JP2014072366A - Deposition processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a deposition processing apparatus both reduced in size and improved in productivity.SOLUTION: A deposition processing apparatus comprises: a deposition processing chamber 14 arranged adjacent to a load lock chamber; deposition means, a roller conveyer for conveying a substrate S in a horizontal direction in the deposition processing chamber 14; a two-stage conveyer 26; and elevation means 28. The two-stage conveyer 26 conveys the substrate S in a horizontal direction in the deposition processing chamber 14, and is arranged between the load lock chamber and the roller conveyer, and has a lower side conveyer 30A and an upper side conveyer 30B arranged so as to be vertically overlapped with each other. The elevation means 28 elevates and lowers the two-stage conveyer 26 between a lowered position at which the upper conveyer 30B is flush with the roller conveyer, and an elevated position at which the lower conveyer 30A is flush with the roller conveyer.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an inter-back type substrate processing apparatus including a load lock chamber, a film formation processing chamber, an inversion chamber, and a substrate holder that can move in these chambers. In this substrate processing apparatus, when a substrate holder for holding a substrate is carried into the load lock chamber, it moves in the order of the load lock chamber, the film formation processing chamber, and the inversion chamber along the forward transfer line. When the substrate holder reaches the reversing chamber, its orientation is reversed. Thereafter, the substrate holder is moved out of the apparatus after moving in the order of the reversing chamber, the film formation processing chamber, and the load lock chamber along a return path transfer line different from the forward path transfer line.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-203885

  According to the inter-back type substrate processing apparatus, since the film can be formed on the substrate in the forward path and the return path, it is necessary to carry in the substrate from one side and to carry out the substrate from the other side. In comparison, there is an advantage that the length of the film forming process chamber can be shortened. However, in the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the substrate holder must move on different paths for the forward path and the return path, an inversion chamber is required, and the film formation processing chamber becomes large. For this reason, the cost is increased, and it takes time to evacuate the inside of the film forming chamber, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

  It is also conceivable that the forward transfer line and the return transfer line are shared so that the substrate holder reciprocates on the same line. In this case, the inversion chamber is not necessary, and the film formation processing chamber can be reduced in size. However, it is necessary to open the film formation processing chamber to the atmosphere and take out the processed substrate every time one substrate is processed. . For this reason, the evacuation inside the film forming chamber has to be repeated, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of achieving both reduction in size and improvement in productivity.

  A film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a film forming process chamber disposed adjacent to a load lock chamber, and a film forming unit that forms a film on a surface of a film forming target in the film forming process chamber. A film forming object in the film forming chamber and transporting the film forming object in the horizontal direction and facing the film forming means, and a film forming object in the film forming chamber. And a second conveyor disposed between the first conveyor and the load lock chamber, the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction, The second conveyor is placed at a lowered position where the height of the upper conveyor is adjusted to the height of the first conveyor and an elevated position where the height of the lower conveyor is adjusted to the height of the first conveyor. Elevate And a descending means.

  In the film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the second conveyor having the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction has a first height of the upper conveyor by the operation of the lifting means. Are moved up and down to a lowered position matched to the height of the conveyor and a raised position where the height of the lower conveyor is matched to the height of the first conveyor. Therefore, for example, when the film formation target before film formation is placed on the upper conveyor, the lifting / lowering means moves the second conveyor to the raised position, thereby forming the film from the first conveyor to the lower conveyor. The film formation target can be moved later. Furthermore, the raising / lowering means moves the second conveyor to the lowered position, so that the film formation target before film formation can be moved from the upper conveyor to the first conveyor. As a result, while realizing a compact film forming apparatus in which the first and second conveyors are arranged in a line in the horizontal direction, a plurality of substrates can be continuously formed while maintaining the vacuum state of the film forming process chamber. It can be processed. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to achieve both reduction in size and improvement in productivity in a film forming apparatus.

  Each of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor may include a transport roller for transporting the film formation target, a first shaft to which the transport roller is attached, and a driving unit that rotationally drives the first shaft. Good. In this case, the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor are driven independently. Therefore, the film-forming target placed on the upper conveyor and the film-forming target placed on the lower conveyor can be conveyed in different directions.

