JP3044333B2 - Lid opening / closing device for decompression type substrate processing tank - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reduced pressure type substrate processing tank for processing a substrate under reduced pressure in a substrate manufacturing process of a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for liquid crystal, or the like (hereinafter, simply referred to as a substrate). And a lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank, for example, the one shown in FIG. 3 is conventionally known. It comprises a decompression type substrate processing tank 1, an opening / closing lid 3 for opening and closing the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 via a sealing member 4, and the opening / closing lid 3 is located above the upper opening 2. Forward position (F) and retracted position (R) out of upper opening 2
Drive means 1 for driving forward and backward along guide means 5 between
5 and an opening / closing means 20 for opening / closing the opening / closing lid 3 at the forward position (F).

A pair of the guide means 5 are provided on both left and right sides of the substrate processing tank 1, and the rear end thereof is pivotally supported by a support shaft Q. The opening / closing lid 3 is supported by a pair of left and right support frames 7, and is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat along the pair of guide means 5 via the support frames 7. The drive means 15 includes a drive motor 16 and the drive motor 1.
6, a driving pulley 17 coaxial with the output shaft,
Driven pulleys 18, which are coaxial with
The support frame 7 is fixed to the endless belt 19 so that the opening / closing lid 3 is driven forward and backward between a forward position (F) and a backward position (R). It is configured.

A pair of the opening / closing means 20 is fixedly provided on both left and right sides of the substrate processing tank 1. At the forward position (F) of the opening / closing lid 3, the leading end of the guide means 5 is pushed down to open and close the lid. Is configured to be closed. Reference numeral 30 denotes a resilient spring for pushing up the distal end of the guide means 5 to open the open / close lid 3 when the push-down by the open / close means 20 is released.

[0005]

In the above conventional example, the rear end of the guide means 5 is pivotally supported by a support shaft Q, and the opening / closing lid 3 cannot be freely changed in the closing posture. When the front end of the means 5 is pushed down to close the opening / closing lid 3, the seal member 4 is one-sided and wears unevenly.
This is because the sealing member 4 comes in contact with the end surface of the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 on the side closer to the support shaft Q. In addition, the seal member 4 is twisted, so that the upper opening 2 cannot be uniformly sealed. Therefore, the pressure inside the substrate processing tank 1 cannot be reduced to a predetermined target value only after the opening / closing lid 3 is sufficiently pressed against the upper opening 2, so that the pressure cannot be quickly reduced and the throughput also decreases. I do.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of left and right support frames 7 are vertically divided into two parts, a long hole 73 is formed in the lower support frame 71, and the long hole 73 is loosely fitted in the upper support frame 72. A supporting pin 74 projecting laterally and outwardly and supporting the opening / closing lid 3 so as to swing freely through the elongated hole 73 and the supporting pin 74 has been previously devised (hereinafter, referred to as a preconventional example). In this case, since the opening / closing lid 3 can freely change the closing posture, the above-mentioned adverse effects can be considerably improved. However, the upper opening 2
The point where the seal member 4 comes in contact with the end face near the support shaft Q is the same as in the conventional example, and the above-mentioned inconvenience cannot be completely eliminated.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and eliminates uneven wear of the seal member 4 due to one end of the seal member, and at the same time, secures a uniform seal. It is an object of the present invention to improve the throughput by rapidly reducing the pressure in the inside.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has the following constitution in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, in the conventional lid opening / closing device for the decompression type substrate processing tank, a pair of the guide means and the opening / closing means are fixedly provided on left and right side surfaces of the substrate processing tank, respectively, and a pair of support frames for supporting the opening / closing lid. A pair of closing frames for closing the open / close lid are provided on both left and right sides of the open / close lid, and the pair of support frames are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat along the pair of guide means, respectively.
The open / close lid is supported by an elastic spring that urges the open / close lid so that the open / close can float, and the pair of closed frames is engaged with the open / close means at the forward position of the open / close lid. The opening / closing lid is configured to be able to be pushed down against the elastic force of the elastic spring.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the opening / closing lid is swingably supported via a resilient spring that urges the lid to float so that the engaging portion of the closing frame is pushed down by a pair of left and right opening / closing means. At this time, the position of the opening / closing lid is first adjusted parallel to the upper opening, and then the upper opening is closed. Therefore, the sealing member does not hit one side.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a side view of a lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part B in FIG. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of a lid opening / closing device for the decompression type substrate processing tank. The lid opening and closing device includes a substrate processing tank 1 of a reduced pressure type,
Opening / closing lid 3, a forward position (F) in which the opening / closing lid 3 is located above the substrate processing bath 1, and a retreating position (R) out of this position
Guide means 5 for guiding between the guide means 5 and the guide means 5
A drive means 15 for driving the opening / closing lid 3 forward and backward along the path, and an opening / closing means 20 for opening and closing the opening / closing lid 3 at the forward position (F).

