JP6290686B2 - Chamber apparatus and processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a chamber apparatus and a processing system.

  In a semiconductor manufacturing facility or the like, a workpiece such as a wafer is taken in and out of a processing apparatus via a chamber apparatus whose inside is maintained in a vacuum. In order to allow internal maintenance, a chamber apparatus having a door that can be opened and closed at the top of the chamber body has been proposed. Patent Document 1 discloses a chamber apparatus having a single-open door, and the inside of the chamber apparatus is opened and closed by rotating the door in the vertical direction.

JP 2012-87923 A

  As the workpiece becomes larger, the chamber device also becomes larger and the door tends to become larger. In the case of a single-open door, a large space for opening the door is required above the chamber device. Depending on the facility environment in which the chamber apparatus is installed, there may be a case where a sufficient space for opening the door cannot be secured above the chamber environment. Further, since the weight of the door increases as the door becomes larger, it may be difficult to rotate the door by human power, and facilities such as a hoisting machine and a lifting machine are required to open and close the door. On the other hand, in order to maintain the airtightness in the chamber apparatus, a mechanism for pressing the door against the chamber body when the door is closed is also required.

  An object of the present invention is that no space for opening the door is required above the chamber device, no auxiliary power is required for opening and closing the door, and airtightness in the chamber device can be maintained when the door is closed. It is in.

According to the present invention, a chamber main body having an opening on the upper surface, a door that opens and closes the opening, and a pressing mechanism that is provided in the chamber main body and presses the door located at the opening toward the chamber main body. And a guide mechanism that slidably supports the door with respect to the chamber body, the door including a portion that covers the opening, the door body being pressed by the pressing mechanism, and the guide mechanism while being slidably supported, e Bei and a support mechanism for urging in a direction away from said upper surface in said chamber body and the door body, wherein the support mechanism includes a first member supporting the door body And a second member that is slid with respect to the guide mechanism, and an elastic member that is interposed between the first member and the second member. Provided That.

Further, according to the present invention includes a switch Yanba apparatus, a processing apparatus for processing a substrate, wherein the chamber device comprises a chamber body comprising an opening in the top surface, a door for opening and closing the opening, the chamber A pressing mechanism that is provided in a main body and presses the door located at the opening portion toward the chamber main body; and a guide mechanism that slidably supports the door with respect to the chamber main body. A door body that includes a portion that covers the opening, is slidably supported by the guide mechanism, and is slidably supported by the guide mechanism, and urges the door body in a direction away from the upper surface of the chamber body. comprising a support mechanism, wherein the processing unit includes: the arranged in the sliding direction side of the door of the chamber apparatus, and arranged to open said door position opposed to the slot unit, Communicates with the serial slot portion and a storage portion for storing the door, is provided a processing system, characterized in that.

  According to the present invention, no space for opening the door is required above the chamber device, no auxiliary power is required to open and close the door, and the airtightness in the chamber device can be maintained when the door is closed. .

The perspective view which shows the usage example of the chamber apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the aspect which opened the door fully in the chamber apparatus of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the slide rail with which the chamber apparatus of FIG. 1 is provided, a support mechanism, and a press mechanism. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the aspect at the time of a press release, (B) is explanatory drawing which shows the aspect at the time of a press. (A)-(D) are explanatory drawings of a positioning mechanism. (A)-(C) are explanatory drawings of the example of a structure of a processing system.

  1 and 2 are perspective views showing an example of use of a chamber apparatus A according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the door 2 is fully closed, and FIG. 2 shows the door 2 being fully open. An aspect is shown. The chamber apparatus A of the present embodiment constitutes the outer wall of the vacuum transfer apparatus that houses the robot 30 that transfers the substrate (wafer), but the chamber apparatus of the present invention can be applied to chamber apparatuses for various uses. . In each figure, the arrow Z indicates the vertical direction, and the arrows X and Y indicate the horizontal directions orthogonal to each other.

  The chamber apparatus A of this embodiment includes a chamber body 1 and a door 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the chamber body 1 is a box-shaped hollow body having an opening 11 formed on the upper surface, and the opening 11 is opened and closed by the door 2. A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the chamber body 1 and has an airtightness capable of maintaining the internal space in a vacuum state when the door 2 is fully closed.

