JP2694164B2 - Plate-like holding device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Object of the Invention (Industrial field of application) The present invention holds a plate-like body such as a semiconductor wafer on a hold pin so that the plate-like body is provided between a susceptor and a chuck portion. The present invention relates to a plate-shaped body holding device that holds and holds a plate.

(Prior Art) As an example of this type of plate-shaped holding device, a device applied to a vacuum processing apparatus that performs CVD, etching, or the like can be given.

About the wafer holding device in this vacuum processing device
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

8 (A) and 8 (B), this wafer holding device includes a susceptor 2 that holds a wafer 1, and a wafer chuck that can change the distance between the susceptors 2 facing each other by driving an air cylinder 3 with respect to the susceptor 2. 4, a holder pin 6 that is inserted into and removed from the susceptor 2 by an air cylinder 5 and locks the bottom of the wafer 1, and a push-up blade 7 that moves the wafer 1 between the susceptor 2 and the wafer chuck 4. And have.

When chucking the wafer 1 to the susceptor 2, first, the wafer 1 is vertically placed on the push-up blade 7 (see FIG. 9A), and the push-up blade 7 is moved upward to move the susceptor 2 The wafer 1 is positioned between and the wafer chuck 4 (see FIG. 9 (B)).

Next, the holder pin 6 is moved by the air cylinder 5.
And stands by at the position where the support groove 8 is located below the wafer 1. Next, the push-up blade 7 is lowered to engage and support the wafer 1 in the support groove 8 of the hold pin 6 (see FIG. 9C).

Thereafter, the wafer chuck 4 and the hold pin 6 are moved to the susceptor 2 side by driving the air cylinders 3 and 5, and the wafer 1 is separated from the susceptor 2 and the chuck 4 as shown in FIG. The holding operation of the wafer 1 is completed by sandwiching it between them. After that, the processing in the vacuum processing apparatus is performed, and the detaching action of the wafer 1 from the susceptor 2 is performed by the procedure reverse to the holding operation described above.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) According to the above-described conventional holding device, three air cylinders 3 for driving the chuck 4 and two air cylinders 5 for driving the holder pin 6 are required, Since there are a total of five air cylinders, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated, the size of the device becomes large, and the weight increases, and the manufacturing cost is high.

Further, in the holding mechanism applied to the vacuum processing apparatus, when the air cylinder is used, it is necessary to provide a leak prevention measure for each air cylinder, and this measure becomes complicated as the number of air cylinders increases. It was

Furthermore, since the wafer 1 before being held by the chuck 4 is supported only by the hold pins 6, and the shape of the hold pins 6 is simply concave, the wafer 1 is held on the side of the susceptor 2 or the chuck 4. There was a fear that one of them would fall.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plate-shaped body holding device which solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, has a simple structure, and can achieve downsizing and weight saving of the device. It is in.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The invention according to claim 1 is such that the susceptor capable of contacting one surface of the plate-shaped body and the other surface of the plate-shaped body are in contact with each other, and The plate-shaped body has a chuck part that can relatively change the facing distance to the susceptor, and a hold pin that locks the lower end of the plate-shaped body between the susceptor and the chuck part. In a holding device of a plate-like body which is sandwiched and held between the susceptor and the chuck portion in a state where the susceptor and the chuck portion are locked, a uniaxial drive that varies a facing distance between the susceptor and the chuck portion. And a support mechanism that movably supports the hold pin with respect to the susceptor in conjunction with the positional relationship between the two members based on the drive source.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a susceptor capable of abutting on one surface of a plate-shaped body and a chuck portion abutting on the other surface of the plate-shaped body and capable of relatively varying a facing distance with the susceptor. And a support means for supporting the plate-shaped portion between the susceptor and the chuck portion, and the susceptor and the chuck portion with the plate-shaped body supported by the support means. In a holding device of a plate-like body that is sandwiched and held between, a uniaxial drive source that varies a facing distance between the susceptor and the chuck portion, and a positional relationship between both members based on the drive source. A supporting mechanism that movably supports the supporting means with respect to the susceptor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a susceptor capable of abutting on one surface of a plate-shaped member and a chuck portion abutting on the other surface of the plate-shaped member and capable of relatively varying a facing distance between the susceptor and the susceptor. And a support means for supporting the plate-shaped portion between the susceptor and the chuck portion, and the susceptor and the chuck portion with the plate-shaped body supported by the support means. In a holding device of a plate-like body that is sandwiched and held between, a uniaxial drive source that moves the susceptor in a uniaxial direction, and a position of the susceptor based on the drive source, in association with the susceptor, A first support mechanism for movably supporting the chuck portion, and a second support mechanism for movably supporting the support means with respect to the susceptor in association with the position of the susceptor based on the drive source, Having The features.