  The driving means includes a motor located outside the film forming chamber, a cylindrical body that vertically passes through the outer wall of the film forming chamber and is connected to the motor and is rotatably attached to the outer wall, and an axial direction. A second shaft disposed in the cylindrical body so as to be slidable in the cylindrical body, and a first gear attached to the upper end of the second shaft. A second gear that meshes with the first gear is attached to the end of the first shaft, and the cylindrical body is engaged with a concave groove or protrusion of the second shaft. The torque of the motor may be transmitted to the second shaft. In this case, since the concave groove or the protrusion of the second shaft and the cylindrical body are engaged, even if the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor are moved up and down by the lifting means, the second shaft is accompanied by the rotation of the cylindrical body. Is also rotated. For this reason, the driving force of the motor can be transmitted to the transport rollers regardless of the elevation of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the film-forming processing apparatus which can aim at coexistence with size reduction and the improvement of productivity can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the lifting mechanism of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the two-stage conveyor is located at the rising position in the section taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state from when the substrate is loaded into the film forming apparatus to when it is unloaded. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a state from when the substrate is loaded into the film forming apparatus to when it is unloaded.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments are exemplifications for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to the following contents. In the description, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements or elements having the same function, and redundant description is omitted.

[Structure of film forming apparatus]
As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 10 includes a load lock chamber 12, a film forming process chamber 14 disposed adjacent to the load lock chamber 12, and a controller (not shown). The purpose of the load lock chamber 12 is to load and unload the substrate S (for example, a glass substrate) with respect to the film forming chamber 14 while maintaining the vacuum state in the film forming chamber 14. The load lock chamber 12 is disposed between a loader / unloader (not shown) and the film forming process chamber 14 via gate valves (vacuum doors) 16 and 18. When the gate valve 16 is opened or closed, the space between the load lock chamber 12 and the loader / unloader is communicated or isolated. By opening or closing the gate valve 16, the space between the load lock chamber 12 and the film forming process chamber 14 is communicated or isolated.

  Inside the load lock chamber 12, a roller conveyor 20 is provided. The roller conveyor 20 includes a plurality of transport rollers and a power source for rotationally driving each transport roller. Depending on the rotation direction of the transport roller, the load roller / unloader from the film forming chamber (from left to right in FIG. 1), or from the film forming chamber to the loader / unloader (from right to left in FIG. 1), the transport roller The substrate S placed thereon is transported along the horizontal direction (X direction).

  The film forming chamber 14 includes a film forming means 22, a vacuum pump (not shown), roller conveyors 24a and 24b, a two-stage conveyor 26, and an elevating means 28. The film forming means 22 is for forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate S located in the film forming processing chamber 14, and for example, a sputtering apparatus or a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus is used. The vacuum pump is connected to the film forming chamber 14. By operating the vacuum pump while the gate valve 16 or the gate valve 18 is closed, the gas in the film formation chamber 14 is discharged to the outside, and the inside of the film formation chamber 14 is in a vacuum state (for example, 0.001 Pa or less). ) Is maintained.

  The roller conveyors 24a and 24b and the two-stage conveyor 9 are arranged in the film forming processing chamber 14, and from the side close to the gate valve 18, the two-stage conveyor 26, the roller conveyor 24a, and the roller conveyor 24b are arranged in the horizontal direction in this order. It is in a line. Specifically, the roller conveyor 24 a is disposed between the two-stage conveyor 26 and the roller conveyor 24 b and at a position facing the film forming unit 22. The two-stage conveyor 26 is disposed between the roller conveyor 24a and the load lock chamber 12 (gate valve 18).

  As with the roller conveyor 20, the roller conveyors 24a and 24b are composed of a plurality of transport rollers and a power source for rotationally driving the transport rollers. Depending on the direction of rotation of the transport roller, it is placed on the transport roller either away from the gate valve 18 (from left to right in FIG. 1) or toward the gate valve 18 (from right to left in FIG. 1). The placed substrate S is transported along the horizontal direction (X direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the two-stage conveyor 26 includes a base portion 32, and a lower conveyor 30 </ b> A and an upper conveyor 30 </ b> B arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction (Z direction). The base portion 32 is for supporting the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B, and includes a bottom plate 32a, a pair of side plates 32b attached to the side ends of the bottom plate 32a, and a horizontal direction ( And an auxiliary plate 32c attached to the side plate 32b so as to extend in the Y direction).

  The lower conveyor 30A includes a lower roller conveyor portion 34A and driving means 36A. The lower roller conveyor portion 34A includes four shafts 38A rotatably attached to a pair of side plates 32b via bearings B1, a pair of conveying rollers 40A fixed to both ends of each shaft 38A, and each shaft. And a bevel gear 42A fixed to one end of 38A. The plurality of shafts 38A are arranged along the horizontal direction (X direction) as shown in FIG. Therefore, in the present embodiment, two rows of transport rollers 40A are arranged in the X direction, and the substrate S placed on the transport rollers 40A is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the driving unit 36 </ b> A has a cylindrical shape having a motor 44 </ b> A disposed outside the film forming chamber 14 and a shaft 46 </ b> A extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) at the lower end. 48A, a ball spline 50A, and a spline shaft 52A. The shaft of the motor 44A is connected to the shaft 46A via the coupling CA, and the rotational force of the motor 44A is transmitted to the case 48A.

