JP2010092914A - Surface treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface treatment apparatus separating a nozzle of the surface treatment apparatus from a treatment chamber and preventing a gas in the treatment chamber from leaking to the outside through between the periphery of an installation port of the treatment chamber and the nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: The treatment chamber 10 surrounds a treatment space 19 of an object 9 to be treated. The nozzle 20 is made to face the treatment space 19 via an installation port 13 of the processing chamber 10, and a processing gas is supplied to the treatment space 19. The nozzle 20 is made to be separable or movable for the treatment chamber 10. A portion between an installation port peripheral edge 14 of the treatment chamber 10 and the nozzle 20 is hermetically sealed by a circular sealing member 30. Preferably, the sealing member 30 is made into a sheet having flexibility and elasticity and stretched over the circular space 13a formed by the installation port peripheral edge 14 and the nozzle 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating a surface of a workpiece by bringing the treatment gas into contact with the surface of the workpiece, and in particular, a surface suitable for treatment using a treatment gas having environmental impact, toxicity, or corrosivity. The present invention relates to a processing apparatus.

An apparatus for spraying a processing gas onto an object to be processed such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer and performing a surface treatment such as etching, cleaning, surface modification, and film formation is known. The processing gas used for this type of surface treatment often contains components that are not preferable in terms of safety or environment when leaked to the outside. Therefore, in general, the processing space is surrounded by a processing tank (chamber) to prevent the processing gas from leaking to the outside.
JP 2003-142298 A

  A nozzle for supplying a processing gas is provided in the processing tank. Nozzles are likely to be contaminated or damaged, and need to be maintained at a certain frequency. Therefore, it is preferable to have a structure in which the nozzle can be easily separated or moved from the processing tank. For example, it is conceivable that an installation port is provided in the treatment tank and the nozzle is detachably installed in the installation port. However, if there is a gap between the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle, the gas in the processing tank may leak outside through the gap.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a surface by bringing a processing gas into contact with the surface of an object to be processed disposed in a processing space.
A treatment tank having an installation port and surrounding the treatment space;
A nozzle that faces the processing space through the installation port, supplies a processing gas to the processing space, and is separable or movable with respect to the processing tank;
An annular seal member that hermetically seals between the nozzle and the peripheral edge of the installation port of the treatment tank;
It is provided with.
According to this characteristic configuration, the seal member can seal between the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle, and the gas in the processing tank is prevented from leaking outside through the space between the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle. it can. In the maintenance of the nozzle, the maintenance can be facilitated by separating or moving the nozzle from the processing tank.

The sealing member is preferably in the form of a sheet having flexibility and stretchability.
The seal member is stretched over an annular space formed by the peripheral portion of the installation port and the nozzle, and the peripheral portion on one end side in the width direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the seal member is the installation port of the treatment tank It is preferable that the peripheral edge of the other end side in the width direction of the seal member is in contact with the nozzle.
Even if the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle are somewhat apart, the seal member can be stretched between the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle, and the space between the treatment tank and the nozzle can be reliably sealed. By separating the peripheral edge of the installation port from the nozzle, it is possible to facilitate the installation of the nozzle in the processing tank and the separation from the processing tank. Furthermore, it is possible to easily adjust the position of the nozzle with respect to the treatment tank. Even if the position of the nozzle is adjusted, the sealing state between the peripheral edge of the installation port and the nozzle can be maintained by the expansion and contraction of the seal member.

The seal member is supported by one of the treatment tank and the nozzle (hereinafter referred to as “first element”) and separated from the other of the treatment tank and the nozzle (hereinafter referred to as “second element”). Preferably it is possible. It is preferable to further include (first) urging means that presses a peripheral edge of the seal member on the second element side against the second element.
Thereby, the seal | sticker between the peripheral part by the side of the 2nd element of a sealing member and a 2nd element can fully be ensured, and the gas in a processing tank is the peripheral part by the side of the 2nd element of a sealing member, and a 2nd element. It is possible to prevent leakage from between the outside. In the maintenance of the nozzle, if the sealing member is separated from the second element, the sealing member does not hinder the separation or movement of the nozzle from the processing tank. The seal member can be supported by the first element. The first urging means may be provided in the first element or in the second element.

It is preferable that a peripheral edge of the seal member on the second element side is held by a holding frame.
Thereby, the shape of the peripheral part by the side of the 2nd element of a flexible sheet-like sealing member can be hold | maintained, and it can prevent that a sealing member droops even in the state which isolate | separated or moved the nozzle from the processing tank.

Preferably, the first element is provided with a connecting portion that connects the holding frame so as to be displaceable in an urging direction of the first urging means.
By allowing the connecting portion to displace the holding frame, the peripheral portion of the seal member on the second element side can be surely pressed against the second element. In a state where the nozzle is separated or moved from the processing tank, it is possible to reliably prevent the end portion on the second element side of the seal member from drooping.

It is preferable that the first urging means includes an elastic member provided between the connecting portion and the holding frame.
Thereby, the peripheral part on the second element side of the seal member can be reliably pressed against the second element by the elastic force of the elastic member, and the gap between the peripheral part on the second element side of the seal member and the second element can be Can be sealed reliably. Examples of the elastic member include a spring such as a coil spring and a leaf spring, and elastic rubber. The first biasing means is not limited to being provided between the connecting portion and the holding frame, and may be provided in the first element or may be provided in the second element.