In the invention according to claim 1, the drive source drives the susceptor in one axial direction, and a biasing member that constantly biases the chuck portion toward the side in contact with the susceptor, and a movement path of the chuck portion. After the chuck portion comes into contact with the stopper, the contact between the susceptor and the chuck portion is opposed to each other against the urging force of the urging member. A configuration in which the distance is variable is preferable.

The pin support mechanism includes a guide member that movably supports the hold pin in the uniaxial direction with respect to the susceptor, and a biasing member that constantly biases the hold pin in a direction projecting from the susceptor. It is preferable.

Further, it is preferable that a holder is provided between the susceptor and the chuck portion so as to come into contact with and engage with the upper end of the plate-like body which is pushed up and moved, and is movable in the push-up direction.

(Operation) According to the inventions of claims 1 to 3, since the uniaxial drive source that drives either one of the susceptor or the chuck portion, the distance between the facing surfaces of the susceptor and the chuck portion is variable. Compared with the conventional one having an independent drive source, the size and weight of the device can be reduced, and moreover, depending on the positional relationship between the susceptor and the chuck portion by this one-axis drive source, the hold pin or Since the position of the supporting means can be changed, further labor saving and simplification of the configuration can be achieved.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, a first supporting mechanism that movably supports the check portion by a uniaxial drive source, and a second supporting mechanism that movably supports the supporting means,
By interlocking with the position of the susceptor, it is possible to change the positional relationship of the chuck portion and the supporting means with respect to the susceptor.

(Embodiment) An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wafer holding device provided in a semiconductor wafer vacuum processing apparatus will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a susceptor 10 contacts and holds one side of a wafer 20, which is an example of a plate-shaped body, and holds it in the direction of arrow A or B in FIG. Along,
For example, it can be moved by a linear drive mechanism such as a ball screw.

The wafer 20 is moved by an elevator mechanism (not shown).
It is adapted to be moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 1 (A).

The susceptor 10 is provided with a chuck portion 40 that is movably attached via a chuck support mechanism 30 provided at each position divided into three in the circumferential direction.

The chuck section 40 is provided with a wafer chuck claw 41 that can come into contact with the green side of the wafer 20, and the wafer 20 can be sandwiched between the susceptor 10 and the chuck claw 41. The wafer 20 is held by the susceptor 10 by this holding.

In addition, the chuck section 40 includes the wafer chuck claw 41.
A ring-shaped chuck frame 42 for supporting the susceptor 10 is provided on the outer circumference of the susceptor 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), the chuck support mechanism 30 has a support rod 35 which is fixedly attached to the susceptor 10 and is insertably inserted into the bearing 11 enclosed in the bearing holder 12. The tip of the support rod 35 is fixed to the chuck frame 42.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (A) on both sides of the support rod 35 with respect to the chuck frame 42,
A spring guide 32 is attached to the bearing holder 12 so as to be insertable therein, and a compression coil spring 33 is arranged between the spring guide 32 and the bearing holder 12.

