阅读说明：本技术 基片传输模块及半导体处理系统 (Substrate transfer module and semiconductor processing system ) 是由 田晓明 王卓 于 2020-05-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请涉及基片传输模块及半导体处理系统。所述基片传输模块包括：传输腔室,其在长度方向上具有第一端和第二端,在宽度方向上具有第一侧和第二侧；滑轨,其安置于所述传输腔室中,且沿所述传输腔室的长度方向延伸；机械臂,其安置于所述滑轨上且具有延伸的臂部,所述机械臂可操作以沿所述滑轨在所述传输腔室的长度方向上移动,以在设备前端模块与处理腔室之间传送基片,其中所述设备前端模块位于所述传输腔室的所述第一端,所述处理腔室位于所述传输腔室的所述第一侧或所述第二侧。(The application relates to a substrate transfer module and a semiconductor processing system. The substrate transport module includes: a transfer chamber having a first end and a second end in a length direction and a first side and a second side in a width direction; a slide rail disposed in the transfer chamber and extending along a length direction of the transfer chamber; a robot disposed on the slide and having an extended arm, the robot operable to move along the slide in a length direction of the transfer chamber to transfer substrates between an equipment front end module located at the first end of the transfer chamber and a process chamber located at the first side or the second side of the transfer chamber.)

1. A substrate transport module, comprising:

a transfer chamber having a first end and a second end in a length direction and a first side and a second side in a width direction;

a slide rail disposed in the transfer chamber and extending along a length direction of the transfer chamber; and

a robot disposed on the slide and having an extended arm, the robot operable to move along the slide in a length direction of the transfer chamber to transfer substrates between an equipment front end module located at the first end of the transfer chamber and a process chamber located at the first side or the second side of the transfer chamber.

2. The substrate transport module of claim 1, further comprising a slide mount disposed on the slide rail and operable to move along the slide rail in a direction of a length of the transport chamber, wherein the robotic arm is disposed on the slide mount.

3. The substrate transport module of claim 1, wherein a plurality of valves are disposed on the first and second sides of the transport chamber, a forward end of the arm of the robot arm operable to pass through the plurality of valves.

4. The substrate transport module of claim 1, wherein the transport chamber comprises a vacuum transport chamber.

5. The substrate transport module of claim 4, wherein the transport chamber is coupled to the process chamber through a valve on the first side or the second side, the robot arm operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the processing chamber through the valve.

6. The substrate transport module of claim 4, wherein the transport chamber is coupled to a loadlock chamber between the transport chamber and the equipment front end module through a vacuum valve on the first end.

7. The substrate transport module of claim 6, wherein the robotic arm is operable to:

removing a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve; and

placing a processed substrate into the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve.

8. The substrate transport module of claim 1, wherein the transport chamber comprises an atmospheric transport chamber.

9. The substrate transport module of claim 8, wherein the transport chamber is coupled to the equipment front end module, the robot arm operable to:

taking out the substrate to be processed from the equipment front-end module; and

the processed substrate is placed into the equipment front end module.

10. The substrate transport module of claim 8, wherein the transport chamber is coupled to a loadlock chamber between the transport chamber and the process chamber through an atmospheric valve on the first side or the second side.

11. The substrate transport module of claim 10, wherein the robotic arm is operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve.

12. A semiconductor processing system, comprising:

the substrate transport module of claim 1;

the device front-end module; and

the processing chamber.

13. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12, wherein the substrate transport module further comprises a slide mount disposed on the slide rail and operable to move along the slide rail in a direction of a length of the transport chamber, wherein the robot arm is disposed on the slide mount.

14. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12, wherein a plurality of valves are disposed on the first and second sides of the transfer chamber, a front end of the arm of the robot arm operable to pass through the plurality of valves.

15. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12, wherein the transfer chamber comprises a vacuum transfer chamber.

16. The semiconductor processing system of claim 15, wherein the transfer chamber is coupled to the processing chamber through a valve on the first side or the second side, the robot arm operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the processing chamber through the valve.

17. The semiconductor processing system of claim 15, further comprising a load lock chamber located between the transfer chamber and the equipment front end module, wherein the transfer chamber is connected to the load lock chamber through a vacuum valve on the first end, and the load lock chamber is connected to the equipment front end module through an atmospheric valve.

