JP2018189218A - Gate valve device and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress deformation of a carrying-in outlet of a substrate.SOLUTION: A gate valve device is connected to a carrying-in outlet of a substrate formed on a side wall of a treatment container, the treatment container configured to execute predetermined treatment to the substrate under decompression environment. The gate valve device comprises: a wall part formed with an aperture communicating with the carrying-in outlet; and a key member that is inserted into a groove formed at an aperture upper part as a portion above the aperture of the wall part, and a groove formed at a carrying-in outlet upper part as a portion above the carrying-in outlet of the side wall of the treatment container, and that supports the carrying-in outlet upper part from an upper surface of the groove of the carrying-in outlet upper part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to gate valve devices and substrate processing systems.

  There is known a substrate processing system that performs a desired plasma processing on a substrate such as a glass substrate for an FPD (flat panel display). The substrate processing system includes, for example, a process module that performs plasma processing on a substrate, a transfer module that houses a transfer device that carries in and out the substrate, and a gate valve device that is provided between the process module and the transfer module. ing.

  The process module includes a processing container that performs plasma processing on a substrate in a reduced pressure environment. In the processing container, a mounting table (hereinafter referred to as a “susceptor”) on which the substrate is mounted and functions as a lower electrode, Opposing upper electrodes are arranged. Further, a high frequency power source is connected to at least one of the susceptor and the upper electrode, and high frequency power is applied to a space between the susceptor and the upper electrode.

  In the process module, the processing gas supplied to the space between the susceptor and the upper electrode is converted into plasma by high-frequency power to generate ions and the like, and the generated ions and the like are guided to the substrate to perform a desired plasma processing on the substrate. For example, a plasma etching process is performed.

  In addition, a loading / unloading port used for loading and unloading the substrate is formed on the side wall of the processing container. The gate valve device is connected to the carry-in / out port on the side wall of the processing container. When the substrate is carried in and out, the loading / unloading opening / closing is performed by the operation of the gate valve device.

  The gate valve device includes, for example, a wall portion in which an opening communicating with the substrate loading / unloading port in the process module is formed. Since the size of the glass substrate for FPD is very large, it is necessary to precisely align the carry-in / out port and the opening. For this reason, a groove formed in a portion of the wall portion above the opening (hereinafter referred to as “opening upper portion”) and a portion of the side wall of the processing container above the loading / unloading port (hereinafter referred to as “loading outlet upper portion”). By inserting the key member into the formed groove, the opening on the gate valve device side and the loading / unloading side on the processing container side are aligned.

Japanese Patent No. 4546460 JP 2009-230870 A Japanese Patent No. 3043848 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-81633

  By the way, in the alignment between the opening on the gate valve device side and the loading / unloading port on the processing container side, when a key member is inserted into the groove on the upper opening and the groove on the upper loading / unloading port, generally the upper opening and loading The key member is placed on the lower surface of the groove in the upper part of the loading / unloading port by adjusting the height direction position of the groove and the key member formed in each of the upper part of the outlet. Thereby, the upper part of the loading / unloading port on the side wall of the processing container supports the upper part of the opening of the wall of the gate valve device via the key member placed on the lower surface of the groove on the upper part of the loading / unloading port.

  However, in the structure in which the upper part of the loading / unloading port on the side wall of the processing container supports the upper opening part of the wall part of the gate valve device, in addition to the force corresponding to the atmospheric pressure in the reduced pressure environment in which the inside of the processing container is decompressed, the gate valve device The force corresponding to the weight of the is applied to the upper part of the loading / unloading exit. For this reason, the carry-in / out port upper part is bent, and the carry-in / out port is deformed. The deformation of the loading / unloading port is not preferable because it causes a decrease in airtightness in the processing container.

  In particular, in recent years, from the viewpoint of improving the uniformity of plasma generated in the processing container, the distance between the susceptor and the upper electrode is shortened in the processing container, and the thickness of the upper portion of the loading / unloading port on the side wall of the processing container is decreased. Tend. As the thickness of the upper portion of the loading / unloading outlet on the side wall of the processing container becomes thinner, the deflection of the upper portion of the loading / unloading outlet increases, and therefore, the deformation of the loading / unloading port may further increase.

