JPH08283930A - Vacuum treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent the deposition of dust on the disk and seat of a gate valve and a driving mechanism in the vacuum treating device with the gate valve provided at the part connecting a vacuum chamber for executing formation of a film, and etching, etc., and other vacuum chambers. CONSTITUTION: A closable shutter 11 is provided between a vacuum chamber 1 and a gate valve 3. The shutter 11 is closed when dust is generated in forming a film or etching to prevent the gate valve 3 from the dust 9. The shutter 11 is opened when a sample is transported.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus.
The present invention relates to an improvement that prevents dust from accumulating on the mechanical part of the valve. A vacuum processing apparatus is an apparatus that uses vacuum to form a thin film or etch a sample. Vacuum deposition equipment, sputtering equipment, molecular beam epitaxial equipment, metalorganic CVD equipment (MOCV
D) and the like. It also includes an etching device such as RIE. The gate valve is
It is a valve provided in a pipe section that connects a vacuum chamber adjacent to the processing chamber. The opening / closing operation is performed by sliding the valve body in a direction parallel to the opening surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A gate valve of a vacuum device includes a valve box attached to a connecting pipe, a valve body for exactly closing an opening of the valve box, a valve rod for laterally supporting the valve body, and a valve rod. Has a drive device for moving laterally. The drive device includes a rotary actuator provided in the atmosphere and a rotation introducing machine that transmits the rotation of the rotary actuator as a rotary motion in vacuum. The valve body can be rotated by the rotation introducing machine.

In the closed state, the outer peripheral portion of the valve element is in close contact with the seat of the valve seat, and can maintain airtightness. In the open state, the vacuum processing chamber communicates with the communication pipe. Various mechanisms are provided at the tip of the connecting pipe depending on the purpose. Other vacuum chambers may be connected, and the space may be a space provided with a transfer mechanism.

Since a vacuum apparatus performs thin film growth, etching, etc., various powders such as reaction products and exfoliated substances are generated. These are collectively referred to as dust here. The vacuum pump constantly discharges these dusts when the valve is open. When the valve is closed, dust may float and adhere to the valve body of the gate valve. Then, the valve closing operation is hindered, and vacuum leakage may occur.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a conventional gate valve. This is the case for thin film production equipment. The film forming chamber 1 is internally provided with a mechanism such as a susceptor and a heater for forming a thin film on a substrate. Here, illustration of the inside is omitted. The film forming chamber 1 is followed by a connecting pipe 2, and a gate valve 3 is provided between them. The gate valve 3 includes a valve box 4, a valve body 5 moving in the valve box 4, a valve sheet 7 embedded in a valve seat 6 around the opening, and the like. The valve body 5 is provided with a valve rod at one end, and the valve body can be moved by moving the valve rod in parallel by a driving device. The valve body 5 is in close contact with the sheet 7, and the film forming chamber 1 and the connecting pipe 2 are completely shut off.

[0006]

Dust flies from the film forming chamber 1 and adheres to the surface of the valve body 5 of the gate valve 3. A part goes around from the peripheral part of the valve body to the back surface. This is valve seat 6
And adheres to the narrow space surrounded by the valve body 5 and the sheet 7. The amount of dust adhesion gradually increases with time. When the valve body opens and closes, the presence of dust may interfere with the sliding resistance. Further, since dust is separated and drops when opening and closing, if this is sandwiched between the sheet and the valve body, a vacuum leak occurs. If a leak occurs, the time for drawing a vacuum becomes long, and in some cases, the film forming operation cannot be performed.

There is a problem that is much larger than the adhesion to the valve body or the sheet. It is the adhesion of dust to the drive. There is a drive mechanism for moving the valve rod to the left and right, but since it is inside the vacuum device, there is a risk of dust adhesion.
Dust may cause the drive mechanism to malfunction or stop working.

If the dust is remarkably attached to the valve body, the sheet and the drive mechanism, it becomes impossible to form a high quality thin film. To avoid this, the valve must be removed and the drive mechanism also removed and cleaned on a regular or occasional basis.

However, this is not easy. Especially when the film forming chamber is large, the gate valve is also large, so that removal of the gate valve is a difficult task. It is necessary to open the entire apparatus to atmospheric pressure, remove the bolt, and separate the gate valve from the film forming chamber and the connecting tube. Next, the valve body and the drive mechanism are cleaned, but this is also a troublesome work. After the cleaning is completed, the work of reattaching between the film forming chamber and the connecting pipe is performed. This is also troublesome.

