JP2698543B2 - Gas multi-branch unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for distributing a gas used for position control, for example, in the case of controlling the position of a wafer in a transfer space using an air flow of a control gas in a semiconductor device manufacturing process. The present invention relates to a gas multi-branch unit for achieving the following.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a gas multi-branch unit 5 disposed between a wafer position control unit 50 and a control gas supply piping unit 51 is provided.
2 is known, and in such a configuration, a predetermined control hole 50a of the wafer position control unit 50 connected to the gas multi-branch unit 52 is provided in an airtight housing 50A constituting the wafer position control unit 50. Various position controls (progress, stop, direction change, etc.) are performed while the wafer 53 is in a floating state by blowing gas from. Reference numeral 54 denotes a supply source of a control gas (typically, nitrogen gas) in the supply piping unit 51.

In this case, the gas multi-branch unit 52
Has, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, first to fourth piping components 52A to 52D, and each of the piping components 52A to 52D.
Each of the trunk pipes 52AO to 52DO constituting D is provided with a port 52Aa as a blow-off pipe branched at a predetermined interval.
~ 52Ah, 52Ba ~ 52Bd, 52Ca ~ 52C
d, 52Da to 52Dd, while the supply gas introduction pipe 52 is provided at the end of each of the main pipes 52AO to 52DO.
AI to 52DI are provided.

Here, each supply gas introduction pipe 52AI-52
The DI is connected to the control gas supply source 54, while the main pipes, ports, and the like in each of the piping components 52A to 52D are connected via joints (not shown).
Each port 52Aa-52Ah, 52Ba-52Bd, 5
2Ca to 52Cd and 52Da to 52Dd are connected to control holes 53a of the position control unit 50 via relay pipes, valves, and the like as necessary.

Each of the piping components 52A to 52D has a control function corresponding to the type of wafer position control, for example, the first
The second piping component 52B is for central position setting control of the peripheral portion of the wafer, and the third piping component 52C is for the central position outside the peripheral edge of the wafer. The fourth piping component 52D for position setting control is assigned for controlling the forward or backward direction of the wafer.

The wafer position control unit 50, the supply piping unit 51, the multi-branch unit 52 and the like are usually installed in a limited installation space in relation to the installation space of other existing equipment. Therefore, for example, the space between each of the piping components 52A to 52D is small, and joints and the like necessary for connection are usually complicated and almost concealed depending on the connection position.

[0007]

However, in the configuration of the above-mentioned prior art, the gas multi-branch unit 52, which mainly performs the distribution and distribution of the control gas to be supplied, is formed by appropriately joining and combining pipes. Therefore, the installation space is limited, while the piping components and the joints are small and intricate, which increases the setup and man-hours for assembling, and changes in specifications, for example. Or when repairs are required, for example, it is not possible for the worker to secure sufficient work space to perform work using appropriate tools, and in some cases, maintenance may not be possible. Let it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is configured to be as intensive as possible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas multi-branch unit capable of reducing an installation space, facilitating an assembling operation, and easily performing maintenance.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, a main structure of the present invention is constituted by laminating a plurality of blocks of a predetermined shape, one of which has a thickness direction. A plurality of penetrating holes are provided, and each of the other block bodies laminated on the one block body includes:
An appropriate number of flow paths extending radially from an inner predetermined location toward the outer circumference are provided, and each of the predetermined locations of the block body and one of the one block bodies corresponding to the predetermined location are introduced. The holes are directly communicated with each other, or are communicated through a relay introduction hole formed so as to penetrate another block body interposed between the one block body and the block body, and the plurality of introduction holes are provided. Are connected to gas supply pipes for control gas so as to communicate only with predetermined portions corresponding to the respective blocks, and the other block located on the opposite side to the one block includes the block A plurality of blowouts that communicate with each flow path directly or through a relay blowout hole formed to penetrate another block body interposed between the other block body and the block body. Characterized by a mouth

[0010]

A gas supply pipe is connected to each introduction hole of one block body, and another block body located on the opposite side to the one block body is connected to the control unit in surface contact. When a predetermined gas is pressure-fed to one of the gas supply pipes, the pressure-fed gas is blown out from each blowout port of the other block through the flow path of the block. The position of an object to be transferred, such as a wafer, is controlled by blowing out the blown compressed gas in a predetermined manner (for example, through a large number of control holes arranged in a predetermined direction in a control unit). be able to.

