CN108878245B - Gate valve device and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Gate valve device and substrate processing system Download PDF

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Publication number
CN108878245B
CN108878245B CN201810442611.XA CN201810442611A CN108878245B CN 108878245 B CN108878245 B CN 108878245B CN 201810442611 A CN201810442611 A CN 201810442611A CN 108878245 B CN108878245 B CN 108878245B
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Prior art keywords
carrying
out port
gate valve
upper portion
opening
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CN108878245A (en
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大森贵史
锅山裕树
三枝直也
伊藤毅
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Tokyo Electron Ltd
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/32458—Vessel
    • H01J37/32513—Sealing means, e.g. sealing between different parts of the vessel
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
    • F16K3/00—Gate valves or sliding valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closing members having a sliding movement along the seat for opening and closing
    • F16K3/30—Details
    • F16K3/314—Forms or constructions of slides; Attachment of the slide to the spindle
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
    • F16K27/00—Construction of housing; Use of materials therefor
    • F16K27/04—Construction of housing; Use of materials therefor of sliding valves
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
    • F16K51/00—Other details not peculiar to particular types of valves or cut-off apparatus
    • F16K51/02—Other details not peculiar to particular types of valves or cut-off apparatus specially adapted for high-vacuum installations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
    • H01J37/32458—Vessel
    • H01J37/32477—Vessel characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having potential barriers, e.g. a PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
    • H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
    • H01L21/306—Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching
    • H01L21/3065—Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J2237/00—Discharge tubes exposing object to beam, e.g. for analysis treatment, etching, imaging
    • H01J2237/32—Processing objects by plasma generation
    • H01J2237/33—Processing objects by plasma generation characterised by the type of processing
    • H01J2237/334—Etching

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
  • Drying Of Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Details Of Valves (AREA)
  • Valve Housings (AREA)
  • Plasma Technology (AREA)

Abstract

The invention provides a gate valve device and a substrate processing system, aiming to restrain the deformation of a substrate carrying-in/out port. The gate valve device is connected to a substrate carrying-in/out port formed in a sidewall of a processing container for performing a predetermined process on a substrate in a reduced pressure environment, and includes: a wall portion having an opening portion communicating with the carry-in/out port; and a wedge member inserted into the groove located above the opening and the groove located above the carrying in/out port, and supporting the upper part of the carrying in/out port from an upper surface of the groove located above the carrying in/out port, wherein the opening is a portion formed above an opening of the wall, and the upper part of the carrying in/out port is a portion formed above the carrying in/out port of the side wall of the processing container.

Description

Gate valve device and substrate processing system
Technical Field
Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to a gate valve apparatus and a substrate processing system.
Background
A substrate processing system is known which performs a desired plasma process on a substrate such as a glass substrate for an fpd (flat Panel display). The substrate processing system includes, for example, a processing module that performs plasma processing on a substrate, a transport module that houses a transport device that carries in and out the substrate, and a gate valve device provided between the processing module and the transport module.
The process module includes a process container for performing a plasma process on a substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere, a mounting table (hereinafter referred to as a "susceptor") disposed in the process container and functioning as a lower electrode for mounting the substrate, and an upper electrode facing the susceptor. Further, a high-frequency power supply is connected to at least one of the susceptor and the upper electrode, and high-frequency power is applied to a space between the susceptor and the upper electrode.
In the process module, a process gas supplied to a space between the susceptor and the upper electrode is converted into plasma by high-frequency power to generate ions and the generated ions are guided to the substrate, thereby performing a desired plasma process, for example, a plasma etching process on the substrate.
A transfer port for transferring substrates in and out is formed in a side wall of the processing container. The gate valve device is connected to a loading/unloading port of a sidewall of the processing container. The loading/unloading port is opened and closed by the operation of the gate valve device at the time of loading and unloading the substrate.