The first element may be a nozzle and the second element may be a treatment tank. In this case, the seal member is connected to or supported by the nozzle. When the nozzle is separated or moved from the processing tank, the seal member is separated from the processing tank together with the nozzle.
The first element may be a treatment tank and the second element may be a nozzle. In this case, the seal member is connected to or supported by the treatment tank. When the nozzle is separated or moved from the processing tank, the seal member is left together with the processing tank.

The apparatus further includes a roller conveyor that carries an object to be processed into the processing tank and places it in the processing space, and then unloads it from the processing tank, wherein at least a part of the roller shaft of the roller conveyor is inside the processing tank. And the end of the roller shaft is preferably connected to a drive system disposed outside the processing tank. On the wall intersecting with the roller shaft of the treatment tank, a notch recess reaching the peripheral edge of the installation port is formed, and the first closing member is fitted into the notch recess so as to be displaceable in the depth direction of the notch recess, A first insertion hole through which the roller shaft is inserted is formed in the first closing member, and further, a second urging means for urging the first closing member in a direction protruding from a peripheral edge portion of the installation port is provided. It is preferable.
An object to be processed can be conveyed by rotating the roller shaft by the drive system. Since the drive system is disposed outside the processing tank, it need not be made of a material having high resistance to the processing gas. The notch recess can be closed to some extent by fitting the first closing member into the notch recess provided for passing the roller shaft through the wall of the treatment tank. Furthermore, the first closing member can be pressed against the seal member covering the peripheral edge of the installation port by urging the first closing member in a direction protruding from the peripheral edge of the installation port by the second urging means. . Thereby, between the 1st closure member and a sealing member can be sealed reliably, and it can prevent that the gas in a processing tank leaks outside from between the 1st closure member and a sealing member.

The first closing member or the roller shaft is provided with a second closing member, a second insertion hole for inserting the roller shaft into the second closing member is formed, and the second insertion hole is defined as the first insertion hole. It is preferable that a portion smaller than the insertion hole and the periphery of the second insertion hole of the second closing member substantially block between the inner peripheral surface of the first insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft.
Thereby, it can prevent or suppress that the gas inside a processing tank leaks from between the internal peripheral surface of a 2nd penetration hole, and the outer peripheral surface of a roller shaft. By enlarging the first insertion hole, it is possible to avoid interference between the first closing member and the roller shaft even if the first closing member is displaced in the depth direction of the notch recess. The second closing member is preferably disposed on the outer surface of the first closing member. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the second closing member from coming into contact with the gas inside the processing tank, and it is not necessary to configure the second closing member with a material resistant to the processing gas, and the degree of freedom of material selection of the second closing member is increased. It can be secured. “Substantially blocked” means that the roller shaft can be inserted into the second insertion hole between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft, or the rotation of the roller shaft is allowed. This clearance is necessary, and the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the first insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft is open by this clearance.

The roller shaft has a bearing that supports the second closing member by cutting the second closing member from the rotation of the roller shaft and aligning the axis of the second insertion hole with the axis of the roller shaft. It is preferable to be provided.
By the bearing, the second insertion hole can be centered with high accuracy with respect to the axis of the roller shaft. Accordingly, the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft can be set to be extremely small while avoiding the roller shaft during rotation from rubbing against the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole. The gas in the treatment tank can be sufficiently prevented from leaking between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft. Since the second closing member is supported by the roller shaft via the bearing, even if the first closing member is displaced, the second closing member can be kept centered with respect to the roller shaft. Therefore, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the second closing member in accordance with the displacement of the first closing member. “Edge cutting” means that the rotational force of the roller shaft is not transmitted to the second closing member. The second closing member can be stably installed by the edge cutting.

It is preferable to further include third urging means for urging the first closing member and the second closing member so as to press each other.
By the urging of the third urging means, the first and second closing members can be brought into close contact with each other, and the sealing performance between the both closing members can be ensured. The third urging means may be provided on the roller conveyor, may be provided on the first closing member, may be provided on the second closing member, or may be provided on the processing tank.

It is preferable that the apparatus further includes nozzle moving means for moving the nozzle between an installation position installed in the processing tank so as to face the processing space and a separated position away from the processing tank.
Thereby, a nozzle can be easily separated or moved from a processing tank, and can be easily installed in a processing tank.

