JP2001053133A - Substrate-lifting mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent positional deviation of a substrate support pins by reducing displacement or deformation of a horizontal support member for supporting the substrate support pins directly below a placement stage. SOLUTION: This horizontal support member 34 is made of a metal or ceramic, and has a ring-shaped support body 44, having three substrate supporting pins 32A, 32B and 32C erected or implanted within a horizontal plane at 120 deg. intervals in the circumferential direction and a pair of shoulder parts 46 and 48 for connecting a pair of ends, facing opposite to each other, of the ring-shaped support body 44 to the upper end parts of both vertical support rods 36 and 38. Both the shoulder parts 46 and 48 comprises horizontal joint members 52 and L-shaped joint members 54, which are integrally connected with bolts 50. The both vertical supporting rods 36 and 38 are connected to a driving means for lifting such as a pneumatic cylinder.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a semiconductor substrate and an LC
The present invention relates to a substrate elevating mechanism used in a processing apparatus that processes a substrate to be processed such as a D substrate in a single wafer process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In today's semiconductor device manufacturing process, a single-wafer processing apparatus for processing semiconductor wafers one by one is mainly used. Generally, in a single-wafer processing apparatus, a mounting table or a susceptor is installed in a process chamber (chamber) that can be sealed, and processing is performed while heating a semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature on the mounting table. .

A typical mounting table in a single-wafer processing apparatus is made of a metal or ceramic disk having a high thermal conductivity, and is configured as a heating plate, for example, a heating plate having a built-in electric heater. A plurality of through holes, for example, three through holes are formed in this type of mounting table, and substrate support pins are vertically inserted into each of the holes in a loosely fitted state. When an external transfer device loads a semiconductor wafer into the processing chamber, the substrate support pins protrude (ascend) above the through hole to receive the semiconductor wafer, and then retract (fall) into the through hole. ,
The semiconductor wafer is placed on a hot plate. When the processed semiconductor wafer is carried out of the processing chamber, the substrate support pins protrude (ascend) above the through holes, lift the semiconductor wafer above the hot plate, and move the semiconductor wafer to the external transfer device in such a posture. The semiconductor wafer is delivered.

In order to move the substrate support pins up and down through the through holes of the hot plate as described above, a horizontal support member for supporting the lower end of the substrate support pins is disposed immediately below the mounting table. It is driven up and down by driving means such as an air cylinder.

[0005]

In the single-wafer processing apparatus as described above, when the mounting table heats the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined temperature (for example, several hundred degrees centigrade C) during processing, heat generated from the hot plate is generated. Extends to surrounding members. In particular, the horizontal support member located immediately below the hot plate is susceptible to thermal expansion by receiving radiant heat from the hot plate. Since this kind of conventional horizontal support member is formed in a cantilever shape, its tip portion is likely to hang down by its own weight. There is a problem in that the thermal expansion overlaps, and the inclination of the substrate support pins and the positional deviation of the pin tips become remarkable, making it difficult to lift and deliver the semiconductor wafer in a horizontal state.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and reduces displacement or deformation of a horizontal support member that supports a substrate support pin immediately below a mounting table to prevent displacement of the substrate support pin. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate lifting / lowering mechanism.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first substrate raising / lowering mechanism of the present invention comprises a plurality of substrates provided on a mounting table on which a substrate to be subjected to a predetermined process is mounted. A plurality of substrate support pins respectively inserted through the through-holes so as to be able to move up and down, horizontally extending below the mounting table, and supporting the plurality of substrate support pins in an upright state. A support member, a vertical support member coupled to a pair of opposed ends of the horizontal support member, and supporting the horizontal support member on a substantially constant vertical line; and the plurality of substrate supports with respect to the mounting table. An up-and-down drive means for relatively vertically moving the pin between a first position protruding above the through-hole and a second position retracting into the through-hole is provided.