  The case 48A is inserted through a through hole 14a formed in the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14, and extends along the vertical direction (Z direction). The case 48A is rotatably attached to the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14 via a plurality of bearings B2. A seal member 54 </ b> A is disposed between the case 48 </ b> A and the through hole 14 a on the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14. The seal member 54A maintains the vacuum state in the film forming process chamber 14 without inhibiting the rotation of the case 48A. As the seal member 54A, any member that can isolate the inside and the outside of the film forming chamber 14 can be used. For example, an oil seal, a magnetic seal, a Wilson seal, or the like can be used.

  Ball spline 50A includes a cylindrical main body portion 56A and a plurality of ball members 58A held in the main body portion. The main body 56A is inserted into the case 48A and fixed to the case 48A. The plurality of ball members 58A are arranged in a line along the axial direction of the main body to form a group. In the present embodiment, the pair of ball member groups are disposed in the main body portion 56A so as to face each other. At least a part of the ball member 58A has its surface exposed from the inner surface of the main body portion 56A and protruding inward.

  The spline shaft 52A has a cylindrical shape, and a pair of concave grooves 60A extending in the axial direction is formed on the surface. A ball member 58A that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the main body portion 56A is engaged with the concave groove 60A. Therefore, although the spline shaft 52A cannot rotate in relation to the ball spline 50A, the concave groove 60A can slide along its own axial direction (Z direction) while sliding on the surface of the ball member 58A. However, since the ball spline 50A is fixed to the case 48A, when the case 48A rotates, the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the main body 56A, the ball member 58A, and the recessed groove 60A, and the spline shaft 52A rotates. That is, the spline shaft 52 </ b> A is rotatable in relation to the outer wall of the film forming process chamber 14.

The upper end portion of the spline shaft 52A is rotatably attached to the auxiliary plate 32c via a bearing B4. A bevel gear 62A is fixed to the upper end of the spline shaft 52A. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bevel gear 62 </ b> A is a bevel gear 42 </ b> A of the shaft 38 </ b> A located closest to the roller conveyor 24 a among the four shafts 38 </ b> A (hereinafter, this shaft and bevel gear are referred to as “shaft 38 </ b> A ₁ ”). _They are called “bevel gears 42A ₁ ” and the other three shafts and bevel gears are respectively meshed with “shafts 38A ₂ ” and “bevel gears 42A ₂ ”. Therefore, when the spline shaft 52A is rotated, its rotational force is, the bevel gear 62A, the bevel gear 42A ₁ and the transport roller 40A through the shaft 38A ₁ (hereinafter, the conveyance roller is referred to as "conveyance rollers 40A ₁ ', the other the conveying rollers are fixed to three shafts 38A ₂ is referred to as "conveyance rollers 40A _2".) it is transmitted to. However, the other three shafts 38A ₂ does not rotate in this state.

Therefore, the two-stage conveyor 26 further includes power transmission means 64A as shown in FIGS. Power transmission means 64A includes a shaft 64A ₁ which is rotatably supported by the base portion 32 extends along the horizontal direction (X direction), the four fixed to the shaft 64A ₁ and bevel gear 64A _2. Each bevel gear 64A ₂ are respectively the bevel gear 42A meshes. Accordingly, when the spline shaft 52A is rotated, the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the bevel gear 64A ₂ are meshed bevel gears 62A, the bevel gear 42A ₁ and bevel gears 42A _1, shaft 64A ₁ is rotated. When the other three bevel gears 64A ₂ in accordance with rotation of the shaft 64A ₁ is rotated via the bevel gears 42A ₂ and the shaft 38A ₂ are combined these three bevel gears 64A ₂ and the teeth, the rotational force conveying rollers 40A ₂ is transmitted.

  The upper conveyor 30B is configured similarly to the lower conveyor 30A. Specifically, the upper conveyor 30B includes an upper roller conveyor portion 34B positioned above the lower roller conveyor portion 34A so as to overlap the lower roller conveyor portion 34A, and a driving unit 36B (see FIG. 1). The upper roller conveyor portion 34B includes four shafts 38B rotatably attached to a pair of side plates 32b via bearings B3, a pair of conveying rollers 40B fixed to both ends of each shaft 38B, and each shaft 38B. And a bevel gear 42B fixed to one end of the. As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of shafts 38B are arranged along the horizontal direction (X direction) above the plurality of shafts 38A. Therefore, in the present embodiment, two rows of transport rollers 40B are arranged in the X direction, and the substrate S placed on these transport rollers 40B is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction).