The gate valve device includes, for example, a wall portion having an opening portion communicating with a substrate loading/unloading port of the process module. Since the size of the glass substrate for the FPD is very large, the carrying in/out port and the opening portion need to be accurately aligned. Therefore, the wedge member is inserted into the groove formed in the portion above the opening of the wall portion (hereinafter referred to as "open upper portion") and the groove formed in the portion above the transfer port of the side wall of the processing container (hereinafter referred to as "transfer port upper portion"), whereby the gate valve device side opening and the transfer port of the processing container side are aligned.
Documents of the prior art
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 4546460
Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2009-230870
Patent document 3: japanese patent No. 3043848
Patent document 4: japanese laid-open patent publication (JP 2015-81633)
Disclosure of Invention
Technical problem to be solved by the invention
However, in the alignment of the opening portion on the gate valve device side and the processing container side transfer port, when the wedge member is inserted into the groove above the opening and the groove above the transfer port, the wedge member is generally placed on the lower surface of the groove above the transfer port by adjusting the positions in the height direction of the groove and the wedge member formed above the opening and the transfer port, respectively. Thus, the upper portion of the carrying-in/out port of the sidewall of the processing container supports the upper portion of the opening of the sidewall of the gate valve device by the wedge member placed on the lower surface of the groove at the upper portion of the carrying-in/out port.
However, in the structure in which the upper portion of the opening of the wall portion of the gate valve device is supported at the upper portion of the carrying in/out port of the side wall of the processing container, a pressure corresponding to the atmospheric pressure is applied to the upper portion of the carrying in/out port under a reduced pressure atmosphere in which the inside of the processing container is reduced in pressure, and a force corresponding to the weight of the gate valve device is applied to the upper portion of the carrying in/out port. Therefore, the upper portion of the carrying-in/out port is warped, and the carrying-in/out port is deformed. The deformation of the carrying-in/out port is not preferable because it is a factor of lowering the airtightness of the processing container.
In particular, in recent years, in view of improving uniformity of plasma generated in a processing chamber, there is a tendency that a distance between a susceptor and an upper electrode in the processing chamber becomes short and a thickness of a sidewall of the processing chamber at an upper portion of a carrying-in/carrying-out port becomes thin. The thinner the thickness of the upper portion of the loading/unloading port of the side wall in the processing container, the greater the warpage of the upper portion of the loading/unloading port, and thus the deformation of the loading/unloading port is further increased.
Technical solution for solving technical problem
In one embodiment, a gate valve device according to the present invention is a gate valve device connected to a substrate carrying-in/out port formed in a sidewall of a processing container, the processing container performing a predetermined process on a substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere, the gate valve device including: a wall portion having an opening portion communicating with the carrying-in/out port; and a wedge member inserted into a groove located above the opening and a groove located above the carrying in/out port, and supporting the carrying in/out port upper portion from an upper surface of the groove above the carrying in/out port, wherein the opening upper portion is a portion formed above the opening of the wall portion, and the carrying in/out port upper portion is a portion formed above the carrying in/out port of the side wall of the processing container.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
According to one embodiment of the disclosed gate valve device, an effect of suppressing deformation of the substrate carrying-in/out port can be obtained.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plasma etching apparatus according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the gate valve device according to the present embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the fixing member.
Description of the reference numerals
1 treatment vessel
1b side wall
1b1 carry-in/carry-out port
1b3 carry-in/out port upper part
1b4 groove
1c cover body
100 substrate processing system
101 processing module
103 conveying module
110 gate valve device
201 outer casing
201a wall portion
201b opening part
201c open upper part
201d groove
201e projection
251 wedge member
253 to secure the components.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the gate valve device and the substrate processing system disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals.
(substrate processing System)
Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. The substrate processing system 100 performs a plasma process on a glass substrate (hereinafter, simply referred to as "substrate") S for an FPD, for example. Examples of FPDs include Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), Electroluminescence (EL) displays, and Plasma Display Panels (PDPs).
The substrate processing system 100 includes 5 vacuum modules connected in a cross shape. Specifically, the substrate processing system 100 includes 3 process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, a transfer module 103, and a load lock module 105 as 5 vacuum modules.
