JPH07161800A - Substrate support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a substrate support device to be enhanced in gas sealing properties and lessened in size by a method wherein a gas port of a vertical drive gas source through which drive gas is fed/exhausted is provided to a tube on a side opposite to a piston spring side. CONSTITUTION:A piston 10 is fitted into a cylindrical tube 13 in a freely slidable manner. The piston 10 is energized always to move downwards by a spring 11 which has a force not enough to actuate the piston 10 even if a processing chamber 5 is vacuous. When a substrate 7 is in a loading or unloading state, it is placed on a substrate support pad 6 lifted by the pressure of N2 gas or air supplied through a gas port 14, and when the substrate 7 is in a processing state, the supply of gas to the gas port 14 is stopped, and the tube 13 is exhausted to an initial gas pressure, whereby the piston 10 is made to descend by the force of the spring 11, and the substrate 7 is placed on a substrate mounting electrode 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a support device for a substrate used in a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus such as an LCD.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are subjected to processes such as dry etching and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) during manufacturing. These treatments are performed in a state where the substrate is inserted into the treatment chamber and sealed, and when the treatment is completed, the substrate is taken out of the treatment chamber and sent to the next step. The substrate is placed on a substrate supporting device in the processing chamber, and the substrate supporting device supports the substrate in order to receive the substrate from the substrate handling device and to transfer the substrate placed on the supporting device to the handling device. It has a support mechanism for raising it from the mounting surface of the device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory sectional view showing the structure of an example of a conventional dry etching method and apparatus. In this conventional apparatus, a substrate mounting electrode 1 and a counter electrode 2 are provided in a processing chamber 5 so as to face each other, and an AC power supply 3 for supplying AC power of the same frequency is connected to both electrodes 1 and 2. At the center of the upper surface of the substrate mounting electrode 1, a substrate support base 6 for raising and lowering the substrate 7 is provided. The substrate support base 6 penetrates the insulating plate 8 and the substrate mounting electrode 1 and moves up and down. It is fixed at the tip of. The cylinder connecting plate 18 is provided on the other side of the rod 9.
Is connected to the driving portion (rod) of the lifting cylinder 19 via a through hole, and the lower portion of the rod 9 is airtightly covered by a stretchable metallic bellows cover 15, and a resin bush 17 under the bellows cover 15 is provided. Is connected to the cylinder connecting plate 18. The bush 17 is fitted with a guide 16 for smoothly moving up and down the substrate support 6.
Further, a reactive gas introducing system 4 for supplying a reactive gas is provided in the processing chamber 5, and a high frequency voltage is applied to both electrodes 1 and 2 so that the reactive gas is introduced into the processing chamber 5 by the reactive gas introducing system 4.
When supplied inside, plasma for etching treatment is generated between both electrodes.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional substrate supporting device has the following problems. That is, since the bellows cover 15 may be leaked to the outside of the processing chamber 5 due to metal fatigue depending on the frequency of use and breakage of the bellows due to corrosive gas, and the surroundings may be corroded and contaminated, maintenance such as replacement is necessary for a predetermined life. . In addition, a plurality of bushes 17 and guides 16 are required to smoothly move the substrate support base 6 up and down, which makes it impossible to reduce the size of the apparatus and increases the cost.

In addition, the lifting cylinder 19 is used for maintenance.
The cylinder connecting plate 18 and the cylinder connecting plate 18 are removed from the bellows cover 15 and reassembled. However, it is necessary to align the cores with the rod 9, the cylinder connecting plate 18, and the rods of the elevating cylinder 19, and it is necessary to assemble and adjust each time the bellows cover is replaced. There was also a problem that the device could not be driven during that time.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above problems, improves gas sealing, downsizes an apparatus, can be implemented at low cost, and can save maintenance for a long period of time to improve productivity. To provide a device, a piston 10 having a plurality of O-rings 12 fitted in outer circumferential grooves is fixed to a rod 9 for fixing a substrate support base 6 for raising and lowering a substrate 7 in substrate transfer, and the piston 10 is a cylinder. It is configured to be slidably fitted into a tube-shaped tube 13 and to connect the rod of the lifting cylinder 19 to the piston 10, or to provide a spring 11 between the tube 13 and the piston 10 so that the piston 10 receives a downward force. Is installed, and the gas port 14 of the ascending / descending drive source that supplies and exhausts the drive gas to the side of the piston 10 opposite to the spring side is connected to the tube 1
3 is provided.

[0007]

[Operation] Due to the above-mentioned configuration, the piston 10 is resisted against the spring 11 by elevating the piston 10 by the elevating cylinder 19 or supplying and exhausting the driving gas from the gas port 14 of the elevating drive source. Alternatively, the substrate support 6 and the substrate 7 placed on it are moved up and down by the spring force thereof. Since the reactive gas in the processing chamber 5 is sealed by the O-ring 12 between the inner wall of the tube 13 and the piston 10, there is no risk of the reactive gas leaking out of the processing chamber 5 and it is safe. In addition, the number of parts is small and the difficulty of assembly adjustment (centering) is solved.
Productivity can be improved by eliminating long-term maintenance.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a dry etching apparatus to which the first embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is applied. The substrate support base 6 is fixed to the tip of a rod 9 that moves up and down through the insulating plate 8 and the substrate mounting electrode 1. The rod 9 is the processing chamber 5
It is fixed to a piston 10 in which two O-rings 12 that enable sealing of a reaction gas are fitted in a cylindrical outer peripheral groove that can move up and down in a tube 13 fixed to the outer wall of the. The lower part of the piston 10 is connected to the drive part (rod) of the lifting cylinder 19. When processing the substrate 7 in the processing chamber 5, the piston 10 is lowered by the elevating cylinder 19, and the substrate 7 is mounted on the substrate mounting electrode 1.

With the above-mentioned structure, the inner wall of the tube 13 and the piston 10 are sealed by the O-ring 12, so that the gas sealing property is improved as compared with the conventional case, and the reactive gas is supplied from the inside of the processing chamber 5. It is safe because there is no risk of leakage. Also, eliminating bushes, guides and bellows,
Effective for downsizing equipment. But rod 9, piston 1
If the 0 and the rod of the spring 11 are not aligned with each other, the O-ring between the piston 10 and the tube 13 may be worn out, and the function of the seal may be lost, and gas may leak to the outside of the processing chamber 5. The problem of (centering) remains.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment which also solves this problem.
1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of a dry etching apparatus used
It The second embodiment is a rod for fixing the substrate support 6.
9 has two O-rings 12 fitted in the outer peripheral groove.
The stone 10 is fixed, and the piston 10 is attached to a cylindrical tube.
It is slidably fitted in the sleeve 13. Piston 10 is Chu
Processing by the spring 11 installed in the bush 13
The piston does not operate even when the chamber 5 is in a vacuum state
A spring with a certain degree of force always receives downward force.
I'm sick. The substrate 7 is the gas port 14 when delivered.
Supplied by N ₂Base raised by gas or air pressure
Placed on the plate support base 6, and in the processing state, to the gas port 14.
The gas supply is stopped and the gas is exhausted to the original gas pressure.
The ton 10 is lowered by the force of the spring 11, and the substrate 7 is
It is mounted on the substrate mounting electrode 1.

Although the substrate supporting device for the processing chamber 5 is used in the above embodiment, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a substrate transfer chamber or a normal substrate transfer lifting device. Of course, it is not something that is done.

[0012]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited. It is safe because there is no concern that reactive gas leaks from the processing chamber, which has been a problem in the past. Again O
A piston with a ring fitted in the outer peripheral groove and a tube with which the piston is slidably fitted provide a seal and guide, and the number of parts is small and the difficulty of assembly adjustment (centering) is solved and long-term maintenance The productivity can be improved by omitting.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to which a first embodiment of an apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus to which a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus 1 to which an example of a conventional apparatus is applied.
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 substrate mounting electrode 2 counter electrode 3 AC electrode 4 reactive gas introduction system 5 processing chamber 6 substrate support 7 substrate 9 rod 10 piston 11 spring 12 O-ring 13 tube 14 gas port 19 lifting cylinder

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A piston having an O-ring fitted to an outer peripheral end thereof is fixed to a rod for fixing a substrate support for raising and lowering the substrate during substrate transportation, and the piston is slidably fitted in the tube. A substrate supporting device characterized in that the piston is driven by a lifting drive source. 2. The substrate supporting device according to claim 1, wherein a rod of an elevating cylinder is connected to the piston. 3. A spring is installed between the tube and the piston so that the piston receives a downward force, and a gas port of a lifting drive source for supplying and exhausting a driving gas is provided on the side opposite to the spring side of the piston. The substrate supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate supporting device is provided on a tube.