JPH0941164A - Method for treating surface and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a surface treating device and method capable of efficiently conveying an object and having a simple structure SOLUTION: This device is provided with a conveying route L guiding the object 6, a lid 13, the rear part of which is opened, and which is supported from above so as to freely come into contact and separate with/from the conveying route L and moreover which forms a closed space above the conveying route L in the case of coming into contact with the conveying route L, a contacting/separating means which brings into contact and separates the lid 13 with/from the conveying route L and arms 15, 16 which advance and retreat the object 6 on the conveying route L to/from below the lid 13 when the lid 13 is separated from the conveying route L.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment method for surface-treating an object in a closed space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a surface treatment apparatus for performing plasma cleaning, sputtering, or other surface treatment on an object such as a substrate in a closed space is used in an electronic component manufacturing line or an electronic equipment assembly line. There is.

Next, a conventional surface treatment apparatus is shown in FIG.
Will be described with reference to. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a conventional surface treatment device.

In FIG. 16, reference numeral 1 denotes a closed space, and a main body for performing the above-mentioned surface treatment in the closed space, 2 an entrance / exit provided on the front surface of the main body 1, 3 open / close the entrance / exit 2. It is a gate. Further, since the gate 2 opens and closes the entrance / exit 2, the upper end of the rod 5 of the cylinder 4 fixed to the main body 1 is connected to the gate 3.

That is, when the cylinder 4 is driven to cause the rod 5 to project, as shown in FIG.
Can be closed to form a closed space in the main body 1,
When the rod 5 is immersed, the entrance / exit 2 can be exposed to the outside. In addition, when the entrance 2 is blocked by the gate 3,
The main body 1 is closed to the outside except for the doorway 2 so that a closed space is formed in the main body 1.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an object sent along a carrying line indicated by an arrow L. When the object 6 is to be surface-treated, the object 6 is once placed in a supply section T arranged in the carrying line L. Placed. Reference numeral 7 denotes the object 6 placed on the supply unit T before the surface treatment is put in the main body 1, or the surface-treated object 6 in the main body 1 is supplied to the supply unit T, that is, the transfer line L.
It is a means of getting in and out.

Next, the operation of the conventional surface treatment apparatus will be described. First, the entrance 2 is closed by the gate 3 in order to create an atmosphere for the surface treatment inside the main body 1. next,
The target object 6 is sent in the direction of the transport line L and placed on the supply unit T.

Next, the loading / unloading means 7 is driven to take out the object 6 from the supply section T. Then, the gate 3 is lowered to open the entrance / exit 2, and the object 6 is put into the main body 1 by the entrance / exit means 7.

Next, the entrance / exit means 7 is retracted from the main body 1, the gate 3 is raised, and the entrance / exit 2 is closed. As a result, the inside of the main body 1 becomes a closed space, and the object 6 is present in the closed space.

Next, the surface treatment of the object 6 is performed in the main body 1. And when the surface treatment is completed, the gate 3
Down to open the doorway 2. Then, the retracting means 7 which has been retracted is driven into the main body 1, and the surface-treated object 6 existing in the main body 1 is taken out from the main body 1.

Next, the gate 3 is raised to close the entrance 2 and the entrance / exit means 7 returns the surface-treated object 6 to the supply section T. Thereafter, the surface-treated object 6 is sent out by the transport line L.

[0012]

However, the conventional surface treatment apparatus has the following problems.

First, the conventional surface treatment apparatus has low productivity. This is because the surface treatment should be performed one after another on the objects sent on the transfer line L. In the conventional surface treatment apparatus, the previously surface-treated objects 6 are taken out from the main body 1 and once This is because if the inside of the main body 1 is not emptied, the target object 6 to be surface-treated next cannot be inserted into the main body 1, and the loss time required for moving the target object 6 in and out is large.

Secondly, the conventional surface treatment apparatus cannot be arranged in the transfer line, and the rational line configuration cannot be performed. This is because the entrance / exit 2 is provided in only one position on the front surface of the main body 1, and the object 6 can be put in and out only from one side of the main body 1. More specifically, although the linear transport line L is configured in FIG. 16, since the main body 1 has only one entrance / exit 2, the object 6 is put into the main body 1 from one side of the main body 1, The object 6 cannot be taken out from the other side.

Therefore, the main body 1 is inevitably arranged so that the entrance / exit 2 is located outside the transfer line L, and the transfer line L
At the inlet / outlet 2 and the supply section T on the transfer line L, the target 6 is transferred to the transfer line L like the transfer means 7.
There is no choice but to make a round trip through the medium connecting the entrance and exit 2.