  Load lock chambers 100, 100 are connected to both sides in the X direction of the chamber body 1. The load lock chamber 100 includes a gate valve. By opening and closing the gate valve, the robot 30 can take in and out the substrate between the chamber apparatus A and the load lock chamber 100. The robot 30 is, for example, a horizontal articulated robot.

  An opening 12 connected to a process chamber (not shown) is formed on one side of the chamber body 1 in the Y direction. Through the opening 12, the substrate can be taken in and out by the robot 30 between the chamber apparatus A and the process chamber.

  The door 2 includes a rectangular plate-like door body 21 and a support mechanism 22 that supports the door body 21. Details of the support mechanism 22 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4A and 4B.

  The door main body 21 includes a portion that covers the opening 11, and has a window portion 21 a that is closed with a transparent member, for example, at the center thereof. Even when the door 2 is fully closed, the inside of the chamber can be viewed through the window 21a. A slide rail SR is provided between the door 2 and the chamber body 1 on both sides of the door 2 in the X direction, and the door 2 is between the fully closed position in FIG. 1 and the fully open position in FIG. It is slidable in the Y direction. The door body 21 is provided with handles 21b and 21b that can be gripped by an operator when the door 2 is opened and closed.

  The chamber body 1 is provided with a pressing mechanism 3 that presses the door 2 toward the chamber body 1 in the fully closed position. In the case of this embodiment, a total of four pressing mechanisms 3 are arranged along each side on both sides in the X direction of the door 2.

  The configuration of the slide rail SR, the support mechanism 22 and the pressing mechanism 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4A and 4B.

  In the present embodiment, the slide rail SR will be described by taking a slide rail that expands and contracts in two steps as an example. The slide rail SR includes a guide rail (outer rail) 151 and a bearing unit BU as a configuration on the chamber body 1 side, and these constitute a guide mechanism that supports the door 2 to be slidable with respect to the chamber body 1. Yes. The slide rail SR includes a movable rail (inner rail) 24 as a configuration on the door 2 side. Note that the number of slide stages of the slide rail is appropriately selected according to the size of the door 2 and the degree of opening, and may be a slide rail that expands and contracts in one stage or three or more stages.

  The guide rail 151 is a rail member fixed to the chamber body 1 and has a C-shaped cross section and extends in the Y direction. The bearing unit BU includes an intermediate rail 154, an outer rolling element 152, a retainer 153, an inner rolling element 155, and a retainer 156. The movable rail 24 extends along the extending direction (Y direction) of the guide rail 151. And slide.

  The intermediate rail 154 is a rail member extending in the Y direction, has the same overall length as the guide rail 151, and is disposed inside the guide rail 151. The outer rolling elements 152 are ball bearings and are provided in two rows apart in the Z direction. The outer rolling elements 152 located in the upper row are slid inside the upper guide rail 151, and the outer rolling elements 152 located in the lower row are slid inside the lower guide rail 151. The outer rolling elements 152 in each row are composed of a group of rolling elements arranged side by side in the Y direction. The cage 153 integrally holds the outer rolling elements 152 of each row. The outer rolling elements 152 in each row are respectively disposed between the guide rail 151 and the intermediate rail 154, and the intermediate rails 154 can smoothly slide in the Y direction by the rolling of the outer rolling elements 152. .

  The inner rolling elements 155 are ball bearings and are provided in two rows spaced apart in the Z direction inside the outer rolling elements 155. The inner rolling elements 155 located in the upper row are slid inside the upper intermediate rail 154, and the inner rolling elements 155 located in the lower row are slid inside the lower intermediate rail 154. The inner rolling elements 155 in each row are composed of a group of rolling elements arranged side by side in the Y direction. The cage 156 integrally holds the inner rolling elements 155 of each row. The inner rolling elements 155 in each row are respectively disposed between the intermediate rail 154 and the movable rail 24, and the movable rails 24 can smoothly slide in the Y direction by the rolling of the inner rolling elements 155. .

  The support mechanism 22 is a mechanism that is slidably supported by the guide mechanism (the guide rail 151 and the bearing unit BU) and urges the door body 21 in a direction away from the upper surface of the chamber body 1.