In the first substrate lifting mechanism, the horizontal support member is connected to the vertical support member at both ends and is held in a substantially constant vertical line, so that the horizontal support member does not tilt or drop due to its own weight. In addition, deformation or displacement of thermal expansion hardly occurs due to radiant heat from the mounting table, and the horizontal posture can be stably maintained. Thereby, inclination and displacement of the substrate support pins can be prevented.

In the above-mentioned first substrate lifting mechanism, when the horizontal support member has a ring-shaped support member in which the plurality of substrate support pins are arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction, Since the ring-shaped support has a uniform temperature distribution characteristic and is unlikely to be deformed by thermal expansion, the displacement of the substrate support pins can be prevented more reliably.

A second substrate lifting mechanism according to the present invention comprises a plurality of through-holes movably inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in a mounting table on which a substrate to be processed to be processed is mounted. A substrate support pin, a horizontal support member extending in a horizontal direction below the mounting table, and supporting the plurality of substrate support pins in an upright state, and extending in opposition to an upper surface of the horizontal support member. A heat conductive upper cover part, a heat conductive lower cover part extending opposite to the lower surface of the horizontal support member, and a connecting part for thermally connecting the upper cover part and the lower cover part. And a cover member having: a first position where the plurality of substrate support pins project above the through-hole with respect to the mounting table; and a second position where the plurality of substrate support pins are retracted into the through-hole. Lifting means for moving up and down vertically It was.

In the second substrate lifting mechanism, radiant heat in one direction (downward) from the mounting table is temporarily absorbed by the upper cover member. The heat absorbed by the upper cover member is conducted to the lower cover member via the connecting member, and the radiant heat from the upper cover member is given to the upper surface of the horizontal support member, and the radiant heat from the lower cover member is also horizontally supported. Provided on the lower surface of the member. Thereby, the form factor and the temperature distribution in the horizontal support member are relaxed or uniform, and the deformation due to thermal expansion is effectively suppressed.

The third substrate lifting mechanism according to the present invention is movably inserted into a plurality of through holes provided on a mounting table on which a substrate to be processed to be subjected to predetermined processing is mounted,
A plurality of substrate support pins for raising and lowering the substrate to be processed on the mounting table; and a plurality of substrate support pins extending horizontally below the mounting table and supporting the plurality of substrate support pins vertically. A first horizontal support member that extends substantially in parallel with the first horizontal support member in a longitudinal direction of the first horizontal support member, and has one end connected to one end of the first horizontal support member. A connected second horizontal support member, a first position at which the plurality of substrate support pins project above the through hole with respect to the mounting table, and a second position at which the plurality of substrate support pins are retracted into the through hole. And a lifting drive means for relatively vertically moving between the two.

In the third substrate lifting mechanism, the thermal expansion displacement of the first horizontal support member supporting each substrate support pin is offset by the thermal expansion displacement of the second horizontal support member, and each substrate support pin is removed. It can be kept almost in a fixed position.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a main configuration of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This processing apparatus is configured, for example, as a low pressure CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus.

In this CVD apparatus, the processing chamber 10 is a cylindrical vacuum chamber made of, for example, aluminum, and a mounting table or a susceptor 12 is installed at a central portion of the chamber via a suitable support member (not shown). . Mounting table 12
Is made of a heat conductive material, for example, stainless steel, and is made of a disk-shaped hot plate provided with a heating element, for example, an electric heater (not shown) inside.
A plurality of discrete through-holes 12a (e.g., three at circumferential intervals of 120 [deg.]) That can protrude and retreat are provided on the second through-hole.

An automatic switch such as a gate valve 14 is provided on a side wall of the processing chamber 10. When a substrate to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer W is carried into or out of the room, the gate valve 14 is opened, and an arm (not shown) of the external substrate transfer device is moved through the gate valve 14 into the processing chamber 10. To come and go. When loading / unloading the semiconductor wafer W, the substrate lifting / lowering mechanism 30 of the present embodiment described later is also operated, and the semiconductor wafer W is placed on the mounting table 1.
2 (at the time of carrying in) or an operation of lifting up from the mounting table 12 (at the time of carrying out).

