KR100925172B1 - Apparatus and method for opening and closing lid - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lid opening and closing device that can quickly and securely open a lid and separate it from a chamber body. A mechanism and control means for controlling the operation of the mechanism, and the detachment of the lid proceeds in the order of raising and moving the lid and simultaneously rotating the lid. In this process, the rotation of the lid is performed by the chamber body. It is characterized in that the gradually achieved so as not to interfere with the movement.

Switchgear, Lead, Control, Chamber, Flat Panel Display, Rotation

Description

Lead switchgear and method {Apparatus and method for opening and closing lid}

The present invention relates to a lid opening and closing device and method for allowing a lid covering a chamber body of a chamber to be opened safely and quickly to be separated from the chamber body.

Manufacturing equipment for making semiconductors, flat panel displays (FPDs), etc. from substrates such as wafers or glass generally includes chambers, which include internal repairs and inspections. It is separated into a chamber body (lid) and a lid (lid) so as to easily perform, the separation at this time is made by the lead opening and closing device.

Here, since the chamber body, the lead and the lead switchgear are all applied in the same or similar manner, whether it is a manufacturing equipment for making a semiconductor or a flat panel display element, the chamber body, the lid, the lead switchgear and the associated with them With respect to the matters, the conventional technology will be described by taking an example of those applied to the flat panel display device manufacturing equipment.

Background Art Recently, a wide variety of flat panel display devices include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), and the like. In addition, the type of equipment for manufacturing these flat panel display devices is mainly used in a vacuum state. Generally, a process chamber, a load lock chamber, a transfer chamber, and the like are used. .

The process chamber performs a predetermined process on the surface of the substrate such as etching the substrate by using a plasma or the like under a vacuum atmosphere. The load lock chamber receives and stores the unprocessed substrate from the outside (ie, substrate supply equipment) and sends the processed substrate to the outside. The transfer chamber is provided with a transfer robot therein, wherein the substrate to be processed is transferred from the load lock chamber to the process chamber and the processed substrate is transferred from the process chamber to the load lock chamber.

1 is a perspective view of a process chamber of the above chambers, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein the process chamber comprises a chamber body 101 and a lid 102 covering the open top of the chamber body 101. A chamber to be separated, a hinge mechanism 103 for connecting the chamber body 101 of the chamber and one portion of the lid 102 to enable vertical rotation of the lid 102, and the hinge mechanism 103 It is composed of a cylinder (104) for rotating the lid (102) around.

Here, the hinge mechanism 103 and the cylinder 104 constitute a lid opening and closing device, whereby the lid 102 of the chamber has a piston rod of the cylinder 104 of the cylinder housing. It opens and closes in rotation by reciprocating along its length.

However, according to the recent trend, only the force of the cylinder 104, as described, depends on the force of the cylinder 104, the lid reed opening opening while lifting the closed lid 102 is not suitable for opening and closing the lid 102 quickly and stably There is an urgent need for provision.

That is, the recent trend is that the chamber of the manufacturing equipment is also rapidly enlarged in accordance with the demand for the enlargement of the substrate, whereby the width and length of the lid 102 reach 3, 4m, while the weight is 3, 4 tons. In order to open and close such a large and heavy lead 102, a large amount of it was required as the cylinder 104. Even when using this large cylinder, uncertainty about the speed and reliability of operation, the lead 120 Instability, such as instability at the time of lifting, still remains, making repairs and inspections inside the chamber difficult and dangerous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problem as described, the object is to open and close the lid quickly and safely so that the lid can be separated from the chamber body to repair or check the interior of the chamber, and later can be closed in reverse To provide.

