Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

To prevent contamination of a substrate by natural oxide film etc in the inside-apparatus transfer period, a CVD apparatus is provided with a wafer deposition part 10 and a wafer transfer part 30. Wafer transfer part 30 includes cassette mounting bases 31 ( 1 ), 31 ( 2 ), 31 ( 3 ), 31 ( 4 ), wafer transfer chamber 32, cover opening/closing mechanisms 33 ( 1 ), 33 ( 2 ), 33 ( 3 ), and 33 ( 4 ) and a wafer transfer robot 34. Transferring of a wafer 51 between cassette 52 mounted on cassette mounting bases 31 ( 1 ), 31 ( 2 ), 31 ( 3 ), 31 ( 4 ) and wafer deposition part 10 is performed through a sealed space provided by wafer transfer chamber 32. This sealed space is cleansed by inert gas by means of a vacuum evacuation line 35, inert gas supply line 36, oxygen concentration detector 37 and control part 38.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate processing part provided in a position different from a substrate introduction position where a substrate accommodated in a substrate accommodating body of sealed construction having a substrate introduction/removal port at the side is introduced, that performs prescribed processing on said substrate; and    a substrate transfer part that transfers said substrate between said substrate introduction position and said substrate processing part; and    said substrate transfer part comprises: 
 a plurality of substrate accommodating body holding parts each of which holds respectively said substrate accommodating body, provided at said substrate introduction position;  
 a transfer part side substrate transfer space provision part that provides a sealed substrate transfer space which is a space for transferring said substrate between said substrate accommodating body that is held in said substrate accommodating body holding part and said substrate processing part and pressure of which is set at atmospheric pressure;  
 a cleansing part that cleanses with inert gas said transfer part side substrate transfer space when said substrate is transferred between said substrate accommodating body held in said substrate accommodating body holding part and said substrate processing part;  
 a substrate introduction/removal port opening/closing part that opens/closes the substrate introduction/removal port of said substrate accommodating body held in said substrate accommodating body holding part in a condition in which said transfer part side substrate transfer space has been cleansed by said cleansing part arranged in said transfer part side substrate transfer space; and  
 a transfer part side substrate transfer part that transfers said substrate between said substrate accommodating body in which said substrate introduction/removal port has been opened by said substrate introduction/removal port opening/closing part and said substrate processing part, arranged in said transfer part side substrate transfer space.  
   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said substrate processing part comprises: 
 a substrate processing space provision part that provides a sealed substrate processing space for performing said prescribed processing on said substrate;  
 a substrate standby space provision part that provides a sealed substrate standby space for temporarily holding said substrate in standby;  
 a processing part side substrate transfer space provision part that provides a sealed processing part side substrate transfer space for transferring said substrate between said substrate standby space and said substrate processing space;  
 a processing part side substrate transfer part that transfers said substrate between said substrate standby space and said substrate processing space, arranged in said processing part side substrate transfer space; and  
 a substrate holding part that holds said substrate that is transferred into said substrate standby space, arranged in said substrate standby space.  
 
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said substrate holding part is a substrate mounting shelf comprising a substrate introduction/removal port through which introduction/removal of said substrate is effected.  
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 3  wherein said substrate mounting shelf, as said substrate introduction/removal ports, comprises: 
 a transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port through which introduction/removal of said substrate is performed by said transfer part side substrate transfer part; and  
 a processing part side substrate introduction/removal port through which introduction/removal of said substrate is performed by said processing part side substrate transfer part.  
 
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the access directions of said substrate mounting shelf by said transfer part side substrate transfer part and said processing part side substrate transfer part are set in different directions, and 
 said substrate mounting shelf is constructed so as to absorb the difference of said access directions by suitable setting of at least one of the positions, orientations and widths of said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port and said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port.  
 
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 5  wherein said substrate mounting shelf is constructed so as to hold said substrate by means of a plurality of support pillars having grooves in which the periphery of said substrate is inserted; 
 said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port and said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port of said substrates mounting shelf being respectively set between two adjacent support pillars of said plurality of support pillars; and  
 when the positions of said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port and said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port are suitably set, the positions are set by suitable setting of the depths of said grooves;  
 when the orientations of said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port and said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port are suitably set, the orientations are set by suitable setting of the position of arrangement of said two adjacent support pillars; and  
 when the widths of said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port and said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port are suitably set, the widths are set by suitable setting of the position of arrangement of said two adjacent support pillars.  
 
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 4  wherein the access directions of said substrate mounting shelf by said transfer part side substrate transfer part and said processing part side substrate, transfer part are set in different directions; 
 said substrate processing apparatus further comprises a rotary drive part that drives said substrate mounting shelf in rotation; and  
 said rotary drive part is constructed: 
 such that the rotary drive part drives said substrate mounting shelf in rotation so that, when said substrate mounting shelf is accessed by said transfer part side substrate transfer parts said transfer part side substrate introduction/removal port faces the direction of access of said substrate mounting shelf by said transfer part side substrate transfer part; and  
 such that the rotary drive part drives said substrate mounting shelf in rotation so that, when said substrate mounting shelf is accessed by said processing part side substrate transfer part, said processing part side substrate introduction/removal port faces the direction of access of said substrate mounting shelf by said processing part side substrate transfer part.  
 
 
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said cleansing part comprises: 
 a vacuum evacuation part that evaluates the atmosphere of said transfer part side substrate transfer space;  
 an inert gas supply part that supplies inert gas to said transfer part side substrate transfer space;  
 an oxygen concentration detection part that detects the oxygen concentration of said transfer part side substrate transfer space; and  
 a control part that controls the operation of said inert gas supply part such that if the oxygen concentration detected by this oxygen concentration detection part exceeds a prescribed value, supply processing of said inert gas is conducted and if it is, less than the prescribed value this supply processing is stopped.  
 
     
     
         9 . A substrate processing method wherein when a substrate is transferred between a plurality of substrate accommodating body holding parts each of which holds respectively a substrate accommodating body of sealed construction having a substrate introduction/removal port at the side, provided at a substrate introduction position where said substrate accommodated in the substrate accommodating body is introduced and a substrate processing part where prescribed processing is performed on said substrate, provided at a position different from said substrate introduction position, said substrate is transferred through a sealed space cleansed by inert gas.