as a nitrogen gas is supplied horizontally into the carrier from a
gas-supplying pipe at a flow rate of, for example, 0.05-0.5
m.sup.3/min. Accordingly, the atmosphere in the carrier 10 and the
door 71 is replaced by the inert gas. At this time, since the inert
gas is introduced in a relatively large amount, there is a
possibility that the pressure in the carrier 10 rises up and also
the air-tightness between the end edge of the opening part of the
carrier 10 and the sealing member 50 is damaged due to a shock when
the gas is introduced. However, since the carrier 10 is pressed
from above by the pressing means 55 (56), the carrier 10 is not
dislocated actually and the air-tightness is not damaged.
[0072] After that, the damper mechanism 92 is activated and the
pressure in the carrier 10 is adjusted so as to leisurely become
the same pressure as in the loading area S2 after some time. Then,
as shown in FIG. 8, the door mechanism 70 is moved upward along the
partition 21 and withdrawn from the opening part 21A in such a
condition that it contains the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75
holding the lid 12 in the door 71, in order not to interrupt the
transferring movement of the wafers W by the wafer transferring
mechanism 45. Accordingly, the inside of the carrier 10 and the
space of the loading area S2 are communicated with each other.
[0073] After that, the wafers W in the carrier 10 are taken out one
after another and placed on the wafer boat 41 by the wafer
transferring mechanism 45. When the transferring of the wafers is
finished, a reverse movement to one described above is conducted.
Namely, the opening part 21A is hermetically closed by the door
mechanism 70, the lid 12 of the carrier 10 is closed by the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75, the fixation by the pressing
means 55 (56) is removed, the second stage 26 (27) is withdrawn and
the carrier 10 is moved away from the partition 21, and the carrier
10 is transferred into the carrier storing part 30 by the carrier
conveying mechanism 31 to be kept therein temporally.
[0074] On the other hand, when a predetermined number of wafers W
are mounted on the wafer boat 41, the wafer boat 41 is conveyed
into the heat treating furnace 40. The heat treating furnace 40
conducts a predetermined heat treatment, for example, a CVD
treatment, an annealing treatment, an oxidation treatment and so
on, to the wafers W. Thereafter, the conveying movement of the
carrier 10 from the carrier storing part 30 to the second stage 26
(27) by the carrier conveying mechanism 31, the opening movement of
the lid by the lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75, the
withdrawing movement of the door mechanism 70, and the transferring
movement of the wafers by the wafer transferring mechanism 45, are
conducted in order, so that the wafers W are returned to the
carrier 10. After that, the lid 12 is closed by the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75 and the carrier 10 is conveyed to
an outside of the apparatus.
[0075] In this way, according to the processing apparatus having
the structure described above, since the driving unit 76 of the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75 is arranged in the driving-unit
arrangement room 81 separated from the door mechanism space (the
space inside the door 71) which is formed between the door
mechanism 70 and the carrier 10 as well as it is provided with the
gas-discharging mechanism for discharging the gas inside the
driving-unit arrangement room 81, even when a dust is raised
accompanied by a sliding movement in the anterior-posterior
direction of the driving unit 76 when the lid 12 of the carrier 10
is opened or closed, the dust is discharged to outside through the
suction port 86A and removed. In addition, a dust which is raised
accompanied by the opening-and-closing movement of the lid by the
lid opening-and-closing mechanism 75 is also discharged to outside
through the suction port 86B and removed. Therefore, it is possible
to surely prevent a dust from entering into the space inside the
door mechanism and adhering to the wafers W in the carrier 10, and
also it is possible to surely prevent the clean atmosphere in the
loading area S2 from being polluted when the door mechanism 70 is
opened. As a result, an adverse effect on the wafers W by a dust
(particles) can be lessened to a small degree.
[0076] Additionally, in this processing apparatus, the air of the
space inside the door mechanism is also discharged via the suction
port 86A through the guiding groove 81A provided at the upper
defining wall forming the driving-unit arrangement room 81.
Therefore, an adverse effect on the wafers W by a dust (particles)
can be lessened to as small a degree as possible.