[0011]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The main body of the gas multi-branch unit according to the present embodiment has a disc 1 serving as a first block and discs 2 to 5 serving as second to fifth blocks, and the first disc is provided. The second to fifth disk bodies 2 to 5 are laminated in that order with the body 1 being the end position, and have a columnar shape as a whole. Each of the discs 1 to 5 is typically made of aluminum,
The material may be nickel, stainless steel, or a nickel-molybdenum alloy.

Four gas supply pipes 6 to 9 are provided so as to protrude from one surface of the first disk 1 constituting the main body, and are provided on the opposite side of the first disk 1. In the fifth disk body 5 located at the position 5, the outlets 5 Pa to 5 Ph and 5 Qa to 5
Qd, 5Ra to 5Rd, and 5Sa to 5Sd (shown in FIG. 2 but not all shown due to the projection direction of the graphic) face the control holes of the control unit described later. It is provided in.

FIG. 2 shows the details of the main body shown in FIG. 1, and the first disc 1 has inwardly provided introduction holes 1a to 1a.
d is formed, and the gas supply pipes 6 to 9 are connected to the respective introduction holes 1a to 1d. On the other hand, the second
At the predetermined positions on the fifth to fifth discs 2 to 5, there are formed dispersing holes 2A to 5A formed in a counterbore shape, of which the dispersing holes 2A are formed in the first disc 1 respectively. The other introduction holes 3a to 5A communicate with the formed introduction holes 1a in the plate thickness direction, and the other introduction holes 1b to 1d respectively correspond to the relay introduction holes formed in the intermediate disk bodies 2 to 4. Holes 2Ab, 2Ac and 3
Ac, 2Ad to 4Ad communicate with each other in the thickness direction.

The contact surfaces of the adjacent discs are mirror-finished, for example, having a surface roughness of _Rmax 1 μm or less, so that gas leakage can be prevented at locations other than the predetermined communication locations. Has become. In this case, as a means for achieving the airtight state, a packing material made of a material such as Teflon may be interposed between the contact surfaces of the adjacent disk bodies.

On the other hand, on one surface side of each of the second to fifth disc bodies 2 to 5, guide grooves 2Ba to 2Bh serving as a suitable number of flow paths are formed radially starting from each of the scatter holes 2A to 5A. 3Ba
To 3Bd, 4Ba to 4Bd, and 5Ba to 5Bd. That is, the collection hole 2A has eight guide grooves 2Ba-
2Bh and the dispersion hole 3A are four guide grooves 3Ba to 3Bd.
The collection hole 4A communicates with the four guide grooves 4Ba to 2Bd, and the collection hole 5A communicates with the four guide grooves 5Ba to 5Bd. In this case, each of the guide grooves 2Ba to 2Bh,
3Ba-3Bd, 4Ba-4Bd, 5Ba-5Bd are
The inner surface of each, including the collection and distribution holes 2A~5A is, for example, the surface roughness is in the mirror-finished state is less than at least R _max 1 [mu] m.

Here, the second disk 2 is used, for example, for controlling the position of the entire wafer in the center direction, and the third disk 3
Is for central position setting control of the peripheral portion of the wafer, and the fourth disk body 4 is for central position setting control outside the peripheral edge of the wafer.
The fifth disk 5 is provided for controlling the forward or backward direction of the wafer.

