JP7266015B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in the specification of the present application relates to a vacuum processing apparatus. Substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, flat panel display (FPD) substrates such as organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, and magneto-optical disks. substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for field emission displays (FEDs), substrates for solar cells, and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vacuum processing apparatus has been used that performs various processes on an object to be processed, such as a substrate placed on a movable stage in a vacuum chamber.

JP-A-2001-135712

A stage on which a substrate or the like is placed generally has a hole through which a lift pin for lifting the substrate passes through. When the substrate is loaded or unloaded, the lift pin protrudes from the hole to support the substrate.

Here, the drive mechanism for the lift pins, which moves the lift pins up and down, is attached to the stage, so that when the stage moves, it moves along with the movement.

Then, wiring connected to a motor or the like in the drive mechanism of the lift pins moves with the movement of the stage, and may generate frictional heat or dust. Since there is no air convection in the vacuum chamber, the generation of heat or dust tends to affect the movement accuracy of the stage and the normal driving of the lift pin driving mechanism, which is a problem.

The technology disclosed in the present specification has been made in view of the problems described above, and is a technology for suppressing frictional heat or dust generated by movement of a lift pin mechanism in a vacuum chamber. be.

A vacuum processing apparatus, which is a first aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification, comprises a vacuum chamber, a stage provided in the vacuum chamber and having three or more holes formed therein, and a stage outside the vacuum chamber. and an external fixing portion connected to the vacuum chamber via an elastic member ; a motor mechanism; and a lift pin mechanism that is fixed in the vacuum chamber independently of the stage and supports a substrate placed on the stage from below, wherein the lift pin mechanism lifts the substrate from above. three or more lift pins for supporting from below; a first height corresponding to a height at which each of the lift pins penetrates to the upper surface side of the stage through the corresponding holes; a pin moving unit for moving each of the lift pins between a second height corresponding to a height at which the stage is retracted to the lower surface side of the stage , wherein the linear motor mechanism is fixed to the external fixing unit; and a magnet module that is connected to the stage and moves relative to the coil module by applying an electric current to the coil module, wherein the stretchable member is hollow, Further, it communicates with an opening formed in the vacuum chamber, and the coil module is fixed to the external fixing part through the inside of the elastic member and the opening of the vacuum chamber.

A vacuum processing apparatus, which is a second aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application, relates to the vacuum processing apparatus, which is the first aspect, wherein the pin moving unit moves the hole of the stage above the lift pin. While not positioned, the lift pin is positioned at the second height, and the lift pin is moved to the first height at the timing when the hole of the stage is positioned above the lift pin. .

According to at least the first aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, the lift pin mechanism is fixed in the vacuum chamber independently of the stage, so that the lift pin mechanism is fixed even when the stage is moved by the movement mechanism. don't move. Therefore, since the wiring connected to drive the lift pin mechanism does not move with the movement of the stage, it is possible to suppress the generation of frictional heat or dust accompanying the movement of the wiring. .

Also, the objects, features, aspects, and advantages associated with the technology disclosed herein will become more apparent from the detailed description and accompanying drawings presented below.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of a configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration and peripheral configuration of a vacuum chamber of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of a vacuum chamber and the peripheral configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus as a modified example; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lift pin mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the example of operation|movement of a lift pin mechanism among operation|movements of the vacuum processing apparatus regarding embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example of operation|movement of a lift pin mechanism among operation|movements of the vacuum processing apparatus regarding embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example of operation|movement of a lift pin mechanism among operation|movements of the vacuum processing apparatus regarding embodiment.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. In the following embodiments, detailed features and the like are also shown for technical explanation, but they are examples, and not all of them are necessarily essential features for enabling the embodiments.

It should be noted that the drawings are shown schematically, and for the sake of convenience of explanation, the configurations may be omitted or simplified in the drawings as appropriate. In addition, the mutual relationship of sizes and positions of configurations shown in different drawings is not necessarily described accurately and can be changed as appropriate. Also, in drawings such as plan views that are not cross-sectional views, hatching may be added to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiments.

In addition, in the description given below, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, a detailed description thereof may be omitted to avoid duplication.

Also, in the description below, when a component is described as “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” it is an exclusive term that excludes the presence of other components unless otherwise specified. not an expression.

In addition, even if ordinal numbers such as “first” or “second” are used in the description below, these terms are used to facilitate understanding of the content of the embodiments. These ordinal numbers are used for convenience and are not limited to the order or the like that can occur with these ordinal numbers.