18. The semiconductor processing system of claim 17, wherein the robotic arm is operable to:

removing a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve; and

placing a processed substrate into the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve.

19. The semiconductor processing system of claim 17, wherein the equipment front end module comprises a second robot operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve.

20. The semiconductor processing system of claim 19, wherein the equipment front end module comprises a second slide rail, the second robotic arm disposed on the slide rail and operable to move along the slide rail.

21. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12, wherein the transfer chamber comprises an atmospheric transfer chamber.

22. The semiconductor processing system of claim 21, wherein the transfer chamber is coupled to the equipment front end module, the robot arm operable to:

taking out the substrate to be processed from the equipment front-end module; and

the processed substrate is placed into the equipment front end module.

23. The semiconductor processing system of claim 21, wherein the equipment front end module comprises a second robot operable to:

transferring a substrate to be processed from a substrate carrier to the robotic arm; and

transferring the processed substrate from the robot arm to the substrate carrier.

24. The semiconductor processing system of claim 23, wherein the equipment front end module comprises a second slide rail, the second robotic arm disposed on the slide rail and operable to move along the slide rail.

25. The semiconductor processing system of claim 21, further comprising a load lock chamber between the transfer chamber and the process chamber, wherein the transfer chamber is coupled to the load lock chamber through an atmospheric valve on the first side or the second side, and the load lock chamber is coupled to the process chamber through a vacuum valve.

26. The semiconductor processing system of claim 25, wherein the robotic arm is operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve.

27. The semiconductor processing system of claim 25, wherein the load lock chamber comprises a second robot operable to:

placing a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the vacuum valve; and

removing the processed substrate from the processing chamber through the vacuum valve.

28. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12, wherein the processing chamber comprises an even number of processing stations.

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to the field of semiconductor manufacturing and, more particularly, to semiconductor processing systems and substrate transport modules therein.

Background

Semiconductor processing systems typically include several parts, including an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM), a load lock module (LL), a Transport Module (TM), and a Process Module (PM). With the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology, there is a need to increase the throughput of semiconductor processing systems and the integrated throughput of production tools, which requires increasing the maximum number of substrates that can be processed simultaneously by the semiconductor processing systems. This can be achieved by increasing the number of process chambers carried by the semiconductor processing system. Therefore, how to improve the scalability of the semiconductor processing system and effectively increase the integration of the system becomes a major consideration in the design of the semiconductor processing system.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in one embodiment of the present application, a substrate transport module is provided. The substrate transmission module comprises a transmission chamber, a sliding rail and a mechanical arm. The transfer chamber has a first end and a second end in a length direction and a first side and a second side in a width direction. The slide rail is disposed in the transfer chamber and extends along a length direction of the transfer chamber. The robotic arm is disposed on the slide rail and has an extended arm portion. The robot is operable to move along the slide in a direction of a length of the transfer chamber to transfer substrates between an equipment front end module located at the first end of the transfer chamber and a process chamber located at the first side or the second side of the transfer chamber.

In some embodiments, the substrate transport module further comprises a sliding support. The slide support is disposed on the slide rail and is operable to move along the slide rail in a length direction of the transfer chamber, wherein the robotic arm is disposed on the slide support.

In some embodiments, a plurality of valves are disposed on the first and second sides of the transfer chamber through which a leading end of the arm of the robotic arm is operable to pass.

In some embodiments, the transfer chamber comprises a vacuum transfer chamber. The transfer chamber may be connected to the process chamber through a valve on the first side or the second side. The robot arm is operable to place a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the processing chamber through the valve. The transfer chamber may be connected to a load lock chamber between the transfer chamber and the equipment front end module through a vacuum valve on the first end. The robot arm is operable to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve and place a processed substrate into the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve.

In some embodiments, the transfer chamber comprises an atmospheric transfer chamber. The transfer chamber is coupled to the equipment front end module, and the robot is operable to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the equipment front end module and place the processed substrate into the equipment front end module. The transfer chamber may be connected to a load lock chamber located between the transfer chamber and the process chamber through an atmospheric valve on the first side or the second side. The robot arm is operable to place a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve.

