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.

1 . (canceled) 
   
   
       2 . A vacuum processing apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum processing chamber for processing samples,   a plurality of cassettes to be placed in a vacuum environment for transferring for storing samples,   a vacuum transfer robot to be operated in only a vacuum environment for transferring a sample,   wherein said vacuum transfer robot being a common transfer robot capable of transferring a sample between its position in any one of the plurality of cassettes and the vacuum processing chamber, and   wherein each of said cassette is arranged at a front part of said vacuum processing chamber and the whole vacuum processing apparatus is of a T-shape.