It is preferable that the nozzle is supported by nozzle support means different from the processing tank.
Thereby, a nozzle can be easily separated or moved from a processing tank. Since the treatment tank does not need to support the nozzle, the required strength can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the nozzle can be easily maintained by separating or moving the nozzle from the processing tank. In the surface treatment, it is possible to prevent the gas in the processing tank from leaking outside through the gap between the peripheral edge of the processing tank installation port and the nozzle.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. The to-be-processed object 9 of this embodiment is comprised with the glass substrate for flat panel displays. The content of the surface treatment is etching of silicon (not shown) coated on the surface of the glass substrate 9. In addition, the to-be-processed object 9 of this invention is not limited to the glass substrate for flat panel displays, For example, it can apply to various to-be-processed objects, such as a semiconductor wafer and a continuous sheet-like resin film. The surface treatment content of the present invention is not limited to etching of silicon, but can be applied to etching of silicon oxide and silicon nitride, and is not limited to etching, but includes various film formation, cleaning, water repellency, hydrophilization, and the like. It can be applied to surface treatment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface treatment apparatus 1 includes a treatment tank 10 and a nozzle 20.
The processing tank 10 has a container shape with a size that allows the workpiece 9 to be disposed therein. The processing tank 10 is comprised with the material with high tolerance with respect to process gas. In this embodiment, a fluorine-resistant resin such as Teflon (registered trademark) is used as a material for the treatment tank 10. In addition, the material of the processing tank 10 is not restricted to resin, A metal may be sufficient.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a carry-in opening 11 is provided on the front wall (left side in FIG. 1) of the processing tank 10. A carry-out opening 12 is provided on the rear wall (right side in FIG. 1) of the treatment tank 10. A processing space 19 is formed at a substantially central portion inside the processing tank 10. In other words, the processing tank 10 surrounds the processing space 19. The processing space 19 is defined between the nozzle 20 and the workpiece 9 to be disposed below the nozzle 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a part of a roller conveyor 60 is accommodated inside the processing tank 10 as a means for transporting the workpiece 9. The roller conveyor 60 has a plurality of roller shafts 61. Each roller shaft 61 extends in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1). A roller 62 is provided on the roller shaft 61. The plurality of roller shafts 61 are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. The drive system 63 of the roller conveyor 60 is disposed outside the processing tank 10. The end of the roller shaft 61 penetrates the left and right side walls 15 of the processing tank 10 and protrudes to the outside. The structure where the roller shaft 61 penetrates the side wall 15 will be described in detail later. A drive system 63 is connected to the protruding end of the roller shaft 61. The workpiece 9 is placed on the roller conveyor 60 and conveyed in the direction of the white arrow a in FIG. The workpiece 9 is loaded into the processing tank 10 through the loading opening 11 and placed in the processing space 19, and then unloaded from the processing tank 10 through the loading opening 12.

  An installation port 13 is provided on the upper surface of the processing tank 10. The installation port 13 is rectangular in plan view.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a nozzle 20 is disposed on the upper side of the processing tank 10. The nozzle 20 is arranged with its longitudinal direction facing left and right (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1) and its short direction facing back and forth (left and right in FIG. 1). A nozzle tip 21 at the bottom of the nozzle 20 is inserted into the processing tank 10 through the installation port 13. A frame-like seal fixing portion 22 surrounding the peripheral side portion is provided on the peripheral side portion of the nozzle tip portion 21. The seal fixing part 22 and the peripheral side part of the nozzle tip part 21 are separated from the peripheral edge part 14 of the installation port 13 of the processing tank 10 to the inner side. An annular space 13 a is formed between the installation port peripheral portion 14 and the seal fastening portion 22. The lower surface (gas blowing surface) of the nozzle tip 21 faces the processing space 19.

  Although illustration is omitted, the surface treatment apparatus 1 is provided with a treatment gas supply source. The processing gas supply source introduces a processing gas containing a reaction component corresponding to the processing content into the nozzle 20 via the processing gas supply path 2. This processing gas is blown out into the processing space 19 from a blowout port on the lower surface of the nozzle tip 21.

The reaction components in the processing gas often have environmental impact, toxicity, or corrosivity. The processing gas according to the present embodiment relating to silicon etching includes a fluorine-based reaction component and an oxidizing reaction component as reaction components. Examples of the fluorine-based reaction component include HF, COF ₂ and fluorine radicals. The fluorine-based reaction component can be generated, for example, by humidifying a fluorine-based raw material with water (H ₂ O) and then plasmatizing (including decomposition, excitation, activation, ionization, etc.). In this embodiment, CF ₄ is used as the fluorine-based material. Instead of CF ₄ as the fluorine-based raw material, other PFC (perfluorocarbon) such as C ₂ F ₆ , C ₃ F ₈ , C ₃ F ₈ may be used, and CHF ₃ , CH ₂ F ₂ , CH ₃ F may be used HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) _etc., may be used SF _6, NF 3, XeF fluorine-containing compounds other than PFC and HFC, such as _2.

The fluorine-based raw material may be diluted with a diluent gas. As the dilution gas, for example, a rare gas such as Ar or He or N ₂ is used. Instead of water (H ₂ O), an OH group-containing compound such as alcohol may be used as an additive to the fluorine-based raw material.

Examples of the oxidizing reaction component include O ₃ and O radicals. In this embodiment, O ₃ is used as the oxidizing reaction component. O ₃ can be generated by an ozonizer using oxygen (O ₂ ) as a raw material. The oxidizing reaction component may be generated by converting oxygen-based raw material such as O ₂ into plasma.