Above the processing chamber 10, a gas chamber 16 is provided which is partitioned from a processing space on the mounting table 12. A surface (lower surface) 18 of the gas chamber 16 facing the mounting table 12 is formed of a perforated plate having a large number of holes 18a. During the process, a gas supply source (not shown) supplies gas supply pipes 20 and 2.
After a plurality of types of source gases sent to the gas chamber 16 through the gas chamber 2 are mixed well in the gas chamber 16, the semiconductor wafers on the mounting table 12 are uniformly distributed through the holes 18 a of the porous plate 18 at a uniform flow rate. W can be sprayed.

At the center of the lower surface of the processing chamber 10 and on the mounting table 1
The exhaust port 24 formed substantially coaxially with the central axis of
It communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown) through an exhaust pipe (not shown). By the evacuation by the vacuum pump, the inside of the processing chamber 10 is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum, and gaseous reaction by-products generated during the CVD processing are discharged outside the chamber. Although the exhaust port 24 at the center of the bottom surface is excellent in the exhaust efficiency, there is a restriction that a mechanical element (particularly, a drive unit of the substrate lifting mechanism) cannot be disposed in this portion or space.

The substrate elevating mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality (three) of substrate support pins 32A which are movably inserted into a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) through holes 12a of the mounting table 12. , 32B, 32C and the substrate support pins 32A, 3B extending in the horizontal direction immediately below the mounting table 12.
A horizontal support member 34 for supporting each of the 2B and 32C in an upright state, and a pair of opposite ends 34a and 34b of the horizontal support member 34 which are coupled to each other on a substantially constant vertical line. 34a, 34b, and a pair of vertically movable rods 36, 38 which support the entire horizontal support member 34 and which can move up and down, and these vertical support rods 36, 38
And a pair of air cylinders 40, 42 to which respective piston rods 40a, 42a are fixed.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the horizontal support member 34. The horizontal support member 34 is made of a metal material or a ceramic material, and is a ring-shaped support in which three substrate support pins 32A, 32B, and 32C are erected or implanted at intervals of 120 ° in a circumferential direction in a horizontal plane. Body 44 and this ring-shaped support body 44
Of the pair of vertical support rods 36, 38
And a pair of shoulders 46, 48 connected to the upper end of the head.

Each of the shoulder portions 46 and 48 in the illustrated example is connected to a horizontal joint member 52 integrally connected with a bolt 50 by L.
And a joint member 54. The distal end (inner end) of the horizontal joint member 52 is integrally formed or integrally connected to the ring-shaped support member 44, and the vertical base end of the L-shaped joint member 54 (both ends 34a and 34b of the horizontal support member 34). Is the bolt 56 and the vertical support rod 36
(38).

Referring again to FIG. 1, both vertical support rods 3
The middle or lower end of the processing chamber 10 penetrates through openings 58 and 60 formed on the bottom surface of the processing chamber 10 so as to be able to move up and down, and is accommodated in bellows 62 and 64 provided below the processing chamber 10. ing. Both vertical support rods 36, 38
Is a bellows 6 through a joint 66 having a sealing function.
2 and 64 are fixed to the lower end closing plates 62a and 64a. Both air cylinders 40 and 42 are controlled by a control unit (not shown).
It is controlled through a more common pneumatic circuit 68, and performs the same driving operation in conjunction with each other.

Next, the substrate elevating mechanism 30 in the present embodiment
The operation of will be described.

The semiconductor wafer W to be processed is placed in the processing chamber 10.
Before is carried in, the piston rods 40a and 42a of the air cylinders 40 and 42 are respectively retracted to their original positions, and other parts are also at their original positions shown by solid lines in FIG.
Each of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C is retracted into each through hole 12a of the mounting table 12.