The process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c can maintain their internal spaces in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere (vacuum state). The processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c are respectively provided with tables (not shown) on which the substrates S are placed. In the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, plasma processing such as etching, ashing, and film formation is performed on the substrate S in a reduced pressure atmosphere while the substrate S is placed on the mounting table.
The transport module 103 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere, as in the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101 c. A conveying device not shown is provided in the conveying module 103. With this conveyance device, the substrate S is conveyed between the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c and the load lock module 105.
The load lock module 105 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, as in the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c and the transfer module 103. The load lock module 105 transfers the substrate S between the transfer module 103 having a reduced pressure atmosphere and the external atmosphere, as in the case of the load lock module.
The substrate processing system 100 further includes 5 gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110 e. The gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c are disposed between the transfer module 103 and the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, respectively. The gate valve device 110d is disposed between the transfer module 103 and the load lock module 105. The gate valve device 110e is disposed on the opposite side of the load lock module 105 from the gate valve device 110 d. Each of the gate valve devices 110a to 110e has a function of opening and closing an opening provided in a wall that partitions adjacent 2 spaces.
The gate valve devices 110a to 110d hermetically seal the respective modules in a closed state, and allow the substrates S to be transported by allowing the modules to flow therebetween in an open state. The gate valve device 110e maintains the airtightness of the load lock module 105 in the open state, and can transport the substrate S between the inside and the outside of the load lock module 105 in the open state.
The substrate processing system 100 is further provided with a transfer device 125 disposed at a position sandwiching the gate valve device 110e between the load lock module 105 and the substrate processing system. The transport device 125 includes a fork 127 as a substrate holder, a support portion 129 for supporting the fork 127 so that the fork 127 can enter, exit, and rotate, and a drive mechanism for driving the support portion 131.
The substrate processing system 100 further includes cassette indexers 121a and 121b disposed on both sides of the driving part 131, and cassettes C1 and C2 placed on the respective cassette indexers 121a and 121 b. The cassette indexers 121a and 121b have elevating mechanism sections 123a and 123b for elevating and lowering the cassettes C1 and C2, respectively. The substrates S can be arranged in a plurality of stages with a space in the vertical direction in the cassettes C1 and C2. The fork 127 of the transport device 125 is disposed between the cassettes C1, C2.
Although not shown in fig. 1, the substrate processing system 100 further includes a control unit that controls components of the substrate processing system 100 that need to be controlled. The control unit includes, for example, a controller having a CPU, a user interface connected to the controller, and a storage unit connected to the controller. The controller collectively controls the components of the substrate processing system 100 that need to be controlled. The user interface includes a keyboard for inputting commands and the like for the process manager to manage the substrate processing system 100, a display for visually displaying the operating state of the substrate processing system 100, and the like. The storage unit stores a process recipe in which a control program (software) for realizing various processes executed by the substrate processing system 100 by the control of the controller, process condition data, and the like are recorded. Then, if necessary, a desired process performed by the substrate processing system 100 is performed under the control of the controller by calling an arbitrary process recipe from the storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the user interface or the like and causing the controller to execute the recipe.
The control program, the processing scenario of the processing condition data, and the like can be a processing scenario stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, a flash memory, and the like. Alternatively, the information can be transmitted from another device via a dedicated line at any time and used online.
(plasma processing apparatus)
Next, the configuration of the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c shown in fig. 1 will be described. In the present embodiment, a case where the process modules 101A, 101b, and 101c are all the plasma etching apparatus 101A will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plasma etching apparatus 101A according to the present embodiment. The plasma etching apparatus 101A is a capacitively-coupled parallel plate plasma etching apparatus configured to etch the substrate S.
The plasma etching apparatus 101A has a processing container 1 formed in a square cylindrical shape and made of aluminum on the inside of which anodic oxidation treatment (aluminum anodizing treatment) is performed. The processing container 1 includes a bottom wall 1a, 4 side walls 1b (only 2 are shown), and a lid 1 c. The processing container 1 is electrically grounded. The side wall 1b is provided with a carrying-in/out port 1b1 for carrying in and out the substrate S and a gate valve device 110 for opening and closing the carrying-in/out port 1b 1. The gate valve device 110 may be any of the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c shown in fig. 1.
