JPH0794488A - Cleaning method of vacuum treatment device assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a cleaning method of a vacuum treatment device assembly which enables effective removal of a cleaning gas sticking on the inner wall of a vessel and others. CONSTITUTION:In a cleaning method of a vacuum treatment device assembly having a plurality of vacuum treatment chambers for treating a body W to be treated, a vacuum exhaust system 43 provided for these vacuum treatment chambers, transfer chambers 4 and 8 for carrying in and out the body to be treated and cassette chambers 10A and 10B holding cassettes, an inactive gas is supplied and stopped repeatedly while the inside of each chamber is made vacuum, in order to removing a cleaning gas after a cleaning treatment is executed. Thereby separation of the cleaning gas sticking on an inner wall and others is facilitated by an impact caused by the supply of the inactive gas.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus assembly in which a plurality of vacuum processing apparatuses are assembled, that is, a so-called cluster apparatus cleaning method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in order to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit, a wafer is subjected to various processes such as film formation and etching. For example, C formed on the surface of each wafer
In a VD apparatus, a semiconductor wafer is placed on a wafer placing table (susceptor), a processing gas for film formation is supplied to the wafer surface while heating the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature, and a decomposition product or reaction of this gas is supplied. The product is to be deposited on the wafer.

When the film is formed on the wafer surface in this way, unnecessary parts such as the wafer mounting table, the inner surface of the processing container, and the processing gas supply header are formed in addition to the wafer surface where the film formation is required. The film adheres even to. The film formation in such an unnecessary portion becomes particles and floats, causing defects in the semiconductor integrated circuit. Therefore, in order to remove this film formation, the vacuum processing apparatus is regularly or irregularly A cleaning process is performed.

As a conventional cleaning method, a method is known in which a gas containing NF ₃ is introduced as a cleaning gas into the processing container, and the film deposited on the mounting table or the inner surface of the processing container is removed by this cleaning gas. There is. In this cleaning method, plasma is used because the decomposability of NF ₃ itself used is not so good. That is, an electrode plate is arranged in a position facing the mounting table in the processing container, and a high frequency voltage is applied between the mounting table and the electrodes to generate plasma, which excites and activates NF ₃ for cleaning. It is designed to be promoted.

[0005]

By the way, the above N
In the F ₃ plasma type cleaning method, the film formation on the surface of the mounting table on which the plasma is distributed or on the peripheral portion of the wafer can be effectively removed, but the portion which the plasma does not reach, for example, the inner surface of the processing container or particularly It was not possible to effectively remove the film formed on the inner surface of the supply head of the processing gas, and the film pieces and the like that came off during wafer transfer and adhered to the bottom of the container.

Therefore, in order to remove the film or the like by cleaning more effectively, a ClF-based gas is used as a cleaning gas as disclosed in JP-A-64-17857 and JP-A-2-77579. Is proposed to be used. According to the cleaning method using the ClF-based gas, it is possible to remove the film considerably efficiently not only on the surface of the mounting table but also on the inner surface of the processing gas supply header without using plasma.

However, although the ClF-based gas can remove the film deposited on the undesired portion fairly efficiently, it may not be sufficient to remove the film deposited excessively. Also, this ClF-based gas such as ClF
_{Since 3} gas has a boiling point of around + 17 ° C, it is likely to liquefy at room temperature, so it tends to adhere to the inner wall of the container and the wall of the processing gas supply header.

For example, in order to discharge the ClF-based gas from the inside of the processing container after completion of the cleaning, the ClF-based gas is evacuated, and then the container is filled with an inert gas such as N ₂ gas and left for a certain period of time. As a result, the ClF-based gas adsorbed on the inner wall of the container is released, and the inside of the container is evacuated again to discharge the ClF-based gas. However, such an exhaust operation cannot completely remove the ClF-based gas. For this reason, the residual ClF-based gas adhering to the wall surface in the film forming process performed after the cleaning operation is separated and this C
There is a problem that the IF gas is taken in and causes a defect in the device.

Further, it is inevitable that a certain amount of film is attached even in the system of the vacuum evacuation system which evacuates the inside of the vacuum processing container during the film formation, but in the conventional cleaning method, the film is attached in the vacuum evacuation system. There is a problem that the formed film cannot be removed sufficiently.

By the way, in order to further improve the throughput and the yield by miniaturization and high integration of the semiconductor integrated circuit, the same vacuum processing apparatus or a plurality of different processing apparatuses are combined and various processes are performed without exposing the wafer to the atmosphere. A cluster device capable of continuous processing has already been proposed. By using this cluster device, it is possible to maintain a highly reproducible deposition surface, prevent contamination, and shorten the processing time. However, as described above, further miniaturization and high integration of integrated circuits are possible. From 64M to 256MD
It has been found that 80% or more of the causes of defects when transferring to RAM are mainly caused by particles and metal contamination in the film forming apparatus, and this cluster apparatus should also be cleaned using the ClF-based gas described above. However, the actual situation is that a method for efficiently cleaning without lowering the throughput has not been proposed yet.

The present invention focuses on the above problems,
It was created to solve this effectively. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly which can efficiently remove unnecessary film formation and the like, and can effectively remove the cleaning gas attached to the inner wall of the container. Especially.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the invention is to provide a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object to be processed, and a vacuum exhaust provided in each of the vacuum processing chambers. At least a system, a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed with respect to the vacuum processing chamber, and a cassette chamber containing a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of the objects to be processed. In the method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly which is capable of opening and closing between the chambers, a part of or all of the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber is cleaned with a cleaning gas containing a ClF-based gas. At the same time as cleaning, the cleaning gas is activated by light energy.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a second aspect of the invention is to provide a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object, a vacuum exhaust system provided in each vacuum processing chamber, and the vacuum processing. Each of the chambers has at least a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed into and from the chamber, and a cassette chamber for accommodating a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of the objects to be processed. In a method of cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly capable of opening and closing a space, the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber are cleaned with a cleaning gas containing ClF-based gas, and then the cleaning gas is supplied. After stopping, the residual cleaning gas in each chamber is exhausted by repeatedly supplying and stopping the inert gas a plurality of times while evacuating each chamber.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a third aspect of the invention is to provide a plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object, a vacuum exhaust system provided in each vacuum processing chamber, and the vacuum processing. Each of the chambers has at least a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed into and from the chamber, and a cassette chamber for accommodating a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of the objects to be processed. A method of cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly in which a space between the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber is supplied while supplying a cleaning gas containing ClF gas to the vacuum chamber. By vacuuming the system, the chambers are cleaned, and at the same time, the vacuum exhaust system is cleaned.