In another embodiment of the present application, a semiconductor processing system is provided. The semiconductor processing system may include a substrate transport module, an equipment front end module, and a process chamber as disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the substrate transport module further comprises a sliding support. The slide support is disposed on the slide rail and is operable to move along the slide rail in a length direction of the transfer chamber, wherein the robotic arm is disposed on the slide support.

In some embodiments, a plurality of valves are disposed on the first and second sides of the transfer chamber through which a leading end of the arm of the robotic arm is operable to pass.

In some embodiments, the transfer chamber comprises a vacuum transfer chamber. The transfer chamber may be connected to the process chamber through a valve on the first side or the second side. The robot arm is operable to place a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the processing chamber through the valve. The semiconductor processing system further includes a load lock chamber located between the transfer chamber and the equipment front end module, wherein the transfer chamber is connectable to the load lock chamber through a vacuum valve on the first end, and the load lock chamber is connectable to the equipment front end module through an atmospheric valve. The robot arm is operable to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve and place a processed substrate into the load lock chamber through the vacuum valve. The equipment front end module may include a second robot operable to place a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve. The equipment front end module may include a second slide rail on which the second robotic arm is disposed and operable to move along the slide rail.

In some embodiments, the transfer chamber comprises an atmospheric transfer chamber. The transfer chamber is coupled to the equipment front end module, and the robot is operable to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the equipment front end module and place the processed substrate into the equipment front end module. The equipment front end module may include a second robot operable to transfer substrates to be processed from a substrate carrier to the robot and to transfer processed substrates from the robot to the substrate carrier. The equipment front end module may include a second slide rail on which the second robotic arm is disposed and operable to move along the slide rail. The semiconductor processing system further includes a load lock chamber located between the transfer chamber and the processing chamber, wherein the transfer chamber is coupled to the load lock chamber through an atmospheric valve on the first side or the second side, and the load lock chamber is coupled to the processing chamber through a vacuum valve. The robot arm is operable to place a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the load lock chamber through the atmospheric valve. The load lock chamber includes an additional robot operable to place a substrate to be processed into the processing chamber through the vacuum valve and retrieve a processed substrate from the processing chamber through the vacuum valve.

In some embodiments, the process chamber comprises an even number of process stations.

The details of one or more examples of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

The disclosure in this specification refers to and includes the following figures:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a semiconductor processing system according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a semiconductor processing system according to further embodiments of the present application.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. The shapes of the respective members illustrated in the drawings are merely exemplary shapes, and do not limit the actual shapes of the members. Additionally, the implementations illustrated in the figures may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the figures may not illustrate all of the components of a given device or apparatus. Finally, the same reference numerals may be used throughout the description and drawings to refer to the same features.

Detailed Description

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which specific exemplary embodiments are shown by way of illustration. The claimed subject matter may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any example embodiments set forth herein; the exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative. As such, this invention is intended to provide a reasonably broad scope of coverage to the claimed subject matter as claimed or as covered thereby.

The use of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "according to an embodiment" in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it imply that the claimed subject matter necessarily includes all of the features described in the embodiment, and the use of "in other (some/some) embodiments" or "according to other (some/some) embodiments" in this specification does not necessarily refer to different embodiments. It is intended that, for example, claimed subject matter include all or a portion of the exemplary embodiments in combination. The terms "include" and "comprise" in this specification are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "include, but not limited to … …". The meaning of "upper" and "lower" in this specification is not limited to the relationship directly presented in the drawings, and it should include descriptions with explicit correspondence, such as "left" and "right", or the reverse of "upper" and "lower". The term "substrate" in this specification should be understood to be used interchangeably with the terms "substrate", "wafer", "chip", "wafer", and the like. Certain terms are used herein to refer to particular system components, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, different enterprises may refer to such system components by different names.

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a semiconductor processing system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application. The semiconductor processing system 100 includes an equipment front end module 102, load lock chambers 118-1 and 118-2 (collectively, load lock chambers 118), a substrate transport module 104, and process chambers 106-1, 106-2, 106-3, and 106-4 (collectively, process chambers 106). Although a particular number of load lock chambers and process chambers are shown in fig. 1, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 100 may include a fewer or greater number of load lock chambers and process chambers.

