JP2007277702A - Substrate placing stand and substrate treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate placing stand hardly causing a damage to a placing stand main body due to up-and-down pins. <P>SOLUTION: The substrate placing stand 4 for placing a substrate in substrate treatment is provided with the placing stand main body 4a and the up-and-down pins 30 which are inserted vertically with respect to the placing stand main body 4a, are disposed freely vertically movably so as to project and withdraw with respect to the surface of the placing stand main body 4a and moves vertically the substrate while supporting the substrate with top ends of the pins. Each of the up-and-down pins 30 can take a withdrawal position into which the pin withdraws and a support position at which the pin supports the substrate G by being projected from the placing stand main body 4a and, in the support position, the pin has a breaking part 35 which breaks when a force in the lateral direction having a prescribed extent less than such a force as to deform the up-and-down pin 30 is applied on the surface position of the placing stand main body 4a or on the upper side position thereof. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for performing a process such as dry etching on a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer for manufacturing a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). The present invention relates to a substrate mounting table to be placed and a substrate processing apparatus to which the substrate mounting table is applied.

  For example, in FPD and semiconductor manufacturing processes, various processes such as dry etching, sputtering, and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) are performed on glass substrates and semiconductor wafers that are substrates to be processed.

  Such processing is performed, for example, in a state in which the substrate is placed on the substrate mounting table provided in the chamber, and a plurality of lifting pins provided in the substrate mounting table are used for loading and unloading the substrate with respect to the substrate mounting table. This is done by raising and lowering. That is, when loading a substrate, the lifting pins are projected from the surface of the mounting table body, the substrate placed on the transfer arm is transferred onto the pins, and the lifting pins are lowered. Further, when unloading the substrate, the lifting pins are raised from the state where the substrate is placed on the mounting table body to raise the substrate from the surface of the mounting table body, and the substrate is transferred to the transfer arm in that state. . Such a technique is a conventional technique and is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1.

  In the case of an etching apparatus that performs plasma etching on a glass substrate for FPD, a pair of parallel plate electrodes (upper and lower electrodes) are arranged in the chamber, and the substrate mounting table functions as a lower electrode. In that case, in order to realize a uniform process in the substrate surface, the elevating pins may need to be made of a metal which is a conductive material, for example, stainless steel (SUS).

  By the way, a glass substrate for FPD typified by LCD is directed to increase in size, a huge substrate having a side exceeding 2 m is required, and a substrate mounting table is extremely increased in size. In addition, in order to support a large substrate, a large number of lifting pins are required. For this reason, the substrate mounting table itself is extremely expensive. In particular, since the substrate mounting table of the etching apparatus functions as the lower electrode as described above, it is more expensive because a cooling mechanism, a power feeding mechanism, and the like are attached.

In such a substrate mounting table, since a large number of lifting pins are moved up and down in the mounting table body, troubles such as the transfer arm contacting the lifting pins occur while the lifting pins protrude from the mounting table body. There is a risk of damaging the substrate mounting table itself. In particular, when a metal lifting pin as described above is used, the lifting pin itself bends due to a lateral force such as contact of the transfer arm, and the lifting pin is bent and raised during a series of transfer operations. This increases the possibility of damaging an expensive substrate mounting table. When the mounting table main body is damaged as described above, it is necessary to replace the expensive substrate mounting table, which causes an increase in apparatus cost.
JP 11-340208 A

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate mounting table in which damage to the mounting table main body due to the lifting pins is less likely to occur, and a substrate processing apparatus including such a substrate mounting table. And

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate mounting table for mounting a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate mounting table is vertically inserted into the mounting table main body and the mounting table main body. A lifting pin which is provided so as to be able to move up and down so as to project and sink with respect to the surface of the mounting table body, and which lifts and lowers by supporting the substrate at the tip thereof, the lifting pin being retracted in the mounting table body And a support position that protrudes from the mounting table main body and supports the substrate, and when it is in the supporting position, the lifting pin is deformed to a surface position of the mounting table main body or a position above it. Provided is a substrate mounting table characterized by having a folding portion that is folded when a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than the force to be applied is applied.

  In the first aspect, the elevating pin may include a lower member that forms a lower part than the folding part and an upper member that forms an upper part than the folding part. In this case, the elevating pin is configured by fitting the lower member and the upper member, and the fitting portion may be configured to function as the folded portion. The upper member may be bonded and configured such that the bonded portion functions as the folded portion, or the lower member and the upper member are fitted and the fitted portion. It is also possible to configure such that at least a part thereof is bonded, and the fitting portion and the bonding portion function as the folding portion. Alternatively, the elevating pin is configured such that a flexible member that can be bent and deformed is interposed between the lower member and the upper member, and the flexible member functions as the folding portion. Also good.

  In the first aspect, the elevating pin further includes a compressive force applying member that applies a compressive force between the lower member and the upper member, and the elevating pin has a predetermined lateral force. When added, the compressive force is released and the folding portion can be folded. In this case, a coil spring can be used as the compressive force applying member.

  Further, the elevating pin includes a biasing force applying member that applies a biasing force that biases the upper member upward, and the lower member and the upper member in a state in which a biasing force is applied to the upper member. A connecting member for connecting the connecting member, and when the lateral force of the predetermined magnitude is applied to the elevating pin, the connecting member is disconnected and the folding portion is folded. Can do. In this case, the urging force applying member is a coil spring, and the connecting member locks the upper member when the urging force is applied to the fixing portion fixed to the lower member and the upper member. A locking portion, and when the lateral force of the predetermined magnitude is applied to the lifting pin, the locking portion is unlocked and the folding portion is folded. it can.

  In the first aspect, the lower member can be made of metal, and the upper member can be made of resin. Further, the lower member and the upper member have conductivity, and are connected so as to be electrically conducted from the tip of the upper member to the lower end of the lower member via the folding portion. be able to. In this case, when the folded portion has an adhesive portion between the upper member and the lower member, a conductive adhesive can be used as the adhesive portion. Further, when the flexible member is interposed between the upper member and the lower member, the lower member and the upper member have conductivity, and the flexible member is made of conductive resin. It may be configured. The lower member and the upper member may both be formed of metal, but the lower member may be formed of metal and the upper member may be formed of conductive resin. it can. The upper member may include a metal core and a resin member that covers the outer side. Further, in this way, when it is configured to be electrically connected from the tip of the upper member to the lower end of the lower member via the folding portion, the lifting pin is the same as the mounting table body described above. A potential is preferred.

  In the first aspect, the processing apparatus performs plasma processing, and the mounting table main body may function as a lower electrode. Moreover, the said raising / lowering pin can be set as the structure which can take the maintenance position raised rather than the said support position.

  In a second aspect of the present invention, a processing container that accommodates a substrate, a substrate mounting table that is provided in the processing container and on which the substrate is mounted, and a process that performs a predetermined process on the substrate in the processing chamber. A substrate processing apparatus having the configuration according to the first aspect.

  In the second aspect, the processing mechanism generates a gas supply mechanism for supplying a processing gas into the processing container, an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the processing container, and plasma of the processing gas in the processing container. And a plasma generation mechanism. The plasma generation mechanism includes the substrate mounting table that functions as a lower electrode, an upper electrode provided to face the substrate mounting table, and a high-frequency power source that applies high-frequency power to the substrate mounting table. be able to.

  According to the present invention, the elevating pin can take the retracted position submerged in the mounting table main body and the supporting position that protrudes from the mounting table main body and supports the substrate. In the support position, since it has a folding part at a surface position of the mounting table main body or a position above it, when a lateral force of a predetermined size smaller than a force that deforms the lifting pin is applied, Even if a lateral force acts on the part of the lifting pin protruding from the surface of the mounting table body, it breaks at the fold before the lifting pin is deformed, so the lifting pin deforms and directly damages the mounting table body. It is possible to prevent the mounting table main body from being damaged by moving up and down while the lifting pins are deformed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a plasma etching apparatus as an example of a processing apparatus provided with a susceptor as a substrate mounting table according to an embodiment of the present invention. The plasma etching apparatus 1 is a cross-sectional view of an apparatus for performing a predetermined process on an FPD glass substrate G, and is configured as a capacitively coupled parallel plate plasma etching apparatus. Here, as FPD, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electroluminescence (Electro Luminescence; EL) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), etc. are illustrated.

  This plasma etching apparatus 1 has a chamber 2 formed into a rectangular tube shape made of aluminum, for example, whose surface is anodized (anodized).

  A susceptor 4 as a substrate mounting table for mounting a glass substrate G as a substrate to be processed is provided at the bottom of the chamber 2. The susceptor 4 includes a susceptor body 4a and lifting pins 30 for loading and unloading the glass substrate G onto the susceptor body 4a.