Also, in the descriptions set forth below, specific positions or directions such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "side", "bottom", "front" or "back" are meant. However, these terms are used for convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the content of the embodiments, and the positions or directions when actually implemented are different. It is irrelevant.

<Embodiment>
A vacuum processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below.

<Regarding the configuration of the vacuum processing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the illustration of the chamber frame that supports the vacuum chamber 12 or the wiring that is actually connected is omitted for the sake of convenience. It should be noted that the "vacuum" in the present embodiment is desirably a high vacuum (for example, 0.00001 Pa) in order to prevent deterioration of the characteristics of the substrate W, but if the degree of vacuum does not reach the high vacuum, shall also include

As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum processing apparatus 1 includes a vacuum chamber 12, an external fixed part 14 such as a granite plate, and a vacuum chamber 12 and external fixed part 14, which are made of, for example, stainless steel. The bellows 16A which is a stretchable member, the irradiation unit 18 which irradiates light into the vacuum chamber 12, the vacuum pump 20 which reduces the pressure in the vacuum chamber 12 to a vacuum state, and the vacuum processing apparatus 1 are driven. and a control unit 22 for controlling the unit. In the above description, bellows made of stainless steel or the like is shown as an example of the elastic member. An elastic member made of resin or the like may be employed. Further, the shape of the stretchable member may not be a bellows shape like the bellows 16A described above.

The vacuum chamber 12 has a space in which the substrate W is accommodated. The substrate W is, for example, a substrate having a thin film formed on its upper surface. An opening 12A is formed in the side surface of the vacuum chamber 12 through which the substrate W passes when the substrate W is loaded and unloaded. The opening 12A is appropriately closed when the vacuum chamber 12 is evacuated. Other configurations accommodated inside the vacuum chamber 12 will be described later.

The irradiation unit 18 irradiates the upper surface of the substrate W housed in the vacuum chamber 12 with light. The irradiation unit 18 irradiates laser light, for example. The irradiating section 18 may irradiate light such as an electron beam depending on the purpose of processing. The irradiation unit 18 irradiates the upper surface of the substrate W accommodated in the vacuum chamber 12 with light from the outside of the vacuum chamber 12 through an irradiation window (transparent plate such as quartz) (not shown). Light scans the upper surface of the substrate W by moving the substrate W in the vacuum chamber 12 relative to the irradiation unit 18 or by controlling the optical system in the irradiation unit 18 . Also, the irradiation unit 18 is arranged on the upper surface of a mount 24 fixed to the external fixing unit 14 .

The control unit 22 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (ie, HDD), a random access memory (ie, RAM), a read only memory (ie, ROM), a flash memory, a volatile Or non-volatile semiconductor memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk or storage device including memory (storage medium) including DVD, for example, the storage device, external CD-ROM, external A processing circuit such as a central processing unit (i.e., CPU) that executes programs stored in a DVD-ROM or an external flash memory, and a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, or various switches , an input device to which information can be input, and an output device, such as a display, a liquid crystal display, or a lamp, to which information can be output.

The control unit 22 controls the output of the light source and the irradiation area in the irradiation unit 18, or the output control of the vacuum pump 20, and furthermore, each driving unit described later (for example, the driving unit of the linear motor mechanism or the driving of the lift pin mechanism part) drive control, etc.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration and peripheral configuration of the vacuum chamber 12 of the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. As an example is shown in FIG. 2, inside the vacuum chamber 12 are a stage 42 on which the substrate W is placed, and a slider 44 which is movable in the Y-axis direction and supports the stage 42 from below. a base 46 fixed to the external fixing portion 14 independently of the vacuum chamber 12; a linear guide 48 fixed to the base 46 and extending in the Y-axis direction; A linear motor mechanism 50 for moving in the axial direction and a lift pin mechanism 52 having lift pins 52A for supporting the substrate W through through holes (not shown here) formed in the stage 42 are provided.

The stage 42 holds the substrate W substantially horizontally while directing the processing surface of the substrate W upward. The slider 44 supporting the stage 42 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the linear motor mechanism 50, and the light emitted from the irradiation unit 18 is scanned in the X-axis direction. It becomes possible to scan the entire surface with light. Note that the lift pin mechanism 52 is fixed to the base 46 .

The linear motor mechanism 50 is fixed to the external fixing part 14 positioned on the side of the vacuum chamber 12 through an opening 12B formed in the side surface of the vacuum chamber 12 . Specifically, linear motor mechanism 50 is fixed to the end of hollow post 14A passing through bellows 16A welded to opening 12B. At this time, wiring and the like connected to the linear motor mechanism 50 are led out of the vacuum chamber 12 through the inside of the columnar member 14A. The columnar member 14A included in the external fixing portion 14 is fixed to the external member 14B included in the external fixing portion 14. As shown in FIG. Also, the columnar member 14A does not come into contact with the bellows 16A connected to the side surface of the vacuum chamber 12. As shown in FIG.