[0015]

According to the first invention, when cleaning a part or all of the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber,
Since the cleaning gas is irradiated with light energy such as ultraviolet rays, the cleaning gas is activated, the etching rate is improved, and more efficient cleaning can be performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the cleaning gas is discharged, the supply and stop of the inert gas such as N ₂ are repeatedly performed while vacuuming each chamber. It is possible to accelerate the desorption of the ClF-based gas adhering to the inner walls of the vacuum processing chamber, transfer chamber, cassette chamber, etc. by the impact of the time, and then during subsequent film formation, the ClF-based gas is deposited during film formation. It is possible to prevent gas from being taken in.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a part or all of the vacuum processing chamber, the transfer chamber, and the cassette chamber is cleaned, the vacuum exhaust system connected to the vacuum processing chamber evacuates the chamber. The deposited film or the floating film pieces can be removed and cleaned, and at the same time, the film deposited in the vacuum exhaust system can be removed and cleaned at the same time.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a vacuum processing apparatus for carrying out a cleaning method according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a processing apparatus assembly shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an assembly shown in FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing an example of one vacuum processing apparatus, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a header heating means used in the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which light energy is irradiated in the vacuum processing apparatus. 6 and 6 are explanatory views for explaining a state in which the supply and stop of the inert gas are repeatedly performed in the vacuum processing apparatus.

First, an example of a vacuum processing apparatus assembly for carrying out the method of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the first to third three vacuum processing devices 2 are
A, 2B, and 2C are connected to a common transfer chamber 4, and other transfer chambers are connected via first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B that are connected to the transfer chamber 4 in common. 8 is provided, and the first and second cassette chambers 10A and 10B are provided for the transfer chamber 8.
An example will be described in which the vacuum processing apparatus assembly is formed by connecting the above to form a so-called cluster apparatus.

The respective vacuum processing devices 2A, 2B and 2C are
The first vacuum processing apparatus 2A is, for example, a CVD apparatus in which a tungsten layer is formed into a fine pattern by CVD, which is an assembly of apparatuses required for continuously processing the surface of a semiconductor wafer that is an object to be processed.
The second vacuum processing apparatus 2B is, for example, 400 to 5 on a wafer on which a fine pattern is formed.
A titanium film is formed by sputtering at a temperature of 00 ° C., and the third vacuum processing apparatus 2C is for etching back the tungsten layer. These various processing devices are not limited to this quantity and type.

First, the processing apparatus assembly will be described. The first cassette chamber 10A and the second cassette chamber 10B are connected to both sides of the first transfer chamber 8 via gate valves G1 and G2, respectively. Has been done. These cassette chambers 10A and 10B constitute a wafer loading / unloading port of the processing apparatus assembly, and each of them is provided with a cassette stage 12 (see FIG. 2) which can be raised and lowered.

The first transfer chamber 8 and both cassette chambers 10A,
10B each have an airtight structure, and both cassette chambers 1
Gate doors G3 and G4 are provided in 0A and 10B so as to open and close to the atmosphere of an external work chamber, respectively, and a loading / unloading robot 15 having a U-shaped holding member is provided (see FIG. 2). ). As shown in FIG. 2, the loading / unloading robot 15 is configured so as to load the wafer cassette 14 which is set to face forward outside into both cassette chambers 10A and 10B and to set the wafer cassette 14 horizontally. After being carried into the cassette chambers 10A and 10B, it is pushed up by the cassette stage 12 and raised to a predetermined position.

In the first transfer chamber 8, a first transfer means 16 as a transfer arm composed of, for example, an articulated arm,
A rotation stage 18 for aligning the center of the semiconductor wafer W as the object to be processed and the orientation flat (orientation flat) is provided. The rotation stage 18 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown) for aligning means. Make up.

The first transfer means 16 is composed of the cassette 14 in both the cassette chambers 10A and 10B and the preliminary vacuum chamber 6
It is for transferring the wafer between A and 6B,
Suction holes 16A for vacuum-sucking the wafer W are formed on both sides of the tip of the arm that is the wafer holder. The suction hole 16A is connected to a vacuum pump via a passage (not shown).

On the rear side of the first transfer chamber 8, the first preliminary vacuum chamber 6 is provided via gate valves G5 and G6, respectively.
The A and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6B are connected to each other, and the first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B have the same structure. These preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B are internally
A wafer mounting tool, a heating means for heating the wafer held on the wafer mounting tool, and a cooling means for cooling the wafer are provided, and the wafer is heated or cooled as required. A second transfer chamber 4 is connected to the rear side of the first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B via gate valves G7 and G8.

In the second transfer chamber 4, the first and second transfer chambers are provided.
Spare vacuum chambers 6A, 6B and three vacuum processing devices 2A-2
A second transfer unit 20 is arranged as a transfer arm for transferring the wafer W to and from C, which is, for example, an articulated arm. The three vacuum processing devices 2A to 2C are connected to the second transfer chamber 4 on the left, right, and rear sides, respectively, via gate valves G9 to G11.

Next, the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A will be described as an example of the vacuum processing apparatus. This first as mentioned above
The vacuum processing apparatus 2A described above forms a tungsten film, for example, as a metal film by CVD. As shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum processing container 22 is made of, for example, aluminum and is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. A chamber 24 is formed,
The second transfer chamber 4 is connected to one sidewall of the processing container 22 via a gate valve G9.