  In the case of this embodiment, the support mechanism 22 includes a movable rail 24, a support body 23, an elastic member 25, and a support body 21c. The support body 23, the elastic member 25, and the support body 21 c are provided at positions corresponding to the locations where the four pressing mechanisms 3 are disposed with reference to the fully closed position. A total of four are arranged two by two. A notch 21d is formed in the door main body 21 at each of these arrangement portions.

  The support 23 is an L-shaped member fixed to the movable rail 24. In the present embodiment, two supports 23, 23 that are separated in the Y direction are fixed to the movable rail 24. The two support bodies 23 and one movable rail 24 are integrated to form a member that slides in the Y direction. The support body 23 includes a columnar support portion 23a protruding in the Z direction in the notch 21d. An elastic member 25 is attached to the support portion 23a. In the case of this embodiment, the elastic member 25 is a coil spring, and the support portion 23a is inserted through the central portion thereof.

  The support body 21b is fixed to the door body 21 so as to cover the upper side of the notch 21d, and constitutes a member that receives the biasing force of the elastic member 25 and supports the door body 21. The elastic member 25 is interposed between the support body 23 and the support body 21c, and always urges the door body 21 in the direction away from the upper surface of the chamber body 1 (upper Z direction) via the support body 21c. ing. In other words, the urging force of the elastic member 25 is adjusted so that the door body 21 can be separated from the upper surface of the chamber body 1 via the support 21c.

  With the above configuration, the door body 21 is floatingly supported so as to be displaceable in the Z direction with respect to the movable rail 24.

  The pressing mechanism 3 includes a handle 31, a link mechanism 32, and a lever 33. The lever 33 includes a contact member 33a (here, a bolt) that contacts the support 21c. In the case of this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 3 constitutes a toggle clamp, and is stable in two states, the state of FIG. 4A and the state of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the handle 31 is rotated downward, the lever 33 is rotated downward by the link mechanism 32 according to the rotation direction. 4A shows a retracted state in which the contact member 33a is separated from the support body 21c, and FIG. 4B shows the door body 21 in contact with the support body 21c when the contact member 33a contacts the support body 21c. The clamp state which presses to the side is shown. In the present embodiment, the pressing mechanism 3 is operated by manually operating the handle 31, but a driving source such as a motor may be provided so that the pressing mechanism 3 automatically operates.

  A groove 13 is formed on the upper surface of the chamber body 1 so as to surround the opening 11, and a seal member (for example, an O-ring) 14 is held in the groove 13. When the pressing mechanism 3 is brought into a clamped state as shown in FIG. 4B when the door 2 is fully closed, the door main body 21 is pressed downward via the support 21c and descends so as to crush the seal member 14. . Thereby, the contact portion between the door 2 and the chamber body 1 around the opening 11 is sealed by the seal member 14, and the internal space of the chamber apparatus A is kept airtight.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the pressing mechanism 3 is in the retracted state, the pressure on the door main body 21 is released, and the door main body 21 is raised by the urging of the elastic member 25. At this time, the door body 21 is supported floating. For this reason, since the load of the Z direction does not act substantially between the movable rail 24 and the intermediate rail 154 in the door 2, the door 2 can be smoothly slid between the fully closed position and the fully open position.

  The operation of the chamber apparatus A having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. When making the inside of the chamber apparatus A airtight, as shown in FIG. 1, the door 2 is positioned at the fully closed position, and the pressing mechanism 3 is in a clamped state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the seal member 14 is compressed between the lower surface of the door main body 21 and the chamber main body 1, and the opening 11 can be hermetically closed with the door 2.

  When the door 2 is fully opened, first, the pressing mechanism 3 is retracted. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4A, the door body 21 is lifted by the urging of the elastic member 25. The operator can hold the handles 21b, 21b, slide the door 2 in the Y direction, and move it to the fully open position as shown in FIG. Thereby, since the opening part 11 is open | released, the maintenance inside the chamber main body 1, etc. are attained.

  Thus, since the chamber apparatus A of this embodiment slides the door 2 horizontally, it does not require a space for opening the door above the apparatus. Further, when the door 2 is slid, it is supported in a floating manner in the vertical direction, so that a force required for opening and closing is very small. Therefore, facilities requiring auxiliary power such as a hoisting machine and a hoisting machine are not required, and can be easily opened and closed only by an operator. Furthermore, the airtightness in the chamber apparatus A when the door 2 is closed can be maintained by the pressing mechanism 3.