The substrate transport module 104 includes a transport chamber 108, a slide 110, and a robot arm 112. The transfer chamber 108 has a first end (e.g., a lower end shown in fig. 1) and a second end (e.g., an upper end shown in fig. 1) in a length direction (e.g., a vertical direction shown in fig. 1), and has a first side (e.g., a left side shown in fig. 1) and a second side (e.g., a right side shown in fig. 1) in a width direction (e.g., a horizontal direction shown in fig. 1). The transfer chamber 108 generally has a greater dimension in the length direction than in the width direction. The transfer chamber 108 is shown in phantom in fig. 1 as being optionally extended in length.

The slide rail 110 is disposed in the transfer chamber 108 and extends along a length of the transfer chamber 108. The slide rail 110 is shown in phantom in fig. 1 to extend arbitrarily as needed along the length of the transfer chamber 108. In the example of fig. 1, the sled 110 comprises two rails that are parallel to each other. Two tracks may achieve greater stability relative to a single track. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the sled 110 may include other numbers and other forms of rails.

The robot 112 is disposed on the slide rail 110 and is operable to move along the slide rail 110 in a direction of the length of the transfer chamber 108 so that substrates may be transferred between the equipment front end module 102 at the first end of the transfer chamber 108 and the process chamber 106 at the first or second side of the transfer chamber 108. For example, the robot 112 may transfer substrates from the equipment front end module 102 to any of the process chambers 106, or transfer substrates from any of the process chambers 106 to the equipment front end module 102, or transfer substrates from one of the process chambers 106 to another of the process chambers 106 by moving along the slide 110 to different positions. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sled 110 is configured to have a sled support 114, and the robotic arm 112 is configured to be disposed on the sled support 114. The sliding carriage 114 is operable to move along the sled 110 in a direction of the length of the transfer chamber 108, and the robotic arm 112 is movable with the sliding carriage 114. In some embodiments, the robotic arm 112 is fixedly mounted on the sliding support 114, i.e., the robotic arm 112 cannot move on the sliding support 114. In other embodiments, the robotic arm 112 may be movably mounted to the sliding support 114, i.e., the robotic arm 112 may move a small amount of distance on the sliding support 114. In other embodiments of the present application, the robotic arm 112 may not pass through the sliding bracket 114, but may otherwise rest on the sled 110 and move along the sled 110.

The robot arm 112 has an extended arm that is telescopic in length (e.g., the arm may include a foldable or telescopic portion) so that the front end of the arm may reach a designated location (e.g., within the loadlock chamber 118 or the process chamber 106). The forward end of the arm may include means for supporting or holding a substrate, such as a blade, paddle, fork or clamp. The robot 112 may have one arm or may have multiple arms to transfer multiple substrates simultaneously. In the case where the slide rail 110 is long and the robot arm 112 may need to move a long distance along the slide rail 110 to transfer the substrate, it is necessary to improve the stability of the transfer by the robot arm 112 and the reliability of the apparatus, for example, by carefully designing the structures of the slide rail 110 and the robot arm 112 and the connection structure therebetween, and by using sensors, signal matching, and control of the air flow in the chamber, smooth transfer and accurate positioning can be achieved.

A plurality of valves 116-1, 116-2, 116-4, and 116-4 (collectively referred to as valves 116) may be disposed on either side of the transfer chamber 108. Although a particular number of valves 116 are shown in fig. 1, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 100 may include a fewer or greater number of valves 116. The transfer chambers 108 are connected to the respective process chambers 106 through valves 116. For example, the transfer chamber 108 is connected to the process chamber 106-1 through the valve 116-1, the transfer chamber 108 is connected to the process chamber 106-2 through the valve 116-2, the transfer chamber 108 is connected to the process chamber 106-3 through the valve 116-3, and the transfer chamber 108 is connected to the process chamber 106-4 through the valve 116-4. Although there is only one valve 116 per process chamber 106 in the example of fig. 1, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the process chamber 106 may have more than one valve 116. For example, the transfer chamber 108 may be coupled to the process chamber 106-3 through two valves, wherein each valve is aligned with a corresponding one of the process stations 132 in the process chamber 106-3. The front end of the arm of the robot 112 is operable to enter a respective process chamber 106 through the valve 116 to place a substrate to be processed into the process chamber 106 (e.g., at a processing station in the process chamber) or to retrieve a processed substrate from the process chamber 106 (e.g., at a processing station in the process chamber).