  Although not shown, the driving unit 36B includes a motor 44B disposed outside the film forming chamber 14, a cylindrical case 48B having a shaft 46B extending along the vertical direction (Z direction) at the lower end, A ball spline 50B and a spline shaft 52B are included. The shaft of the motor 44B is connected to the shaft 46B via the coupling CB, and the rotational force of the motor 44B is transmitted to the case 48B.

  The case 48B is inserted through a through hole formed in the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14 and extends along the vertical direction (Z direction). The case 48B is rotatably attached to the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14 via a plurality of bearings. A seal member 54B is disposed between the case 48B and the through hole in the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14. The seal member 54B maintains the vacuum state in the film forming process chamber 14 without hindering the rotation of the case 48B. As the seal member 54B, any member can be used as long as it can isolate the inside and outside of the film forming process chamber 14, and for example, an oil seal, a magnetic seal, a Wilson seal, or the like can be used.

  The ball spline 50B includes a cylindrical main body portion 56B and a plurality of ball members 58B held in the main body portion. The main body 56B is inserted into the case 48B and fixed to the case 48B. The plurality of ball members 58B are arranged in a line along the axial direction of the main body portion to form a group. In the present embodiment, the pair of ball member groups are disposed in the main body portion 56B so as to face each other. At least a part of the ball member 58B has a surface exposed from the inner surface of the main body portion 56B and protruding inward.

  The spline shaft 52B has a columnar shape, and a pair of concave grooves 60B extending in the axial direction are formed on the surface. A ball member 58B that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the main body portion 56B is engaged with the concave groove 60B. Therefore, although the spline shaft 52B cannot rotate in relation to the ball spline 50B, the concave groove 60B can slide along its own axial direction (Z direction) while sliding on the surface of the ball member 58B. However, since the ball spline 50B is fixed to the case 48B, when the case 48B rotates, the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the main body 56B, the ball member 58B, and the concave groove 60B, and the spline shaft 52B rotates. That is, the spline shaft 52 </ b> B is rotatable in relation to the outer wall of the film forming process chamber 14.

The upper end portion of the spline shaft 52B is rotatably attached to the auxiliary plate 32c via a bearing. A bevel gear 62B is fixed to the upper end of the spline shaft 52B. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the bevel gear 62 </ b> B is a bevel gear 42 </ b> B of the shaft 38 </ b> B located closest to the gate valve 18 among the four shafts 38 </ b> B (hereinafter, this shaft and bevel gear are referred to as “shaft 38 </ b> B ₁ ”). These are called “bevel gear 42B ₁ ” and the other three shafts and bevel gears are respectively called “shaft 38B ₂ ” and “bevel gear 42B ₂ ”). Therefore, when the spline shaft 52B is rotated, the rotational force is, the bevel gear 62B, bevel gears 42B ₁ and the transport roller 40B through the shaft 38B ₁ (hereinafter, the conveyance roller is referred to as "conveyance rollers 40B ₁ ', the other The conveying rollers fixed to the three shafts 38B ₂ are transmitted to “conveying rollers 40B ₂ ”). However, the other three shafts 38B ₂ does not rotate in this state.

Therefore, the two-stage conveyor 26 further includes power transmission means 64B as shown in FIGS. Power transmission means 64B includes a shaft 64B ₁ that is rotatably supported by the base portion 32 extends along the horizontal direction (X direction), the four fixed to the shaft 64B ₁ and bevel gear 64B _2. Each bevel gear 64B ₂ are respectively the bevel gear 42B meshes. Accordingly, when the spline shaft 52B is rotated, the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the bevel gear 64B ₂ that meshes bevel gear 62B, the bevel gear 42B ₁ and bevel gear 42B _1, the shaft 64B ₁ is rotated. When the other three bevel gears 64B ₂ in accordance with rotation of the shaft 64B ₁ is rotated via the bevel gears 42B ₂ and the shaft 38B ₂ are combined these three bevel gears 64B ₂ and the teeth, the rotational force conveying rollers 40B ₂ is transmitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating means 28 includes an air cylinder 66, a shaft 68, a vacuum bellows 70, and a guide member 72 constituted by a pair of guide rods 72a and a guide plate 72b. The air cylinder 66 includes a rod 66a that can be expanded and contracted in one direction (Z direction in the present embodiment).

  The shaft 68 is inserted through a through hole 14 b formed in the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14 and extends along the vertical direction (Z direction). The lower end of the shaft 68 is fixed to the rod 66a via the guide plate 72b, and the upper end of the shaft 68 is fixed to the bottom plate 32a of the base portion 32. Therefore, when the air cylinder 66 expands and contracts the rod 66a, the two-stage conveyor 26 (the base portion 32 and the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B) moves up and down via the shaft 68. As a result, the base portion 32 and the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B move up and down between the lowered position shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the raised position shown in FIG. Specifically, when the roller conveyor sections 34A and 34B are in the lowered position, the transport rollers 40B of the upper roller conveyor section 34B are positioned at substantially the same height as the transport rollers of the other roller conveyors 20, 24a, and 24b ( FIG. 1, FIG. 5 (a), FIG. 5 (c), and FIG. 5 (e)). On the other hand, when the roller conveyor sections 34A and 34B are in the raised position, the transport rollers 40A of the lower roller conveyor section 34A are positioned at substantially the same height as the transport rollers of the other roller conveyors 20, 24a, and 24b (FIG. 5). (B), see FIG. 5 (d)).