The substrate processing tank 1 is, for example, a pull-up type substrate processing tank for cleaning and drying a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer). An overflow type cleaning bath (not shown) is provided below the substrate processing tank 1. A plurality of wafers W are held by the lifter 25 and washed by immersion in the cleaning bath, and the lifter 25 is lifted under reduced pressure to lift the wafers from the cleaning bath, thereby drying the wafer W. Is configured.

The opening / closing lid 3 closes the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 via a sealing member 4 so as to be openable and closable.
It is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat along the guide means 5 between a forward position (F) located above the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 and a retracted position (R) deviating from the upper opening 2.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of left and right support frames 7 for supporting the open / close lid 3 and left and right sides for closing the open / close lid 3 are provided on both left and right sides of the open / close lid 3. A pair of lid frames 11 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, a corrosion-resistant packing, which is a sealing member 4, is mounted on the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the opening / closing lid 3, and the upper opening 2 is closed by contacting the end surface of the upper opening 2. It is configured to be. A shower pipe 23 for cleaning is attached to the lower surface of the opening / closing lid 3 so that the wafer W carried into the substrate processing bath 1 is cleaned before being immersed in the cleaning bath.

The guide means 5 is, as shown in FIG.
A pair is fixedly provided on both left and right side surfaces of the substrate processing tank 1. The guide means 5 is configured to guide each support frame 7 via a slide bearing 6 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the front-rear direction along a slide rail 5a. Each support frame 7
Is formed by supporting the opening / closing lid 3 via a helical spring 10 and, as shown in FIG. Support it so that it can levitate. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B,
The resilient spring 10 is interposed between the upper side portion 7a of each support frame 7 and the spring contact plate 3b of the opening / closing lid 3, and the guide pin 8 projects upward from the upper side portion 7a. The leading end of the guide pin 8 prevents the spring 10 from dropping through the spring contact plate 3b.

Each of the closing frames 11 is for pushing down the opening / closing lid 3 against the urging force of the resilient spring 10 as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. And the lid frame 11 is disposed so as to be located outside the support frame 7. And the closing frame 11
The upper side 11a is fixed to the left and right sides of the opening / closing lid 3 via spacers 12, and the lower side 11b is engaged with opening / closing means 20 described later at the forward position (F) of the opening / closing lid 3. It is formed as an engaging portion that can be pushed down.

The drive means 15 includes a drive motor 16 provided at the tip of the right guide means 5, a drive pulley 17 coaxial with the output shaft of the drive motor 16, and a rear end of the guide means 5. And the endless belt 1 wound between these pulleys 17
9, the lower end of the right support frame 7 is an endless belt 1.
9, the opening / closing lid 3 is moved along the guide means 5 between an advanced position (F) located above the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 and a retracted position (R) separated from the upper opening 2. It is configured to move forward and backward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening / closing means 20 is constituted by an actuator which projects the output rod 21 downward by air, and a pair of two is provided on each of the left and right sides of the substrate processing tank 1. Opening means 2 on the right side
0 and 20 and the left and right opening and closing means 20 and 20 are respectively assembled so as to operate simultaneously in parallel via an assembling flange 22. That is, each opening / closing means 20 includes, for example, the assembling flange 22 as an assembling adjustment means. When the opening / closing lid 3 is moved forward (F), the engaging portion 11b of the closing frame 11 is moved to each opening / closing means. At the same time, the opening and closing lid 3 is pushed down in parallel with the end face of the upper opening 2 to close the upper opening 2 and is adjusted. Reference numeral 24 in FIG. 2 is a position detector that detects that the open / close lid 3 is at the forward position (F).

