PLASMA ETCHING SYSTEM

PURPOSE: To make possible overall solution of a wafer contamination problem, by installing a plurality of plasma etching processing chambers on the same circular locus and a wafer loading/unloading mechanism, and performing plasma etching processing of the wafer in an atmosphere in which a vacuum state is maintained. CONSTITUTION: A plurality of plasma etching processing chambers 12 and one wafer stand-by station 14 are laid out along the same circular locus 16, and a wafer loading/unloading mechanism 18 is provided at the center of these chambers and station. Then, each wafer housed in a cassette is taken out by the wafer loading/unloading mechanism 18, selectively sent to each plasma etching processing chamber 12, and processed there. Also, a processing gas is fed into the plasma etching processing chambers 12 by a reaction gas jetting mechanism 24, and a vacuum state is maintained by a vacuum mechanism 26. Then, transfer of the wafer is automatically carrier out without contaminating the wafer.