A wafer mounting table 26 made of, for example, aluminum or the like for mounting the wafer W thereon is supported in this processing container 22 by being supported by a transparent support cylinder 28 made of, for example, quartz, which stands upright from the bottom of the container. Has been done. An electrostatic chuck 30 connected to a DC voltage source (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the wafer mounting table 26, and the wafer W is attracted to and held on the electrostatic chuck 30 by electrostatic force.

The bottom of the container below the wafer mounting table 26 is opened, a quartz window 32 is hermetically attached to this opening, and a halogen lamp 34 for heating is arranged below this. The light from the halogen lamp 34 is emitted from the quartz window 32 during the film forming process.
The back surface of the mounting table 26 is irradiated therethrough, and the light energy indirectly heats the wafer W to a predetermined processing temperature.

The halogen lamp 34 is mounted on the operating table 3
An ultraviolet lamp 37 that emits, for example, ultraviolet rays as light energy via 5 is connected to the telescopic arm of a lamp actuator 39, such as an air cylinder, and the operating table 35 is driven by the actuator 39 to drive the actuator 39 as needed. The two lamps are selectively positioned below the quartz window 32.
That is, during the film forming process, the halogen lamp 34 is positioned below the window 32 to heat the wafer W, and during the cleaning process, the ultraviolet lamp 37 is positioned below the window 32 to activate the cleaning gas by ultraviolet rays. It is designed to let you.

An exhaust passage 38 connected to a vacuum pump 36 is connected to the bottom of the processing container 22 so that the inside of the processing container 22 can be evacuated if necessary. The vacuum pump 36 and the exhaust passage 38 constitute a vacuum exhaust system 43. Further, the exhaust passage 38 is provided with an exhaust passage heating means 45 formed by, for example, winding a heating tape all over the passage, so that the passage can be heated during cleaning. ing.

On the other hand, the ceiling of the processing container 22 is provided with, for example, a circular mounting hole 41 for mounting the processing gas supply header 40, and the mounting hole 41 is formed of aluminum into a cylindrical shape. The processing gas supply header 40 is inserted and the flange portion 42 formed in the peripheral portion thereof is formed.
Is supported on the circumferential edge of the ceiling through an O-ring 44 and is airtightly attached and fixed.

A processing gas supply system 54 for supplying a processing gas, ClF, and ClF are provided on the upper portion of the supply header 40.
A cleaning gas supply system 56 for supplying a ClF-based gas such as ₃ , ClF ₅ or the like as a cleaning gas is separately and independently connected. This supply header 4
In the example shown in FIG. 0, a partition plate 46, a diffusion plate 48, and a rectifying plate 50 are arranged horizontally from above and are divided into three chambers 52A, 52B, and 52C.

One communication hole 46 is provided at the center of the partition plate 46.
A is formed, and a large number of diffusion holes 48A are dispersed and formed on the entire surface of the diffusion plate 48.
A large number of straightening holes 50A are formed over the entire surface in a distributed manner. In this case, the diameter of the diffusion hole 48A is 0.
The diameter of the straightening hole 50A is set to a range of about 2 to 1.5 mm and dispersed at a low density, while the diameter of the straightening hole 50A is the diffusion hole 48A.
It is set in the range of 0.5 to 2.0 mm, which is larger than A, and dispersed with a large density. Also, the communication hole 46A
Has a diameter of 0.5 to 3.0 mm. Therefore, by changing the hole diameter and the distribution of the holes, a differential pressure is provided across the upper and lower chambers so that a plurality of locally introduced process gases are uniformly mixed and are evenly supplied onto the wafer surface. It has become. Therefore, the wafer W
Is about 200 mm, the diameter of the rectifying plate 50 is slightly larger than this, for example, 220 to 230 m.
It is set to about m. The diffusing plates 48 or the straightening plates 50 may be provided in multiple stages by further increasing the number. The inner and outer surfaces of the supply header 40, the partition plate 46, the diffusion plate 48, the rectifying plate 50, and the inner surface of the processing container 22 are surface-polished to prevent ClF-based gas from being adsorbed during cleaning.

Since the processing gas supply system 54 forms a tungsten film in this embodiment, the first processing gas supply system 54 is connected to the supply header 40 to introduce two kinds of processing gases.
And second processing gas introduction ports 58 and 60, and first and second port opening / closing valves 58A and 60A are provided in these ports, respectively. First and second
The first and second processing gas introducing passages 62 and 64 connected to the processing gas introducing ports 58 and 60 of the first and second mass flow controllers 66A and 66B and the first and second mass flow controllers 66A and 66B, respectively, which serve as flow rate adjusting valves, are provided on the way. And the first and second processing gas sources 70 via the second on-off valves 68A and 68B.
A and 70B, respectively. In this embodiment, WF ₆ is used as the first processing gas, and any one of H ₂ , Si ₂ H _4, and Si ₂ H ₆ is used as the second processing gas. SiH ₄ is shown in the illustrated example.

Further, branch paths 72A and 72B are provided in the first and second process gas introduction paths 62 and 64, respectively, on the way.
Is formed, and the third and fourth mass flow controllers 66C and 66 are respectively provided in the branch paths 72A and 72B.
D and third and fourth opening / closing valves 68C, 68D are interposed and commonly connected to the first nitrogen source 74A as an inert gas source, respectively, so that an inert gas may flow during cleaning as described later. Has become.

On the other hand, the cleaning gas supply system 56 is
It has a cleaning gas introduction port 76 connected to the supply header 40, and a cleaning gas port opening / closing valve 76A is provided in this port 76. The cleaning gas introduction passage 78 connected to the cleaning gas introduction port 76 is connected to the cleaning gas source 80 via a fifth mass flow controller 66E as a flow rate adjusting valve and a fifth opening / closing valve 68E on the way, and cleaning is performed. A ClF-based gas such as ClF ₃ gas can be vaporized and supplied by bubbling. A branch passage 72C is formed in the middle of the cleaning gas introducing passage 78, and a sixth passage 72C is formed in the branch passage 72C.
Mass flow controller 66F and sixth on-off valve 68
The second nitrogen source 74B is connected via F, and is configured so that the cleaning gas can be diluted and the concentration can be controlled if necessary. And each of the above mass flow controllers,
The on-off valve and the like are controlled by a control unit 82 including, for example, a microprocessor based on a program stored in advance.