[0016] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment method capable of efficiently carrying an object and having a simple structure.

[0017]

The surface treatment apparatus of the present invention has a conveying path for guiding an object and an opening at the bottom,
And a lid that is supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the transport path from above, and that forms a closed space above the transport path when it comes into contact with the transport path; When the vehicle is away from the transport path, the transport means is provided for causing an object on the transport path to enter below the lid and / or retract from the bottom of the lid.

Further, in the surface treatment method of the present invention, the lid supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the conveyance path for guiding the object is separated from the conveyance path, and the object before the surface treatment is placed below the lid. The step of entering an object, the lid is brought into contact with the transport path,
The step of forming a closed space surrounding the object by the lid and the transport path, the step of depressurizing the closed space and supplying the working gas into the closed space, and the first electrode provided on the lid are grounded. And applying a high frequency voltage to the second electrode provided on the base to perform the surface treatment of the object,
The method comprises the steps of returning the inside of the closed space to atmospheric pressure, separating the lid upward from the conveyance path, and evacuating the surface-treated object remaining under the lid from the bottom of the lid by the conveyance path.

[0019]

With the above structure, the lid is brought into contact with and separated from the conveying path by using the contacting / separating means. Then, when the lid is separated from the transport path, the object before the surface treatment is made to enter below the lid through the gap formed between the lid and the transport path. In addition, the surface-treated object under the lid is retracted from under the lid through this gap.

Here, when the lid is separated from the transport path,
Since the gap formed between the lid and the transport path is open in any direction in the horizontal plane, the transport path should be a straight line that passes below the lid, and one side of the transport path should extend downward from the lid. It is possible to allow an object before surface treatment to enter, and to send the surface-treated object from the lower side of the lid to the other side of the transport path almost in parallel with the object. That is, the surface treatment apparatus can be easily deployed in-line, and the loss time due to putting in and out of the object can be minimized.

Further, a closed space is formed by bringing a lid whose lower part is closed into contact with the transport path.
Here, the transport path is indispensable for transporting the object, but the transport path also serves to close the opening lid.

That is, it is indispensable in the conventional surface treatment apparatus, and the components of the lower half of the main body surrounding the lower part of the object can be omitted. Therefore, a compact and simple structure can be obtained.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a surface treatment apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention. The surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment has a large number of constituent elements, and there are many points in which fine parts cannot be illustrated. Therefore, first, an outline will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and then a detailed description will be sequentially performed. I will.

In FIG. 1, 8 is a base whose upper surface is formed to be substantially horizontal. An upright portion 8a that is taller than the upper surface of the base 8 is provided on the back side of the base 8, and a monitor 8b is disposed on the front surface of the upright portion 8a. You can grasp the operation status of.

On the upper surface of the base 8, a straight conveyance path L is formed from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. Reference numeral 9 denotes a supply magazine which is arranged on the upstream side of the conveyance path L and stores the target object 6 before surface treatment in a multi-tiered manner. Reference numeral 10 denotes a recovery magazine which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport path L and stores the surface-treated object 6.

Reference numeral 11 denotes an extruding cylinder for feeding the object 6 before surface treatment from the supply magazine 9 to the conveying path L.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a supply magazine 9 on the upper surface of the base 8.
On the side, a base that is in-line developed on the conveyance path L and forms a part of the conveyance path L, 13 has an opening at the lower side, and is a lid that is supported to the base 12 so as to be contactable and separable from above. is there.

The configurations of the base 12 and the lid 13 will be described in detail later, but the lid 13 constitutes a part of the conveyance path L.
A closed space is formed on the transport path L when it comes into contact with. That is, the base 12 plays a role of a member that surrounds the closed space together with the lid 13 and a role of the transport path L.

Reference numeral 14 designates a wire bonding section which is arranged between the base 12 and the recovery magazine 10 and which is arranged at a position slightly offset from the transport path L to the back side.

In the present embodiment, a substrate is adopted as the object 6, and the object 6 is subjected to plasma cleaning as an example of surface treatment in a closed space formed by the lid 13 and the base 12 to obtain a substrate. The deposits or protrusions existing on the electrodes and the like are removed to facilitate the bonding of the electrodes and the like. Then, the adjacent wire bonding portions 14
Then, the object 6 immediately after the plasma cleaning is bonded and stored in the recovery magazine 10.

