KR100915797B1 - apparatus for processing substrate and method for opening and closing process space inside of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

In the process, the upper chamber is disposed above the lower chamber, and the upper chamber and the lower chamber form a process space therein. The upper chamber is supported by the support unit, which supports the upper chamber so that a gap is provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber. The vacuum unit exhausts the gas in the process space to maintain the process space in a vacuum state. When a vacuum state is formed in the process space by the vacuum unit, the gap between the upper chamber and the lower chamber is closed, and the process space is sealed from the outside. The gap is closed by a sealing member provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber. When the vacuum is released, the gap opens.

Upper chamber, lower chamber, vacuum unit, support unit

Description

{Apparatus for processing substrate and method for opening and closing process space inside of the same}

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method of opening and closing a process space inside a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus having a vacuum unit and a method of opening and closing a process space inside a substrate processing apparatus.

A flat panel display and a semiconductor device are manufactured through a plurality of manufacturing processes, and the manufacturing process between them is applied very similarly. Such a manufacturing process is performed in the process chamber, and the process is performed in a state in which the inside of the process chamber is maintained in a vacuum state or an atmospheric pressure state.

The process chamber is composed of an upper chamber and a lower chamber. In the process, the upper chamber is positioned above the lower chamber. The process chamber is provided with a process space that is sealed from the outside during the process, and a support member on which the substrate is placed and a shower head for supplying process gas to the support member are provided in the process space. During the process, the substrate is placed on the support member, and the process is performed by supplying process gas onto the substrate through the shower head. In the case of using the plasma, the plasma is generated from the process gas through a separate plasma generating member.

On the other hand, if more than one process is performed in the process chamber, it is necessary to maintain or inspect the inside of the process chamber. At this time, since the upper chamber to be separated from the upper portion of the lower chamber to maintain the interior in a state of opening the process space, an apparatus capable of opening and closing the upper chamber was required. Conventional opening and closing method by providing a crane in the upper portion of the upper chamber to lift the upper chamber to open the upper chamber, or to provide a separate opening and closing device on the side of the process chamber to lift the upper chamber to open the upper chamber. However, such a switchgear adopts a very complicated driving method, and this causes a problem of increasing the occupied area occupied by the facility.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus using a simple opening and closing method and a method for opening and closing the process space inside the substrate processing apparatus.

Another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a method for opening and closing the process space inside the substrate processing apparatus that can minimize the occupied area of the equipment.

Still other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes a lower chamber, an upper chamber disposed at an upper portion of the lower chamber during the process and forming a process space sealed from the outside together with the lower chamber, the upper chamber and the lower chamber. And a support unit supporting the upper chamber to provide a gap therebetween, and a vacuum unit which maintains the process space in a vacuum state and closes the process space by the vacuum state.

The apparatus may further include a sealing member provided on the gap provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber to close the gap in the vacuum state.

The support unit may include one end connected to the upper chamber to support the upper chamber, a support shaft made of an elastic material, and an upper plate connected to the other end of the support shaft.

The support unit may further include a lower plate disposed below the upper plate, and a fastening member connecting the upper plate and the lower plate and restraining the upper plate to allow relative movement with respect to the upper plate. . In addition, it may include an elastic member provided between the upper plate and the lower plate.

The support unit may further include a plunger having a support inserted into the lower surface of the upper chamber adjacent to the upper surface of the lower chamber and having a support for supporting the upper chamber in a protruding state from the lower surface of the upper chamber. Can be.

The support unit further includes a horizontal moving member for horizontally moving the upper chamber with respect to the lower chamber in one direction, and the lower surface of the upper chamber and the upper surface of the lower chamber facing each other are parallel to each other in the one direction. The inclined direction may be downward from the front end of the upper chamber moving toward the lower chamber to the rear end of the upper chamber.

The support unit is inserted into the lower surface of the upper chamber adjacent to the upper surface of the lower chamber and the support for aligning the position of the upper chamber moving toward the lower chamber in a state protruding from the lower surface of the upper chamber The branch may further comprise a plunger.

The support unit may further include a rotating member for rotating the upper chamber such that the lower surface of the upper chamber faces upward.

According to the present invention, a method of opening and closing a process space inside a substrate processing apparatus having an upper chamber and a lower chamber includes arranging the upper chamber above the lower chamber so that a gap is provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber. The process space may be closed by maintaining the process space formed in the upper chamber and the lower chamber in a vacuum state.