By the way, the boiling point of ClF-based gas used as a cleaning gas, for example, ClF _3, is about + 17 ° C., and it liquefies at room temperature (+ 25 ° C.). Therefore,
At the time of supply, liquid ClF ₃ is vaporized and supplied by bubbling while heating, but if this gas is liquefied in the supply system passage, it will take a lot of time to restore the supply system passage, and the operating rate of the device will increase. descend. Therefore, in order to prevent the cleaning gas from being liquefied, the cleaning gas introducing passage 78 is provided with a liquefaction preventing heating means 84 formed by, for example, winding a heating tape all over the passage, A temperature gradient is created by gradually increasing the temperature along the gas flow direction.

On the other hand, although the inner wall surface of the processing container 22 and the inner and outer wall surfaces of the processing gas supply header 40 are surface-polished in order to prevent ClF ₃ gas from adhering, they can be completely prevented from adhering. is not. Therefore, in order to prevent the ClF ₃ gas from adhering as much as possible, a header heating means 94 is provided in the processing gas supply header 40 as shown in FIGS.
Is provided. The header heating means 94 is formed of a medium passage 96 and a ceramic heater 98 formed over the entire header side wall, and hot water of 100 ° C. at a maximum temperature is allowed to flow through the medium passage 96 to heat it to a higher temperature. In this case, the ceramic heater 98 is energized to heat up to, for example, a range of about 100 ° C to 200 ° C.

The medium passage 96 is branched into two parts, a hot water side and a cold water side on the introduction side, and hot water and cold water are supplied as necessary by operating the switching valves 100 and 102 in response to a command from the control section 82. The header 40 is cooled by flowing cold water at the time of film formation to prevent the header 40 from being film-formed.

The wall heating means 101 having the same structure as the header heating means 94 is also provided on the wall of the processing container 22.
The heating means 101 is also provided with a ceramic heater 1.
04 and the medium passage 106 to prevent ClF ₃ gas from adhering to the inner wall surface during film formation and cleaning.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the ClF gas is used as the cleaning gas, the portion exposed to this gas, for example, the processing container 22 or the processing container 22.
The wafer mounting table 26 and the electrostatic chuck 30 in the inside are made of ClF.
It must be composed of a system gas corrosion resistant material and must be used at a corrosion resistant temperature.

Polyimide and silicone rubber cannot be used as such materials, and SiC, ceramic materials, Teflon, alumina ceramics, quartz glass (200 ° C. or less), carbon (300 ° C. or less), etc. Can be used. When the electrostatic chuck is formed of the above material, for example, quartz glass, the conductive film is formed so as to be sandwiched by quartz glass. Further, as the other materials, the materials shown in Table 1 can also be used.

[0044]

[Table 1]

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the other vacuum processing apparatuses 2B and 2C are also constructed in substantially the same manner as the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A, that is, the processing gas supply system 108 and the cleaning gas supply system 110 are provided separately. The processing gas supply header is provided with header heating means, and the processing container is provided with similar wall heating means (not shown). Incidentally, 112 is a vacuum exhaust system configured in the same manner as the vacuum exhaust system 43 connected to the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A.

By the way, when performing the cleaning operation, not only each of the vacuum processing apparatuses 2A to 2C but also the entire processing apparatus assembly, that is, the first and second transfer chambers 8, 4, the first and second preliminary vacuums. Since the chambers 6A, 6B and the first and second cassette chambers 10A, 10B are also performed individually or individually, each chamber is configured similarly to the cleaning gas supply system 52 connected to the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A. A cleaning gas supply system 114 and a vacuum exhaust system 116 are connected to each other. Although not shown, a gas supply pipe for supplying an inert gas into the chambers is also connected to each chamber.

Further, a heater (not shown) is also provided on the wall surface that divides each chamber and the arm-shaped first and second transfer means 16 and 20 in the first and second transfer chambers 8 and 4. ) Are embedded respectively to prevent the ClF-based gas from adhering during cleaning. And the members in each of these chambers are also ClF.
It is made of the above-mentioned material having a corrosion resistance to the system gas.
For example, the transfer arm is composed of Teflon with a ceramic heater embedded as a heater.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. First, the cassette 14 containing, for example, 25 wafers W
Is placed on the cassette stage 12 in the cassette chamber 10A, and then the gate door G3 is closed to create an inert gas atmosphere in the chamber.

Next, the gate valve G1 is opened, the wafer W in the cassette 14 is vacuum-adsorbed by the arm of the first transfer means 16, and the inside of the first transfer chamber 8 is in the inert gas atmosphere in advance. The wafer is loaded into. Here the rotary stage 18
Thus, the orientation flat alignment and the center alignment of the wafer W are performed.

The wafer W after the alignment is placed in the first preliminary vacuum chamber 6A which has been previously placed in an inert gas atmosphere at atmospheric pressure.
After being carried in, the gate valve G5 is closed and, for example, the inside of the vacuum chamber 6A is evacuated to 10 ⁻³ to 10 ⁻⁶ Torr, and together with this, the wafer W is preheated to about 500 ° C. for 30 to 60 seconds. . Further, the unprocessed wafer W that is subsequently carried in is similarly carried into the second preliminary vacuum chamber 6B and preheated.

After preheating, the wafer W has a gate valve G
7 is opened and held and taken out by the arm of the second transfer means 20 of the second transfer chamber 4, which has been depressurized to a vacuum degree of about 10 ⁻⁷ to 10 ⁻⁸ Toor in advance, and the desired processing is performed. Therefore, it is loaded into a predetermined vacuum processing apparatus which has been previously made into a reduced pressure atmosphere.