  When the base portion 32 moves up and down according to the operation of the air cylinder 66, the spline shafts 52A and 52B that are rotatably attached to the auxiliary plate 32c of the base portion 32 also move up and down while the groove 60A slides on the surface of the ball member 58A. Move. On the other hand, since the ball splines 50A and 50B engaged with the spline shafts 52A and 52B via the ball members 58A and 58B are fixed to the cases 48A and 48B, they do not move up and down.

  The vacuum bellows 70 is disposed between the outer wall of the film forming chamber 14 and the guide plate 72b so as to cover the shaft 68. The vacuum bellows 70 isolates the inside and outside of the film forming process chamber 14 and maintains the vacuum state in the film forming process chamber 14. The pair of guide rods 72a has a cylindrical shape, and protrudes downward from the lower surface of the outer wall of the film forming process chamber. Two through holes 72c having a circular shape corresponding to the outer shape of the guide bar 72a are formed in the guide plate 72b. Each guide bar 72a is inserted through the through hole 72c, so that the guide plate 72b can move along the guide bar 72a.

  The control unit is connected to a loader / unloader, gate valves 16 and 18, film forming means 22, roller conveyors 20, 24 a and 24 b, and a two-stage conveyor 26. The control unit controls the loader / unloader to carry the substrate S into the load lock chamber 12 and carry the substrate S out of the load lock chamber 12. The control unit controls the opening and closing of the gate valves 16 and 18. The control unit controls the operation of the film forming unit 22 (for example, the amount of film forming material diffused). The control unit controls the rotation direction and rotation speed of the conveyance rollers of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, and 24b. The control unit instructs the motors 44A and 44B of the two-stage conveyor 26 to control the rotation direction and rotation speed of the transport rollers 40A and 40B, and instructs the air cylinder 66 to move the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B up and down. Control.

[Operation of film forming apparatus]
Next, the operation of the film forming apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in a state where the gate valve 18 is closed, the control unit instructs the vacuum pump to place the film formation processing chamber 14 in a vacuum state. At this time, the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B are in a lowered position (a state in which the height of the upper conveyor 30B is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, and 24b). Subsequently, in a state where the gate valve 16 is opened, the control unit instructs the loader / unloader to carry the substrate S before film formation (hereinafter referred to as “substrate S1”) into the load lock chamber 12. Then, the substrate S1 is placed on the transport rollers of the roller conveyor 20. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 18 after closing the gate valve 16. In this state, by rotating each transport roller of the roller conveyor 20 based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported to the upper roller conveyor unit 34B. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valve 18 to close the gate valve 18.

  Subsequently, the motor 44B is driven to rotate based on an instruction from the control unit, and the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the case 48B, the ball spline 50B, the spline shaft 52B, the bevel gears 62B and 42B, and the power transmission means 64B. The conveyance roller 40B is rotated via 38B. As a result, the substrate S1 placed on the transport roller 40B is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction) at a predetermined speed toward the roller conveyor 24a (see FIG. 5A). Similarly, by rotating the transport rollers of the roller conveyors 24a and 24b based on instructions from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction) toward the roller conveyor 24b at a predetermined speed.

  When the substrate S1 reaches the roller conveyor 24b, the transport rollers of the roller conveyors 24a and 24b are reversely rotated based on an instruction from the control unit. As a result, the substrate S1 is conveyed in the horizontal direction (X direction) at a predetermined speed toward the two-stage conveyor 26 (see FIG. 5B). That is, the substrate S1 reciprocates below the film forming unit 22. When the control unit operates the film forming means 22 during the reciprocating movement of the substrate S1, a thin film having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate S1. When the substrate S1 is reciprocated, the same material may be deposited on the substrate S1 in both the forward path and the return path, or different materials (for example, Cr in the forward path and Cu in the return path) may be formed on the substrate S1. A film may be formed thereon.