The leading end of 15 reaches the conveyance path L, and the conveyance path L
And 16 is a second arm that is parallel to the first arm 15 and is located at a position spaced from the first arm 15 to the downstream side of the transport path L by a certain distance.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a cover formed on the front side of the upper surface of the base 8 so as to be long in parallel with the conveyance path L. And the cover 17
As will be described later in detail, the conveyance path L is formed while the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are parallel to each other with a certain distance therebetween.
An arm moving mechanism for moving in parallel with is stored.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a pair of guides for guiding the object 6 along the transport path L from the upstream side of the wire bonding section 14 to the recovery magazine 10 in the transport path L. Here, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16
Corresponds to a transporting unit that transports the object 6 along the transport path L. The arm moving mechanism and the operation of transporting the object 6 will be described in detail later.

Next, a mechanism (contact / separation means) for raising / lowering the lid 13 and for placing the lid 13 in the horizontal / vertical state will be described with reference to FIGS.

Here, the posture of the lid 13 will be defined.
First, when the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in the horizontal plane, the lid 13 is said to be horizontal. On the other hand, when the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in the vertical plane, the lid 13 is said to be in the vertical state.

When the lower end surface of the lid 13 is in close contact with the base 12, the lid 13 is said to be in a lowered state.
The lower end surface of 3 separates from the base 12, and the lid 13 and the base 12
It is said that the lid 13 is in a raised state when there is a gap between the lid 13 and.

When the lid 13 is in the horizontal state and in the lowered state, this is called a horizontal lowered state.
When two states are established at the same time, these states shall be consecutively expressed.

Now, the lid 13 is operated by the mechanism described below.
It is supported so that it can take three states of a horizontal descending state, a horizontal ascending state, and a vertical ascending state. In FIG. 2, the lid 13
Is in a horizontally lowered state, and in FIG. 3, the lid 13 is in a horizontally raised state.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 denotes a frame having a horizontal portion 20a fixed to the upper surface of the base 8 and rising portions 20b and 20c which vertically rise from both ends of the horizontal portion 20a.

Further, the standing portions 20b and 20c of the frame 20
Guides 21 and 22 each having an L-shaped cross section and having tips pointed outward are projectingly provided on the upper part of the.

Reference numeral 23 is a cylinder as a contacting / separating means fixed to the center of the horizontal portion 20a so that its rod 23a faces upward. The upper end of the rod 23a is connected to the center of the horizontal portion 24a of the U-shaped arm 24 having a U-shape.

The above-mentioned guides 21 and 22 are engaged with the standing portions 24b and 24c, which are raised from both ends of the horizontal portion 24a of the U-shaped arm 24, so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. A shaft 26 is attached to the upper ends of the standing portions 24b and 24c, and a bracket 25 is pivotally supported by the shaft 26 so as to be rotatable in a vertical plane.

Here, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4, the bracket 25 has a substantially Z shape which is bent at two points at a right angle. Of the brackets 25, 25a is the first piece, 25b
Is a second piece having the same length as the first piece 25a and bent 90 degrees with respect to the first piece 25a. The intersection of the center lines of the first piece 25a and the second piece 25b coincides with the axis of the shaft 26.

Further, 25c is formed longer than the second piece 25b, and the first piece 25a and the second piece 2b are different from the second piece 25b.
The third piece is bent 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the relationship with 5b.

A first pin hole 27 and a second pin hole 28 are formed in the first piece 25a and the second piece 25b at positions equidistant from the axis of the shaft 26 in the thickness direction. Has been.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the third piece 25c faces the horizontal direction, the upright portions 24b, 2 of the U-shaped arm 24 are formed.
4c, the second pin hole 28 opened in the second piece 25b
An insertion hole 24d is formed at a position corresponding to.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the third piece 25c of the bracket 25 is oriented in the horizontal direction, the second pin hole 28 and the insertion hole 24d are aligned with each other, and the pin 30 is inserted therethrough, so that The rotation of the bracket 25 can be prohibited at the position where the three pieces 25c face the horizontal direction.

Further, since the shaft 29 for supporting the side surface 13a of the lid 13 so as to be swingable in the direction of the arrow N2 is attached to the tip portion of the third piece 25c of the bracket 25, the bracket 25 as described above. If the rotation of the lid 13 is prohibited, the lid 13 can be held in a horizontal state.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the third piece 25c is oriented vertically, the first pin hole 27 formed in the first piece 25a coincides with the insertion hole 24d.

