JPS6098628A - Conveyor in vacuum - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the structure of a device, to shorten carrying time and to improve productivity by mounting two pairs of carrying arms shifting a material to be carried and a turning arm with a revolution support section for turning each carrying arm. CONSTITUTION:A conveyor has two pairs of carrying arms 25a, 25b shifting a wafer 19 as a material to be treated into one vacuum carrying chamber 21 and turning arms 30a, 30b with a revolution support section for turning the arms 25a, 25b. The arms 30a, 30b are each fixed to shafts 31a, 31b. The arms 25a, 25b are turned in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the arms 30a, 30b by a reverse rotation driving section by the combination of a fixed gear 36, an intermediate gear 35a and a turning gear 34a. Accordingly, the structure of the device is simplified because the chambers 21 can be reduced to one and vacuum constitutional parts can also be decreased largely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industry-I- Application] The present invention provides dry etching using a Zolazma discharge for patterning a film formed on, for example, a silicon wafer. , Concerning a transfer device in a vacuum for constantly supplying silicon wafers to a reaction chamber and removing salt from a vacuum-maintained state, the structure of a conventional example and its problems Conventional vacuum As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device therein transports a commonly supplied silicon wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer) 1 into a reaction chamber 2 which is always kept in a vacuum. Therefore, the first vacuum transfer chamber 3 is returned to atmospheric pressure, the first gate I pulp 4 provided in the first vacuum transfer chamber 3 is opened, and the entire wafer 1 is transferred by a transfer bell I- (not shown). the loading arm 6 using the transfer pin 6.
Place the wafer on the wafer holder 6a provided at the tip of the wafer, close the first gate valve 4, and fully evacuate from the vacuum exhaust lower.
Next, the second gate valve 8 is opened, and the reaction chamber 2 is moved along the entire slide shaft 9 of the carrying arm by a wire drive (not shown) or the like.
1 wafer inside 16. The transfer arm 6 is returned to its original position, and the second gate valve 8 is closed. Thereafter, the wafer 1 is dry etched in a reaction chamber using plasma discharge. The wafer 1 that has been processed is transferred to the empty transfer chamber 1 in the 24'1
3 is evacuated, the third gate pulp 14 is opened, the unloading arm 15 is advanced, the entire wafer 1 is transferred onto the wafer receiver 1152L, the unloading arm 16 is retreated, and the unloading bin 1 is
6, the wafer 1 is placed on a conveyor belt (not shown), the third gate valve 14 is closed, the second vacuum conveyance chamber 13 is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the fourth gate 1-pulp 17 is opened, and the wafer 1 is placed in the storage position @18. It is sent out using a conveyor belt, and the fourth gate valve 17 is closed. Repeat the same action thereafter. However, with the above configuration, two sets of vacuum transfer chambers are required.
Not only was the equipment structure complicated, but it also had disadvantages such as a lot of time spent transferring wafers and poor productivity.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides a high-productivity conveying device in vacuum that has a device structure of k I7v□I and completely shortens the conveying time! All that is offered.

Composition of the Invention The conveying device of the present invention has two sets of conveying arms for transferring and plowing objects I--in one vacuum conveying chamber, and a rotation support part for rotating each of the conveying arms. A rotating arm 11, two rotating shafts fixed to the rotating arm, each of which is driven to rotate independently, and arranged concentrically, and a transfer arm that rotates in the opposite direction to the rotating direction of the rotating arm. It consists of a reverse drive 1113 and a gate I valve installed on the side wall of the vacuum transfer chamber to open and close the transfer path, so only one vacuum transfer chamber is required, and the number of gate pulps can be reduced. The structure has been simplified by reducing the number of components, and only one vacuum transfer chamber needs to be evacuated, which has the unique effect of halving the evacuation time and shortening the birth canal time. have

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to drawing i.
j.

Let me explain from the start. FIG. 2 shows the entire configuration of a conveying device in a vacuum in which a dry etching device according to an embodiment of the present invention has been used for a month. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 19 indicates a wafer, which is a popular item and is supplied one by one, and wafers are sequentially supplied and taken out from the outside to this 1 bar. 2C) Transfer bin for transferring the id wafer 19 to the transfer arm 21 ii The interior of the vacuum transfer chamber can be evacuated by a vacuum exhaust port 22 connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