The lid 1c is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the side wall 1b by an opening and closing mechanism, not shown. The joint portion between the lid 1c and each side wall 1b is sealed by the O-ring 3 in a state where the lid 1c is closed, and the inside of the processing container 1 is kept airtight.
A frame-shaped insulating member 9 is disposed at the bottom in the processing container 1. The insulating member 9 is provided with a base 11 as a mounting table on which the substrate S can be mounted. The susceptor 11, which also serves as a lower electrode, includes a base substrate 12. The base 12 is made of a conductive material such as aluminum or stainless steel (SUS), for example. The base 12 is disposed on the insulating member 9, and a sealing member 13 such as an O-ring is disposed at a joint portion between the two members, whereby airtightness can be maintained. The insulating member 9 and the bottom wall 1a of the processing container 1 are also kept airtight by a sealing member 14 such as an O-ring. The outer periphery of the side portion of the base material 12 is surrounded by an insulating member 15. This ensures insulation of the side surface of the susceptor 11, and prevents abnormal discharge during plasma processing.
A showerhead 31 functioning as an upper electrode is provided above the susceptor 11 in parallel with and facing the susceptor 11. The shower head 31 is supported by a lid body 1c on the upper portion of the processing container 1. The shower head 31 is hollow and has a gas diffusion space 33 provided therein. A plurality of gas discharge holes 35 for discharging the process gas are formed in the lower surface (the surface facing the susceptor 11) of the showerhead 31. The showerhead 31 is electrically grounded and forms a pair of parallel plate electrodes together with the susceptor 11.
A gas inlet 3 is provided near the center of the upper part of the shower head 317. A process gas supply pipe 39 is connected to the gas inlet 37. A supply source 45 for supplying a process gas for etching is connected to the process gas supply line 39 via 2 valves 41 and a Mass Flow Controller (MFC) 43. As the processing gas, for example, a halogen-removing gas, O2Rare gases such as Ar gas can be used in addition to the gas.
An exhaust opening 51 is formed at a plurality of positions (for example, 8 positions) in the bottom wall 1a in the processing chamber 1. An exhaust pipe 53 is connected to each exhaust opening 51. Each exhaust pipe 53 has a flange portion 53a at an end thereof, and is fixed in a state where an O-ring (not shown) is provided between the flange portion 53a and the bottom wall 1 a. An APC valve and an exhaust device 57 are connected to each exhaust pipe 53.
The plasma etching apparatus 101A is provided with a pressure gauge 61 for measuring the pressure in the processing container 1. The pressure gauge 61 is connected to the control unit, and supplies the measurement result of the pressure in the processing container 1 to the control unit in real time.
The base material 12 of the susceptor 11 is connected to a power supply line 71. A high-frequency power supply 75 is connected to the power supply line 71 through a matching box (M.B.) 73. Thus, a high-frequency power of 13.56MHz is supplied from the high-frequency power supply 75 to the susceptor 11 as the lower electrode, for example. The power supply line 71 is introduced into the processing container 1 through a power supply opening 77, which is a through opening formed in the bottom wall 1 a.
Each component of the plasma etching apparatus 101A is connected to and controlled by the control unit.
Next, the processing operation of the plasma etching apparatus 101A configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate S as a target object is carried from the transport module 103 into the processing container 1 through the carrying in/out port 1b1 by a transport device, not shown, in a state where the gate valve device 110 is opened, and is handed to the susceptor 11. Thereafter, the gate valve device 110 is closed, and the inside of the processing container 1 is evacuated by the evacuation device 57 until a predetermined value is reached.
