JP2009051608A - Conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveying device for horizontally conveying a substrate in a vacuum chamber which is capable of reducing generation of particles caused by the friction between a carrier means and a carrier, and reducing the maintenance frequency required by the wear between the carrier means and the carrier. <P>SOLUTION: A first magnet 15 is arranged on a lower end of a carrier 6. A second magnet 25 having the polarity opposite to that of the first magnet is arranged on a part of a carrier supporting means 21 opposite to the first magnet 15 via a space from the first magnet 15. The attracting force of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 is applied so as to attract the carrier 6 upwardly, the self weight of the carrier 6 on a guide roller 22 of the carrier supporting means 21 is reduced, and the friction between the guide roller 22 and a guide rail part 13 is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus used for supporting and transporting a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus or the like that performs a predetermined process on the surface of the substrate.

  When performing processing such as film formation and etching while transporting a substrate in a vacuum environment, a rack and pinion mechanism, a roller drive mechanism, a chain drive mechanism, and the like have been conventionally used as a substrate transport device. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a transport device using magnetic force.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows the configuration of the main part of an example of a transfer device using magnetic force. In the drawing, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B 'of (b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' of (a). For convenience, some members such as a vacuum chamber are omitted.

  In the configuration of FIG. 6, the carrier 6 holds the substrate 5 upright so that the main surface is parallel to the vertical direction, and the apparatus conveys the carrier 6 in the horizontal direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate 5. . The carrier 6 has a guide rail portion 13 provided with a square groove or a curved groove 13 a, and the carrier support means 21 fixed to a vacuum chamber (not shown) has a plurality of guide rollers 22. Yes. In this configuration, the guide roller 22 is fitted into the groove 13 a of the guide rail portion 13, and the carrier 6 moves in the horizontal direction on the rotating guide roller 22.

  In the example of FIG. 6, a magnet group 17 in which S poles and N poles are alternately arranged in the transport direction is provided at the lower end of the carrier 6 as a transport means for the carrier 6, and the magnet group 17 is vacuumed at a predetermined interval. A magnetic screw 27 is disposed in the chamber. The central axis of the magnetic screw 27 is parallel to the carrying direction of the carrier 6 and is a double-helical magnetic coupling consisting of an S-pole spiral portion and an N-pole spiral portion at a pitch corresponding to the S-pole and N-pole pitches of the magnet group 17. The part is formed on the surface. When the magnetic screw 27 is rotated, the S-pole spiral part and the N-pole spiral part move relatively in the conveying direction of the carrier 6 at the part facing the magnet group 17, and the S-pole spiral part, the N-pole spiral part and the magnet The carrier 6 is conveyed in the direction of arrow C by the attractive force with the N pole and S pole of the group 17.

JP 2002-68476 A

  In the conventional conveying device, as illustrated in FIG. 6, particles are generated due to friction between the surface of the groove 13 a of the guide rail portion 13 of the carrier 6 and the guide roller 22 of the carrier supporting means 21. It contributed to the generation of defective products. Further, because the friction between the groove 13a and the guide roller 22 causes the guide rail portion 13 and the guide roller 22 to wear and the height of the carrier 6 changes, the height of the carrier 6 is adjusted and the worn parts are replaced. It was necessary to perform maintenance work regularly.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the yield of products by suppressing the generation of particles due to friction between carrier support means and a carrier in the substrate transfer apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to improve productivity by reducing the maintenance frequency for adjusting the height of the carrier due to wear of the carrier support means and the carrier member and replacing the worn parts.

A first aspect of the present invention is a transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate in a horizontal direction in a vacuum chamber,
A carrier that supports the main surface of the substrate in parallel to the vertical direction and is transported together with the substrate;
Carrier support means fixed in a vacuum chamber and supporting the weight of the carrier so as to be slidable in a horizontal direction;
Carrier transport means for transporting the carrier in a horizontal direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate,
The carrier and the carrier support means have a portion facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction with the carrier side downward, a magnet on one side of the facing portion, and a surface facing the one magnet on the other side. A plate-shaped fixed plate made of a magnet having a reverse polarity or a magnetic material is disposed, and the attractive force of the magnet and the magnet or the magnet and the fixed plate acts in the direction of pulling the carrier upward.