Each of the guide grooves 2Ba to 2Bh, 3Ba to 3Bd, 4Ba to 4B in the second to fifth disc bodies 2 to 5
d, 5Ba to 5Bd, the terminal opening holes 2ba to
2bh, 3ba-3bd, 4ba-4bd, 5ba-5
bd (all are not shown in view of the projection direction of the figure. The end openings 5ba to 5bd are also the outlets 5Sa to 5Sd), and each end opening is formed. 2ba-2bh, 3ba-3bd,
4ba to 4bd are corresponding outlets 5Pa to
5Ph, 5Qa to 5Qd, and 5Ra to 5Rd.

Note that, for example, the end opening holes 2ba to 2bh formed in the second disc body 2 are formed so as to penetrate the other third to fifth disc bodies 3 to 5 in the thickness direction. The relay outlets 3Pa to 3Ph communicate with the 4Pa to 4Ph, respectively, and communicate with the outlets 5Pa to 5Ph, respectively. The same applies to the other end opening holes 3ba to 3bd, 4ba to 4bd. The end opening holes 3ba to 2bd communicate with the relay outlet holes 4Qa to 4Qd, respectively, and communicate with the outlets 5Qa to 5Qh. , End opening holes 4ba to 4bd are directly blown out ports 5Ra to 5Rd.
And communicate with each other.

Each of the first to fifth disk bodies 1 to 5 penetrates in the plate thickness direction and has a corresponding one of the guide grooves 2Ba to 2B.
h, 3Ba-3Bd, 4Ba-4Bd, 5Ba-5Bd
And the insertion holes 1ha to 1hd, 2ha to 2h
d, 3ha-3hd, 4ha-4hd, 5ha-5hd
Are formed, and each of the common insertion holes 1ha to 5ha, 1
In hb-5hb, 1hc-5hc, 1hd-5hd,
As shown in FIG. 3, the fastening bolts 30a to 30d are respectively inserted, and the distal ends of the bolts 30a to 30d are respectively screwed into female screw holes (not shown) formed in the control board of the wafer position control unit. It has become.

As can be understood from FIG. 3, the main body of this embodiment has a flat cylindrical shape as a whole,
The four gas supply pipes 6 to 9 are provided with respective collection holes 2A to 5A.
The length is adjusted corresponding to the position of A, and the terminal opening hole 4bc communicates with the corresponding guide groove 4Bc (the same applies to other terminal opening holes).

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C show a part of the relationship between the wafer position control unit and the gas multi-branch unit according to this embodiment. A portion corresponding to the fifth disk 5 provided for controlling the forward or backward movement of the wafer 35 in one direction (X direction) is shown. In the figure, a control board 32 constituting a wafer position control unit is composed of an aluminum plate 33 and a quartz plate 34 in which this is overlaid on one surface side. Holes 34a and 3
4b are provided so as to penetrate the plate thickness direction and to be tandemly arranged in an appropriate direction (in a forward or backward direction). Further, the aluminum is provided in correspondence with each of the control holes 34a and 34b. Outlet grooves 33a, 33b are provided on one surface side of the pneumatic plate 33.

Here, the control hole 34a is
For example, for making the wafer 35 advance (advance) in one direction so as to form a predetermined angle with the plate surface of the control hole 34b.
Are formed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the control hole 34a penetrates, and are provided for advancing (retreating) the wafer 35 in the opposite direction.

On the other hand, the armum plate 33 is positioned such that the outlet 5Sa communicates with the outlet groove 33a, and the outlet 5Sc communicates with the outlet groove 33b. As described above, the upstream end of the outlet 5Sa is the guide groove 5Ba of the fifth disk body 5, and the upstream end of the outlet 5Sc is the guide groove 5Ba.
It communicates with Bc. In addition, a dedicated control valve (not shown) is provided at a connection portion between each outlet and the outlet groove, and is configured to be able to be appropriately opened and closed according to each control mode.

The region of the control substrate corresponding to the other outlets can be explained in the same manner as described above by taking into consideration the formation of control holes and outlet grooves according to the position control mode.

Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, for example, when nitrogen gas is supplied to the gas supply pipe 9,
The nitrogen gas reaches the collecting hole 5A of the fifth disk body 5, flows into each of the guide grooves 5Ba to 5Bd communicating with the collecting hole 5A, and flows out through the outlet holes 5Sa through the end opening holes 5ba to 5bd, respectively. ~ 5Sd can be blown out.

