JPH10310237A - Substrate loading/unloading device for vacuum device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate loading/unloading device capable of shortening the time required to load and unload a substrate and easily dealing with changes in the dimension of the substrate. SOLUTION: In a substrate loading/unloading device, in which a substrate inlet/outlet port 8 formed in a vacuum chamber 7 is closed by inner and outer closure members 36, 37 pressed against the inner and outer surfaces of the port 8, to evacuate the inner space of the chamber 7, and in which a substrate 1 is delivered by a substrate holding device 45 provided on the outer closure member 30, the outer closure member 37 is provided with a block 38 which goes into the inner space of the member 37 to surround the substrate holding device 45. The outer closure member 37 is provided with the substrate holding device 45 which comprises elastic split claws 20 and rods 23a, 23b operating the claws 20 to open them apart, and a holding ring 39 forming a step is freely removably provided in a through hole 35b in the substrate holder 35.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates mainly to a circular substrate having an opening at a central portion thereof, such as a hard disk of a computer, which is subjected to etching or other processing on both sides of the plate surface. The present invention relates to a substrate carrying-in / out device suitable for carrying in / out of a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a substrate of a hard disk is carried in and out of a vacuum chamber to perform processing such as etching. In this case, a predetermined number of substrates are stored in a cassette case in advance, and the entire cassette case is carried out of the vacuum chamber. There is adopted a method of loading a substrate, a method of mounting a substrate on a tray, and carrying the tray in and out. However, it is easier to control the production process of each disc to be produced and easier to manage by using a cassette case or tray if each substrate is put in and out of the vacuum chamber without using a cassette or tray. Instead, one or two sheets are taken in and out one by one. Also, the hard disk needs to process both sides of the substrate, and therefore cannot contact both sides of the substrate.

[0003] In order to solve these problems, the applicant has
First, as a device for taking in and out two substrates having an opening in the center while maintaining the vacuum in the vacuum chamber, an external sealing member that can move up and down to seal the outer surface of the substrate entrance formed in the vacuum chamber, A vertically movable internal sealing member for sealing the inner side surface of the substrate loading / unloading port is provided, and the internal sealing member is moved up and down by a substrate holder having a through hole having a step portion for supporting a substrate, and a substrate holder. A device for transferring a substrate between the substrate holder and the substrate holder provided in the external sealing member in the space of the closed and evacuated substrate loading / unloading port, which is constituted by an elevating plate that seals the through hole. It has been proposed (JP-A-7-233484).

[0004]

The above-mentioned proposed device can carry a substrate into and out of the vacuum chamber while maintaining the vacuum in the vacuum chamber without using a tray or the like without touching both surfaces of the substrate. On the occasion of carrying in, the enclosed space is evacuated to a vacuum, and on the occasion of carrying out, nitrogen gas is introduced up to the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, if the time required for this can be shortened, efficiency can be improved and it is advantageous. In addition, since the substrate holder for holding the substrate has a uniform size, there is a disadvantage that it is not possible to easily cope with a change in the size of the substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reduce the time required for loading and unloading a substrate, and to provide a substrate loading and unloading apparatus capable of easily coping with a change in the dimensions of the substrate.

[0006]

According to the present invention, an external sealing member which can be lifted and lowered to hermetically seal the substrate carrying-in / out port by hermetically pressing against the outer surface of the substrate carrying-in / out port formed in the vacuum chamber, A substrate holder having an inner sealing member which is air-tightly pressed against the inner surface to seal the substrate carrying-in / out port and which can move up and down, and which has a through-hole for the inner sealing member and a step portion which supports an outer peripheral edge of the substrate; And an elevating plate that holds and lifts the substrate holder and seals the through-hole, and evacuates the space of the substrate loading / unloading opening sealed by the external sealing member and the internal sealing member to a vacuum to perform the external sealing. In a substrate carrying-in / out device that transfers a substrate between a substrate holding device provided on a member and the substrate holder, a block that enters the space into the external sealing member and surrounds the periphery of the substrate holding device is provided. By the above eyes It was to achieve. By providing a substrate holding device composed of an elastic split claw and a rod for expanding the elastic claw on the external sealing member, and by providing a holding ring having the step portion detachably formed in a through hole of the substrate holder, Changes in the dimensions of the substrate can be easily handled.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a hard disk substrate etching step will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a hard disk substrate having a circular opening 2 in the center, and a cassette. The plurality of substrates 1 prepared in the case 3 are placed on a substrate positioning device 5 by a three-joint type robot 4, carried into a vacuum chamber 7 by a loading / unloading device 6, and are placed on both surfaces of the substrate 1 in the vacuum chamber. After performing the etching process, the wafer is carried out of the vacuum chamber 7 to the cassette case 3. The vacuum chamber 7 has two substrate loading / unloading ports 8 as shown in FIG. 2, and the inside of the chamber 7 is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown).
In the chamber 7, three etching chambers 9a, 9b, and 9c are provided, and the transfer table is rotated by a motor 10 that circulates the substrate 1 from each substrate loading / unloading port 8 to each etching chamber and returns the substrate 1 to the loading / unloading port 8 again. 11 are provided. Each loading / unloading port 8
From the outside of the vacuum chamber 7, an O-ring 1
The inside of the vacuum chamber 7 is hermetically closed by an external sealing member 36 composed of a cylindrical sealing block 13 pressed by the cylinder 22 via 3a. Closed more airtight. The elevating plate 12 is moved up and down by a cylinder 16 outside the vacuum chamber 7.

As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate positioning device 5 includes a pair of vertically movable and rotatable receiving stands 14 which are opened upward in a trumpet shape, and positioning pins which stand upright at the center of each receiving stand. When the substrate 1 held by the holding claws 4 a of the robot 4 is dropped on each receiving stand 14, the receiving stand 14 moves up and down, and at this time, the pins 15 enter the openings 2 of the substrate 1. Thus, the substrate 1 is positioned at a predetermined position.

The loading / unloading device 6 is provided with a swing lift 1 provided with a lift by a cylinder 17 and a swing by an electric motor 18.
An elastic sealing claw 20 as shown in FIG. 5 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the external sealing member 36 with a screw 21. The elastic split claw 20 expands and contracts from a diameter smaller than the opening 2 to a diameter of the opening 2, and is reciprocated by the cylinder 22 fixed to the elastic split claw 20 and the turning elevator 19 and the cylinder 22. The first and second operating rods 23a and 23b constitute a vacuum apparatus substrate holding device 45. The first operating rod 23a extends through the insertion hole 30 of the external sealing member 36, the extending end thereof is connected to the connecting rod 24, and the lower end of the second operating rod 23b is connected to the tip of the elastic split claw 20. It is inserted into the narrowed shaft hole 25. The first and second operating rods 23a and 23b are arranged on the same axis, and the enlarged head 26 provided at the upper end of the second operating rod 23b is connected to a box-shaped hook 27 provided at the lower end of the first operating rod 23a. Box,
The two rods 23a and 23b were connected together with a play 28 in the rod axial direction. Also, a spring 3 is provided in the insertion hole 30.
1 and a swelling portion 29 is provided at an intermediate portion of the second operating rod 23b, and the swelling portion 29 is provided with the second operating rod 23b.
Of the spring 31 so as to urge the elastic sealing claw 20 downward, that is, in a direction of pushing and opening the elastic split claw 20.
6, the second actuation rod 23b
Provided a stepped portion 33 for limiting the moving distance in the pushing and opening direction. A vacuum seal 4 is provided around the first operating rod 23a.
7 was provided to maintain the vacuum in the insertion hole 30.

When the cylinder 22 is contracted and the first operating rod 23a is moved downward, as shown in FIG. 3, when a play gap 28 is formed between the hook 27 and the enlarged head 26, the second operating rod 23b is pushed by the spring 31 and moves down in the shaft hole 25, and pushes the elastic split claw 20 at its tip. The downward movement distance of the second operating rod 23b at this time is
The opening width of the elastic split claw 20 is also limited by the engagement of the spring 33 and the stepped portion 33, and the lower power of the second operating rod 23b is given by the spring 31, so that the spring force of the spring 31 is appropriately adjusted. By setting the size to an appropriate size, the elastic split claw 20 can be opened so as not to damage the inner periphery of the substrate 1 and the substrate 1 can be held.

As shown in FIG. 6, the substrate holder 35 constituting the internal sealing member 37 has two through holes 35b for holding two substrates 1,
Upper and lower surfaces guided by guide pins 34 provided on the substrate holder 35 and the upper and lower surfaces are formed as flat surfaces, and an annular holding ring 39 is screwed through the O-ring 40 inside the through hole 35b. In the case where the size of the substrate is different, it can be dealt with by replacing the holding ring 39 when the substrate size is different. An O-ring 42 is provided on the vacuum chamber side wall of the loading / unloading port 8 with which the substrate holder 35 contacts.
Is provided to maintain the airtightness of the contact surface. The elevating plate 12, which forms an internal sealing member 37 together with the substrate holder 35, has a flat surface that contacts the O-ring 43 on the lower surface of the substrate holder 35, and the lower surface of the substrate holder 35 when raised by the cylinder 16. Then, the through hole 35b of the substrate holder 35 is airtightly closed, and the inside of the carry-in / out opening 8 is sealed by the elevating plate 12 and the substrate holder 35.

Either the external sealing member 36 or the internal sealing member 37 abuts on the loading / unloading port 8 to maintain the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 7, and when loading and unloading the substrate 1, the two sealing members 3 are used.
Both 6 and 37 block the inside and outside of the carry-in / out port 8, and the closed space is evacuated by the vacuum pump 46 when the substrate 1 is carried in, and nitrogen gas is introduced from the gas source 44 to the atmospheric pressure when carrying out the substrate 1. You. A block 38 surrounding the periphery of the substrate holding device 45 is provided on the front surface of the external sealing member 36. When closing the carry-in / out port 8, the block 38 enters the space to reduce the volume, and evacuation time and nitrogen gas introduction time And the substrate processing efficiency is improved by shortening the carry-in / out time.
As the volume of the space is reduced, the consumption of nitrogen gas is reduced, and the processing cost is reduced.

When the substrate 1 on the holder 35 on which the processed substrate is placed in the vacuum chamber 7 is held by the holding device 45 and carried out of the vacuum chamber, the substrate 1 is previously closed by the external sealing member 36. The substrate holder 35 of the internal sealing member 37 on which the substrate 1 is placed is brought into contact with the inside of the carry-in / out opening 8 by the elevating plate 12. Thereby, the opening 2 of the substrate 1 reaches around the elastic split claw 20 of the holding device 45. Then, the cylinder 22 is caused to perform the reducing operation, and the first lifting operation is performed.
The operating rod 23a is moved down, and the first and second operating rods 2 are moved.
When a play is caused between 3a and 23b, the spring 31
The operating rod 23b is pushed into the shaft hole 25 of the elastic split claw 20, the elastic split claw 20 is opened, and the substrate 1 is held around it. Since the downward movement distance of the second operating rod 23b is limited by the bulging portion 29 and the step portion 33, the elastic split claw 20 is not opened more than necessary, and there is no possibility that the inner periphery of the substrate 1 is damaged. When the substrate 1 is held by the elastic split claw 20, nitrogen gas is introduced into the space of the inlet / outlet 8 from the gas source 44 up to the atmospheric pressure, and the external sealing member is moved to the next position by raising and turning the turning elevator 19. 36 together with the cylinder 22
When the extension operation is performed, the first operation rod 23a lifts the second operation rod 23b by the hook 27 against the spring 31, and the lower end of the second operation rod 23b returns from the inside of the elastic split claw 20 to be reduced in diameter by elasticity. The substrate 1 comes off. When the outer diameter of the substrate 1 is changed to, for example, a small one, the small substrate can be easily carried in and out by replacing the holding ring 39 of the substrate holder 35 with a small inner diameter. When the diameter of the opening 2 of the substrate 1 changes, it can be held by detaching and replacing the elastic split claws 20 with different outer diameters.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an apparatus for loading and unloading a substrate by sealing the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate loading / unloading port of the vacuum chamber with an external sealing member and an internal sealing member, Since the member is provided with a block that enters the sealed space in the loading / unloading port, the evacuation and gas introduction can be completed in a short time, the loading / unloading time of the substrate is shortened, the processing efficiency is improved, and the gas consumption is improved. The amount can be saved, the processing cost can be reduced, and the substrate holder is provided with a holding ring to hold the substrate. Therefore, there is an effect that substrates of various dimensions can be easily held by exchanging the ring.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the substrate positioning device.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of an elastic split claw.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a transfer table.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a lifting plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 substrate, 2 openings, 7 vacuum chamber, 8 substrate loading / unloading port,
12 lifting plate, 20 elastic split claw, 23 rod,
25 shaft hole, 35 substrate holder, 35a step, 35
b through hole, 36 external sealing member, 37 internal sealing member, 38 block, 39 holding ring, 45 substrate holding device,

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An elevating and lowering external sealing member which hermetically presses against an outer surface of a substrate loading / unloading port formed in a vacuum chamber to seal the substrate loading / unloading port, and hermetically presses against an inner surface of the substrate loading / unloading port. A vertically movable internal sealing member that seals the substrate loading / unloading port is provided, and the internal sealing member is provided with a substrate holder having a through hole and a stepped portion that supports an outer peripheral edge of the substrate, and holding the substrate holder. A substrate holding device provided in the external sealing member by elevating and lowering the space of the substrate loading / unloading port, which is configured by an elevating plate that seals the through hole and that is sealed by the external sealing member and the internal sealing member. In a substrate loading / unloading device for transferring a substrate to and from the substrate holder, a vacuum device is provided in which the external sealing member is provided with a block that enters the space and surrounds the periphery of the substrate holding device. Substrate loading / unloading device. 2. A holding ring having a substrate holding device comprising an elastic split claw and a rod for expanding the elastic split claw provided on the external sealing member, and the stepped portion formed in the through hole of the substrate holder so as to be detachable. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein
The substrate loading / unloading device for a vacuum device according to [1].