The processed wafer W, which has been subjected to a series of processes, is held by the second transfer means 20 and taken out from the vacuum processing apparatus, and is placed in the empty first preliminary vacuum chamber 6A. Be accommodated. Then, the processed wafer W is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the vacuum chamber 6A, and then the wafer cassette 14 in the second cassette chamber 10B for accommodating the processed wafer is reversely operated. To house.

Then, the preheated wafer W is
The film forming process and the etching process are sequentially performed according to a desired sequence programmed in advance. For example, first, for example, a tungsten film is formed by the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A, then the tungsten film is etched back by the third vacuum processing apparatus 2C, and further, the second vacuum processing apparatus is performed. 2B
At, for example, a titanium film is formed, and the whole process is completed.

Here, the film forming operation of the tungsten film in the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A will be described with reference to FIG. First, the lamp actuator 39 is driven by a command from the control unit 82, and the halogen lamp 34 for heating is driven.
Is positioned below the quartz window 32. Then, the wafer mounting table 26 is heated by the light energy from the halogen lamp 34 to maintain the wafer W mounted thereon at a predetermined processing temperature, and at the same time, by the vacuum pump 36 of the vacuum exhaust system 43. Vacuum processing chamber 24
While the inside is evacuated, the first processing gas source 70A introduces the first processing gas and the second processing gas source 70B introduces the second processing gas into the processing chamber 24 while controlling their flow rates. A film forming process is performed while maintaining the atmosphere at a predetermined process pressure.

In the present embodiment, for example, WF ₆ is used as the first processing gas, SiH ₄ is used as the second processing gas, and it is diluted to a predetermined concentration with the nitrogen gas from the first nitrogen source 74. The undiluted WF ₆ and SiH ₄ are respectively introduced into the uppermost mixing chamber of the supply header 40. The two types of processing gases introduced into the mixing chamber are mixed here and introduced into the diffusion chamber in the lower stage thereof through the communication holes 46A of the partition plate 46. The mixed gas is introduced into the lower flow straightening chamber through the diffusion holes 48A of the diffusion plate 48, and then the processing gas is uniformly supplied over the entire wafer surface through the straightening holes 50A of the straightening plate 50. In this case, since the process gas introduced into the header is gradually expanded and mixed in the plurality of chambers, the two kinds of process gases can be uniformly mixed, and the diameter of the lowermost straightening plate 50 can be evenly mixed. Is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer W, so that the mixed processing gas can be uniformly supplied over the entire surface of the wafer.

If the temperature of the processing gas supply header 40 or the temperature of the inner wall of the processing container 22 becomes high during the film forming process, the reaction products will form a film on the wall surface other than the wafer surface.
In order to prevent this, the medium passage 96 of the header heating means 94 provided in the supply header 40 and the medium passage 106 of the wall heating means 101 provided in the wall portion of the processing container 22 are kept at about 15 ° C. during the process. A coolant made of cold water is flowed to cool the supply header 40 and the wall of the processing container so that no film is formed on them. Such a cooling operation is performed in the other processing devices 2B and 2C,
The same operation is performed to prevent the film from adhering to unnecessary portions.

Now, the series of processing of the wafer W is performed as follows.
When a predetermined number of wafers, for example, one lot (25 wafers) have been formed, a small amount of film is deposited in each processing apparatus, and the wafer W transfer route is performed when the processed wafers W are transferred. The film peels off and becomes particles and floats or tends to settle on the bottom. Therefore, a cleaning operation is performed in order to remove a film or a film-deposited piece on an unnecessary portion that causes such a defect. This cleaning operation may be performed on the entire processing apparatus assembly at one time, or may be performed individually on a specific vacuum processing apparatus or a specific room of the transfer route.

Here, first, a case where the entire processing apparatus assembly is cleaned at once will be described. Upon completion of the film forming process, the on-off valves of the processing gas supply systems 54 and 108 of the vacuum processing devices 2A to 2C are closed, and the supply of the processing gas that has been supplied to the corresponding processing device is stopped.

In this state, if the gatebens that are airtightly closed between the chambers are opened, an air flow is generated inside the chamber due to the pressure difference existing between the chambers, which may cause scattering of particles and the like. . For that purpose, an inert gas, for example, N ₂ gas is made to flow into each chamber individually with each gate ben closed, that is, with each chamber being kept airtight.

When N ₂ gas is supplied to the vacuum processing chamber of each of the vacuum processing apparatuses 2A to 2C, the first nitrogen source 74A (FIG. 3) provided in each of the processing gas supply systems 54 and 108 connected thereto.
(See) and a second nitrogen source provided in each cleaning gas supply system 56, 110. In addition, the first and second transfer chambers 8 and 4, the first and second cassette chambers 10A and 10B.
When N ₂ gas is supplied to the first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B, the second nitrogen source 74B for dilution of each cleaning gas supply system 116 connected to each chamber (see FIG. 3).
Source).

In this way, when the pressure in each chamber becomes the same pressure by the N ₂ atmosphere, for example, atmospheric pressure, the gate valves G1, G2, G5 to G5 partitioning the respective chambers from each other.
11 is opened, and the whole of the processing device assembly is communicated,
It is assumed that it is one open space. In this state, the gate doors G3 and G4 of the cassette chambers 10A and 10B are closed and not opened to the atmosphere.

