JP2001298016A - Plasma cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma cleaning device of simple structure. SOLUTION: A plasma cleaning device is equipped with a base 12, guides 40 and 41 guiding an object 6 placed on the base 12, a lid 13 which is provided with an open lower side, supported in a state in which it is capable of approximating to or receding from the base 12 from above, and forms a closed space 60 above the base 12 when it comes into contact with the base 12, a moving means which is provided by the side of one of the guides 40 and 41 to make the lid 13 freely approximate to or part from the base 12, and a transfer means which is provided by the side of the other guide 40 or 41 to make the object 6 proceed below the lid 13 and/or recede from below the lid 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma cleaning apparatus for performing plasma cleaning on an object in a closed space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plasma cleaning apparatus for performing a surface treatment on a target such as a substrate by plasma cleaning in an enclosed space is used in a production line of electronic parts and an assembly line of electronic equipment.

Next, a conventional plasma cleaning apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a conventional plasma cleaning apparatus. In FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body that forms a closed space and performs the above-described surface treatment (plasma cleaning) in the closed space.
Is a gate provided on the front surface of the main body 1 and 3 is a gate for opening and closing the door 2. In order to open and close the entrance 2 at the gate 3, the rod 5 of the cylinder 4 fixed to the main body 1 is used.
Is connected to the gate 3.

That is, when the cylinder 4 is driven to cause the rod 5 to protrude, as shown in FIG.
To form a closed space in the main body 1,
When the rod 5 is immersed, the entrance 2 can be exposed to the outside. In addition, when the entrance 2 is closed by the gate 3,
The main body 1 is closed to the outside except for the entrance 2 so that a closed space is formed in the main body 1.

[0005] Reference numeral 6 denotes an object fed along a transport line indicated by an arrow L. When the object 6 is to be subjected to plasma cleaning, a supply unit T arranged in the transport line L
The object 6 is once placed on the target. Reference numeral 7 denotes an entry / exit means for putting the object 6 before plasma cleaning placed in the supply unit T into the main body 1 or returning the plasma-cleaned object 6 in the main body 1 to the supply unit T, that is, the transport line L. It is.

Next, the operation of the conventional plasma cleaning apparatus will be described. First, the entrance 2 is closed by a gate 3 in order to make the inside of the main body 1 an atmosphere for performing plasma cleaning. Next, the target object 6 is sent in the direction of the transport line L, and is placed on the supply unit T.

Next, the access means 7 is driven to take out the object 6 from the supply section T. Then, the gate 3 is lowered to open the entrance 2, and the object 6 is put into the main body 1 by the entrance / exit means 7. Next, the access means 7 is retracted from the main body 1, the gate 3 is raised, and the entrance 2 is closed. Thereby, the inside of the main body 1 becomes a closed space, and the target object 6 exists in the closed space.

Next, plasma cleaning of the object 6 is performed in the main body 1. When the plasma cleaning is completed, the gate 3 is lowered and the entrance 2 is opened.
Then, the retracted access means 7 is driven into the main body 1, and the plasma-cleaned object 6 existing in the main body 1 is taken out from the main body 1.

Next, the gate 3 is raised to close the entrance 2, and the plasma-cleaned object 6 is returned to the supply section T by the entrance / exit means 7. Thereafter, the object 6 subjected to the plasma cleaning is sent out by the transport line L.

[0010]

However, the conventional plasma cleaning apparatus cannot be arranged in the transport line, and cannot be configured in a reasonable line. Because the entrance 2 is provided only in one place in the front of the main body 1,
This is because the object 6 can be moved in and out only from one side of the main body 1. More specifically, although a straight transfer line L is configured in FIG. 16, since the main body 1 has only one entrance 2, the object 6 is inserted into the main body 1 from one side of the main body 1. The object 6 cannot be taken out from the other.