  While the substrate S1 is reciprocating, the control unit also instructs the gate valve 16 and the loader / unloader to open the gate valve 16, and then carries the next substrate S1 into the load lock chamber 12, and again the gate. The valve 16 is closed (see FIG. 5B). While the substrate S1 is reciprocating, the control unit also instructs the air cylinder 66 to place the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B in the raised position. As a result, the height of the lower conveyor 30A is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Therefore, the substrate S after film formation (hereinafter, the substrate after film formation is referred to as “substrate S2”) conveyed from the roller conveyor 24a to the two-stage conveyor 26 is placed on the conveyance roller 40A of the lower roller conveyor unit 34A. (See FIG. 5B).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the air cylinder 66 to position the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B at the lowered position (see FIG. 5C). As a result, the height of the upper conveyor 30B is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 18 after closing the gate valve 16. In this state, by rotating each transport roller of the roller conveyor 20 based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported to the upper roller conveyor unit 34B (see FIG. 5C). As a result, the substrate S1 is placed on the transport roller 40B.

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the air cylinder 66 to position the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B at the raised position (see FIG. 5D). As a result, the height of the lower conveyor 30A is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Subsequently, the motor 44A is driven to rotate based on an instruction from the control unit, and the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the case 48A, the ball spline 50A, the spline shaft 52A, the bevel gears 62A and 42A, and the power transmission means 64A. The conveying roller 40A is rotated through 38A. Thereby, the board | substrate S2 mounted on the conveyance roller 40A is conveyed in the horizontal direction (X direction) at the predetermined | prescribed speed toward the roller conveyor 20 (refer FIG.5 (d)).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 16 after closing the gate valve 18. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the loader / unloader to unload the substrate S2 placed on the transport rollers of the roller conveyor 20 from the load lock chamber 12 (see FIG. 5E).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the air cylinder 66 to position the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B at the lowered position. As a result, the height of the upper conveyor 30B is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Subsequently, by rotating the transport roller of the upper roller conveyor unit 34B based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S1 placed on the transport roller 40B is moved horizontally (at a predetermined speed toward the roller conveyor 24a). X direction) (see FIG. 5E). By repeating the above steps, the substrate S1 before film formation and film formation and the substrate S2 after film formation are sequentially carried out.

As described above, the film formation method using the film formation processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes at least the following steps, whereby the substrate S1 before film formation and the substrate S2 after film formation are formed into the film formation processing chamber 14. Then, film formation is performed sequentially on the plurality of substrates S.
(1) Step of matching the height of the lower conveyor 30A and the height of the roller conveyor 24a by the air cylinder 66 (2) Step of transporting the substrate S2 after film formation from the roller conveyor 24a to the lower conveyor 30A (3) Vacuum (4) Step of unloading substrate S2 after film formation to load lock chamber 12 in a vacuum state (5) Upper side by air cylinder 66 Step of matching height of conveyor 30B and height of roller conveyor 24a (6) Step of transporting substrate S1 before film formation from upper conveyor 30B to roller conveyor 24a (7) For substrate S1 located on roller conveyor 24a And a step of forming a film by the film forming means

[Operation and effect of film forming apparatus]
In the present embodiment as described above, the two-stage conveyor 26 having the upper conveyor 30B and the lower conveyor 30A arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction is moved by the operation of the air cylinder 66 (elevating means 28). The height of the lower conveyor 30A is raised and lowered to the lowered position where the height is matched with the height of the roller conveyor 24a and the height of the lower conveyor 30A is matched to the height of the roller conveyor 24a. Therefore, for example, the air cylinder 66 moves the two-stage conveyor 26 to the ascending position while the substrate S1 before film formation is placed on the upper conveyor 30B, so that the film is formed from the roller conveyor 24a to the lower conveyor 30A. Substrate S2 after the subsequent film formation can be transferred. Further, the air cylinder 66 moves the two-stage conveyor 26 to the lowered position, so that the substrate S1 before film formation can be transferred from the upper conveyor to the roller conveyor 24a. As a result, while realizing a compact film forming apparatus 10 in which the two-stage conveyor 26 and the roller conveyor 24a are arranged in a line in the horizontal direction, a plurality of the film forming process chambers 14 are continuously maintained while maintaining the vacuum state. The substrate S can be processed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both reduction in size and improvement in productivity in the film forming apparatus 10.

  In the present embodiment, the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B respectively have conveyance rollers 40A and 40B for conveying the substrate S, shafts 38A and 38B to which the conveyance rollers 40A and 40B are attached, and shafts 38A and 38B. Drive means 36A and 36B for rotationally driving are provided. Therefore, the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B are driven independently by the driving means 36A and 36B, respectively. Accordingly, the substrate S placed on the upper conveyor 30B and the substrate S placed on the lower conveyor 30A can be transported in different directions.