Plasma conversion of the fluorine-based material or oxygen-based material can be performed by introducing a gas containing the material into a plasma space between a pair of electrodes of a plasma generation apparatus. The plasmification is preferably performed near atmospheric pressure. Here, the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure refers to a range of 1.013 × 10 ^{4 to} 50.663 × 10 ⁴ Pa, and considering the ease of pressure adjustment and the simplification of the apparatus configuration, 1.333 × 10 ⁴ to 10.664 × 10 ⁴ Pa is preferable, and 9.331 × 10 ^{4 to} 10.9797 × 10 ⁴ Pa is more preferable. The plasma generation apparatus including the pair of electrodes may be incorporated in the processing gas supply source (not shown) or may be incorporated in the nozzle 20.

The processing gas blown from the nozzle 20 is blown to the object 9 to be processed in the processing space 19, and the object 9 is surface-treated. In the etching of silicon, silicon is oxidized by an oxidizing component (such as O ₃ ) in the processing gas, the silicon oxide reacts with a fluorine-based reaction component (such as HF) in the processing gas, and the volatile component SiF ₄ is changed. Generated. Thereby, the silicon layer on the surface of the workpiece 9 can be removed.

  Although illustration is omitted, a local suction port is formed in the vicinity of the processing gas blowing port on the lower surface of the nozzle tip 21. The treated gas is sucked and discharged from this suction port. Further, an exhaust system is connected to the processing tank 10. The gas in the processing tank 10 is discharged by this exhaust system. Along with the exhaust, an external atmospheric gas (air) flows into the processing tank 10 from the carry-in / out openings 11 and 12.

  The nozzle 20 is supported as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, first support beams 23 </ b> A are provided on both sides of the nozzle 20 in the short direction. The support beam 23A extends in the left-right direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 20 (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, second support beams 23 </ b> B are provided on both sides of the nozzle 20 in the longitudinal direction. The support beam 23B extends in the front-rear direction, that is, the short direction of the nozzle 20 (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2). The end of the nozzle 20 in the longitudinal direction is connected to and supported by each support beam 23B. Further, the end of the support beam 23A is placed on the upper surface of the end of the support beam 23B, and the support beams 23A and 23B are connected to each other.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, between the support beam 23B and the nozzle 20, the adjustment means (for example, volt | bolt) for adjusting the height and levelness of the nozzle 20 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, pedestals 3 are respectively provided on the left and right outer sides of the processing tank 10. A support beam 23B is supported on the base 3. As a result, the nozzle 20 is supported by the base 3. Therefore, the load of the nozzle 20 does not act on the processing tank 10. The pedestal 3 constitutes “nozzle support means different from the processing tank” in the claims.

  The nozzle 20 is separable or movable with respect to the processing tank 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the right support beam 23 </ b> B is provided with a hinge 4 whose rotational axis is directed in the front-rear direction (in the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. 2). The nozzle moving means 5 is connected to the left support beam 23B. The nozzle moving means 5 is composed of a telescopic hydraulic cylinder. The expansion and contraction of the nozzle moving means 5 allows the nozzle 20 to rotate between the installation position shown in FIG. 2 and the separation position shown in FIG. 3 with the hinge 4 as a rotation fulcrum. As described above, the nozzle 20 is in a horizontal posture at the installation position, and the lower side portion is inserted into the processing tank 10 from the installation port 13 and faces the processing tank 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle 20 is separated from the processing tank 10 to the upper side in the separated position and assumes an inclined posture, and the nozzle tip 21 is exposed on the processing tank 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface treatment apparatus 1 further includes a seal member 30 that seals between the treatment tank 10 and the nozzle 20. The seal member 30 has a rectangular planar ring shape, and has a sheet shape having flexibility and stretchability. The seal member 30 is made of, for example, a fluorine-resistant resin such as Teflon (registered trademark).

  The seal member 30 airtightly seals between the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 and the nozzle 20. The seal member 30 is stretched over the annular space 13 a between the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 of the processing tank 10 and the nozzle tip portion 21. The outer edge of the seal member 30 (the peripheral edge on one end in the width direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction) is in contact with the installation port peripheral edge 14 of the treatment tank 10. An inner edge portion (a peripheral edge portion on the other end side in the width direction) of the seal member 30 is in contact with the nozzle 20.

The attachment structure of the seal member 30 will be further described in detail.
The inner edge portion of the seal member 30 is fixed to and supported by the seal fixing portion 22 of the nozzle 20 over the entire circumference. (The nozzle 20 is the “first element” in the claims. The inner edge of the seal member 30 is the “periphery on the first element side”.)

  The outer edge portion of the seal member 30 is disposed along the installation port peripheral edge portion 14. The outer edge portion of the seal member 30 is separable from the processing tank 10. (The processing tank 10 is the “second element” in the claims. The outer edge of the seal member 30 is the “peripheral edge on the second element side”.)

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer edge portion (peripheral edge portion on the second element side) of the seal member 30 is held by a holding frame 31. The holding frame 31 has a pair of long frame portions 31 a and a pair of short frame portions 31 b, and has a quadrangular annular shape along the outer edge portion of the seal member 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the long frame portion 31 a extends along the front and rear edges of the seal member 30 in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the short frame portion 31 b extends along the left and right edges of the seal member 30 in the front-rear direction (in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). The outer edge portion of the seal member 30 is fixed to the lower surface of the holding frame 31 over the entire circumference.

