JPS5842443Y2 - Sample transport device in vacuum equipment - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to a sample transport device in a vacuum apparatus when subjecting the sample to surface treatment such as vacuum evaporation or ion sputtering.

When performing various surface treatments on a sample using conventional vacuum equipment, the sample is first placed in a container and the whole container is heated at 10-'T.
It is common to create a vacuum state of about However, the disadvantage was that the cost of equipment increased.

This idea involves installing vacuum chambers for loading and unloading in parallel to and in front of the vacuum equipment equipped with equipment for surface treatment, etc., in front of and in parallel with the passageway in the work area, making the conventional batch processing much easier. We aim to provide a sample transfer device in a vacuum device that is highly productive as an in-line device that can be operated in a method similar to a continuous method without incurring equipment costs and minimizing the area occupied by installation and work. A continuous vacuum chamber device having a plurality of chambers hermetically isolated from each other by a vacuum gate valve that can be opened and closed, and a part of the chambers at both ends has a sealed door that can be opened and closed; A series of guide rails provided on the floor of these vacuum chamber apparatuses, a drive pinion provided for each part of each vacuum chamber simultaneously driven by an external motor via an airtight vacuum wall penetrating drive shaft, and said guide rails. A rotatable guide roller guided by a rotatable guide roller and a pole caster capable of rolling in any direction on the floor surface of the chamber device are provided on the lower surfaces of both sides, and are always in mesh with at least one pair of the drive pinions. Hold the rack rod on one side,
Furthermore, there is a sample loading truck having a driven pin in the upper center for rotationally driving the loaded sample, and the driving pinion is stopped after rotating a certain number of rotations, and the truck is moved to each vacuum via the latch rod that meshes with the driving pinion. a positioning mechanism configured to move and hold at a fixed position within the chamber apparatus; an L-shaped drive pin that is freely engageable with the driven pin and driven via a shaft penetrating the airtight vacuum ceiling wall; and a positioning mechanism that stops the drive pin at a fixed position. The present invention relates to a sample transport device in a vacuum apparatus including a rotation mechanism configured as described above.

Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a sample transport device in this vacuum apparatus, and FIG. 2 shows a central vacuum chamber shown in FIG. 1, a sample loading cart positioned at a fixed position in the vacuum chamber, It is a side view showing the sample rotation mechanism partially in cross section.

In the figure, reference numerals 1, 2, and 3 are vacuum chambers, which are installed in series in parallel with and in contact with the passageway 4 of the workplace, and are airtightly isolated from each other by a large vacuum gate valve 5 that can be opened and closed from the outside. , vacuum chamber 1 is a sample loading chamber, 2 is a sample surface treatment chamber, such as an aluminum vacuum deposition chamber, and 3 is a sample discharge chamber (unloading chamber). An airtight door 6 is attached to the top and bottom that can be opened and closed.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a sample loading cart, and a plurality of pole casters 8 that can roll freely in any direction and a plurality of rotatable guide rollers 9 that regulate the running direction of the cart are attached to the lower surface of the cart. .

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the pole casters 8 and guide rollers 9 when the truck 7 is viewed from the direction of the arrow.

In FIG. 1, with respect to the traveling direction of the trolley 7, the left and right directions,
If the up and down directions are called the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, when opening the airtight door 6 and manually pushing the trolley 7 into the loading chamber 1 in the Y direction, install it adjacent to the upper left corner when viewed from above. L pairs of guide rollers 9 are configured to sandwich guide rails 10 fixed to the loading chamber 1 in the Y direction, thereby regulating the running direction of the truck 7, and the guide rollers 9 in the X direction (described later). For mobile running, the guide rollers 9 are connected to each vacuum chamber 1.2.
．． 3 is guided by a guide rail 11 fixed in the X direction.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a drive unit that moves the cart 7 in the X direction, and as shown in the partial side cross-sectional view in Figure 5, it is supported by bearings that are airtightly provided on the side walls of each vacuum chamber. It consists of a drive shaft that is held and drawn into the room through the side wall, and a drive pinion 14 that has a driven gear 13 and a straight pinion that are fixed to both ends of the drive shaft, respectively.

