JP2006176382A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing thin plate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a thin plate which reduces the cost for manufacturing the apparatus or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus 1A for manufacturing a thin plate is an apparatus for manufacturing a thin plate by dipping a base plate S into a silicon melt 4A in a crucible 3A and solidifying the silicon melt 4A on the main surface of the base plate S, where the dipping mechanism 5A for dipping the main surface of the base plate S into the silicon melt 4A has a mechanism 14A for moving up and down the base plate S and a mechanism 16A for rotating the base plate S around the horizontal axis. During operation of the dipping mechanism 5A, the base plate S is moved only by combining the up and down movement by the mechanism 14A for moving up and down and the rotational movement by the mechanism 16A for rotating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin plate manufacturing apparatus and a thin plate manufacturing method, and more particularly to a thin plate manufacturing apparatus and a thin plate manufacturing method for forming a thin plate on a base plate.

  An example of a conventional thin plate manufacturing apparatus is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 8, in thin plate manufacturing apparatus 101, crucible 103 is arranged in main chamber 102, silicon melt 104 is stored therein, and the surface layer portion of base plate S is immersed in silicon melt 104. An immersion mechanism 105 is disposed.

  The dipping mechanism 105 includes an elevating mechanism 114 that travels on a transverse shaft 136, and a suspension column 115, a rotating mechanism 116, a main shaft column 117, and a pedestal support 120 are suspended from the elevating mechanism. The pedestal 121 that engages the base plate S is connected to the pedestal support portion 120, and the pedestal support portion 120 is held by the main spindle support 117 so as to be rotatable by the main spindle 118. The main shaft 118 is connected to the rotation mechanism 116 via a power transmission mechanism 119 such as a chain or a belt. By rotating the rotation mechanism 116, the base plate S is rotated, and the base plate performs a lifting operation by the elevating mechanism 114, and performs a traversing operation by running on the traversing axis.

  The dipping mechanism 105 grasps the base plate S and transfers it to the crucible 103. Next, the base plate S is lowered, the surface layer portion of the base plate S is immersed in the silicon melt 104, and a silicon thin plate is formed on the surface of the base plate S. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is adhered rises and leaves the crucible 103. While the base plate is immersed in the melt, the deposited silicon melt is cooled, the solid phase grows, and a predetermined silicon thin plate is formed. During this time, the horizontal movement, the lifting / lowering operation, and the base plate tilting operation are operated by mutually independent control mechanisms. As a result, the base plate can enter the melt in an arbitrary orbital and inclined state, move in the melt, and escape from the melt. At this time, it is normal to program a horizontal direction movement command, an up / down movement movement command, and an inclination movement command with a personal computer, and send them to the controller to realize an arbitrary trajectory as programmed. . In the horizontal movement, the raising / lowering movement, and the tilting movement, one motor is assigned to each movement, and the movement is individually driven by a total of three motors.

Such a thin plate manufacturing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, WO 2004/003262 pamphlet.
International Publication No. 2004/003262 Pamphlet

  However, the above-described thin plate manufacturing apparatus has the following problems.

  One of the problems in manufacturing a thin plate using a conventional technique is that the apparatus is large. According to the conventional apparatus, the traversing motor can be installed outside the main room, but the traversing rail, the lifting mechanism (lifting motor and its supporting member), the rotating mechanism (the rotating motor and its supporting member), etc. are all main. Must be installed indoors. In addition, it is necessary to prepare a space for the immersion mechanism to traverse, move up and down, and rotate. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a main room (vacuum chamber) with a large internal capacity, and it is difficult not only to suppress the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost and maintenance cost of the equipment, but also to introduce the gas attached to the equipment. Attached equipment such as equipment and vacuum exhaust equipment is also large, and it is difficult to control the amount of gas and electricity used.

  In order to improve the production amount per unit time, it is most effective to increase the size of the base plate. However, if a thin plate is manufactured using a large area base plate using conventional technology, the manufactured thin plate It was found that waviness was generated on the surface (the surface of the thin plate was undulated). This is considered because the base plate is immersed in the melt while vibrating. When the base plate enters and melts while the base plate vibrates, the vibration of the melt gradually amplifies by the vibration between the base plate entering and exiting. The surface shape of the thin plate to be produced is considered to be affected by the undulation of the melt during escape.