Subsequently, the valve 41 is opened, and the process gas is introduced from the supply source 45 into the gas diffusion space 33 of the showerhead 31 through the process gas supply pipe 39 and the gas inlet 37. At this time, the flow rate of the process gas is controlled by the mass flow controller 43. The process gas introduced into the gas diffusion space 33 is further uniformly discharged through the plurality of gas discharge holes 35 toward the substrate S mounted on the susceptor 11, and the pressure in the process container 1 is maintained at a predetermined value. Thereby forming a reduced pressure atmosphere within the processing vessel 1.
High-frequency power is applied to the susceptor 11 from a high-frequency power supply 75 through a matching box 73 in a reduced-pressure environment. Thereby, a high-frequency electric field is generated between the susceptor 11 as a lower electrode and the showerhead 31 as an upper electrode, and the process gas is dissociated into plasma. By using the plasma, the substrate S is subjected to etching treatment.
After the etching process is performed, the application of the high-frequency power from the high-frequency power supply 75 is stopped, and after the gas introduction is stopped, the pressure in the processing chamber 1 is reduced to a predetermined pressure. Next, the gate valve device 110 is opened, the substrate S is transferred from the susceptor 11 to a transport device not shown, and the substrate S is transported from the loading/unloading port 1b1 of the processing container 1 to the transport module 103. Through the above operations, the plasma etching process for one substrate S is completed.
(sluice valve device)
Next, the structure of the gate valve device 110 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the gate valve device 110 according to the present embodiment.
The gate valve device 110 can be applied to any one of the 5 gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e of the substrate processing system 100 shown in fig. 1. The gate valve device 110 is particularly preferably applied to the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c provided between the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c and the conveyance module 103. Therefore, in the following description, a case where the gate valve device 110 is applied to the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c will be described as an example. The gate valve device 110 is disposed between the process module 101 and the conveyance module 103. The process module 101 corresponds to any one of the process modules 101A, 101b, and 101c, i.e., the plasma etching apparatus 101A shown in fig. 2. In fig. 3, the conveyance module 103 is not shown.
As shown in fig. 3, the process module 101 includes a process container 1 that divides the space within the process module 101. As described above, the processing container 1 includes the sidewall 1b adjacent to the gate valve device 110. The side wall 1b separates a space in the process module 101 from a space on the side of the gate valve device 110 adjacent thereto. The side wall 1b is provided with a carrying-in/out port 1b1 through which the substrate S can be transferred between the process module 101 and the transport module 103. The side wall 1b has a face 1b2 facing the gate valve device 110.
A groove 1b4 for aligning an opening 201b on the gate valve device 110 side and a carrying-in/out port 1b1, which will be described later, is formed in a portion 1b3 of the side wall 1b above the carrying-in/out port 1b1 (hereinafter referred to as "carrying-in/out port").
The gate valve device 110 has a housing 201 disposed between the process module 101 and the transport module 103. The casing 201 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape, and includes a bottom portion, a top plate portion, and a wall portion 201a connecting the bottom portion and the top plate portion and adjacent to the processing container 1. An opening 201b is formed in a wall portion 201a of the housing 201 on the processing chamber 1 side. The opening 201b communicates with the carrying-in/out port 1b1 of the side wall 1b of the processing container 1. On the other hand, the side portion of the housing 201 on the transport module 103 side is opened and connected to the inside of the transport module 103.
Further, a valve body, not shown, and a valve body moving mechanism that moves the valve body between a closed position and an open position are provided in the housing 201. The opening portion 201b is closed by the valve body in a case where the valve body is moved to the closed position by the valve body moving mechanism, and the opening portion 201b is opened in a case where the valve body is moved to the open position by the valve body moving mechanism.
Further, a portion 201c of the wall portion 201a above the opening 201b (hereinafter referred to as "opening upper portion") is formed corresponding to the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port 1b3 as the groove 201 d. A wedge member 251 is inserted and fixed into the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201 c. The wedge member 251 is fixed by fitting, for example. The wedge member 251 fixed to the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the loading/unloading port 1b3 when the opening portion 201b and the loading/unloading port 1b1 are aligned, and supports the loading/unloading port upper portion 1b3 from the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the loading/unloading port upper portion 1b 3. At this time, the upper surface of the wedge member 251 supports the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3, and the lower surface of the wedge member 251 supports the lower surface of the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201 c. In other words, the processing container 1 is placed on the wedge member 251 through the groove 1b4 of the loading/unloading port upper portion 1b3, and is further placed on the opening upper portion 201c through the wedge member 251 and the groove 201 d.
