Apparatus for processing semiconductor wafer comprising continuously rotating wafer table and plural chamber compartments

Claim 1

An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a process chamber; a table arranged in said process chamber; a supporting portion formed on said table, for supporting a wafer which has a main surface to be processed; a mechanism for continuously rotating said table, said table being rotated about an axis which is positioned outside said wafer on said supporting portion and a circulation route of said wafer being defined by rotation of said table; a partition for dividing said process chamber into a plurality of compartments arranged along said circulation route with a clearance being defined between said table and an opposing portion of said partition, said compartments including a first process room and a second process room; an exhaust for evacuating a space including said first and second process rooms in said process chamber; a first supply for supplying a first gas to said first process room; and a second supply for supplying, to said second process room, active species of a second gas which is different from said first gas, said second supply having an exciting mechanism for making said second gas into plasma, said exciting mechanism being provided remote from said second process room so as to prevent ions in the plasma from being supplied to said second process room, wherein said wafer passes through said first and second process rooms by continuous rotation of said table, and said first gas and said active species of said second gases are supplied alternately to said wafer to form on said wafer a reaction product, as a film, produced by chemical reaction of said first gas and said active species of said second gas wherein said table is provided with a plurality of supporting portions for individually supporting a plurality of wafers so as to process said wafers simultaneously; and wherein said supporting portions each have a recess for supporting one of said wafers, and are formed such that said wafers are inclined inwardly.

Claim 2

An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer, comprising: a process chamber; a table arranged in said process chamber; a supporting portion formed on said table, for supporting a wafer which has a main surface to be processed; a mechanism for continuously rotating said table, said table being rotated about an axis which is positioned outside said wafer on said supporting portion and a circulation route of said wafer being defined by rotation of said table; a partition for dividing said process chamber into a plurality of compartments arranged along said circulation route with a clearance being defined between said table and an opposing portion of said partition, said compartments including a first process room and a second process room; an exhaust for evacuating a space including said first and second process rooms in said process chamber; a first supply for supplying a first gas to said first process room; and a second supply for supplying, to said second process room, active species of a second gas which is different from said first gas, said second supply having an exciting mechanism for making said second gas into plasma, said exciting mechanism being provided remote from said second process room so as to prevent ions in the plasma from being supplied to said second process room, wherein said wafer passes through said first and second process rooms by continuous rotation of said table, and said first gas and said active species of said second gases are supplied alternately to said wafer to form on said wafer a reaction product, as a film, produced by chemical reaction of said first gas and said active species of said second gas wherein said table is provided with a plurality of supporting portions for individually supporting a plurality of wafers so as to process said wafers simultaneously; and wherein said supporting portions each have a recess for supporting one of said wafers, and are formed such that said wafers are inclined inwardly.

Claim 9

An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising: a process chamber; a table arranged in said process chamber; a supporting portion formed on said table, for supporting a wafer which has a main surface to be processed; a mechanism for continuously rotating said table, said table being rotated about an axis which is positioned outside said wafer on said supporting portion and a circulation route of said wafer being defined by rotation of said table; a partition for dividing said process chamber into a plurality of compartments arranged along said circulation route with a clearance being defined between said table and an opposing portion of said partition said compartments including a first process room, a second process room, a first exhaust room and a second exhaust room, said first exhaust room being provided between said first and second process rooms along said circulation route, said second exhaust room being provided between said second and first process rooms along said circulation route; an exhaust for evacuating a space including said first and second process rooms and said first and second exhaust rooms in said process chamber; a first supply for supplying a first gas to said first process room; and a second supply for supplying, to said second process room, a second gas which is different from said first gas, wherein said wafer passes through said first and second process rooms by continuous rotation of said table, and said first and second gases are supplied alternately onto the wafer so as to apply different processes to said wafer wherein said table is provided with a plurality of supporting portions for individually supporting a plurality of wafers so as to process said plurality of wafers simultaneously, and wherein said supporting portions each have a recess for supporting one of said wafers, and are formed such that said wafers are inclined inwardly.

Claim 10

An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising: a process chamber; a table arranged in said process chamber; a supporting portion formed on said table, for supporting a wafer which has a main surface to be processed; a mechanism for continuously rotating said table, said table being rotated about an axis which is positioned outside said wafer on said supporting portion and a circulation route of said wafer being defined by rotation of said table; a partition for dividing said process chamber into a plurality of compartments arranged along said circulation route with a clearance being defined between said table and an opposing portion of said partition said compartments including a first process room, a second process room, a first exhaust room and a second exhaust room, said first exhaust room being provided between said first and second process rooms along said circulation route, said second exhaust room being provided between said second and first process rooms along said circulation route; an exhaust for evacuating a space including said first and second process rooms and said first and second exhaust rooms in said process chamber; a first supply for supplying a first gas to said first process room; and a second supply for supplying, to said second process room, a second gas which is different from said first gas, wherein said wafer passes through said first and second process rooms by continuous rotation of said table, and said first and second gases are supplied alternately onto the wafer so as to apply different processes to said wafer wherein said table is provided with a plurality of supporting portions for individually supporting a plurality of wafers so as to process said plurality of wafers simultaneously, and wherein said supporting portions each have a recess for supporting one of said wafers, and are formed such that said wafers are inclined inwardly.