[0077] In addition, since the door mechanism 70 is composed so as
to be moved in parallel to any direction in the plane of the
partition 21, an upward direction in the example shown in the
figure, along the partition 21 and to be withdrawn from the opening
part 21A, the number of moving portions(sliding spots) relating to
the lid opening-and-closing movement is lessened so as to reduce
the possibility that a dust is raised accompanied by the
withdrawing movement of the door mechanism 70, compared with the
conventional door mechanism explained with reference to FIG. 10,
for example. Accordingly, it is possible to further surely prevent
the wafers W or the atmosphere in the loading area S2 from being
polluted by a dust.
[0078] Furthermore, since it is such a composition that the sealing
member 50 is provided at the end edge on the side of the conveying
in-and-out area Si of the opening part 21A, and the lid
opening-and-closing mechanism 75 provided at the door mechanism 70
is connected closely to the sealing member 50 and sealed
hermetically in a condition wherein the opening portion 21A is
closed, as is shown in FIG. 9, the space inside the door mechanism
is not exposed to the atmosphere of the conveying in-and-out area
S1 even when the carrier 10 is not placed on the second stage 26
(27). Accordingly, it is possible to surely prevent a dust, which
is for example floating in the conveying in-and-out area S1, from
entering into the space inside the door mechanism.
[0079] Additionally, when the carrier 10 and the space in the
loading area S2 are communicated with each other all at once, the
dust existing in the space inside the door mechanism is stirred up
because of the pressure difference between the pressure in the
carrier 10 and the pressure in the loading area S2, and is allowed
to adhere to the wafers W in the carrier 10 and to get mixed into
the loading area S2. However, since the door mechanism 70 is
provided with the damper mechanism 92 that leisurely adjusts the
pressure in order to reduce the pressure difference between the
pressure in the loading area S2 and the pressure in the carrier 10
to substantially zero, it is possible to surely prevent the
troubles described above, and to surely prevent the wafers from
being polluted.
[0080] When a heat treatment was conducted to wafers having a
diameter of 300 mm in the thermal processing apparatus provided
with the door mechanism shown in FIG. 10, the increase of number of
particles not less than 0.16 .mu.m per one RUN was 10. In
comparison with this, when a heat treatment was conducted to wafers
having a diameter of 300 mm in the thermal processing apparatus of
the present invention, the increase of number of particles not less
than 0.1 .mu.m per one RUN was 2. That is, it was confirmed that it
is possible to surely restrain pollution of the wafers by the
particles according to the present invention.
[0081] Although the embodiment of this present invention has been
explained as above, the present invention is not limited to the
embodiment described above and it is possible to add various
changes.
[0082] For example, the present invention can be applied not only
to the vertical thermal processing apparatus but also to any
apparatus to conduct a predetermined process to an object to be
processed, such as a thermal processing apparatus of sheet-fed
type, an apparatus for applying a resist or developing, an ion
implantation apparatus and so on.
[0083] In addition, the atmosphere in the loading area is not
limited to an inert gas but it may be a clean dry air. In this
case, after the carrier abuts to the partition, the clean dry air
may be supplied into the carrier so that the atmosphere in the
carrier may be replaced by the clean dry air.
[0084] Additionally, the present invention is applicable for an
apparatus in which an area for conveying a carrier and an area for
conveying the carrier to an outside are provided at separated
places.
[0085] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a suction duct can be
provided in the loading area so as to surround the circumference of
the door mechanism in such a manner that the withdrawing direction
of the door mechanism is opened. In this case, even when a dust is
raised accompanied by the withdrawing movement of the door
mechanism, the dust is removed by the suction duct. Therefore, an
adverse effect on the wafers and the clean atmosphere in the
loading area by particles can be lessened to as small a degree as
possible, and it is possible to surely restrain the pollution of
the wafers. Moreover, it is possible to contain a cable air tube
and so on, which is connected to the gas-discharging port, in the
suction duct. In this case, even when a dust and so on are raised
due to the movement of the cable air tube accompanied by the
withdrawing movement of the door mechanism, an adverse effect on
the wafers is surely prevented.
* * * * *