There is also a problem that the vacuum device is exposed to the atmosphere during such cleaning work. A large amount of gas such as moisture, oxygen and nitrogen is adsorbed by the wall surface of the chamber and the susceptor. After attaching the gate valve, a vacuum pump is used to evacuate the vacuum, but it is difficult to raise the degree of vacuum due to the presence of adsorbed gas and the like, and it is necessary to bake out gas and start up the vacuum apparatus over time.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a vacuum device which prevents clogging of the seat by preventing dust generated by the vacuum device from accumulating on the valve body of the gate valve, the seat or the like. is there. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a vacuum device that does not require valve cleaning by preventing dust from accumulating on the valve drive device, valve body, seat and the like. It is a third object of the present invention to provide a vacuum device capable of preventing damage and deterioration of the gate valve and extending the life of the gate valve.

[0012]

A vacuum apparatus according to the present invention is a gate provided in a vacuum processing chamber for forming a thin film on a sample or for etching, and a tube portion connecting the vacuum processing chamber and another vacuum chamber. A gate valve, a shutter that is openable and closable provided in a pipe portion between the gate valve and the vacuum processing chamber, and a shutter opening and closing drive mechanism provided in the atmosphere for opening and closing the shutter.

[0013]

According to the present invention, the openable and closable shutter is provided immediately before the gate valve in the vacuum device. Processing such as thin film formation and etching is performed, and the shutter is closed when the gate valve is closed. The gas is blocked by the shutter and does not go around further. The dust falls just before the shutter or adheres to the shutter. The shutter prevents dust from flying near the valve body of the gate valve, the seat, and the drive device and accumulating on them.

When the gate valve is opened to transfer the sample, the shutter is also opened. Semiconductor substrates, dielectric substrates, etc. that undergo processing such as film formation and etching are carried in and out by a carrier device from the side, but since the shutter is open,
The board can be carried freely. The presence of the shutter does not hinder the transportation.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 2 shows a vacuum apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a vertical cross-sectional front view of only the valve part. FIG. 3 is an axial vertical sectional view of the same. A gate valve 3 is provided between the film forming chamber 1 and the connecting pipe 2. The valve box 4 of the gate valve 3 is fixed to the flange of the connecting pipe 2 and the flange 10 at the end of the film forming chamber 1. A valve body 5 and a valve shaft are provided inside the valve box 4. A valve seat 7 such as an O-ring and a gasket is embedded in the valve seat 6. The valve body slides left and right to block and open the opening connected to the communication pipe.

In FIG. 3, a shutter 11 is newly provided at the portion of the cylindrical tube following the film forming chamber 1. The shutter 11 is rotatably supported by a shutter shaft 12 extending left and right. The shape of the shutter 11 is determined so as to correspond to the shape and size of the tube portion 10 of the film forming chamber. The state where the shutter 11 is perpendicular to the tube axis direction is the closed state. When the shutter 11 is closed, the tube portion 10 is almost closed. The dust 9 is blocked by the shutter 11 and does not reach the gate valve.

The open state is when the shutter 11 is parallel to the tube axis direction. At this time, the gas can freely flow in the pipe. A transport device (not shown) can load and unload the sample. The shutter must not interfere with the transport in the open state. In FIG. 2, the shaft 12 is attached to the upper half of the circular shutter 11. Of course, the shaft may be mounted at exactly half the height. It suffices that the transport device on which the sample is placed can pass under or over the shutter.

The block 13 is pressed by a spring 14 at one shaft end of the shaft 12. The block 13 is rotatably supported by a thrust bearing 15 with respect to an end case 16. The end case 16 is fixed to a lateral flange of the film forming chamber tube portion 10 with a bolt.

The other end of the shutter shaft 12 has a joint 1
7, through the sleeve 18, is detachably coupled to the shaft 21 of the rotation introducing machine 22. The cylindrical mounting tube portion 19 is fixed to the flange 20 on the film forming chamber side. The rotation introducing machine 22 and the motor 23 are fixed to the other flange of the mounting pipe portion. The rotation introducing machine 22 is a mechanism for introducing a rotational force from the outside into the inside while maintaining the inside vacuum.

The shaft 21 inside the vacuum is supported by suitable bearings (not shown). Around the inner shaft 21, permanent magnets are mounted with their magnetic poles oriented in the radial direction. Correspondingly, permanent magnets are provided outside the vacuum chamber so that the magnetic poles are oriented in the radial direction. The internal permanent magnet and the external permanent magnet are attracted to each other at positions where different poles face each other. There is a wall between the inner and outer magnets which allows the vacuum to be maintained.

The external permanent magnet rotates. When the set of external permanent magnets rotates, the internal magnet also rotates due to the attractive force of the magnets, causing the internal shaft 21 to rotate. This is a magnetic coupling type rotary introduction machine. Since magnetism has a remote action, it is often used to externally introduce a rotational force while maintaining a vacuum. Magnetically coupled rotary introducers are known. In addition to this, there is also a rotation introducing machine that combines a diaphragm and an eccentric cam.
The present invention can be realized by using any rotation introducing machine.

A rotary actuator 23, which is a prime mover, is also fixed to the mounting pipe portion 19. The sprocket 28 attached to the shaft 29 of the rotary actuator 23 is turned.
A sprocket 26 is attached to the input shaft 25 of the rotation introducing machine 22. The sprocket 26 is connected to a speed reducer sprocket 28 via a chain 27. The rotation of the rotary actuator 23 receives the deceleration by the decelerator sprocket 28 and rotates the rotation introducing machine 22. This rotates the shutter shaft 12 via the joint 17. The shutter 11 rotates and opens and closes.

The stop position of the shutter can be determined by the rotation of the rotary actuator 23. In the open state, the shutter surface is parallel to the axial direction, and in the closed state, the shutter surface is perpendicular to the axial direction. Of course, it may be possible to stop at the intermediate position.

The failure caused by newly providing the shutter is related to the drive section. This is divided into a case where something outside the vacuum chamber fails and a case where something inside the vacuum chamber fails. In the former case, it can be repaired without breaking the vacuum. The latter failure is unlikely. Even if it happens, it is not necessary to remove the gate valve and it can be easily repaired.

The gap 30 between the shutter and the tube wall is appropriately determined. If there is no gap, the shutter will be difficult to move, and dust will be caught and the shutter will not move. Some clearance is needed. However, if the gate valve is too wide, the dust wraps around the gate valve, and the gate valve cannot be protected from dust.

[0026]

Since the gate valve is protected by the shutter, dust generated due to thin film formation and etching does not adhere to the gate valve. Eliminates the need to clean the gate valve. Eliminate labor and time-consuming work. Further, since it is not necessary to stop the thin film formation and the etching work in the vacuum device for cleaning, the utilization efficiency of the device is improved. Since no dust particles are caught between the seat and the valve seat, the life of the valve can be extended.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a gate valve portion of a vacuum device according to a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional front view of a shutter installed immediately before a gate valve of a vacuum device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a gate valve of a vacuum device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Film-forming chamber 2 Communication pipe 3 Gate valve 4 Valve box 5 Valve body 6 Valve seat 7 Sheet 9 Dust 10 Film-forming chamber pipe part 11 Shutter 12 Shutter shaft 13 Block 14 Spring 15 Bearing 16 End case 17 Joint 18 Sleeve 19 Mounting Pipe 20 Flange 21 Shaft 22 Rotation Introducer 23 Rotary Actuator 25 Input Shaft 26 Sprocket 27 Chain 28 Sprocket 29 Reducer Shaft 30 Gap

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI Technical display location H01L 21/203 H01L 21/203 Z 21/285 21/285 S

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A thin film is formed on a sample by introducing gas.
A vacuum processing chamber that performs processing such as etching, impurity diffusion, and heat treatment, a gate valve that is provided in the pipe section that connects the vacuum processing chamber to another vacuum chamber, and a pipe section that is between the gate valve and the vacuum processing chamber. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a shutter that opens and closes a gas flow path; and a shutter opening and closing drive mechanism that is provided in the atmosphere for opening and closing the shutter. 2. The shutter is rotatably supported by a shutter shaft that is perpendicular to the flow path, blocks the flow path in the closed state, opens the flow path in the open state, and enables the transfer device to load and unload the sample. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A drive mechanism comprising a motor and a speed reducer and a rotation introducing machine are provided outside the vacuum processing chamber, and the rotational force of the drive mechanism causes the rotation introducing machine to rotate the shutter shaft. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: