KR101173567B1 - Inline type substrate manufacturing system exchanging substrate at atmospheric pressure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate manufacturing system for exchanging substrates under atmospheric pressure, specifically, a substrate loading portion for linearly reciprocating a load and unloading a substrate; A transport member carrying out and carrying out the substrate from the substrate loading portion and performing a linear reciprocating motion; It relates to a substrate manufacturing system comprising a substrate manufacturing apparatus for performing a process for the substrate carried in the transfer member.

According to the present invention, since the substrate manufacturing system is constructed by arranging the substrate manufacturing apparatus in-line along the robot guide rail, installation is easy. In addition, it is possible to increase productivity by improving the venting and pumping speed of the substrate manufacturing apparatus, and by forming a gas barrier on the front of the substrate entrance, air or impurities flow into the substrate manufacturing apparatus to oxidize or contaminate the internal members. Can be prevented.

Substrate Manufacturing Equipment, Inline, Atmospheric Pressure, Vacuum Pumping, Venting, Gas Barrier

Description

Inline type substrate manufacturing system exchanging substrate at atmospheric pressure

1 is a block diagram of a conventional cluster type substrate manufacturing system

2 is a configuration diagram of a substrate manufacturing system in which the transfer unit and the substrate manufacturing apparatus are connected;

3 is a block diagram of an inline substrate manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present invention

4 is a view showing the configuration of a substrate loading portion;

5 is a block diagram of a substrate manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention

6 is a perspective view of the venting block

7 is a configuration diagram of the flow control unit

8A and 8B illustrate various types of purge gas injection holes and exhaust holes formed on the bottom surface of the gas barrier housing.

9A and 9B are perspective and cross-sectional views of the gas barrier housing forming a gas barrier wider than the width of the substrate entrance;

10 illustrates a gas barrier formed when a substrate is loaded.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a plurality of purge gas injection holes and exhaust holes alternately formed on an inner surface of a gas barrier housing.

12 is a view showing a gas barrier formed using only the purge gas injection port

13 is a configuration diagram of a substrate manufacturing apparatus in which a gas barrier is formed inside the substrate entrance;

14 is a view showing a gas barrier formed both inside and outside of the substrate entrance;

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: substrate manufacturing apparatus 110: chamber

111: susceptor 112: susceptor support

113 gas distribution plate 114 injection hole

115: RF electrode 116: buffer space

117: RF power supply 118: insulation member

119: substrate entrance 120: exhaust port

121: first pumping line 122: first gate valve

123: first throttle valve 124: first vacuum pump

125: sub pumping line 126: sub pumping line valve

130 gas inlet pipe 131 second pumping line

132: second gate valve 133: second throttle valve

134: second vacuum pump 141: first venting line

142: first venting valve 143: first flow control unit

145: second venting line 146: second venting valve

147: second flow control unit 148: selection valve

149a, 149b: first and second sub-venting line 150: venting gas storage unit

160: source gas storage unit 171, 172: 1st, 2nd pressure measuring device

180: venting block 181: venting gas injection port

182: hollow portion 184: first gas barrier

185: second gas barrier 190: gas barrier housing

191: recess 192: passage bottom

193: Upper surface of passage 194, 196: First and second purge gas injection holes

195,197: 1st, 2nd purge gas exhaust 198a, 198b: 1st, 2nd purge gas supply pipe

199a, 199b: first and second purge gas exhaust pipes 200: substrate loading part

211: progress cassette 212: standby cassette

220: guide rail for robot 230: robot

232: arm 240: guide rail for loading the substrate

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention provides a glass device for manufacturing a display device or a semiconductor device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), an organic light emitting diode device (OLED), or the like. Or it relates to a substrate manufacturing system for transporting and processing a wafer (hereinafter referred to as a 'substrate').

In general, to manufacture a display device or a semiconductor device, a thin film deposition process for depositing a thin film of a specific material on a substrate, a photolithography process for exposing or hiding selected areas of the thin films using a photosensitive material, and removing the thin film of the selected area Patterning as desired and the like (etching) process, etc., each of these processes is carried out in a chamber designed for the optimal environment for the process.

In particular, in recent years, a substrate manufacturing apparatus that processes a substrate in order to process a large amount of substrates in a short time, a load lock chamber which is a buffer region for entering and exiting a substrate, and a substrate is transferred between the load lock chamber and the substrate manufacturing apparatus. BACKGROUND ART A cluster type substrate manufacturing system in which a transfer chamber or the like that is rotated is integrally connected is widely used.

1 illustrates a general configuration of such a cluster type substrate manufacturing system, and includes a transfer chamber 70, a plurality of substrate manufacturing apparatuses 80, and first and second load locks coupled to side portions of the transfer chamber 70. (loadlock) chambers 40 and 50, a transfer unit 10 coupled to the side of the first and second load lock chambers 40 and 50, and a first and second load port coupled to one side of the transfer unit 10; (load port, 20, 30) is included.

The substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 is a device for performing processes such as thin film deposition and etching on a substrate while maintaining a high vacuum state, and the transfer chamber 70 is manufactured by a transfer chamber robot 72 located therein. The vacuum is also maintained as a space for transferring the substrate between the apparatus 80 and the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 or between the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 and the load lock chambers 40 and 50. A slot valve for opening and closing a passage is installed between the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 and the transfer chamber 70.

The transfer unit 10 is also referred to as an equipment front end module (EFEM), and the unprocessed substrate is introduced into the first and second load lock chambers 40 and 50 through the transfer unit robot 12 therein, or the substrate is finished. It is a space to be carried out from the load lock chambers 40 and 50 to maintain the atmospheric pressure at all times, and is connected to the first and second load ports 20 and 30 with the door not shown in between. The load ports 20 and 30 are portions in which the cassette on which the substrate is loaded is placed. One side of the transfer unit 10 may be provided with an aligner 60 for flat zone alignment of the substrate placed in the transfer unit robot 12.

Since the transfer chamber 70 is in a vacuum state and the transfer unit 10 is in an atmospheric pressure state, the first and second load lock chambers 40 and 50 play a buffer role therebetween, and the vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state are changed when the substrate is moved in and out. Repeat. A slot valve for opening and closing a passage is also provided between the first and second load lock chambers 40 and 50, the transfer part 10, and the transfer chamber 70.

Referring to the process of carrying in the substrate in the cluster-type substrate manufacturing system as described above are as follows.

First, when a cassette having a substrate loaded in the first and second load ports 20 and 30 is placed therein, the transfer unit robot 12 picks up the substrate from one of the first and second load ports 20 and 30 to transfer the substrate 10. Bring it in.

Subsequently, the transfer unit robot 12 aligns the flat zone of the substrate in the aligner 60, and then loads the substrate into one of the first and second load lock chambers 40 and 50.

For example, when the slot valve of the first load lock chamber 40 is opened, the transfer unit robot 12 places the substrate inside the first load lock chamber 40, and when the robot 12 retreats, the slot valve is closed. Vacuum pumping is performed to convert the first load lock chamber 40 from the atmospheric pressure to the same degree of vacuum as the transfer chamber 70.

When vacuum pumping is completed, the transfer chamber side slot valve is opened, and the transfer chamber robot 72 enters the first load lock chamber 40 to bring the substrate into one of the substrate manufacturing apparatuses 80.

After the substrate is processed in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80, the substrate is taken out in the reverse order of the above process, wherein the load lock chambers 40 and 50 are used to transfer the vacuum from the vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure state after the substrate is loaded from the transfer chamber 70. After the venting step of pressurizing (venting), after the venting is completed, the transfer unit robot 12 transports the substrates of the load lock chambers 40 and 50 to the substrate cassettes of the load ports 20 and 30.

However, such a cluster type substrate manufacturing system according to the related art has a transfer chamber 70 and one or more load lock chambers 40 and 50 in a vacuum state in order to connect the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 in a high vacuum state to the outside in an atmospheric pressure state. Since it must exist, the footprint of the device is inevitably large, and there is a problem that the cluster price is very expensive because of the transfer chamber 70 and the transfer chamber robot 12.

Accordingly, the applicant of the present invention reduces the footprint of the equipment to improve the efficiency of the equipment operation, and to reduce the overall equipment price, as shown in Figure 2 omitting the transfer chamber and the load lock chamber as shown in FIG. The substrate manufacturing system of the new method which arrange | positions the several board | substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 around () was proposed.

However, such a substrate manufacturing system has a certain limit to the number of substrate manufacturing apparatuses 80 which are coupled to each other since the transfer unit 10 is provided as a separate space and combines a plurality of substrate manufacturing apparatuses 80 around the transfer unit 10. There is.

In addition, the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80 is in communication with the transfer unit 10 in the atmospheric pressure state when the substrate enters and exits, so that there is no choice but to repeat the vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state, and for this purpose, the vacuum pumping device and the venting device in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 80. Connect it.

However, in the case of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the time required for vacuum pumping and venting is not very long because the chamber volume is relatively small. In the case of the liquid crystal display device manufacturing apparatus, the vacuum pumping is performed because the chamber volume is incomparable with that of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. And there is a problem that it takes a lot of time to vent, it is difficult to improve the throughput (throughput) of the equipment.

In addition, whenever the substrate enters or exits, external air or impurities may be introduced to oxidize or contaminate the inside of the chamber.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate manufacturing system capable of variously changing the number of installation of the substrate manufacturing apparatus.

In addition, it aims to reduce the time required for vacuum pumping and venting in the substrate manufacturing apparatus and to provide a method for improving productivity, and to prevent air or impurities from entering the substrate manufacturing apparatus from the outside of the atmospheric environment. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention is to load and unload the substrate in order to achieve the above object, the substrate loading portion for linear reciprocating motion; A transport member carrying out and carrying out the substrate from the substrate loading portion and performing a linear reciprocating motion; It provides a substrate manufacturing system including a substrate manufacturing apparatus for the conveying member to carry the substrate.