FIG. 1 shows process chambers 106-1 and 106-2 including 6 processing stations, and process chambers 106-3 and 106-4 including 2 processing stations. Also shown in phantom in fig. 1, on both sides of the portion of the transfer chamber 108 that extends in the length direction may be disposed any number of valves and corresponding process chambers. Therefore, by increasing the length of the transfer chamber 108 and the corresponding slide rail 110, the semiconductor processing system 100 can increase the number of processing chambers to be mounted, thereby increasing the system integration and the throughput. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 100 may include process chambers having other shapes and configurations, and that other different numbers of processing stations may be included in each process chamber. In some embodiments, an even number of processing stations may be included in a processing chamber. The valves on both sides of the transfer chamber 108 and the processing chambers may be identical in position, number, type, etc., or may be different. The processing chambers in the semiconductor processing system 100 may be used to perform various semiconductor processing processes, such as deposition, etching, cleaning, etc., on substrates. The processing processes performed by the process chambers may be the same or different.

The transfer chamber 108 shown in fig. 1 is between the load lock chamber 118 and the processing chamber 106 and is thus a vacuum transfer chamber that may be evacuated using a vacuum pump. The load lock chamber 118 is located between the transfer chamber 108 and the equipment front end module 102. In the example of FIG. 1, the loadlock chambers 118-1 and 118-2 are two separate chambers that may each be independently pumped down or pumped in. Each chamber may receive a substrate. In other embodiments, one load lock chamber may receive multiple substrates. The transfer chamber 108 is coupled to the load lock chamber 118-1 via a vacuum valve 120-1 on a first end, and the transfer chamber 108 is coupled to the load lock chamber 118-2 via a vacuum valve 120-2 on a first end. The front end of the robot 112 in the transfer chamber 108 may be operable to access the respective load lock chamber 118 through the vacuum valve 120 to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber 118 (e.g., at the platen 122 in the load lock chamber) or to place a processed substrate into the load lock chamber 118 (e.g., at the platen 122 in the load lock chamber). In the example of fig. 1, since the first end of the transfer chamber 108 is connected to two load lock chambers 118 side-by-side, the width of the transfer chamber 108 needs to be greater than the diameter of two substrates plus some gap width. For example, the width of the transfer chamber 108 is approximately 75 cm.

The load lock chamber 118-1 is coupled to the equipment front end module 102 through an atmospheric valve 124-1 and the load lock chamber 118-2 is coupled to the equipment front end module 102 through an atmospheric valve 124-2. The equipment front end module 102 may include a robotic arm 126. The robot arm 126 is operable to transfer substrates between the substrate carrier 130 and the loadlock chamber 118. The robot arm 126 has an extended arm that is retractable in length (e.g., the arm may include a collapsible or retractable portion) so that the front end of the arm may reach a designated location (e.g., within the loadlock chamber 118 or substrate carrier 130). The forward end of the arm may include means for supporting or holding a substrate, such as a blade, paddle, fork or clamp. The robot arm 126 may have one arm or may have multiple arms to transfer multiple substrates simultaneously. Fig. 1 shows 4 substrate carriers 130 located at one end of the equipment front end module 102. It should be understood that substrate carriers 130 may be disposed in other locations (e.g., on both sides) of the front end module 102 and fewer or more substrate carriers 130 may be included. The robot 126 is operable to remove substrates to be processed from the substrate carriers 130 through a door (not shown) between the equipment front end module 102 and any of the substrate carriers 130 and place the substrates to be processed into the loadlock chamber 118 through the atmospheric valve 124. The robot 126 is also operable to retrieve processed substrates from the loadlock chamber 118 through the atmospheric valve 124 and place the processed substrates onto the substrate carriers 130 through a door (not shown) between the equipment front end module 102 and any of the substrate carriers 130.

In some embodiments, the device front end module 102 may include a slide rail 128. The robot arm 126 may be disposed on a slide 128 and may be operable to move to different positions along the slide 128 to transfer substrates. The robotic arm 126 may also be mounted to the slide rail 128 via a bracket (not shown) or other attachment structure. In the example of fig. 1, the slide rail 128 comprises a rail. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the slide rail 128 may include other numbers and other forms of rails. In other embodiments of the present application, the robot arm 126 may move other ways than by a slide, or the robot arm 126 may not move, but rather only transfer substrates via an extended arm.