A rack rod 15 is attached to one side along the longitudinal direction via an L-shaped bracket fixed to the upper surface of the truck 7, and when the guide roller 9 comes into contact with the guide rail 11, it meshes with the drive pinion 14. The rotational drive causes it to be sent out in the X direction.

The arrangement pitch of the driving parts 12 is not all the same, but they are all set to an integral multiple of the module pitch of the rack rods 15.

6 and 7 are partial plan views of the power transmission system of the drive unit 12, in which FIG. 6 shows the deposition chamber 2 and FIG. 7 shows the loading chamber 1.
1 and 2, respectively, are shown for the drive unit 12.

In the figure, 16 is a variable speed gear motor, which is fixed on the tongue base provided outside the loading chamber 1, 17 is a drive shaft that is rotationally driven by the motor 16, and 18 is an intermediate shaft, which is driven by the drive shaft 17. , drive gear 19, intermediate gear 2
0, and is rotationally driven via a gear train consisting of a driven gear 21.

Reference numeral 22 denotes driving bevel gears, which are fixed to the intermediate shaft 18 and meshed with the driven bevel gears 13, respectively.

23 is a shaft coupling that connects the drive shafts 17 to each other, 24.2
Reference numeral 5 designates bearing portions of the drive shaft 17 and intermediate shaft 18, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the positioning mechanism for feeding the truck 7 in the X direction.

In the figure, reference numeral 26 denotes a rotational positioning disk for the intermediate shaft 18, which is attached to the shaft end of the intermediate shaft 18 disposed outside the loading chamber 1, and has a key-shaped notch 27 on its outer periphery.
have.

28 is a gear surface attached to a base plate 29 fixed to the side wall of the loading chamber 1, which includes a pinion 30 fixed to the intermediate shaft 18 in proximity to the rotational positioning disk 26, and an intermediate gear meshing with the pinion 30. 31. An intermediate pinion 32 coaxially fixed thereto and a gear 33 meshing with it are arranged so as to be rotatable.

An actuating disk 36 having a fan-shaped shallow notch 35 with a center angle slightly larger than 45 degrees is fixed to the shaft end of the rotating shaft 34 of the gear 33.

Pinion 30, intermediate gear 31. The intermediate pinion 32 and the gear 33 are both the same module, and the number of teeth is, for example, 20, 40.20, and 80, so the rotation speed of the intermediate shaft 18 is reduced to 1/8, and the rotation speed of the intermediate shaft 18 is reduced to 1/8. 34, in other words, when the rotary positioning disk 26 rotates 8 times, the actuating disk 36 moves exactly 1
It is designed to rotate.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a solenoid fixed to the gear surface 28, and an actuating plate 38 is connected with a pin to an actuating plunger that projects upward when the electromagnetic coil is energized.

Reference numerals 39 and 40 denote operating levers, which are attached to the gear surface 28 so as to be able to swing vertically.

A reverse convex stopper 41 is fixed to the middle part of the actuation lever 39, and a pin 4 with a roller is fitted to the tip of the stopper 41 into a long hole 42 provided in the actuation plate 38.
3 is attached, and a tension recoil spring 44 is also attached.

A roller 45 is rotatably attached to the actuating lever 40 in the middle thereof, and a pin 46 with a roller is attached to the tip thereof to fit into a round hole drilled in the actuating plate 38. Along with the tension coil spring 4
7 is installed.

When the passage to the solenoid 37 is blocked, the tension of the tension coil springs 44 and 47 and the weight of the actuation plate 38, the actuation lever 39.40, etc.
0, the actuating plate 38, ie the actuating plunger of the solenoid 37, is retracted.

In this case, when the rotary positioning disk 26 and the actuating disk 36 occupy the rotational positions shown, the stopper 41 fits into the notch 27 and the roller 45 fits into the notch 35, respectively.

48 and 49 are limit switches, each of which is fixed to the gear surface 28 via a bracket, 50,
Reference numerals 51 denote operating contacts of the limit switches 48 and 49, which are respectively fixed to the operating levers 39 and 40.

By the way, in this embodiment, the sample on which aluminum is vacuum-deposited in the vapor deposition chamber 2 is a wafer, and the trolley 7
The upper structure of the vapor deposition chamber 2 and the lower structure of the vapor deposition chamber 2 are respectively configured to be compatible therewith.

That is, a cover 6 is attached to and detachable from the upper surface of the truck 7.
0 is fitted into a stepped hole 61, and a transmission section 62 is rotatably supported on the cover 60 inside.
A hemispherical dome 63 is suspended through the .

Although not shown in the figure, it has many stepped holes in the shape of an umbrella.
Wafer holding plates each containing one wafer are held within the dome 63.

Further, the central lower part of the vapor deposition chamber 2 is connected to a circular pit, and a crucible in which aluminum is melted is provided at the bottom of the pit.

Then, when the transmission section 62 is rotated from the outside by a rotation device to be described later, the wafer holding plate is caused to revolve together with the dome 63 and simultaneously rotated on its axis by a transmission mechanism (not shown).

That is, by applying so-called planetary motion to the sample (wafer), aluminum is uniformly deposited on the sample surface.

FIG. 4 shows this rotation mechanism in a side view.

In the figure, 65 is a power transmission unit that penetrates the ceiling of the vacuum chamber 2, that is, the vapor deposition chamber, and introduces a rotary drive shaft 66 while maintaining airtightness; 67 is a driven V-pulley thereof;
68 is a drive V-pulley, and 69 is a gear motor.

Reference numeral 70 denotes an L-shaped drive pin fixed at an eccentric position to a bush attached to the lower end of the rotational drive shaft 66;
is a rotating plate 72 fixed to the rotating shaft of the transmission section 62 described above.
This is a driven pin implanted at an eccentric position.

73 is a reflective phototube, the gear motor 69 is fixed to the frame, and 74 is a reflective piece that connects the driven pulley 67.
It is attached to and rotates with it.

Then, when a certain period of time has elapsed after the gear motor 69 started operating, a timer (not shown) is activated, and only when the reflective piece 74 directly faces the phototube 73 and the phototube 73 is activated, does the motor begin to operate. The circuit is configured such that 69 stops operation.

Note that 75 is an opening of a vacuum exhaust pipe attached to the side wall of the vacuum chamber 2, and 76 is a heater.

Next, the operations of the sample transport device in this vacuum apparatus, that is, the operations of the transport mechanism, positioning mechanism, and rotation mechanism will be sequentially explained.

In another workshop, as described above, the cart 7 loaded with samples (wafers in this example) is pulled out to the front passage 4 of the loading chamber 1 so that the rack rod 15 attached thereto is parallel to the airtight door 6.

It is assumed that all gate valves 5 are closed, the airtight door 6 of the unloading chamber 3 is closed, and the vapor deposition chamber 2 and the unloading chamber 3 are each evacuated.

An airtight door 6 is opened into a loading chamber 1, and a trolley 7 is manually pushed into the loading chamber 1 without turning from the passage 4.

At this time, as described above, the guide rollers 9 are fitted onto the guide rails 10 to restrict movement of the truck 7 in the Y direction.

When the guide rollers 9 come into contact with the guide rails 11, the feeding of the cart 7 into the loading chamber 1 is completed, so the airtight door 6 is closed and the evacuation of the loading chamber 1 is started.

In this case, as will be described later, the drive unit 1 of the truck 7 in the X direction
The drive pinion 14 of No. 2 is adapted to mesh correctly with the rack rod 15 of the truck 7.

Evacuation is performed for a certain period of time, and the loading chamber 1 is, for example,
When a degree of vacuum of about o-2 Torr is reached, the gate valve 5 between the loading chamber 1 and the deposition chamber 2 is opened, and
Variable speed gear motor 16 is started.