When the semiconductor wafer W is carried in, the gate valves 14 are opened and the arms of the external substrate transfer device enter the processing chamber 10 in conjunction with or in synchronism therewith. The piston rods 40a and 42a advance upward by a predetermined distance (stroke). As a result, the vertical support rods 36, 38 connected to the piston rods 40a, 42a respectively move upward, and the horizontal support member 34 connected to the vertical support rods 36, 38 and the horizontal support member 34 The substrate support pins 32A, 32B, and 32C supported by the above move upwardly to respective forward positions indicated by chain lines in FIG. By this upward movement, each of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C
Protrudes above the respective through holes 12a of the mounting table 12 by the same height. In addition, both bellows 62 and 64 contract upward by the vertical movement of both vertical support rods 36 and 38.

Thus, in the processing chamber 10, the external transfer arm places the semiconductor wafer W in a parallel state on the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, and 32C projecting at the same height above the through holes 12a of the mounting table 12. (Posture) can be passed.

When the semiconductor wafer W is transferred from the external transfer arm to the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C as described above, the piston rods 40a, 42a of the air cylinders 40, 42 are then retracted downward to their original positions. I do. As a result, both the vertical support rods 36 and 38 move downward, and the horizontal support member 34 and the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 3
2C also moves down to each original position. By this downward movement, each of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C is retracted into each through hole 12a of the mounting table 12. As a result, the semiconductor wafer W is mounted in a parallel state (posture) so as to land on the upper surface (mounting surface) of the mounting table 12. When the vertical support rods 36 and 38 move down to their original positions, the bellows 62 and 64 extend downward.

The mounting table 12 is constantly heated by a built-in electric heater, and when the semiconductor wafer W is mounted on its upper surface (mounting surface), it is heated to a predetermined temperature. The semiconductor wafer W heated to a predetermined temperature under reduced pressure in the gas chamber 1
By blowing the source gas from 6, the source gas reacts on the wafer surface, and a reaction product is deposited on the wafer surface. The gas generated by this reaction or the gas remaining without the reaction is exhausted from the exhaust port 24 to the exhaust unit side.

When the film forming process of the low pressure CVD as described above is completed, in order to carry out the processed semiconductor wafer W, the substrate lifting / lowering mechanism 30 performs the same lifting / lowering operation as at the time of loading. That is, each movable portion of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 moves up to each of the forward movement positions, and
2A, 32B, and 32C protrude upward from the through holes 12a of the mounting table 12 while lifting the semiconductor wafer W in a horizontal posture. In this state, the external transfer arm enters the processing chamber 10 through the gate valve 14 and receives the semiconductor wafer W from the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C. After transferring the semiconductor wafer W to the external transfer arm, each movable part of the substrate elevating mechanism 30 moves down to its original position, and each of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C is mounted on the mounting table 1.
2 is retracted into each through hole 12a.

In the substrate elevating mechanism 30 of the present embodiment, the horizontal support member 34 has both ends 34a, 34b connected to the vertical support rods 36, 38 and is held on the axes of both rods. Not only does it not tilt (drop), but also does not easily undergo thermal expansion deformation (especially, deformation in the length direction) even when it receives radiant heat from the mounting table 12, and can maintain a stable horizontal posture. Thereby, the inclination and displacement of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C can be effectively prevented.

Further, the horizontal support member 34 is provided on the ring-shaped support member 44, which itself has a uniform temperature distribution characteristic and is hardly deformed by thermal expansion, on the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 3B.
2C (FIG. 2), the substrate support pins 32
A, 32B and 32C can be more reliably prevented from being displaced.

In the illustrated example, the shoulders 46 and 48 of the horizontal support member 34 are composed of a composite member of the horizontal joint member 52 and the L-shaped joint member 54, but may be composed of a single member. Alternatively, the entirety of the shoulders 46 and 48 may be formed by using the ring-shaped support 44 or the vertical support rods 36 and 38.
May be integrally formed.

Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The substrate lifting mechanism according to the embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts having the same configurations and functions as those in the first embodiment.

The horizontal support member 7 of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 '
Numeral 0 has a cantilever-type horizontal arm 74 that is attached substantially horizontally to the upper end of a vertical support rod 80 via an L-shaped joint 72. The distal end of the horizontal arm 74 radially branches in multiple directions, for example, three directions, in a substantially horizontal plane, and the branch arms 76A, 76B, 76 are provided.
Substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C are erected or implanted substantially vertically at the tip of C. The base end of the horizontal arm 74 is fixed to the L-shaped joint 72 with a bolt 78, and the L-shaped joint 72 is fixed to the upper end of the vertical support rod 80 with a bolt (not shown) or the like. The base end of the horizontal arm 74 and the L-shaped joint 72 constitute a shoulder of the horizontal support member 70.

In the substrate lifting / lowering mechanism 30 ', the entire horizontal support member 70 is covered with a rectangular cylindrical cover member 82 made of a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, stainless steel. The upper wall portion or the upper cover portion 82a of the cover member 82 faces the upper surface of the horizontal support member 70 and extends substantially in parallel (horizontally) therewith.
2b is opposed to the lower surface of the horizontal support member 70 and extends substantially parallel thereto (horizontally), and both side wall portions, that is, side cover portions (connection portions) 82c and 82d are opposed to the side surface of the horizontal support member 70. It extends substantially parallel (vertically) and physically and thermally connects the upper cover portion 82a and the lower cover portion 82b.

The cover member 82 is fixedly attached to the vertical support rod 80 by a metal fitting 86 and a bolt 88 outside the opening 84 of the lower cover portion 82b through which the vertical support rod 80 passes. To facilitate assembly or setting of the horizontal support member 70, the cover member 82 may be configured to be disassembled.

When the substrate elevating mechanism 30 'is incorporated in a processing apparatus such as that shown in FIG.
Is connected to the piston rod 40a of the air cylinder 40, and the opening 60 is closed at the lower surface of the processing chamber 10 (the air cylinder 42 is unnecessary). Therefore, when the piston rod 40a of the air cylinder 40 advances by a predetermined stroke from its original position, each movable portion of the substrate elevating mechanism 30 'moves up to each forward position, and each of the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C is moved. The mounting table 12 protrudes above the respective through holes 12a by the same height. When the piston rod 40a moves backward from its forward position to the original position, each movable part of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 'descends to its original position, and each substrate support pin 32A, 32B, 32C.
Retreats into each through hole 12a of the mounting table 12.

In the substrate lifting mechanism 30 ', the cover member 82 also moves up and down integrally with the horizontal support member 70, the vertical support rod 80 and the like as one of the movable parts. At both the original position and the forward position, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper cover portion 82a of the cover member 82 receives the radiant heat H from the mounting table 12 from above. The heat absorbed by the upper cover portion 82a is conducted to the lower cover portion 82b through the side cover portions (connection portions) 82c and 82d in the cover member 82. This allows
Inside the cover member 82, the radiant heat hU is supplied to the upper surface of the horizontal support member 70 from the upper cover portion 82a, and the radiant heat hL is also supplied to the lower surface of the horizontal support member 70 from the lower cover member 2b. . Of course, the radiant heat from both side cover parts 82c and 82d is also supplied.

As described above, the radiant heat H from the mounting table 12 in one direction (downward) is temporarily absorbed by the cover member 82, and from the entire surface of the cover member 82, particularly, the upper cover portion 82
not only the downward radiant heat hU from a but also the lower cover 8
The upward radiant heat hL from 2b is also supplied to the horizontal support member 7 at the same time.
By giving 0, the form factor and the temperature distribution in the horizontal support member 70 are relaxed (compensated) or made uniform,
Deformation due to thermal expansion is effectively suppressed.