  In one embodiment, the disclosed gate valve device is a gate valve device connected to a loading / unloading port of the substrate formed on a side wall of a processing container that performs a predetermined process on the substrate under a reduced pressure environment, A wall formed with an opening communicating with the outlet, a groove formed in an upper portion of the opening that is a portion above the opening of the wall, and a wall above the loading outlet of the processing vessel. And a key member that is inserted into a groove formed in the upper portion of the loading / unloading port and that supports the upper portion of the loading / unloading port from the upper surface of the groove at the upper portion of the loading / unloading port.

  According to one aspect of the disclosed gate valve device, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the substrate loading / unloading port.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plasma etching apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the gate valve device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the fixing members.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a gate valve device and a substrate processing system disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

<Substrate processing system>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. The substrate processing system 100 performs plasma processing on, for example, an FPD glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) S. Examples of the FPD include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electro luminescence (EL) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like.

  The substrate processing system 100 includes five vacuum modules connected in a cross shape. Specifically, the substrate processing system 100 includes three process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, a transfer module 103, and a load lock module 105 as five vacuum modules.

  The process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c are configured so that their internal spaces can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere (vacuum state). In the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, a mounting table (not shown) for mounting the substrate S is provided. In the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, plasma processing such as etching processing, ashing processing, and film forming processing is performed on the substrate S under a reduced pressure environment with the substrate S mounted on the mounting table.

  The transfer module 103 is configured so that it can be maintained in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere similarly to the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c. A transport device (not shown) is provided in the transport module 103. By this transport device, the substrate S is transported between the process modules 101 a, 101 b, 101 c and the load lock module 105.

  The load lock module 105 is configured so that it can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, like the process modules 101 a, 101 b, 101 c and the transfer module 103. The load lock module 105 is for transferring the substrate S between the transport module 103 in a reduced pressure atmosphere and the external air atmosphere.

  The substrate processing system 100 further includes five gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e. The gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c are disposed between the transfer module 103 and the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, respectively. The gate valve device 110 d is disposed between the transfer module 103 and the load lock module 105. The gate valve device 110e is disposed on the opposite side of the load lock module 105 from the gate valve device 110d. Each of the gate valve devices 110a to 110e has a function of opening and closing an opening provided in a wall that partitions two adjacent spaces.

  The gate valve devices 110a to 110d hermetically seal each module in the closed state, and allow the substrate S to be transferred by communicating between the modules in the open state. The gate valve device 110e maintains the airtightness of the load lock module 105 in the closed state, and enables the transfer of the substrate S between the inside and outside of the load lock module 105 in the open state.

  The substrate processing system 100 further includes a transfer device 125 disposed at a position where the gate valve device 110 e is sandwiched between the substrate processing system 100 and the load lock module 105. The transport device 125 includes a fork 127 as a substrate holder, a support portion 129 that supports the fork 127 so that the fork 127 can be advanced, retracted, and turned, and a drive portion 131 that includes a drive mechanism that drives the support portion 129. ing.

  The substrate processing system 100 further includes cassette indexers 121a and 121b disposed on both sides of the drive unit 131, and cassettes C1 and C2 mounted on the cassette indexers 121a and 121b, respectively. The cassette indexers 121a and 121b have elevating mechanisms 123a and 123b that elevate and lower the cassettes C1 and C2, respectively. In each cassette C1, C2, the substrates S can be arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the vertical direction. The fork 127 of the transport device 125 is disposed between the cassettes C1 and C2.

  Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 further includes a control unit that controls components that need to be controlled in the substrate processing system 100. The control unit includes, for example, a controller including a CPU, a user interface connected to the controller, and a storage unit connected to the controller. The controller controls all components that need to be controlled in the substrate processing system 100. The user interface includes a keyboard on which a process manager manages command input to manage the substrate processing system 100, a display that visualizes and displays the operating status of the substrate processing system 100, and the like. The storage unit stores a recipe in which a control program (software) for realizing various processes executed by the substrate processing system 100 under the control of the controller, processing condition data, and the like are recorded. Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the storage unit by an instruction from the user interface or the like, and is executed by the controller, so that a desired process in the substrate processing system 100 is performed under the control of the controller.