Next, cleaning is carried out by flowing a cleaning gas containing a ClF-based gas, for example, ClF ₃ gas, into the processing apparatus assembly. In this case, while supplying the cleaning gas from each of the vacuum processing apparatuses 2A to 2C, the cleaning gas is caused to flow through the entire apparatus assembly and is exhausted from the respective vacuum exhaust systems 116 of both cassette chambers 10A and 10B on the downstream side to the outside of the system. . At the same time, the vacuum exhaust systems 43 and 112 connected to the respective vacuum processing apparatuses 2A to 2C may be driven so that the cleaning gas is sufficiently distributed in the respective processing containers. Specifically, ClF ₃ gas is generated by bubbling from the cleaning gas source 80 (see FIG. 3) of the cleaning gas supply systems 56 and 110 connected to each of the vacuum processing devices 2A to 2C, and this is generated by the fifth mass flow controller 66E. The flow rate is controlled to flow through the cleaning gas introduction passage 78 and is supplied from the cleaning gas introduction port 76 into the processing gas supply header 40. This cleaning gas flows down in the supply header 40 and flows in the processing container 22,
The film or film pieces attached to the header wall surface, the inner wall of the processing container, or the wafer mounting table 26 reacts with and removes the film pieces and flows into the second transfer chamber 4 through the gate valve G9.
Similarly, the ClF ₃ gas that has flowed through the other vacuum processing devices 2B and 2C to clean the inside thereof also flows into the second transfer chamber 4 and joins here. Further, a part of the cleaning gas is also exhausted from the vacuum exhaust system connected to each processing container.

ClF ₃ flowed into the transfer chamber 4 and merged
The gas then flows into the first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B through the gate valves G7 and G8, and further flows into the first transfer chamber 8 through the gate valves G5 and G6. Then, this ClF ₃ gas branches and flows into the first cassette chamber 10A and the second cassette chamber 10B via the gate valves G1 and G2, respectively, and finally the vacuum exhaust systems 116 and 116 of the respective cassette chambers. Is evacuated and discharged.

By flowing the cleaning gas in this way, not only the film adhered to the inner wall of each processing container, etc. but also the transfer chamber is peeled off during the transfer of the processed wafer, for example, during the transfer of the wafer. 4, 8 and the preliminary vacuum chambers 6A, 6B, the film pieces floating in the cassette chambers 10A, 10B, or the film pieces settling at the bottom can be removed quickly and efficiently by cleaning. Therefore, the yield of semiconductor products can be significantly improved.

In this case, the flow rate of ClF ₃ gas from each cleaning gas supply system is set to, for example, 5 liters / minute or less, and if necessary, the second nitrogen source 7 of each supply system is supplied.
Nitrogen gas is supplied from 4B while controlling the flow rate to dilute the cleaning gas. Further, the internal pressure at the time of cleaning is set within a range of 0.1 to 100 Torr, for example.

If ClF ₃ gas adheres to the inner wall surface of the header or the processing container, the transfer chambers 4 and 8, the preliminary vacuum chambers 6A and 6B, and the inner walls of the cassette chambers 10A and 10B, the cleaning process is performed. At the time of film formation or wafer transfer, which is subsequently performed, ClF ₃ gas separated from the wall surface is taken into the film formation and causes defects.

Therefore, each part is heated in order to prevent the ClF ₃ gas from adhering to the wall surface. That is, taking FIG. 3 as an example, the medium passage 96 of the header heating means 94 provided in the supply header 40 and the medium passage 104 of the wall heating means 101 provided in the wall portion of the processing container 24 are filled with warm water of about 80 ° C., for example. Then, the header 40 and the processing container 22 are heated. In this case, when heating is further performed, the ceramic heater 98 provided on the header and the ceramic heater 106 provided on the wall of the processing container are energized to set the cleaning temperature high. The cleaning temperature at this time is, for example, ClF ₃
It is set within the range of + 17 ° C. to + 700 ° C., which is the boiling temperature of the gas.

When performing the cleaning operation,
As shown in FIG. 5, the lamp actuator 39 provided below the processing container 22 is driven to position the ultraviolet lamp 37 below the quartz window 32. Then, the UV lamp 37 irradiates UV UV as light energy into the processing container 22 through the quartz window 32. In this embodiment, the wafer mounting table 26 is removed.

The applied ultraviolet rays UV give energy to the cleaning gas flowing in the processing container 22 to activate it, and improve the cleaning rate or etching rate of the cleaning gas. Thereby, the processing container 2
The film deposited on 2 can be removed almost completely, and the cleaning operation can be performed efficiently and quickly.
The amount of this ultraviolet ray is changed according to the difference in the film thickness at the place to be cleaned, and in particular, it is set so that a large amount of the ultraviolet ray is intensively applied to the place where the process temperature is high. Thus, by irradiating the light energy during cleaning, the cleaning gas is activated and the supply header 40
It is possible to more efficiently remove the film formed on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate or the inner wall surface of the processing container 22.

Further, in FIG. 5, the cleaning is carried out with the wafer mounting table 26 removed, but the cleaning may be carried out by irradiating ultraviolet rays UV with the wafer mounting table 26 provided. According to this, it becomes possible to clean the back surface side of the wafer mounting table 26 with particularly high efficiency. In this embodiment, the ultraviolet rays UV are irradiated from the bottom of the processing container 22, but the invention is not limited to this, and the ultraviolet rays may be irradiated from the side wall of the processing container 22, for example.

During this cleaning operation, the vacuum exhaust systems 43 and 112 connected to the respective vacuum processing chambers are also driven to exhaust a part of the cleaning gas. At this time, the exhaust passage heating means 45 is used. By driving, the entire exhaust passage 38 is also heated. As a result, the film deposited on the exhaust passage 38 at the time of film formation can be efficiently removed, and therefore, the exhaust chamber can be cleaned at the same time as cleaning the inside of the processing chamber. In particular, since the exhaust passage 38 is heated by the heating means 45 to a temperature higher than room temperature, for example, about 50 to 200 ° C., the film formation can be efficiently removed.

A series of heatings during such cleaning is performed in the other vacuum processing apparatuses 2B, 2C and other chambers in the same manner as described above. That is, in the vacuum processing apparatuses 2B and 2C, the header heating means and the wall heating means 111 are driven to heat the whole as in the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A, and the transfer chambers, the preliminary vacuum chambers, and the cassettes are heated. In the chamber, by driving each heater provided on each wall, and each arm-shaped transfer means 1
The heaters 8 and 20 are respectively driven to heat the whole within the above-mentioned predetermined temperature range.
In this case, it goes without saying that the heating temperature is set to a temperature range in which the material used can exhibit corrosion resistance to ClF ₃ gas.

