Patent ID: 6340405
Filing Date: 2002-01-22
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
An etching apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, comprising:one or more process chambers for etching a wafer, the wafer having a processing surface facing down, the one or more process chambers being maintained under a vacuum; a cassette supply chamber for supplying a plurality of wafers to the one or more process chambers, the cassette supply chamber having a cassette supply table for receiving a cassette, the cassette having two or more supporting legs and housing a plurality of wafers stacked in the cassette with processing surfaces facing down, the cassette supply chamber being maintained under atmospheric conditions; a load lock chamber for transferring the wafers housed in the cassette from the cassette supply chamber to the one or more process chambers, the load lock chamber being installed between the one or more process chambers and the cassette supply chamber, the load lock chamber having an elevator for moving the cassette up and down, and having a wafer transporting mechanism for transferring the wafers from the cassette to the one or more process chambers one by one while maintaining orientation of each wafer with the processing surface facing down; a cassette transport mechanism for transferring the cassette from the cassette supply table in the cassette supply chamber to the elevator in the load lock chamber; and a wafer aligning chamber containing a wafer aligning mechanism installed between the cassette supply chamber and the load lock chamber for simultaneously aligning multiple wafers stacked in the cassette, and for transferring the cassette with aligned wafers stacked therein to the load lock chamber.