For this reason, components such as access means 7 for taking in and out the object 6 must be provided outside the main body 1 between the transport line L and the entrance 2. Therefore, there is a problem that an installation space for the access means 7 is required outside the main body 1 and the entire apparatus becomes large.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact plasma cleaning apparatus.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma cleaning apparatus for performing plasma cleaning of an object, comprising: a base having an opening and a suction port; and a base inserted into the opening. An electrode mounted in an insulated state on the base, a high-frequency power supply that applies a high-frequency voltage to the electrode, and a lower part is open,
And is supported so as to be able to contact and separate from the base from above,
A lid that contacts the base to form a sealed space above the base, a contacting / separating unit that moves the lid toward and away from the base, a vacuum pump that depressurizes the sealed space from the suction port, A gas supply unit for supplying gas into the inside, a part of a conveyance path for conveying an object for plasma cleaning, a guide for supporting the object in the closed space, and the lid being separated from the base Transport means for performing a transport operation of the object when the apparatus is in a position, the contact / separation means is provided on one side of the guide, and the transport means is arranged on the other side of the guide.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the plasma cleaning apparatus according to the first aspect, when the lid is separated from the guide, the transporting means is provided in a gap between the lid and the guide. It has an arm that enters and pushes an object.

According to the above configuration, the lid is moved toward and away from the transport path by using the contacting / separating means. Then, when the lid is separated from the transport path, the object before the plasma cleaning enters below the lid via a gap formed between the lid and the transport path. In addition, the plasma-cleaned target below the lid is retracted from below the lid through the gap.

Here, since the contacting / separating means is provided on one side of the base and the conveying means is provided on the other side, there is little possibility of interference between the contacting / separating means and the conveying means. , The contacting / separating means and the transporting means can be arranged close to each other, and the width of the member provided on the side of the base can be reduced, so that the plasma cleaning device can be made more compact.

[0017]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a plasma cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of contact / separation means according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a lid according to one embodiment of the present invention from below, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid according to one embodiment of the present invention from below. 8 and FIG. 8 are exploded perspective views of a base according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are plasmas according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an additional configuration of an electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is an XX end view of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the present invention. A conveying operation explanatory diagram in the embodiment. The plasma cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment has a large number of components, and there are many points that cannot be shown in detail. Therefore, first, an outline is described with reference to FIG. I will do it.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 denotes a base having an upper surface formed substantially horizontally. An upright portion 8a that is taller than the upper surface of the base 8 is provided on the back side of the base 8, and a monitor 8b is disposed in front of the upright portion 8a. Can understand the operation status of

On the upper surface of the base 8, a straight conveyance path L is formed from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. Reference numeral 9 denotes a supply magazine which is disposed on the upstream side of the transport path L and stores the object 6 before plasma cleaning in upper and lower stages. 10
Is a collection magazine that is disposed downstream of the transport path L and stores the plasma-cleaned target 6.

Reference numeral 11 denotes an extrusion cylinder for sending out the object 6 before plasma cleaning from the supply magazine 9 to the transport path L. Reference numeral 12 denotes the supply magazine 9 side of the upper surface of the base 8, which is inline-developed on the transport path L,
The base 13 that constitutes a part of is open at the bottom,
A lid is supported on the base 12 so as to be able to freely contact and separate from above.

The structures of the base 12 and the cover 13 will be described later in detail.
, A closed space is formed on the transport path L. That is, the base 12 has a role as a member surrounding the closed space together with the lid 13 and a role as the transport path L. Reference numeral 14 denotes a wire bonding portion disposed between the base 12 and the collection magazine 10 at a position slightly offset from the transport path L toward the back.

In the present embodiment, a substrate is employed as the object 6, and the object 6 is subjected to plasma cleaning as an example of plasma cleaning in a closed space formed by the lid 13 and the base 12. The deposits or the deposits present on the electrodes and the like on the substrate are removed, and the electrodes and the like are easily bonded. Then, the bonding is performed on the target object 6 immediately after the plasma cleaning by the adjacent wire bonding unit 14 and stored in the collection magazine 10.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a transport path L whose leading end reaches the transport path L.
Is a second arm which is parallel to the first arm 15 and is located at a certain distance from the first arm 15 on the downstream side of the transport path L. Reference numeral 17 denotes a cover which is formed on the front side of the upper surface of the base 8 to be long in parallel with the transport path L. As will be described later in detail, an arm moving mechanism that moves the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 in parallel with the conveyance path L while keeping the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 parallel with each other at a certain distance is accommodated in the cover 17. .