Here, in the reduced-pressure atmosphere in which the processing chamber 1 is reduced in pressure, a force corresponding to the atmospheric pressure is applied to the load/unload port upper portion 1b3 of the processing chamber 1. Thus, the carrying-in/out port 1b3 is warped toward the carrying-in/out port 1b1 side, and as a result, the carrying-in/out port 1b1 is deformed. If the deformation of the carrying-in/out port 1b1 is excessively large, the gap between the lid 1c and the side wall 1b exceeds the range in which sealing by the O-ring 3 is possible, and as a result, the sealing is broken and the airtightness inside the processing container 1 is lowered.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the wedge member 251 abuts against the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3, and applies a force in the direction opposite to the direction in which the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3 warps under a reduced pressure environment to the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3, thereby supporting the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b 3. Thus, the warpage of the carry-in/out port upper portion 1b3 is reduced under the reduced pressure environment, and as a result, the deformation of the carry-in/out port 1b1 is suppressed.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the opening 201b on the gate valve device 110 side and the carrying in/out port 1b1 on the processing container 1 side are aligned so that the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3 is supported by the wedge member 251 from the upper surface of the groove 1b 4. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the positioning, it is preferable to design the shape of the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b 3. For example, the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b3 is formed such that a gap is formed between the lower surface of the wedge member 251 and the lower surface of the groove 1b4 facing the lower surface of the wedge member 251 in a state where the wedge member 251 is inserted into the groove 1b 4. This enables the wedge member 251 to be efficiently inserted into the groove 1b4, thereby facilitating the positioning.
Further, since the wedge member 251 supports the carrying in/out port upper portion 1b3, there is a possibility that the opening upper portion 201c is warped toward the opening portion 201b side by applying a force including the self weight of the processing container 1 to the opening upper portion 201c by the wedge member 251. Therefore, a structure for reducing the warpage of the opening upper portion 201c may be provided in the opening upper portion 201 c.
Specifically, opening upper portion 201c has a protruding portion 201e that protrudes to a position higher than the other portion (for example, the top plate portion of case 201) other than wall portion 201 a. By providing the projection 201e on the opening upper portion 201c, the thickness of the opening upper portion 201c in the height direction of the wall portion 201a is increased. This can increase the rigidity of the opening upper portion 201c, resulting in a reduction in warpage of the opening upper portion 201 c.
However, after the opening 201b and the carrying in/out port 1b1 are aligned by the wedge member 251, the wall portion 201a is generally fixed to the side wall 1b of the processing container 1 by a fixing member such as a screw. In this case, the fixing member is disposed in a portion of the wall portion 201a surrounding the opening portion 201 b. The portion surrounding the opening 201b includes an opening upper portion 201 c. As described above, the groove 201d is formed in the open upper portion 201c, and the wedge member 251 is inserted into the groove 201d of the open upper portion 201 c. Therefore, it is difficult to secure the region for the fixing member in the opening upper portion 201c based on the dimension of the wedge member 251 along the extending direction of the opening portion 201b (i.e., the depth direction in fig. 3).
Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to secure the above-described region for the fixing member using a plurality of small wedge members 251. As an example, as shown in fig. 4, for example, a plurality of wedge members 251 may be inserted into a plurality of grooves (not shown) of the opening upper portion 201c and a plurality of grooves (not shown) of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b3, and the fixing member 253 may be disposed between the adjacent wedge members 251.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wedge member 251 fixed to the groove 201d of the open end portion 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b3, and the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b3 is supported from the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b 3. Therefore, the warpage of the loading/unloading port upper portion 1b3 can be reduced, and as a result, the deformation of the loading/unloading port 1b1 of the substrate S can be suppressed.