  This swell may be about twice the average thickness of the thin plate, which may deteriorate the appearance and affect subsequent processes. For example, when manufacturing a solar cell using the manufactured thin plate, the thin plate is adsorbed on the stage, spin-coated, the dopant is diffused into the thin plate, an antireflection film is formed on the thin plate surface, on the front and back surfaces When automatically processing such processes as generating electrodes, bonding leads, and laminating as a solar cell module, there may be a process failure due to unevenness on the surface of the thin plate. Moreover, regarding the conveyance between these processes, there is a possibility that a conveyance failure due to unevenness occurs on the surface of the thin plate. As described above, since the swell increases, the yield in the process of processing the thin plate deteriorates, so that the production increase effect due to the increase in the size of the base plate cannot be fully utilized.

  As described above, the conventional techniques have a problem that it is difficult to reduce the cost by reducing the size of the apparatus, and that the production amount is not sufficiently improved by increasing the size of the base plate.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above problems, and the objective of this invention is providing the thin plate manufacturing apparatus and thin plate manufacturing method in which costs, such as a manufacturing cost of an apparatus, are suppressed.

  The thin plate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention manufactures a thin plate by immersing a base plate in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible and solidifying the melt on the main surface of the base plate. This is a thin plate manufacturing apparatus.

  In the thin plate manufacturing apparatus, the dipping mechanism that immerses the main surface of the base plate in the melt includes an elevating mechanism that moves the base plate up and down and a rotation mechanism that rotates the base plate.

  Here, in one aspect, in the thin plate manufacturing apparatus, during the operation of the dipping mechanism, only the lifting motion by the lifting mechanism and the rotating motion by the rotating mechanism are combined to move the base plate.

  In another aspect, the thin plate manufacturing apparatus includes a fixing mechanism that suppresses the horizontal movement of the dipping mechanism during the operation of the lifting mechanism and the rotating mechanism.

  According to the thin plate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the immersion mechanism can be downsized in any of the above aspects. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost, maintenance cost, accessory equipment, and the amount of gas and electricity used. In addition, the amplification of vibration due to the horizontal operation of the immersion mechanism can be suppressed, and the waviness of the thin plate can be reduced.

  The rotation mechanism is preferably capable of rotating the base plate by 360 °.

  Thereby, a series of operation | movement which attaches / removes a baseplate in an upward state can be performed smoothly. As a result, it is possible to prevent the thin plate manufactured on the surface of the base plate from being peeled and dropped by an impact when the base plate is removed from the dipping mechanism.

  In the thin plate manufacturing method according to the present invention, a base plate is immersed in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible, and the thin plate is manufactured by solidifying the melt on the main surface of the base plate. It is a thin plate manufacturing method.

  In one aspect of the thin plate manufacturing method, the base plate is moved by combining only the vertical movement by the dipping mechanism that immerses the main surface of the base plate in the melt and the rotational movement by the dipping mechanism. A step of immersing the main surface of the base plate in the melt.

  Thereby, size reduction of an immersion mechanism can be achieved. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost, maintenance cost, accessory equipment, and the amount of gas and electricity used. In addition, the amplification of vibration due to the horizontal operation of the immersion mechanism can be suppressed, and the waviness of the thin plate can be reduced.

  In this aspect, the thin plate manufacturing method further includes a step of attaching the base plate to the dipping mechanism and a step of removing the base plate from the dipping mechanism, and the attachment step and / or the removing step are such that the main surface of the base plate is facing upward. It is preferable to be performed in a state.

  Thereby, it is possible to prevent the thin plate manufactured on the surface of the base plate from being peeled and dropped by an impact when the base plate is removed from the dipping mechanism.

  In another aspect of the thin plate manufacturing method, the base plate is immersed in a melt of a substance containing at least one of the metal material and the semiconductor material in the crucible, and the thin plate is solidified on the main surface of the base plate. A method of manufacturing a thin plate, the step of attaching the base plate in an upward state to an immersion mechanism that immerses the main surface of the base plate in the melt at the replacement position of the base plate; A step of moving the base plate in combination with only a rotary motion by the immersion mechanism, immersing the main surface of the base plate in the melt during the movement, and a step of removing the base plate upward from the immersion mechanism at the exchange position With.

