Vacuum processing apparatus and method for producing an object to be processed

Abstract

A vacuum processing apparatus 50 is provided with a bypass line 52 for causing a vacuum transfer chamber 4 and a load-lock chamber 12 to communicate with each other, and a bypass opening and shutting valve 54 for opening and shutting the corresponding bypass line 52, wherein by opening the bypass opening and shutting valve 54, a pressure-reduced state at the vacuum transfer chamber 4 side can be shifted to the load-lock chamber 12 side, and the pressure reduction of the load-lock chamber 12 can be carried out in a short time.

1 . A vacuum processing apparatus including: 
 a vacuum transfer chamber whose interior can be maintained in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state;    a plurality of vacuum processing chambers that are disposed adjacent to said vacuum transfer chamber so as to communicate therewith or be isolated therefrom, and carry out prescribed processing on an object to be processed, in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state;    a load-lock chamber, the interior pressure of which is reduced from atmospheric pressure, that carries out receiving and transfer of said object to be processed, between the outside and said vacuum transfer chamber; and    a transfer mechanism, which is provided in said vacuum transfer chamber, receives said object to be processed from said load-lock chamber, and transfers said object to be processed into said plurality of vacuum processing chambers, and at the same time, moves said object into said load-lock chamber after prescribed processing is completed;    a first pump maintaining the vacuum transfer chamber in the vacuum state or pressure-reduced state;    a second pump reducing the interior pressure of the load-lock chamber from the atmospheric pressure:    an opening and shutting valve for opening and shutting an air line between said load-lock chamber and a second pump: and    a control device controlling the first pump the second pump and the opening and shutting valve:    wherein an accumulator mechanism, having at least one accumulator chamber that can be maintained in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state, which is able to accelerate reduction in pressure of said load-lock chamber by negative pressure of said accumulator chamber in the process of reducing the pressure inside said load-lock chamber, is provided with between said second pump and the opening and shutting valve.    
   
   
       2 . The vacuum processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the capacity of said accumulator is made 0.5 through 3 times greater than the capacity of said load-lock chamber.  
   
   
       3 . A method for producing an object to be processed, which carries out prescribed processing in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state, using a vacuum processing apparatus including: 
 a vacuum transfer chamber whose interior can be maintained in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state;    a plurality of vacuum processing chambers that are disposed adjacent to said vacuum transfer chamber so as to communicate therewith or be isolated therefrom, and carry out prescribed processing on an object to be processed, in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state;    a load-lock chamber, the interior pressure of which is reduced from atmospheric pressure, that carries out receiving and transfer of said object to be processed, between the outside and said vacuum transfer chamber;    a first pump maintaining the vacuum transfer chamber in the vacuum state or pressure-reduced state,    a second pump reducing the interior pressure of the load-lock chamber from the atmospheric pressure, and    a transfer mechanism, which is provided in said vacuum transfer chamber, receives said object from said load-lock chamber, and transfers said object to be processed into said plurality of vacuum processing chambers, and at the same time, carries out said object to be processed into said load-lock chamber after prescribed processing is completed; wherein further comprising the step of:    causing said load-lock chamber to bypass with said vacuum transfer chamber in a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber when the pressure of said load-lock chamber is reduced from the atmospheric pressure to a prescribed pressure level.    
   
   
       4 . A method for producing an object to be processed, comprising the steps of: 
 conveying and carrying out an object to be processed, from a vacuum transfer chamber, the interior of which can be maintained in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state by a first pump, to a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, which are disposed adjacent to said vacuum transfer chamber so as to communicate therewith or be isolated therefrom and carry out prescribed processing with respect to said object to be processed, in a vacuum state or a pressure-reduced state;    receiving and transferring said object to be processed between the outside and said vacuum transfer chamber via a load-lock chamber, the interior pressure of which is reduced from atmospheric pressure by a second pump;    wherein conveyance, carrying-out, receiving and transfer of said object to be processed are executed by a transfer mechanism secured in said vacuum transfer chamber, said load-lock chamber is isolated from the vacuum transfer chamber when receiving said object from the outside and transferring the same thereto, and is made to open to the atmospheric air, and said vacuum transfer chamber is interrupted from the atmospheric air when receiving said object to be processed from said vacuum transfer chamber and transferring the same thereto, and the interior pressure thereof is reduced, and said object to be processed is conveyed to said load-lock chamber after having executed prescribed processing on said object with said plurality of vacuum processing chambers made vacuum; and    when the pressure of said load-lock chamber is reduced from the atmospheric pressure to a prescribed level, said load-lock chamber is bypassed to said vacuum transfer chamber in a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber.    
   
   
       5 . The method for producing an object to be processed, according to  claim 4 , wherein, at the stage where the pressure of said load-lock chamber reaches the pressure required for said vacuum transfer chamber in the bypassed state, a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber is cleared.  
   
   
       6 . The method for producing an object to be processed according to  claim 4 , wherein, at the stage where time considered for which said load-lock chamber reaches pressure required for said vacuum transfer chamber elapses in the bypassed state, a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber is cleared.  
   
   
       7 . The method for producing an object to be processed according to  claim 4 , wherein, immediately after prescribed processing is completed in said vacuum processing chambers in the bypassed state, a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber is cleared.  
   
   
       8 . The method for producing an object to be processed according to  claim 4 , wherein, at the stage where time considered for which prescribed processing is completed in said vacuum processing chambers elapses in the bypassed state, a state where said vacuum processing chambers are isolated from said vacuum transfer chamber is cleared.  
   
   
       9 . The method for producing an object to be processed according to  claim 4 , wherein at least a part of said plurality of vacuum processing chambers is bypassed to said load-lock chamber simultaneously with commencement of the bypassed state or immediately thereafter.  
   
   
       10 . The method for producing an object to be processed according to  claim 4 , wherein negative pressure of an accumulator that is able to accumulate negative pressure is applied to the load-lock chamber when reducing the pressure of said load-lock chamber.