Reed opening and closing device for achieving the object as described is a rotary mechanism for rotatably supporting a lid covering the open upper side of the chamber body, a lift mechanism for supporting the lead with the rotary mechanism so as to be movable, this elevator And a transverse movement mechanism for supporting the lead in a transverse direction together with a sphere and a rotation mechanism, and control means for controlling the operation of the transverse movement mechanism and the rotation mechanism and the elevating mechanism. Control the operation of the elevating mechanism, the transverse mechanism and the rotating mechanism so that the lid rotates at the same time as the lid moves up and then moves in the transverse direction, while the lid does not interfere with the rotational movement of the lid. It is characterized in that to achieve the rotation gradually.

The transverse movement mechanism may be configured to position the entire lead away from above the chamber body when opening the lid. The transverse movement mechanism may be configured to move the lead downhill in at least some of the movement sections when opening the lid.

Alternatively, the lateral movement mechanism includes a pair of guide rails disposed so as to sandwich the chamber body, wherein the pair of guide rails are fixed rails facing the chamber body, respectively, and the fixed rails are fixed to the fixed rails. It may be configured as a movable rail that is connected to be able to fold and retract in the left and right direction with respect to the length of the movable rail positioned so as to pass past the chamber body.

Here, at least one of the fixed rail and the movable rail may be provided such that at least a portion thereof has a downhill slope in a moving direction when the lid is opened.

The rotating mechanism may be configured to rotate so that the front part of the lead, which is the moving direction side of the lead, passes through the lower side and the rear part and the position are interchanged when the lead is opened.

Alternatively, the rotating mechanism may include a shaft member provided in two opposite portions of the wall of the lead, and a support structure for supporting the shaft member to be rotatable, respectively.

Here, the lateral movement mechanism may include a pair of guide rails disposed with the chamber body therebetween so as to guide the lateral movement of the support structure. The elevating mechanism may include at least one cylinder installed between the supporting structure and the guide rail to lift the supporting structure, and the horizontal moving mechanism may further include sliding means installed between the cylinder and the guide rail, respectively. . In this case, the sliding means may be composed of a rack and pinion, the rack of the rack and pinion may be provided on the guide rail.

A lid opening and closing method for achieving the object as described includes a lid opening process of opening a lid which is closed and a lid closing process of closing the lid so that the lid is closed again, and the lid opening process is a lift that lifts the lid from the chamber body. And a horizontal movement and a rotation step of rotating the lead at the same time as moving the lead in the lateral direction, but gradually rotating the lead in a range in which the chamber body does not interfere with the rotation of the lead. It is done.

Here, the horizontal movement and the rotating step may move the lead downhill at least in some moving section. The lid closing process may be performed in the reverse order of the lead opening process.

When the lead is separated from the chamber body for repair or inspection purposes, the present invention rotates and simultaneously opens the lid as it moves in the lateral direction, so that the lid can be safely opened or closed in reverse. This can reduce the time it takes to open and close, as well as reduce the space required to rotate the leads.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of the lead opening and closing apparatus and method according to the present invention.

For reference, an embodiment of the lead opener and method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the one applied to the process chamber which is one of the flat panel display device manufacturing equipment.

2 to 4 illustrate a process chamber to which a lid opening and closing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. And the operation of the lid opening and closing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs.

As shown in FIG. 2, the process chamber is provided with a chamber body 12 having an upper side open and a lid 14 covering the open upper side of the chamber body 12, as shown in FIG. 2. A chamber 10, an upper electrode assembly 20 and a lower electrode assembly 30, each of which is disposed so as to face the inside of the chamber 10, these two electrode assemblies 20 ( Lift pin module (not shown) consisting of a plurality of lift pins (30) installed to be able to lift and lower the lower electrode assembly 30 and the lifting device thereof, the inside of the chamber 10 to a vacuum atmosphere An exhaust device (not shown) for composition, a mounting structure 40 for supporting the chamber 10 at a constant height from the bottom of a clean room, which is an installation place, and the lid 14 of the chamber 10 are provided. Open to separate from chamber body 12 or vice versa It comprises a closing lid opening and closing device 50 and the like.

