Vacuum processing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing line using the same

Abstract

A vacuum processing apparatus is composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block. The cassette block has a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes containing a sample and an atmospheric transfer means. The vacuum processing block has a plurality of processing chambers for performing vacuum processing to the sample and a vacuum transfer means for transferring the sample. Both of the plan views of the cassette block and the vacuum processing block are nearly rectangular, and the width of the cassette block is designed larger than the width of the vacuum processing block, and the plan view of the vacuum processing apparatus is formed in an L-shape or a T-shape.

What is claimed:  
     
         1 . A vacuum processing apparatus composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block, said cassette block having a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes, each containing a sample, said vacuum processing block having a processing chamber for treating a sample and vacuum transfer means for transferring said sample, wherein 
 said cassette block contains an atmospheric transfer means placed between said cassette and said vacuum processing block and moves horizontally in a direction that said cassettes are aligned,    said cassette table is placed in a front portion of said vacuum processing apparatus,    both of the plan shapes of said cassette block and said vacuum processing block are substantially rectangular in plan view and the relation W 1 −W 2 ≧−C w  is satisfied, where W 1  is the width of said cassette block, W 2  is the width of said vacuum processing block, and C w  is the width of said cassette.