As described above, during the cleaning operation, the supply header of the processing apparatus, the wall surface of the processing container, the transfer chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber, the wall surface of the cassette chamber and the like are heated, so that the cleaning gas is adsorbed to the wall surface and the like. Therefore, the ClF ₃ gas that causes defects during film formation is not taken in during the film formation process restarted after the cleaning is completed, and the yield can be significantly improved.

Further, in each of the vacuum processing apparatuses 2A to 2C, at the same time when this cleaning gas is made to flow, at the same time as the first nitrogen source 74A provided in each of the processing gas supply systems 54 and 108, nitrogen gas is supplied as an inert gas to the first and second nitrogen gases. The gas is supplied into the supply header 40 via the second process gas introduction passages 62 and 64. In this case, the supply pressure of the nitrogen gas is set to be slightly higher than the supply pressure of the cleaning gas so that the cleaning gas does not flow back to the first and second processing gas introduction ports 58 and 60. As described above, by flowing the inert gas into each processing gas supply system 54 during the cleaning process, the cleaning gas flows backward through the inner surfaces of the first and second processing gas introduction ports 58 and 60 or more to introduce the processing gas. It is possible to prevent the adhesion to the inner surfaces of the passages 62 and 64. Therefore, the ClF ₃ gas is not taken in during the film formation process which is restarted after the cleaning is completed, and the yield can be further improved in combination with the above reason.

When the cleaning operation is completed for a predetermined time in this way, the ClF ₃ gas remaining in each chamber must be surely discharged for the subsequent film forming process. . Therefore, in this embodiment, as an inert gas, for example, nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas is supplied.
Repeat the stop multiple times. That is, while the vacuum evacuation systems 43, 112, and 116 in each chamber are driven at their full capacity to evacuate, the supply and stop of N ₂ gas is repeated about 10 times as shown in FIG. For example, the N ₂ gas supply period T1 is set to about 10 to 30 seconds, and the supply stop period T
2 is set to about 30 to 60 seconds, and this is repeated about 10 times. During this period, vacuuming is continuously performed. Regarding the supply of N ₂ gas, in each vacuum processing apparatus, nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen source 74B for dilution of the cleaning gas supply system or the nitrogen source 74A of dilution for the processing gas supply system with the opening / closing valve fully opened, and other In this chamber, nitrogen gas is supplied from the nitrogen source for dilution of the cleaning gas supply system 114.

Since the N ₂ gas is repeatedly supplied and stopped while the evacuation is continuously performed as described above, the N ₂ gas is attached to the inner wall of each chamber or the like by the impact when the N ₂ gas is supplied. The ClF ₃ gas that had been removed was promoted, and ClF adhered to the inner wall of each processing container and the inner and outer wall surfaces of the supply header.
₃ Gas can be eliminated almost completely and eliminated.
Therefore, in the film forming process that is subsequently performed after the completion of this cleaning operation, ClF _{3 which} causes defects during film forming
It is possible to prevent gas from being taken in almost completely.

[0077] the number of repetitions of stopping the supply of the N ₂ gas is not limited to 10 times, may be increased or decreased as necessary, also the supply start operation of the N ₂ gas, the supply of N ₂ gas In order to effectively release the ClF ₃ gas by the impact at the time, it is preferable to start the supply of the N ₂ gas when the pressure in each chamber reaches, for example, about Torr.

It should be noted that such a cleaning operation is preferably programmed in advance in the control unit 82 so as to be automatically executed every time a predetermined number of wafers are processed. For example, in each of the vacuum processing devices 2A to 2C, a predetermined number of sheets,
For example, every time one lot (25 sheets) is processed, the entire apparatus assembly is automatically cleaned by the above method.
In this case, the number of processed sheets is not limited to 25, and is determined by the degree of the film formation amount. In this case, the number of films to be formed on unnecessary portions is collected as data in advance by a single film forming process, and the number of sheets to be cleaned is determined based on the data.

In the above embodiment, the entire vacuum processing apparatus assembly is cleaned at once.
Without being limited to this, for example, only the gate valve G9 is closed and only the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A is provided between the closed chambers, and a normal film forming process of, for example, a tungsten film is performed in this apparatus 2A, and at the same time, other The vacuum processing devices 2B and 2C, the transfer chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber, the cassette chamber, and the like may be cleaned. According to this, it is possible to individually perform cleaning processing only on the vacuum processing apparatus having a large amount of unnecessary film deposited thereon, and it is possible to improve the overall operation rate and significantly improve the throughput. Such selective cleaning can be performed by any vacuum processing apparatus.

Further, when the cleaning process is performed solely in the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A, the gate valve G is used.
9 is closed and separated from the second transfer chamber 4, and in this state, only the first vacuum processing apparatus 2A is cleaned by the same operation as the cleaning operation of the entire assembly described above. That is, ClF ₃ gas is caused to flow from the cleaning gas supply system 56 into the processing chamber 22 while the inside of the container is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust system 43, and at the same time, the cleaning gas flowing into the processing container is irradiated by the ultraviolet lamp 37. This is activated to increase the cleaning rate (see FIG. 5). As a result, the film deposited on the inner and outer wall surfaces of the supply header 40, the inner surface of the container, and the like can be removed almost completely, and the cleaning can be efficiently performed. In this case, if the wafer mounting table 26 is provided, the back side can be cleaned particularly effectively, and the mounting table 2 can be used.
If 6 is taken out, the inside of the processing container can be effectively cleaned.

At this time, the exhaust passage heating means 45 is also driven to heat the exhaust passage 38, so that the film adhered thereto during film formation can be effectively removed. 38 can also be cleaned. When the cleaning gas is supplied, the header heating means 94 and the wall heating means 101 are driven in the same manner as when cleaning the entire assembly, the supply header 40 and the processing container 22 themselves are set to a predetermined temperature, and the ClF ₃ gas is supplied. Are prevented from adhering to the inner and outer surfaces or the inner surface.