  Also in this aspect, the same effects as described above are obtained.

  According to the present invention, the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost, and maintenance cost of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus can be suppressed. Moreover, it can suppress that a wave | undulation arises on the surface of a thin plate.

  Embodiments of a thin plate manufacturing apparatus and a thin plate manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described below. In the first and second embodiments, the case of manufacturing a silicon thin plate will be described. However, the same effect can be obtained when a thin plate of other metal material or semiconductor material (especially a high melting point substance) is manufactured.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view for explaining a thin plate manufacturing apparatus 1A according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view for explaining the thin plate manufacturing apparatus 1A.

  Referring to FIG. 1, thin plate manufacturing apparatus 1A has a heating mechanism (not shown) for melting crucible 3A and crucible silicon as a raw material in main chamber 2A. In the crucible, the silicon melt 4A dissolved by the heating mechanism is stored, and an immersion mechanism 5A for immersing the surface layer portion of the base plate S in the silicon melt is disposed. An inert gas is introduced into the main chamber and maintained at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, that is, a negative pressure. In the thin plate manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1, Ar gas is introduced and the pressure is around 500 MPa. When this Ar gas is exhausted, silicon oxide and other dust can be removed through a filter or the like, and can be circulated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the main chamber 2A has a loading sub chamber 6 for loading the base plate, and a sub chamber for taking out the base plate to which the manufactured silicon thin plate is attached. 7. Adjacent to the raw material sub chamber for introducing additional raw material (not shown) into the main chamber. The atmosphere of the sub chamber is the same as that of the main chamber, that is, an inert gas atmosphere and is set to a negative pressure.

  Next, a thin plate manufacturing method will be described. When the main chamber 2A is in operation, the airtight door 8 between the subchamber and the outside is opened with the airtight door 9 between the charging subchamber 6 and the main chamber closed, and the base plate S Is carried into the sub chamber 6. Next, after closing the airtight door 8 and evacuating the sub chamber 6, Ar gas is introduced and the pressure is made the same as that of the main chamber 2 </ b> A, thereby making the atmosphere of the sub chamber 6 the same as the main chamber. Thereafter, according to the operation of the immersion mechanism in the main room, the airtight door 8 between the main room 2A is opened, and the base plate S is inserted into the main room. The transport mechanism 10 in the sub chamber 6 is used when the base plate is carried into the sub chamber and when the base plate is carried from the sub chamber to the main chamber. It is desirable to carry a plurality of base plates S together. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the operation time of the sub chamber per base plate.

  In the main room, the base plate transport mechanism 23 transports the base plate carried in from the sub chamber to the base plate replacement position. Thereafter, the base plate is mounted on the base 21A of the immersion mechanism 5A.

  When a thin plate is continuously manufactured, when the second and subsequent base plates are mounted, the base plate on which the previously manufactured thin plate is formed is mounted on the pedestal. In this case, the removal time of the base plate can be shortened by simultaneously removing the thin plate and the base plate and mounting the next base plate.

  The removed base plate is closed by the base plate transport mechanism 24 in the main chamber and the transport mechanism 13 in the sub chamber, and the airtight door 12 of the sub chamber 7 for taking out is closed, and the atmosphere of the sub chamber is the same as that of the main chamber. After confirming this, it passes through the airtight door 11 opened, and is conveyed to the sub chamber 7 for taking out. Thereafter, the base plate S on which the silicon thin plate is formed is carried out by opening the airtight door 12 in a state where the airtight door 11 is closed. It is desirable to carry out a plurality of the base plates S at a time. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the operation time of the sub chamber per base plate.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, a suspension column 15A is connected to the lifting mechanism 14A attached to the outer wall of the main room. The suspension column can be moved up and down by a motor in the lifting mechanism 14A. The suspension column penetrates into the main chamber 2A. The penetration part isolates the outside of the main chamber by packing, a magnetic fluid seal or the like, and prevents outside air from being mixed into the main chamber. A rotating mechanism 16A having a rotating motor shaft 22A is connected to the tip of the suspension column 15A. Two spindle columns 17A are connected under the rotation mechanism, and the spindle 18A penetrates in the horizontal direction at the lower end of the spindle column. Since the main shaft and the motor shaft in the rotation mechanism are connected by the power transmission mechanism 19, the main shaft can be rotated by the rotation mechanism. For the power transmission mechanism, a chain, a belt, a gear, or the like can be used. A pedestal support 20 is connected to the main shaft, and a pedestal 21A is connected to the tip. The pedestal is a member that holds the base plate.

  According to the above configuration, the entire dipping mechanism can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism, that is, the vertical movement of the base plate can be performed. Further, the main shaft can be rotated by the rotation mechanism, that is, the base plate can be rotated.

  An example of mounting the base plate will be described with reference to FIG. The base plate S carried by the base plate transport mechanism 23 just before the base plate replacement position is grasped by the base plate mounting mechanism 25. Thereafter, the base plate is mounted on the pedestal by sliding the base plate using the base plate mounting mechanism so that the convex portion on the back surface of the base plate S is sandwiched between the concave portions of the base 21A. When a base plate on which a thin plate already manufactured is formed is mounted, the base plate already mounted is pushed out by the slide of the base plate to be mounted next and taken out onto the base plate transport mechanism 24. Is done.

  At this time, it is desirable that the base plate has a surface on which the thin plate is grown substantially upward (zenith direction). As a result, it is possible to prevent the produced thin plate from being separated from the base plate due to an impact at the time of base plate replacement and falling. In order to make the base plate face upward, it is desirable that the dipping mechanism can rotate the base plate by 360 °. Accordingly, it is possible to smoothly perform a series of operations of mounting the base plate upward, immersing the base plate downward in the melt, and replacing the base plate upward.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a thin plate on the surface of the base plate by immersing the base plate in the melt will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. After the dipping mechanism 5A grasps the base plate S, the base plate S is operated as shown by the arrow 27A by rotating the base 21A by the rotating mechanism 16A while lowering the entire dipping mechanism by the lifting mechanism 14A. The position is moved from the exchange position 26A to a position to be immersed in the melt. Using the ascending / descending operation of the ascending / descending mechanism and the rotating operation of the rotating mechanism, the base plate is immersed in the melt as indicated by an arrow 28A to form a silicon thin plate on the surface of the base plate. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached is taken out of the melt as indicated by an arrow 29A. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached returns to the base plate replacement position 26A by the raising and lowering operation and the rotating operation as indicated by the arrow 30A. Of the series of operations, the raising and lowering operations are indicated by arrows 31A.

  The raising / lowering operation and the rotating operation are operated by mutually independent control mechanisms. As a result, the base plate can enter the melt in an arbitrary inclined state, move in the melt, and escape from the melt. At this time, normally, an up-and-down movement movement command and a rotation movement command are programmed by a personal computer and transmitted to the controller, thereby realizing an arbitrary trajectory as programmed.

  Along with the mounting of the next base plate, the base plate S on which the silicon thin plate is formed is removed from the dipping mechanism. At this time, it is desirable to replace the base plate with the surface on which the thin plate is formed facing the zenith direction. This is to prevent the thin plate from dropping due to an impact at the time of replacement. For this purpose, it is desirable that the rotation mechanism of the immersion mechanism can rotate 360 °.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus. Although the motor for traversing the conventional thin plate manufacturing equipment can be installed outside the main room, all the mechanisms such as traversing rail, lifting mechanism (lifting motor and its supporting member), rotating mechanism (rotating motor and its supporting member) are all main. In this embodiment, the rails are not required to be installed in the room, and it is necessary to prepare a space for the immersion mechanism to move in the horizontal, up and down, and rotation directions. The volume of the vacuum chamber) can be greatly reduced. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost, and maintenance cost of the apparatus, and the auxiliary equipment such as gas introduction equipment and vacuum exhaust equipment attached to the equipment can be reduced in size. Furthermore, the amount of gas and the amount of electricity used can be suppressed.

  The above contents are summarized as follows.

  A thin plate manufacturing apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment manufactures a thin plate by immersing base plate S in silicon melt 4A in crucible 3A and solidifying silicon melt 4A on the main surface of base plate S. The dipping mechanism 5A for immersing the main surface of the base plate S in the silicon melt 4A includes an elevating mechanism 14A for moving the base plate S up and down, and a rotating mechanism 16A for rotating the base plate S about a horizontal axis. During the operation of the dipping mechanism 5A, only the lifting movement by the lifting mechanism 14A and the rotating movement by the rotating mechanism 16A are combined to move the base plate S. During the operation of the elevating mechanism 14A and the rotating mechanism 16A, the horizontal movement of the immersion mechanism 5A is restricted. In other words, the thin plate manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a fixing mechanism that suppresses the horizontal movement of the immersion mechanism 5A. In the present embodiment, the chamber constituting the main room 2A functions as the fixed structure.