The base 46 is fixed to the external fixing part 14 positioned below the vacuum chamber 12 through an opening 12C formed in the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 12 . Specifically, the base 46 is fixed to the end of the columnar member 14C passing through the bellows 16B welded to the opening 12C. The columnar member 14C included in the external fixing portion 14 is fixed to the external member 14B included in the external fixing portion 14. As shown in FIG. Also, the columnar member 14C does not come into contact with the bellows 16B connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 12. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, the external fixtures 14 are arranged laterally and downwardly of the vacuum chamber 12, but it is not essential that the external fixtures 14 at these positions be continuous, but distributed at these positions. It may be provided as such, or may be provided only at one of the positions. In addition, the vacuum chamber 12 is supported and fixed vertically by a chamber frame (not shown) separately from the bellows 16B.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the internal configuration of the vacuum chamber 112 and the peripheral configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus as a modification. As an example is shown in FIG. 3, inside the vacuum chamber 112 are a stage 42, a slider 44, a base 46 fixed to an external fixing portion 114 independently of the vacuum chamber 112, and a linear guide 48. , a linear motor mechanism 150 for moving the slider 44 along the linear guide 48 in the Y-axis direction, and a lift pin mechanism 52 . The linear motor mechanism 150 includes a coil module fixed to the end of the columnar member 14D, a magnet module movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the coil module, and wiring for applying current to the coil module.

The linear motor mechanism 150 is fixed to an external fixing portion 114 located below the vacuum chamber 112 through an opening 12D formed in the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 112. As shown in FIG. Specifically, linear motor mechanism 150 is fixed to the end of hollow post 14D passing through bellows 16C welded to opening 12D. At this time, wires and the like connected to the linear motor mechanism 150 are led out of the vacuum chamber 112 through the inside of the columnar member 14D. The columnar member 14D included in the external fixing portion 114 is fixed to the external member 14E included in the external fixing portion 114. As shown in FIG. Also, the columnar member 14D does not come into contact with the bellows 16C connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 112. As shown in FIG.

The base 46 is fixed to an external fixing portion 114 located below the vacuum chamber 112 through an opening 12C formed in the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 112. As shown in FIG. Specifically, the base 46 is fixed to the end of the columnar member 14C passing through the bellows 16B welded to the opening 12C. The columnar member 14C included in the external fixing portion 114 is fixed to the external member 14E included in the external fixing portion 114. As shown in FIG. Also, the columnar member 14C does not come into contact with the bellows 16B connected to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 112 .

In FIG. 3, the external fixing part 114 is arranged over the entire lower part of the vacuum chamber 112, but it is not essential that the external fixing part 114 is continuous in this range, and even if it is distributed Alternatively, it may be provided only at one of the positions. In addition, the vacuum chamber 112 is supported and fixed vertically by a chamber frame (not shown) separately from the bellows 16B and bellows 16C. be done.

According to the configuration as described above, even if the interior of the vacuum chamber 112 is evacuated and the vacuum chamber 112 is deformed such as shrinking, it is fixed to the external member 14E via the columnar member 14D. Positional deviation of the motor mechanism 150 is suppressed.

Moreover, according to the configuration as described above, no bellows is connected to the side surface of the vacuum chamber 112 . Therefore, for example, if the top and side surfaces of vacuum chamber 112 and the bottom surface of vacuum chamber 112 are configured to be separable, the top and side surfaces of vacuum chamber 112 are removed, and bellows 16B and bellows 16C are attached to the bottom surface of vacuum chamber 112. are connected, it is possible to easily adjust the arrangement of each component accommodated in the vacuum chamber 112 .

Also, although the base 46 and the linear motor mechanism 150 are fixed to the outer member 14E through the pillar members in separate bellows in FIG. , etc., to the same or separate external members.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the lift pin mechanism 52 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. As an example is shown in FIG. 4, the lift pin mechanism 52 includes an extension 52D fixed upright with respect to the base 46 within the vacuum chamber 12, and an extension 52D held substantially parallel to the base 46 and extending. A flat plate-shaped pedestal 52C formed with an opening 152 through which the portion 52D penetrates; and an actuator 52B for moving the pedestal 52C along the extending portion 52D. Note that the number of lift pins 52A may be three or more.