As a result, the chuck claws 41 are attached to the susceptor 10.
Is always urged in the direction of abutting against. As a result, the chuck portion 10 can move integrally with the susceptor 10. Further, one end of the support rod 35 other than being fixed to the chuck frame 42 projects from the bearing holder 12.

A stopper 14 is provided at a position facing the rear end of the support rod 35 so as to come into contact with the support rod 35 and stop the movement thereof. As a result, when the susceptor 10 moves in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 (A), the chuck 40 moves together with the susceptor 10, but in the case of returning movement in the direction of arrow B, The support rod 35 is the same as before the contact with the stopper 14, but after the contact, the chuck portion 40 is moved by the stopper 14.
Is restricted so that only the susceptor 10 is retracted.

Next, a mechanism for holding the wafer 20 between the susceptor 10 and the chuck section 40 will be described.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wafer
Wafer hold pins 50 are provided at two locations on the susceptor 10 to support the lower end of the 20.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the wafer hold pin 50 has a shank portion 50a capable of supporting the wafer 20 on one end side protruding from the susceptor 10, and the shaft portion thereof is formed on the susceptor 10. It is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction by being inserted into the hold portions 15a and 15b. A compression coil spring 52 is inserted between the one hold portion 15b and a shoulder 51 formed in the intermediate portion of the wafer hold pin 50 so that the compression coil spring 52 is always provided from the susceptor 10 of the wafer hold pin 50. It is urged to project.

In addition, a boss 53 having a flange 53a is formed at a position facing the hold portion 15b.
Fixed to 0. Further, the boss 53 has a flange 5
A flange 53b is also formed at the other end opposite to 3a.

As a result, when the susceptor 10 moves in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 4, the wafer hold pin 50 is initially urged by the biasing force of the spring 52 regardless of the movement of the susceptor 10.
Is stopped without changing its position with respect to the chuck 41 (FIG. 4 (A) → (B)), but when the susceptor 10 contacts the flange 53a, the susceptor 10
At the same time, the wafer hold pin 50 is moved in the direction B in the figure (in the order of FIG. 4B → C → D).

Then, the movement of the susceptor 10 in the direction A in the figure (fourth
Initially, the wafer hold pins 50 move together with the susceptor 10 as shown in the order of (D) → (C) → (B). However, after the flange 53b contacts the stopper 43, the wafer hold pins 50 project. Are regulated (FIG. 4 (B) → (A)).

Next, a mechanism for holding the upper end of the wafer 20 will be described.

A mechanism for holding the upper end of the wafer 20 is shown in FIG.
There is provided a wafer holder 60 which is swingable in the arrow D direction and movable in the arrow A and B directions.

The wafer holder 60 is supported as follows. That is, in FIG. 3 (A), the susceptor
Two slider guides 16 and 16 are fixed to a part of the slider 10, and a slider 62 is supported on the slider guides 16 and 16 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the slider guide 16. A retainer 1 is provided at the rear end of the slider guides 16, 16.
7,17 are fixed, the slider 62 and retainer 17,17
The compression coil springs 63, 63 are inserted between the slider guides 16 and 16 and are urged to the slider guide 62 in the direction of arrow A at all times.

In addition, a hole 65 provided at the center of the slider 62.
A hole 66 is provided on the flange of the susceptor 10 at a position facing the hole 65, and the holder guide 18 is inserted into the holes 65 and 66 so as to be axially movable. A position collar 19a is inserted through the holder guide 18 so as to come into contact with the susceptor 10, and between the position collar 19a and the slider 62, the position guide 19a is inserted through the holder guide 18 and the slider 62 is always inserted. Arrow B
The positioning spring 19b is arranged so as to bias in the direction.

A boss 21 is fixed to the end of the holder guide 18 on the side opposite to the position collar 19a with the positioning spring 19b in between, by contacting the slider 62 by the force of the positioning spring 19b.