  In the thin plate manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the base plate S is moved by combining only the vertical movement by the dipping mechanism 5A and the rotational movement by the dipping mechanism 5A, and the main surface of the base plate S is moved during the movement. A step of immersing in the silicon melt 4A.

  Further, it is preferable that the step of attaching the base plate S to the immersion mechanism 5A and the step of removing the base plate S from the immersion mechanism 5A are performed with the main surface of the base plate S facing upward. Only one of the attachment process and the removal process may be performed with the base plate S facing upward.

  More specifically, the thin plate manufacturing method includes a step of attaching the base plate S to the dipping mechanism 5A in an upward state at the replacement position 26A of the base plate S, a vertical movement and dipping by the dipping mechanism 5A. Only the rotational movement by the mechanism 5A is combined to move the base plate S, the main surface of the base plate S is immersed in the silicon melt 4A during the movement, and the immersion mechanism 5A at the replacement position 26A of the base plate S. And removing the base plate S in an upward state.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view for explaining a thin plate manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. A different part from Embodiment 1 of this invention is a structure and its operation | movement of an immersion mechanism, and it demonstrates.

  A suspension column 15B is connected to the elevating mechanism 14B attached to the outer wall of the main room. The suspension column can be moved up and down by a motor in the lifting mechanism 14B. The suspension column penetrates into the main chamber 2B. The penetration part isolates the outside of the main chamber by packing, a magnetic fluid seal or the like, and prevents outside air from being mixed into the main chamber. A rotation mechanism 16B is connected to the tip of the suspension column 15B. Two spindle columns 17B are connected under the rotation mechanism, and the spindle 18B penetrates in the horizontal direction at the lower end of the spindle column. In addition, a rotating plate 35 is connected to a motor shaft in the rotating mechanism, and a rotating column 34 is connected to the tip of the rotating column 34 by a sliding portion 32. The pedestal 21 </ b> B has one end connected to the main shaft 18 </ b> B and the other end connected to the rotary support 34 by the sliding portion 33. The rotational force of the motor in the rotating mechanism can rotate the rotating plate around the motor shaft, and the base 21B can rotate around the main shaft 18B in conjunction with the rotating plate. The pedestal is a member that holds the base plate.

  According to the above configuration, the entire dipping mechanism can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism, that is, the vertical movement of the base plate can be performed. Further, the main shaft can be rotated by the rotation mechanism, that is, the base plate can be rotated.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a thin plate on the surface of the base plate by immersing the base plate in the melt will be described with reference to FIGS. After the dipping mechanism 5B grasps the base plate S, the base plate S is operated as shown by the arrow 27B by rotating the pedestal 21B by the rotating mechanism 16B while lowering the entire immersion mechanism by the lifting mechanism 14B. The position is moved from the exchange position 26B to a position to be immersed in the melt. Using the ascending / descending operation of the ascending / descending mechanism and the rotating operation of the rotating mechanism, the base plate is immersed in the melt as indicated by an arrow 28B to form a silicon thin plate on the surface of the base plate. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached is taken out of the melt as indicated by an arrow 29B. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached returns to the base plate replacement position 26B by the raising / lowering operation and the rotating operation as indicated by the arrow 30B. Of the series of operations, the ascending and descending operations are indicated by arrows 31B.