The manner in which substrates are transported in a semiconductor processing system 100 is described below in conjunction with fig. 1. When a substrate needs to be processed, the substrate to be processed is placed in the substrate carrier 130. The corresponding vacuum valve 120 of the load lock chamber 118 is closed and the atmospheric valve 124 is opened and the load lock chamber 118 is returned to atmospheric conditions. The robot 126 retrieves the substrates to be processed from the substrate carrier 130 and transfers them to the loadlock chamber 118 through the atmospheric valve 124. The atmospheric valve 124 is then closed and the corresponding vacuum valve 120 is opened after the load lock chamber 118 is evacuated. The robot 112 moves to near the first end of the transfer chamber 108 to retrieve a substrate to be processed from the load lock chamber 118 through the vacuum valve 120, moves along the slide rail 110 to near the process chamber 106 where the desired processing is to be performed, and transfers the substrate to be processed into the process chamber 106 through the corresponding valve 116. After the valve 116 is closed, the substrate is processed as desired. After processing is complete, the valve 116 is opened and the robot 112 removes the processed substrate from the processing chamber 106. If additional processing chambers are required for processing, the robot 112 may transfer the substrate to the additional processing chambers, otherwise, the robot 112 moves near the first end of the transfer chamber 108 to transfer the processed substrate to the load lock chamber 118 through the vacuum valve 120. Then, the corresponding vacuum valve 120 of the load lock chamber 118 is closed, the atmospheric valve 124 is opened, and the load lock chamber 118 is returned to atmospheric conditions. The robot 126 removes processed substrates from the loadlock chamber 118 through the atmospheric valve 124 and transfers the substrates to the substrate carrier 130.

Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a semiconductor processing system 200 according to further embodiments of the present application. The semiconductor processing system 200 includes an equipment front end module 202, a substrate transport module 204, load lock chambers 218-1, 218-2, 218-3, and 218-4 (collectively referred to as load lock chambers 118), and process chambers 206-1 and 206-2 (collectively referred to as process chambers 206). Although a particular number of load lock chambers and process chambers are shown in fig. 1, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 100 may include a fewer or greater number of load lock chambers and process chambers.

The substrate transfer module 204 includes a transfer chamber 208, a slide 210, and a robot arm 212. The transfer chamber 208 has a first end (e.g., a lower end shown in fig. 2) and a second end (e.g., an upper end shown in fig. 2) in a length direction (e.g., a vertical direction shown in fig. 2), and has a first side (e.g., a left side shown in fig. 2) and a second side (e.g., a right side shown in fig. 2) in a width direction (e.g., a horizontal direction shown in fig. 2). The transfer chamber 208 generally has a greater dimension in the lengthwise direction than in the widthwise direction. The dashed line in fig. 2 indicates that the transfer chamber 208 may be extended in the longitudinal direction as desired.

The slide rail 210 is disposed in the transfer chamber 208 and extends along a length of the transfer chamber 208. The slide rail 210 is shown in phantom in fig. 2 as extending arbitrarily as needed along the length of the transfer chamber 208. In the example of fig. 2, the sliding rail 210 includes two rails that are parallel to each other. Two tracks may achieve greater stability relative to a single track. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the slide rail 210 may include other numbers and other forms of rails.

The robot 212 is disposed on the slide rail 210 and is operable to move along the slide rail 210 in a direction of the length of the transfer chamber 208 so that substrates may be transferred between the equipment front end module 202 located at the first end of the transfer chamber 208 and the process chamber 206 located at the first or second side of the transfer chamber 208. For example, the robot 212 may transfer substrates from the equipment front end module 202 to any of the process chambers 206, or transfer substrates from any of the process chambers 206 to the equipment front end module 202, or transfer substrates from one of the process chambers 206 to another of the process chambers 206 by moving to different positions along the slide 210. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the slide rail 210 is provided with a slide bracket 214, and the robot 212 is provided on the slide bracket 214. The sliding support 214 is operable to move along the slide rail 210 in a direction of the length of the transfer chamber 208, and the robotic arm 212 is movable with the sliding support 214. In some embodiments, the robotic arm 212 is fixedly mounted on the sliding support 214, i.e., the robotic arm 212 cannot move on the sliding support 214. In other embodiments, the robotic arm 212 may be movably mounted to the sliding support 214, i.e., the robotic arm 212 may move a small amount of movement on the sliding support 214. In other embodiments of the present application, the robotic arm 212 may not be mounted to the slide rail 210 via the sliding support 214, but may be otherwise disposed on the slide rail 210 and moved along the slide rail 210.