The wafer holder 60 has a swinging piece 61 having a U-shape on the support end side, and the end portion of the swinging piece 61 is the slider.
The pins 64 are swingably supported by the pins 64, and the wafer holder 60 is normally supported so as to be urged downward by its own weight.

Therefore, the other unsupported end of the wafer holder 60 causes a rotational motion in the falling direction, but is horizontally supported by the small diameter portion 18b provided at the tip of the holder guide 18.

As described above, the wafer holder 60, the slider 62, and the wafer holder 60 can be slid at the same time.

In addition, flanges 21a and 21b are provided on both ends of the boss 21, respectively.
Is formed so that it can come into contact with a stopper 44 fixed to the chuck frame 42, and the wafer holder 60 can be moved in the direction B shown in FIG. Is regulated so as not to retract beyond the predetermined position (see FIGS. 3 (E) to (J)).

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the operation explanatory diagram of FIG.

The reference line L in FIG. 5 coincides with the left side surface of the wafer 20 when the wafer 20 is pushed up.

The operation of removing the wafer 20 from the susceptor 10 after the processing in the vacuum processing apparatus is completed will be described below.

In the vacuum processing state, the wafer 20 is sandwiched between the susceptor 10 and the chuck portion 40 as shown in FIG. 3A, and in this state, the susceptor 10 and the chuck portion 40 are integrated. It moves in the direction B shown in the figure (see FIG. 5 (A)).

By this movement, the support rod 35 fixed to the chuck frame 42 of the chuck portion 40 abuts on the stopper 14, and after this abutment, the movement of the chuck portion 40 is stopped regardless of the movement of the susceptor 10 in the direction B in the figure. (See FIG. 5 (B)).

Further, if the movement of the susceptor 10 in the B direction in the figure is continued, the following actions will occur.

First, the wafer hold pin 50 will be described. When the susceptor 10 retracts in the direction B in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. 4A, the wafer hold pin 50 is initially held by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 52 regardless of the movement of the susceptor 10. The position of the pin 50 does not change with respect to the chuck 41, and only the susceptor 10 is separated from the wafer 20 (FIGS. 4 (A) → (B)), but the guide 15b of the susceptor 10 uses the wafer hold pin 50. After coming into contact with the flange 53a on the boss 53 fixed to the boss 53, the wafer hold pin 50 also moves backward together with the susceptor 10, and as a result, the wafer 20 is separated from the chuck claw 41 ( FIG. 4 (C)).

Then, such movement is continued until the left side surface of the wafer 20 reaches the reference line L in FIG. 5, and when it reaches that position, it is stopped (see FIGS. 4 (C) and 5 (C)). ).

On the other hand, considering the wafer holder 60,
Due to the movement of the susceptor 10 in the B direction in the figure, only the susceptor 10 moves independently until the position collar 19a abuts on the positioning spring 19b, and after the abutment, the wafer holder 60 also moves in the B direction in the figure by the movement of the frame 62. To be done.

Then, until the frame 62 contacts the stopper 44 formed on the chuck frame 42, that is, the wafer 20.
Continue moving until the left side of reaches the reference line L,
After that, it stops (Fig. 5 (C) and Fig. 3 (E),
(F)).

By the above operation, the wafer 20 is stopped in accordance with the reference line L while being separated from both the chuck claw 41 and the susceptor 10.

After that, as shown in FIG. 5 (D), the push-up blade 70 is raised to push up the lower end of the wafer 20 to separate the wafer 20 from the wafer hold pin 50 (FIG. 5 (E)).
reference).

Here, since the wafer holder 60 is swingably supported by the pins 64, the wafer 20 is not damaged by swinging obliquely upward.

As described above, the susceptor 10 is further moved in the direction of the arrow B (FIG. 4 (C) → (D)) with the wafer 20 being pushed up and separated from the wafer hold pin 50.