Then, the drive shaft 17 is rotated, and the rotation causes the drive gear 19 to rotate.
, the intermediate shaft 18 via the intermediate gear 20 and the driven gear 21
Further, the drive pinions 14 occupying the same phase position are simultaneously operated in the same direction, that is, clockwise toward the pinions, at the same rotational speed through bevel gears 22 and 23, as will be described later. .

Therefore, the rack rod 15 that engages with the drive pinion 14 is sent out to the right, so that the truck 7 rolls on the floor of the loading chamber 1 by the pole casters 8, and the guide rail 11 is moved by the guide rollers 9. They are guided and moved from the rotation chamber 1 to the deposition chamber 2.

In this case, when the trolley 7 passes between the gate valves 5,
The rack rod 15 has to cross the gap in the floor, but in that case, the rack rod 15 must always be connected to one of the l
The drive pinion 14 which is engaged with the pair and the pole caster 8 which is in contact with the floor surface of the rotation chamber 1
This allows for smooth movement.

The predetermined stopping position of the cart 7 in the vapor deposition chamber 2 is determined by the positioning device such that the center of the stepped hole 61 of the cart 1 coincides with the center of the pit of the vapor deposition chamber 2, and the center of the stepped hole 61 of the cart 1 is aligned with the center of the pit of the vapor deposition chamber 2. The rotating shaft of the portion 62 is coaxial with the rotating shaft.

Next, the operation of this positioning mechanism will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

At the same time that the variable speed gear motor 16 is started, the electromagnetic coil of the solenoid 37 is energized, its operating plunger projects upward, and the operating plate 38 is raised to the position shown by the two-dot chain line.

Therefore, when the actuating levers 39, 40 are in the respective positions indicated by the dash-dot lines, the tension coils are pulled up against the tension force of the springs 44, 47, and the stops 41. The rollers 45 are both moved to the positions indicated by the two-dot chain lines, and are simultaneously released from engagement with the notches 27 of the rotary positioning disk 26 and the notches 35 of the actuating disk 36, respectively.

The rotary positioning disk 26 fixed to the intermediate shaft 18 is then rotated clockwise.

This rotational movement is caused by the pinion 30, intermediate gear 31. As described above, the speed is reduced to 1/8, for example, and transmitted to the rotating shaft 34 via the intermediate pinion 32 and gear 33.

When a certain period of time, for example 30 seconds has elapsed in this state, a timer (not shown) is activated to cut off the current to the solenoid 37, and the operating lever 39.40 pulls the tension coil spring 44.47 as described above. force and actuating plate 38
, by the actuation lever 39, 40 and the dead weight of the actuation plunger.

At this time, the roller 45 has come off the notch 35 and is rotating in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the actuating plate 36, so the actuating plate 38 is restrained from descending by the pin 46 of the actuating lever 40, and the lower end of the elongated hole 42 The edge is regulated to be located slightly above the illustrated position.

Therefore, the pin 4 of the operating lever 39 is connected to the lower edge of the elongated hole 42.
3 is supported, the stopper 41 is held with a slight gap from the outer periphery of the rotary positioning disk 26.

Now, after the variable speed motor 16 starts operating, the intermediate shaft 18,
That is, when the rotary positioning disk 26 rotates, for example, seven times, the roller 45 rotating along the outer circumferential surface of the actuating disk 36 hits the notch 3 approaching from the clockwise direction.
5.

The operating lever 40 is then lowered by the amount of the drop.

In this case, the actuating plate 38 is connected to the actuating lever 40 by the pin 46 fitted into its round hole, so it is lowered downward at the same time, but the actuating lever 39 is connected by the pin 43 fitted into it. Since it is connected to the actuating plate 38 through the elongated hole 42, it is not actively lowered by the lowering movement of the actuating plate 38, and the lower end surface of the stopper 41 is rotated by the tensile force of the spring 44. It will be lowered to a position where it contacts the outer peripheral surface of the positioning disk 26.

As described above, when the roller 45 falls into the notch 35 of the actuating disk 36 and the actuating lever 40 tilts downward, the contact 51 fixed to the actuating lever 40 actuates the limit switch 49. Then, the rotation speed of the variable speed gear motor 16 is switched to low speed rotation.

When the intermediate shaft 18 is rotated one more revolution at a low speed, the stopper 41 fits into the notch 27 of the rotary positioning device 26 that slowly approaches it from the clockwise direction, and at the same time the stopper 41 engages the notch 27 of the rotary positioning device 26, which is slowly approaching the intermediate shaft 18 from a clockwise direction. The child 50 operates the limit switch 48, and the power to the motor 16 is cut off.

The intermediate shaft 18 is then stopped at a position exactly eight rotations from the initial stop position.

By the way, the bevel gear 22 fixed to the intermediate shaft 18 and the bevel gear 13 of the drive unit 12 that meshes with it are microphone gears with the same number of teeth, so the drive pinion 14 is controlled from the start to the stop of the variable speed gear motor 16. In the meantime, it has rotated exactly 8 times and stopped.

Therefore, when the rotation positioning disk 26 and the actuation disk 36 are attached to the intermediate shaft 18 and the rotation shaft 34 respectively in advance, when the trolley 7 is pushed into a fixed position in the loading chamber 1, the rack rod 15 and the drive pinion 14 are
The stop position of the drive pinion 14 is determined so that the two are exactly engaged, and in this state, the drive pinion 14 is stopped at the same phase position by occupying the illustrated position of the notch 27.35, Drive pinion 14
The center distance X between the loading chamber 1 and the deposition chamber 2, and between the deposition chamber 2 and the unloading chamber 3 is, for example, eight times the length of the pitch circumference.

If the number of teeth and the module of the drive pinion 14 are determined to be equal to , the cart 7 can be moved correctly from the loading chamber 1 to the deposition chamber 2, and from the deposition chamber 2 to the unloading chamber 3, respectively, to a predetermined stopping position in the chamber. It can be moved in the X direction and positioned.

Next, the operation of the rotation mechanism will be explained.

When the trolley 7 is sent into the deposition chamber 2, the drive pin 70 fixed to the rotational drive shaft 66 happens to be stopped at a position that coincides with the X direction, and the rotating plate 7 on the trolley 7 side
If the driven pin 71 implanted in the drive pin 71 is stopped at an eccentric position that coincides with the X direction, the drive pin 70 and the driven pin 71 will collide when the truck 7 stops at a predetermined stop position. , it may cause damage.

This rotation mechanism prevents the collision from occurring between the drive pin 70 and the driven pin 71, no matter what direction the driven pin 71 faces when the cart 7 is sent into the deposition chamber 2. This is how it was done.

In other words, the stopping angle of the drive pin 70 is regulated from the outside at an angle deviating from the X direction.

When the gear motor 69 rotates for the time required for vapor deposition,
A timer (not shown) is activated, but the gear motor 69 is activated only when the timer (not shown) is activated together with the activation of the reflective phototube 73 by the reflective piece 74 attached to the driven boot 67, as described above. The circuit is configured in such a way that it stops completely.

Therefore, since the stopping angle of the drive pin 70 can be regulated by the angle at which the phototube 73 is attached, the optical axis direction of the phototube 73 is moved away from the
4 should be installed respectively.

Now, a predetermined vapor deposition time is set in the vapor deposition chamber 2, and when the vapor deposition of aluminum on the sample (wafer) is completed, the gate valve 5 between the vapor deposition chamber 2 and the unrotting chamber 3 is opened, and the above-mentioned mobile feed in the X direction is started. As a result, the truck 7 is sent to a predetermined position in the unloading chamber 3, and the gate valve 5 is closed.

For the loading chamber 1, a trolley 7 is sent into the deposition chamber 2, the gate valve 5 is closed, and at the same time the room is brought to atmospheric pressure, the airtight door 6 is opened, and another trolley 7 is placed where the preparatory work has been completed. is manually fed from the passage 4 in the same manner as described above, and when the airtight door 6 is closed, exhaustion of the room is started.

When the interior of the unloading chamber 3 is brought to an atmospheric pressure state, the airtight door 6 is opened, the cart 7 is manually pulled out to the passage 4, the airtight door 6 is closed, and exhaustion of the room is started.

The opening and closing operations of the sealed door 6 and the gate valve 5 are performed alternately as described above, and accordingly, the loading chamber 1 and the unloading chamber 3 are kept at atmospheric pressure and a vacuum of, for example, about 1 O-2 Torr. On the other hand, the deposition chamber 2 is almost always kept at 10' Torr.
Continuous evacuation is performed to maintain a certain level of vacuum, but
These evacuations are performed by a vacuum evacuation device that combines a rotary pump and an oil diffusion pump.

The feeding of the sample loading cart 4 into the loading chamber 1, the pulling out of the cart 4 from the unloading chamber 3, and the evacuation of both chambers 1 and 3 can be performed while overlapping with the vapor deposition operation in the vapor deposition chamber 2. The work cycle of this series of devices is determined mainly by the time required for the vapor deposition operation.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which one vapor deposition chamber 2 is provided between the loading chamber 1 and the unloading chamber 3. However, when vapor deposition is performed in two stages, two vapor deposition chambers 2 are provided between the loading chamber 1 and the unloading chamber 3. Similarly to this embodiment, the transfer device in the vacuum apparatus according to the present invention can be used in various cases where more processing chambers are required for other processing.

In addition, when introducing various movements into the vacuum in order to adjust or operate the mechanism housed inside the vacuum chamber from outside the chamber, it is possible to reduce the number of parts installed in the vacuum and release them. In addition to avoiding the adverse effects of gases, sufficient care is taken to prevent contamination due to evaporation of lubricants and the reduction of the degree of vacuum due to their vapor pressure.

As is clear from the above explanation, when a conventional sample is placed in a container, a vacuum state of about 10' Torr is created for each container, and a process such as vapor deposition is performed on the sample, at least the sum of both However, by using the sample transport device in the vacuum apparatus according to this invention, it can be assumed that the work cycle is determined by the processing time required for vapor deposition, and the work is performed in a method close to a continuous method. Compared to producing the same amount using the conventional batch method, this method requires less space for installation and operation, and
This makes it possible to perform various types of vacuum processing with excellent productivity as an in-line device without incurring large equipment costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a sample transport device in a vacuum apparatus according to this invention, and Fig. 2 shows the central vacuum chamber shown in Fig. 1 and a sample loading trolley positioned at a certain position within the vacuum chamber. Fig. 3 is a side view partially showing the sample rotation mechanism in cross section; Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the pole casters and guide rollers as viewed from the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4 is a side view of the rotation mechanism. A side view, FIG. 5 is a partial side sectional view of the cart drive section, FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the power transmission system of the drive section of the deposition chamber, and FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the power transmission system of the drive section of the rotation chamber. FIG. 8 is a front view of the positioning mechanism for feeding the cart. 1...Vacuum chamber (rotating chamber) 2
...Vacuum chamber (evaporation chamber), 3...
・Vacuum chamber (unrotting chamber), 4...
...Passage, 5...Vacuum gate valve, 6...
... Sealed door, 7... Sample loading trolley, 8...
...Pole caster, 9...Guide roller, 10.11...Guide rail, 14...
... Drive pinion, 15 ... Rack rod, 16.
...Motor (variable speed gear motor), 26...
...Rotary positioning tooth disk, 36...Operating tooth disk, 66...Rotary drive shaft, 70...
... L-shaped drive pin, 71 ... Driven pin.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] There is a continuous vacuum chamber device which is airtightly isolated from each other by a vacuum gate valve that can be opened and closed, and a part of the chambers at both ends has a sealed door that can be opened and closed. A series of guide rails provided on the floor, simultaneously driven pinions provided for each part of each vacuum chamber, rotatable guide rollers guided by the guide rails, and a series of guide rails provided on the floor, and a rotatable guide roller guided by the guide rails, as well as a series of guide rails provided for each part of the vacuum chamber. A sample transport device in a vacuum apparatus comprising a sample loading cart having casters on both sides of the lower surface that can freely roll and a rack rod on one side that is always engaged with at least one pair of the drive pinions.