  Here, it is impossible to arbitrarily move the base plate in the horizontal direction, but it is possible to determine the horizontal movement when the base plate is rotated by changing the positional relationship between the spindle and the pedestal. . When the center point of the base plate surface and the center of the main axis are connected by a straight line, the shorter the length of the straight line, the shorter the horizontal operation distance of the base plate when only rotating operation is performed. is there. Compared to the operation of the base plate (arrow 28A and arrow 29A) during the production of the thin plate according to the first embodiment, the operation of the base plate (arrow 28B and arrow 29B) during the production of the thin plate according to the second embodiment is The horizontal operating distance is short. This is because the length of the straight line is short when the center point of the base plate surface and the center of the main axis are connected by a straight line.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus. Although the motor for traversing the conventional thin plate manufacturing equipment can be installed outside the main room, all the mechanisms such as traversing rail, lifting mechanism (lifting motor and its supporting member), rotating mechanism (rotating motor and its supporting member) are all main. In contrast to the fact that it must be installed indoors and the immersion mechanism needs to prepare a space for traversing, moving up and down, and rotating, in this embodiment, no traversing rail is required. The volume of (vacuum chamber) can be greatly reduced.

  For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the manufacturing cost, installation cost, maintenance cost, and maintenance cost of the apparatus, and the auxiliary equipment such as gas introduction equipment and vacuum exhaust equipment attached to the equipment can be reduced in size. Furthermore, the amount of gas and the amount of electricity used can be suppressed.

(Reference example)
FIG. 8 is a side sectional view for explaining a thin plate manufacturing apparatus according to a conventional embodiment. The difference from Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention is the configuration and operation of the immersion mechanism, which will be described.

  A traversing rail 136 is connected to a traversing mechanism 137 attached to the outer wall of the main room. An elevating mechanism 114 is connected to the traverse rail, and the elevating mechanism can be horizontally operated by a motor in the traversing mechanism. The traversing rail penetrates into the main chamber 102. The penetration part isolates the outside of the main chamber by packing, a magnetic fluid seal or the like, and prevents outside air from being mixed into the main chamber. A suspension column 115 is connected to the lifting mechanism 114. The suspension column can be moved up and down by a motor in the lifting mechanism 114. A rotation mechanism 116 having a rotation motor shaft 122 is connected to the tip of the suspension column 115. Two main spindle columns 117 are connected under the rotating mechanism, and a main shaft 118 penetrates horizontally at the lower end of the main column columns. Since the main shaft and the motor shaft in the rotation mechanism are connected by a power transmission mechanism 119, the main shaft can be rotated by the rotation mechanism. A pedestal support 120 is connected to the main shaft, and a pedestal 121 is connected to the tip. The pedestal is a member that holds the base plate.

  According to the above configuration, the entire immersion mechanism can be moved in the horizontal direction by the traversing mechanism, that is, the horizontal movement of the base plate can be performed. Further, the entire dipping mechanism can be moved up and down in the vertical direction by the lifting mechanism, that is, the base plate can be moved in the vertical direction. Further, the main shaft can be rotated by the rotation mechanism, that is, the base plate can be rotated.

  Next, a method of manufacturing a thin plate on the surface of the base plate by immersing the base plate in the melt will be described with reference to FIGS. After the dipping mechanism 105 grasps the base plate S, the pedestal 121 is rotated by the rotating mechanism 116 while the entire dipping mechanism is lowered by the elevating mechanism 114 while moving horizontally by the traversing mechanism. To move from the base plate replacement position 126 to a position to be immersed in the melt. Using the horizontal movement of the traversing mechanism, the raising / lowering movement of the raising / lowering mechanism, and the rotating action of the rotating mechanism, the base plate is immersed in the melt as indicated by arrow 128 to form a thin silicon plate on the surface of the base plate. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached is taken out of the melt as indicated by an arrow 129. Thereafter, the base plate S to which the silicon thin plate is attached returns to the base plate replacement position 126 by the horizontal operation, the raising / lowering operation, and the rotating operation as indicated by the arrow 130. Of the series of operations, the raising / lowering operation is indicated by an arrow 131, and the horizontal operation is indicated by an arrow 138.

  The horizontal operation, the raising / lowering operation, and the rotating operation are operated by mutually independent control mechanisms. As a result, the base plate can enter the melt, move in the melt, and escape from the melt in any tilted state. At this time, it is normal to program the traversing movement movement command, the lifting movement movement command, and the rotation movement command with a personal computer, and send them to the controller to realize an arbitrary trajectory as programmed. .

(Effects of Embodiments 1 and 2)
A manufacturing method according to Embodiments 1 and 2 in which a thin plate is manufactured using an ascending / descending operation and a rotating operation, and a manufacturing method according to a reference example in which a thin plate is manufactured using a traversing operation, an elevating operation and a rotating operation will be summarized.

