SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SEQUENCE IN A CARTESIAN ROBOT CLUSTER TOOL

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing substrates using a multi-chamber processing system, or cluster tool, that has an increased system throughput, increased system reliability, improved device yield performance, a more repeatable wafer processing history (or wafer history), and a reduced footprint. The various embodiments of the cluster tool may utilize two or more robots that are configured in a parallel processing configuration to transfer substrates between the various processing chambers retained in the processing racks so that a desired processing sequence can be performed on the substrates. In one aspect, the parallel processing configuration contains two or more robot assemblies that are adapted to move in a vertical and horizontal directions, to access the various processing chambers retained in generally adjacently positioned processing racks. Generally, the various embodiments described herein are advantageous since each row or group of substrate processing chambers are serviced by two or more robots to allow for increased throughput and increased system reliability. Also, the various embodiments described herein are generally configured to minimize and control the particles generated by the substrate transferring mechanisms, to prevent device yield and substrate scrap problems that can affect the cost of ownership of the cluster tool. The flexible and modular architecture allows the user to configure the number of processing chambers, processing racks, and processing robots required to meet the throughput needs of the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1A is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a cluster tool of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a plan view of the processing system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 1C is a side view that illustrates one embodiment of the first processing rack 60 according to the present invention;

FIG. 1D is a side view that illustrates one embodiment of the second processing rack 80 according to the present invention;

FIG. 1E is a plan view of the processing system illustrated in FIG. 1B, according to the present invention;

FIG. 1F illustrates one embodiment of a process sequence containing various process recipe steps that may be used in conjunction with the various embodiments of the cluster tool described herein;

FIG. 1G is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 1B that illustrates a transfer path of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 2A is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 2A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2C is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 2B that illustrates a transfer path of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 3A that illustrates a transfer path of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 4A is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 4A that illustrates a transfer path of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 5A that illustrates a transfer path of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 6A is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 6B is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 6A that illustrates two possible transfer paths of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 6C is a plan view of a processing system, according to the present invention;

FIG. 6D is a plan view of a processing system illustrated in FIG. 6C that illustrates two possible transfer paths of a substrate through the cluster tool following the process sequence illustrated in FIG. 1F;

FIG. 7A is a side view of one embodiment of an exchange chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a plan view of the processing system illustrated in FIG. 1B, according to the present invention;

FIG. 8A is an isometric view illustrating another embodiment of a cluster tool illustrated in FIG. 1A that has an environmental enclosure attached, according to the present invention;

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the cluster tool illustrated in FIG. 8A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of one configuration of the according to the present invention;

FIG. 9A is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 10A is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot hardware assembly having a single robot assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 10B is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot hardware assembly having a dual robot assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the robot hardware assembly illustrated in FIG. 10A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 10D is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a robot hardware assembly, according to the present invention;

FIG. 10E is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the robot hardware assembly illustrated in FIG. 10A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11A is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11B illustrates various possible paths of the center of the substrate as it is transferred into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11C is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11D is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11E is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11F is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11G is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11H is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11I is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly illustrating various positions of the robot blade as it transfers a substrate into a processing chamber, according to the present invention;

FIG. 11J is a plan view of one embodiment of robot assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 11K is a plan view of a conventional SCARA robot of robot assembly positioned near a processing rack;

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of the horizontal motion assembly illustrated in FIG. 9A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the horizontal motion assembly illustrated in FIG. 9A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view of the horizontal motion assembly illustrated in FIG. 9A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the vertical motion assembly illustrated in FIG. 9A, according to the present invention;

FIG. 13B is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot illustrated in FIG. 13A that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 14A is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 15A is an isometric view illustrating one embodiment of a robot that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 16A is a plan view illustrating one embodiment of a robot blade assembly that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 16B is an side cross-section view illustrating one embodiment of the robot blade assembly shown in FIG. 16A that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 16C is a plan view illustrating one embodiment of a robot blade assembly that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments of the cluster tool;

FIG. 16D is a plan view illustrating one embodiment of a robot blade assembly that may be adapted to transfer substrates in various embodiments or the cluster tool.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a substrate in a cluster tool, comprising: transferring a substrate to a first array of processing chambers positioned along a first direction using a first robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in a second direction, wherein the second direction is generally orthogonal to the first direction;transferring a substrate to a second array of processing chambers positioned along the first direction using a second robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in the second direction; andtransferring a substrate to the first and second array of processing chambers positioned along the first direction using a third robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in the second direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third robot assembly is generally adjacent to the first and second robot assemblies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third robot assembly is positioned between the first and second robot assemblies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance between a centerline of the first robot assembly to a centerline of the third robot assembly and a centerline of the second robot assembly to the centerline of the third robot assembly is between about 315 mm and about 450 mm, wherein the center lines are all parallel to the first direction and the distance between the centerlines is measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance between a center point of a first substrate positioned on the first robot assembly or the second robot assembly to the center point of a second substrate positioned on the third robot assembly during the process of transferring a substrate in the first direction is between about 5% and about 50% larger than a dimension of a processing surface of the first and second substrates.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring a substrate to the first and second array of processing chambers positioned along the first direction using a fourth robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in the second direction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a pressure below atmospheric pressure in an enclosure formed around a first actuator assembly that is contained within the first robot assembly, the second robot assembly and the third robot assembly, wherein the first actuator assembly is adapted to position the substrate in the second direction.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a pressure below atmospheric pressure in an enclosure formed around a first actuator assembly that is contained within the first robot assembly, wherein the first actuator assembly is adapted to position the substrate in the second direction;generating a pressure below atmospheric pressure in an enclosure formed around a second actuator assembly that is contained within the second robot assembly, wherein the second actuator assembly is adapted to position the substrate in the second direction; andgenerating a pressure below atmospheric pressure in an enclosure formed around a third actuator assembly that is contained within the third robot assembly, wherein the third actuator assembly is adapted to position the substrate in the second direction.

