The present invention provides a system of processing one or more substrates with very high efficiency. The processing system in descriptions comprises a first process chamber with various features to improve efficiency and a transfer chamber that couples to the first process chamber with various features to improve efficiency. In addition, a second process chamber and load-locks may be used to improve efficiency furthermore. This system can increases number of the substrates in processing chamber, enable multiple processes and process sequences to be carried out in the same system, and provide high throughput substrate processing.

A substrate transfer mechanism includes a moving body, a support body supported by the moving body, first and second rotary shafts at the support body, first and second arms respectively extending from first and second rotary shafts and having first and second substrate support regions. The first arm and the second arm are disposed at different height positions. The mechanism includes a third rotary shaft rotating the support body with respect to the moving body, and a switching mechanism switching a first rotation operation of rotating the support body such that a distance in a right-left direction between the first and second substrate support region is maintained and a second rotation operation of rotating the support body together with rotation of at least one of the first and second rotary shaft such that the distance is changed between a first distance and a second distance shorter than the first distance.

A wafer boat is described for the plasma treatment of disc-shaped wafers, in particular semiconductor wafers for semiconductor or photovoltaic applications, which has a plurality of plates positioned parallel to each other made of an electrically conductive material, which have at least one carrier for a wafer on each side which faces another plate and define a receiving space for the wafers on the plates. The wafer boat also has a plurality of spacer elements, which are positioned between directly adjacent plates in order to position the plates parallel to each other, wherein the spacer elements are electrically conductive. Also a plasma treatment apparatus for wafers and a method for the plasma treatment of wafers is described. The apparatus has a process chamber for the reception of a wafer boat of the previously described type, means for controlling or regulating a process gas atmosphere in the process chamber and at least one voltage source, which is connectable to the plates of the wafer boat in a suitable manner, in order to apply an electrical voltage between directly adjacent plates of the wafer boat, wherein the at least one voltage source is suitable for applying at least one DC-voltage or at least one low-frequency AC-voltage and at least one high-frequency AC-voltage. In the method, during the heating phase a DC-voltage or a low-frequency AC-voltage is applied to the plates of the wafer boat in such a way that the spacer elements heat up by current flowing therethrough, and during a processing phase a high-frequency AC-voltage is applied to the plates of the wafer boat, in order to generate a plasma between the wafers inserted into them.

There is provided a vacuum processing apparatus for performing a vacuum process by supplying a processing gas onto a substrate arranged in a processing space kept in a vacuum atmosphere, the apparatus comprising: a first transfer space and a second transfer space in each of which the substrate is transferred; and an intermediate wall portion provided between the first transfer space and the second transfer space along the extension direction, wherein one or more processing spaces are arranged in the first transfer space along the extension direction, and two or more processing spaces are arranged in the second transfer space along the extension direction, and wherein a plurality of exhaust paths and a joined exhaust path where the plurality of exhaust paths are joined are formed in the intermediate wall portion.

There is provided a technique that includes: at least one process chamber configured to heat substrates; a cooling chamber configured to cool the substrates heated in the at least one process chamber; and a transfer machine configured to transfer the substrates, wherein the number of substrates loaded into the at least one process chamber by using the transfer machine is larger than the number of substrates loaded into the cooling chamber by using the transfer machine.

A robot apparatus may include an upper arm adapted to rotate about a first rotational axis and a forearm rotatably coupled to the upper arm at a second rotational axis. A first wrist member may be rotatably coupled to the forearm at a third rotation axis. A second wrist member may be rotatably coupled to the forearm at the third rotation axis. A first end effector may be coupled to the first wrist member and a second end effector may be coupled to the second wrist member. The first wrist member and the second wrist member may be configured to rotate about the third rotational axis between a first pitch and a second pitch as a function of extension of the robot apparatus. Other apparatus and methods are disclosed.

There is provided a load lock chamber including: a plurality of stages on which a plurality of first substrates that are loaded at once by means of a second transfer mechanism are respectively mounted; a moving mechanism which, in a state in which the plurality of first substrates are respectively mounted on the plurality of stages, moves the plurality of stages to narrow the interval between the plurality of stages; and a rotating mechanism which, when the plurality of first substrates are unloaded one by one by means of a first transfer mechanism, rotates the plurality of stages with the narrowed interval about an axis, and causes the plurality of first substrates successively to become closer to the first transfer mechanism around the axis.

A thermal process device for heat treating a product or plurality of products includes a thermal processing chamber having opposed distal ends and at least one controllable heating zone. At least one buffer zone disposed is at each of the distal ends, the buffer zones and at least one heating zone of the thermal processing chamber forming a heating element assembly having an inner and outer surface. At least one layer of insulating material is disposed along the at least one buffer and heating zones of the thermal processing chamber and forming part of the heating element assembly, the at least one layer of insulating material having a controlled efficiency being applied non-uniformly across an axial length of the heating assembly.

A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a processing liquid storage unit configured to store a processing liquid therein; a processing liquid drain unit configured to drain the processing liquid from the processing liquid storage unit; and a control unit. The control unit performs a first control in a constant concentration mode in which a concentration of the processing liquid in the processing liquid storage unit is regulated to a predetermined set concentration and a second control in a concentration changing mode in which the concentration of the processing liquid is changed. In the second control, a set concentration after concentration change is compared with a set concentration before the concentration change, and when the set concentration after the concentration change is lower, the control unit controls the processing liquid drain unit to start draining of the processing liquid.

Dual load lock chambers for use in a multi-chamber processing system are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a dual load lock chamber, includes a first load lock chamber having a first interior volume and a first substrate support, wherein the first substrate support includes a first plurality of support surfaces vertically spaced apart by a first predetermined distance; at least one heat transfer device disposed within the first substrate support to heat or cool the first plurality of substrates; and a second load lock chamber disposed adjacent to the first load lock chamber and having a second interior volume and a second substrate support, wherein the second substrate support includes a second plurality of support surfaces vertically spaced apart by a second predetermined distance that less than the first predetermined distance.