The conveying member is characterized in that the linear reciprocating movement perpendicular to the direction of movement of the substrate loading portion, the conveying member, a substrate support plate for transporting, carrying out and carrying the substrate; A shaft supporting the substrate support plate; It includes a guide rail for guiding the direction of movement of the shaft, wherein the shaft is characterized in that the rotational movement.

In addition, the substrate manufacturing apparatus is disposed on both sides of the transfer member, the substrate loading portion, the substrate cassette on which the substrate is loaded; And a guide rail for guiding a movement direction of the substrate cassette, wherein the substrate cassette includes: a traveling cassette into which a substrate is loaded or unloaded by the transfer member; And a standby cassette which is moved to a position of the advanced cassette after the loading or unloading of the substrate to the advanced cassette is completed.

In addition, the substrate manufacturing apparatus of the substrate manufacturing apparatus, the chamber divided into a first region and a second region; A substrate setter installed in the chamber; First pumping means and second pumping means in communication with the first region and the second region, respectively; And a gas inlet pipe communicating with one of the first region and the second region.

Preferably, one of the first pumping means and the second pumping means is installed in communication with the gas inlet pipe, and a venting means may be connected to the first pumping means or the second pumping means.

A gas distribution plate is installed above the substrate setter in the chamber, wherein the first area is a lower area of the gas distribution plate, and the second area is an upper area of the gas distribution plate.

The apparatus may further include first venting means and second venting means connected to the first region and the second region, respectively.

In addition, the substrate manufacturing apparatus, the chamber for processing the substrate; A substrate entrance installed at a side of the chamber and capable of opening and closing; A housing disposed on an outer wall of the chamber and having a passage communicating with the substrate entrance; Gas barrier generation means for forming a gas barrier in the housing.

The gas barrier generating means includes a purge gas injection port formed on an inner surface of the housing and a purge gas exhaust port formed on an inner surface facing the purge gas injection port.

The first inner surface of the housing is alternately formed with a purge gas injection port and a purge gas exhaust port from a substrate inlet, and the purge gas exhaust port and a purge gas injection hole are alternately formed with a second inner surface opposite to the first inner surface from a substrate inlet. .

A recess in the vertical direction is formed inside the side wall facing the housing, and both ends of the purge gas injection port and the purge gas exhaust port are formed to the inside of the recess, and a gas barrier is formed along the recess to the inside of the housing side wall. do. At this time, the width of the recess is preferably less than or equal to the width of the gas barrier.

The gas barrier generating means includes a purge gas injection hole formed on each of the first inner surface of the housing and a second inner surface opposite to the housing, and the injection direction of the purge gas injection hole is inclined to the opposite side of the substrate entrance. do.

In addition, the substrate manufacturing apparatus, the chamber for processing the substrate; A housing installed on an outer wall of the chamber and having a passage communicating with an interior of the chamber; A substrate entrance installed in the housing and capable of opening and closing; And a gas barrier generating means installed inside the housing between the chamber and the substrate entrance and forming a gas barrier.

A housing having a gas barrier generating means may be further installed outside the substrate entrance.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 illustrates an arrangement of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a plurality of substrate manufacturing apparatuses 100 are inlined on both sides of a robot guide rail 220 arranged in a straight line. Is arranged.

The substrate transfer robot 230 performs a linear reciprocating motion along the robot guide rail 220, and also rotates to exchange the substrate with the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100. Therefore, the robot 230 should be provided with a drive means and a rotation drive means for a linear reciprocating motion, and of course, a rotation axis for the rotation drive. In addition, it is preferable to have two or more arms 232 so that the loading and unloading of the substrate can be carried out continuously.

Therefore, one arm 232 loads the unprocessed substrate, and then the substrate is placed in the susceptor 111 inside the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 immediately after the other arm takes out the processed substrate from the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100. Let's do it.

The substrate loading part 200 is positioned at one end of the guide rail 220, and the substrate loading part 200 is where a plurality of substrate cassettes 211 and 212 are loaded. The substrate cassette loaded on the substrate loading part 200 is divided into a traveling cassette 211 in which substrate replacement is in progress by the substrate transfer robot 230 and a standby cassette 212 loading only an unprocessed substrate.

When all of the unprocessed substrates of the advanced cassette 211 are transferred to the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100, and only the processed substrate remains in the advanced cassette 211, the substrate loading part 200 is moved to move the atmospheric cassette 212 to the robot 230. ) In front of it. Therefore, the standby cassette 212 serves as a progress cassette, and a new standby cassette is supplied to the substrate loading part 200 from the outside. At this time, the existing progress cassette in which only the processed substrate is loaded is taken out.

As such, in order to linearly move the substrate loading part 200 in the vertical direction with respect to the robot guide rail 220, as shown in FIG. 4, the substrate loading part guide rail 240 is disposed below the substrate loading part 200. Due to this, the robot 230 can continuously perform a substrate exchange operation on the traveling cassette 211 and the standby cassette 212 while performing a straight reciprocating motion.

The substrate hatched out of the substrate s loaded on the advanced cassette 211 means a substrate that has completed a predetermined process in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100.

Since the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 applied to the substrate manufacturing system has to repeat the vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state every time the substrate enters and exits, the vacuum pumping and venting should be performed quickly.

FIG. 5 illustrates a substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 devised for this purpose, and illustrates an PECVD apparatus which is switched to an atmospheric pressure whenever the substrate s enters and exits because the exterior is at atmospheric pressure.

The substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a chamber 110 defining a constant reaction region, and a susceptor supported by the susceptor support 112 positioned in the upper surface of the chamber 110 to settle the substrate s. Reference numeral 111, an RF electrode 115 positioned on the susceptor 111, a plurality of injection holes 114 for injecting source gas, and a gas distribution plate having a peripheral portion coupled to the lower portion of the RF electrode 115 ( 113, a buffer space 116 formed between the gas distribution plate 113 and the RF electrode 115 to communicate with the buffer space 116 through the RF electrode 115. Gas inlet pipe 130 to be formed, is formed on the bottom of the chamber 110 includes an exhaust port 120 for discharging the residual gas.

The RF electrode 115 is connected to the RF power source 117, and thus, should be insulated from the grounded chamber 110 and fixed to the chamber 110 using the insulating member 118 for this purpose. Gas inlet pipe 130 is connected to the source gas storage unit 160, the valve system is installed in the middle, but the description thereof will be omitted.

A substrate entrance 119 is formed at a side wall of the chamber, and a slot valve (not shown) is installed at the substrate entrance 119.

The conventional substrate manufacturing apparatus performs the vacuum pumping only through the first pumping line 121 connected to the exhaust port 120 in the lower chamber. In the first pumping line 121, a first gate valve 122 having only an opening and closing function, a first throttle valve 123 having a flow control function, a first vacuum pump 124, and the like are sequentially installed.

However, although the buffer space 116 on the upper portion of the gas distribution plate 113 is in communication with the inside of the chamber through the injection hole 114, the pressure and equilibrium of the pressure of the lower space of the gas distribution plate 113 during the vacuum pumping Significant time is required to achieve this.

Therefore, if the vacuum pumping is performed only through the first pumping line 121, it takes a long time to fully pump the buffer space 116, thereby limiting the productivity of the apparatus.

In order to overcome this limitation, in the embodiment of the present invention, the inside of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 is pumped through the first pumping line 121 as the first area of the lower part based on the gas distribution plate 113 as in the related art. The upper second area, that is, the buffer space 116 is pumped through a separate second pumping line 131.

In the second pumping line 131, a second gate valve 132 that opens and closes the second pumping line, a second throttle valve 133 having a flow rate adjusting function, and a second vacuum pump 134 are sequentially installed. The first and second vacuum pumps 124 and 134 use booster pumps and dry pumps that are continuously installed.

In the present invention, the second pumping line 131 is connected to the gas inlet pipe 130, which is for convenience of installation, and thus, does not exclude the direct connection to the buffer space 116.

However, when the pumping speed is too high from the beginning when the vacuum pumping can be shocked inside the chamber, the initial pumping is to perform slow pumping through a small diameter pumping line and to pump sequentially using a large diameter pumping line It is desirable to quickly.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, a sub pumping line 125 is installed in the first pumping line 121 to bypass the first gate valve 122 and the first throttle valve 123, and the sub pumping line 125 is disposed. It is preferable to install a sub-pumping line valve 126 to open and close it.

The sub pumping line 125 may be installed in the second pumping line 131 as well as the first pumping line 121.

On the other hand, even when the inside of the chamber is vented to atmospheric pressure, if the venting line is connected only to the first region of the lower portion of the gas distribution plate 113 takes too much time to pressurize to the buffer space 116 at atmospheric pressure.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, in order to increase the venting speed, separate venting lines are connected to the lower space of the gas distribution plate 113 which is the first area and the buffer space 116 which is the second area.

To this end, the first venting line 141 is connected to the sidewall of the chamber 110, and the second venting line 145 is also connected to the gas inlet pipe 130 communicating with the buffer space 116. The second venting line 145 may be connected to the front end of the second gate valve 132 of the second pumping line 131.

The first and second venting lines 141 and 145 are connected to the venting gas storage unit 150, and the venting gas uses N ₂ , Ar, or the like.

Since the buffer space 116, which is the second region, has a smaller volume than the first region, only one second venting line 145 may be connected to the gas inlet pipe 130, but the first region may be the first venting line ( If only one connection is made, the venting speed may be too slow.

Therefore, a plurality of first venting lines 141 must be connected to the chamber sidewalls, which can complicate the installation. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention proposes a venting block 180 inserted into the through part of the chamber side wall.

A venting gas injection port 181 is formed at one side of the venting block 180, and a first venting line 141 connected to an external venting gas storage unit 150 is connected to the other side. The hollow part 182 is formed in the venting block 180 in the longitudinal direction, and the venting gas injected through the first venting line 141 is diffused from the hollow part 182 and then the venting gas injection hole 181. It is injected into the chamber through.

Therefore, even if the gas pressure of the first venting line 141 is increased in order to increase the venting speed, since the first diffusion from the hollow part 182 is injected into the chamber, the impact on the chamber inner member or the substrate may be reduced.

6 illustrates the shape of the venting block 180, which has a rod shape as a whole, and a plurality of venting gas injection holes 181 are formed at one side thereof. The venting block 180 may be installed only on one sidewall of the chamber, but for quick venting, the venting block 180 may be installed on all of the sidewalls except for the sidewall on which the substrate entrance 119 is provided.

On the other hand, when the venting gas is directly injected onto the substrate s, the circuit pattern formed on the substrate s may be damaged, and thus, the installation position of the venting block 180 may not be directly injected onto the substrate s. And the angle of the venting gas injection port 181 needs to be determined.

In particular, when the venting gas is injected while the substrate s is in close contact with the upper surface of the susceptor 111, the venting gas flows between the substrate s and the susceptor 111 while the substrate s is susceptor ( There is a risk of slipping on the upper surface of 111).

Therefore, it is preferable to lift the lift pin (not shown) coupled to the susceptor 111 to inject the venting gas while separating the substrate s from the upper surface of the susceptor 111.

The venting gas injection hole 181 formed in the venting block 180 may be manufactured at two angles, as shown in FIG. 5, in an upper direction and a lower direction, or may be formed in only one direction.

The first venting line 141 is provided with a first venting valve 142 and a first flow control unit 143, respectively, to simply open and close the venting line.

The first flow controller 143 is primarily intended to gradually increase the flow rate in order to prevent an impact on the inner member or the substrate of the chamber due to rapid venting, so that a general Mass Flow Controller (MFC) may be used. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the first and second sub venting lines 149a and 149b having different diameters and the selection valve 148 selecting one of the sub venting lines may be configured.

Although only two sub venting lines 149a and 149b are shown in FIG. 7, three or more sub venting lines 149a and 149b may be installed, as well as by varying the diameters of the sub venting lines 149a and 149b. It is desirable to perform the slow venting through the small diameter subventing line and to sequentially increase the venting speed by using the large diameter subventing line.

The second venting line 145 is provided with a second venting valve 146 and a second flow control unit 147, respectively, which simply opens and closes the venting line in the same manner as the first venting line 141, and the second flow rate adjusting unit. Like the first flow control unit 143, 147 may be configured by using a general MFC or using a plurality of venting lines having different diameters and a selection valve for selecting the venting lines.

Since connecting the first venting line 141 to the gas inlet pipe 130 is for convenience of installation, it is not excluded to directly connect the first venting line 141 to the buffer space 116.

In order to continuously check the pressure change in the venting and vacuum pumping process, it is desirable to install a pressure measuring device inside the device. The pressure data measured in the pressure measuring device is used as a data for controlling the venting and vacuum pumping speed.

Such a pressure measuring device includes a first pressure measuring device 171 which checks the pressure of the first region below the gas distribution plate 113 and a second pressure measuring device which measures the pressure of the buffer space 160 which is the second region. (172) can be placed. The second pressure measuring device 172 installed in the buffer space 160 may be omitted.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of valves are used for venting and vacuum pumping, and the adjustment of the valves is preferably automatically controlled by the control system of the apparatus.

On the other hand, since the outside of the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is at atmospheric pressure, N ₂ or an inert gas to prevent external air or impurities from flowing into the chamber while the substrate s enters and exits. Unreacted gases, such as these, are injected to form a gas barrier. This is because oxygen in the introduced air may oxidize the internal parts or the substrate s or contaminate the inside of the chamber by impurities.

Specifically, the gas barrier housing 190 having a passage communicating with the substrate entrance 119 is coupled to the outside of the chamber, and the gas barrier housing 190 may be a gate port used to connect the chamber to another chamber. It may be a separate structure.

A first purge gas injection port 194 and a first purge gas exhaust port 195 are formed in the passage bottom 192 of the gas barrier housing 190, and the substrate entrance 119 is formed in the upper passage 193 of the gas barrier housing 190. ), A second purge gas exhaust port 197 and a second purge gas injection port 196 are formed.

The first purge gas injection port 194 and the first purge gas discharge port 195, the second purge gas injection port 196 and the second purge gas discharge port 197 are formed in parallel in the width direction of the gas barrier housing 190, respectively. do.