The chamber 10 has a large area substrate processed therein, and is formed in a rectangular shape and a rising cuboid shape. Moreover, a sealing member 16 for maintaining airtightness when the lid 14 is closed by the lid opening and closing device 50 is interposed between the chamber main body 12 and the lid 14, that is, the joining surface.

For reference, although the chamber 10 is not shown, a gate slit, which serves as a substrate entrance or exit port for carrying the substrate into or out of the substrate, is formed to be long left and right on one wall. This gate slit is opened and closed by a gate valve.

Among the two electrode assemblies 20 and 30, the upper electrode assembly 20 is not shown, but the shower head ejects a process gas required to process the substrate loaded into the chamber 10. (shower head)

The lower electrode assembly 30 also serves as a substrate mount by placing a substrate loaded thereon, which is also referred to as a stage. Of course, the substrate on the lower electrode assembly 30 is lifted up or down by the lift pins.

When the lid opening / closing device 50 is to be opened, the lid opening / closing device 50 is positioned so that the entire lid 14 is completely deviated from the chamber main body 12, and on the contrary, the lid 14 is to be closed. In this case, the lid 14 is positioned so as to completely cover the open portion of the chamber body 12. As a component, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a rotary mechanism for rotating the lid 14 ( 60), the elevating mechanism 70 for moving the lead 14 in the up and down direction, the horizontal moving mechanism 80 for moving the lead 14 in the lateral direction (PQ direction in FIG. 3), the rotating mechanism 60 listed, Control means 90 for controlling the operation of the elevating mechanism 70 and the transverse movement mechanism 80.

The rotary mechanism 60 includes two shaft members 61, a support structure 62 for supporting the shaft members 61 so as to be rotatable, and an axis rotation for rotating at least one of the two shaft members 61. Means;

The shaft member 61 is provided so as to be fixed to the center of the two opposite walls of the lead 14, specifically, to each other on the left and right on the basis of the moving direction of the lead 14 by the lateral movement mechanism 80. They are arranged so as to face each other in front and have a shape protruding a certain length outward.

The supporting structure 62 is arranged with the lead 14 interposed therebetween, and has a bearing 62b for supporting the shaft member 61.

The shaft rotation means is composed of a motor 63 and a power transmission device for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 63 to the shaft member 61. The power transmission device includes a drive gear 64 and a driven gear. (Driven gear) 65 may be a gearing (gearing) consisting of. Further, the drive gear 64 is a worm provided on the shaft of the motor 63, and the driven gear 65 is formed on the shaft member 61 by the worm and teeth of the drive gear 64. It may be a worm wheel installed to mesh with each other.

For reference, the motor 63 is a type capable of forward / reverse rotation, but is not specifically illustrated, but is installed to be supported by the support structure 62.

According to the rotating mechanism 60 having the above configuration, the lead 14 receives the rotational force of the motor 63 through the power transmission device, the shaft member 61, and the like to make the shaft member 61 the center of rotation. Will rotate.

The elevating mechanism 70 is a cylinder disposed at least one under each of the supporting structure 62, which is a piston so that the piston rod is moved up and down as the piston rod reciprocates along the length of the cylinder housing. The rod supports the support structure 62 and is supported by the transverse movement mechanism 80 in which the cylinder housing is installed below it. Of course, when the lifting mechanism 70 lifts the support structure 62, the lead structure 14 is also lifted because the support structure 62 and the lead 14 are coupled by the shaft member 61.

For reference, the height by which the elevating mechanism 70 raises the closed lid 14 is preferably 10 to 15 mm.

The transverse movement mechanism 80 is a pair of foundations 81 mounted on the wall of the chamber body 12 so as to be spaced apart from the lifting mechanism 70 at the same time, and with the chamber body 12 interposed therebetween. ), Guide rails 82 provided in the transverse direction so as to be parallel to each other on the base structure 81, respectively, between the guide rails 82 and the lifting mechanisms 70, and the lifting mechanisms 70 Sliding means for imparting mobility so that it is possible to move along the guide rail 82, drive means 86 for providing the power necessary for the sliding of the sliding means, that is, at least one motor.

