MINI-ENVIRONMENT POD DEVICE, AN EXPOSURE APPARATUS AND A DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD USING THE SAME
A pod attachable to an outside surface of a grounded electromagnetic-shielded chamber. The chamber has a door and a flange portion, around the door, on the outside surface and contains a micro-device manufacturing apparatus. The pod includes walls configured to contain a substrate and having an opening, the walls including a flange portion configured to contact the flange portion of the chamber, and a lid configured to openably close the opening, the substrate being transferred between the pod and the chamber through the opening. Also included is an electromagnetic shield member. The electromagnetic shield member is arranged over the walls and on the flange portion of the walls. The electromagnetic shield member on the flange portion of the walls is configured to contact the grounded flange portion of the chamber while the pod is attached to the outside surface.
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This application is a continuation application of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/450,680, filed Nov. 30, 1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mini-environment pod device, a micro-device manufacturing apparatus, e.g., an exposure apparatus, and a device manufacturing method using such a mini-environment pod device. The exposure apparatus is preferably used in a lithography process for manufacturing micro-devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, the cassettes 2 and 3 are so-called “open cassettes” (O.C.), which are only handled while being stored in an airtight enclosure (i.e., while being isolated from outside atmosphere), such as in the clean room environment 100.
When using open cassettes, there is no problem of contaminating the wafers if cleanliness in the clean room 100 is kept sufficiently high. To do so, however, is expensive, and raises the manufacturing costs. In order to avoid such increased costs, a “mini-environment pod”, which provides a partially isolated space around the cassette, has been developed recently. In this arrangement, the cassette is stored in an airtight pod while being handled in the clean room. The airtight pod has an opening that is covered with a lid, which provides a particle-free inside space. When the pod is installed in an exposure apparatus, the lid opens into the exposure apparatus, so that the inside space of the pod is connected to the inside atmosphere of the exposure apparatus. Therefore, even though the clean room may not be maintained at a sufficiently high level of cleanliness, wafers in the pod are isolated from the clean room. Therefore, the wafers will not be contaminated by particles suspended or otherwise residing in the clean room.
There are two types of mini-environment pods, which are categorized by the lid positions and lid opening directions. One is a “bottom opening type”, in which the lid (opening) is positioned in the bottom of the pod, and both the lid and the cassette are drawn out from the pod along a top-bottom (vertical) direction. A so-called “SMIF Pod”, i.e., a standard mechanical interface pod, is in practical use an example of a bottom opening type. The other type of pod is a “front opening type”, in which the lid is positioned in the front face of the pod and the lid opens in a lateral direction. A so-called “FOUP”, i.e., a front opening unified pod, is in practical use an example of a front opening type. In either type, a handling robot in the exposure apparatus picks up the wafers from the cassette in the pod and transfers them to an exposure station where the wafers are exposed within the exposure apparatus.
Meanwhile, in micro-device manufacturing apparatuses, strict measures against leakage of electromagnetic waves are also required. There are several regulations in each country to control electromagnetic interference (EMI) to be within predetermined limitations. In general, these apparatuses are covered with shielded metal chambers so that the electromagnetic wafers are shielded from leakage. Although some outer parts, e.g., an acrylic window for viewing are made of a non-shielded material, a fine wire mesh (grounded to the chamber) is provided upon these parts so that electromagnetic waves are shielded by the wire mesh.
In micro-device manufacturing apparatuses using the mini-environment pods discussed above, there are some points to improve. For example, when the mini-environment pod is attached to the chamber of an exposure apparatus, although the lid opens into the chamber, the attached pod is regarded as being a part of the chamber, which is exposed to the outside. Thus, the electromagnetic waves may leak out through the pod, because the pods are generally made of a non-shielded material, e.g., a resin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is provided to overcome the challenges discussed above, and a general object of the invention is to provide an improved mini-environment pod device, and a micro-device manufacturing apparatus and a method utilizing the improved pod device.
It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a mini-environment pod device and a micro-device manufacturing apparatus providing an exceedingly low or no leakage of electromagnetic waves.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a mini-environment pod device for a micro-device manufacturing apparatus comprises a cassette being able to hold a plurality of wafers, a pod providing an inner space to store the cassette, wherein the pod includes an electromagnetic shield for shielding the pod, and a lid which fits into an opening of the pod, the lid providing an isolated environment in the inner space of the pod.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a micro-device manufacturing apparatus for processing substrates comprises a shielded chamber having an opening covered with a door, a mini-environment pod, having an open end, containing a cassette for holding a plurality of wafers and including a lid covering the open end, the pod being installed over the opening of the chamber, wherein the mini-environment pod has an electromagnetic shield, and when the pod is installed on the chamber, the electromagnetic shield is in a conductive relationship with the shielded chamber, a door opener which opens the door of the chamber and the lid of the pod when the mini-environment pod is installed on the chamber, and a processing system, contained in the chamber, which processes a wafer in the chamber.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing method comprises providing a mini-environment pod device, which comprises (i) a cassette being able to hold a plurality of wafers, (ii) a pod providing an inner space to store the cassette, wherein the pod has an electromagnetic shield, and (iii) a lid which fits into an opening of the pod, the lid providing an isolated environment in the inner space; providing a micro-device manufacturing apparatus, which comprises (i) a shielded chamber having an opening covered with a door, (ii) a door opener which opens the door of the chamber and the lid of the pod when the pod is installed on the apparatus and (iii) a processing system which processes the wafer in the chamber, wherein the electromagnetic shield of the pod is in a conductive relationship with the shielded chamber when the pod is installed on the chamber; installing the mini-environment pod onto the manufacturing apparatus; opening both the door of the chamber and the lid of the pod to expose the wafer to the inside atmosphere of the chamber; picking up one of the wafers from the cassette and carrying the wafer to the processing system; and processing the wafer with the processing system.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
This invention will be described in further detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The pod 20 is carried on and mounted by a stand 34 by, for example, an operator's hand (a so-called PGV: Physical Guided Vehicle) or by an automated robot (a so-called AGV: Auto Guided Vehicle). The pod 20 is positioned on the stand 34 by kinematic couplings 33.