<Other embodiments>
<Positioning mechanism>
You may provide the positioning mechanism which fixes the position of the door 2 in a fully closed position and a fully open position, respectively. Thereby, it can prevent that the door 2 slides carelessly.

  5A and 5B show an example of a positioning mechanism. In the example of the same figure, it is a schematic diagram which shows the example which provided the positioning mechanism in slide rail SR 'instead of slide rail SR. The slide rail SR 'includes a guide rail 151' that replaces the guide rail 151, a movable rail 24 'that replaces the movable rail 24, and a bearing unit BU' that replaces the bearing unit BU.

  The slide rail SR ′ is a slide rail that expands and contracts in one stage, and the bearing unit BU ′ does not include the intermediate rail 154 but includes the rolling element R and its cage, and is arranged at the end of the guide rail 151 ′ in the Y direction. It is fixedly arranged.

  The movable rail 24 ′ has a recess RC 1 with which the rolling element R engages on the lower rolling surface on one side in the Y direction (the left side in FIG. 5A). Further, the movable rail 24 ′ has a recess RC 2 with which the rolling element R engages on the lower rolling surface of the other side in the Y direction (the right side in FIG. 5A). . According to the number of rolling elements R, four recesses RC1 and RC2 are provided here. The recesses RC1 and RC2 are spherical recesses having a depth into which about 1/4 to 1/3 of the rolling element R is fitted.

  FIG. 5A shows a mode when fully closed, and FIG. 5B shows a mode when fully opened. When fully closed as shown in FIG. 5A, the rolling element R is engaged with the recess RC1, and the position of the movable rail 24 '(that is, the position of the door 2) is fixed. When the door 2 is slightly slid in the Y direction (leftward in FIG. 5A), the rolling element R comes out of the recess RC1 to engage with each other, in other words, the rolling element R is released. Thus, the door 2 can be slid. When the door 2 reaches the fully open position, as shown in FIG. 5B, the rolling element R engages with the recess RC2, and the position of the movable rail 24 '(that is, the position of the door 2) is fixed. When the door 2 is slid slightly toward the chamber body 1 in the Y direction (rightward in FIG. 5A), the rolling element R is released from the recess RC2, and the engagement between the two is released. Can be slid.

  5C and 5D show another example of the positioning mechanism. The elastic member 25 shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the lower surface of the door body 21. The door body 21 is lifted from the chamber body 1 by the elastic force by releasing the clamp by releasing the pressing of the door body 21 to the chamber body 1 by the pressing mechanism 3. As shown in FIG. 5D, protrusions 222a and 222b (collectively referred to as protrusions 222) having engaging recesses 223 are provided on the upper surface of the door body 21. As shown in FIG. The protrusions 222 are provided on the upper surface of the door main body 21 (two locations on the front and rear portions of the door main body 21 in FIG. 5C and FIG. 5D). The bearings 221a and 221b may be formed on the door body 21 and the protrusions 222 may be provided on the chamber body 1 side. Further, the installation locations of the protrusions 222 and the bearings 221 are not limited to two locations, and may be three or more locations.

  FIG. 5 (C) shows a mode when fully closed, and FIG. 5 (D) shows a mode when fully opened. When fully closed as shown in FIG. 5C, the clamp by the pressing mechanism 3 is released and the door main body 21 is lifted from the chamber main body 1, so that the concave portions 223 of both the protrusions 222a and 222b are fixed to the chamber main body 1 side. Are fitted into bearings 221a and 221b.

  For this reason, even if the clamp by the pressing mechanism 3 is released, the position of the door main body 21 is fixed, so that the door main body 21 does not become a slide-free state. From this state, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the door 2 is slid in the Y direction (leftward in FIG. 5D) with a predetermined force or more, the engagement between the respective recesses 223 and the bearings 221 occurs. The combination is released and the door body 21 is slid. When the door main body 21 reaches the fully open position, the concave portion 223 of the protrusion 222a and the bearing 221b are engaged, and the position of the door main body 21 is fixed. When the door is fully closed again, if the door body 21 is slid in the Y direction (right direction in FIG. 5D) with a predetermined force or more, the recess 223 of the protrusion 222a and the bearing 221b are engaged. Is released, and the door body 21 can be slid.