Reference numeral 18 denotes a pair of guides for guiding the object 6 along the transport path L between the upstream side of the wire bonding section 14 and the collection magazine 10 in the transport path L. Here, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16
Corresponds to a transport unit that transports the target object 6 along the transport path L. The arm moving mechanism and the transport operation of the object 6 will be described later in detail.

Next, a mechanism (contact / separation means) for raising / lowering the lid 13 and bringing the lid 13 into a horizontal / vertical state will be described with reference to FIGS.

Here, the posture of the lid 13 is defined.
First, when the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in a horizontal plane, the lid 13 is said to be in a horizontal state. On the other hand, when the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in the vertical plane, the lid 13 is said to be in the vertical state.

When the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in close contact with the base 12, the lid 13 is said to be in a lowered state.
3 is separated from the base 12 by the lid 13 and the base 12.
The lid 13 is said to be in the raised state when there is a gap between the cover 13 and the cover 13.

When the lid 13 is in a horizontal state and in a lowered state, this is referred to as a horizontal lowered state.
When two states are established at the same time, these states are expressed sequentially.

The lid 13 is moved by the mechanism described below.
It is supported so that it can adopt three states of a horizontal descending state, a horizontal rising state, and a vertical rising state. In FIG.
Are in a horizontally lowered state, and in FIG. 3, the lid 13 is in a horizontally raised state.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a frame having a horizontal portion 20a fixed to the upper surface of the base 8, and upright portions 20b and 20c vertically rising from both ends of the horizontal portion 20a. In addition, guides 21 and 22 having an L-shaped cross section and leading outwards are provided at the upper portions of the upright portions 20b and 20c of the frame 20, respectively.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a cylinder as a contacting / separating means fixed to the center of the horizontal portion 20a so that the rod 23a faces upward. The upper end of the rod 23a is connected to the center of the horizontal portion 24a of the U-shaped arm 24 having a U-shape. The above-mentioned guides 21 and 22 are slidably engaged with the upright portions 24b and 24c, respectively, which stand upward from both ends of the horizontal portion 24a of the U-shaped arm 24. Also, at the upper ends of the standing portions 24b and 24c,
A shaft 26 is mounted, and a bracket 25 is pivotally supported by the shaft 26 so that the bracket 25 can rotate in a vertical plane.

Here, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. 4, the bracket 25 has a substantially Z-shape bent at right angles at two places. Of the bracket 25, 25a is a first piece, 25b
Is a second piece having the same length as the first piece 25a and being bent 90 degrees with respect to the first piece 25a. The intersection of the center lines of the first piece 25a and the second piece 25b coincides with the axis of the shaft 26.

The second piece 25b is formed longer than the second piece 25b, and the first piece 25a and the second piece 2
The third piece is bent 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the relationship with 5b. And the first piece 25a and the second piece 25b
A first pin hole 27 and a second pin hole 28 are formed at positions equidistant from the axis of the shaft 26 in the thickness direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the third piece 25c faces in the horizontal direction, the upright portions 24b, 2
4c, a second pin hole 28 formed in the second piece 25b.
An insertion hole 24d is formed at a position that coincides with. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When 5c faces in the horizontal direction, the second pin hole 28 and the insertion hole 24
By making d coincide with each other and inserting the pins 30 into these, the rotation of the bracket 25 can be prohibited at the position where the third piece 25c faces the horizontal direction.

Since a shaft 29 for supporting the side surface 13a of the lid 13 so as to be swingable in the direction of the arrow N2 is attached to the tip of the third piece 25c of the bracket 25, the bracket 25 is mounted as described above. By prohibiting the rotation of the cover 13, the lid 13 can be held in a horizontal state.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the third piece 25c is oriented vertically, the first pin hole 27 formed in the first piece 25a coincides with the insertion hole 24d. At this time, the first
By inserting the pin 30 into the pin hole 27 and the insertion hole 24d, the third piece 25c can be kept upright in the vertical direction. Further, as described above, since the side surface 13a of the lid 13 is swingably supported by the bracket 25 by the shaft 29, the lid 13 can be set in the vertical state.

