Super clean substrate transport by extreme high vacuum integrated process with levitation transfer systems

摘要

The extreme high vacuum integrated process has been developed in order to transfer substrates among vacuum chambers without any contamination on the ultraclean surface. The integrated process has five main line chambers, six sidetrack chambers, connector chambers and six vacuum instrument chambers for surface analyses and film preparation. Magnetic levitation transports are installed into the line chambers because they have no sliding part to generate dust particles as well as outgassing, which may damage the ultraclean substrate surfaces and environment. The levitation transports can transfer a substrate among connected six chambers in the pressure change of less than 10{sup}（-10） Pa. Auger analysis shows that the surface of copper and steel film prepared in the film preparation chamber can be kept clean without oxygen nor carbonate during the transportation from the film preparation chamber to the Auger analysis chamber.