In the present embodiment, the driving means 36A and 36B are connected to the motors 44A and 44B disposed outside the film forming chamber 14 and the outer walls of the film forming chamber 14 in the vertical direction and to the motors 44A and 44B. , A case 48A, 48B rotatably attached to the outer wall, a ball spline 50A, 50B inserted into the case 48A, 48B, and a groove 60A, 60B extending in the axial direction are formed. Spline shafts 52A and 52B that are slidable in the axial direction with respect to 50A and 50B, and bevel gears 62A and 62B attached to the upper ends of the spline shafts 52A and 52B. The bevel gears 62A and 62B mesh with the bevel gears 42A ₁ and 42B ₁ attached to the ends of the shafts 38A and 38B. Ball members 58A and 58B of ball splines 50A and 50B are engaged with concave grooves 60A and 60B of spline shafts 52A and 52B. Therefore, even when the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B are moved up and down by the lifting means 28, the rotational force of the motors 44A and 44B is transmitted to the spline shafts 52A and 52B via the cases 48A and 48B and the ball splines 50A and 50B. The spline shafts 52A and 52B are rotated. Therefore, the driving force of the motors 44A and 44B can be transmitted to the transport rollers 40A and 40B regardless of the elevation of the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment. For example, the operation of the film forming apparatus 10 may be different from that of the above-described embodiment. Here, with reference to FIG. 6, another operation of the film forming apparatus 10 will be described. First, in a state where the gate valve 18 is closed, the control unit instructs the vacuum pump to place the film formation processing chamber 14 in a vacuum state. At this time, the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B are in a lowered position (a state in which the height of the upper conveyor 30B is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, and 24b). Subsequently, in a state where the gate valve 16 is open, the control unit instructs the loader / unloader to carry the substrate S1 into the load lock chamber 12, and to place the substrate S1 on the transport rollers of the roller conveyor 20. Put. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 18 after closing the gate valve 16. In this state, by rotating each transport roller of the roller conveyor 20 based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported to the upper roller conveyor unit 34B. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valve 18 to close the gate valve 18.

  Subsequently, the motor 44B is driven to rotate based on an instruction from the control unit, and the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the case 48B, the ball spline 50B, the spline shaft 52B, the bevel gears 62B and 42B, and the power transmission means 64B. The conveyance roller 40B is rotated via 38B. As a result, the substrate S1 placed on the transport roller 40B is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction) at a predetermined speed toward the roller conveyor 24a (see FIG. 6A). Similarly, by rotating the transport rollers of the roller conveyors 24a and 24b based on instructions from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction) toward the roller conveyor 24b at a predetermined speed.

  When the substrate S1 reaches the roller conveyor 24b, the transport rollers of the roller conveyors 24a and 24b are reversely rotated based on an instruction from the control unit. Thereby, the board | substrate S1 is conveyed in the horizontal direction (X direction) at the predetermined | prescribed speed toward the two-stage conveyor 26 (refer FIG.6 (b)). That is, the substrate S1 reciprocates below the film forming unit 22. When the control unit operates the film forming means 22 during the reciprocating movement of the substrate S1, a thin film having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate S1. Since the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B are positioned at the lowered position, the substrate S2 after film formation transferred from the roller conveyor 24a to the two-stage conveyor 26 reaches the transfer roller 40B of the upper roller conveyor portion 34B ( (Refer FIG.6 (b)). While the substrate S1 is reciprocating, the control unit also instructs the gate valve 16 and the loader / unloader to open the gate valve 16, and then carries the next substrate S1 into the load lock chamber 12, and again the gate. The valve 16 is closed (see FIG. 6B).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the air cylinder 66 to position the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B at the raised position. As a result, the height of the lower conveyor 30A is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 18 after closing the gate valve 16. In this state, by rotating each transport roller of the roller conveyor 20 based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S1 is transported to the lower roller conveyor unit 34A (see FIG. 6C). As a result, the substrate S1 is placed on the transport roller 40A.

  Subsequently, the motor 44A is driven to rotate based on an instruction from the control unit, and the rotational force is transmitted in the order of the case 48A, the ball spline 50A, the spline shaft 52A, the bevel gears 62A and 42A, and the power transmission means 64A. The conveying roller 40A is rotated through 38A. Accordingly, the substrate S1 placed on the transport roller 40A is transported in the horizontal direction (X direction) at a predetermined speed toward the roller conveyor 24a (see FIG. 6D).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the air cylinder 66 to position the roller conveyor units 34A and 34B at the lowered position (see FIG. 6E). As a result, the height of the upper conveyor 30B is adjusted to the height of the roller conveyors 20, 24a, 24b. Subsequently, by rotating the transport roller of the upper roller conveyor unit 34B based on an instruction from the control unit, the substrate S2 placed on the transport roller 40B is directed toward the roller conveyor 20 at a predetermined speed in the horizontal direction ( X direction) (see FIG. 6E).

  Subsequently, the control unit instructs the gate valves 16 and 18 to open the gate valve 16 after closing the gate valve 18. Subsequently, the control unit instructs the loader / unloader to unload the substrate S2 placed on the transport rollers of the roller conveyor 20 from the load lock chamber 12 (see FIG. 6E). By repeating the above steps, the substrate S1 before film formation and film formation and the substrate S2 after film formation are sequentially carried out.

As described above, another film formation method using the film formation processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes at least the following steps, so that the substrate S1 before film formation and the substrate S2 after film formation are processed. Films are sequentially formed on the plurality of substrates S while being replaced in the chamber 14.
(1) Step of matching the height of the upper conveyor 30B with the height of the roller conveyor 24a by the air cylinder 66 (2) Step of transporting the film-formed substrate S2 from the roller conveyor 24a to the upper conveyor 30B (3) Air cylinder 66 (4) The step of carrying the substrate S1 before film formation from the load lock chamber 12 in the vacuum state into the lower conveyor 30A (5) Before film formation Step of transporting substrate S1 from lower conveyor 30B to roller conveyor 24a (6) Step of unloading substrate S2 after film formation to load lock chamber 12 in a vacuum state (7) Substrate S1 positioned on roller conveyor 24a On the other hand, a step of forming a film by the film forming means 22

  In the above embodiment, the air cylinder 66 is used to raise and lower the roller conveyor portions 34A and 34B (the lower conveyor 30A and the upper conveyor 30B). However, the roller cylinder 66 is limited to the air cylinder 66 as long as it can reciprocate in one direction. Instead, various linear motion mechanisms can be employed.

  In the above embodiment, the transport roller is used to transport the substrate S in the horizontal direction, but other structures (for example, a belt or the like) other than the roller may be used as long as the transport in the horizontal direction is possible.

  In the embodiment described above, the sliding of the spline shafts 52A and 52B with respect to the cases 48A and 48B and the transmission of the rotational force from the cases 48A and 48B to the spline shafts 52A and 52B are represented by the concave grooves 60A of the spline shafts 52A and 52B. And the ball splines 50A and 50B fixed to the cases 48A and 48B are engaged with the ball members 58A and 58B. However, the sliding and rotational force transmission between one member and another member may be realized by another configuration. For example, a shaft in which at least one groove or protrusion extending in the axial direction is formed, and a cylinder having a protrusion or recess that engages with the groove or protrusion, and the shaft is slidably disposed inside the shaft. It can be realized by the body.

  In the above embodiment, the film is formed on the surface of the substrate S. However, the film may be formed on a film formation target having various shapes such as a flat plate, a curved plate, and a film.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Film-forming processing apparatus, 12 ... Load lock chamber, 14 ... Film-forming processing chamber, 20, 24a, 24b ... Roller conveyor, 22 ... Film-forming means, 26 ... Two-stage conveyor, 28 ... Lifting means, 30A ... Lower side Conveyor, 30B ... Upper conveyor, 36A, 36B ... Driving means, 38A, 38B ... Shaft, 40A, 40B ... Conveyance roller, 42A, 42B, 62A, 62B ... Bevel gear, 44A, 44B ... Motor, 48A, 48B ... Case, 50A, 50B ... ball spline, 52A, 52B ... spline shaft, 60A, 60B ... concave groove, S ... substrate.

Claims (3)

A deposition process chamber disposed adjacent to the load lock chamber;
A film forming means for forming a film on the surface of the film forming object in the film forming chamber;
A first conveyor disposed in the film formation chamber so as to face the film formation unit in a horizontal direction,
A film forming object is transported horizontally in the film forming chamber, and is a second conveyor disposed between the first conveyor and the load lock chamber so as to overlap in the vertical direction. A second conveyor having an upper conveyor and a lower conveyor arranged;
The lower position where the height of the upper conveyor is matched with the height of the first conveyor, and the raised position where the height of the lower conveyor is matched with the height of the first conveyor, The film-forming processing apparatus provided with the raising / lowering means which raises / lowers the conveyor of 2. FIG.   Each of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor includes a transport roller for transporting the film formation target, a first shaft to which the transport roller is attached, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the first shaft. The film-forming processing apparatus of Claim 1 which has. The driving means includes
A motor located outside the film formation chamber;
A cylindrical body that penetrates the outer wall of the film formation chamber in the vertical direction and is connected to the motor and is rotatably attached to the outer wall;
A second shaft disposed in the cylindrical body so that at least one concave groove or protrusion extending in the axial direction is formed and slidable in the cylindrical body;
The first gear attached to the upper end of the second shaft;
A second gear that meshes with the first gear is attached to the end of the first shaft,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical body is engaged with the concave groove or the protrusion of the second shaft, and transmits a rotational force of the motor to the second shaft. .

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