Reference numeral 23 denotes a first gate valve for opening and closing the transfer path provided on the side wall of the vacuum transfer chamber 21, and when it is closed, Q 17
A vacuum moon is created by Similarly to the first gate pulp 23, a second gate 24 opens and closes between the reaction chamber and the vacuum transfer chamber.
The gate valve 252L has a wafer receiver with a recess into which the wafer enters at its tip, and 26b is a loading arm that is one of the transfer arms for loading and loading unprocessed wafers.
The carry-out arm 26, which is one of the transfer arms that places and carries out all the wafers 11, is a reaction chamber that is always kept in a vacuum to prevent dry etching of the film on the wafer, for example. The fire is equipped with a pair of parallel plate electrodes. 27 is a vacuum exhaust port for evacuating the reaction chamber 26 by a vacuum pump (not shown); 28 is located inside the reaction chamber 26, on which the entire wafer is placed, and is one of the counter electrodes 1 (plate electrode)
29 is a transfer bin for transferring all the wafers. Figure 3 shows the structure of the transfer section inside the vacuum transfer chamber, where 21 is the vacuum transfer chamber, 25& is a carry-in arm, and 30a is a rotating arm with a rotating shaft 312L. is fixed. 31b is a rotating shaft constructed concentrically through the entire center and U of the rotating shaft 31fL;
0b is fixed. 25b is a carry-out arm.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a bearing, and the rotating shafts 312L and 31b are rotatably incorporated in a vacuum pool (not shown) such as a flick (not shown). 3Sa is a shaft fixed to the carry-in arm 25& and rotatably supported by the swing arm 30a, □Swivel gear 3
4a is fixed. , 35a are rotatably attached intermediate teeth +4 (which engage with the rotating arms 34a and are rotatably attached to the rotating arm 30a) and are engaged with the fixed gear 36. 37
382L is the support body of the fixed two city 36, 382L is the rotation 1m +
With the rotating tooth width fixed to 31a, the driving tooth <i fixed to the motor 40a (3ga allows the rotation arm 30
Numbers k ('J') of 1 30b to 40b, to which the rotation of the turning stop of a is transmitted, have the same function as 30a to 40a.

The operation of the vacuum transfer device used in the dry etching apparatus, which is constructed as described above, is explained below.The wafer 19 before the stumbling process is fed onto the transfer bin 20, and the wafer 19 is transferred to the transfer bin 20. The wafer 19 is lifted up by the wafer 19. Next, the vacuum transfer chamber 21 is returned to atmospheric pressure by introducing nitrogen gas, the first gate valve 23 is fully opened, and the rotation arm 3Qa is moved to the first gate 1 pulp 23 by rotation of the motor 40a.
At the same time, the transfer arm 25fL rotates to the fixed tooth i'1436, the intermediate gear 351L, and the rotation gear 3.
The transfer bin 20 is moved by the reversing drive unit based on the combination of 4a.
After that, the transfer pin 2o lowers the wafer 19 to the wafer receiver provided at the tip of the transfer arm.
II //). Next, one morph 401:1 reverse rotation is carried out, the carrying arm 262L returns to the vacuum transfer chamber 21, the first gate 1-valve 23 is closed, and the vacuum exhaust port 22
For example, if the set vacuum level is ○1 Torri, it will be 4 no.

Further, the second gate 1-valve is opened, and the loading arm 26a is similarly moved to the plate electrode 28'' in the reaction chamber 26, the wafer 19 is lifted by the transfer pin 29, and after the public arm 26a is retreated. , placed on the substrate electrode 28, and the second
After closing the valve 24, the vacuum transfer chamber 21 is opened.
The pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure by introducing nitrogen gas, and the first gate 1-valve 23 is opened in the same way. Two wafers 1-1 (not shown) to be supplied next to the wafer 19 are transferred to the loading arm. The wafer 19 is transferred onto the wafer 26a and carried into the vacuum transfer chamber 21, where the entire internal vacuum υ1 is created, and the wafer 19 in the reaction chamber 26 is placed on standby until the dry etching of the wafer 19 in the reaction chamber 26 is about to be completed.

In the reaction chamber 26 into which the wafer 19 has been carried, a processing gas for dry etching is released, and the pressure is maintained at a set pressure by means of an exhaust adjustment valve 1'' and the like. A high frequency power of 13.56 MH2 is applied to one of the pair of 51' row \1' plate electrodes provided on the IS, and the processed film on the wafer 19'2 is dry etched by plasma radiation. When dry etching is finished,
Lift up the wafer 19 using the transfer pin 29, open the second gate valve 24, and move the unloading arm 26b to the loading art 26.
Same as 2L (・Move the wafer 19 to the axis of the transfer bin by moving 1'1 to dU+, lower the transfer pin 29, transfer the wafer 19 to the wafer holder at the tip of the carry-out arm, and place the wafer 19 at the tip of the carry-out arm. 25
b is returned into the vacuum transfer chamber 21. Next, the wafer 19a
(The carrying arm 25a, which was the same as the i7 game, is moved onto the substrate electrode 28! IIJ + L, the transfer pin is used to make a substitute for the wafer 19a (on the i7 substrate electrode), and the carrying arm 262L is returned to the vacuum transfer chamber 21, and the second Gate valve 24f: Closed. At the same time, the wafer 19a is completely dry-etched in the reaction chamber 26, nitrogen gas is fully introduced into the vacuum transfer chamber 21, and the pressure is returned to atmospheric pressure. Valve 23'fr: Opened. The carry-out arm 25b'i moves onto the shaft of the transfer bin 20, lifts up the 19 gold wafer with the transfer pin 2o, returns it to the vacuum transfer chamber 21, and transfers it to the transfer bin 20.
is lowered, the wafer 19 is taken out from the outside, three wafers 1.1 are supplied onto the transfer bin 20, and the transfer 1
Lift it up using the pier 20 and attach the loading arm to the loading pin 2o.
The wafers 19b'i and 1IlQ are moved onto the transfer arm 262L by the transfer pin 20i, and transferred onto the transfer arm 26af6: the transfer arm 26af6: the vacuum transfer chamber 21 is returned to the first gate valve 23. After closing, the same operation is repeated sequentially.As described above, according to this embodiment, there are two sets of transfer arms for transferring the wafers to be processed into one four-empty transfer chamber; A swivel arm with a rotating support part for full rotation of the transfer arm, and a swivel arm that is fixed to the swivel arm and each has a
By providing a rotary drive unit 71, two concentric rotating shafts marked e, and a reversing drive unit 01 for rotating the transfer arm in the opposite direction to the rotating direction of the rotating arm.
It is possible to use only one vacuum progressive fund for wafer loading and unloading, and the number of valves can be reduced.
The moving parts are also constructed in the same way, and the transfer arm can be moved by simply applying rotation to the shaft of these two sets of parts. can be significantly reduced,
Furthermore, the number of J-11-empty components can be reduced, and the equipment tf17
It is possible to make the structure -) 7 (i).

In addition, in the example, the reverse drive! 7+iτIS may use 3fΦ teeth [lI', or a transmission means such as Peru-1 may be used, and 7'7i+ may be transmitted to the transfer arm by reversing the direction of rotation of the rotating arm.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides two sets of transfer arms for transferring objects into one vacuum transfer chamber connected to a vacuum pump, and includes a rotating support section for rotating each transfer arm. a rotating arm, two rotating shafts fixed to the rotating arm, each of which is driven to rotate independently, and located at fil/b, and a reversing drive unit that rotates the rotating arm and the transfer arm in opposite directions. By installing a valve metal on the side wall of the vacuum transfer chamber for opening and closing the transfer path, the vacuum transfer chamber can be
The number of VCs can be reduced, the number of goo valves can be halved, and the number of vacuum + 16 components can be greatly reduced.'! The structure of the A-device has been simplified, the vacuum transfer chamber 1 (lI!il) is good for direct air J-11 airflow, the exhaust air 114 can be reduced, and the time spent for transfer can be shortened. Cost per hour: 1 yen! Practical effects such as improving the number of views 1st time
There is such a thing as a person.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a layout diagram of a conventional conveying device in a vacuum, Fig. 2 is a layout diagram of a conveying device in a vacuum according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a structure of the conveying section of the 21st part. FIG. 19...Wafer, 21...1 Vacuum transfer chamber, 2
3...First gear 1-valve, 24...Second gear 1-valve, 252L...Carry-in arm, 25b...Carry-out arm, 3Qa, 30b-.''Swivel arm, 31a.
3lb...rotating shaft, 32...support holder, 33a,
33b...axis, 3 4 a. , 35a in 34b·-family 1kawa iA4. 35b... ・Intermediate+. In qXr, 36...Fixed 1 in the east, 37 Support, 38a, 3sb-In the rotating mountain, 3 a139b...In the driving mountain, 40a, 40b.
motor. Name of one JM representative! ``Physical engineer Toshio Nakao and others 1
Figure 1 Figure 2 Phantom Guy Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A rotating arm which is located in one vacuum transfer chamber connected to a vacuum extraction means and has two sets of transfer arms for transferring and loading the transferred items, a rotating support portion for rotating each transfer arm, and the rotating arm. two rotating shafts fixed to the arm, each of which is driven to rotate independently and arranged concentrically; a reversing drive means for fully rotating the transfer arm in a direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotating arm; and the vacuum transfer chamber. A conveyance device in a vacuum, which is provided with means for opening and closing a conveyance path on the side wall of the conveyor.