The guide rail 82 is a fixed rail 82f positioned to face the chamber body 12, and a transverse direction when opening the lid 14 closed from the fixed rail 82f (Fig. 3). It consists of the movable rail 82m extended to P direction).

Here, the movable rail 82m is connected to the fixed rail 82f by the hinge mechanism so that the movable rail 82m can be folded and folded in the left and right direction with respect to the length of the fixed rail 82f. Has a length.

The sliding means includes a rack 83 provided throughout the upper side of the guide rail 82, a plurality of pinions 84 engaged with the rack 83 and spaced apart from each other in such an engaged state. The pinion 84 is rotatably supported and a gear housing 85 provided with a lifting mechanism 70 supported thereon.

Here, at least one of the plurality of pinions 84 rotates by receiving power from the driving means 86.

Meanwhile, a plurality of rollers or wheels may be applied instead of the rack 83 and the pinion 84.

According to the horizontal movement means 80 as described above, the lead 14 is a rack 83 by the power of the drive means 86 via the lifting mechanism 70, the support structure 62, the shaft member 61, etc. Received the power of the pinion (84) to move along will be moved together.

When opening the lid 14, the control means 90 of the rotary mechanism 60, the lifting mechanism 70 and the transverse movement mechanism 80 rotates at the same time as the lid 14 is raised and moved laterally. The operation is controlled, in particular the control of the rotary mechanism 60 gradually rotates the lid 14 in accordance with the distance traveled so that the chamber body 12 does not interfere with the rotational movement of the lid 14. That is, instead of rotating the lid 14 after completion of the transverse movement, if the rotational space is gradually secured by moving the lid 14 in the transverse direction, it is within the range where there is no interference with the chamber main body 12 each time. Is to rotate from.

Such control means 90 may include a target 91 as a component thereof, a range finder 92 using a laser, and a controller 93.

For reference, the control means 90, in order to close the open lid 14, proceeds in the reverse order of opening the lid 14 and closes the rotary mechanism 60, the lifting mechanism 70, and the lateral movement mechanism 80. Control the operation of

The target 91 may be a reflector disposed on opposite sides of the movable rail 82m of either end of the fixed rail 82f.

The range finder 92 may be composed of a device for generating a laser, a photo detector, a counter, and the like, which is installed in the gear housing 85 so as to face the target 91. The distance is calculated by firing the laser toward the target 91 and measuring the time when the laser is reflected from the target 91 and returned.

The controller 93 receives the measured value from the distance measurer 92 and outputs a control signal accordingly. When the lid 14 is opened, the controller 93 operates the lifting mechanism 70 to raise the lid 14. After that (see Fig. 6), the drive means 86 of the lateral movement mechanism 80 is operated to move the lid 14, and the measured value input from the distance measuring instrument 92 as the lid 14 moves in this way. If there is a change, the motor 63 of the rotating mechanism 60 is operated to slowly rotate the lid 14 (see FIGS. 7A to 7C). At this time, the controller 93 advances in accordance with the measured value input. The lead 14 may be controlled to rotate at a set angle. Alternatively, operation of the lifting mechanism 70 and the horizontal movement mechanism 80 including the rotation mechanism 60 according to a preset value without the target 91 and the distance measurer 92 corresponding to the sensor. It is also possible to apply what is configured to control.

In the controller 93 as described above, when the lid 14 is opened as described above, the front of the lid 14 corresponding to the lateral direction (P direction in FIG. 3) at the time of the opening passes through the lower side, and the rear and the positions are reversed. When the rotation is about 180 degrees, the rotation is stopped along with the lateral movement. (See FIG. 8) Of course, as described above, when the lid 14 is closed, the control is performed in the reverse order of opening.

9 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a process chamber to which a lid opening and closing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in the drawing, the lid opening and closing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the lid opening and closing device according to the embodiment, only the configuration of the guide rail 82-1 is slightly different, while the other configuration and its operation are all the same.

That is, the guide rail 82-1 is provided so that at least a portion thereof has a predetermined angle of downhill slope in the moving direction when the lid 14 is opened. According to this configuration, the space required to open the lid 14 is reduced. Can be.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited by the Example and drawing which were disclosed in this specification. Therefore, the present invention may be variously modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a general process chamber.

2 is a block diagram showing a process chamber to which a lid opening and closing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

3 is a view showing a state seen from the side of FIG.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a process chamber to which a lid opening and closing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

5 to 8 are views sequentially showing the operation of the lid opening and closing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a process chamber to which a lid opening and closing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

12 chamber main body 14 lead

60: rotating mechanism 61: shaft member

62: support structure 70: lifting mechanism

80: horizontal movement mechanism 90: control means

82: guide rail 82f: fixed rail

82m: movable rail 83: rack

84: pinion

Claims (13)

A rotating mechanism for rotatably supporting a lid covering the open upper side of the chamber body, a lifting mechanism supporting the lead so as to be movable together with the rotating mechanism, and the lead together with the lifting mechanism and the rotating mechanism in a transverse direction. A transverse movement mechanism for supporting the movement, the transverse movement mechanism and control means for controlling the operation of the rotary mechanism and the elevating mechanism, The control means controls the operation of the elevating mechanism, the horizontal moving mechanism and the rotating mechanism so that the lid rotates at the same time as the lid is raised and moved laterally when the lid is opened, and the chamber main body controls the rotational movement of the lid. A lead switchgear characterized in that the rotation of this lead is gradually achieved within a range that does not interfere. The method according to claim 1, And the transverse movement mechanism is configured to position the entire lead away from the chamber body when opening the lid. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the transverse movement mechanism is configured to move the lead downhill in at least some moving sections when opening the lead. The method according to claim 1, The rotating mechanism, Shaft members provided in two opposing portions of the wall of the lid; And a support structure for supporting the shaft members to be rotatable, respectively. The method according to claim 4, And the transverse movement mechanism includes a pair of guide rails disposed with the chamber body therebetween so as to guide the transverse movement of the support structure. The method according to claim 5, The lifting mechanism is composed of at least one cylinder between each of the support structure and the guide rail to lift the support structure, The lateral movement mechanism further comprises a sliding means installed between the cylinder and the guide rail, respectively. The method according to claim 6, The sliding means is composed of a rack and pinion, Lead rack opening and closing device of the rack and pinion is provided on the guide rail. The method according to claim 1, The lateral movement mechanism includes a pair of guide rails arranged to sandwich the chamber body, Each of the pair of guide rails, A fixed rail facing the chamber body; And a movable rail connected to the fixed rail so as to be foldable in a left-right direction with respect to the length of the fixed rail and positioned so as to pass through the chamber body when the fixed rail is opened. The method according to claim 8, At least one of the fixed rail and the movable rail is at least a portion of the lid opening and closing device, characterized in that provided to have a downhill slope in the moving direction when the lid is opened. The method according to claim 1, And the rotary mechanism rotates the front part of the lead, which is the direction of movement of the lead, when the lead is opened so that the rear part and the rear part are interchanged with each other. A lid opening process of opening a lid that is closed and a lid closure process of closing an open lid to close it again; The lead opening process, An ascending step of lifting the lid from the chamber body; And simultaneously rotating the raised lead in a transverse direction, wherein the chamber body gradually rotates the lead in a range that does not interfere with the rotational movement of the lid. How to open and close. The method according to claim 11, The horizontal movement and the rotating step is the lid opening and closing method, characterized in that for moving the lead downhill at least in some moving section. The method according to claim 11 or 12, The lid closing process is characterized in that the lid opening and closing process proceeds in the reverse order.

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