At this time, the first pin hole 27 and the insertion hole 24d
The third piece 25c can be left standing upright by inserting the pin 30 therethrough. Further, as described above, since the side surface 13a of the lid 13 is swingably supported by the shaft 29 with respect to the bracket 25, the lid 13 can be in a vertical state.

Here, when the lid 13 is in the vertical state, the lid 1
The inside of 3 is exposed to the outside. Therefore, the member mounted inside the lid 13 can be easily replaced or cleaned. Further, since the lid 13 is erected, the space above the base 12 is widened, so that similar maintenance can be performed on the base 12 and the members attached to the base 12.

As described above, in the surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment,
With the lid 13 in the vertical state, the space between the lid 13 and the base 12 (this space is also a part of the transport path L) is widely opened, and maintenance can be performed very easily.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the operation of shifting the lid 13 from the horizontally lowered state to the horizontally raised state will be described.

Now, as shown in FIG. 2, when the lid 13 is in the horizontal descending state, the rod 23a is retracted, the pin 30 is inserted into the second pin hole 28 and the insertion hole 24d, and the lid 13 is inserted.
Is held horizontal. The lower end surface of the lid 13 is in close contact with the base 12.

As will be described later, when the lid 13 is in the horizontal descending state, the lid 13 and the base 12 form a closed space, and the surface treatment is performed in the closed space,
Since the closed space is set at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, the lid 13 is sufficiently adhered to the base 12 without pressing the lid 13 against the base 12 by the operating force of the cylinder 23.

Next, in order to bring the lid 13 into a horizontally raised state,
The cylinder 23 is driven to cause the rod 23a to project. Then, the U-shaped arm 24 is vertically guided while being guided by the guides 21 and 22, and accordingly, the bracket 25 is lifted while maintaining the state in which the third piece 25c faces the horizontal direction. As a result, the lid 13 rises apart from the base 12 in the horizontal state.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, a gap is formed between the lid 13 and the base 12, and the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 for pushing the object 6 can pass through this gap. (Arrow N1).

Next, the structure of the lid 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lid according to the embodiment of the present invention viewed from the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lid 13 has a shape in which the lower side is opened. Of these, 13b is a lid body having a substantially rectangular shape. The lid main body 13b is capable of completely containing the target object 6 inside, a processing chamber 13c for performing plasma cleaning as a surface treatment on the target object 6, and a processing chamber 13c smaller than the processing chamber 13c and continuous to the side of the processing chamber 13c. Exhaust chamber 13d
Is provided.

Further, 13e is a window for observing the inside of the processing chamber 13c from the outside, and 13f is a screw hole provided at four places in the processing chamber 13c.

An inner cover 31 is attached to the wall surrounding the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13d. Of the inner cover 31, the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13
The surface S facing the inner side of d is formed with a large number of fine irregularities so as to increase the substantial surface area of the surface S.

This is because, when the target 6 is plasma-cleaned in the processing chamber 13c, the scraped fine substance is scattered, but by making the fine substance easily adhere to the surface S, the target 6 This is for preventing the fine substance scraped off from reattaching to the object 6.

Reference numeral 32 is a first electrode for generating plasma, and the first electrode 32 has a screw hole 3 as shown in FIG.
The 2a and the screw hole 13f are fixed to the processing chamber 13c by being screwed with the set screw 33. The first electrode 3
2 is electrically grounded.

Next, referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the base 1
2 and its related members will be described. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the base according to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the base 12 is composed of a thick plate slightly larger than the lid 13 shown in FIG. A rectangular opening 12a is formed in the center of the base 12 for inserting the second electrode 34 to which a high frequency voltage is applied by the cable 35.

The portion of the base 12 that faces the processing chamber 13c of the lid 12 is a processing area A for performing plasma cleaning on the object 6, and faces the exhaust chamber 13d adjacent thereto. The part is an exhaust area B.

Here, a groove 12e is formed in a portion of the base 12 that abuts the lower end surface of the lid 13, and this groove 12e is formed.
An O-ring 39 as a contact portion is fitted in the central portion of the.

The upper end of the O-ring 39 is located slightly below the upper surface of the base 12 as shown in FIG.

As shown by the arrow N2 in FIG. 9, when the object 6 crosses the base 12, the object 6 and the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 do not touch the O-ring 39,
This is to make it possible to move smoothly. Further, when the object 6 crosses over the base 12 in this way, the object 6, the first arm 15, and the second arm 16 are moved by the O-ring 3
By avoiding contact with 9, it is possible to avoid damage to the O-ring 39, maintain high airtightness in the sealed space 60, and prevent the degree of vacuum from decreasing.

In FIG. 8, 12b is a gas opened at a corner of the processing area A for supplying an argon gas as an operating gas supplied from a gas cylinder described later into the processing area A (that is, the processing chamber 13c). It is a supply port.

Further, in the processing area A of the base 12, a plurality of screw holes 12c are formed in a direction orthogonal to the transport path L. Then, of these screw holes 12c, one that fits the width of the object 6 is selected, and the selected screw hole 12c is selected.
In addition, guides 40 and 41 that form a part of the transport path L and guide the object 6 are fixed by set screws 42. Of course object 6
When the width of the screw hole 12c is changed, the position of the selected screw hole 12c can be changed. The guides 40 and 41 are made of an insulating material.

On the other hand, in the central portion of the exhaust area B of the base 12, after the surface treatment is completed, argon gas or the like is exhausted to the outside, or the atmosphere in the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13d is exhausted to the outside. Therefore, the suction port 12d is opened. Further, the suction port 12d is covered with an electrically grounded metal net 38, and when particles charged during plasma generation pass through the suction port 12d, the metal net 3
It is designed to be discharged by 8.

On the other hand, a cooling fin 36 is thermally coupled to the lower portion of the second electrode 34 in order to radiate heat generated during the operation of the second electrode 34 to the outside.

Here, in the conventional surface treatment apparatus, the periphery of the member corresponding to the second electrode 34 is completely surrounded by the wall surface, and it is difficult to release the heat of the member corresponding to the second electrode 34 to the outside. Therefore, the member corresponding to the second electrode 34 was cooled by the water cooling method.

In this way, a pipe for circulating the water to be operated, a pump and other pumping devices, and a heat exchanger are indispensable, and the entire device has become the norm. However, according to the present embodiment, the lower part of the second electrode 34 can be opened to the outside, and the cooling by the air cooling method using the cooling fins 36 and the like can be performed, so that compact and efficient cooling can be performed. it can.

Now, the second electrode 34 is provided with a flange portion 34a at a position descending downward. An insulating plate 37 having the same shape as the flange portion 34a is interposed between the flange portion 34a and the lower surface of the base 12,
The base 12 and the flange portion 34 a are fixed by the bolt 43. Here, the insulating plate 37 allows the base 1
2 and the second electrode 34 are prevented from being short-circuited.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a surface treatment apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the lid 13 is in a horizontally raised state, a gap is provided between the lid 13 and the base 12, and the object 6 is pushed by the first arm 15.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, the first arm 1
The movement mechanism of the fifth arm 16 and the second arm 16 will be described.

Inside the cover 17 shown in FIG. 1, a linear guide 44 parallel to the transport path L is provided. A slider 45 fixed to a moving frame 46 is slidably engaged with the linear guide 44, and the moving frame 46 can move freely in parallel to the transport path L (direction perpendicular to the paper surface). .

Further, the lower part of the moving frame 46 has a conveyance path L.
It is fixed to the timing belt 49 that is aligned with
The driving force of the motor 47 is transmitted to the timing belt 49 via the pulley 48.

On the upper part of the moving frame 46, there is a shaft 50.
The base end portion of the first arm 15 whose tip portion is bent downward in a hook shape is pivotally supported on the shaft 50. The rod 52 of the cylinder 51 fixed to the moving frame 46 is connected to the base of the first arm 15.

Therefore, when the motor 47 is driven, the first arm 15 can be reciprocated in parallel with the conveyance path L, and when the cylinder 51 is driven and the rod 52 is projected and retracted, the first arm 15 is drawn by the chain line. It can be removed from the target 6 as shown, or the first arm 15 can be brought into contact with the end of the target 6 as shown by the solid line.

When the first arm 15 is brought into contact with the object 6 and the motor 47 is driven, the object 6 can be pushed along the transport path L. The second arm 15 also has a moving mechanism similar to that of the first arm 15.
Here, in the present embodiment, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16
Are connected to the same timing belt 49 with a certain distance therebetween, but the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 may be independently moved in parallel with the transport path L by separate moving means.

In FIG. 10, 53 is the cooling fin 3.
It is a fan that blows to 6. In this embodiment, the fan 53
The air blown from is directed to the opposite side of the wire bonding portion 14. This is to prevent the wire bonding portion 14 from being affected by the blown air.

Now, when the lid 13 is brought into the horizontal descending state, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower end surface of the lid 13 becomes O inside the groove 12e.
A closed space 60 that is in close contact with the ring 39 and that includes the processing chamber 13c and the exhaust chamber 13d is formed. In the processing chamber 13c, the grounded first electrode 32 and the second electrode 34 to which a high frequency voltage is applied face each other, and the object 6 supported by the guides 40 and 41 is positioned between these electrodes 32 and 34. Will be done. Further, the exhaust chamber 13d communicates with the suction port 12d through the wire net 38.

Next, with reference to FIG. 12, an electrode and its auxiliary structure in the surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Now, as already described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9,
In the surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment, the lid 13 is provided with the first electrode 32 grounded, and the base 12 facing the first electrode 32 is provided with
A second electrode 34 to which a high frequency voltage is applied is provided.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, a high frequency applying section 61 is connected to the second electrode 34 via a cable 35. The high frequency applying unit 61 includes a high frequency power source 62 that generates a high frequency voltage, and a tuner 63 that adjusts the high frequency voltage generated by the high frequency power source 62 and outputs the high frequency voltage to the cable 35, that is, the second electrode 34.

Therefore, the object 6 is placed between the lid 13 and the base 12.
Position, the lid 13 is horizontally lowered, and the first electrode 3
By arranging the second electrode 34 and the second electrode 34 at a predetermined distance from each other and operating the high-frequency applying section 61, it is possible to create an electrical environment for generating plasma in the closed space 60.

When the high frequency applying section 61 is operated,
Since the second electrode 34 generates heat, the fan 53 that cools the cooling fin 36 thermally coupled to the second electrode 34 is also operated to prevent the temperature of the second electrode 34 from rising excessively.

Next, referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a gas supply section 64 for supplying argon gas into the closed space 60 through a gas supply port 12b opened in the base 12, and an exhaust area B of the base 12. The pressure adjusting unit 68 that measures and controls the pressure in the closed space 60 via the suction port 12d opened in the following will be described.

First, in the gas supply unit 64, 65 is a gas cylinder for storing argon gas as an operating gas, 66 is a gas control unit for controlling the flow rate, pressure, etc. of the discharged argon gas, 67 is the gas control unit 66 and the gas. It is a discharge pipe that connects to the supply port 12b.

Therefore, when the gas supply unit 64 is operated, the argon gas, the flow rate of which is controlled, can be sent into the processing chamber 13c through the gas supply port 12b. Since the gas supply port 12b is located at a position apart from the suction port 12d in the processing area A, and the suction port 12d is provided in the exhaust area B separated from the processing area A,
If the argon gas does not pass through the processing area A, it cannot reach the suction port 12d, and the argon gas can be sufficiently spread to the processing area A to suppress the variation in the concentration of the argon gas.

As will be described later, when argon gas is supplied to the processing area A instead of being discharged as a simple gas to the suction port 12d, the pressure inside the closed space 60 is reduced to a vacuum. The second electrode 34
Since a high frequency voltage is applied to the argon gas, the argon gas becomes plasma, and the object 6 is etched (plasma cleaning). In this embodiment, argon gas is used to generate plasma, but other gas may be used.

Next, the pressure adjusting section 68 will be described. The pressure adjusting unit 68 includes the following four systems.

The first system is a vacuum system. That is, the discharge port of the vacuum pump 19 described above is connected to the suction port 12d through the vacuum pipe 69. 70 is the vacuum piping 6
It is a vacuum system valve interposed in the middle of 9. Therefore, when the vacuum pump 19 is operated and the vacuum system valve 70 is opened, the inside of the closed space 60 can be decompressed to a substantially vacuum state.

The second system is an atmosphere open system. That is,
An atmosphere opening pipe 71 is connected to the suction port 12d, and the atmosphere opening pipe 71 reaches an atmosphere opening port 73 via an atmosphere opening valve 72. Therefore, after the closed space 60 is evacuated using the above-mentioned vacuum system, the air release valve 7
When 2 is opened, the atmosphere can be introduced from the atmosphere opening port 73 into the enclosed space 60 through the atmosphere opening pipe 71 to restore the inside pressure of the enclosed space 60 to the atmospheric pressure.

The third system is the system of the pressure switch 74. The pressure switch 74 is for detecting whether or not the inside of the closed space 60 has returned to atmospheric pressure when returning the inside of the closed space 60 to atmospheric pressure using an atmosphere open system. The fourth system is the system of the vacuum gauge 75. The vacuum gauge 75 is for measuring the vacuum pressure in the closed space 60 when the pressure in the closed space 60 is reduced using a vacuum system. The pressure switch 74 may be omitted.

13 which is an end view taken along line XX of FIG.
As shown in FIG.
6, downwardly opening first port 76a, second port 7
6b, the third port 76c, and the fourth port 76d, respectively. Also, these ports 76a-76d
Are all connected inside the connection unit 76 to a common port 76e that opens upward, and the common port 76e is directly connected to the suction port 12d of the base 12.

Next, the lid 13 is in a horizontally raised state, and the lid 1
An operation from when the object 6 is sent between the substrate 3 and the base 12 to when the plasma cleaning for the object 6 is completed will be described.

First, when the target object 6 is sent between the lid 13 and the base 12, the target object 6 is supported in the transport path L by guides 40 and 41 forming a part of the transport path L. Since the lid 13 is in the raised state, the surroundings of the object 6 are at atmospheric pressure.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the cylinder 2
3 is driven to bring the lower end surface of the lid 13 into contact with the O-ring 39, and the lid 13 and the base 12 form a closed space 60. Next, the vacuum pump 19 is driven to drive the vacuum system valve 70.
Is opened, and the pressure in the closed space 60 is reduced. At this time, the vacuum pressure in the closed space 60 is monitored by the vacuum gauge 75.

When the pressure in the closed space 60 is sufficiently lowered,
The gas supply unit 64 is operated to supply the argon gas into the processing chamber 13c in the closed space 60 through the gas supply port 12b. Then, the high frequency applying section 61 is operated to operate the second electrode 3
A high frequency voltage is applied to 4 to generate plasma in the processing chamber 13c. Then, the target 6 is cleaned by the charged particles in the plasma.

At this time, although the charged particles may be scattered toward the suction port 12d side, since the grounded wire net 38 is attached to the suction port 12d, the charged particles are charged by the wire net 38.
If it adheres to the battery, the charge will be removed and charged particles will not reach the vacuum system. Then, this state is maintained for a predetermined time. This time is for thorough cleaning,
It is a preset time.

When this predetermined time elapses, the high frequency application is stopped, and further the supply of argon gas by the gas supply unit 64 is stopped. Further, the vacuum system valve 70 is closed. Then, the atmosphere opening valve 72 is opened, and the atmosphere is introduced from the atmosphere opening port 73 into the closed space 60. Then, the enclosed space 60
Although the pressure in the inside rises, at this time, it is monitored by the pressure switch 74 whether or not the pressure in the closed space 60 returns to the atmospheric pressure.

When the inside of the closed space 60 returns to the atmospheric pressure, the atmosphere opening valve 72 is closed and the cylinder 23 is driven to bring the lid 13 into a horizontally raised state. Then, the surface-treated object 6 is retracted from between the lid 13 and the base 12, and the object 6 before surface treatment is made to enter between the lid 13 and the base 12.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, the operation of conveying the object 6 in the surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the conveyance path in the embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, the object 6 is transported mainly by the first arm 15 and the second arm 15 serving as the transportation means.
This is performed using the arm 16. The first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are both fixed to the single timing belt 49 at a constant interval t, and the conveyance path L
In a direction parallel to, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 move integrally.

On the other hand, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are independently provided with a cylinder 51 for vertically moving the arm as shown in FIG.
5 and the second arm 16 can be independently moved up and down.

In the following description, the first object 6X has already been surface-treated and wire-bonded by the wire bonding section 14 in order from the downstream side of the transport path L, and the second object 6Y is hermetically sealed. It is assumed that the above-mentioned surface treatment is performed in the space 60, and the third object 6Z is not yet subjected to the surface treatment and is stored in the supply magazine 9.

Now, in the positional relationship of FIG. 14, wire bonding to the first object 6X and the second object 6Y are performed.
When the surface treatment for the is completed, the lid 13 is brought into a horizontally raised state.

Then, as shown in FIG.
Arm 16 to the first object 6X, the first arm 15 to the second
The first object 6X is pushed to the collection magazine 10 and the second object 6Y is forwarded to the front of the wire bonding section 14 by contacting the object 6Y and driving the motor 47 (arrow M1). Further, in parallel with this, the extrusion cylinder 11 is driven to extrude the third object 6Z from the supply magazine 9 so as to approach the gap between the lid 13 and the base 12.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 are raised to move the first arm 15 to the front of the third object 6Z and the second arm 16 to the first position. Two
The object 6Y is moved in front of each other (arrow M
2). Then, as shown in FIG. 15C, the first arm 15 is brought into contact with the third object 6Z, and the second arm 16 is brought into contact with the second object 6Y, so that the first arm 15 and the second arm 16 cause The third object 6Z is pushed to the position of the second object 6Y in FIG. 14, and the second object 6Y is pushed to the position of the first object 6X in FIG. 14 (arrow M3).