Since the horizontal support member 70 of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 'has a cantilever structure, the horizontality can be more accurately secured as compared with the double-supported beam structure of the first embodiment. There are difficult aspects. However, since it is not necessary to consider the deformation due to the thermal expansion as described above, it is possible to obtain practically sufficient levelness by mechanical adjustment.

In the illustrated example, the cover member 82 is formed in the shape of a square tube, but other various shapes are also possible. For example,
In FIG. 3, the opening at the front end and the rear end of the cover member 82 may be closed to form a four-way sealed structure. Alternatively, a configuration having a larger opening degree than the cover structure in FIG. 3, for example, a configuration in which both the side cover portions 82c and 82d are partially opened or a configuration in which one is omitted is also possible. Also, in the upper cover portion 82a and the lower cover portion 82b, the horizontal arm 7 in which the form factor and the temperature distribution are particularly problematic.
Although it is important to wrap the base end or shoulder portion of 4 from both upper and lower sides, a configuration in which the distal end side of the horizontal arm 74 is partially omitted may be adopted.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of the present invention.
The substrate lifting mechanism according to the embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for portions having the same configuration and function as those in the first and second embodiments.

The horizontal support member 9 of the substrate lifting mechanism 30 "
Reference numeral 0 denotes an upper horizontal arm 92 that supports the substrate support pins 32A, 32B, and 32C in an upright state, and an upper horizontal arm 9 in the length direction of the upper horizontal arm 92.
2, the tip of which extends substantially parallel to the upper horizontal arm 9.
The bolt 9 is connected to the base end of the
6 has a lower horizontal arm 98 whose base end is fixed to the L-shaped joint member 72 by bolts 78.

The upper horizontal arm 92 horizontally branches the two branch arms 92b and 92c diagonally left and right at an angle of about 120 ° when viewed from the base end at the center, and the base end and the branch arms 92b and 92b. The board support pins 32A, 32B, 32C are vertically provided at the tip of the 92c. The extension 92d extending in the length direction from the center of the upper horizontal arm 92 has a length such that the thermal expansion displacement of the upper horizontal arm 92 is offset by the thermal expansion (displacement) of the lower horizontal arm 98 as described later. May be set.

The horizontal arms 92 and 98 may be of the same material and have the same expansion coefficient, or may be of different materials and have different expansion coefficients.

This substrate raising / lowering mechanism 30 "may be incorporated in the processing chamber 10 in the same manner as the substrate lifting / lowering mechanism 30 'of the second embodiment. In the processing chamber 10, both horizontal arms 92, 9 are provided.
8 thermally expands by receiving the radiant heat H from the mounting table 12, and expands (displaces) particularly in the length direction. Here, since the base end of the lower horizontal arm 98 is fixed to the L-shaped joint member 72 or the vertical support rod 80, the base end is held in a fixed position, and a direction from the base end toward the front end ( It expands (displaces) to the left of FIG. On the other hand, the upper horizontal arm 92 has a base end portion fixed to the vertical joint portion 94, and thus is directed from the base end portion to the tip end portion (rightward in FIG. 6).
Is displaced. Thus, by appropriately selecting the thermal expansion coefficient or the arm length of the upper horizontal arm 92 and the lower horizontal arm 98, the thermal expansion displacement δ1 of the upper horizontal arm 92 and the thermal expansion displacement δ2 of the lower horizontal arm 98 cancel each other. The respective substrate support pins 32A, 32B, 32C can be maintained at substantially fixed positions.

As described above, the substrate elevating mechanism 3 of this embodiment
Even at 0 ", although the horizontal support member 70 has a cantilever structure, the effect of thermal expansion displacement is small, so that practically sufficient levelness can be obtained by mechanical adjustment of the horizontal arm mechanism.

The configuration and shape of the horizontal support member in each of the above embodiments can be variously modified according to the number of substrate support pins and the like. The member for connecting or connecting the horizontal support member and the vertical support member is also L as in the above embodiment.
The configuration is not limited to the configuration using the joint members (54, 72), but may be a configuration in which both support members are directly connected to each other.