In the above embodiment, the wedge member 251 is fixed to the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201c, but the wedge member 251 may be fixed to the groove 1b4 of the loading/unloading port upper portion 1b 3. The wedge member 251 may be formed integrally with the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201c or the groove 1b4 of the carrying-in/out port upper portion 1b 3.
In the above embodiment, the projection 201e is provided on the opening upper portion 201c to increase the thickness of the opening upper portion 201c in the height direction of the wall portion 201a, but a reinforcing member for reinforcing the opening upper portion 201c may be provided on the opening upper portion 201 c. By providing the reinforcing member in the opening upper portion 201c, the warpage of the opening upper portion 201c can be reduced. In this case, from the viewpoint of suppressing displacement due to thermal expansion or the like, it is more preferable that the reinforcing member and the opening upper portion 201c are made of the same material.
The plasma etching apparatus is not limited to the capacitively-coupled parallel plate type shown in fig. 2, and for example, a plasma etching apparatus using microwave plasma, a plasma etching apparatus using inductively-coupled plasma, or the like can be used. The present invention is not limited to the plasma etching apparatus, and can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus used for other processes, such as a plasma ashing apparatus, a plasma CVD film forming apparatus, and a plasma diffusion film forming apparatus, and can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus used for a process other than the plasma processing.

Claims (7)

1. A gate valve device connected to a substrate carrying-in/out port formed in a sidewall of a processing container that performs processing on a substrate in a reduced-pressure environment, the gate valve device comprising:
a wall portion having an opening portion communicating with the carrying in/out port; and
a wedge member inserted into a groove located above an opening formed in the wall portion and a groove located above a carrying-in/out port formed in a side wall of the processing container, the wedge member supporting the carrying-in/out port from an upper surface of the groove above the carrying-in/out port,
the wedge member is in contact with an upper surface of a groove formed in an upper portion of the carrying in/out port, and a gap is provided between a lower surface of the wedge member and a lower surface of the groove formed in the upper portion of the carrying in/out port,
the wall of the gate valve device and the sidewall of the processing container are fixed by a fixing member.
2. The gate valve apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the wedge member supports the upper portion of the carrying in/out port by applying a force to an upper surface of the groove in the upper portion of the carrying in/out port in a direction opposite to a direction in which the upper portion of the carrying in/out port is deflected in the reduced-pressure atmosphere.
3. The gate valve apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the wedge member is fixed to the groove at the upper portion of the opening or the groove at the upper portion of the carrying-in/carrying-out port.
4. The gate valve apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein:
a plurality of wedge members having a plurality of the grooves inserted into the upper portion of the opening and a plurality of the grooves inserted into the upper portion of the carrying in/out port,
the fixing member for fixing the wall portion to the side wall of the processing container is disposed between the wedge members adjacent to each other.
5. The gate valve apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein:
the opening upper portion has a protruding portion protruding to a position higher than other portions other than the wall portion.
6. The gate valve apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein:
and a reinforcing member for reinforcing an upper portion of the opening.
7. A substrate processing system, comprising: a processing container for processing a substrate in a reduced pressure environment; and a gate valve device connected to a loading/unloading port of the substrate formed in a sidewall of the processing container, the substrate processing system comprising:
the gate valve device includes:
a wall portion having an opening portion communicating with the carrying in/out port; and
a wedge member inserted into a groove located above an opening formed in the wall portion and a groove located above a carrying-in/out port formed in a side wall of the processing container, the wedge member supporting the carrying-in/out port from an upper surface of the groove above the carrying-in/out port,
the wedge member is in contact with an upper surface of a groove formed in an upper portion of the carrying in/out port, and a gap is provided between a lower surface of the wedge member and a lower surface of the groove formed in the upper portion of the carrying in/out port,
the wall of the gate valve device and the sidewall of the processing container are fixed by a fixing member.
CN201810442611.XA 2017-05-11 2018-05-10 Gate valve device and substrate processing system Active CN108878245B (en)

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