The extending portion 52</b>D is fixed to the base 46 while being fixed independently of the slider 44 , the stage 42 and the linear motor mechanism 50 . Therefore, even when the slider 44 and the stage 42 move along the linear guide 48, the lift pin mechanism 52 remains fixed to the base 46 and does not move.

The actuator 52B includes a motor 156, a ball screw 154 extending in the vertical direction and attached to the extending portion 52D, and a nut (not shown) passed through the ball screw 154 and in contact with the base 52C. Note that the motor 156 may be provided outside the vacuum chamber 12 . The actuator 52B rotates the ball screw 154 by driving the motor 156, and can vertically move the nut. As a result, the pedestal 52C moves up and down in the vertical direction in conjunction with the movement of the nut.

<About the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus>
Next, among the operations of the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, particularly the operation of the lift pin mechanism 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views showing an example of the operation of the lift pin mechanism 52 among the operations of the vacuum processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, when the stage 42 is retracted from above the lift pin mechanism 52 (that is, when the stage 42 is not positioned above the lift pin mechanism 52), the actuator 52B The pedestal 52C is positioned at the retracted position, which is the lower position in the vertical direction. When the pedestal 52C is positioned at the retracted position, the upper end of each lift pin 52A is positioned below the lower surface of the stage 42 in the vertical direction at the retracted position. Therefore, even when the stage 42 is driven by the linear motor mechanism 50 to move along the linear guide 48 in the Y-axis direction, the lift pins 52A and the stage 42 do not contact each other.

Next, the stage 42 is driven by the linear motor mechanism 50 to move along the linear guide 48 in the Y-axis direction while the pedestal 52C and the respective lift pins 52A are positioned at the retracted positions. located above. At this time, since the slider 44 is arranged so as to straddle the lift pin mechanism 52, the slider 44 and the lift pin mechanism 52 do not contact within a predetermined range in the Y-axis direction. Here, the state in which the stage 42 is positioned above the lift pin mechanism 52 is the state in which the stage 42 is arranged so that each lift pin 52A and the corresponding hole 42A of the stage 42 overlap in plan view. The number of holes 42A formed in the stage 42 corresponds to the number of lift pins 52A, for example, and three or more are formed. In this state, in addition to the linear scale for measuring the movement amount of the linear motor mechanism 50 and the corresponding read head, the stage 42 Alternatively, a sensor or the like that detects the position of the slider 44 in the Y-axis direction may be provided.

Next, while the stage 42 is positioned above the lift pin mechanism 52, the actuator 52B moves the pedestal 52C to the support position, which is the upper position in the vertical direction. Along with this, each lift pin 52A penetrates the corresponding hole 42A and protrudes toward the upper surface of the stage 42 . By doing so, the upper end of each lift pin 52A is located at the support position above the upper surface of the stage 42 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the substrate W (here, not shown) placed on the upper surface of the stage 42 can be lifted by the lift pins 52A. Interference with the stage 42 and the like can be suppressed.

Further, while the lift pin mechanism 52 is fixed to the base 46 within the vacuum chamber 12, it is also fixed independently of the stage 42, so even when the slider 44 and the stage 42 move along the linear guide 48, The lift pin mechanism 52 remains fixed to the base 46 and does not move. Therefore, since the wiring connected to drive the motor 156 of the lift pin mechanism 52 and the like does not move with the movement of the stage 42, frictional heat or dust is generated due to the movement of the wiring. can be suppressed.

When the stage 42 is retracted from above the lift pin mechanism 52 again, the actuator 52B first moves the pedestal 52C to the retracted position, and then the linear motor mechanism 50 moves the stage 42 .

<About the effect produced by the embodiment described above>
Next, examples of effects produced by the embodiments described above are shown. In the following description, the effect will be described based on the specific configuration exemplified in the embodiment described above. may be substituted with other specific configurations shown.