  Recipes such as the control program and processing condition data described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a flexible disk, or a flash memory. Alternatively, it can be transmitted from other devices as needed via, for example, a dedicated line and used online.

<Plasma processing equipment>
Next, the configuration of the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the case where all of the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c are plasma etching apparatuses 101A will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plasma etching apparatus 101A according to the present embodiment. The plasma etching apparatus 101A is configured as a capacitively coupled parallel plate plasma etching apparatus that performs etching on the substrate S.

  The plasma etching apparatus 101 </ b> A has a processing container 1 that is formed in a rectangular tube shape made of aluminum, the inside of which is anodized (anodized). The processing container 1 includes a bottom wall 1a, four side walls 1b (only two are shown), and a lid 1c. The processing container 1 is electrically grounded. The side wall 1b is provided with a loading / unloading port 1b1 used for loading and unloading the substrate S and a gate valve device 110 for opening and closing the loading / unloading port 1b1. The gate valve device 110 may be any of the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c shown in FIG.

  The lid 1c is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the side wall 1b by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown). With the lid 1c closed, the joint between the lid 1c and each side wall 1b is sealed by the O-ring 3 so that the airtightness in the processing container 1 is maintained.

  A frame-shaped insulating member 9 is disposed at the bottom in the processing container 1. A susceptor 11, which is a mounting table on which the substrate S can be mounted, is provided on the insulating member 9. The susceptor 11, which is also the lower electrode, includes a base material 12. The substrate 12 is made of a conductive material such as aluminum or stainless steel (SUS). The base material 12 is disposed on the insulating member 9, and a sealing member 13 such as an O-ring is provided at a joint portion between both members to maintain airtightness. Airtightness is also maintained between the insulating member 9 and the bottom wall 1a of the processing container 1 by a sealing member 14 such as an O-ring. The outer periphery of the side portion of the substrate 12 is surrounded by an insulating member 15. Thereby, the insulation of the side surface of the susceptor 11 is ensured, and abnormal discharge during plasma processing is prevented.

  Above the susceptor 11, a shower head 31 that functions as an upper electrode is provided in parallel to and opposite to the susceptor 11. The shower head 31 is supported by the lid body 1 c on the upper part of the processing container 1. The shower head 31 has a hollow shape, and a gas diffusion space 33 is provided therein. A plurality of gas discharge holes 35 for discharging a processing gas are formed on the lower surface of the shower head 31 (the surface facing the susceptor 11). The shower head 31 is electrically grounded and constitutes a pair of parallel plate electrodes together with the susceptor 11.

A gas inlet 37 is provided near the upper center of the shower head 31. A processing gas supply pipe 39 is connected to the gas inlet 37. A gas supply source 45 for supplying a processing gas for etching is connected to the processing gas supply pipe 39 via two valves 41 and 41 and a mass flow controller (MFC) 43. As the processing gas, for example, a rare gas such as Ar gas can be used in addition to a halogen-based gas or O ₂ gas.

  Exhaust openings 51 penetrating through a plurality of locations (for example, 8 locations) are formed in the bottom wall 1 a in the processing container 1. An exhaust pipe 53 is connected to each exhaust opening 51. Each exhaust pipe 53 has a flange portion 53a at its end, and is fixed with an O-ring (not shown) interposed between the flange portion 53a and the bottom wall 1a. An APC valve 55 and an exhaust device 57 are connected to each exhaust pipe 53.

  The plasma etching apparatus 101 </ b> A is provided with a pressure gauge 61 that measures the pressure in the processing container 1. The pressure gauge 61 is connected to the control unit, and provides the measurement result of the pressure in the processing container 1 to the control unit in real time.

  A power supply line 71 is connected to the base material 12 of the susceptor 11. A high frequency power source 75 is connected to the feeder line 71 via a matching box (MB) 73. Thereby, high frequency power of 13.56 MHz, for example, is supplied from the high frequency power supply 75 to the susceptor 11 as the lower electrode. The power supply line 71 is introduced into the processing container 1 through a power supply opening 77 as a through opening formed in the bottom wall 1a.