Hereinafter, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be briefly described. The wafer W is loaded into the substrate processing tank 1 in advance and transferred to the lifter 25, and then the driving means 15
The opening / closing lid 3 is moved to the forward position (F) located above the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing tank 1 by operating the drive motor 16 of the above. Next, the position detector 24 detects that the opening / closing lid 3 is at the forward position (F), and each opening / closing means 20 projects the output lot 21 and simultaneously pushes down the engaging portion 11 b of the closing lid frame 11, whereby Opening / closing lid 3 is upper opening 2
Is closed.

The opening / closing lid 3 is supported by a resilient spring 10 so as to swing freely, and is assembled and adjusted so as to be pressed down in parallel with the end face of the upper opening 2 to close the upper opening 2. Therefore, if the opening / closing lid 3 is lowered in a tilted state, the resilience of the resilient spring on the tilted side (the side that descends more) becomes larger than the resilience of the other resilient springs. On the other hand, the pair of left and right opening / closing means 20 is constituted by the air actuator 20, and the pressing force thereof is weakened by the resilience of the resilient spring 10 by an amount corresponding to the resistance. As a result, the opening / closing lid 3 becomes parallel to the end face of the upper opening 2. Thereafter, the upper opening 2 is closed. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the above-mentioned inconvenience caused by the contact of the seal member 4 with the end face of the upper opening 2 as in the conventional example and the prior art example.

Next, the pressure in the substrate processing tank 1 is reduced, and the wafer W is washed and dried under reduced pressure. After finishing the process,
The depression by each opening / closing means 20 is released. Then, the opening / closing lid 3 is pushed up by the urging force of the resilient spring 10 and floats from the end face of the upper opening 2. Continued driving means 15
Is operated to move the opening / closing lid 3 to the retracted position (R) outside the upper opening 2, and unload the processed wafer W from the substrate processing tank 1.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be implemented with various modifications as described below. The seal member 4 is mounted on the end surface of the upper opening 2 of the substrate processing bath 1 instead of the lower surface of the opening / closing lid 3. Instead of the actuator having the output rod 21 as the opening / closing means 20, an actuator having an eccentric cam is used. The pair of left and right opening / closing means 20 need only be arranged so that the posture of the opening / closing lid 3 is adjusted in parallel to the upper opening by operating in parallel at the same time. It is not necessary to provide two each. Further, another assembling adjusting means can be used in place of the assembling flange 22.

[0022]

According to the present invention, the opening / closing lid is swingably supported via a resilient spring which urges the lid to float so that the engagement portion of the closing frame can be engaged with the pair of left and right opening / closing means. When the cover is pushed down, the posture of the opening / closing lid is adjusted parallel to the upper opening, and thereafter the upper opening is closed, so that the sealing member does not hit one side. This eliminates uneven wear of the seal member. In addition, by ensuring a uniform seal, rapid pressure reduction in the substrate processing tank is possible, and the throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a side view of a lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is FIG. 1A.
It is an expanded longitudinal sectional view of the principal part B in a middle.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of a lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 according to a conventional example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 according to a preconventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate processing tank, 2 ... Upper opening of a substrate processing tank, 3 ... Opening / closing lid, 4 ... Seal member, 5 ... Guide means, 7 ... Support frame, 1
0: elastic spring, 11: closing frame, 11b: engaging portion of the closing frame, 15: driving means, 20: opening / closing means, F: forward position,
R: Retreat position.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 21 / 304,21 / 302,21 / 203 B08B 3/00-3/14

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A decompression type substrate processing tank, an opening / closing lid for opening and closing an upper opening of the substrate processing tank via a seal member, and an advance position and an upper position where the opening / closing lid is located above the upper opening. A lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank, comprising: a driving means for driving forward / backward along a guide means between a retreat position deviated from the opening; and an opening / closing means for opening / closing the opening / closing lid at a forward position. Means and the opening / closing means are fixedly provided on both left and right side surfaces of the substrate processing tank, respectively, and a pair of support frames for supporting the opening / closing lid and a pair of closing frames for closing the opening / closing lid are provided. The pair of support frames are provided so as to be able to advance and retreat along the pair of guide means, respectively, and the opening / closing lid is provided via a resilient spring which urges the opening / closing lid so that the lid can float. In support of The pair of lid frames have an engaging portion that is pushed down by being engaged with the opening / closing means at the forward position of the lid, so that the lid can be pushed down against the elastic force of the elastic spring. A lid opening / closing device for a decompression type substrate processing tank, comprising: