JP7317906B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus such as a vacuum deposition apparatus or a sputtering apparatus used for forming thin films.

While a polygonal or cylindrical drum-shaped substrate holder holding a plurality of substrates on the outer peripheral surface is rotated on a cylindrical center axis perpendicular to the ground, a target placed facing the outer periphery of the drum-shaped substrate holder is sputtered. A so-called carousel-type sputtering apparatus is known for forming a thin film on each substrate using a thin film. As a first example of a so-called carousel type sputtering apparatus, a vacuum processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1, and FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a specific example of part of the apparatus of FIG.
In the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a rotating drum jig 102 on which a substrate to be processed is mounted is fixedly arranged in a processing chamber 101, and the rotating drum jig 102 in the processing chamber 101 is processed. A substrate/holder assembly attaching/detaching mechanism 1014 is provided for attaching/detaching the substrate/holder assembly 1012 to be processed. It is characterized in that the substrate/holder assembly 1012 can be horizontally carried in and out between the loading chamber 104 and the substrate unloading chamber 105 by the transfer mechanism 1013 shown in FIG.
According to the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rotary drum jig 102 is fixedly arranged in the processing chamber 101, and only the substrate/holder assembly 1012 is held in parallel with the rotation shaft by using the attachment/detachment mechanism 1014. , loading/unloading, detachment and unloading, the drum jig itself 102 can be equipped with necessary devices such as a cooling mechanism and bias applying means. , substrate unloading chamber 105) can also be downsized, the dead space can be reduced, the apparatus itself can be downsized, and the load on the exhaust system can be reduced.
10 and 11, the cathode 103, each substrate mounting surface 102A of the rotary drum jig 102, the guide roller 1013A and the driving roller 1013B, and the rotary drum jig 102 are placed at predetermined positions (that is, the substrate/holder assembly 1012). A stop guide device 1016 for stopping at the attachment/detachment position is shown.
As described above, the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can carry out the film forming process while the film forming chamber is maintained at a high degree of vacuum by changing the substrate in a vacuum. However, the device shown in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-80734

However, in the case of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when the substrate/holder assembly 1012 is transferred from the substrate preparation chamber 104 to the processing chamber 102, both sides of the substrate/holder assembly 1012 are moved by the transfer device 1013. 10 (in the order of →B shown in FIG. 11) from the substrate loading chamber 104 to the processing chamber 102 by the drive roller 1013B of the transfer device 1013. be brought in.
In the case of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, during the transfer operation from the processing chamber 102 to the substrate unloading chamber 105, both sides of the substrate/holder assembly 1012 are held by the guide rollers 1013A and the driving rollers of the transfer device 1013. While being slidably guided by 1013B, the substrate/holder assembly 1012 is held in a vertical state (parallel to the rotation axis) in the order of →C and →D shown in FIG. 10 (in the order of →C shown in FIG. 11). will do.
Therefore, the substrate/holder assembly 1012 is horizontally carried into the substrate loading chamber 104 and the substrate unloading chamber 105 in a suspended state while being in contact with the guide roller 1013A and the drive roller 1013B of the transport mechanism shown in FIG. Since the substrate is carried out (parallel to the rotation axis), particles may be generated from the substrate/holder assembly 1012, which may cause a problem that the product is likely to be defective.
Furthermore, in the case of the vacuum processing apparatus shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of substrate/holder assemblies 1012 can be mounted in the substrate loading chamber 104 and the substrate unloading chamber 105, but a specific structure capable of mounting is disclosed. do not have.
Therefore, when a plurality of substrate/holder assemblies 1012 are stored in the substrate loading chamber 104 or the substrate unloading chamber 105, due to the complexity of the transport mechanism, after the film formation in the processing chamber 102 from the substrate loading chamber 104, the substrate unloading chamber 105 is placed. There is a possibility that it will take some time to collect the substrates up to, and an improvement in production volume cannot be expected.

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the problems of the invention described in Patent Document 1,
A load-lock chamber, a processing chamber, and a transfer mechanism capable of horizontally transferring a substrate tray capable of holding a plurality of substrates in a vertically suspended state between the load-lock chamber and the processing chamber. To provide a vacuum processing apparatus in which, when the substrate tray is installed in the load-lock chamber or the processing chamber, the apparatus does not become complicated or large-sized, and particles are not generated to cause defective products. It is intended to

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1,
a load lock chamber having a cassette capable of accommodating substrate fixing jigs capable of holding a plurality of substrates;
a processing chamber having a rotating holder on which the substrate fixing jig can be placed;
a transport mechanism capable of horizontally transporting the substrate fixing jig in a vertically suspended state between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber;
In a vacuum processing apparatus having
The cassette has cassette hooks on both ends of its upper portion on which the substrate fixing jig can be placed,
The substrate fixing jig has through holes formed in both upper end portions thereof into which the cassette hooks can be inserted,
The rotating holder has a vertical axis of rotation,
The transport mechanism has transport hooks that can be inserted into the through-holes at both upper end portions thereof,
The transport mechanism has a lower hook at its lower end on which the lower end of the substrate fixing jig can be placed,
The substrate fixing jig is mounted by the transport hook and the lower hook of the transport mechanism, and is horizontally transported between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber in a vertically suspended state. It is a vacuum processing apparatus characterized by:

According to the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, the substrate fixing jig is mounted by the transfer hook and the lower hook of the transfer mechanism, and is suspended vertically between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber. Since it is transported, it is possible to carry it in and out between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber while keeping the height of the substrate fixing jig and the height of the rotary holder at the same level.
Furthermore, since the substrate fixing jig has through-holes at both ends of the upper portion thereof into which the cassette hooks can be inserted, the substrate fixing jig can be easily carried in and out of the cassette, and particle suppression is also achieved. Advantageous.

1 is a sectional view of a so-called carousel-type vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a top view of a so-called carousel-type vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a view of a cassette for housing substrate fixing jigs according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is the figure which looked at the board|substrate surface direction of the Example of this invention, and the cassette which accommodates a board|substrate fixing jig. It is an embodiment of the present invention, a diagram of a substrate fixture suspended from a cassette hook. It is the figure of the Example of this invention, (A) the figure of a board|substrate fixing jig through-hole, (B) It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cassette hook. It is an embodiment of the present invention, a diagram of a transfer robot arm and a substrate fixing jig. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of the board|substrate fixing jig hung by the board|substrate cassette hook of Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation|movement of the board|substrate fixing jig hung by the board|substrate cassette hook of Example of this invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a specific example of part of the device shown in Patent Document 1;

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a so-called carousel type vacuum processing apparatus, which is an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1 has a load lock chamber 2 having a cassette 11 capable of accommodating a substrate fixing jig 13 capable of holding a plurality of substrates, and a rotary holder 7 capable of mounting the substrate fixing jig 13. Between the chamber 1, the load-lock chamber 2, and the processing chamber 1, a substrate fixing jig 13 is vertically suspended, and a conveying mechanism 4 capable of horizontally conveying the cassette 11 in the low-lock chamber 2. It is composed of a mechanism (not shown) for conveying to an adjacent cooling chamber or heating chamber. In the processing chamber 1, a polygonal drum-type rotating holder 7 holding a plurality of substrate fixing jigs 13 on its outer peripheral surface is rotated on a rotating shaft 8 perpendicular to the ground using a driving mechanism 25. A so-called carousel type sputtering chamber is installed in which a plurality of film forming mechanisms 5 (for example, targets) are set facing the outer periphery of the rotary holder 7 to form a thin film on the substrate of each substrate fixing jig 13 by sputtering. be done.
A load-lock chamber 2 is adjacent to a processing chamber 1 and connected via a slit valve 6, and only the load-lock chamber 2 is made atmospheric or vacuum by exhausting or venting with the slit valve 6 closed. In addition, a cassette 11 capable of storing a plurality of substrate fixing jigs 13 can be installed in the load lock chamber 2 .

FIG. 2 is a top view of a carousel-type vacuum processing apparatus. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. A cooling chamber 9 and a heating chamber 10 connected to both sides of the load lock chamber 2 are connected via a slit valve 6 . A cassette 11 installed in the load lock chamber 2 can be moved to the cooling chamber 9 and the heating chamber 10 by running on rails 21 (see FIG. 1) laid on the floor. A heating mechanism (not shown) provided in the heating chamber 10 is used to heat the cassette 11 containing the substrate fixing jigs 13 before processing, and the substrates on the substrate fixing jigs 13 are heated. can be cooled in the cooling chamber 9. When the substrate fixing jig 13 is transferred to the processing chamber 1 , the substrate fixing jig 13 is transferred to the transfer position of the transfer mechanism 4 and transferred to the drum-type rotary holder 7 by the transfer mechanism 4 . A film formation mechanism (for example, target) 5 is arranged on the outer periphery of the rotary holder 7 so as to face the rotation holder 7, and the film formation mechanism (for example, target) 5 is electrically connected to a power source and supplies gas. By applying DC or high-frequency power to the film forming mechanism (for example, target) 5 in the introduced processing chamber 1, the film forming mechanism (for example, target) 5 can be sputtered to form a film. A plurality of different film formation mechanisms (for example, targets) 5 can be installed to form a laminated film, and a plurality of film formation mechanisms (for example, targets) 5 of the same type can be installed to increase the film formation speed. can. Alternatively, instead of the film formation mechanism (eg, target) 5, a film formation mechanism (eg, ion gun) 5 may be installed to irradiate the surface of the substrate with ion beams before film formation to clean the surface. A heating mechanism (not shown) for heating the substrate can also be installed.

FIG. 3 shows the appearance of the cassette 11 and substrate fixing jig 13 in this embodiment.
The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.
A substrate fixing jig 13 having a rectangular plate shape has two through holes 14 at both ends of an upper end portion thereof. A mechanism (not shown) for fixing the substrate is provided in the substrate fixing jig 13, and the substrate can be fixed to the substrate fixing jig 13 manually. A plurality of substrate fixing jigs 13 are suspended at intervals from a U-shaped cassette hook 10 with a through hole 14 of the substrate fixing jig 13 as a fulcrum.
The cassette hook 10 is fixed to the cassette 11 and supports the weight of the board fixing jig 13 . The cassette 11 with the substrate fixing jig 13 mounted thereon can be placed in the load lock chamber 2 and evacuated, and can be automatically transferred to the drum type rotary holder 7 in the film forming chamber 1 in vacuum. The cassette 11 installed in the load lock chamber 2 can run on rails 21 laid on the floor (see FIG. 1).
The vertical cross-sectional shape of the cassette hook 10 is not limited to a U-shape, and may be a round shape as long as it has an opening at the top through which the transport hook 15 passes.
In FIG. 3, the substrate fixing jig 13 is configured by inserting the transfer hook 15 of the transfer mechanism 4 into the through hole 14 of the substrate fixing jig 13, and placing the lower end of the substrate fixing jig 13 on the lower hook 20 of the transfer mechanism 4. placed and suspended vertically.
The cassette hook 10 may be provided with a groove (for example, a V-shaped groove) 16 so that when the substrate fixing jig 13 is received by the cassette hook 10, it is held at a specific position. preferable.

FIG. 4 is a view of the transport mechanism 4 viewed from the substrate surface direction, and shows how the substrate fixing jig 13 is suspended by the transport hooks 15 . The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. The substrate fixing jig 13 has two circular through holes 14 at both ends of the upper portion thereof, and the substrate is lifted by the transfer hooks 15 . At the back of the round through hole 14, the cassette hook can be seen as an open U-shape. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the cassette hook 10 is viewed from the side, the V-shaped grooves 16 are formed at regular intervals so that when the substrate fixing jig 13 is received by the cassette hook 10, it is held at a specific position. A substrate fixing jig 13 is fitted in the portion and arranged at regular intervals. Since the vibration of the substrate fixing jig can be reduced according to the present invention, this interval can be made narrower than when the vibration is large. The substrate fixing jig 13 is transported to the position of the cassette hook 10 while being suspended by the transport hook 15 of the transport mechanism 4 . By lowering the transfer arm 4A of the transfer mechanism 4 from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

FIG. 6A is a diagram of the board through hole 14, and FIG. 6B is a longitudinal sectional view of the cassette hook. The shape of the substrate through hole 14 shown in FIG. 6A is not limited to a round shape, and may be a bullet shape or a triangular shape as long as the shape allows the transfer hook 15 or the cassette hook 10 to pass through and has a narrow upper portion. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the cassette hook 10 shown in FIG. 6B is preferably U-shaped, round, or U-shaped.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of the robot arm section and the substrate fixing jig of the transfer mechanism 4 of the embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same numbers, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. A transfer hook 15 is attached to the tip of the robot arm of the transfer mechanism 4 , and a lower hook 20 is connected to the lower side of the transfer hook 15 so as to hold down the lower end of the substrate fixing jig 13 . When the upper transfer hook 15 is passed through the two through holes 14 and the arm of the transfer mechanism 4 is moved upward, the transfer hook 15 supports the through hole 14 of the substrate fixing jig 13 and at the same time the substrate fixing jig 13 is moved. The lower end can be supported by a lower hook 20. - 特許庁By lifting and transporting the board while holding it in this way, it is possible to suppress shaking of the board fixing jig and carry out stable transport.