  The susceptor body 4a is connected to a power supply line 23 for supplying high-frequency power, and a matching unit 24 and a high-frequency power source 25 are connected to the power supply line 23. For example, high frequency power of 13.56 MHz is supplied from the high frequency power supply 25 to the susceptor 4.

  Above the susceptor 4, a shower head 11 that functions as an upper electrode is provided in parallel with the susceptor 4. The shower head 11 is supported on the upper part of the chamber 2, has an internal space 12 inside, and has a plurality of discharge holes 13 for discharging a processing gas on the surface facing the susceptor 4. The shower head 11 is grounded and forms a pair of parallel plate electrodes together with the susceptor 4.

A gas inlet 14 is provided on the upper surface of the shower head 11, and a processing gas supply pipe 15 is connected to the gas inlet 14. A valve 16 and a mass flow controller 17 are connected to the processing gas supply pipe 15. A processing gas supply source 18 is connected to the via. A processing gas for etching is supplied from the processing gas supply source 18. As the processing gas, a gas usually used in this field, such as a halogen-based gas, an O ₂ gas, or an Ar gas, can be used.

  An exhaust pipe 19 is formed at the bottom of the chamber 2, and an exhaust device 20 is connected to the exhaust pipe 19. The exhaust device 20 includes a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump, and is configured so that the inside of the chamber 2 can be evacuated to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere. Further, a substrate loading / unloading port 21 and a gate valve 22 for opening and closing the substrate loading / unloading port 21 are provided on the side wall of the chamber 2, and a load lock chamber adjacent to the substrate G with the gate valve 22 opened. (Not shown).

Next, the susceptor 4 which is a substrate mounting table according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the enlarged view shown in FIG.
As described above, the susceptor 4 includes the susceptor body 4a and the lift pins 30. The susceptor body 4a includes a metal base 5 and an insulating member 6 provided on the periphery of the base 5. Have.

  A spacer member 7 made of an insulator is provided on the bottom wall 2a of the chamber 2 so as to correspond to the peripheral edge of the susceptor body 4a, and the susceptor body 4a is placed thereon. The space between the spacer member 7 and the bottom wall 2a and the space between the spacer member 7 and the susceptor body 4a are hermetically sealed, and an air atmosphere space 31 is formed between the susceptor body 4a and the bottom wall 2a. . The space 31 is insulated from the atmosphere. A plurality of insulating members 32 made of an insulator such as ceramics supporting the susceptor body 4a are embedded in the bottom wall 2a, and bolts 33 inserted into through holes provided vertically at the centers of these insulating members 32. Thus, the bottom wall 2a and the susceptor body 4a are fixed.

  On the upper surface of the susceptor body 4a, that is, on the surface of the base material 5, a plurality of convex portions 5a made of a dielectric material are formed in a protruding shape, and these convex portions 5a are surrounded by the insulating member 6 It has become. The upper surface of the insulating member 6a and the upper surface of the convex portion 5a are the same height, and when the glass substrate G is placed on the susceptor body 4a, the upper surface of the insulating member 6 and the upper surface of the convex portion 5a are in contact with each other. It is said.

  The elevating pin 30 is inserted into a hole 2b provided in the bottom wall of the susceptor 2 and a hole 5b provided in the base material 5 of the susceptor body 4a. As shown in FIG. A total of 13 lines are provided, 10 at the corresponding positions and 3 at the center. The elevating pins 30 are moved up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown). When the glass substrate G is not being transported during processing or the like, the elevating pins 30 are located at a retracted position immersed in the susceptor body 4a and At the time of loading and unloading, as shown in FIG. 2, the glass substrate G is positioned at a support position where it protrudes upward from the surface of the susceptor body 4a. A conductive stopper 60 is screwed to the lower end of the elevating pin 30. A conductive bellows 62 is provided between the stopper 60 and the susceptor body 4a to block the vacuum atmosphere and the air atmosphere. Therefore, when the elevating pin 30 is conductive, the elevating pin 30 is electrically connected to the susceptor body 4a via the bellows 62 and the stopper 60 and is held at the same potential. An insulating member 61 is provided under the stopper 60.

  When the lift pin 30 is in the support position, a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than the force by which the lift pin 30 deforms is applied to the surface position of the susceptor body 4a or a position slightly above it. It has the folding part 35 which bends when added to the protruding part.

  That is, the lifting pin 30 has a lower member 30a and an upper member 30b, and these are bonded to each other at the folding portion 35. Then, when a load (force) greater than or equal to a predetermined value is applied to the elevating pins 30, the folding pins 35 are bent.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the folding portion 35 has a convex portion 37 provided at the center of the lower end portion of the upper member 30b fitted in a concave portion 36 provided at the center of the upper end portion of the lower member 30a, and An adhesive layer 38 is formed between the bottom surface of the recess 36 and the tip of the projection 37. By adjusting the height of the concave portion 36 and the convex portion 37, the area of the adhesive layer 38, and the like, the minimum value of the force when folding from the folding portion 35 can be adjusted. Thereby, when the glass substrate G is moved up and down, the folding portion 35 can be operated as usual without being deformed. However, when a force exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the lifting pins 30 from the side, the folding portion It can be broken from 35.

  A maintenance part 39 for applying a tool such as a spanner at the time of maintenance such as attachment / removal of the elevating pin 30 is provided immediately below the folding part 35. Conventionally, this type of maintenance is performed at a support position for supporting the glass substrate G. Therefore, when the glass substrate G is at the support position, the maintenance unit 39 has a susceptor body 4a as shown in FIG. Need to be above the surface of the. If such a state is applied to this embodiment, the folding part 35 will be in a position considerably above the surface of the susceptor body 4a. However, ideally, the folding position of the lifting pins is closer to the surface of the susceptor body 4a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), at the support position, the preferred position is secured by setting the height of the fold 35 to be slightly higher than the surface height of the susceptor body 4a. In the above, a maintenance position which is further raised from the support position as a further stop position of the lifting pin 30 is newly provided, and the lifting pin 30 is positioned at this maintenance position as shown in FIG. The maintenance part 39 is positioned above the surface of the susceptor body 4a to enable maintenance of the lift pins 30. Of course, as in the prior art, the lifting pins may be attached and detached at the support position only in two positions, the retracted position and the support position.

  The shape of the folding portion 35 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4, and a small area is obtained as a combination of a mortar-shaped concave portion 36 'and a truncated cone-shaped convex portion 37' as shown in FIG. It may be an adhesive layer 38 '. Further, as long as there is no hindrance to the operation of the elevating pin 30, only the recess 36 and the protrusion 37 may be fitted as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the folded portion 35 may be formed of only the planar adhesive layer 38 ″.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the folding portion 35 has a structure in which a flexible member 34 made of, for example, resin that can be bent (or bent) is interposed between the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b. You may comprise so that the bending member 34 may deform | transform and bend from the folding part 35. FIG. In this case, in order to improve the adhesion between the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b and the flexible member 34, protrusions 45 and 46 are formed at the ends of the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b, respectively. The flexible member 34 can be provided so that 45 and 46 are embedded. The flexible member 34 may be molded integrally with the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b, or may be bonded to the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b with an adhesive or the like after molding.

  The material constituting the lower member 30a is preferably a metal material such as stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of securely attaching the elevating pin 30 to an attachment portion (not shown) below the chamber 2. Further, the upper member 30b is preferably a resin member from the viewpoint of preventing troubles caused by rubbing with the susceptor body 4a in the hole 5b.

  However, from the viewpoint of performing a uniform etching process on the substrate surface, it is assumed that the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b of the elevating pin 30 have conductivity, and the lower member 30a from the tip of the upper member 30b via the folding member 35. From the viewpoint, the upper member 30b is made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS), and the adhesive layer 38 is electrically connected to the lower end of the susceptor body 4a. It is preferable to use a conductive adhesive, and it is preferable to use a conductive resin as the flexible member 34. Further, when the flexible member 34 is bonded to the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b with an adhesive, it is preferable to use a conductive adhesive as the adhesive. By making the lifting pins 30 conductive in this way, as described above, the lifting pins 30 are electrically connected to the susceptor body 4a via the conductive bellows 62 and the stopper 60, and have the same potential as the susceptor body 4a. Become. In addition, by configuring the upper member 30b with a conductive resin, it is possible to achieve both trouble prevention and etching uniformity due to rubbing with the susceptor body 4a. Of course, part or all of the lifting pins 30 may be made of an insulating material, and the adhesive that bonds the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b may be insulative. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper member 30b includes a core material 40 made of stainless steel (SUS) and a normal resin material 41 wound around the upper member 30b, and the upper member 30b is also rubbed with the susceptor body 4a. Both trouble prevention and etching uniformity can be achieved.

Next, the processing operation in the plasma etching apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.
First, a glass substrate G as a substrate to be processed is carried into a chamber 2 through a substrate loading / unloading port 21 by a transfer arm (not shown) from a load lock chamber (not shown), and on the susceptor body 4a, that is, the susceptor body 4a. It is placed on the protrusion 5a made of a dielectric material and the insulating member 6 formed on the surface. In this case, the elevating pins 30 protrude upward and are positioned at the support position, and transfer the glass substrate G on the transfer arm onto the elevating pins 30. Thereafter, the lift pins 30 are lowered to place the glass substrate G on the susceptor body 4a.

  Thereafter, the gate valve 22 is closed, and the inside of the chamber 2 is evacuated to a predetermined vacuum level by the exhaust device 20. Then, the valve 16 is opened, and the processing gas from the processing gas supply source 18 is adjusted by the mass flow controller 17, and the internal space 12 of the shower head 11 passes through the processing gas supply pipe 15 and the gas inlet 14. Then, the liquid is uniformly discharged to the substrate G through the discharge holes 13, and the inside of the chamber 2 is controlled to a predetermined pressure while adjusting the exhaust amount.

  In this state, high frequency power is applied from the high frequency power supply 25 to the susceptor body 4a via the matching unit 24, and a high frequency electric field is generated between the susceptor 4 as the lower electrode and the shower head 11 as the upper electrode, thereby processing gas. And the glass substrate G is etched by this plasma.

  After performing the etching process in this manner, the application of the high frequency power from the high frequency power supply 25 is stopped, the introduction of the processing gas is stopped, the pressure in the chamber 2 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, and the glass is lifted by the lift pins 30. The substrate G is raised to the support position. In this state, the gate valve 22 is opened, a transfer arm (not shown) is inserted into the chamber 2, and the glass substrate G on the lift pins 30 is transferred to the transfer arm. Then, the glass substrate G is unloaded from the chamber 2 to the load lock chamber (not shown) through the substrate loading / unloading port 21.

  In the above processing, when the glass substrate G is carried in and out, the elevating pin 30 is positioned at the support position protruding from the surface of the susceptor body 4a. In such a case, the transfer arm or the like is used as the elevating pin. Collisional accidents can occur and lateral forces can be exerted. In the case where the force at that time is of a magnitude that deforms the lifting pin, conventionally, the lifting pin 30 is deformed by the force at that time and directly damages the susceptor body 4a, or the lifting pin 30 There was a situation in which the susceptor body 4a was damaged by continuing to use it while being deformed. On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, the folding portion 35 that is folded when a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than the force that deforms the lifting pin 30 is applied to the protruding portion of the lifting pin 30 is provided. Since it is formed, the lift pin 30 is bent at the bent portion 35 before the lift pin 30 is deformed, and the lift pin 30 is not deformed. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the susceptor body 4a from being damaged.

Next, another example of the structure of the lifting pins 30 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another example of the lifting pins. In this example, the elevating pin 30 further includes a coil spring 43 as a compression force applying member that applies a compression force between the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b. The coil spring 43 is provided in a recess 44 formed in the upper part of the lower member 30a, and one end is attached to the lower member 30a and the other end is attached to the upper member 30b. In the normal state shown in FIG. 9A, the coil spring 43 is accommodated in the recessed portion 44 in a tensioned state, and the spring force at this time causes a gap between the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b. A compressive force is given to. Therefore, during the normal lifting operation of the lifting pin 30, it is possible to perform the lifting operation without causing deformation or the like due to the compressive force.

  Even in the case of the lifting pin 30 of this example, the lifting pin 30 is designed to be folded at the folding portion 35 when a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than the force by which the lifting pin 30 is deformed is applied. Specifically, when a lateral force is applied to the elevating pin 30 so that a force larger than the compressive force between the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b acts between them, the folding portion 35 Since it bends, the tension of the spring is adjusted so that the force at that time is smaller than the force by which the elevating pin 30 is deformed. As a result, when a predetermined lateral force is applied to the elevating pin 30, it is folded at the folding portion 35 as shown in FIG. 9B.

Next, still another example of the structure of the lifting pins 30 will be described.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing still another example of the lifting pins. In this example, the elevating pin 30 is lowered in a state in which a biasing force is applied to the upper member 30b and a coil spring 51 as a biasing force applying member that applies a biasing force that biases the upper member 30b upward. It further has a resin-made connecting member 52 that connects the member 30a and the upper member 30b.