8A and 8B illustrate the shapes of the first purge gas injection port and the exhaust ports 194 and 195 formed in the passage bottom 192, and the first purge gas injection port 194 is the width direction of the gas barrier housing 190. It is formed long, the shape may be a slit shape or may be formed of a plurality of injection holes.

The first purge gas exhaust 195 is formed to have a wider slit shape than the injection hole 194, which rapidly exhausts the injected purge gas, thereby introducing external air or contaminants introduced into the chamber into the chamber. This is to avoid. The first purge gas exhaust 195 may also be formed in the form of a plurality of injection holes, but in this case, it is preferable to form the diameter of the injection hole somewhat larger for rapid exhaustion.

A second purge gas exhaust port 197 and a second purge gas injection port 196 are formed in the upper passage 193 directly above the first purge gas injection port and the exhaust ports 194 and 195, respectively.

Like the first purge gas injection port 194, the second purge gas injection port 196 may be formed in a slit shape or a plurality of injection holes, and the second purge gas discharge ports 196 and 197 may also be formed as the second purge gas injection port 196. It is preferable to form a wider slit than), but may also be formed in the form of an injection hole.

The first purge gas injection port 194 and the second purge gas discharge port 197 are preferably installed as close as possible to the substrate entrance 119, which minimizes the space where air can exist in front of the substrate entrance 119. This is because the possibility of introducing air into the chamber can be minimized.

Meanwhile, the gas barrier formed inside the gas barrier housing 190 should completely cover the front surface of the substrate entrance 119 so that air or contaminants do not flow through the side edges of the gas barrier.

To this end, as shown in FIG. 9A, the passage width of the gas barrier housing 190 is wider than the width of the substrate entrance 119, and the first and second purge gas injection ports 194 and 196 and the first and second purge gas exhaust holes 195 and 197 are shown. It is preferable to make the overall length of N) also wider than the width of the substrate entrance 119.

In particular, the first and second purge gas injection ports 194 and 196 and the first and second purge gas exhaust ports 195 and 197 are formed in the up and down recesses 191 inside the vertical walls facing the gas barrier housing 190. If both ends of the concave portion 191 is formed to reach the inside of the concave portion 191, a gas barrier is also formed inside the concave portion 191 to more completely block the possibility of inflow of air or pollutants through the edge of the gas barrier. Can be.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the gas barrier housing 190 along the line I-I of FIG. 9A, wherein first and second gas barriers 184 and 185 are formed between inner walls of the gas barrier housing 190. Both ends of each of the gas barrier walls 184 and 185 extend to the inside of the recess 191 formed in the inner wall.

The first gas barrier 184 is a gas barrier that extends from the first purge gas injection port 194 to the second purge gas discharge port at the upper portion, and the second gas barrier 185 is the lower first in the second purge gas injection port at the upper portion. It is a gas barrier leading to the purge gas exhaust 195.

As shown in the drawing, the widths of the first and second gas barriers 184 and 185 are only different from each other, and thus the first and second gases may be the same by making the widths of the purge gas injection ports 194 and 196 and the purge gas exhaust holes 195 and 197 the same. The widths of the barriers 184 and 185 may be the same.

On the other hand, in order to increase the blocking effect of the gas barrier, it is preferable that the purge gas fills the inside of the recess 191, so that the width of the recess 191 is smaller than or equal to the width of each gas barrier 184,185. Do. This is because when the width of the recess 191 is greater than the width of the gas barriers 184 and 185, external air or pollutants may flow into the recess 191.

Therefore, it is preferable that both the first purge gas injection port 194 and the second purge gas exhaust port 197 forming the first gas barrier 184 are equal to or larger than the width of the recess 191, and the second gas barrier It is preferable that the first purge gas exhaust port 195 and the second purge gas injection port 198 forming 185 are also equal to or larger than the width of the recess 191. In particular, the width of the recess 191 is preferably 10mm or less.

First and second purge gas supply pipes 198a and 198b are connected to the first and second purge gas injection ports 194 and 196, respectively, and the first and second purge gas supply pipes 198a and 198b are connected to a purge gas storage unit (not shown). Connected.

Meanwhile, in order for the purge gas supplied through the first and second purge gas supply pipes 198a and 198b to be uniformly injected into the passage of the gas barrier housing 190, it is preferable to diffuse the purge gas in advance. A hollow portion for this may be formed inside the wall of 190. At this time, the hollow portion of the first and second purge gas injection holes (194, 196) are to be in communication with each of course.

First and second purge gas exhaust pipes 199a and 199b are connected to the first and second purge gas exhaust pipes 195 and 197, respectively, and the first and second purge gas exhaust pipes 199a and 199b are finally connected to a vacuum pump.

Therefore, the non-reactive purge gas injected through the first purge gas injection hole 194 of the passage bottom 192 while the substrate is not in and out is exhausted through the second purge gas exhaust port 197 of the upper passage 193. A first gas barrier is formed, and the purge gas injected through the second purge gas injection port 196 of the upper passage 193 is exhausted through the first purge gas exhaust port 195 of the passage bottom 192 while the second gas barrier is formed. To form.

Through the injection and exhaust process, since a double gas barrier is formed on the front surface of the substrate entrance 119, outside air or contaminants are prevented from flowing into the chamber.

However, after the substrate s is brought into the chamber and the substrate entrance 119 is completely closed, the injection of the purge gas may be stopped to release the gas barrier. When the substrate s enters and exits, the substrate entrance 119 is closed. Before opening, it is preferable to form a gas barrier in advance to sufficiently exhaust the impurities and air flowing in front of the substrate entrance 119.

Since the purge gas is continuously injected through the first and second purge gas injection holes 194 and 196 when the substrate s enters and exits, as shown in FIG. 10, the purge gas injected through the first purge gas injection hole 194 is After the reflection on the substrate s is exhausted through the first purge gas exhaust port 195, the purge gas injected through the second purge gas injection port 196 is reflected on the substrate s and then the second purge gas exhaust port ( 197 is exhausted. Therefore, gas barriers are formed on the lower and upper portions of the substrate s, respectively.

Meanwhile, the first purge gas injection port 194 and the first purge gas discharge port 195 are formed in the passage bottom 192 of the gas barrier housing 190, and the second purge gas injection port 196 is formed in the upper passage 193 of the gas barrier housing 190. And the case where the second purge gas exhaust port 197 is formed.

However, since the gas barrier housing 190 is for preventing external air or impurities from flowing into the chamber, it is possible to form more purge gas injection ports and exhaust ports in view of this purpose.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 11, three or more injection holes and exhaust ports are alternately formed on the passage bottom surface 192, and the purge gas exhaust ports and injection holes corresponding to the passages 193 may be alternately formed on the passage top surface 193. Can be.

In addition, in order to more thoroughly prevent the inflow of air and the like into the chamber, it is preferable to always install the purge gas exhaust port adjacent to the substrate entrance 119. For example, the first purge gas injection port 194 of FIG. By providing an exhaust port further inside, it is possible to more thoroughly prevent the inflow of air or purge gas into the chamber.

In addition, in the above description, a case in which the purge gas injection port and the purge gas exhaust port are alternately formed on the inner surface of the housing 190 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the purge gas injection hole ( It is also possible to form a plurality of only 194 ', 196').

In this case, the purge gas injection port is formed to be inclined outwardly, that is, to the opposite side of the substrate entrance 119 so that air or impurities mixed in the purge gas or the purge gas are discharged to the outside without being introduced into the chamber.

On the other hand, in the above described the case where the gas barrier is formed on the outside of the substrate entrance 119, in this structure, whenever the substrate entrance 119 is opened, the air inside the gas barrier can flow into the chamber without being exhausted There is this.

Therefore, in order to fundamentally block such a possibility, it is also possible to form a gas barrier inside the substrate entrance 119.

However, in the general chamber, since the gas barrier is installed on the inside of the substrate entrance 119, space constraints follow. For this, as illustrated in FIG. 13, a passage for accessing the substrate is communicated with the inside of the chamber outside the chamber 110. Coupling the gas barrier housing 190 has a substrate entrance 119 which is opened and closed by a slot valve at the end of the gas barrier housing 190 is installed. Of course, the chamber 110 and the housing 190 may be manufactured integrally.

In order to effectively block the purge gas, a purge gas injection hole whose injection direction is directed out of the chamber is minimized or the purge gas is injected out of the chamber as shown in FIG. 12 to minimize the gap between the gas barrier and the substrate entrance 119. In addition, it is preferable to install an inner side of the tank so that air does not flow into the chamber.

In the inside of the substrate entrance 119, a first purge gas injection port 194 and a first purge gas exhaust port 195 are formed in the passage bottom surface 192, and the second purge gas injection port is formed in the upper passage 193. 196 and a second purge gas exhaust 197 are formed. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the purge gas injection port and the exhaust port may be formed to intersect three or more times.

In this case, if the gas barrier is formed before the substrate entrance 119 is opened, the possibility of air flowing through the substrate entrance 119 may be blocked.

Further, in addition to the gas barrier formed inside the substrate entrance 119, a gas barrier may also be formed outside the substrate entrance 119. To this end, the substrate entrance opening / closing by the slot valve is illustrated in FIG. 14. 119 may be provided in the middle of the gas barrier housing 190, and a purge gas injection port and an exhaust port may be formed inside and outside the substrate entrance 119, respectively, and gas barrier generation means may be provided outside the substrate entrance 119. The branches may further combine a separate housing.

At this time, only the purge gas injection port inclined outward may be formed on the outside of the substrate entrance 119.