  Each component of the plasma etching apparatus 101A is connected to and controlled by the controller.

  Next, the processing operation in the plasma etching apparatus 101A configured as described above will be described. First, the substrate S, which is an object to be processed, is transferred from the transfer module 103 into the processing container 1 by the transfer device (not shown) via the transfer port 1b1 with the gate valve device 110 opened, and delivered to the susceptor 11. Is done. Thereafter, the gate valve device 110 is closed, and the inside of the processing container 1 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum by the exhaust device 57.

  Next, the valve 41 is opened, and the processing gas is introduced from the gas supply source 45 into the gas diffusion space 33 of the shower head 31 through the processing gas supply pipe 39 and the gas introduction port 37. At this time, the mass flow controller 43 controls the flow rate of the processing gas. The processing gas introduced into the gas diffusion space 33 is further uniformly discharged to the substrate S placed on the susceptor 11 through the plurality of gas discharge holes 35, and the pressure in the processing container 1 is a predetermined value. Maintained. Thereby, a reduced pressure environment is formed in the processing container 1.

  High-frequency power is applied to the susceptor 11 through the matching box 73 from the high-frequency power source 75 under a reduced pressure environment. As a result, a high-frequency electric field is generated between the susceptor 11 as the lower electrode and the shower head 31 as the upper electrode, and the processing gas is dissociated into plasma. The substrate S is etched by this plasma.

  After performing the etching process, the application of the high frequency power from the high frequency power source 75 is stopped, the gas introduction is stopped, and then the inside of the processing container 1 is decompressed to a predetermined pressure. Next, the gate valve device 110 is opened, the substrate S is transferred from the susceptor 11 to a transfer device (not shown), and the substrate S is transferred from the loading / unloading port 1 b 1 of the processing container 1 to the transfer module 103. With the above operation, the plasma etching process for one substrate S is completed.

<Gate valve device>
Next, the configuration of the gate valve device 110 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the gate valve device 110 according to the present embodiment.

  The gate valve device 110 can be applied to any of the five gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e in the substrate processing system 100 shown in FIG. The gate valve device 110 is particularly preferably applied to the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c provided between the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c and the transfer module 103. Therefore, in the following description, a case where the gate valve device 110 is applied to the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c will be described as an example. The gate valve device 110 is disposed between the process module 101 and the transfer module 103. The process module 101 corresponds to one of the process modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, that is, the plasma etching apparatus 101A shown in FIG. In addition, illustration of the conveyance module 103 is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the process module 101 includes a processing container 1 that defines a space in the process module 101. As described above, the processing container 1 includes the side wall 1 b adjacent to the gate valve device 110. The side wall 1b partitions the space in the process module 101 and the space on the gate valve device 110 side adjacent thereto. The side wall 1b is provided with a loading / unloading port 1b1 that enables the transfer of the substrate S between the process module 101 and the transfer module 103. The side wall 1 b has a surface 1 b 2 facing the gate valve device 110.

  In addition, a portion of the side wall 1b above the loading / unloading port 1b1 (hereinafter referred to as “the loading / unloading port upper portion”) 1b3 is used for alignment of an opening 201b on the gate valve device 110 side, which will be described later, and the loading / unloading port 1b1. A groove 1b4 to be formed is formed.

  The gate valve device 110 includes a housing 201 disposed between the process module 101 and the transfer module 103. The housing 201 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape including a bottom portion, a ceiling portion, and a wall portion 201 a that connects the bottom portion and the ceiling portion and is adjacent to the processing container 1. An opening 201b is formed in the wall 201a of the housing 201 on the processing container 1 side. The opening 201b communicates with the loading / unloading port 1b1 on the side wall 1b of the processing container 1. On the other hand, the side of the housing 201 on the side of the transport module 103 is open and connected to the inside of the transport module 103.

  In addition, a valve body and a valve body moving mechanism (not shown) are provided in the housing 201, and the valve body moving mechanism moves the valve body between a closed position and a retracted position. When the valve body is moved to the closed position by the valve body moving mechanism, the opening 201b is closed by the valve body, and when the valve body is moved to the retracted position by the valve body moving mechanism, the opening 201b is released.