<Processing device>
Of the processing apparatus (process chamber or the like) that processes the substrate, a processing unit adjacent to the chamber apparatus A may be provided with a storage unit that stores the door 2. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of a processing system showing an example thereof.

  The process chamber 200 is disposed on one side of the chamber apparatus A in the Y direction (right side in FIG. 6A), and the process chamber 201 is disposed on the other side in the Y direction (left side in FIG. 6A). Is arranged. The process chamber 201 is disposed on the sliding side of the door 2 of the chamber apparatus A (the side on which the door 2 is slid open). In this example, it is assumed that the chamber apparatus A performs the substrate loading / unloading with respect to the process chamber 200 and does not perform the substrate loading / unloading with the process chamber 201. In the process chamber 201, for example, a substrate is taken in and out with another vacuum transfer apparatus. Needless to say, the process chamber 201 may be an apparatus for taking a substrate into and out of the chamber apparatus A.

  The process chamber 201 has an accommodation space 202 in which the door 2 can be accommodated. FIG. 6B shows a front view of a surface (hereinafter referred to as a side surface) 201a of the process chamber 201 facing the chamber apparatus A. A slot portion 202 a is formed on the side surface 201 a of the process chamber 201. The slot portion 202 a is disposed at a position facing the opened door 2 and can be opened and closed by the cover 203.

  When the door 2 is opened, the cover 203 is opened as shown in FIG. 6C, and the door 2 is slid in the Y direction. Then, the door 2 is inserted into the accommodating portion 202 from the slot portion 202a and accommodated. Since the process chamber 201 can accommodate the door 2 in this way, there is no need to arrange the process chamber 201 avoiding a space for opening the door 2, in other words, for sliding the door 2 open. It is not necessary to provide only a region (a horizontal region corresponding to almost one door 2). As a result, the degree of freedom of device layout can be improved, and the footprint of the entire device system shown in FIG. 6A can be reduced.

A chamber device, SR slide mechanism, 1 chamber body, 2 doors, 3 pressing mechanism, 21 door body, 22 support mechanism

Claims (5)

A chamber body with an opening on the top surface;
A door that opens and closes the opening;
A pressing mechanism that is provided in the chamber body and presses the door located at the opening to the chamber body side;
A guide mechanism that slidably supports the door with respect to the chamber body,
The door
Including a portion covering the opening, and a door body pressed by the pressing mechanism;
While being slidably supported by the guide mechanism, e Bei and a support mechanism for urging in a direction away from said upper surface in said chamber body and the door body,
The support mechanism is
A first member that supports the door body;
A second member slid relative to the guide mechanism;
An elastic member interposed between the first member and the second member,
A chamber apparatus. A chamber according to claim 1 Symbol placement,
A positioning mechanism for fixing the position of the door at the fully open position and the fully closed position of the door with respect to the opening;
A chamber apparatus. The chamber apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
The guide mechanism is
A guide frame fixed to the chamber body;
A bearing unit provided in the guide frame and engaged with the second member to slide the door along the extending direction of the guide frame;
With
The positioning mechanism includes a recess that is engaged with a rolling element in the bearing unit and is provided in the second member.
A chamber apparatus. The chamber apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The pressing mechanism is a toggle clamp.
A chamber apparatus. And blood Yanba apparatus,
A processing apparatus for processing a substrate,
The chamber apparatus includes:
A chamber body with an opening on the top surface;
A door that opens and closes the opening;
A pressing mechanism that is provided in the chamber body and presses the door located at the opening to the chamber body side;
A guide mechanism that slidably supports the door with respect to the chamber body,
The door
Including a portion covering the opening, and a door body pressed by the pressing mechanism;
A support mechanism that is slidably supported by the guide mechanism and urges the door body in a direction away from the upper surface of the chamber body,
The processor is
A slot portion disposed on the sliding direction side of the door of the chamber device and disposed at a position facing the opened door;
A housing portion communicating with the slot portion and housing the door;
A processing system characterized by that.

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