  Furthermore, the holding frame 31 is connected to the nozzle 20 so as to be movable up and down. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a connecting portion 24 is provided on the outer surface of the support beam 23A. Although detailed illustration is omitted, a plurality of the connecting portions 24 are provided at intervals in the extending direction of the support beam 23A (direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1). A supported pin 32 is vertically provided on the upper surface of the long frame portion 31a. A plurality of the supported pins 32 are provided at intervals in the extending direction of the long frame portion 31a (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and in one-to-one correspondence with the connecting portion 24. Each supported pin 32 penetrates the corresponding connecting portion 24 so as to be slidable up and down. As a result, the holding frame 31 is supported by the connecting portion 24 via the supported pins 32 so as to be vertically displaceable. A large-diameter retaining portion 32 a is provided at the upper end portion of the supported pin 32 so that the supported pin 32 does not fall out of the connecting portion 24. As a result, the holding frame 31 is not separated from the nozzle 20.

  A compression coil spring 33 (elastic member, biasing means) is interposed between the connecting portion 24 and the long frame portion 31a in a compressed state. A supported pin 32 is passed through the compression coil spring 33. The long frame portion 31 a is pressed downward by the compression coil spring 33. Accordingly, the front and rear edge portions of the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 are pressed against the front and rear edge portions of the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 with elasticity.

  Although illustration is omitted, similarly, between the short frame portion 31b and the support beam 23B, the connecting portion 24 that connects the short frame portion 31b to be vertically displaceable, and the short frame portion 31b are urged downward. A compression coil spring 33 is provided, and the left and right edge portions of the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 are pressed against the left and right edge portions of the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 with elasticity.

Furthermore, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the following seal structures are provided in the location which cross | intersects the roller shaft 61 in the processing tank 10. FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the left and right side walls 15 of the processing tank 10 are formed with notch recesses 16 at locations corresponding to the roller shafts 61. The notch recess 16 extends downward from the upper end edge (installation port peripheral edge portion 14) of the side wall 15 and has a U shape in plan view. As shown in FIG. 6, a step 16 d is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the notch recess 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first closing member 51 is fitted into the cutout recess 16 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction (depth direction of the cutout recess 16). The first closing member 51 is substantially flat. As shown in FIG. 6, a step 51 d is formed on the side end surface of the first closing member 51. The step 51 d of the first closing member 51 is fitted with the step 16 d of the notch recess 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a spring receiving portion 55 is integrally provided on the outer surface of the first closing member 51. Both end portions of the spring receiving portion 55 protrude from both side surfaces of the first closing member 51. Spring seats 56 are provided on both sides of the notch recess 16 on the outer surface of the side wall 15. The spring seat 56 is located below the spring receiving portion 55. A compression coil spring 53 (second urging means) is provided between the spring receiving portion 55 and the spring seat 56. An accommodation recess 55 c that accommodates the upper end portion of the compression coil spring 53 is formed on the lower surface of the spring receiving portion 55. A housing recess 56 c that houses the lower end of the compression coil spring 53 is formed on the upper surface of the spring seat 56. Due to the compression coil spring 53, a displacement force in the upward direction (direction protruding from the installation port peripheral edge portion 14) acts on the spring receiving portion 55 and thus the first closing member 51. Accordingly, the upper end portion of the first closing member 51 is pressed against the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 with elasticity.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a first insertion hole 51 c is formed in the first closing member 51. The inner diameter of the first insertion hole 51 c is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the roller shaft 61. The roller shaft 61 is inserted through the first insertion hole 51c.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a second closing member 52 is provided on the outer surface of the first closing member 51. The second closing member 52 includes a disk-shaped closing plate 52a and a peripheral wall 52b protruding outward from the peripheral edge of the closing plate 52a. As shown in FIG. 5, a second insertion hole 52c is formed in the center of the closing plate 52a. The second insertion hole 52c has a smaller diameter than the first insertion hole 51c. The roller shaft 61 is inserted through the second insertion hole 52c. A slight clearance (for example, about 0.1 mm) that allows the rotation of the roller shaft 61 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 52 c and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft 61. A portion around the second insertion hole 52c of the blocking plate 52a protrudes radially inward from the inner peripheral surface of the first insertion hole 51c, and an annular shape between the inner peripheral surface of the first insertion hole 51c and the roller shaft 61 is formed. The space is almost closed from the outside.

  A bearing 54 is accommodated in the peripheral wall 52b. The inner ring of the bearing 54 is in contact with the roller shaft 61. The outer ring of the bearing 54 is in contact with the peripheral wall 52b. The second closing member 52 is supported on the roller shaft 61 via the bearing 54. The second closing member 52 is cut off from the rotation of the roller shaft 61 by the bearing 54. Moreover, the second closing member 52 is centered by the bearing 54 so that the axis of the second insertion hole 52 c matches the axis of the roller shaft 61.

A compression coil spring 57 (third urging means) is provided between a bearing 64 provided at the outer end of the roller shaft 61 and the bearing 54. A roller shaft 61 is inserted through the compression coil spring 57. Both ends of the compression coil spring 57 are abutted against the inner rings of the bearings 54 and 64, respectively. The bearing 54 is pushed by the compression coil spring 57 in a direction away from the outer end bearing 64. As a result, the second closing member 52 is pushed toward the first closing member 51 via the bearing 54. Thereby, the second closing member 52 is pressed against the outer surface of the first closing member 51. (The closing members 51 and 52 are biased so as to press each other). Further, the step 51 d of the first closing member 51 is pressed against the step 16 d of the notch recess 16.
Note that both end portions of the compression coil spring 57 may be abutted against the outer ring instead of the inner rings of the bearings 54 and 64. One end of the compression coil spring 73 may be directly abutted against the second closing member 52 without using the bearing 54.

  According to the surface treatment apparatus 1 configured as described above, the workpiece 9 is carried into the treatment tank 10 from the carry-in opening 11 by the roller conveyor 60 and introduced into the treatment space 19. Further, the processing gas is supplied from the nozzle 20 to the processing space 19. This processing gas comes into contact with the workpiece 9 and surface processing such as etching is performed. The processed object 9 after processing passes through the unloading opening 12 and is unloaded from the processing tank 10. A plurality of objects to be processed 9 are arranged in a row on the roller conveyor 60 at intervals, and are sequentially carried into the treatment tank 10 and subjected to surface treatment, and then carried out of the treatment tank 10.

  By sealing the annular space 13a between the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 and the nozzle 20 with the sealing member 30, the gas in the processing tank 10 can be prevented from leaking outside through the annular space 13a. Since the sealing member 30 is in the form of a sheet, the sealing member 30 is stretched between the installation port peripheral part 14 and the nozzle 20 even if the installation port peripheral part 14 and the nozzle 20 are largely separated from each other. Between 20 can be surely sealed. The outer edge portion (peripheral edge portion on the second element side) of the sheet-like seal member 30 can be held by the holding frame 31. Therefore, the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 can be easily arranged along the installation port peripheral edge portion 14. A sufficient sealing property can be ensured by pressing the compression coil spring 33 between the outer edge portion (peripheral portion on the second element side) of the seal member 30 and the installation port peripheral portion 14, and the gas in the processing tank 10 is sealed. It is possible to prevent leakage from between the outer edge portion of the member 30 and the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 to the outside.

  A first closing member 51 is provided in the notch recess 16 for penetrating the roller shaft in the side wall 15. The first closing member 51 is urged upward by the compression coil spring 53, and left and right edge portions of the outer edge portion of the seal member 30. It is pressed against. Therefore, the gap between the upper end of the first closing member 51 and the sealing member 30 can be sealed, and the gas in the processing tank 10 can be prevented from leaking from between the first closing member 51 and the sealing member 30 to the outside.

  The cutout recess 16 can be blocked to some extent by the first closing member 51. Furthermore, the annular space between the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 51 c of the first closing member 51 and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft 61 can be sufficiently closed by the second closing member 52. Thereby, the gas inside the processing tank 10 can be prevented from leaking from the first insertion hole 51c. Furthermore, the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 52c of the second closing member 52 and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft 61 is extremely small (about 0.1 mm). Thereby, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the gas inside the processing tank 10 from leaking from the insertion holes 51c and 52c. Moreover, since the second closing member 52 is pressed against the first closing member 51 by the compression coil spring 57, the gas inside the processing tank 10 is prevented from leaking between the outer surface of the first closing member 51 and the closing plate 52a. It can be surely prevented. Further, since the step 51d of the first closing member 51 is pressed against the step 16d of the notch recess 16 by the spring force of the compression coil spring 57, the gas inside the processing tank 10 is caused to flow into the first closing member 51 and the notch recess 16. It is possible to reliably prevent leakage from between the peripheral edges of each other. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the sealing performance of the portion of the side wall 15 through which the roller shaft 61 passes.

  The opening area of the first insertion hole 51 c can be made larger than the opening area of the second insertion hole 52 c, and thus can be made sufficiently larger than the cross-sectional area of the roller shaft 61. Thereby, the interference between the first closing member 51 and the roller shaft 61 can be sufficiently avoided, and the vertical displacement of the first closing member 51 can be sufficiently allowed. Therefore, the sealing performance between the upper end portion of the first closing member 51 and the seal member 30 can be sufficiently ensured.

  As a result, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the processing gas from leaking from the processing tank 10 to the outside. Therefore, safety of work can be ensured even when the processing gas contains a toxic component. Further, even if the processing gas contains a corrosive component, the peripheral device can be prevented from being corroded. Alternatively, even if the processing gas contains a component having a large warming potential, it is possible to prevent the environmental load from increasing.

  By the bearing 54, the second insertion hole 52c can be centered with high accuracy with respect to the axis of the roller shaft 61. Therefore, even when the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 52c and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft 61 is extremely small (about 0.1 mm), the roller shaft 61 during rotation is within the second insertion hole 52c. It is possible to avoid rubbing on the peripheral surface. In other words, the clearance can be set extremely small, and the gas in the processing tank 10 can be sufficiently prevented from leaking between the inner peripheral surface of the second insertion hole 52c and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft 61. it can.

  Since the second closing member 52 is supported by the roller shaft 61 via the bearing 54, the second closing member 52 can be kept centered with respect to the roller shaft 61 even when the first closing member 51 is displaced. . Therefore, it is not necessary to adjust the position of the second closing member 52 in accordance with the displacement of the first closing member 51.

  Since the seal member 30 has flexibility and elasticity, the seal member 30 can be expanded and contracted even if the height (position in the vertical direction) of the nozzle 20 is adjusted or the level of the nozzle 20 is adjusted. By doing so, the sealing state between the installation port peripheral part 14 and the nozzle 20 can be maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 20 at the installation position is supported by the pedestal 3 via a support beam 23. Therefore, the load of the nozzle 20 does not act on the processing tank 10. Thereby, the required intensity | strength of the processing tank 10 can be reduced. Moreover, the installation port peripheral part 14 and the nozzle 20 of the processing tank 10 can be separated, and the installation to the processing tank 10 of the nozzle 20 and the separation from the processing tank 10 can be facilitated. Furthermore, it is possible to easily adjust the position of the nozzle 20 with respect to the treatment tank 10.

The nozzle 20 is likely to be contaminated or damaged by surface treatment, and needs to be maintained at a certain frequency. As shown in FIG. 3, when the nozzle 20 is maintained, the nozzle moving means 5 composed of an extendable hydraulic cylinder is extended. As a result, the nozzle 20 is rotated away from the installation port 13 with the hinge 4 as a rotation fulcrum. Thereby, the nozzle 20 can be easily moved to the separation position shown in FIG. As the nozzle 20 moves, the seal member 30 moves integrally with the nozzle 20, and the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 moves away from the installation port peripheral edge portion 14. The shape of the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 can be maintained by the holding frame 31. Furthermore, since the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 is connected to and supported by the connecting portion 24 via the holding frame 31 and the supported pin 32, it does not sag even if it is flexible.
As shown by the phantom line in FIG. 4, when the nozzle 20 is moved upward from 10, the upper end portion of the first closing member 51 protrudes above the installation port peripheral portion 14 by the spring force of the compression coil spring 33.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the drawings for the same configurations as those already described, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the outer edge portion of the seal member 30 is fixed to the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 by the seal fixing portion 17. The inner edge of the seal member 30 can be separated from the nozzle 20. Biasing means 33 such as a compression coil spring presses the inner edge portion of the seal member 30 against the seal contact portion 21 a on the outer periphery of the nozzle tip portion 21. Thereby, the sealing property between the inner edge portion of the seal member 30 and the nozzle tip portion 21 is sufficiently ensured.

  When the nozzle 20 is moved from the installation position to the separated position (see FIG. 3) for maintenance or the like, the pressing of the seal member 30 by the biasing means 33 is released, and the inner edge of the seal member 30 is released from the nozzle 20 To do. Then, the nozzle 20 is moved. The seal member 30 is left in a state of being connected to the processing tank 10 and separated from the nozzle 20. In 2nd Embodiment, the processing tank 10 comprises the "1st element" of a claim. The nozzle 20 constitutes the “second element” in the claims. The outer edge portion of the seal member 30 constitutes the “periphery portion on the first element side”. The inner edge portion of the seal member 30 constitutes the “peripheral edge portion on the second element side”.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the seal member 30 is not limited to a sheet shape as long as the seal member 30 has an annular shape and airtightly seals between the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 and the nozzle 20. For example, the seal member 30 may be configured by an O-ring or a gasket. Good.
The installation port peripheral edge portion 14 of the processing tank 10 and the seal contact portions 22 and 21a of the nozzle 20 are separated in the vertical direction, and the seal member 30 becomes a cylindrical sheet shape with the axis line directed up and down. The upper peripheral edge portion of the cylindrical sheet member 30 is in contact with one of the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 and the nozzle 20, and the lower peripheral edge portion of the cylindrical sheet member 30 is in contact with the other of the installation port peripheral edge portion 14 and the nozzle 20. Good.
The holding frame 31 may be connected to the second element so as to be separable by a connecting means with the peripheral edge of the seal member 30 on the second element side interposed therebetween. Examples of connecting means for detachably connecting the holding frame 31 to the second element include bolts and hooks. In this case, when the nozzle 20 is separated or moved from the processing tank 10, the connecting means is released from the holding frame 31 and then the nozzle 20 is separated or moved.
The means for conveying the workpiece 9 is not limited to the roller conveyor 60, and may be constituted by a movable stage, a floating stage, a robot arm, or the like. The surface treatment apparatus 1 may not have to convey the workpiece 9. A support portion (for example, a stage) that supports the object 9 to be processed in a stationary manner may be provided in the processing tank 10.
The nozzle moving means 5 is not limited to rotating the nozzle 20 as long as it moves the nozzle 20 with respect to the processing tank 10. For example, the nozzle moving means 5 moves the nozzle 20 in parallel while maintaining a horizontal state. Alternatively, the operation may be a combination of rotational movement and parallel movement.
The nozzle 20 may be separated or moved from the processing tank 10 by hand instead of the nozzle moving means 5.
The nozzle 20 is not limited to being installed at the top of the processing tank 10, and may be installed at the side or bottom of the processing tank 10.
The second closing member 52 may be supported by the first closing member 51 instead of being supported by the roller shaft 61.
The biasing means 33, 53, 57 are not limited to compression coil springs, but may be tension coil springs, leaf springs, elastic rubbers, air actuators or hydraulic actuators. The urging means 33, 53, and 57 may be suction means that not only push the corresponding urging objects 30, 51, and 52 but also suck from the other side to be pressed.