In the above embodiment, the mounting table 12 is fixed, and the movable part on the substrate lifting mechanism side is moved up and down. However, conversely, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the components of the substrate lifting mechanism are fixed and the mounting table 12 is moved up and down.
The lifting drive member is not limited to the air cylinder, but may be an electric motor, a ball screw mechanism, a belt mechanism, or the like. The vertical support member may have any shape as long as it can hold the connection with the horizontal support member on a substantially constant vertical line.

Although the substrate elevating mechanism of the above embodiment handles a semiconductor wafer, another substrate to be processed, for example, L
A CD substrate, a glass substrate, a CD substrate, a printed substrate, and the like are also possible. The substrate raising / lowering mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the CVD apparatus in the above embodiment, but may be used in a processing apparatus such as an etching apparatus, an adhesion apparatus, and a baking apparatus.

[0052]

As described above, according to the substrate elevating mechanism of the present invention, the displacement or deformation of the horizontal support member that supports the substrate support pins directly below the mounting table is reduced, and the displacement of the substrate support pins is reduced. Can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a main configuration of a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a horizontal support member of the substrate lifting mechanism according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a horizontal support member of a substrate lifting mechanism according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a horizontal support member of a substrate lifting mechanism according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a horizontal support member of a substrate lifting mechanism according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a horizontal support member of a substrate lifting mechanism according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 processing chamber 12 mounting table 30, 30 ', 30 "substrate elevating mechanism 32A, 32B, 32C substrate support pin 34 horizontal support member 36, 38 vertical support rod 40, 42 air cylinder 44 ring-shaped support 70 horizontal support member 74 horizontal Arm 80 Vertical support rod 82 Cover member 82a Upper cover part 82b Lower cover part 82c, 82d Side cover part 90 Horizontal support member 92 Upper horizontal arm 98 Lower horizontal arm

Claims (5)

[Claims] A plurality of substrate support pins respectively movably vertically inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in a mounting table on which a substrate to be processed to be subjected to a predetermined process is mounted; A horizontal support member that extends in the horizontal direction and supports the plurality of substrate support pins in a vertically standing state, and is coupled to a pair of opposed ends of the horizontal support member,
A vertical support member that supports the horizontal support member on a substantially constant vertical line; a first position where the plurality of substrate support pins project above the through hole relative to the mounting table; An elevating drive means for elevating and lowering a second position retracted into the hole. 2. The substrate lifting / lowering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal support member has a ring-shaped support in which the plurality of substrate support pins are arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction. 3. A plurality of substrate support pins respectively movably inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in a mounting table on which a substrate to be processed to be subjected to a predetermined process is mounted, and A horizontal support member extending in the horizontal direction and supporting each of the plurality of substrate support pins in an upright state; and a thermally conductive upper cover portion extending opposite to the upper surface of the horizontal support member. A cover member having a thermally conductive lower cover portion extending opposite to the lower surface of the horizontal support member, and a connection portion for thermally connecting the upper cover portion and the lower cover portion; Lifting drive means for lifting and lowering the plurality of substrate support pins between a first position protruding above the through-hole relative to the mounting table and a second position retracting into the through-hole; A substrate elevating mechanism comprising: 4. A plurality of substrate support pins which are respectively movably inserted into a plurality of through holes provided in a mounting table on which a substrate to be processed to be subjected to a predetermined process is mounted, and A first horizontal support member extending in the horizontal direction and supporting the plurality of substrate support pins in an upright state, and the first horizontal support member extends in a length direction of the first horizontal support member. A second horizontal support member extending substantially parallel to the support member and having one end connected to one end of the first horizontal support member; and the plurality of substrates relatively to the mounting table. A substrate lifting / lowering mechanism comprising: lifting / lowering drive means for lifting / lowering a support pin between a first position protruding above the through hole and a second position receding into the through hole. 5. A heating device comprising the substrate lifting / lowering mechanism according to claim 1.