Here, when the lid 13 is in the vertical state, the lid 1
The inside of 3 is exposed to the outside. Therefore, replacement or cleaning of the member attached inside the lid 13 can be easily performed. Further, since the space above the base 12 is widened when the lid 13 stands, similar maintenance can be performed on the base 12 and members attached to the base 12.

As described above, in the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment, the space between the cover 13 and the base 12 (this space is also a part of the transport path L) is opened widely with the cover 13 in the vertical state. The maintenance can be performed very easily.

Next, the operation of shifting the lid 13 from the horizontal lowering state to the horizontal raising state will be described with reference to FIGS. Now, as shown in FIG. 2, when the lid 13 is in the horizontal lowered state, the rod 23a is retracted, and the pin 30 is in the second position.
The pin 13 is inserted through the pin hole 28 and the insertion hole 24d, and the lid 13 is held in a horizontal state. And the lower end surface of the lid 13
It is in close contact with the base 12.

As will be described later, the lid 13 is in a horizontally lowered state, and a closed space is formed by the lid 13 and the base 12. When plasma cleaning is performed in this closed space, the closed space is lower than the atmospheric pressure. Since the pressure is set to a low pressure, the lid 13 can be sufficiently moved to the base 12 without pressing the lid 13 against the base 12 with the operating force of the cylinder 23.
Adhere to

Next, in order to raise the lid 13 horizontally,
The cylinder 23 is driven to project the rod 23a. Then, the U-shaped arm 24 rises vertically while being guided by the guides 21 and 22, and accordingly, the bracket 25 rises while maintaining the state where the third piece 25c faces in the horizontal direction. As a result, the lid 13 is lifted away from the base 12 while keeping the horizontal state. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
A gap is formed between the base 3 and the base 12, so that the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 for pushing the object 6 can pass through the gap (arrow N1).

Next, the structure of the lid 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lid viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 6, the lid 13 has a shape whose lower side is open. Among them, 13b is a substantially rectangular lid body. The lid body 13b is capable of completely storing the object 6 therein, and a processing chamber 13c for performing plasma cleaning as plasma cleaning on the object 6, a processing chamber 13c smaller than the processing chamber 13c, and continuous to the side of the processing chamber 13c. An exhaust chamber 13d is provided.

Reference numeral 13e denotes a window for observing the inside of the processing chamber 13c from outside, and 13f denotes four screw holes provided in the processing chamber 13c. Further, the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13
An inner cover 31 is attached to a wall surrounding d.
Of the inner cover 31, the surface S facing the inside of the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13d is designed so that many fine irregularities are formed and the substantial surface area of the surface S is increased.

This is because, when the object 6 is subjected to plasma cleaning in the processing chamber 13c, the scraped-out minute substance is scattered. This is for preventing the minute substance scraped off from the object from re-adhering to the object 6.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a first electrode for generating plasma. The first electrode 32 has a screw hole 3 as shown in FIG.
2a and the screw hole 13f are fixed to the processing chamber 13c by being screwed with the set screw 33. The first electrode 3
2 is electrically grounded.

Next, referring to FIG. 8 and FIG.
2 and its related members will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the base 12 is made of a thick plate slightly larger than the lid 13 shown in FIG. A rectangular opening 12a is opened in the center of the base 12 to insert the second electrode 34 to which a high-frequency voltage is applied by the cable 35.

The portion of the base 12 facing the processing chamber 13c of the lid 13 is a processing area A for performing plasma cleaning on the object 6, and is adjacent to the processing area A and faces the exhaust chamber 13d. The portion is an exhaust area B. Here, a groove 12e is formed in a portion of the base 12 that contacts the lower end surface of the lid 13, and the groove 12e is formed.
An O-ring 39 as a close contact portion is fitted in the central portion of the. The upper end of the O-ring 39 is located slightly below the upper surface of the base 12 as shown in FIG.

When the object 6 crosses the base 12 as shown by the arrow N2 in FIG. 9, the object 6, the first arm 15, and the second arm 16 do not touch the O-ring 39,
This is to make it possible to move smoothly. When the object 6 crosses the base 12 in this manner, the object 6, the first arm 15, and the second arm 16
By avoiding contact with 9, damage to the O-ring 39 can be avoided, the airtightness in the sealed space 60 can be kept high, and the degree of vacuum can be prevented from lowering. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 12b denotes a gas supply port opened at a corner of the processing area A to supply an argon gas as an operating gas supplied from a gas cylinder described later into the processing area A (that is, the processing chamber 13c). is there.