The robotic arm 212 has an extended arm that is telescopic in length (e.g., the arm may include a foldable or telescopic portion) so that the front end of the arm may reach a designated location (e.g., within the loadlock chamber 218 or the equipment front end module 202). The forward end of the arm may include means for supporting or holding a substrate, such as a blade, paddle, fork or clamp. The robot 212 may have one arm or may have multiple arms to transfer multiple substrates simultaneously. In the case where the slide rail 210 is long and the robot 212 may need to move a long distance along the slide rail 210 to transfer the substrate, it is necessary to improve the stability of the robot 212 transfer and the reliability of the apparatus, for example, by carefully designing the structures of the slide rail 210 and the robot 212 and the connection structure therebetween, and by using sensors, signal matching, and control of the gas flow in the chamber, smooth transfer and accurate positioning can be achieved.

A plurality of valves 216-1, 216-2, 216-4, and 216-4 (collectively referred to as valves 216) may be disposed on either side of the transfer chamber 208. In this embodiment, the transfer chamber 208 is between the equipment front end module 202 and the load lock chamber 218 and thus may be an atmospheric transfer chamber and the valve 216 is an atmospheric valve. Although a particular number of valves 216 are shown in fig. 2, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 200 may include a fewer or greater number of valves 216. The transfer chamber 208 is connected to a corresponding load lock chamber 218 through a valve 216. For example, transfer chamber 208 is connected to loadlock chamber 218-1 through valve 216-1, transfer chamber 208 is connected to loadlock chamber 218-2 through valve 216-2, transfer chamber 208 is connected to loadlock chamber 218-3 through valve 216-3, and transfer chamber 208 is connected to loadlock chamber 218-4 through valve 216-4. The front end of the arm of the robot 212 may be operable to pass through the valve 216 into the corresponding load lock chamber 218 to place a substrate to be processed into the load lock chamber 218 or to retrieve a processed substrate from the load lock chamber 218.

The load lock chamber 218 is located between the transfer chamber 208 and the process chamber 206. The load lock chambers 218 are coupled to the corresponding process chambers 206 via vacuum valves 220. For example, the load lock chamber 218-1 is coupled to the process chamber 206-1 via the vacuum valve 220-1, the load lock chamber 218-2 is coupled to the process chamber 206-2 via the vacuum valve 220-2, the load lock chamber 218-3 is coupled to the process chamber 206-1 via the vacuum valve 220-3, and the load lock chamber 218-4 is coupled to the process chamber 206-2 via the vacuum valve 220-4. The load lock chamber 218 may include a robot arm (not shown) operable to place a substrate to be processed into the process chamber 206 (e.g., at the processing station 232 in the process chamber) through the vacuum valve 220 or retrieve a processed substrate from the process chamber 206 (e.g., at the processing station 232 in the process chamber) through the vacuum valve 220. In some embodiments, the robotic arm may also receive substrates from the robotic arm 212 or transfer substrates to the robotic arm 212. In some embodiments, the robot may enter the transfer chamber 208 to receive substrates from the robot 212 or to transfer substrates to the robot 212.

Fig. 2 shows process chambers 206-1 and 206-2 including 4 processing stations. Also shown in phantom in fig. 2 is that any number of valves and corresponding load lock and processing chambers may be disposed on either side of the portion of the transfer chamber 208 that expands in length. Therefore, by increasing the length of the transfer chamber 208 and the corresponding slide rail 210, the semiconductor processing system 200 can increase the number of processing chambers to be mounted, thereby increasing the system integration and the throughput. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the semiconductor processing system 200 may include load lock chambers and process chambers having other shapes and configurations, and that other different numbers of processing stations may be included in each process chamber. In some embodiments, an even number of processing stations may be included in a processing chamber. The valves on both sides of the transfer chamber 208 and the position, number, type, etc. of the load lock and process chambers may be the same or different. The process chambers in the semiconductor processing system 200 may be used to perform various semiconductor processing processes, such as deposition, etching, cleaning, etc., on substrates. The processing processes performed by the process chambers may be the same or different.

The transfer chamber 208 is connected at a first end to the equipment front end module 202. A door or other connection or communication structure may be provided between the transfer chamber 208 and the equipment front end module 202. The front end of the robot 212 in the transfer chamber 208 is operable to access the equipment front end module 202 to retrieve substrates to be processed from the equipment front end module 202 or to place processed substrates into the equipment front end module 202.

The equipment front end module 202 may include a robotic arm 226. The robot 226 is operable to transfer substrates between the substrate carrier 230 and the robot 212. The robot arm 226 has an extended arm that is telescopic in length (e.g., the arm may include a collapsible or telescopic portion) so that the front end of the arm may reach a designated position (e.g., at the robot arm 212 or within the substrate carrier 230). The forward end of the arm may include means for supporting or holding a substrate, such as a blade, paddle, fork or clamp. The robot 226 may have one arm or may have multiple arms to transfer multiple substrates simultaneously. Fig. 2 shows 4 substrate carriers 230 located at one end of the equipment front end module 202. It should be understood that the substrate carriers 230 may be disposed in other locations (e.g., on both sides) of the front end module 202 and fewer or more substrate carriers 230 may be included. The robot 226 is operable to remove substrates to be processed from the substrate carriers 230 through a door (not shown) between the equipment front end module 202 and any substrate carrier 230 for transfer to the robot 212. The robot 226 is also operable to receive processed substrates from the robot 212 and place the processed substrates onto the substrate carriers 230 through a door (not shown) between the equipment front end module 202 and any of the substrate carriers 230. In some embodiments, the robot 226 may enter the transfer chamber 208 to receive substrates from the robot 212 or to transfer substrates to the robot 212.

In some embodiments, the equipment front end module 202 may include a slide rail 228. The robot 226 may be disposed on a slide 228 and operable to transfer substrates to different positions along the slide 228. The robot 226 may also be mounted to the slide rail 228 via a bracket (not shown) or other attachment structure. In the example of fig. 2, the slide rail 228 comprises a rail. It should be understood that in other embodiments, the slide rail 228 may include other numbers and other forms of rails. In other embodiments of the present application, the robot 226 may be moved other than by a slide rail, or the robot 226 may not be moved, but rather may only transfer substrates via an extended arm.

The manner in which substrates are transported in a semiconductor processing system 200 is described below in conjunction with fig. 2. When a substrate needs to be processed, the substrate to be processed is placed in the substrate carrier 230. The robot arm 212 moves proximate to the first end of the transfer chamber 208. The robot 226 removes the substrate to be processed from the substrate carrier 230 and transfers it to the robot 212. The robot 212 moves to the vicinity of the corresponding load lock chamber 218 of the process chamber 206 where the desired process is performed. The corresponding vacuum valve 220 of the load lock chamber 218 is closed and the atmospheric valve 216 is opened and the load lock chamber 218 is returned to atmospheric conditions. The robot 212 transfers the substrate to be processed to the load lock chamber 218. The atmospheric valve 216 is then closed and the load lock chamber 218 is evacuated, and the corresponding vacuum valve 220 is opened. The robot arm within the load lock chamber 218 transfers substrates to be processed into the processing chamber 206 through the vacuum valve 220. After the vacuum valve 220 is closed, the substrate is processed as desired. After processing is complete, the vacuum valve 220 is opened and the robot within the load lock chamber 218 retrieves the processed substrate from the processing chamber 206 into the load lock chamber 218. The vacuum valve 220 is then closed, the atmospheric valve 216 is opened, and the load lock chamber 218 is returned to atmospheric conditions. The robot 212 retrieves processed substrates from the load lock chamber 218. The robot 212 may transfer substrates to other processing chambers if they are needed for processing, otherwise the robot 212 moves near the first end of the transfer chamber 208 to transfer processed substrates to the robot 226. Robot 226, in turn, transfers the processed substrates to substrate carrier 230.

The application provides a substrate transmission module and a semiconductor processing system comprising the same, which can achieve the effects of improving the integration level of the semiconductor processing system and increasing the productivity.

The description in this specification is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.