9. A method of transferring a substrate in a cluster tool, comprising: providing a first processing rack that comprises a first array of three or more groups of two or more vertically stacked processing chambers that each have a first side that is aligned along a first direction which is generally orthogonal to a vertical direction, wherein each of the three or more groups of two or more vertically stacked chambers within the first array are positioned along the first direction;positioning a second processing rack that comprises a second array of three or more groups of two or more vertically stacked processing chambers that each have a first side that is aligned along the first direction so that the first side of each of the processing chambers in the first processing rack and the first side of each of the processing chambers in the second processing rack are facing each other, wherein each of the three or more groups of two or more vertically stacked chambers within the second array are positioned along the first direction;positioning at least three robot assemblies between each of the first sides of the processing chambers in the first and second processing racks, wherein each of the three robot assemblies are adapted to position a substrate in a desired position in the first direction;transferring the substrate from at least one processing chamber contained within a first group of processing chambers in the first processing rack to at least one processing chamber contained within a second group of processing chambers in the first processing rack using a first robot assembly;transferring the substrate from at least one processing chamber contained within the second group of processing chambers in the first processing rack to a first group of processing chambers in the second processing rack using a second robot assembly; andtransferring the substrate from at least one processing chamber contained within a first group of processing chambers in the second processing rack to at least one processing chamber contained within a second group of processing chambers in the second processing rack using a third robot assembly.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transferring a substrate from one or more processing chambers contained within the first group of two or more vertically stacked processing chambers in the first processing rack to one or more processing chambers contained within a third group of two or more vertically stacked processing chambers in the first processing rack using the third robot assembly.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second robot assembly is generally adjacent to the first and third robot assemblies and is positioned between the first and third robot assemblies.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the distance between a centerline of the first robot assembly to a centerline of the second robot assembly and a centerline of the second robot assembly to the centerline of the third robot assembly is between about 315 mm and about 450 mm, wherein the center lines are all parallel to the first direction and the distance between the centerlines is measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the distance between a center point of a substrate positioned on the first robot assembly or the third robot assembly to the center point of a substrate positioned on the second robot assembly during the process of transferring a substrate in the first direction is between about 5% and about 50% larger than a dimension of a processing surface of a substrate.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a pressure below atmospheric pressure in an enclosure formed around a first actuator assembly that is contained within the first robot assembly, the second robot assembly and the third robot assembly, wherein the first actuator assembly is adapted to position the substrate in the vertical direction.

15. A method of transferring a substrate in a cluster tool, comprising: transferring a substrate from a first passthru chamber to a first array of processing chambers positioned along a first direction using a first robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in a second direction, wherein the second direction is generally orthogonal to the first direction;transferring a substrate from the first passthru chamber to the first array of processing chambers using a second robot assembly which is adapted to position the substrate at a desired position in the first direction and at a desired position in a second direction; andtransferring a substrate from a substrate cassette to the first passthru chamber using a front end robot that is positioned in a front end assembly, wherein the front end assembly is adjacent to a transferring region that contains the first array of processing chambers, the first robot assembly and the second robot assembly.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transferring a substrate from a second passthru chamber to the first array of processing chambers using the first or the second robot assemblies, wherein the second passthru chamber is positioned a distance in the second direction from the first passthru chamber.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising a front end assembly having a front end robot that is adapted to transfer a substrate from a substrate cassette to the first passthru chamber.

18. A method of transferring a substrate in a cluster tool, comprising: positioning a substrate outside a first processing chamber using a first robot assembly that has a first actuator that can position the substrate in a first direction, a second actuator that can position the substrate in a second direction and a third actuator that is adapted to position the substrate in a third direction, wherein the first and third directions are both generally orthogonal to the second direction;transferring the substrate positioned on a robot blade attached to the third actuator to the first processing chamber by generally simultaneously adjusting the position of the substrate along the first direction using the first actuator and the position of the substrate in the third direction using the third actuator;removing the substrate from the first processing chamber using a second robot assembly that has a first actuator that can position the substrate in the first direction, a second actuator that can position the substrate in the second direction and a third actuator that is adapted to position the substrate in a fourth direction, wherein the first and fourth directions are both generally orthogonal to the second direction;transferring the substrate positioned on a robot blade attached to the third actuator of the second robot assembly to a second processing chamber by generally simultaneously adjusting the position of the substrate along the first direction using the first actuator, the second direction using the second actuator and the position of the substrate in the fourth direction using the third actuator; andremoving the substrate from the second processing chamber using a third robot assembly that has a first actuator that can position the substrate in the first direction, a second actuator that can position the substrate in the second direction and a third actuator that is adapted to position the substrate in a fifth direction, wherein the first and fifth directions are both generally orthogonal to the second direction.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the third, fourth and fifth directions are generally perpendicular to the first and second directions.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the distance between a center point of the substrate positioned on the first robot assembly to the center point of the substrate positioned on the second robot assembly during the process of transferring a substrate in the first direction is between about 5% and about 50% larger than a dimension of a processing surface of the substrate.