On the other hand, if the FFU (Fan Filter Unit) is installed in front of the gas barrier housing 190 or the substrate entrance 119 in addition to the gas barrier, it is possible to greatly reduce the possibility of contaminants introduced into the chamber.

In addition, although the gas barrier housing 190 is slightly exaggerated to emphasize the features of the present invention in the drawings of the present invention, it is preferable that the gas barrier housing 190 is designed to have a minimum size so that the substrate can enter and exit the apparatus.

Hereinafter, a process in which the process is performed in the substrate manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

First, when the process for the substrate s in the vacuum state is finished, the chamber interior should be switched to the atmospheric pressure state before the substrate s is discharged. Spray.

The venting gas supplied through the first venting line 141 is diffused from the hollow portion 182 of the venting block 180 and then injected into the first region below the gas distribution plate 113 through the venting gas injection hole 181. The venting gas supplied through the second venting line 145 is introduced into the buffer space 116 of the upper portion of the gas distribution plate, that is, the second region through the gas inlet pipe 130.

Since the buffer space 116 has a much smaller volume than the first region, the buffer space 116 will be pressurized to atmospheric pressure first, so that the venting time is long due to the buffer space.

When the venting of the buffer space 116 and the chamber internal space is completed, a slot valve (not shown) installed at the substrate entrance 119 is opened, and the robot enters, takes out the substrate s, and returns the unprocessed substrate to the susceptor 111 again. I am enshrined in).

In this process, non-reactive purge gas is injected through the first and second purge gas injection holes 194 and 196 formed in the passage bottom 192 and the upper surface 193 of the gas barrier housing 190 to form a gas barrier so that external air and Prevents contaminants from entering the chamber. The injected purge gas is exhausted through the first and second purge gas exhaust ports 195 and 197 located at opposite sides.

When the robot retreats, vacuum pumping is performed to close the substrate entrance 119 and to form a process atmosphere again. The second region is provided through the first pumping line 121 and the gas inlet pipe 130 connected to the first region. Pumping is performed at the same time through the second pumping line 131 connected to.

In addition, since the second region on the upper portion of the gas distribution plate 113 will be pumped first because the volume is relatively smaller than that of the first region, the pumping time is long because of the buffer space 116.

When the vacuum pumping is completed, the plasma is generated by supplying the source gas of the source gas storage unit 160 through the gas inlet tube 130 and applying RF power to the RF electrode 115 to process the substrate s. Proceed.

The present invention has been described above by exemplifying a PECVD apparatus, but the present invention can be applied to all kinds of apparatuses and systems for processing a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere for manufacturing a semiconductor device or a flat panel display device.

According to the present invention, since the substrate manufacturing system is constructed by arranging the substrate manufacturing apparatus in-line along the robot guide rail, installation is easy. In addition, it is possible to increase productivity by improving the venting and pumping speed of the substrate manufacturing apparatus, and by forming a gas barrier on the front of the substrate entrance, air or impurities flow into the substrate manufacturing apparatus to oxidize or contaminate the internal members. Can be prevented.

Claims (20)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A substrate loading part which loads and unloads a substrate and linearly reciprocates; And A transport member carrying out and carrying out the substrate from the substrate loading portion and performing a linear reciprocating motion; A chamber for processing the substrate; A housing installed on an outer wall of the chamber and having a passage for carrying out and carrying in the substrate; And Gas barrier generating means for forming a gas barrier between a first inner surface of the housing and a second inner surface opposite the first inner surface Substrate manufacturing system comprising a. 14. The method of claim 13, The gas barrier generating means, And a purge gas exhaust port formed on the first inner surface of the housing and a purge gas exhaust port formed on the second inner surface facing the purge gas injection port. The method of claim 14, The purge gas injection port and the purge gas exhaust port are alternately formed on the first inner surface of the housing, and the purge gas exhaust port is formed on the second inner surface opposite to the first inner surface from the outer wall of the chamber. Substrate manufacturing system that the purge gas injection port is formed alternately. The method of claim 14, A recess in the vertical direction is formed inside the side wall facing the housing, and both ends of the purge gas injection port and the purge gas exhaust port are formed to the inside of the recess, and a gas barrier is formed along the recess to the inside of the housing side wall. Substrate manufacturing system. 17. The method of claim 16, And the width of the recess is less than or equal to the width of the gas barrier. delete A substrate loading part which loads and unloads a substrate and linearly reciprocates; A transport member carrying out and carrying out the substrate from the substrate loading portion and performing a linear reciprocating motion; A chamber for processing the substrate; A housing installed on an outer wall of the chamber and having a passage communicating with an interior of the chamber; A substrate entrance installed in the housing and capable of opening and closing; And A purge gas injection port and a purge gas exhaust port formed on the first inner surface of the housing and the second inner surface opposite to the first inner surface between the chamber and the substrate entrance. Board manufacturing system including a. 20. The method of claim 19, And a second housing having a second purge gas injection port and a second purge gas exhaust port outside the substrate entrance.

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