Further, in the processing area A of the base 12, a plurality of screw holes 12c are formed in a direction perpendicular to the transport path L. Then, of these screw holes 12c, one that matches the width of the object 6 is selected, and the selected screw hole 12c is selected.
The guides 40 and 41, which form a part of the transport path L and guide the object 6, are fixed with set screws 42. Object 6 of course
Is changed, the position of the selected screw hole 12c can be changed. These guides 40 and 41 are made of an insulator.

On the other hand, in the center of the exhaust area B of the base 12, argon gas or the like is exhausted to the outside after the plasma cleaning is completed, or the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 1 are exhausted.
In order to discharge the air inside 3d to the outside,
2d has been established. An electrically grounded wire mesh 38 is placed over the suction port 12d, and when the particles charged during plasma generation attempt to pass through the suction port 12d, the electricity is removed by the wire mesh 38. . on the other hand,
A cooling fin 36 is thermally coupled to a lower portion of the second electrode 34 to radiate heat generated during operation of the second electrode 34 to the outside.

Here, in the conventional plasma cleaning apparatus, the periphery of the member corresponding to the second electrode 34 is completely surrounded by the wall surface, and it is difficult to release the heat of the member corresponding to the second electrode 34 to the outside. Therefore, a member corresponding to the second electrode 34 was cooled by a water cooling method.

In this case, a pumping device such as a pipe and a pump for circulating the water to be operated, a heat exchanger, and the like are indispensable, and the entire device has been a large standard. However, according to the present embodiment, the second electrode 3
4 can be opened to the outside, and the cooling fins 36 can be opened.
It is possible to perform cooling by an air cooling system using the above-described method, and to perform compact and efficient cooling.

The second electrode 34 is provided with a flange portion 34a at a position stepped down. An insulating plate 37 having the same shape as the flange 34a is interposed between the flange 34a and the lower surface of the base 12,
The base 12 and the flange portion 34a are fixed by bolts 43. Here, the base 1 is formed by the insulating plate 37.
2 and the second electrode 34 are not short-circuited.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the plasma cleaning apparatus. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the lid 13 is in the horizontal ascending state, there is a gap between the lid 13 and the base 12, and the object 6 is pushed by the first arm 15. Next, a moving mechanism of the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 will be described with reference to FIG.

A linear guide 44 parallel to the transport path L is provided inside the cover 17 shown in FIG. A slider 45 fixed to a moving frame 46 is slidably engaged with the linear guide 44, so that the moving frame 46 can freely move in a direction parallel to the transport path L (perpendicular to the paper surface). . The lower part of the moving frame 46 is fixed to a timing belt 49 which is adjusted in parallel with the transport path L.
Is transmitted via the pulley 48.

A shaft 50 is provided above the moving frame 46.
The shaft 50 is pivotally supported at the base end of the first arm 15 whose distal end is bent downward in a key shape. The rod 52 of the cylinder 51 fixed to the moving frame 46 is connected to the base of the first arm 15.

Therefore, when the motor 47 is driven, the first arm 15 can be reciprocated in parallel with the transport path L. When the cylinder 51 is driven to push and retract the rod 52, the first arm 15 is moved in a chain line. The first arm 15 can be detached from the object 6 as shown in the drawing, or the first arm 15 can be brought into contact with the end of the object 6 as shown by the solid line.

When the first arm 15 is brought into contact with the object 6 and the motor 47 is driven, the object 6 can be pushed along the transport path L. The second arm 16 also has the same movement mechanism as the first arm 15.
Here, in the present embodiment, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are separated from each other by a certain distance, and the same timing belt 49 is provided.
However, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 may be independently moved in parallel with the transport path L by separate moving means.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the base 1
A cylinder 23 as a contacting / separating means for bringing the lid 13 into and out of contact with the base 12 and a support mechanism for the lid 13 are provided on one side (the right side in FIG. 10) of the cover 2. Also, on the other side (the left side in FIG. 10) of the base 12, first and second arms 15, 16 as a means for transporting the object 6 and these arms 1
5 and 16 moving mechanisms are provided.