As a result, since the wafer hold pin 50 moves integrally with the susceptor 10, the wafer hold pin 50 can be retracted from the descending path of the wafer 20 (see FIGS. 5 (F) and 4 (D)). ).

At this time, the wafer holder 60 maintains the wafer holding position regardless of the movement of the susceptor 10. That is, in FIGS. 3 (E), (F) → (G), (H),
Even if the susceptor 10 moves, the slider 62 supporting the wafer holder 60 is restricted from moving by the stopper 44 via the flange 21b of the boss 21, so that the holding position of the wafer holder 60 can be kept ( Fig. 3 (G), (H)).

As described above, by moving the push-up blade 70 downward with the wafer hold pin 50 retracted from the descending path of the wafer 20, as shown in FIG.
20 can be driven to separate, and this operation allows the wafer
Complete 20 detachment actions. After the wafer is detached, the wafer holder 60 is horizontally held by the small diameter portion 18b at the tip of the holder guide 18 as shown in FIGS. 3 (I) and 3 (J).

The subsequent holding operation of the wafer 20 can be performed by performing the reverse process of the detaching operation.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the movement of the chuck portion 40, the wafer hold pin 50, and the wafer holder 60 can be performed in an interlocking manner based on the uniaxial driving operation of the susceptor 10. In comparison with a device having an independent drive source, the configuration is greatly simplified, and the size, weight and cost of the device can be reduced.

In addition, when used in a vacuum, a drive element such as an air cylinder is required and special piping is required to prevent leakage.However, in the present embodiment, no air cylinder is used, so a leak countermeasure is required. It is not necessary, and even if an air cylinder is used to drive the susceptor 10, there is no need for an air cylinder for each mechanism such as the chuck section 40, wafer hold pin 50, etc. as in the past, so there is less consideration for piping. Complete.

Further, in the above embodiment, since the wafer holder 60 that supports the upper end of the wafer 20 is used, it is possible to reliably prevent the adverse effect that the wafer 20 tilts in any state while the wafer 20 is supported on the wafer hold pins 50. Can and wafer 20
The attachment / detachment to / from the susceptor 10 can be reliably performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
Various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

If the support mechanism for the wafer hold pin 50 is made simpler, it can be made as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, the susceptor 100 has a guide hole 101 for movably supporting the wafer hold pin 110, and a stopper guide 111 is formed at one end of the wafer hold pin 110 so that the susceptor 100 has a predetermined length. It is configured so as not to project above.

The susceptor 100 is in contact with a rear end of a stopper guide 111 of the wafer hold pin 110, and a leaf spring 102 that constantly urges the wafer holder 110 in a direction projecting from the susceptor 100 is fixed by a screw 103. Since the structure of the chuck portion 40 is the same, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are given and detailed description thereof is omitted.

Further, in the mechanism of FIG. 6, the wafer holder 60 is not provided.

According to such a mechanism, first, with the susceptor 100 and the chuck section 40 separated from each other, and with the wafer hold pins 110 retracted from the ascending / descending path of the wafer 20, first, the wafer 20 is lifted by the push-up blade 70. Raise it (see FIG. 6 (A)).

Next, the susceptor 100 is moved to the chuck portion 40 side, and is moved to a position where the wafer hold pin 110 faces below the wafer 20 (see FIG. 6 (B)).

Here, the wafer push-up blade 70 is lowered,
As a result, the lower end of the wafer 20 is supported by the wafer hold pin 70, and the wafer 20 is supported only by the wafer hold pin 110 by continuously lowering the push-up blade 70.

Next, when the susceptor 100 is further moved, the wafer 20 is moved to the susceptor 10 as shown in FIG. 6 (C).
It is sandwiched and held between 0 and the chuck portion 40.

At this time, the wafer hold pin 110 is attached to the chuck portion 40.
By contacting the pin retainer 120 integrated with
10 moves backward against the biasing force of the leaf spring 103, and is set at the position shown in FIG. 6 (C). Therefore, the wafer 20 can be held in close contact between the susceptor 100 and the chuck portion 40.