Even at the end of cleaning,
After stopping the supply of cleaning gas, residual C in the container
In order to completely remove the IF ₃ gas, the N ₂ gas, which is an inert gas, is repeatedly supplied and stopped a plurality of times in a state in which the vacuum exhaust system 43 is continuously driven and evacuated as shown in FIG. The ClF ₃ gas adhering to the inner wall of the container or the like is desorbed by the impact at this time, and the remaining ClF ₃ gas is almost completely removed from the inside of the container. As a result, ClF is formed during the film formation during the subsequent film formation process.
₃ Gas can be prevented from being taken in and the product yield can be improved.

Further, as described above, by applying the present invention to the cluster device, it is possible to achieve a great improvement in throughput and yield, and it is possible to cope with higher miniaturization and higher integration of 256 MDRAM and the like.

Although the cleaning of the metal tungsten film has been described in the above embodiment, the film to be cleaned is not limited to this, and MoSi ₂ , WSi may be used.
_{2, TiN, TiW, Mo,} SiO 2, Poly-Si
Etc., and a processing gas corresponding to this film formation is used. For example, in the case of a tungsten film, in addition to the combination of WF ₆ + SiH ₄ ,
A combination of F ₆ + H ₂ , WF ₆ + Si ₂ H ₆ , etc. is used. In the case of forming WSix, a combination of WF ₆ + SiH _4, a combination of WF ₆ + Si ₂ H _6, a combination of WF ₆
A combination of + SiH ₂ Cl _{2 and} the like can be used.

Further, N ₂ is used as the inert gas to be used.
Not limited to gases, other inert gases such as He, A
r, Xe, etc. can also be used. The present invention also provides C
Not only the VD device but also a sputtering device, an LCD device, a diffusing device and the like can be applied. Further, although the vacuum processing apparatus has been described as an example in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be applied to an atmospheric pressure processing apparatus.

[0086]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited. First
According to the invention, since the cleaning gas is activated by irradiating the light energy when cleaning the film deposited in the chamber, the cleaning rate can be improved, and therefore the cleaning can be performed quickly and efficiently. Not only can it be performed, but also unnecessary film formation that could not be removed by the conventional method can be effectively removed. According to the second aspect of the invention, when the cleaning gas is discharged, the supply and stop of the inert gas are repeatedly performed in a state where the chamber is evacuated, so that the ClF adhered to the wall surface or the like in the chamber due to the impact at that time. The release of the system gas can be promoted. Therefore, since the ClF-based gas remaining in the chamber can be almost completely removed, it is possible to almost completely eliminate the ClF-based gas being taken in during the film formation during the subsequent film forming process, The yield can be significantly improved. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when cleaning the film deposited in the chamber, the cleaning gas is supplied to the chamber and evacuated by the vacuum exhaust system. The formed film can also be removed, and the chamber and the vacuum exhaust system can be cleaned at the same time. Particularly, by heating the vacuum exhaust system, the film adhered to this system can be removed almost surely. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a vacuum processing apparatus assembly for carrying out a cleaning method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the processing apparatus assembly shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of one vacuum processing apparatus in the aggregate shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing a header heating unit used in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which light energy is irradiated in the vacuum processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which supply and stop of an inert gas are repeatedly performed in the vacuum processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2A to 2C Vacuum processing device 14 Cassette 22 Vacuum processing container 24 Vacuum processing chamber 26 Wafer mounting table 40 Processing gas supply header 43 Vacuum exhaust system 54 Processing gas supply source 56 Cleaning gas supply source 62, 64 Processing gas introduction passage 66A to 66F Mass flow Controller 70A, 70B Processing gas source 74A, 74B Nitrogen source 84 Liquefaction preventing heating means 94 Header heating means 96 Medium passage 98 Ceramic heater 101, 110 Wall heating means 108 Processing gas supply system 110, 114 Cleaning gas supply system W Semiconductor wafer (Processed object)

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display area H01L 21/205

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object to be processed, and a vacuum exhaust system provided in each of the vacuum processing chambers,
At least a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed with respect to the vacuum processing chamber, and a cassette chamber containing a cassette capable of containing a plurality of the objects to be processed, In the method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly in which the respective chambers can be opened and closed, the vacuum processing chamber,
Part or all of the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber may be C
A method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly, characterized in that cleaning is performed with a cleaning gas containing an IF gas, and at the same time, the cleaning gas is activated by light energy. 2. A plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object to be processed, and a vacuum exhaust system provided in each of the vacuum processing chambers.
At least a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed with respect to the vacuum processing chamber, and a cassette chamber containing a cassette capable of containing a plurality of the objects to be processed, In the method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly in which the respective chambers can be opened and closed, the vacuum processing chamber,
The transfer chamber and the cassette chamber are cleaned with a cleaning gas containing ClF-based gas, and then the supply of the cleaning gas is stopped, and then the supply and stop of the inert gas are performed plural times while evacuating each chamber. A method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly, characterized in that the residual cleaning gas in each chamber is exhausted by repeating. 3. A plurality of vacuum processing chambers for processing an object to be processed, and a vacuum exhaust system provided in each of the vacuum processing chambers.
At least a transfer chamber required for loading and unloading the object to be processed with respect to the vacuum processing chamber, and a cassette chamber containing a cassette capable of containing a plurality of the objects to be processed, In the method for cleaning a vacuum processing apparatus assembly in which the respective chambers can be opened and closed, the vacuum processing chamber,
C in a part or all of the transfer chamber and the cassette chamber
A vacuum processing apparatus assembly characterized in that the interior of the chamber is cleaned at the same time that the vacuum exhaust system is cleaned by evacuation by the vacuum exhaust system while supplying a cleaning gas containing an IF gas. Cleaning method.