  The present invention is applicable, for example, to the manufacture of flat panel displays (FPD) and semiconductor wafers.

1 is an explanatory side view showing a schematic configuration of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a description front view of the said surface treatment apparatus. It is a description front view of the state which made the nozzle of the said surface treatment apparatus the separation position. It is the side view which shows the location which the roller shaft in the side wall of the processing tank of the said surface treatment apparatus penetrates, and follows the IV-IV line of FIG. It is the front sectional view which shows the part which the roller shaft in the side wall of the processing tank of the said surface treatment apparatus penetrates, and follows the VV line of FIG. It is the plane sectional view which shows the part which the roller shaft in the side wall of the processing tank of the said surface treatment apparatus penetrates, and follows the VI-VI line of FIG. It is explanatory side view which shows schematic structure of the surface treatment apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Surface treatment apparatus 2 Process gas supply path 3 Base (nozzle support means)
4 Hinge (nozzle rotation axis)
5 Nozzle moving means 9 Processed object 10 Processing tank 11 Carry-in opening 12 Carry-out opening 13 Installation port 13a Annular space 14 Installation port peripheral part (seal contact part)
15 Wall 16 intersecting with roller shaft of processing tank 16 Notch recess 16d Step 17 Seal fixing part 19 Processing space 20 Nozzle 21 Nozzle tip 21a Seal contact part 22 Seal fixing part (seal contact part)
23 support beam 24 connecting portion 30 seal member 31 holding frame 32 supported pin 32a retaining portion 33 compression coil spring (elastic member, (first) biasing means)
51 First closing member 51c First insertion hole 51d Step 52 Second closing member 52a Closing plate 52b Peripheral wall 52c Second insertion hole 53 Compression coil spring (second biasing means)
54 Bearing 55 Spring receiving portion 56 Spring seat 57 Compression coil spring (third urging means)
60 Roller conveyor 61 Roller shaft 62 Roller 63 Drive system 64 Bearing

Claims (14)

In an apparatus for treating the surface by bringing a treatment gas into contact with the surface of an object to be treated disposed in the treatment space,
A treatment tank having an installation port and surrounding the treatment space;
A nozzle that faces the processing space through the installation port, supplies a processing gas to the processing space, and is separable or movable with respect to the processing tank;
An annular seal member that hermetically seals between the nozzle and the peripheral edge of the installation port of the treatment tank;
A surface treatment apparatus comprising:   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is a sheet having flexibility and stretchability.   The seal member is stretched over an annular space formed by the peripheral portion of the installation port and the nozzle, and the peripheral portion on one end side in the width direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the seal member is the installation port of the treatment tank The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a peripheral edge portion of the sealing member is in contact with the peripheral edge portion of the sealing member and a peripheral edge portion on the other end side in the width direction of the sealing member is in contact with the nozzle. The seal member is supported by one of the treatment tank and the nozzle (hereinafter referred to as “first element”) and separated from the other of the treatment tank and the nozzle (hereinafter referred to as “second element”). Is possible,
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an urging unit that presses a peripheral portion of the seal member on the second element side against the second element.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a peripheral edge of the sealing member on the second element side is held by a holding frame.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first element is provided with a connecting portion that connects the holding frame so as to be displaceable in an urging direction of the urging means.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the urging unit includes an elastic member provided between the connecting portion and the holding frame.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first element is a nozzle and the second element is a treatment tank.   The apparatus further includes a roller conveyor that carries an object to be processed into the processing tank and places it in the processing space, and then unloads it from the processing tank, wherein at least a part of the roller shaft of the roller conveyor is inside the processing tank. And the end of the roller shaft is connected to a drive system disposed outside the processing tank, and the wall intersecting the roller shaft of the processing tank is connected to the peripheral edge of the installation port. A notch recess is formed, a first closing member is fitted in the notch recess so as to be displaceable in a depth direction of the notch recess, a first insertion hole is formed through the first closing member, and the first insertion hole is further inserted. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second urging unit that urges the first closing member in a direction protruding from a peripheral portion of the installation port. .   The first closing member or the roller shaft is provided with a second closing member, a second insertion hole for inserting the roller shaft into the second closing member is formed, and the second insertion hole is defined as the first insertion hole. It is smaller than the insertion hole, and a portion around the second insertion hole of the second closing member substantially blocks between the inner peripheral surface of the first insertion hole and the outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 9.   The roller shaft has a bearing that supports the second closing member by cutting the second closing member from the rotation of the roller shaft and aligning the axis of the second insertion hole with the axis of the roller shaft. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the surface treatment apparatus is provided.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising third urging means for urging the first closing member and the second closing member so as to press each other.   A nozzle moving means for moving the nozzle between an installation position installed in the processing tank so as to face the processing space and a separated position away from the processing tank is further provided. Item 13. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 12.   The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the nozzle is supported by nozzle support means different from the treatment tank.

Images