After the positioning, the pod 20 is moved horizontally using a movable mechanism (not shown) of the stand 34, toward a flange 21, which is made of a conductive material provided on a wall 19 of the exposure apparatus 110. Then, the pod 20 is pressed against the flange 21. The wall 19 is made of conductive metal panels. and is grounded so as to have an electromagnetic shielding capacity, yet the inside of the exposure apparatus 110 is filled with clean air or an inert gas.
A door 23 provided on the wall 19 fits and covers an opening defined by the flange 21 when the pod 20 is not attached, wherein the opening is provided for loading the wafers 31 from the cassette 30 in the pod 20 into the chamber 19. An unlock mechanism 24 unlocks a latch (not shown) of the lid 22. Then, both the lid 22 and the door 23, contacting each other, are opened simultaneously by an opening mechanism, which includes a swing arm 31 and an up-and-down-slider 32.
A handling robot 1, provided in the exposure apparatus 110, picks up one of the wafers 31 held by the cassette 30, and transfers it onto a wafer chuck 12 of an exposure station 15. An exposure optical system 16 is provided and includes an illuminator, a reticle stage, and a projection optical system. After an exposure operation is performed by the exposure optical system 16, the handling robot 1 returns the exposed wafer into the cassette 30 in the pod 20, or into another cassette (not shown) stored in a similar mini-environment pod (not shown) having the same structure as that of the pod 20.
In order to prevent leakage of electromagnetic waves generated by apparatuses in the exposure apparatus 110 during operation, the pod 20 includes an electromagnetic shield as described below.
The pod 20 comprises a flange 41 having a contact surface on which another fine wire mesh 35 is provided, which conducts to the wire mesh 36 on the inner surfaces of the pod, as shown in
Meanwhile, as the shield, it is possible to provide the fine wire mesh 36 completely within the walls of the pod 20, or on the outside of the pod 20, as shown in
Except as otherwise disclosed herein, the various components shown in outline or in block form in the figures are individually well known and their internal construction and operation are not critical either to the making or using of this invention or to a description of the best mode of the invention.
While the present invention has been described with respect to what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. An improved pod attachable to an outside surface of a grounded electromagnetic-shielded chamber, the chamber having a door and a flange portion, around the door, on the outside surface and containing a micro-device manufacturing apparatus, said pod including:
- walls configured to contain a substrate and having an opening, said walls including a flange portion configured to contact the flange portion of the chamber; and
- a lid configured to openably close the opening, the substrate is being transferred between said pod and the chamber through the opening, the improvement comprising:
- an electromagnetic shield member, said electromagnetic shield member being arranged over said walls and on the flange portion of said walls, said electromagnetic shield member on the flange portion of said walls being configured to contact the grounded flange portion of the chamber while said pod is attached to the outside surface.
22. A pod according to claim 21, wherein said lid is arranged in a front of said pod.
23. A pod according to claim 21, wherein said lid is arranged in a bottom of said pod.
24. A pod according to claim 21, wherein said electromagnetic shield member comprises wire mesh arranged on or within said walls.
25. A pod according to claim 21, wherein said electromagnetic shield member comprises metal coatings arranged on said walls.
26. A pod according to claim 21, wherein said electromagnetic shield member comprises electromagnetic-shield materials arranged in said walls.
27. An improved micro-device manufacturing apparatus including:
- a grounded electromagnetic-shielded chamber having a door and a flange portion around said door on an outside surface of said chamber;
- a transfer unit, arranged in said chamber and configured to transfer a substrate between said chamber and a pod, the pod being attached to the outside surface and having an electromagnetic shield member which includes a flange portion configured to contact said flange portion of said chamber; and
- a processing unit, arranged in said chamber, and configured to process the substrate transferred into said chamber from the pod by said transfer unit, improved in that:
- said flange portion of said chamber is grounded and configured to contact the flange portion of the electromagnetic shield member of the pod while the pod is attached to the outside surface.
28. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said transfer unit is configured to transfer the substrate between said chamber and the pod through said door.
29. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said processing unit is configured to expose the substrate to a pattern.
30. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein a lid of the pod is arranged in a front of the pod.
31. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein a lid of the pod is arranged in a bottom of the pod.
32. An apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the pod includes walls configured to contain the substrate and having an opening, and a lid configured to openably close the opening, the substrate being transferred by said transfer unit through the opening, the walls including the flange portion of the pod, the electromagnetic shield member being arranged over the walls and on the flange portion of the walls.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 13, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 2, 2007
Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA (Tokyo)
Inventor: Mitsuji MARUMO (Utsunomiya-shi)
Application Number: 11/674,283
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101);