  First, a conventional manufacturing method for manufacturing a silicon thin plate using the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 9 will be summarized.

  The silicon raw material is melted and maintained at 1500 ° C. Subsequently, the base plate is carried from the outside of the apparatus and attached to the immersion mechanism.

  The base plate mounted on the pedestal is moved directly above the crucible by operating the traversing mechanism, the lifting mechanism, and the rotating mechanism. Next, the base plate is immersed in the melt by the traversing mechanism, the lifting mechanism, and the rotating mechanism, and is taken out from the melt. At this time, the traversing mechanism moves leftward in the figure to ensure the horizontal movement distance of the base plate. Next, the base plate on which the thin plate is formed is returned to the base plate replacement position. The base plate on which the thin plate is formed is removed from the dipping mechanism, and a new base plate is attached to the dipping mechanism. By repeating this, it is possible to manufacture a thin plate continuously.

  Next, the thin plate manufacturing method according to the first and second embodiments will be summarized.

  The base plate mounted on the pedestal moves horizontally to the vicinity of the crucible center by the traversing mechanism. Subsequently, the elevating mechanism and the rotating mechanism are operated and moved to the position just above the crucible. Next, the base plate is immersed in the melt by an elevating mechanism and a rotating mechanism, and taken out from the melt. At this time, since the traversing mechanism is stopped, the horizontal movement distance of the base plate is only due to the rotation operation. Next, the base plate on which the thin plate is formed is returned to the base plate replacement position. The base plate on which the thin plate is formed is removed from the dipping mechanism, and a new base plate is attached to the dipping mechanism. By repeating this, it is possible to manufacture a thin plate continuously.

  Next, the shape evaluation of the manufactured thin plate will be described.

  The shape of the surface of the thin plate on the melt side is scanned by a laser displacement meter. Since the scanned data is inclined by the fixed state of the thin plate to the measurement stage, plane correction is applied. Thereafter, only the convex portion is picked up from the shape data, and the total volume of the convex portion is calculated. Thereby, it is possible to quantify and evaluate the size of the swell formed on the surface of the thin plate due to the wave of the melt.

FIG. 7 shows the shape evaluation results of the thin plate. The convex part volume of the thin plate by the conventional manufacturing method (thin plate manufacturing method using a traversing operation, a raising / lowering operation and a rotating operation) was 15 to 45 mm ³ . On the other hand, the convex part volume of the thin plate by the manufacturing method according to the first and second embodiments (thin plate manufacturing method using lifting and rotating operations) is 3 to 10 mm ^3, which is a surface compared to the conventional manufacturing method. It was found that the shape was improved. This is considered because the vibration of the base plate could be suppressed.

  In the thin plate manufacturing method according to the reference example, the fulcrum supporting the dipping mechanism is a transverse axis, but since the lifting mechanism and the rotation mechanism are provided at the tip, the weight supported by the fulcrum is very large. Further, since the dipping mechanism moves the drive unit away from the heat source, it is installed in a place away from the melt, and thus the mechanism becomes longer in the vertical direction. This is a structure that is weak against horizontal deflection. Therefore, when accompanied by a traversing motion when the base plate is immersed in the melt, the horizontal acceleration and vibration caused by the traversing motion are amplified by bending and play of each part of the immersion mechanism, It is thought that it becomes a big vibration. In this way, when the base plate enters and melts while the base plate vibrates, the vibration of the melt gradually amplifies due to the vibration until the base plate enters and exits. The surface shape of the thin plate to be produced is considered to be affected by the undulation of the melt during escape. Therefore, when the immersion mechanism vibrates, it is considered that the undulation of the surface of the thin plate increases as the size of the base plate increases.

  On the other hand, in the thin plate manufacturing method according to the first and second embodiments, since the base plate is immersed in the melt while the traversing operation is stopped, it is possible to manufacture the thin plate only by the lifting and rotating operations, and vibration due to the traversing operation It is thought that it did not occur. Regarding vertical acceleration and vibration caused by the lifting and lowering operation, the fulcrum, center of gravity, and action point (base plate) when the mechanism is designed to be long in the vertical direction will be located on a straight line that almost matches the operating line. It is thought that vibration is difficult to be amplified. Regarding the rotating operation, the object to be rotated is only the main shaft, the pedestal support member, the pedestal, and the base plate, and since it is a lightweight object, there is no concern that vibration will be greatly amplified. In this way, when the immersion mechanism does not vibrate, the vibration of the melt is difficult to amplify, so even if the size of the base plate increases, the fluctuation of the melt does not change, and as a result, the swell of the surface of the thin plate does not increase. it is conceivable that.

  As described above, according to the thin plate manufacturing methods according to the first and second embodiments, it is possible to prevent the base plate from being vibrated by the horizontal acceleration and vibration caused by the traversing operation, and to generate the undulation on the surface of the thin plate. It becomes possible to suppress.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, combining the characteristic part of each embodiment mentioned above suitably is planned from the beginning. The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a sectional side view which shows the thin plate manufacturing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows the thin plate manufacturing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the baseplate exchange mechanism in the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown by FIG. 1, FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the operation state of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown by FIG. 1, FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the thin plate manufacturing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the operation state of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a figure which shows the shape evaluation result of a thin plate. It is a sectional side view which shows the conventional thin plate manufacturing apparatus. It is a sectional side view which shows the operation state of the thin plate manufacturing apparatus shown by FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  1A, 1B, 101 Thin plate manufacturing equipment, 2A, 2B, 102 main chamber, 3A, 3B, 103 crucible, 4A, 4B, 104 silicon melt, 5A, 5B, 105 immersion mechanism, 6 charging subchamber, 7 take-out Sub chamber, 8, 9, 11, 12 Airtight door, 10, 13 Transport mechanism, 14A, 14B, 114 Lifting mechanism, 15A, 15B, 115 Suspension strut, 16A, 16B, 116 Rotating mechanism, 17A, 17B, 117 Main shaft support, 18A, 18B, 118 Main shaft, 19, 119 Power transmission mechanism, 20, 120 Pedestal support, 21A, 21B, 121 Pedestal, 22A, 22B, 122 Rotating motor shaft, 23, 24 Base plate transport mechanism, 25 Bottom Ground plate mounting mechanism, 26A, 26B, 126 Base plate replacement position, 32, 33 sliding part, 34 rotating column, 35 rotating plate, 136 ), 137 traversing mechanism.

Claims (6)

A thin plate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a thin plate by immersing a base plate in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible, and solidifying the melt on the main surface of the base plate,
The immersion mechanism for immersing the main surface of the base plate in the melt has an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the base plate in the vertical direction and a rotating mechanism for rotating the base plate,
A thin plate manufacturing apparatus in which, during the operation of the immersion mechanism, the base plate is moved by combining only the lifting and lowering movements by the lifting and lowering mechanisms. A thin plate manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a thin plate by immersing a base plate in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible, and solidifying the melt on the main surface of the base plate,
The immersion mechanism for immersing the main surface of the base plate in the melt has an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the base plate in the vertical direction and a rotating mechanism for rotating the base plate,
A thin plate manufacturing apparatus provided with a fixing mechanism that suppresses horizontal movement of the immersion mechanism during the operation of the lifting mechanism and the rotating mechanism.   The thin plate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation mechanism is capable of rotating the base plate by 360 °. A thin plate manufacturing method for manufacturing a thin plate by immersing a base plate in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible, and solidifying the melt on a main surface of the base plate,
The base plate is moved by combining only a vertical movement by a dipping mechanism that immerses the main surface of the base plate in the melt and a rotational movement by the dipping mechanism, and the main surface of the base plate is moved during the movement. A method for producing a thin plate, comprising a step of immersing in the melt. Attaching the base plate to the immersion mechanism;
Further comprising removing the base plate from the immersion mechanism,
The thin plate manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the attaching step and / or the removing step is performed with a main surface of the base plate facing upward. A thin plate manufacturing method for manufacturing a thin plate by immersing a base plate in a melt of a substance containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material in a crucible, and solidifying the melt on a main surface of the base plate,
At the replacement position of the base plate, attaching the base plate in an upward state to an immersion mechanism that immerses the main surface of the base plate in the melt;
A step of moving the base plate in combination with a vertical movement by the immersion mechanism and a rotational movement by the immersion mechanism, and immersing the main surface of the base plate in the melt during the movement;
And a step of removing the base plate in an upward state from the immersion mechanism at the exchange position.

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