Further, the positional relationship between the susceptor and the chuck portion may be relatively variable, and the susceptor and the chuck portion are not necessarily moved on the susceptor side.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the chuck portion 130 and the wafer hold pin 140 can be moved, the susceptor 150 can be fixed, and the same operation as described above can be performed.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the inventions described in claims 1 to 3, since the relative movement between the susceptor and the chuck portion is realized by a single uniaxial drive source, the conventional independent drive source is used. Compared to, the size and weight of the device can be reduced, and
Since the hold pin or the supporting means for supporting the plate-shaped body between the susceptor and the chuck portion is moved according to the positional relationship between the susceptor and the chuck portion by the uniaxial drive source, a special drive source is not required. It is possible to save labor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (A) and 1 (B) are front and side views in which a part of a wafer holding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is cut away, and FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B) show a chuck portion for a susceptor. 1 is a bottom view of the supporting mechanism and a sectional view of the supporting portion, and FIGS. 3A to 3J are top views of FIG. 1 showing the supporting mechanism of the wafer holder and sectional views of the supporting portion. (A) to (D) are schematic cross-sectional views showing the support mechanism of the wafer hold pin, FIG. 5 is an operation sequence diagram of the embodiment apparatus, and FIGS. 6 (A), (B), and (C) are hold pins. And FIG. 8 is a schematic explanatory view showing a configuration and operation of a modified example of the present invention in which the support of FIG. Is a schematic explanatory view for explaining a conventional wafer holding mechanism, and FIGS. 9 (A) to 9 (D) are push-up bumps in FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between over de and the wafer. 10,100 ... Susceptor, 20 ... Plate (wafer), 40 ... Chuck, 50,110 ... Wafer hold pin, 60 ... Wafer holder, 70 ... Push-up blade.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A susceptor capable of abutting on one surface of a plate-like body, a chuck portion abutting on the other surface of the plate-like body and capable of relatively varying a facing distance between the susceptor and the susceptor, And a hold pin that locks a lower end of the plate-shaped body between the chuck part and the chuck part. The plate-shaped body is locked to the hold pin, and between the susceptor and the chuck part. In a holding device of a plate-like body that is sandwiched and held by a uniaxial drive source that varies a facing distance between the susceptor and the chuck portion, and a positional relationship between both members based on the drive source, A holding device for a plate-shaped body, comprising: a support mechanism that movably supports the hold pin with respect to the susceptor. 2. A susceptor capable of abutting on one surface of a plate-like body, a chuck portion abutting on the other surface of the plate-like body and capable of relatively varying a facing distance to the susceptor, and the susceptor. And a supporting means for supporting the plate-shaped body between the chuck part and the chuck part. The plate-shaped body is sandwiched between the susceptor and the chuck part while being supported by the supporting means. In the holding device for a plate-shaped body that holds the support means, the uniaxial drive source that varies the facing distance between the susceptor and the chuck portion, and the supporting means in association with the positional relationship between both members based on the drive source. A support mechanism for movably supporting the susceptor with respect to the susceptor; 3. A susceptor capable of abutting on one surface of a plate-like body, a chuck portion abutting on the other surface of the plate-like body and capable of relatively varying a facing distance between the susceptor and the susceptor, And a supporting means for supporting the plate-shaped body between the chuck part and the chuck part. The plate-shaped body is sandwiched between the susceptor and the chuck part while being supported by the supporting means. In a holding device of a plate-shaped body that holds the susceptor, a uniaxial drive source that moves the susceptor in a uniaxial direction, and a position of the susceptor based on the drive source,
A first support mechanism for movably supporting the chuck part with respect to the susceptor; and a position of the susceptor based on the drive source,
A second supporting mechanism for movably supporting the supporting means with respect to the susceptor;