With this arrangement, the contacting / separating means and the transporting means are located on the opposite sides of the base 12 and have little possibility of interfering with each other. The width of the device can be made small and compact.

In FIG. 10, 53 is a cooling fin 3
6 is a fan that blows air. In the present embodiment, the wind sent from fan 53 is directed to the opposite side of wire bonding portion 14. This is to prevent the blowing from affecting the wire bonding portion 14.

When the cover 13 is lowered horizontally, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower end surface of the cover 13
A closed space 60 formed by the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13d is formed in close contact with the ring 39. In the processing chamber 13c, the grounded first electrode 32 and the second electrode 34 to which the high-frequency voltage is applied face each other, and the object 6 supported by the guides 40 and 41 is located between the electrodes 32 and 34. Will do. Further, the exhaust chamber 13d communicates with the suction port 12d via the wire mesh 38.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the electrodes and their accompanying structures in the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. As described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, in the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment, the first electrode 32 grounded on the lid 13 is provided, and the high-frequency voltage is applied to the base 12 facing the first electrode 32. A second electrode 34 to be applied is provided.

As shown in FIG. 12, a high-frequency applying section 61 is connected to the second electrode 34 via a cable 35. The high-frequency applying unit 61 includes a high-frequency power supply 62 that generates a high-frequency voltage, and a tuner 63 that adjusts the high-frequency voltage generated by the high-frequency power supply 62 and outputs the adjusted high-frequency voltage to the cable 35, that is, the second electrode 34.

Therefore, the object 6 is placed between the lid 13 and the base 12.
, And the lid 13 is set to the horizontal lowering state, and the first electrode 3
By locating the second and second electrodes 34 at a predetermined distance and operating the high frequency application unit 61, an electrical environment for generating plasma in the closed space 60 can be created. When the high-frequency applying unit 61 is operated, the second electrode 34 generates heat. Therefore, the fan 53 for cooling the cooling fins 36 to which the second electrode 34 is thermally coupled is also operated, and the second electrode 34 So that the temperature does not rise.

Next, referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a gas supply section 64 for supplying argon gas into the closed space 60 through a gas supply port 12b opened in the base 12, and an exhaust area B of the base 12 will be described. The pressure adjusting unit 68 that measures and controls the pressure in the closed space 60 via the suction port 12d opened in the first embodiment will be described.

First, in the gas supply section 64, 65 is a gas cylinder for storing argon gas as an operating gas, 66 is a gas control section for controlling the flow rate and pressure of the discharged argon gas, and 67 is a gas control section 66 and a gas control section. It is a discharge pipe connecting the supply port 12b.

Therefore, when the gas supply section 64 is operated, the argon gas whose flow rate or the like is controlled can be sent out into the processing chamber 13c through the gas supply port 12b. In addition, since the gas supply port 12b is located at a position away from the suction port 12d in the processing area A, and the suction port 12d is provided in the exhaust area B deviating from the processing area A,
If the argon gas does not pass through the processing area A, it cannot reach the suction port 12d, and the argon gas can be sufficiently distributed to the processing area A, thereby suppressing the variation in the concentration of the argon gas.

As will be described later, when the argon gas is supplied to the processing area A instead of being discharged as a simple gas to the suction port 12d, the pressure in the closed space 60 is reduced to almost a vacuum. State and the second electrode 34
Since a high-frequency voltage is applied to the substrate 6, the argon gas becomes plasma and performs etching (plasma cleaning) on the object 6. In the present embodiment, an argon gas is used to generate plasma, but another gas may be used.

Next, the pressure adjusting section 68 will be described. The pressure adjusting unit 68 includes the following four systems. The first system is a vacuum system. That is, the discharge port of the above-described vacuum pump 19 is connected to the suction port 12 d via the vacuum pipe 69. 70 is a vacuum valve interposed in the middle of the vacuum pipe 69. Therefore, when the vacuum pump 19 is operated and the vacuum system valve 70 is opened, the inside of the sealed space 60 is depressurized to be in a substantially vacuum state.

The second system is an open air system. That is,
An atmosphere opening pipe 71 is connected to the suction port 12d, and the atmosphere opening pipe 71 reaches an atmosphere opening port 73 via an atmosphere opening valve 72. Therefore, after the inside of the sealed space 60 is evacuated using the above-described vacuum system, the air release valve 7 is opened.
When the air outlet 2 is opened, the atmosphere can be introduced into the sealed space 60 from the atmosphere opening port 73 via the atmosphere opening pipe 71, and the pressure inside the sealed space 60 can be restored to the atmospheric pressure.

The third system is a system for the pressure switch 74. The pressure switch 74 is for detecting whether or not the inside of the closed space 60 has returned to the atmospheric pressure when returning the inside of the closed space 60 to the atmospheric pressure using the open-to-atmosphere system. The fourth system is a system of the vacuum gauge 75. The vacuum gauge 75 is for measuring the vacuum pressure in the closed space 60 when the pressure in the closed space 60 is reduced using a vacuum system. Note that the pressure switch 74 may be omitted.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.
As shown in the figure, the four systems described above
6, a first port 76a opening downward, a second port 7
6b, the third port 76c, and the fourth port 76d. In addition, these ports 76a to 76d
Are connected to an upwardly open common port 76e inside the connection unit 76, and the common port 76e is directly connected to the suction port 12d of the base 12.

Next, the lid 13 is in the horizontally raised state,
The operation from when the target object 6 is sent between the base 3 and the base 12 to when the plasma cleaning of the target object 6 is completed will be described. First, when the target object 6 is sent between the lid 13 and the base 12, the target object 6 is supported on the transport path L by guides 40 and 41 forming a part of the transport path L. Further, since the lid 13 is in the raised state, the surroundings of the object 6 are at atmospheric pressure.

Next, as shown in FIG.
3 is driven to bring the lower end surface of the lid 13 into contact with the O-ring 39, and a closed space 60 is formed by the lid 13 and the base 12. Next, the vacuum pump 19 is driven to operate the vacuum system valve 70.
Is opened, and the pressure in the closed space 60 is reduced. At this time, the vacuum pressure in the closed space 60 is monitored by the vacuum gauge 75.

When the pressure in the closed space 60 is sufficiently reduced,
The gas supply unit 64 is operated to supply argon gas into the processing chamber 13c of the closed space 60 via the gas supply port 12b. Then, the high-frequency application unit 61 is operated, and the second electrode 3 is activated.
A high frequency voltage is applied to 4 to generate plasma in the processing chamber 13c. Then, the object 6 is cleaned by the charged particles in the plasma.

At this time, charged particles may scatter to the suction port 12d side, but since the wire mesh 38 is grounded at the suction port 12d, the charged particles are scattered.
When it adheres, the charge is removed, and the charged particles do not reach a vacuum system or the like. Then, this state is maintained for a predetermined time. This time is for sufficient cleaning,
This is a preset time.

When the predetermined time has elapsed, the application of the high frequency is stopped, and the supply of the argon gas by the gas supply unit 64 is stopped. Further, the vacuum system valve 70 is closed. Then, the atmosphere release valve 72 is opened, and the atmosphere is introduced into the closed space 60 from the atmosphere release port 73. Then, the sealed space 60
At this time, the pressure in the sealed space 60 is monitored by the pressure switch 74 to determine whether the pressure in the closed space 60 has returned to the atmospheric pressure.

When the pressure in the closed space 60 returns to the atmospheric pressure, the air release valve 72 is closed, and the cylinder 23 is driven to bring the lid 13 into the horizontal ascending state. Then, the object 6 after the plasma cleaning is retracted from between the lid 13 and the base 12, and the object 6 before the plasma cleaning is removed from the lid 13.
And between the base 12.

Next, the object 6 in the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a transport path.

As described above, the transfer of the object 6 is mainly performed by the first arm 15 and the second arm 15 as the transfer means.
This is performed using the arm 16. The first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are both fixed to a single timing belt 49 at a fixed interval t, and the transport path L
The first arm 15 and the second arm 16 move integrally with respect to the direction parallel to.

On the other hand, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are independently provided with a cylinder 51 for vertically moving the arm as shown in FIG.
5, the second arm 16 can be independently moved up and down.

In the following description, in order from the downstream side of the transport path L, the first object 6X has already been plasma-cleaned and has been subjected to wire bonding by the wire bonding section 14, and the second object 6Y has been sealed in a sealed manner. The above-described plasma cleaning is performed in the space 60, and the third
It is assumed that the object 6Z has been stored in the supply magazine 9 before the plasma cleaning.

Now, in the positional relationship of FIG. 14, wire bonding to the first object 6X and the second object 6Y
Is completed, the lid 13 is brought to the horizontal rising state. Then, as shown in FIG.
The second arm 16 is brought into contact with the first object 6X, the first arm 15 is brought into contact with the second object 6Y, and the motor 47 is driven to move the first object 6X to the collection magazine 10 and the second object 6Y. To the front of the wire bonding section 14 (arrow M1). In parallel with this, the extrusion cylinder 11
Is driven to extrude the third object 6Z from the supply magazine 9 to approach the gap between the lid 13 and the base 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15A, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are raised, and the first arm 15 is moved forward of the third object 6Z, and the second arm 16 is moved to the second position. 2
Each is moved forward of the target object 6Y (arrow M
2). Then, as shown in FIG. 15C, the first arm 15 is brought into contact with the third object 6Z, the second arm 16 is brought into contact with the second object 6Y, and the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 The third object 6Z is pushed to the position of the second object 6Y in FIG. 14, and the second object 6Y is pushed to the position of the first object 6X in FIG. 14 (arrow M3).

Thereafter, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16
Is returned to the position shown in FIG. 14, and the lid 13 is lowered horizontally.
Then, the plasma cleaning of the third object 6Z and the wire bonding of the second object 6Y are performed in parallel. Hereinafter, by repeating the above-described operation, a step of performing wire bonding on the target object immediately after the plasma cleaning is performed.

As described above, in the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment, the plasma cleaning apparatus can be developed in-line on the transport path L, and the plasma-cleaned object 6 can be removed from the downstream side of the transport path L of the plasma cleaning apparatus. At the same time, the object 6 before plasma cleaning can enter the plasma cleaning device from the upstream side of the transport path L of the plasma cleaning device. Thereby, plasma cleaning and transport of the object 6 can be performed with almost no loss time, and productivity can be greatly improved.

[0088]

According to the plasma cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the contacting / separating means and the transporting means can be brought close to the base, so that the entire size can be made compact accordingly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a plasma cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contact / separation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a contact / separation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lid according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from below.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from below.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a base according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a base according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a plasma cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a plasma cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an auxiliary configuration of an electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an end view taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a transport path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

15A is a diagram illustrating a transfer operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating a transfer operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15C is a diagram illustrating a transfer operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a conventional plasma cleaning apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 Object 12 Base 13 Lid 15 First arm 16 Second arm 19 Vacuum pump 23 Cylinder 24 U-shaped arm 25 Bracket 26 Axis 29 Axis 32 First electrode 34 Second electrode 40 Guide 41 Guide 60 Sealed space 61 High frequency applying section L Transport path

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plasma cleaning apparatus for plasma cleaning an object, comprising: a base having an opening and a suction port; an electrode inserted into the opening and mounted insulated from the base. A high-frequency power supply for applying a high-frequency voltage to the electrode, and a lower opening, which is supported so as to be capable of coming in contact with and separating from the base from above and forming a closed space above the base by contacting the base; A lid, a contacting / separating means for bringing the lid into and out of contact with the base, a vacuum pump for reducing the pressure of the sealed space from the suction port, a gas supply unit for supplying gas into the sealed space, and an object for plasma cleaning A part of the transport path for transporting
A guide that supports the object in the closed space, and a transport unit that performs an operation of transporting the object when the lid is separated from the base, wherein the contact / separation unit is located on one side of the guide. Wherein the transfer means is disposed on the other side of the guide. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transport means has an arm which enters a gap between said lid and said guide and pushes an object when said lid is apart from said guide. Plasma cleaning equipment.