  A groove 201d corresponding to the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper part 1b3 is formed in a part (hereinafter referred to as “opening upper part”) 201c above the opening 201b of the wall part 201a. A key member 251 is inserted and fixed in the groove 201d of the upper opening 201c. The key member 251 is fixed by fitting, for example. The key member 251 fixed to the groove 201d of the upper opening portion 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the upper loading / unloading port 1b3 when the opening 201b and the loading / unloading port 1b1 are aligned, and the groove 1b4 of the upper loading / unloading port 1b3. The carry-in / out port upper part 1b3 is supported from the upper surface of. At that time, a positional relationship is established in which the upper surface of the key member 251 supports the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the loading / unloading port upper portion 1b3 and the lower surface of the key member 251 is supported by the lower surface of the groove 201d of the upper opening portion 201c. . In other words, the processing container 1 is placed on the key member 251 through the groove 1b4 of the upper loading / unloading port 1b3, and further placed on the upper opening 201c through the key member 251 and the groove 201d.

  Here, under a reduced pressure environment in which the processing container 1 is depressurized, a force corresponding to the atmospheric pressure is applied to the loading / unloading port upper portion 1 b 3 of the processing container 1. Then, the loading / unloading port upper portion 1b3 is bent toward the loading / unloading port 1b1, and as a result, the loading / unloading port 1b1 is deformed. When the deformation of the loading / unloading port 1b1 becomes excessively large, the gap between the lid 1c and the side wall 1b exceeds the range that can be sealed by the O-ring 3, and as a result, the seal is broken and the airtightness in the processing container 1 is lowered. Resulting in.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the key member 251 contacts the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3, and a force in a direction opposite to the direction in which the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3 bends in a reduced pressure environment is applied to the groove of the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3. By applying to the upper surface of 1b4, the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3 is supported. As a result, the bending of the loading / unloading port upper portion 1b3 is reduced under a reduced pressure environment, and as a result, deformation of the loading / unloading port 1b1 is suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the opening 201b on the gate valve device 110 side and the loading / unloading port on the processing container 1 side so that the loading / unloading port upper portion 1b3 is supported by the key member 251 from the upper surface of the groove 1b4. Positioning with 1b1 is performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to facilitate this alignment, it is preferable to devise the shape of the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3. For example, the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper portion 1b3 has a gap between the lower surface of the key member 251 and the lower surface of the groove 1b4 facing the lower surface of the key member 251 in a state where the key member 251 is inserted into the groove 1b4. Is formed so that. Thereby, since the key member 251 is efficiently inserted into the groove 1b4, alignment is facilitated.

  Since the key member 251 supports the loading / unloading port upper portion 1b3, a force including the weight of the processing container 1 is applied to the opening upper portion 201c via the key member 251, and the opening upper portion 201c bends toward the opening portion 201b. there is a possibility. Therefore, a structure for reducing the deflection of the upper opening 201c may be provided in the upper opening 201c.

  Specifically, the opening upper part 201c has a protruding part 201e that protrudes to a position higher than other parts (for example, the ceiling part of the housing 201) other than the wall part 201a. By providing the protrusion 201e on the opening upper part 201c, the thickness of the opening upper part 201c along the height direction of the wall part 201a increases. Thereby, the rigidity of the opening upper part 201c improves, and as a result, the bending of the opening upper part 201c is reduced.

  By the way, after the opening 201b and the loading / unloading port 1b1 are aligned by the key member 251, the wall 201a is generally fixed to the side wall 1b of the processing container 1 by a fixing member such as a screw. In this case, the fixing member is disposed in a portion surrounding the opening 201b in the wall 201a. The portion surrounding the opening 201b includes an upper opening 201c. As described above, the groove 201d is formed in the upper opening 201c, and the key member 251 is inserted into the groove 201d in the upper opening 201c. For this reason, depending on the size of the key member 251 along the extending direction of the opening 201b (that is, the depth direction in FIG. 3), it is difficult to secure the region for the fixing member in the upper opening 201c.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to secure the area for the fixing member using a plurality of small key members 251. As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a plurality of key members 251 are inserted into a plurality of grooves (not shown) in the opening upper portion 201c and a plurality of grooves (not shown) in the loading / unloading outlet upper portion 1b3. The fixing member 253 may be disposed between the adjacent key members 251.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the key member 251 fixed to the groove 201d of the opening upper part 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the loading / unloading upper part 1b3, and the upper part of the loading / unloading outlet from the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the loading / unloading upper part 1b3. 1b3 is supported. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the bending of the carry-in / out port upper portion 1b3 under a reduced pressure environment, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the carry-in / out port 1b1 of the substrate S.

