JP2010114175A - Wafer processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a particle from entering onto a surface of a treating plate. <P>SOLUTION: A slide support member 20 comprises an upper block 21, a seal member 22, and a lower block 23. The seal member 22 abuts on an outer peripheral surface of a support portion 12 of a lift pin 10. A chamber portion 24 forming a chamber covering a periphery of the lift pin 10 is annexed to the upper block 21. A slide portion 25 which abuts and slides on the support portion 12 of the lift pin 10 is annexed to the lower block 23. A bypass flow passage 15 for making an area on the back side of a heat treating plate 30 communicate with a through-hole 14 is formed between the upper block 21 including the chamber portion 24 of the slide support member 20 and the heat treating plate 30. A filter 32 is annexed to an end on the back surface side of the heat treating plate 30 of the bypass flow passage 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus such as a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel, or a substrate such as a mask substrate for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus that moves a substrate up and down with respect to a processing plate by lift pins.

  For example, in a heat treatment apparatus equipped with a heat treatment plate such as a hot plate or a cool plate, when the substrate is carried into the upper surface of the heat treatment plate of the substrate or discharged from the upper surface of the heat treatment plate, a through hole formed in the substrate Lift pins are used that pass up and down. This lift pin is configured to move up and down in the axial direction in a state guided by sliding support means for slidably supporting the lift pin.

Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing apparatus in which a seal member is provided on the outer peripheral portion of a lift pin in order to prevent gas from diffusing through a through hole formed in a heat treatment plate.
JP-A-11-204430

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of such a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a heat treatment plate 30, lift pins 10 that move up and down through through holes 14 formed in the heat treatment plate 30, and resin-made slides that support the lift pins 10 in a slidable state. The support part 50 and the drive means (not shown) which drives the lift pin 10 up and down are provided. The lift pin 10 includes a metal support 12 and a resin tip 11.

  In such a substrate processing apparatus, when the support portion 12 of the metal lift pin 10 slides with respect to the slide support portion 50, the inner wall of the slide support portion 50 is scraped to generate particles. The particles may adhere to the peripheral surface of the lift pin 10, rise as the lift pin 10 moves up and down, and reach the surface of the heat treatment plate 30 in some cases.

  In addition, the substrate 100 is placed on the heat treatment plate 30 in close contact with the surface of the heat treatment plate 30 during the heat treatment, or with a slight gap called a proximity gap by a proximity pin. . When the processing on the substrate 100 is completed, the lift pins 10 are lifted together with the substrate 100 by a driving unit (not shown). At this time, a space is rapidly formed between the lower surface of the substrate 100 and the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 30, and a negative pressure is generated in this space. Due to this negative pressure, as shown in FIG. 6, particles generated in the sliding support portion 50 are ejected into the space between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30.

  As described above, when particles exist on the surface of the heat treatment plate 30, the particles adhere to the substrate 100 to be processed next, and adversely affect the processing of the substrate 100.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing particles from entering the surface of the processing plate.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the substrate held at the tip of the substrate is moved up and down by moving up and down in a state of passing through the through-hole formed in the processing plate and the processing plate on which the substrate is placed and processed. A lift pin, a slide support member that slidably supports the lift pin below the through hole, a driving unit that drives the lift pin to move up and down, and a region other than the surface of the processing plate and the through hole communicate with each other. And a bypass flow path.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a chamber that covers the periphery of the lift pin is formed between the sliding support member and the communication hole.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a seal member that contacts the outer periphery of the lift pin is disposed between the slide portion of the lift pin in the slide support member and the chamber. Set up.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the bypass channel communicates the region on the back surface side of the processing plate and the through hole.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourth aspect, the bypass flow path is formed between an outer peripheral portion of the chamber and the processing plate.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, a filter is attached to an end of the bypass flow path on the back surface side of the processing plate.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent particles from entering the surface of the processing plate by the action of the bypass flow path.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more effectively prevent particles from entering the surface of the processing plate by stagnating the particles in the chamber.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent particles from moving by the seal member and to more effectively prevent particles from entering the surface of the processing plate.

  According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to take in outside air from the region on the back side of the processing plate.

  According to invention of Claim 6, it becomes possible to filter the external air taken in from the back surface side of the process plate.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing plate for mounting and processing the substrate 100, and a plurality of substrates that lift and lower the substrate 100 held at the tip of the processing plate by moving up and down in a state of passing through a through hole formed in the processing plate. A lift pin 10, a plurality of sliding support members 20 that slidably support the lift pins 10, and a drive mechanism 42 that drives the lift pins 10 up and down via connecting members 41 that connect lower ends of the lift pins 10; Is provided.

  This processing plate is, for example, a heat treatment plate for heat treating the substrate 100. The heat treatment plate 30 includes a plurality of proximity pins 31. The substrate 100 is placed on the heat treatment plate 30 with these proximity pins 31 leaving a slight gap of about 0.3 mm called a proximity gap with respect to the surface of the heat treatment plate 30. .

  2 and 3 are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the lift pin 10 and the sliding support member 20 in the substrate processing apparatus described above.

  The lift pin 10 described above includes a metal support 12 and a resin tip 11. The lift pin 10 is disposed in the through hole 14 formed in the heat treatment plate 30 and moves up and down in the through hole 14 by driving the drive mechanism 42 described above.

  The above-described sliding support member 20 includes an upper block 21, a seal member 22, and a lower block 23. The seal member 22 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the support portion 12 in the lift pin 10. Further, the upper block 21 is provided with a chamber portion 24 for forming a chamber covering the periphery of the lift pin 10 and providing a space 26 for generating an air pocket in the chamber. The lower block 23 is provided with a sliding portion 25 that comes into contact with and slides on the support portion 12 of the lift pin 10.

  A recess is formed in a region outside the sliding support member 20 in the heat treatment plate 30, and the sliding support member 20 is disposed in the recess. The recess has a shape such that a gap is formed between the heat treatment plate 30 and the sliding support member 20. For this reason, between the upper block 21 including the chamber portion 24 in the sliding support member 20 and the heat treatment plate 30, a bypass flow path 15 that connects the region on the back surface side of the heat treatment plate 30 and the through hole 14 is formed. The A filter 32 is attached to the end of the bypass passage 15 on the back surface side of the heat treatment plate 30.

  In the substrate processing apparatus having such a configuration, the metal support portion 12 of the lift pin 10 slides with respect to the slide portion 25 of the lower block 23 of the slide support member 20. The inner wall is cut and particles are generated. The movement of the particles to the surface side of the heat treatment plate 30 is restricted by the action of the seal member 22. However, when a negative pressure is generated in the space between the lower surface of the substrate 100 and the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 30 as in the prior art, some particles adhering to the peripheral surface of the lift pins 10 are heat-treated with the substrate 100. There is a possibility of jetting into the space between the plate 30. Further, when the lift pin 10 slides with the seal member 22, there are cases where slight particles are generated from the seal member 22.

  On the other hand, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, lift pins are generated in the sliding support member 20 by the action of the bypass channel 15 that communicates the region on the back side of the heat treatment plate 30 and the through hole 14. Particles adhering to the peripheral surface 10 are effectively prevented from being ejected into the space between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30.

  That is, when the plurality of lift pins 10 are raised together with the substrate 100 from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3 by the action of the drive mechanism 42 shown in FIG. 1, the lower surface of the substrate 100 and the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 30. A space is rapidly formed between and a negative pressure is generated in this space.

  However, in this substrate processing apparatus, a bypass channel 15 is formed between the sliding support member 20 and the heat treatment plate 30 so as to communicate the region on the back surface side of the heat treatment plate 30 and the through hole 14. As shown in FIG. 3, outside air is taken into the space between the lower surface of the substrate 100 and the upper surface of the heat treatment plate 30 from the region on the back surface side of the heat treatment plate 30 via the bypass flow path 15. For this reason, the negative pressure in this space is eliminated instantly. In addition, since the external air taken in from the area | region of the back surface side of the heat processing plate 30 passes the filter 32, a particle does not mix in this external air.

  In addition, when such a bypass flow path 15 is provided, even when the seal member 22 is omitted, it is possible to effectively prevent particles from being ejected into the space between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, in this substrate processing apparatus, a chamber that covers the periphery of the lift pin 10 is formed by the action of the chamber portion 24 attached to the upper block 21 of the sliding support member 20, and a space that causes air accumulation in the chamber. 26 is provided. For this reason, even if the area between the support portion 12 of the lift pin 10 and the slide portion 25 of the slide support member 20 becomes slightly negative due to the action of the chamber, the action of the space 26 Reduce air flow rate due to negative pressure. For this reason, even if very few particles pass through the sealing member 22 and rise, it is possible to reliably prevent the particles from being ejected into the space between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30. .

  The bypass channel 15 preferably has a sufficiently small channel resistance when taking in outside air. In particular, in this embodiment, a sufficient space is formed from the bypass flow path 15 by a sufficiently large distance between the upper end of the chamber portion 24 and the lower end portion of the through hole 14, and the space formed by the chamber portion 24. The air is effectively prevented from flowing out from 26.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the vicinity of the lift pins 10 and the sliding support member 20 in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the member same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that an annular recess 27 is formed near the center of the through hole 14. When such a recess 27 is formed, even if very few particles try to rise in the through hole 14, the particles are captured in the recess 27, and the particles are trapped between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30. It becomes possible to prevent more reliably that it spouts to space.

  Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lift pins 10 and the through holes 14 in the substrate processing apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the member same as 1st, 2nd embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this embodiment, by forming a plurality of convex portions inside the chamber portion 24 in the first and second embodiments described above, a plurality of small chambers are formed in the chamber, and a labyrinth structure is provided. It has a structure in which a communication hole 16 for communicating the upper chamber and the bypass channel 15 is formed.

  When such a configuration is adopted, even if very few particles pass through the seal member 22 and rise, the particles are sequentially captured in a plurality of small chambers. Even if some particles reach the uppermost chamber, the particles are sucked into the bypass channel 15 by the venturi effect due to the flow of outside air passing through the bypass channel 15. For this reason, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the particles from being ejected into the space between the substrate 100 and the heat treatment plate 30.

1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the lift pin 10 and the sliding support member 20 vicinity in a substrate processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the lift pin 10 and the sliding support member 20 vicinity in a substrate processing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the lift pin 10 and sliding support member 20 vicinity in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the lift pin 10 and the through-hole 14 in the substrate processing apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the conventional substrate processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lift pin 11 Tip part 12 Support part 14 Through-hole 15 Bypass flow path 16 Communication hole 20 Sliding support member 21 Upper block 22 Seal member 23 Lower block 24 Chamber part 25 Sliding part 26 Space 27 Recessed part 30 Heat treatment plate 31 Proximity pin 41 connecting member 42 drive mechanism 100 substrate

Claims (6)

A processing plate for mounting and processing the substrate;
Lift pins that raise and lower the substrate held at the tip by raising and lowering in a state of passing through the through-hole drilled in the processing plate;
A sliding support member that slidably supports the lift pin below the through hole,
Driving means for raising and lowering the lift pins;
A bypass channel communicating the region other than the surface of the processing plate and the through hole;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate processing apparatus which formed the chamber which covers the circumference | surroundings of the said lift pin between the said sliding support member and the said communicating hole. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a seal member that contacts an outer periphery of the lift pin is disposed between a sliding portion of the lift pin in the slide support member and the chamber. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The bypass flow path is a substrate processing apparatus that communicates a region on the back side of the processing plate with the through hole. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,
The bypass flow path is a substrate processing apparatus formed between an outer peripheral portion of the chamber and the processing plate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4,
A substrate processing apparatus, wherein a filter is attached to an end of the bypass channel on the back surface side of the processing plate.