According to the embodiments described above, the vacuum processing apparatus includes the vacuum chamber 12 (or the vacuum chamber 112; hereinafter, for convenience, any one of these may be referred to correspondingly). , a stage 42 , a moving mechanism, and a lift pin mechanism 52 . Here, the moving mechanism corresponds to, for example, one of the linear motor mechanism 50, the linear motor mechanism 150, etc. may). A stage 42 is provided within the vacuum chamber 12 . Also, the stage 42 is formed with three or more holes 42A. A linear motor mechanism 50 is fixed within the vacuum chamber 12 . Also, the linear motor mechanism 50 moves the stage 42 . The lift pin mechanism 52 is fixed independently of the stage 42 within the vacuum chamber 12 . Further, the lift pin mechanism 52 supports the substrate W placed on the stage 42 from below. The lift pin mechanism 52 includes three or more lift pins 52A and a pin mover. Here, the pin moving section corresponds to, for example, the actuator 52B. The lift pins 52A support the substrate W from below. Actuators 52B move respective lift pins 52A between a first height and a second height. Here, the first height is the height at which each lift pin 52A penetrates to the upper surface side of the stage 42 through the corresponding hole 42A (that is, the height at which the upper end of each lift pin 52A is positioned at the support position). corresponds to The second height corresponds to the height at which each lift pin 52A is retracted to the lower surface side of the stage 42 (that is, the height at which the upper end of each lift pin 52A is positioned at the retracted position).

According to such a configuration, while the lift pin mechanism 52 is fixed to the base 46 within the vacuum chamber 12 , it is fixed independently of the stage 42 , so that when the stage 42 moves along the linear guide 48 Also, the lift pin mechanism 52 does not move. Therefore, since the wiring connected to drive the motor 156 of the lift pin mechanism 52 and the like does not move with the movement of the stage 42, frictional heat or dust is generated due to the movement of the wiring. can be suppressed.

It should be noted that when other configurations exemplified in the present specification are appropriately added to the above configurations, that is, when other configurations in the present specification that are not mentioned as the above configurations are added as appropriate can produce a similar effect.

Also, according to the embodiments described above, the actuator 52B positions the lift pins 52A at the second height while the holes 42A of the stage 42 are not positioned above the lift pins 52A, and At the timing when the holes 42A of the stage 42 are positioned above the lift pins 52A (that is, at the timing when the respective lift pins 52A overlap the corresponding holes 42A of the stage 42 in plan view), the lift pins 52A are moved to the first height. move. According to such a configuration, the lift pins 52A are prevented from interfering with the stage 42 when the stage 42 is moved, and the lift pins 52A are placed in the holes 42A of the stage 42 when the stage 42 is positioned above the lift pin mechanism 52 . , so that the substrate W loaded onto the upper surface of the stage 42 or unloaded from the upper surface of the stage 42 can be lifted.

<Regarding Modifications of the Embodiments Described Above>
In the embodiments described above, the material, material, size, shape, relative arrangement relationship, implementation conditions, etc. of each component may be described, but these are only examples in all aspects. and shall not be limiting.

Accordingly, myriad modifications and equivalents not exemplified are contemplated within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. For example, modifications, additions, or omissions of at least one component shall be included.

Further, in the embodiments described above, when a material name is described without being specified, unless there is a contradiction, the material contains other additives, such as an alloy. shall be included.

Reference Signs List 1 vacuum processing apparatus 12, 112 vacuum chamber 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, 152 opening 14, 114 external fixing section 14A, 14C, 14D columnar member 14B, 14E external member 16A, 16B, 16C bellows 18 irradiation section 20 vacuum pump 22 control unit 24 mount 42 stage 42A hole 44 slider 46 base 48 linear guide 50, 150 linear motor mechanism 52 lift pin mechanism 52A lift pin 52B actuator 52C pedestal 52D extension part 154 ball screw 156 motor

Claims (2)

a vacuum chamber;
a stage provided in the vacuum chamber and having three or more holes;
an external fixing part provided outside the vacuum chamber and connected to the vacuum chamber via an elastic member;
a linear motor mechanism fixed in the vacuum chamber while being fixed to the external fixing part , and for moving the stage;
a lift pin mechanism that is fixed independently of the stage in the vacuum chamber and supports the substrate placed on the stage from below;
The lift pin mechanism is
three or more lift pins for supporting the substrate from below;
A first height corresponding to the height at which each of the lift pins penetrates to the upper surface side of the stage through the corresponding hole, and a second height corresponding to the height at which each of the lift pins retreats to the lower surface side of the stage. a pin mover for moving each said lift pin between two heights ;
The linear motor mechanism is
a coil module fixed to the external fixing part;
a magnet module connected to the stage and for moving relative to the coil module by applying a current to the coil module;
the elastic member is hollow and communicates with an opening formed in the vacuum chamber;
the coil module is secured to the external fixture within the stretchable member and through the opening of the vacuum chamber;
Vacuum processing equipment. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The pin moving part positions the lift pins at the second height while the holes of the stage are not positioned above the lift pins, and the holes of the stage are positioned above the lift pins. moving the lift pin to the first height at the timing of positioning;
Vacuum processing equipment.

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