In this case, if it is assumed that the valve is controlled so that only the outlet 5Sa can blow out the nitrogen gas pumped from the downstream end thereof, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the pressure-fed nitrogen gas is blown out from the blowout hole 34a through the blowout groove 33a, and the wafer 35 can be transferred in the XR direction in FIG. On the other hand, assuming that the valve is controlled only for the outlet 5Sc, as shown in FIG. 4C, the pressure-fed nitrogen gas is blown out of the control hole 34b through the outlet groove 33b. , And the wafer 35 with X in FIG.
Can be transported in the L direction

In this embodiment, at least the main body has a columnar shape as a whole and has a simple shape, so that it is easy to handle and occupies a small space, and its assembling work and maintenance are easy. Can be.
In addition, each outlet 5Pa-5Ph, 5Qa-5Qd,
5Ra to 5Rd and 5Sa to 5Sd are opened in the direction opposite to the direction in which the gas supply pipes 6 to 9 protrude, and in the case of the present embodiment, near the periphery of the fifth disk 5 and in the circumferential direction. It is formed along, but is not particularly limited to this, it is only necessary that the outlet communicates with the guide groove serving as a flow path, so that it is formed, for example, so as to be arranged in a scattered point on the inner side. May be.

Further, in this embodiment, since the inner surface of each flow path is finished in a mirror state, it becomes possible to use ultra-high purity nitrogen gas, and the wafer 35 to be processed using the nitrogen gas can be used. It can be performed in a high purity atmosphere.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of blocks having a predetermined shape are laminated, and one of the blocks is provided with a plurality of introduction holes penetrating in the thickness direction. Each of the other blocks stacked on the block is provided with an appropriate number of flow passages extending radially from a predetermined inner location toward the outer periphery, while each of the predetermined locations of the block is provided. And any one of the introduction holes of the one block corresponding to the predetermined portion, or penetrate another block interposed between the one block and the block. The plurality of introduction holes are connected to a gas supply pipe of a control gas so as to communicate only with a predetermined portion corresponding to each of the plurality of introduction holes. The other block on the other side has It communicates directly with each flow path of the block body or via a relay blowing hole formed to penetrate another block body interposed between the other block body and the block body. Since a plurality of outlets are provided, at least the main body, which functions as a core function of dividing and distributing gas, can be configured as intensively as possible, and the installation space can be reduced. .
Further, since the main body has a simple laminated structure of the block body, the assembling work is easy, and further, the outlet can be brought into direct contact with, for example, the control unit of the transferred body, so that the flow is prevented. This can contribute to reducing road resistance and simplifying maintenance work.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, since the block is a disc, the processing of the block is easy.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the control gas is a supply pipe of an inert gas. The object to be exposed to the gas can be made chemically stable.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the other block is provided with a control unit for controlling the position of the object to be transferred. It is characterized in that it is connected in a surface contact state, so it is useful to apply to transfer the transferred object in a floating state by the control gas from the outlet, and eliminates the gap with the control unit. Can contribute to space saving.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the object to be transferred is a semiconductor wafer, and is useful when applied to a semiconductor device manufacturing process. is there.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the disk body is
Since the contact surface with the adjacent disk body is formed in a mirror surface state, the airtight state of the main body can be realized with a sufficiently high accuracy. As described above, when the surface roughness in the mirror state is set to _Rmax 1 μm or less, an effective airtight state can be realized.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to seventh aspects of the present invention, each of the appropriate number of flow paths has an inner surface formed in a mirror state. Because of the feature, it is possible to use ultra-high purity nitrogen gas, the object to be processed using the nitrogen gas can be performed in a high-purity atmosphere, and it can contribute to high quality of the product. In this case,
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the surface roughness of the mirror surface state is R
_{When the thickness is max} 1 μm or less, an effective high-purity atmosphere can be realized.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects of the present invention, the disk body has airtight means interposed between adjacent disk bodies. In this case, the hermetic state can be easily realized at a low cost and easily. In this case, as in the invention of claim 11, the hermetic means is a packing material made of a material such as Teflon, which is a universally available polymer material. If it comprises, it can implement | achieve more concretely.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to eleventh aspects of the present invention, since the disk body is made of a metal material, processing is easy. If the metal material is aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, or a nickel-molybdenum alloy as in the invention of Item 13, the metal material is widely used, so that the availability is excellent.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a gas multi-branch unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main body of the multi-branch gas unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a main body of the multi-branch unit.

4A and 4B show a configuration of a wafer position control unit to which a gas multi-branching unit is connected, wherein FIG. 4A is a partial plan view, and FIG. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along line x2-x2 of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional gas multi-branch unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a relationship between a gas multi-branch unit, a supply piping unit, and a wafer position control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 first disc (one block), 2 second disc (other block), 3 third disc (other block), 4 fourth disc ( 5th disk (other one block), 6-9 gas supply pipe, 1a-1d introduction hole, 2Ab-2Ad, 3Ac, 3Ad, 4Ad relay introduction hole, 3Pa- 3Ph, 4Pa-4Ph, 3Qa-3Qd, 4
Qa-4Qd Relay blowout hole, 5Pa-5Ph, 5Qa-5Qd, 5Ra-5Rd, 5
Sa to 5Sd outlet, 2A to 5A scattering hole (predetermined location), 2Ba to 5Bd guide groove (flow path) 2ba to 2bh, 3ba to 3bd, 4ba to 4bd, 5
ba-5bd Terminal open hole (flow path).

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of blocks having a predetermined shape are laminated, and one of the blocks is provided with a plurality of introduction holes penetrating in a thickness direction, and another block laminated on the one block is formed. Each of the block bodies is provided with an appropriate number of flow paths extending radially from an inner predetermined location toward the outer periphery, while each of the predetermined locations of the block body and the one corresponding to the predetermined location are provided. Directly through any of the introduction holes of the block body, or through a relay introduction hole formed to penetrate another block body interposed between the one block body and the block body. The plurality of introduction holes are connected to a gas supply pipe of a control gas so as to communicate only with a predetermined location corresponding to each of the plurality of introduction holes. Each block body has its own flow. A plurality of outlets are provided which communicate with the road directly or via a relay outlet formed to penetrate another block interposed between the other block and the block. A multi-branch gas unit, characterized in that: 2. The gas multi-branch unit according to claim 1, wherein the block body is a disk body. 3. The gas multi-branch unit according to claim 1, wherein the control gas is an inert gas. 4. The other block body is connected to a control unit for controlling a position of an object to be transferred in a surface contact state. 2. The gas multi-branch unit according to claim 1. 5. The multi-branch gas unit according to claim 3, wherein the object to be transferred is a semiconductor wafer. 6. The gas according to claim 2, wherein a contact surface of the disk body with an adjacent disk body is formed in a mirror surface state. Multi-branch unit. 7. The gas multi-branch unit according to claim 6, wherein the mirror surface state is a state in which the surface roughness is polished to at least _Rmax 1 μm or less. 8. The multi-branch gas unit according to claim 2, wherein each of the appropriate number of channels has a mirror-finished inner surface. . 9. The mirror surface condition is such that the surface roughness is R _max 1 μm.
The multi-branch gas unit according to claim 8, wherein the multi-branch gas unit is polished to a value equal to or less than m. 10. The disk body according to claim 2, wherein airtight means is interposed between adjacent disk bodies.
The gas multi-branch unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 11. The gas multi-branch unit according to claim 10, wherein said airtight means is a packing material made of a polymer material. 12. The multi-branch gas unit according to claim 2, wherein the disc body is made of a metal material. 13. The multi-branch gas unit according to claim 12, wherein the metal material is aluminum, nickel, stainless steel, or a nickel-molybdenum alloy.