A second aspect of the present invention is a transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate in a horizontal direction in a vacuum chamber,
A carrier that supports the main surface of the substrate in parallel to the vertical direction and is transported together with the substrate;
Carrier support means fixed in a vacuum chamber and supporting the weight of the carrier so as to be slidable in a horizontal direction;
Carrier transport means for transporting the carrier in a horizontal direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate,
In the part where the upper end of the carrier and the inner surface of the upper wall of the vacuum chamber are opposed to each other with a gap, a magnet is provided in one of the opposed parts, and a magnet having a polarity opposite to the one magnet is provided in the other. A plate-like fixed plate made of a magnetic material is disposed, and the attractive force between the magnet and the magnet or between the magnet and the fixed plate acts in the direction of pulling the carrier upward.

In the transfer device of the present invention,
A magnetic yoke made of a magnetic material is disposed on the substrate side of the magnet close to the substrate among the magnets disposed in the facing portion; and
Having a stopper to prevent the carrier from lifting,
Is included as a preferred embodiment.

  In the present invention, the weight of the carrier applied to the part of the carrier supporting means that is in direct contact with the carrier is reduced by the attractive force of the magnet and the magnet of opposite polarity or the plate made of the magnet and the magnetic material, and the friction at the part is reduced. Wear can be reduced. Therefore, the generation of particles can be suppressed to improve the yield of the product, and at the same time, the maintenance frequency for adjusting the height of the carrier due to wear and replacing the parts can be reduced, and the productivity can be improved.

  The present invention is a transport device for transporting a substrate in a horizontal direction in a vacuum chamber, and includes a carrier, a carrier support means, and a carrier transport means, and uses the attractive force of a magnet to connect the carrier support means and the carrier. It is characterized by reducing friction.

  The transfer apparatus of the present invention is applied to a vacuum processing apparatus that performs processing such as film formation on a substrate, for example. FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of an in-line type vacuum processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing chambers are connected in series as a vacuum processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  In the in-line type vacuum processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 1, a load lock chamber 1, processing chambers 2a to 2c, and an unload lock chamber 3 are connected through gate valves 4a to 4d. The carrier 6 supporting the substrate 5 is conveyed in the horizontal direction by the rotation of a plurality of guide rollers (not shown) provided in each chamber. In FIG. 1, the number of processing chambers is three, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In FIG. 1, a substrate 5 transported from the outside is placed on a carrier 6 waiting in the load lock chamber 1 by a substrate carry-in means (not shown). The carrier 6 that supports the substrate 5 is sequentially transferred to the processing chambers 2 a to 2 c, subjected to a desired process, and then transferred to the unload lock chamber 3. After that, the substrate 5 is removed from the carrier 6 by the substrate unloading means (not shown), unloaded from the apparatus, and sent to the next step. The carrier 6 from which the substrate 5 has been removed is returned to the load lock chamber 1 by a return path (not shown) and waits for the next substrate to be loaded.

  In FIG. 2, the structure of the principal part of preferable one Embodiment of the 1st conveying apparatus of this invention is shown typically. In the drawing, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B 'of (b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' of (a). For convenience, some members such as a vacuum chamber are omitted.

  In this example, the basic structure is the same as that of the conventional transfer device of FIG. 6 described above, in that the first magnet 15 is attached to the carrier 6 and the second magnet 25 is attached to the carrier support means 21. Is different. This will be described in detail below.

  The carrier 6 includes a holder portion 12, a guide rail portion 13 provided with a square groove or a curved groove 13 a, a magnetic yoke 16, and a connecting portion 14 that connects the guide rail portion 13 and the magnetic yoke 16. The first magnet 15 and the carrier side magnet group 17 are included.