  A recess 53 that opens upward is formed at the upper end of the lower member 30a, and a recess 54 that opens downward is formed at the lower end of the upper member 30b. In addition, a step portion 54a is provided on the upper portion of the concave portion 54, and a portion above the step portion 54a is a large-diameter portion 54b. The connecting member 52 has a screw portion 52a at the lower end portion and an umbrella-shaped engaging portion 52b at the upper end portion. The coil spring 51 is fitted into the outer periphery of the recess 53, the lower part of the connecting member 52 is inserted into the center of the recess 53, and is screwed to the lower member 30a by the screw portion 52a. The upper part of the connecting member 52 is fitted into the recess 54, the engaging part 52b is inserted into the large diameter part 54a, and the engaging part 52b is engaged with the step part 54a. An annular pressing portion 55 is formed at the lower end of the upper member 30b so as to correspond to the coil spring 51. When the lower member 30a and the upper member 30b are connected, the pressing portion 55 compresses the coil spring 51. The biasing force is exerted on the upper member 30b.

  When the load of the glass substrate G is not applied to the elevating pins 30, the upper member 30b is urged upward by the coil spring 51 as shown in FIG. The lift pins 30 can be stably moved up and down without being deformed by the engagement with the engagement portions 52b of 52. When the load of the glass substrate G is applied, the coil spring is compressed and the engagement between the engaging portion 52b and the stepped portion 54a is released as shown in FIG. As long as no force is applied, a stable lifting operation can be performed.

  Even in the case of the lifting pin 30 of this example, the lifting pin 30 is designed to be folded at the folding portion 35 when a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than the force by which the lifting pin 30 is deformed is applied. Specifically, when a lateral force is applied to the elevating pin 30 so that a force larger than the urging force exerted on the upper member 30b is applied to the elevating pin 30, the step portion 54a and the engaging portion 52b Since it is considered that the engagement is disengaged and the folding part 35 breaks, the biasing force of the spring is adjusted so that the force at that time becomes smaller than the force by which the elevating pin 30 is deformed. Thus, when a predetermined lateral force is exerted on the elevating pin 30, it is folded at the folding portion 35 as shown in FIG.

  In the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10, it goes without saying that the upper member 30b can be made of a conductive resin in order to ensure conductivity, or can have a structure as shown in FIG.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible.
For example, in this embodiment, an example in which the substrate mounting table of the present invention is applied to a susceptor as a lower electrode in an RIE type capacitively coupled parallel plate plasma etching apparatus that applies high-frequency power to the lower electrode has been described. The present invention can be applied not only to other plasma processing apparatuses such as ashing and CVD film formation, but also to a type that supplies high-frequency power to the upper electrode. Also good. Further, the present invention is not limited to plasma processing, and can be applied to other processing apparatuses.

  Moreover, as a raising / lowering pin, what is necessary is just to have a folding part which bends when the horizontal force of the predetermined magnitude | size smaller than the force which a raising / lowering pin deform | transforms is applied, The structure of a folding part is the said embodiment. It is not limited to. For example, as long as such a condition is satisfied, the folded portion may simply be a notch.

  Further, the substrate to be processed is not limited to the FPD glass substrate G but may be another substrate such as a semiconductor wafer.

Sectional drawing which shows the plasma etching apparatus which is an example of the processing apparatus provided with the susceptor as a substrate mounting base concerning one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which expands and shows the susceptor in the processing apparatus of FIG. The top view for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the raising / lowering pin in a susceptor main body. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the raising / lowering pin used for the susceptor as a substrate mounting base concerning one Embodiment of this invention. Schematic for demonstrating the maintenance method of the raising / lowering pin in the susceptor of this embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the modification of the folding part in the raising / lowering pin of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the other example of the folding part in the raising / lowering pin of FIG. The figure which shows the modification of the raising / lowering pin of FIG. The figure which shows the other example of the structure of a raising / lowering pin. The figure which shows the further another example of the structure of a raising / lowering pin.

Explanation of symbols

1: Processing equipment (plasma etching equipment)
2; Chamber (processing container)
3; Insulating plate 4; Susceptor (substrate mounting table)
4a: Susceptor body (mounting table body)
5; base material 5a; convex portion 6; insulating member 7; spacer member 11; shower head (gas supply means)
20; exhaust device 25; high-frequency power supply (plasma generating means)
30; Lift pin 30a; Lower member 30b; Upper member 34; Flexible member 35; Folded portions 36 and 36 '; Recessed portions 37 and 37';; Core material 41; resin material 43; coil spring (compressive force applying member)
44; recess 51; coil spring (biasing force applying member)
52; connecting member 52b; engaging portion 54a; stepped portion 55; pressing portion G; glass substrate

Claims (23)

A substrate mounting table for mounting a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus,
A mounting table body;
It is vertically inserted with respect to the mounting table main body, is provided so as to be able to move up and down so as to project and sink with respect to the surface of the mounting table main body, and includes a lifting pin that supports and lifts the substrate at its tip.
The elevating pin can take a retracted position submerged in the mounting table main body and a support position that protrudes from the mounting table main body and supports the substrate. A substrate mounting table having a folding part that is folded when a lateral force having a predetermined magnitude smaller than a force by which the lifting pins are deformed is applied at a surface position or a position above it.   The substrate mounting table according to claim 1, wherein the elevating pin includes a lower member that forms a lower part than the folding part and an upper member that forms an upper part than the folding part.   3. The substrate mounting table according to claim 2, wherein the elevating pin is configured by fitting the lower member and the upper member, and the fitting portion functions as the folding portion.   The substrate mounting table according to claim 2, wherein the elevating pin is configured by bonding the lower member and the upper member, and the bonded portion functions as the folding portion.   The said raising / lowering pin is comprised by the flexible member which can bend and deform | transform between the said lower member and the said upper member, The said flexible member functions as the said folding part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The substrate mounting table according to 2.   The elevating pin is configured such that the lower member and the upper member are fitted to each other, and at least a part of the fitting portion is bonded, and the fitting portion and the bonding portion function as the folding portion. The substrate mounting table according to claim 2, wherein:   The elevating pin further includes a compressive force applying member that applies a compressive force between the lower member and the upper member, and when the lateral force of the predetermined magnitude is applied to the elevating pin, The substrate mounting table according to claim 2, wherein the folding part is folded by releasing the compressive force.   The substrate mounting table according to claim 7, wherein the compressive force applying member is a coil spring.   The elevating pin connects the lower member and the upper member in a state in which a biasing force is applied to the upper member, and a biasing force imparting member that biases the upper member upward. The connecting member is further provided, and when the lateral force of the predetermined magnitude is applied to the elevating pin, the connection of the connecting member is released and the folding portion is folded. 2. The substrate mounting table according to 2.   The biasing force applying member is a coil spring, and the connecting member includes a fixed portion fixed to the lower member and a locking portion for locking the upper member when a biasing force is applied to the upper member. 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein when the lateral force of the predetermined magnitude is applied to the elevating pin, the locking portion is released and the folding portion is folded. Substrate mounting table.   The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 2 to 10, wherein the lower member is made of metal, and the upper member is made of resin.   The lower member and the upper member have conductivity, and are connected so as to be electrically conducted from the tip of the upper member to the lower end of the lower member via the folding portion. The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 2 to 10.   13. The substrate mounting table according to claim 12, wherein a conductive adhesive is used as an adhesive portion when the folded portion has an adhesive portion between the upper member and the lower member. The lower member and the upper member have conductivity,
The substrate mounting table according to claim 5, wherein the flexible member is made of a conductive resin.   The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the lower member and the upper member are both formed of metal.   The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the lower member is made of metal, and the upper member is made of a conductive resin.   15. The substrate mounting table according to claim 12, wherein the upper member includes a metal core and a resin member that covers an outer side of the metal core. 15.   The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the elevating pins have the same potential as the mounting table main body.   The substrate mounting table according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the processing apparatus performs plasma processing, and the mounting table main body functions as a lower electrode.   20. The substrate mounting table according to claim 1, wherein the elevating pin can take a maintenance position that is higher than the support position. A processing container for containing a substrate;
A substrate mounting table provided in the processing container and on which a substrate is mounted;
A processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process on the substrate in the processing chamber;
21. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate mounting table has a configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 20.   The processing mechanism includes a gas supply mechanism that supplies a processing gas into the processing container, an exhaust mechanism that exhausts the processing container, and a plasma generation mechanism that generates plasma of the processing gas in the processing container. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 21.   The plasma generation mechanism includes the substrate mounting table that functions as a lower electrode, an upper electrode provided to face the substrate mounting table, and a high-frequency power source that applies high-frequency power to the substrate mounting table. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 22.

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