8 and 9 are diagrams showing the operation of the substrate fixing jig 13 suspended from the cassette hook 10 of the embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. When the substrate fixing jig 13 is transferred to the cassette hook 10, it is transferred in the order of →A and →B shown in FIGS. When removing the substrate fixing jig 13 from the cassette hook 10, it is conveyed in the order of →C and →D shown in FIGS. Two through holes 14 (not shown) are provided at the upper end of the substrate fixing jig 13 , and two hook-shaped transfer hooks 15 are provided at the tip of the arm of the horizontal articulated robot, which is the transfer mechanism 4 . It is passed through the substrate through-hole 14, hooked and lifted to be transported. 3, 7, 8 and 9, "→A" indicates the direction in which the transport mechanism 4 is horizontally transported toward the cassette hook 10, and "→B" indicates the direction in which the transport mechanism 4 descends. , "→C" indicates the direction in which the transport mechanism 4 ascends, and "→D" indicates the direction in which the transport mechanism 4 is horizontally transported away from the cassette hook 10. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 7, a plate-like object extending from the upper end of the substrate fixing jig 13 to the lower end of the substrate fixing jig 13 is provided at the tip of the robot arm of the transfer mechanism 4. A lower hook 20 is coupled to the . The two transfer hooks 15 are passed through the substrate through holes 14, and the lower hook 20 hooks the lower end of the substrate fixing jig 13 when the substrate fixing jig 13 is lifted. The substrate fixing jig 13 is supported at a total of three locations, two of the transport hooks 15 and one of the lower hooks 20, so that shaking of the substrate fixing jig 13 can be suppressed and the substrate can be stably transported. The cassette 11 has cassette hooks 10 which are two rod-shaped supports capable of supporting a plurality of substrate fixing jigs 13. The cassette hooks 10 have openings upward with respect to the substrate fixing jigs 13. It is a U-shaped cross section. The transfer hook 15 is inserted into the through hole 14 of the substrate fixing jig 13 installed in the cassette 11 and the space inside the cassette hook 10 , and the transfer hook 15 is moved upward to lift the substrate fixing jig 13 . can be transported by Further, the substrate fixing jig 13 lifted by the transport hook 15 is transported to above the cassette hook 10 by the transport mechanism 4, the transport hook 15 is moved below the substrate fixing jig supporting surface 13 of the cassette hook 10, and the substrate is A fixing jig 13 is placed on the cassette hook 10 . Next, by pulling out the transfer hook 15 from the space inside the through-hole portion 14 of the substrate fixing jig 13 and the U-shaped cassette hook 10, the substrate fixing jig 13 is pulled out while being placed on the transfer hook 15. be able to.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, the substrate fixing jig 13 is supported by the cassette hook 10 and the transfer hook 15 using the same through hole 14 . Therefore, by providing through holes 14 at two locations on both ends of the upper end portion of the substrate fixing jig 13 , the substrate can be held at two locations both when it is stored in the cassette 11 and when it is transported by the transport mechanism 4 . can be stably conveyed. If four through-holes 14 are provided in the upper end portion, the outer two locations can be used for the cassette hooks 10 and the inner location can be used for the transport hooks 15, respectively. There is a problem that the strength of the main body is weakened and the risk of deformation increases. These problems are solved by adopting a structure in which the through hole 14 can be used both for the cassette hook 10 and for the transport hook 15 . Further, the substrate fixing jig 13 referred to here may be a substrate. This apparatus uses a horizontal articulated robot (scalar type) to transport the substrate fixing jig 13 at high speed from the front of the substrate mounting surface of the rotary drum holder. When the substrates in the substrate cassette are transported to the rotary drum holder substrate installation portion by the horizontal articulated robot, the substrates are horizontally transported while being supported and lifted by the transport hook and the lower hook. Therefore, the substrate can be transported and placed on the substrate holder in a stable posture at a high speed while standing vertically, and the production volume can be improved.

Reference Signs List 1 processing chamber 2 load lock chamber 4 transfer mechanism 5 film formation mechanism 7 rotary holder 8 rotating shaft 10 cassette hook 11 cassette 13 substrate fixing jig 14 through hole 15 transfer hook
20 bottom hook

Claims (7)

a load lock chamber having a cassette capable of accommodating substrate fixing jigs capable of holding a plurality of substrates;
a processing chamber having a rotating holder on which the substrate fixing jig can be placed;
a transport mechanism capable of horizontally transporting the substrate fixing jig in a vertically suspended state between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber;
In a vacuum processing apparatus having
The cassette has cassette hooks on both ends of its upper portion on which the substrate fixing jig can be placed,
The substrate fixing jig has through holes formed in both upper end portions thereof into which the cassette hooks can be inserted,
The rotating holder has a vertical axis of rotation,
The transport mechanism has transport hooks that can be inserted into the through-holes at both upper end portions thereof,
The transport mechanism has a lower hook at its lower end on which the lower end of the substrate fixing jig can be placed,
The substrate fixing jig is mounted by the transport hook and the lower hook of the transport mechanism, and is horizontally transported between the load lock chamber and the processing chamber in a vertically suspended state. A vacuum processing apparatus characterized by: 2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a V-shaped groove is provided in the upper portion of said cassette hook so as to determine the position of said substrate fixing jig. 3. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said through hole is round, bullet-shaped or triangular. 4. The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transfer hook is U-shaped. 5. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower hook is L-shaped. 6. The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vertical cross-sectional shape of the cassette hook is U-shaped, round, or U-shaped. 7. The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a horizontal articulated robot arm is used as said transfer mechanism.