  The holder portion 12 is provided with an opening having a larger inner periphery than the substrate 5 at the center, and the substrate 5 is held up by the clamps 12a, 12b, and 12b with the main surface thereof being parallel to the vertical direction. The clamp 12a is provided with a spring (not shown) below and is movable up and down. When the substrate 5 is held by the holder portion 12, the clamp 12a is pressed down, and temporarily installed so that the substrate 5 is pressed against the clamps 12b and 12b by the robot arm. Next, the clamp 12a is released, and the substrate 5 is fixed to the holder portion 12 so as to be sandwiched between the clamps 12b and 12b by the spring force from below. In addition, the arm of the autoloader transports the substrate 5 with its claws locked in an opening 5 a provided in the center of the substrate 5.

  The carrier support means 21 includes a plurality of guide rollers 22, a base portion 23 to which the plurality of guide rollers 22 are fixed, and a magnetic yoke 24 joined to the lower end of the base portion 23. The magnetic yoke 24 is opposed to the magnetic yoke 16 attached to the carrier 6 in the vertical direction, and the first magnet 15 is disposed on the magnetic yoke 16 at the facing portion. And the 2nd magnet 25 of reverse polarity is arrange | positioned in the opposing surface with respect to the 1st magnet 15 on the opposite side to the magnetic yoke 16 of the magnetic yoke 24. As shown in FIG.

  The plurality of guide rollers 22 are linearly arranged at a predetermined interval in the base portion 23 in the conveyance direction (arrow C direction) of the carrier 6, and the groove 13 a of the guide rail portion 13 is fitted on the guide roller 22. It arrange | positions so that the dead weight of the carrier 6 may be supported. Since the guide rail portion 13 and the guide roller 22 are not fixed, the carrier 6 can slide in the direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate 5 and in the horizontal direction as the guide roller 22 rotates.

  The base part 23 is fixed to the inner wall of a vacuum chamber (not shown) via a stay member (not shown).

  In this example, a magnetic yoke 24 made of a magnetic material is disposed on the substrate side of the second magnet 25 on the side close to the substrate of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25. The magnetic yoke 24 fixes the magnet 25 and suppresses leakage of the magnetic field to the back side, thereby forming a stable magnetic field. Furthermore, the magnetic yoke 24 suppresses the magnetic fields of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 from affecting the plasma space around the substrate 5 and suppresses the influence of thermal radiation from the plasma space. Can do. The magnetic yoke 16 fixes the first magnet 15 and the magnet group 17 and suppresses leakage of the magnetic field from the magnetic screw 27 and the magnet group 17 to the first magnet 15 side, thereby forming a stable magnetic field. .

  In this example, a horizontal guide roller 28 is installed in the magnetic yoke 16 below the carrier 6 so as to sandwich the carrier 6 in order to carry the carrier 6 upright and stably. The guide roller 28 is fixed to the inner wall of a vacuum chamber (not shown) via a stay member (not shown).

  In this example, a carrier side magnet group 17 attached to the carrier 6 side and a magnetic screw 27 are used as the carrier conveying means. In the magnet group 17, N poles and S poles are alternately arranged in the transport direction of the carrier 6 at a predetermined interval. On the other hand, the magnetic screw 27 is a cylindrical member whose central axis is arranged in parallel with the conveying direction of the carrier 6, and an N-pole spiral portion and an S-pole spiral portion are alternately arranged in a spiral shape on the surface thereof. In the direction parallel to the central axis of the magnetic screw 27, the pitch of the N pole spiral portion and the S pole spiral portion coincides with the pitch of the magnet group 17, and the magnetic screw 27 is arranged at a desired interval from the magnet group 17. Yes.

  In the above-described configuration, when the magnetic screw 27 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the N-pole spiral portion and the S-pole spiral portion facing the magnet group 17 are relatively transported with respect to the magnet group 17 (arrows). (C direction). As a result, a force that moves in the direction of arrow C acts on the carrier 6 due to the attractive force / repulsive force between the S pole and N pole of the magnet group 17 and the N pole spiral portion and the S pole spiral portion of the magnetic screw 27, and the guide roller 22 rotates and the carrier 6 is conveyed in the direction of arrow C.

  In this example, the first magnet 15 disposed on the carrier 6 and the second magnet 25 disposed on the carrier support means 21 have opposite polarities on the opposing surface, and the first magnet 15 is on the lower side. Opposite to the vertical direction. Therefore, the attractive force of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 acts in the direction of pulling the carrier 6 upward, and the weight of the carrier 6 applied to the guide roller 22 is reduced. At this time, if the attractive force between the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 is too strong, the carrier 6 is lifted, so the magnetic force and the interval between the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 are adjusted. Thus, the suction force is appropriately controlled.

  As described above, when the weight of the carrier 6 applied to the guide roller 22 is reduced, the friction between the guide roller 22 and the surface of the groove 13a of the guide rail portion 13 is reduced. Wear of the guide rail portion 13 is reduced.

  The first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 only need to have opposite polarities, and continuous magnets in the transport direction can be used. You may arrange at intervals.

  Further, in this example, a method using the magnetic action of the magnetic screw 27 and the magnet group 17 is given as the carrier conveying means. A method of converting to linear motion by rack and pinion may also be used.

  When the magnetic screw system is adopted as the carrier conveying means, since the attractive force of the magnetic screw 27 and the magnet group 17 acts, the attractive force of the magnetic screw 27 and the magnet group 17 is superimposed in addition to the own weight of the carrier 6. Will be. At this time, in order to realize stable carrier conveyance, the magnitude of the acting force for pulling up the carrier 6 according to the present invention is smaller than the sum of the weight of the carrier 6 and the attracting force of the magnetic screw 27 and the magnet group 17. However, it is necessary to prevent the carrier 6 from floating more than necessary.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the configuration of the main part of a preferred embodiment of the second transport apparatus of the present invention. (A) is B-B 'sectional drawing of (b), (b) is A-A' sectional drawing of (a). For convenience, some members are omitted.

  This example is an example in which the combination of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 in the transport apparatus of FIG. 2 is disposed at a facing portion between the carrier 6 and the inner surface of the upper wall of the vacuum chamber. The configuration other than the position of the magnet is the same as that of the transfer device in FIG.

  In this example, the first magnet 32 is disposed at the upper end portion of the carrier 6 via the magnetic yoke 31, and the first magnet 32 is disposed via the magnetic yoke 34 at a portion facing the upper end portion of the carrier 6 on the inner surface of the upper wall of the vacuum chamber 36. Two magnets 33 are arranged. The first magnet 32 and the second magnet 33 have opposite polarities on the opposing surfaces, and the action is the same as that of the first magnet 15 and the second magnet 25 in the transport apparatus of FIG. That is, the attractive force between the magnets 32 and 33 acts in a direction to pull the carrier 6 upward, and the weight of the carrier 6 applied to the guide roller 22 is reduced. The magnetic yoke 31 fixes the first magnet 32 and suppresses leakage of the magnetic field to the substrate 5 side, thereby forming a stable magnetic field.

  In this example, a cooling means 35 using a cooling medium is provided on the upper wall of the vacuum chamber 36 to suppress demagnetization due to heating of the magnet 33 due to heat radiation from the plasma space around the substrate 5. Can do.

  As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the weight applied to the guide roller 22 of the carrier 6 is reduced by using the attractive force of the magnet. However, the attractive force is not limited to using a pair of magnets as described above. A combination of a magnet and a magnetic material is also possible. That is, one is a magnet and the other is a plate-like fixed plate made of a magnetic material. An example is shown in FIG.

  The example of FIG. 4 has a configuration in which the first magnet 15 of the transport device of FIG. 2 is left as it is, and the second magnet 25 is a fixed plate 51 made of a magnetic material. When such a fixed plate 51 is used, since the fixed plate 51 also has the function of the magnetic yoke 24 of FIG. 2, the magnetic yoke 24 is also unnecessary. In such a configuration, the force for pulling up the carrier 6 is weaker than that of the transport apparatus of FIG. 2, but the structure is simpler.

  Further, as in this example, the combination of the magnet and the fixed plate can be reversed, and the second magnet 25 in the transport device of FIG. 2 is used as it is, and the first magnet 15 is a plate made of a magnetic material. It can be a fixed plate. Further, similarly, one of the first magnet 32 and the second magnet 33 in the transfer device of FIG. 3 can be changed to a fixed plate made of a magnetic material.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when a combination of a magnet and a fixed plate made of a magnetic material is used, the magnet is preferably arranged with a plurality of magnets at a predetermined interval in the carrier 6 conveyance direction. One thing corresponding to a magnet may be sufficient.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to attach the anti-lifting stopper 61 as shown in FIG. This configuration example is an example in which the guide roller 28 in contact with the lower side of the carrier 6 is also used as a stopper for the lifting prevention stopper 61. By using such a stopper 61, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that the carrier 6 floats more than necessary, such as the carrier 6 splashing during the carrier 6 transportation.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the in-line type vacuum processing apparatus with which the conveying apparatus of this invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram of the principal part of one Embodiment of the 1st conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the principal part of one Embodiment of the 2nd conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the principal part of other embodiment of the 1st conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the principal part of other embodiment of the 1st conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the principal part of an example of the conventional conveying apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Load lock chamber 2a, 2b, 2c Processing chamber 3 Unload lock chamber 4a-4d Gate valve 5 Substrate 5a Opening 6 Carrier 12 Holder part 12a-12b Clamp 13 Guide rail part 13a Groove 14 Connecting part 15, 32 1st Magnet 16, 24, 31, 34 Magnetic yoke 17 Carrier side magnet group 21 Carrier support means 22, 28 Guide roller 23 Base part 25, 33 Second magnet 27 Magnetic screw 35 Cooling means 36 Vacuum chamber 51 Fixed plate 61 Lift prevention stopper

Claims (4)

A transfer device for transferring a substrate in a horizontal direction in a vacuum chamber,
A carrier that supports the main surface of the substrate in parallel to the vertical direction and is transported together with the substrate;
Carrier support means fixed in a vacuum chamber and supporting the weight of the carrier so as to be slidable in a horizontal direction;
Carrier transport means for transporting the carrier in a horizontal direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate,
The carrier and the carrier support means have a portion facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction with the carrier side downward, a magnet on one of the facing portions and a surface facing the one magnet on the other A plate-shaped fixed plate made of a magnet having a reverse polarity or a magnetic material is arranged, and a suction force between the magnet and the magnet or the magnet and the fixed plate acts in a direction to pull the carrier upward. . A transfer device for transferring a substrate in a horizontal direction in a vacuum chamber,
A carrier that supports the main surface of the substrate in parallel to the vertical direction and is transported together with the substrate;
Carrier support means fixed in a vacuum chamber and supporting the weight of the carrier so as to be slidable in a horizontal direction;
Carrier transport means for transporting the carrier in a horizontal direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate,
In a portion where the upper end of the carrier and the inner surface of the upper wall of the vacuum chamber are opposed to each other with a gap, one of the opposed portions is a magnet, and the other is a magnet having a polarity opposite to that of the one magnet. A conveying device, wherein a plate-like fixed plate made of a magnetic material is arranged, and a suction force between the magnet and the magnet or the magnet and the fixed plate acts in a direction to pull the carrier upward.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a magnetic yoke made of a magnetic material is disposed on a substrate side of a magnet closer to the substrate among the magnets disposed in the facing portion.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper for preventing the carrier from rising.

Images