A sealing member may be provided on the gap provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the process space may be closed by using the sealing member in the vacuum state. In addition, the vacuum may be released to open the process space.

According to the present invention it is possible to open and close the process space using a simple opening and closing method, thereby minimizing the occupied area of the equipment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. Embodiments of the invention may be modified in various forms, the scope of the invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described below. These embodiments are provided to explain in detail the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape of each element shown in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a more clear description.

Meanwhile, hereinafter, a process using plasma will be described as an example, but the spirit and scope of the present invention are not limited thereto, and the present invention may be applied to various semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses in which the process is performed in a vacuum state.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a manufacturing facility including a substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing facility includes a substrate processing apparatus 10, a loadlock chamber 20, and a transfer chamber 30.

The load lock chamber 20 serves to receive an unprocessed substrate from the outside or to take out the processed substrate to the outside, and the transfer chamber 30 is provided with a robot for transferring the substrate between the chambers. The substrate to be processed is transferred from the load lock chamber 20 to the substrate processing apparatus 10, or the substrate having been processed is transferred from the substrate processing apparatus 10 to the load lock chamber 20. Description of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described later.

FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the substrate processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the substrate processing apparatus 10 of FIG.

The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes an upper chamber 120 and a lower chamber 140. The upper chamber 120 is placed on top of the lower chamber 140 during the process. However, as will be described later, when maintaining the interior of the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 may be separated from the upper portion of the lower chamber 140. The upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 form a process space therein, and a process for the substrate is performed in the process space. As will be described later, the process space is maintained in a vacuum state during the process.

In the process space, a support plate 150 on which a substrate is placed and a shower head for supplying a process gas to an upper portion of the support plate 150 are provided. The support plate 150 is grounded and generates plasma on the support plate 150 together with the upper electrode 132 which will be described later. The showerhead includes an upper electrode 132, a jet plate 134, and a vertical axis 136. The lower end of the vertical axis 136 is connected to the upper electrode 132, the upper end of the vertical axis 136 is connected to the supply line 138 and the RF generator 139. The supply line 138 is opened and closed by the valve 138a and supplies a source gas to the space between the upper electrode 132 and the jet plate 134. The high frequency generator 139 operates at 13.56 MHz and is connected to the upper electrode 132. During the process, the source gas is supplied to the upper portion of the support plate 150 through the spray plate 134, and plasma is generated due to an electric field formed between the upper electrode 132 and the support plate 150. The resulting plasma is used for the process.

The upper chamber 120 is supported by the support unit 200. The support unit 200 includes a support shaft 220, a rotating member 240, an upper plate 260, and a horizontal moving member 280, and has a gap between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140. The upper chamber 120 is supported on the lower chamber 140 so that a gap is formed. The rotating member 240 is fixed to both sides of the upper chamber 120, one end of the support shaft 220 is connected to the rotating member 240. The other end of the support shaft 220 is fixedly installed on the upper plate 260, and a horizontal moving member 280 is installed at the lower end of the upper plate 260. The horizontal member 280 moves the upper chamber 120 in the horizontal direction.

The sealing member 160 is provided between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140. The sealing member 160 is provided on the upper surface of the lower chamber 140, and is provided on the gap formed between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140. As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing member 160 is spaced apart from the lower surface of the upper chamber 120. However, when a vacuum state is formed in the process space as described below, the sealing member 160 is formed by the upper chamber ( It is in close contact with the lower surface of 120 and closes the process space from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plunger 180 is inserted into the lower surface of the upper chamber 120. The plunger 180 includes a housing 182 inserted into the upper chamber 120 and a ball 184 inserted into the housing 182. The ball 184 may be inserted into or protrude from the housing 182. As a method of driving the ball 184, various methods may be provided, including a method of applying pressure to the ball 184 by supplying / removing air in the housing 182. As shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the process space is not closed, the ball 184 protrudes out of the housing 182 to contact the upper surface of the lower chamber 140, and supports the upper chamber 120. do.

An exhaust line 192 is connected to a lower portion of the lower chamber 140, and a pump 194 is installed on the exhaust line 192. The pump 194 exhausts the gas in the process space through the exhaust line 192 to maintain the process space in a vacuum state. The exhaust line 192 is opened and closed by the valve 192a.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface of the upper chamber 120 and the upper surface of the lower chamber 140 are inclined by a predetermined angle θ along the moving direction of the upper chamber 120. The inclination direction is lowered from the front end of the upper chamber 120 moving toward the lower chamber 140 to the rear end of the upper chamber 120.

4 is a front view illustrating a process space of the substrate processing apparatus 10 being closed using the exhaust line 192. Hereinafter, a method of closing the process space of the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

First, when the ball 184 is inserted into the housing 182, when the gas in the process space is exhausted by using the exhaust line 192, the internal pressure of the process space is lowered and lowers below the pressure with the outside. Therefore, the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 are subjected to pressure due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside.

At this time, the pressure applied to the lower chamber 140 is opposite to the gravity direction, while the pressure applied to the upper chamber 120 is the gravity direction. Accordingly, the pressure applied to the lower chamber 140 may be offset by gravity, but the pressure applied to the upper chamber 120 is combined with gravity, so that the upper chamber 120 moves downward, and the upper chamber 120 The gap between the lower chamber 140 and the lower chamber 140 is closed due to the coupling of the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 or the close contact between the upper chamber 120 and the sealing member 160.

On the contrary, when the vacuum is released, the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the process space disappears, so that the upper chamber 120 may return to its original position, and the gap between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 is opened. Such information is possible through elastic deformation of the support shaft 220 or elastic deformation of the upper chamber 120. For this purpose, the support shaft 220 may be made of an elastic material. The upper chamber 120 may help to move. Elastic deformation is the opposite of plastic deformation. Under constant load, the deflection and strain of the specimen are determined by the magnitude of the load, and when the load is removed, the specimen is intact. It is said that no permanent set is found on the specimen.

5A to 6 are side views illustrating the operation of the horizontal member 280 and the rotating member 240 of FIG. Hereinafter, operations of the horizontal member 280 and the rotating member 240 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 6.

The horizontal member 280 is installed on the bottom surface of the upper plate 260, and moves the upper plate 260 and the support shaft 220 along the guide rail (not shown) separately installed. As shown in FIG. 5A, the horizontal member 280 horizontally moves the upper chamber 120 to the right using the support shaft 220. In this case, since the lower surface of the upper chamber 120 and the upper surface of the lower chamber 140 are inclined, the upper chamber 120 may be moved without collision between the lower surface and the upper surface. After the upper chamber 120 moves to a desired position, the rotating member 240 rotates the upper chamber 120 so that the lower surface of the upper chamber 120 faces upward.

On the contrary, when the upper chamber 120 is moved to the upper portion of the lower chamber 140, as shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal moving member 280 horizontally moves the upper chamber 120 to the left side. In this case, when the front of the upper chamber 120 sags downward or the rear of the upper chamber 120 sags downward, the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 may collide. Accordingly, the ball 184 protrudes from the housing 182, and the ball 184 moves along the upper surface of the lower chamber 140 to align the position of the upper chamber 120. That is, while the ball 184 moves along the upper surface of the lower chamber 140, the upper chamber 120 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise so that the front or rear of the upper chamber 120 is struck down. Can be prevented.

7 is a front view schematically illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a process space of the substrate processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 7 using the exhaust line 192 of FIG. 7. It is a front view showing the appearance of closing. Hereinafter, only differences that are distinguished from the above-described embodiments will be described.

The support unit 200 further includes a lower plate 270, a fastening member 262, and an elastic member 264. The lower plate 270 is disposed in parallel with the upper plate 260 at the lower portion of the upper plate 260, and the fastening member 262 connects the upper plate 260 and the lower plate 270. However, the fastening member 262 restrains the upper plate 260 so that the upper plate 260 may move relative to the lower plate 270. The elastic member 264 is provided on the fastening member 262.

In the above-described embodiment, the process space may be closed by the elastic deformation of the support shaft 220 or the elastic deformation of the upper chamber 120. However, in the present embodiment, the process may be performed by the deformation of a separate elastic member 264. The space is closed.

Similarly, when the gas in the process space is exhausted using the exhaust line 192, the upper chamber 120 moves downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper plate 260 moves toward the lower plate 270, and the elastic member 264 is compressed. Thus, the gap between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 is closed due to the coupling of the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 or the close contact between the upper chamber 120 and the sealing member 160. .

On the contrary, when the vacuum is released, the upper chamber 120 and the upper plate 260 return to their original positions while the elastic member 264 is restored to its original state. Thus, the gap between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 is opened.

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating a process space of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 7. In the above-described embodiment, as the compressed elastic member 264 is recovered, the upper chamber 120 and the upper plate 260 are returned to their original positions. However, in the present exemplary embodiment, the elastic force and the cylinder of the elastic member 264 are restored. The upper chamber 120 and the upper plate 260 are returned to their original position by the driving force of 290. That is, the elastic force of the elastic member 264 and the driving force of the cylinder 290 by the release of the vacuum state acts on the upper chamber 120 and the upper plate 260, thereby the upper chamber 120 and the upper plate 260 ) Is returned to its original position so that the gap between the upper chamber 120 and the lower chamber 140 is opened.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, other forms of embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the claims set forth below are not limited to the preferred embodiments.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a manufacturing apparatus including a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

2 is a front view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a side view schematically illustrating the substrate treating apparatus of FIG. 2.

4 is a front view illustrating a process of closing the process space of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 2 using the vacuum unit of FIG. 2.

5A to 6 are side views illustrating the operation of the horizontal member and the rotating member of FIG.

7 is a front view schematically showing a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a front view illustrating a process of closing the process space of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 7 using the vacuum unit of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating a process space of the substrate processing apparatus of FIG. 7.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: substrate processing apparatus 20: load lock chamber

30: transfer chamber 120: upper chamber

140: lower chamber 160: sealing member

180: plunger 220: support shaft

240: rotating member 280: horizontal moving member

Claims (12)

Lower chamber; An upper chamber disposed at an upper portion of the lower chamber during the process and forming a process space enclosed from the outside together with the lower chamber; A support unit elastically supporting the upper chamber so that a gap is provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber; And Including a vacuum unit to maintain the process space in a vacuum state during the process, and to seal the process space by the vacuum state, The support unit allows the upper chamber to descend when the process space is in a vacuum state, And the support unit provides an elastic force to return the upper chamber when the process space is in a non-vacuum state. The method of claim 1, And the apparatus further comprises a sealing member provided on the gap provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber to close the gap in the vacuum state. The method of claim 1, The support unit, An end connected to the upper chamber to support the upper chamber, and a support shaft made of an elastic material; And And a top plate connected to the other end of the support shaft. The method of claim 3, The support unit, A lower plate disposed under the upper plate; And And a fastening member connecting the upper plate and the lower plate and restraining the upper plate to allow relative movement with respect to the upper plate. The method of claim 4, wherein And an elastic member provided between the upper plate and the lower plate. The method of claim 3, The device, And a plunger inserted into the lower surface of the upper chamber adjacent to the upper surface of the lower chamber, the plunger having a support for supporting the upper chamber in a protruding state from the lower surface of the upper chamber. Substrate processing apparatus. The method of claim 1, The support unit further includes a horizontal moving member for horizontally moving the upper chamber with respect to the lower chamber in one direction, The lower surface of the upper chamber and the upper surface of the lower chamber opposite to each other are inclined parallel to each other along the one direction, And the inclined direction is downward from the front end of the upper chamber moving toward the lower chamber to the rear end of the upper chamber. The method of claim 7, wherein The device, A plunger having a support arranged to be inserted into a lower surface of the upper chamber adjacent to an upper surface of the lower chamber, and having a support for aligning the position of the upper chamber moving toward the lower chamber while protruding from the lower surface of the upper chamber; Substrate processing apparatus characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 7, wherein The support unit further comprises a rotating member for rotating the upper chamber so that the lower surface of the upper chamber toward the top. In the method for opening and closing the process space inside the substrate processing apparatus having an upper chamber and a lower chamber, The upper chamber is disposed above the lower chamber so that a gap is provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the process space formed in the upper chamber and the lower chamber is maintained in a vacuum state to maintain the process space. Method of opening and closing the process space inside the substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that for closing. The method of claim 10, Providing a sealing member on the gap provided between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and closing the process space by using the sealing member in the vacuum state. Way. The method of claim 10, And opening and closing the process space by releasing the vacuum state.

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