Substrate processing apparatus

• Main Authors: NOTO KOUICHI, MATSUNAGA TATSUHISA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.03.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; CONVEYING; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING

A substrate processing apparatus includes a process tube for processing a plurality of substrates, two boats for accommodating the substrates, two boat elevators, a substrate transfer unit for loading and unloading the substrates into and from the boats when the boats are at the first position. In this apparatus, each boat elevator has one boat mounted thereon and each of the boat elevators carries a corresponding boat between a first position located below the process tube and two corresponding second positions. Each of the boat elevators performs loading and unloading the corresponding boat into and from the process tube at the first position. Further, in the apparatus, a center position of the process tube is disposed inside a triangle formed by connecting the substrate transfer unit and the two boat elevators.