  In the above embodiment, the key member 251 is fixed to the groove 201d of the opening upper part 201c. However, the key member 251 may be fixed to the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper part 1b3. Further, the key member 251 and the groove 201d of the opening upper part 201c or the groove 1b4 of the carry-in / outlet upper part 1b3 may be integrally formed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 201e is provided on the opening upper part 201c to increase the thickness of the opening upper part 201c along the height direction of the wall part 201a. However, a reinforcing member that reinforces the opening upper part 201c is used as the opening upper part 201c. May be provided. By providing the reinforcing member on the upper opening portion 201c, the deflection of the upper opening portion 201c can be reduced. In that case, it is more preferable that the reinforcing member and the opening upper part 201c are made of the same material from the viewpoint of suppressing displacement due to thermal expansion or the like.

  The plasma etching apparatus is not limited to the capacitively coupled parallel plate type shown in FIG. 2, and for example, a plasma etching apparatus using microwave plasma or a plasma etching apparatus using inductively coupled plasma may be used. it can. The present invention is not limited to a plasma etching apparatus, and can be applied to a plasma processing apparatus for other processing, such as a plasma ashing apparatus, a plasma CVD film forming apparatus, and a plasma diffusion film forming apparatus. The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus for processing other than processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Processing container 1b Side wall 1b1 Loading / unloading port 1b3 Loading / unloading upper part 1b4 Groove 1c Cover body 100 Substrate processing system 101 Process module 103 Transfer module 110 Gate valve apparatus 201 Housing 201a Wall part 201b Opening part 201c Opening upper part 201d Groove 201e Protrusion part 251 Key member 253 Fixing member

Claims (7)

A gate valve device connected to a loading / unloading port of the substrate formed on a side wall of a processing container for performing a predetermined processing on the substrate under a reduced pressure environment;
A wall portion formed with an opening communicating with the loading / unloading port;
Inserted in a groove formed in the upper part of the opening, which is a part above the opening part of the wall part, and a groove formed in the upper part of the loading / unloading part, which is a part above the loading / unloading port, in the side wall of the processing container And a key member that supports the upper portion of the loading / unloading port from the upper surface of the groove at the upper portion of the loading / unloading port.   The key member abuts on the upper surface of the groove at the upper portion of the loading / unloading port, and applies a force in a direction opposite to the direction in which the upper portion of the loading / unloading port bends in the reduced pressure environment to the upper surface of the groove at the upper portion of the loading / unloading port. The gate valve device according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the carry-in / out port is supported.   The gate valve device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the key member is fixed to the groove at the upper part of the opening or the groove at the upper part of the loading / unloading port. A plurality of the key members inserted into the plurality of grooves at the top of the opening and the plurality of grooves at the top of the loading / unloading port;
The gate valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a fixing member for fixing the wall portion to a side wall of the processing container is disposed between the key members adjacent to each other. apparatus.   The gate valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper portion of the opening has a protruding portion that protrudes to a position higher than other portions other than the wall portion.   The gate valve device according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing member that reinforces the upper portion of the opening. A substrate processing system comprising: a processing container for performing a predetermined process on a substrate under a reduced pressure environment; and a gate valve device connected to a loading / unloading port of the substrate formed on a side wall of the processing container,
The gate valve device is
A wall portion formed with an opening communicating with the loading / unloading port;
Inserted in a groove formed in the upper part of the opening, which is a part above the opening part of the wall part, and a groove formed in the upper part of the loading / unloading part, which is a part above the loading / unloading port, in the side wall of the processing container And a key member that supports the upper portion of the loading / unloading port from the upper surface of the groove at the upper portion of the loading / unloading port.

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