After that, the first arm 15 and the second arm 16
Is returned to the position shown in FIG. 14 and the lid 13 is brought into a horizontally lowered state.
Then, the surface treatment for the third object 6Z and the wire bonding for the second object 6Y are performed in parallel. By repeating the above-described operation, a step of wire-bonding the object immediately after the surface treatment is performed is performed.

As described above, in the surface treatment apparatus of this embodiment, the surface treatment apparatus can be deployed inline on the conveyance path L, and the surface-treated object 6 is evacuated from the downstream side of the conveyance path L of the surface treatment apparatus. Almost at the same time, from the upstream side of the transport path L of the surface treatment apparatus, the object 6 before surface treatment
Can enter the surface treatment apparatus. As a result, the surface treatment and the transportation of the object can be performed with almost no loss time, and the productivity can be significantly improved.

[0116]

The surface treatment apparatus of the present invention has a conveying path for guiding an object and an opening at the bottom, and is supported so that it can come into contact with and separate from the conveying path from above, and is in contact with the conveying path. At this time, a lid forming a closed space above the transport path, a contacting / separating means for contacting / separating the lid with the transport path, and an object on the transport path entering below the lid when the lid is away from the transport path. And / or since the transport means for retracting from the bottom of the lid is provided, the loss time required for moving in and out of the transported material can be made extremely small, and the productivity can be improved. Further, the object can be made to enter from one side of the surface treatment apparatus and retracted from the other side, and can be used for in-line development. Furthermore, by bringing the lid into contact with the base by the contacting / separating means, a closed space can be formed around the target object, and the number of members surrounding the target object is extremely reduced compared to the conventional surface treatment device, resulting in a simple structure. can do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a surface treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a contacting / separating means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a contacting / separating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a lid according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from below.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lid as seen from below according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a surface treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a surface treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an auxiliary structure of an electrode in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an end view of XX in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a conveyance path according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15A is an explanatory view of a transport operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15B is an explanatory view of a transport operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a conventional surface treatment device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 Target 12 Base 13 Lid 15 First Arm 16 Second Arm 19 Vacuum Pump 23 Cylinder 32 First Electrode 34 Second Electrode 40 Guide 41 Guide 60 Sealed Space 61 High Frequency Applying Section L Transport Path

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A conveying path for guiding an object and an opening at the bottom, which is supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the conveying path from above, and when the conveying path is in contact with the conveying path, A lid that forms a closed space above, a contacting / separating unit that contacts and separates the lid with the transport path, and an object on the transport path enters below the lid when the lid is away from the transport path. A surface treatment apparatus comprising: a transporting unit that causes the lid and / or the lid to be retracted from below. 2. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport path is linear. 3. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a wire bonding portion is provided adjacent to the lid. 4. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a decompression means for decompressing the closed space. 5. The transport path includes a base, a guide provided on the base for guiding an object, and a contact portion that is in close contact with the lower end surface of the lid. Surface treatment equipment. 6. The surface treating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the contact portion is an O-ring provided on the base so as to face the lower end surface of the lid. 7. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first electrode is provided in the lid, and a second electrode is provided at a position of the base facing the first electrode. 8. The first electrode is grounded, and a high frequency voltage is applied to the second electrode.
The surface treatment device described. 9. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the guide is made of an insulator. 10. The carrying means, when the lid is away from the carrying path, enters the gap between the lid and the carrying path,
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an arm that pushes an object on the transport path. 11. A step of advancing an object before surface treatment to a lower side of the lid, the lid being supported so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from an upper side of a conveying path for guiding the object, separated from the conveying path. And a step of bringing the lid into contact with the transport path to form a closed space surrounding the object by the lid and the transport path; and reducing the pressure in the closed space and operating gas in the closed space. The step of supplying the first electrode provided on the lid to the ground, applying a high frequency voltage to the second electrode provided on the base to perform the surface treatment of the object, and Returning to atmospheric pressure, separating the lid upward from the transport path, and retreating the surface-treated object remaining below the lid from below the lid via the transport path. Characterized surface Management method. 12. The step of advancing an unprocessed object below the lid and the step of retracting the surface-treated object from the bottom of the lid are performed in parallel at the same time. The surface treatment method according to claim 11.