KR20140046368A - Film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a film forming apparatus which can secure a work place in which a boss is eliminated from the bottom surface thereof. The film forming apparatus includes a vacuum chamber body (30) having a conveyer unit (10) for conveying a substrate (101) in a conveying direction (Y direction) crossing a plate thickness direction while the substrate (101) is erected such that the plate thickness direction (X direction) of the substrate (101) corresponds to the horizontal direction and having an opening (31) for opening the inside thereof, a chamber door (40) which can open and close the opening (31) of the vacuum chamber body (30), and a guide unit (80) installed above the vacuum chamber body (30), for horizontally guiding the chamber door (40) in a plate thickness direction.

Description

Film forming apparatus

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus.

For example, in some film-forming apparatuses which form a film on objects, such as a board | substrate, there exists a thing conveyed in the state which stood up so that the board thickness direction of a board | substrate might become a horizontal direction (for example, refer patent document 1). The film-forming apparatus of patent document 1 is equipped with the vacuum chamber to which the board | substrate which stood up substantially perpendicularly is conveyed, and the deck which supports a vacuum chamber. Required mechanisms, such as a heater, are attached to the side wall surface of this vacuum chamber. In order to perform maintenance work such as cleaning and replacement of these required mechanisms, the side wall surface is mounted on a trolley which can move on the deck, and can be opened and closed by moving the trolley in a direction away from the vacuum chamber horizontally.

(Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 1-272768

In the film-forming apparatus of patent document 1, while installing the two rails on which the trolley which installed four running rollers moves, it is necessary to ensure the work place for maintenance work on a deck. However, since at least one of the rails has a convex shape projecting upward, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of safety to arrange the rails forming the convex portions at the work place on the deck.

An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of securing a working place without the projection from the bottom surface.

The present invention provides a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate, and has a conveying means capable of conveying the substrate in a conveying direction intersecting the sheet thickness direction with the substrate standing up so that the sheet thickness direction of the substrate becomes a horizontal direction. And a chamber chamber capable of opening and closing the opening of the vacuum chamber body, and a guide unit disposed above the vacuum chamber body to guide the chamber door horizontally in the plate thickness direction. It is characterized by.

In this film forming apparatus, the chamber door is guided so as to be horizontally movable in the plate thickness direction of the substrate. As a result, the opening can be opened by moving the chamber door away from the vacuum chamber body. In addition, the opening can be closed by moving the chamber door in a direction to approach the vacuum chamber body. And since this chamber door is guided horizontally by the guide means installed above the vacuum chamber main body, it is necessary to design the structure for supporting and guiding the chamber door below the chamber door and on the deck to which the chamber door moves. none. Therefore, a work place can be secured by removing the projection from the bottom surface.

The guide means may have a pair of rails extending in the plate thickness direction and spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction, and a lifting beam connected between the pair of rails, connected to the chamber door, and reciprocating along the rails. . Since the chamber door is connected to the lifting beam, the vertical position of the chamber door can be easily adjusted.

The conveying means is provided with the conveyance means which supports a board | substrate by the conveyance tray which detachably supports a board | substrate, conveys a conveyance tray, and conveys a conveyance tray to an upstream side of a conveyance direction, and a conveyance means is an opening part of a vacuum chamber main body. It is arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in the plate thickness direction, and one pair of rails may be attached to the upper end of the vacuum chamber main body, and the other end may be attached to the upper end of the conveying means. As a result, the pair of rails are supported at both ends, whereby the heavy weight chamber door can be suitably supported. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a new member for supporting the other end side of the pair of rails, it is possible to reduce the space of the entire film forming apparatus.

The transfer means may transfer the transfer tray in an upright state. As a result, the conveying means is lengthened vertically so that the other end of the rail can be easily mounted on the upper end of the conveying means. Therefore, the strength of the conveyance means with respect to the board thickness direction of a board | substrate can be raised.

Guide rollers which can run along a pair of rails are provided at both ends of the lifting beam, and the guide means may have a derailment preventing mechanism that prevents derailment of the guide roller. This prevents the chamber door suspended from the lifting beam from falling off from the pair of rails, thereby improving the safety of opening and closing the chamber door.

Guide rollers which can run along a pair of rails are provided at both ends of the lifting beam, and the guide means may have a meandering prevention mechanism for preventing meandering of the guide roller. As a result, the chamber door suspended in the lifting beam can be smoothly moved.

The circumferential surface of the guide roller that runs one pair of rails is formed with a concave portion or convex portion that is continuous in the circumferential direction, and the rail on which the guide roller travels has a convex portion or a guide corresponding to the concave portion of the guide roller. A recess corresponding to the convex portion of the roller may be formed. Thereby, since the moving direction of a guide roller is regulated to a plate thickness direction, the derailment and meandering of a guide roller can be prevented suitably.

At both ends of the lifting beam, a plurality of guide rollers may be arranged in the direction in which the rail extends. Thus, the lifting beam is supported on the rail at a plurality of points in the direction in which the rail extends, thereby preventing the chamber door from swinging in the direction in which the rail extends, thereby allowing the chamber door to move more smoothly.

According to the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus which can secure a working place without the projection from the bottom surface.

1 is a plan view showing a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is sectional drawing which shows the inside of a chamber from the front side.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the film formation chamber from the front side in the conveying direction.
4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which an opening of the vacuum chamber body is opened by a chamber door.
It is a figure which shows a clamp mechanism from the side.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing the film forming apparatus from the front in the conveying direction.
7 is an enlarged view showing a part of the guide means and the chamber door from the front side.
8 is an enlarged view of a portion of the guide means and the chamber door from the ceiling plate side.
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the guiding means and the vacuum chamber from the front side in the conveying direction.

A film forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that words indicating directions such as "up" and "down" are based on the states shown in the drawings and are convenient. 1 to 9 also show an XYZ rectangular coordinate system for ease of explanation.

(Film forming device)

The film forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for performing a film forming process or the like on the substrate 101 (for example, a glass substrate). The film forming apparatus 100 is, for example, an apparatus for forming a film by the RPD method (reactive plasma deposition method). The film forming apparatus 100 includes a plasma gun (deposition apparatus 140) for generating plasma, and ionizes the film forming material by using the generated plasma to attach particles of the film forming material to the surface of the substrate 101. The film formation is performed.

The film forming apparatus 100 includes a load lock chamber 121, a buffer chamber 122, a film forming chamber (film forming chamber) 123, a buffer chamber 124, and a load lock chamber 125. These vacuum chambers 121-125 are arrange | positioned side by side in this order. All the vacuum chambers 121-125 are comprised with a vacuum container, and the opening-closing gates 131-136 are provided in the entrance and exit of the vacuum chambers 121-125. The film forming apparatus 100 may have a configuration in which a plurality of buffer chambers 122 and 124 and a film forming chamber 123 are arranged. Moreover, the film-forming apparatus comprised by a series of vacuum chambers may be sufficient.

A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 to make the inside a proper pressure. In each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, a vacuum system (not shown) for monitoring the pressure in the chamber is provided. A vacuum exhaust pipe connected to the vacuum pump is connected to each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, and a vacuum gauge is provided in the vacuum exhaust pipe.

As shown in FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 100 is provided with a conveying apparatus 10 for conveying the conveying tray 20 supporting the substrate 101. The conveying apparatus 10 is an apparatus which conveys the board | substrate 101 and the conveyance tray 20 in the state which stood up in the vacuum chamber 121-125 (it mentions later).

(Return tray)

Next, the conveyance tray 20 will be described. The conveyance tray 20 can be used for the film-forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment, and supports the board | substrate 101 so that attachment or detachment is possible. The conveyance tray 20 supports the substrate 101 when conveying the substrate 101 in an upright state. The state in which the substrate 101 is upright is a standing state in which the plate thickness direction X of the substrate 101 becomes the horizontal direction. At this time, the film formation surface of the substrate 101 is disposed along the vertical direction (Z direction). However, the structure which supports the board | substrate 101 in the state inclined from the state in which the board | substrate 101 stood up may be sufficient. The plate thickness direction X of the board | substrate 101 may be a substantially horizontal direction, and may be inclined from the horizontal direction. Direction X is a direction orthogonal to an up-down direction (Z direction), and orthogonal to the conveyance direction Y of the board | substrate 101. FIG.

(Vacuum chamber)

Next, the vacuum chambers 121-125 are demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the load lock chamber 121 opens the air | atmosphere gate 131 provided in the entrance side, and is open | released to the atmosphere, and the conveyance tray which supports this board | substrate 101 is processed. The chamber 20 is introduced. The outlet side of the load lock chamber 121 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 122 through the opening / closing gate 132.

The buffer chamber 122 is a pressure adjustment chamber in which the substrate 101 passing through the load lock chamber 121 is introduced into the load lock chamber 121 by opening and closing the opening and closing gate 132 provided on the inlet side. . The outlet side of the buffer chamber 122 is connected to the inlet side of the film formation chamber 123 through the opening / closing gate 133. The buffer chamber 122 is provided with a heater (not shown) for heating the substrate 101. This heater is arrange | positioned facing the film-forming surface, in order to heat the film-forming surface (the film-formed surface) of the board | substrate 101. FIG. In this embodiment, since the board | substrate 101 is arrange | positioned in an upright state, the film-forming surface is arrange | positioned along the up-down direction. In the buffer chamber 122, it heats so that a substrate temperature may be about 200 degreeC, for example. The buffer chamber 122 is provided at the front end of the film formation chamber 123 and functions as a heating chamber for heating the substrate 101.

As the heater, for example, a lamp heater can be used. The lamp heater forms a rod shape and extends in the vertical direction (Z direction). A plurality of lamp heaters (for example, twelve) are provided in the buffer chamber 122, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction L (Y direction). The heat of the heater is transferred to the substrate 101 so that the substrate 101 is heated.

The film formation chamber 123 opens the opening / closing gate 133 provided at the inlet side, thereby communicating with the buffer chamber 122 and introducing the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 passing through the buffer chamber 122. This is a processing chamber for forming a thin film layer on the substrate 101. The outlet side of the film formation chamber 123 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 124 via the opening / closing gate 134.

The deposition chamber 123 is provided with a vapor deposition apparatus 140 for forming a film formation material (thin film layer) on the substrate 101. The vapor deposition apparatus 140 is comprised from the main hearth which supports a film-forming material, the plasma gun which irradiates a plasma beam to a main hearth, etc. In addition, the film forming chamber 123 is provided with a heater for heating the substrate 101. This heater is provided so that the board | substrate 101 may be heated, for example from the back surface 101f (surface opposite to film-forming surface 101e) of the board | substrate 101 (refer FIG. 3). In the film formation chamber 123, the substrate temperature is maintained at, for example, about 200 ° C.

The buffer chamber 124 communicates with the film formation chamber 123 by opening the opening / closing gate 134 provided on the inlet side, and the substrate 101 formed by the film formation chamber 123 and the transport tray 20 supporting the same. ) Is a pressure adjustment chamber. The outlet side of the buffer chamber 124 is connected to the inlet side of the load lock chamber 125 via the opening / closing gate 135. The buffer chamber 124 is provided with a cooling plate (not shown) for cooling the substrate 101. The cooling plate is disposed to face the film formation surface of the substrate 101 in order to cool the film formation surface of the substrate 101. The structure provided with the cooling plate which cools the board | substrate 101 from the back surface 101f side of the board | substrate 101 may be sufficient. In the buffer chamber 124, it cools so that a substrate temperature may be about 120 degreeC, for example. The buffer chamber 124 is provided at the rear end of the film formation chamber 123 and functions as a cooling chamber for cooling the substrate 101. However, the structure in which the cooling means is not provided in the buffer chamber 124 may be sufficient. In the atmospheric pressure environment after exiting a vacuum chamber, the structure which cools (air-cools) the board | substrate 101 by air | atmosphere may be sufficient.

The configuration of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 will be described in more detail. 2 to 4, the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 form a box shape, and have a top plate 151, a bottom plate 152, a back wall 154, a side wall 155, and a exit wall ( The vacuum chamber main body 30 which has 156, and the chamber door 40 which comprises the front wall 153 are provided. 2 and 3 omit the illustration of the chamber door 40.

(Vacuum chamber body)

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the top plate 151 and the bottom plate 152 constituting the vacuum chamber main body 30 are walls arranged to face each other in the vertical direction (Z direction). The entry wall 155 and the exit wall 156 constituting the vacuum chamber main body 30 are walls arranged to face each other in the conveyance direction (Y). The entry wall 155 is a wall on the inlet side which is a side into which the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 are carried in the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The exit wall 156 is a wall on the outlet side which is a side from which the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 are carried out of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The back wall 154 (refer FIG. 3) which comprises the vacuum chamber main body 30 is a wall arrange | positioned facing the board thickness direction (X direction) of the board | substrate 101. As shown in FIG.

The inlet wall 155 is provided with an inlet (opening) 155a for carrying the conveying tray 20 and the substrate 101 into the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The exit wall 156 is provided with an outlet (opening) 156a for carrying out the transport tray 20 and the substrate 101 out of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125.

As shown in FIG. 3, the film-forming chamber 123 is arrange | positioned so that at least one part of the back wall 154 may protrude in the outer side (direction away from the conveyance path to which the board | substrate 101 is conveyed), and the recessed part 154a is carried out. Is formed. The vapor deposition apparatus 140 is disposed in the recess 154a. In the film formation chamber 123, plasma is generated by a plasma gun, and the film forming material supported on the main hearth is heated and evaporated. The film forming material is evaporated and ionized, and the particles of the film forming material are diffused into the recesses 154a. Particles of the film forming material diffused in the concave portion 154a fly toward the substrate 101 and adhere to the surface (the film forming surface 101e) of the substrate 101.

The ceiling plate 151 and the bottom plate 152 are joined to the entrance wall 155 at one end of the conveyance direction Y, and the exit wall 156 at the other end of the conveyance direction Y. It is bonded (refer FIG. 2). The back wall 154 is joined to the entrance wall 155 at one end of the conveyance direction Y, and is joined to the exit wall 156 at the other end of the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. The top plate 151 and the bottom plate 152 are joined to the back wall 154 on the back side. These walls 151, 152, 154 to 156 are integrally joined by, for example, welding.

The vacuum chamber main body 30 includes a ceiling plate 151, a bottom plate 152, a back wall 154, a side wall 155, and a exit wall constituting five of six surfaces defining a vacuum region. 156). For this reason, the vacuum chamber main body 30 does not have the front wall 153, and the area | region comprised by the front wall 153 becomes the opening part 31 which opens the inside of the vacuum chambers 121-125. (See Figures 3 and 4). The cross section of the top plate 151, the bottom plate 152, the side wall 155, and the exit wall 156, which define the opening 31 of the vacuum chamber body 30, is in contact with the chamber door 40 described later. All. The O-ring is disposed along the area on the cross section in contact with the chamber door 40.

(Chamber door)

Next, the chamber door 40 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 4, the chamber door 40 is a door which opens or closes the opening part 31 of the vacuum chambers 121-125. The chamber door 40 functions as the front wall 153 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 when the opening 31 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 is closed, and cooperates with the vacuum chamber main body 30 to vacuum. Partition the region. The chamber door 40 is arrange | positioned in the position which opposes the opening part 31, and is supported from upper direction by the guide means 80 mentioned later so that a movement to a plate thickness direction (X direction) is possible. That is, the chamber door 40 is suspended from the guide means 80, and is movable in the direction to which it separates with respect to the vacuum chamber main body 30, and the direction which adjoins.

The chamber door 40 has a flat door main body 41 which completely covers the opening 31 in the X direction.

Ribs 42 are provided on the rear surface 41b on the opposite side of the main surface 41a to increase the strength of the door main body 41 in the normal direction. The rib 42 includes a plurality of first ribs 42a arranged in a lattice shape and a plurality of second ribs 42b. The first rib 42a has a flat plate shape and is fixed to the door body 41 so that the conveyance direction (Y direction) is the plate thickness direction. The second rib 42b has a flat plate shape and is fixed to the door main body 41 so that the vertical direction (Z direction) is the plate thickness direction. These first and second ribs 42a and 42b increase the strength in the normal direction (X direction) of the chamber door 40, so that the chamber door 40 when the inside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 are depressurized ) Deformation is suppressed.

On the rear surface 41b of the chamber door 40, two connecting brackets 43 for connecting with the guide means 80 are fixed (see Fig. 7). Two connecting brackets 43 are fixed to the upper part of the back surface 41b of the chamber door 40, and each connecting bracket 43 is separated from each other in the conveyance direction (Y direction). Details of the connecting bracket 43 will be described later.

(Clamp Mechanism)

Next, the clamp mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 5 is demonstrated. After the opening 31 of the vacuum chamber body 30 is blocked by the chamber door 40, the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 are reduced in pressure. At this time, if there is a gap between the chamber door 40 and the vacuum chamber main body 30, the inside of the vacuum chambers 121-125 cannot be decompressed. Therefore, pressure reduction by a vacuum pump or the like is started in a state where there is no gap between the chamber door 40 and the vacuum chamber main body 30. The clamp mechanism 50 is for pressing the chamber door 40 against the vacuum chamber body 30 in order to eliminate the gap between the O-ring of the vacuum chamber body 30 and the chamber door 40.

The clamp mechanism 50 is provided in each of the four corners of the vacuum chamber main body 30 and the chamber door 40 (refer FIG. 4). The clamp mechanism 50 includes a base portion 51 fixed to the top plate 151 of the vacuum chamber body 30, an air cylinder 52 connected to the base portion 51, a base portion 51, and an air cylinder. It has the clamp part 53 connected to 52, and the support part 54 provided in the chamber door 40. As shown in FIG.

The air cylinder 52 has a cylinder tube 52a, a piston (not shown) reciprocating in the cylinder tube 52a, one end thereof is connected to the piston, and the other end is outside the cylinder tube 52a. It has a piston rod 52b which protrudes. The rear end of the cylinder tube 52a is rotatably connected to the base 51. The other end of the piston rod 52b is rotatably connected to one end 53a of the clamp portion 53. The clamp portion 53 has a substantially crank-shaped shape, one end 53a connected to the shaft 52b of the air cylinder 52, the support portion 53b connected to the base portion 51 so as to be rotatable, and the chamber. The other end 53c provided with the roller 55 which abuts the door 40 and presses the chamber door 40 to the vacuum chamber main body 30 side is provided.

FIG. 5 shows a state where the chamber door 40 is pressed toward the vacuum chamber main body 30 by the clamp mechanism 50 to close the opening 31 of the vacuum chamber main body 30. At this time, the air cylinder 52 has moved the shaft 52b to the board thickness direction (positive X direction) of the board | substrate 101. FIG. In accordance with this movement, one end 53a of the clamp portion 53 connected to the shaft 52b is rotated by a predetermined angle. In response to the rotation of the one end 53a, the other end 53c of the clamp portion 53 moves downward to the vacuum chamber main body 30 side, and the roller 55 is fitted to the support portion 54. Therefore, the chamber door 40 is pressed against the vacuum chamber main body 30.

When opening the opening part 31 of the vacuum chamber main body 30, the axis 52b of the air cylinder 52 is moved to the opposite direction. In accordance with this movement, one end 53a of the clamp portion 53 moves in the opposite direction (negative X direction) in the plate thickness direction, and the other end 53c moves upwards to allow the chamber door 40 to move upward. The roller 55 is spaced apart from the supporting portion 54. As a result, the clamp state of the chamber door 40 is released.

(Conveyer)

Next, the conveying apparatus 10 which conveys the board | substrate 101 is demonstrated. As shown to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the conveying apparatus 10 which is a conveying means has the some conveyance roller 11 arrange | positioned at the lower end side of the board | substrate 101, and the some arrange | positioned at the upper end side of the board | substrate 101. As shown in FIG. Driven rollers (guide rollers) 12 and 13 are provided.

The some conveyance roller 11 is arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance roller 11 is being fixed to the rotating shaft 14 extended in the X direction. The rotating shaft 14 is rotatably supported by the pair of bearings 19. The pair of bearings 19 are fixed to the bottom plate 152.

The rotary shaft 14 is inserted through the opening 154a formed in the back wall 154 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The opening part 154a is provided with the storage device 15 which rotatably supports the rotating shaft 14, and seals between the vacuum chambers 121-125 and an external environment. As the shaft rod device 15, for example, a magnetic fluid bearing can be used. The rotary shaft 14 penetrates through the rear wall 154 and extends from the inside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 to the outside. In addition, the rotating shaft 14 may be comprised as an integral body, and may be comprised by connecting several member in the axial direction.

On the outside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, a drive source (for example, an electric motor) 16 for rotationally driving the rotary shaft 14 is provided. The driving force output from the drive source 16 is transmitted to the plurality of rotation shafts 14 by a power transmission mechanism having a belt car 17 and an endless belt 18. A plurality of belt cars 17 are attached to end portions disposed outside the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 of the rotating shaft 14. The endless belt 18 hangs on the belt car 17 provided in the rotating shaft 14 adjacent to the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the belt car 17 is attached to the output shaft of the drive source 16, and the endless belt 18 hangs on the belt car 17 attached to the belt car 17 and the adjacent rotation shaft 14 of the output shaft. have. Thereby, the drive force output from the drive source 16 can be distributed, and the some rotation shaft 14 can be driven to rotate. However, the power transmission mechanism is not limited to the endless belt 18 and the belt car 17, but may be any other power transmission mechanism. For example, it may be provided with a chain and a sprocket, or may be provided with the other power transmission shaft.

In addition, the conveyance roller 11 may have a structure which has a pair of tuck part arrange | positioned so that both sides of the lower end part of the conveyance tray 20 may be interposed. As a result, the jaws touch the side surfaces (surfaces facing the X direction) of the rail of the transfer tray 20 to regulate the position of the transfer tray 20 in the X direction.

The driven rollers 12 and 13 are arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are supported by the top plate 151 so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the Z direction. As the driven rollers 12 and 13, a rolling bearing can be used. The driven rollers 12 and 13 may be other rotary bodies. It is preferable that the driven rollers 12 and 13 have a small rotational inertia in order to smoothly perform the rotation at the time of contact with the transfer tray 20 without impact. The driven rollers 12 and 13 can contact the inner wall of the guide groove of the conveyance tray 20, and rotate according to the movement of the conveyance tray 20. As shown in FIG.

(trestle)

Next, the chamber mount 60 which supports the vacuum chambers 121-125 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, the chamber mount 60 is for supporting the vacuum chambers 121-125. The chamber mount 60 includes, for example, a mount main body 61 formed of a structural steel tube having a rectangular cross section, a vertical support portion 62 fixed to the bottom plate 152 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, and a ship. It has the horizontal support part 63 fixed to the surface wall 154. Moreover, the chamber mount 60 has the rail support part 64 which supports the rail 82 and 83 mentioned later.

(layout)

As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying apparatus 10 conveys (conveys) the conveyance tray discharged | emitted from the vacuum chamber 125, and returns it to the vacuum chamber 121 again. The conveying apparatus 10 is a rectangular trajectory (conveying path L) in which the conveying paths L (L1 to L4) of the conveying tray 20 are viewed in plan so that the conveying tray 20 can be used repeatedly. It is formed to achieve.

The conveyance path | route of the conveyance tray 20 is the 1st conveyance path L1 extended in the Y direction shown, and the 2nd conveyance path L2 extended in the X direction shown downstream of the 1st conveyance path L1. And a third conveying path L3 extending in the Y direction downstream of the second conveying path L2 and conveying the conveying tray 20 in a direction opposite to the first conveying path L1, and a third conveying path. The fourth conveyance path L4 which extends in the X direction downstream of L3 and conveys the conveyance tray 20 in the direction opposite to the 2nd conveyance path L2 is provided. The downstream side of the fourth conveying path L4 is connected to the upstream side of the first conveying path L1.

The 1st conveyance path L1, the 2nd conveyance path L2, the 3rd conveyance path L3, and the 4th conveyance path L4 are linearly formed in planar view. The 1st conveyance path L1 and the 3rd conveyance path L3 are arrange | positioned in parallel, and the 2nd conveyance path L2 and the 4th conveyance path L4 are arrange | positioned in parallel. The conveyance tray 20 passes through the 1st conveyance path L1, the 2nd conveyance path L2, the 3rd conveyance path L3, and the 4th conveyance path L4, and again, the 1st conveyance path ( Enter L1). Said vacuum chambers 121-125 comprise the 1st conveyance path L1.

In the 1st conveyance path L1 and the 3rd conveyance path L3, the conveyance tray 20 is conveyed in the direction (Y direction) which cross | intersects a plate thickness direction. In the 2nd conveyance path L2 and the 4th conveyance path L4, the conveyance tray 20 is conveyed in a plate | board thickness direction (X direction). Thereby, at the connection point of each conveyance path | route, since the conveyance tray 20 changes a conveyance direction without changing a posture, the conveyance time as a whole apparatus can be shortened. Moreover, since the mechanism which changes the attitude | position of the conveyance tray 20 is no longer needed, the apparatus can be prevented from becoming complicated.

The film forming apparatus 100 conveys the substrate 101 before the film formation in a horizontal state, and passes through the fifth conveying path L5 (substrate conveying mechanism) to allow the film 101 to pass inward from the outer side of the main tracks L1 to L4 and the film formation after the film formation. The 6th conveyance path L6 which conveys the board | substrate 101 in a horizontal state, and passes it from the inner side of the main tracks L1-L4 to the outer side is provided.

The fifth transport path L5 is formed in the X direction so as to cross the first transport path L1 on the upstream side of the load lock chamber 121. At the intersection of the 5th conveyance path L5 and the 1st conveyance path L1, the board | substrate mounting apparatus 160A for attaching the board | substrate 101 to the conveyance tray 20 is arrange | positioned. The 5th conveyance path L5 is comprised by the board | substrate loading conveyor 195 which conveys the board | substrate 101 in the X direction from the outer side of a main track | orbit, and the conveyance roller of 160 A of board | substrate mounting apparatuses. The board | substrate 101 before film-forming passes through the 5th conveyance path L5, is carried in from the outer side of the main track | orbit to the inside, and is accommodated in the film-forming apparatus 100 through the 1st conveyance path L1. However, 160 A of board | substrate mounting apparatuses are provided with the tray precursor frame which supports the conveyance tray 20. As shown in FIG. The substrate mounting apparatus 160A is capable of switching the posture of the tray precursor frame in a first posture for supporting the transfer tray 20 in an upright state and a second posture for supporting the transfer tray 20 in a horizontal state. It is composed. In addition, the 5th conveyance path L5 may be formed so that it may cross | intersect other conveyance paths, such as 3rd conveyance path L3 and 4th conveyance path L4, for example.

The sixth transport path L6 is formed in the X direction so as to cross the first transport path L1 on the downstream side of the load lock chamber 125. At the intersection of the 6th conveyance path L6 and the 1st conveyance path L1, the board | substrate detachment apparatus 160B for separating the board | substrate 101 from the conveyance tray 20 is arrange | positioned. However, the board | substrate detachment apparatus 160B has the same structure as the board | substrate mounting apparatus 160A.

The 6th conveyance path L6 conveys the board | substrate 101 in the direction opposite to the 5th conveyance path L5. The 6th conveyance path L6 is comprised by the conveyance roller of the board | substrate carrying out conveyor 196 and the board | substrate detachment apparatus 160B which convey a board | substrate to an X direction from the outer side of a main track | orbit. After the film formation, the substrate 101 is separated from the conveying tray 20 by the substrate detaching device 160B, passes through the sixth conveying path L6, and traverses the first conveying path L1, and then turns around. It is conveyed from the inside of the track to the outside, and the substrate 101 after film formation is recovered. The recovered substrate 101 is carried out of the film forming apparatus 100. However, the 6th conveyance path L6 may be formed so that it may cross other conveyance paths, such as 2nd conveyance path L2 and 3rd conveyance path L3, for example.

(Transportation means)

Here, the return conveyor 65 which is a transfer means is demonstrated. The return conveyor 65 comprises the 3rd conveyance path L3 which conveys the conveyance tray 20 in the opposite direction to the conveyance direction L1 of the conveying apparatus 10 installed in the vacuum chambers 121-125. . As shown in FIG. 6, the return conveyor 65 has the main frame 66 and the conveying apparatus 67 arrange | positioned at the main frame 66. As shown in FIG. The main frame 66 partitions the space in which the conveyance tray 20 is conveyed, and is comprised by combining several structural steel pipes, for example.

In the main frame 66, the conveyance tray 20 is conveyed to an upstream side in a standing state. For this reason, the main frame 66 has a wall shape with a large length in the vertical direction (Z direction) and the conveying direction (Y direction) with respect to the length in the thickness direction (X direction) of the substrate 101. have. The conveying apparatus 67 has a structure similar to the conveying apparatus 10 provided in the vacuum chambers 121-125. The conveying apparatus 67 is equipped with the some conveyance roller arrange | positioned at the lower end surface side of the conveyance tray 20, and the some driven roller arrange | positioned at the upper end side of the conveyance tray 20. As shown in FIG.

(Maintenance Deck)

Next, the maintenance deck 70 will be described. The maintenance deck 70 is for securing a working place where the worker M enters when performing maintenance work on the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. Moreover, it has a function as a utility for providing the piping and wiring 71 connected to the vacuum chambers 121-125.

The maintenance deck 70 is provided between the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 and the return conveyor 65. The maintenance deck 70 includes a bottom plate 72 positioned slightly below the bottom plate 152 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, and a plurality of leg portions 73 supporting the bottom plate 72. have. Pipes and wirings 71 connected to the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 are disposed between the bottom plate 72 of the maintenance deck 70 and the bottom surface G on which the film forming apparatus 100 is provided. In addition, since the bottom plate 72 of the maintenance deck 70 is disposed slightly below the bottom plate 152 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, the bottom plate 40a of the bottom plate 72 and the chamber door 40 is provided. The predetermined space | gap H is formed in between.

(Guide)

Next, the guide means will be described. As shown in FIGS. 6-9, the guide means 80 is for guiding the chamber door 40 horizontally in the plate thickness direction (X direction) while resembling the chamber door 40. The guiding means 80 includes a lifting beam spanned between a pair of rail sets 81 extending in the plate thickness direction (X direction) and two rails 82 and 83 included in the rail set 81. Has 84.

(rail)

As shown in FIG. 6, the 1st edge part E1 of the rails 82 and 83 is attached to the ceiling plate 151 which is the upper end of the vacuum chamber main body 30 via the mounting member 151a. More specifically, the rails 82 and 83 are attached to the ceiling plate 151 on the opening 31 side of the ceiling plate 151. Moreover, the front-end | tip of the 1st edge part E1 of the rails 82 and 83 is attached to the rail support part 64 of the chamber mount 60. As shown in FIG. The second end E2 of the rails 82 and 83 is mounted to the upper end 66a of the main frame 66 of the return conveyor 65. The rail support 64 of the chamber mount 60, the top plate 151 of the vacuum chambers 121-125, and the upper end 66a of the main frame 66 of the return conveyor 65 become substantially the same height. Therefore, the rails 82 and 83 attached thereto are kept in a horizontal state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the rails 82 and 83 are groove | channel steel of cross-sectional U-shaped (channel shape), for example, and are arrange | positioned horizontally apart from each other in a conveyance direction (Y direction). The rails 82 and 83 have a web W and two flanges F installed upright from both ends of the web W in a direction orthogonal to the web W. The web W and the flange ( It has recesses 82a and 83a surrounded by F). The two rails 82 and 83 are arranged such that the recesses 82a and 83a face each other.

The guide 85 is arrange | positioned at the flange F1 of the lower side of one rail 82. Moreover, the guide 86 is arrange | positioned at the flange F1 of the lower side of the other rail 83. As shown in FIG. The guides 85 and 86 are traveling paths on which the guide rollers 96 and 97 which will be described later travel. The guide 85 extends in the plate thickness direction (X direction) of the board | substrate 101, and the convex part corresponding to the recessed part 96a of the guide roller 96 is formed in the contact surface 87 with the guide roller 96. 87a) extends in the plate thickness direction (X direction). The guide 86 extends in the plate thickness direction (X direction), and the contact surface 88 with the guide roller 97 is formed substantially flat.

(Lifting beam)

The lifting beam 84 has a main beam 91 spanned between the rails 82 and 83 and roller support portions 92 fixed to both ends of the main beam 91. The lifting beam 84 has an outline shape of substantially H shape as seen from the Z direction (see Fig. 8).

As the main beam 91, a structural steel tube having a rectangular cross section can be used, for example. Suspension brackets 93 connected to the connecting brackets 43 of the chamber door 40 are fixed to the main beam 91. The suspension bracket 93 is provided at a position corresponding to the connecting bracket 43 in the vertical direction (Z direction).

The connecting bracket 43 and the hanging bracket 93 are connected by a connecting bolt 94 having a threaded portion. More specifically, the connecting bolt 94 has a positioning nut 95 disposed at one end 94a side, and is inserted into the through hole of the connecting bracket 43 from the other end 94b side. The through hole has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the nut 95. Therefore, the connecting bracket 43 is supported by the nut 95. However, since the position of the nut 95 is moved to the up-down direction by rotating this nut 95, the position of the up-down direction of the chamber door 40 can be adjusted easily. In addition, the other end 94b of the connecting bolt 94 is screwed into and fixed to the female screw portion installed on the suspension bracket 93, whereby the chamber door 40 is connected to the lifting beam 84.

The roller support part 92 is arrange | positioned with the direction in which the rails 82 and 83 extended, and is welded and fixed to the main beam 91 in the substantially center of the longitudinal direction of the roller support part 92 (FIG. 8). And FIG. 9). Guide rollers 96 and 97 are rotatably mounted at both ends of each roller support portion 92. That is, the two guide rollers 96 and 97 are attached to the roller support part 92 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the guide roller 96 which rolls on the guide 85 which has the convex part 87a of the rail 82 is the circumferential direction of the shape corresponding to the convex part 87a of the rail 82. As shown in FIG. It has the recessed part 96a continuous to it. As the convex portion 87a of the rail 82 and the concave portion 96a of the guide roller 96 are combined in this manner, the movement direction of the guide roller 96 on the guide 85 is restricted to the X direction only. , Meandering and derailment of the lifting beam 84 are prevented. Therefore, the meandering prevention mechanism and the derailment prevention mechanism of the present embodiment are constituted by the convex portion 87a of the rail 82 and the recessed portion 96a of the guide roller 96. However, the guide roller 97 for rolling the guide 86 of the rail 83 has a cylindrical shape including a flat circumferential surface 97a for rolling the guide 86 of the rail 83.

In the film forming apparatus 100, the chamber door 40 is guided to move horizontally in the plate thickness direction (X direction) of the substrate 101, so that the chamber door 40 is moved away from the vacuum chamber main body 30 (both amounts). X direction), the opening part 31 can be opened. Moreover, the opening part 31 can be closed by moving the chamber door 40 to the direction (negative X direction) which approaches the vacuum chamber main body 30. FIG. The chamber door 40 is guided in the horizontal direction (X direction) while being lowered by the guide means 80. According to this, there is no need to provide a member such as a rail for moving and supporting the chamber door 40 below the chamber door 40 and on the maintenance deck 70 on which the chamber door 40 moves. Therefore, a work place can be secured by removing the protrusions from the bottom plate 72 of the maintenance deck 70.

The chamber door 40 is suspended from the lifting beam 84 by a connecting bracket 43 fixed to the chamber door 40, a suspension bracket 93 fixed to the lifting beam 84, and a connecting bolt 94. . Therefore, the position adjustment of the chamber door 40 in the up-down direction (Z direction) can be performed easily. Moreover, according to the structure which hangs the chamber door 40, the adaptability of the chamber door 40 with respect to the vacuum chamber main body 30 can be improved at the time of the pressure reduction operation of the vacuum chambers 121-125.

By the way, when the chamber door is guided and supported by a rail or the like provided on the bottom surface of the maintenance deck, there is a fear that the chamber door will fall when the chamber door is moved. For this reason, it is necessary to design the support structure for the fall prevention in the lower part of the chamber door in order to prevent the fall of the chamber door. In the case where the chamber door is supported by a rail or the like provided on the bottom surface of the maintenance deck, the chamber door is a heavy object, so the strength of the maintenance deck needs to be increased. On the other hand, since the chamber door 40 of this embodiment is connected to the lifting beam 84 and is suspended, it does not conduct and there is no need to design a support structure for preventing the conduction. Therefore, the safety of the opening / closing operation of the chamber door 40 can be improved, and the space saving of the opening / closing area of the chamber door 40 can be achieved. And since the maintenance deck 70 does not support the weight of the chamber door 40, the complexity of the structure of the maintenance deck 70 by addition of a strength member etc. is suppressed, and the structure of the maintenance deck 70 is simplified. can do.

The pair of rails 81 is attached to the vacuum chamber main body 30 at one end side and to the return conveyor 65 at the other end side. As a result, the pair of rails 81 are supported at both ends, whereby the heavy weight chamber door 40 can be hung suitably.

Moreover, since the front end of the pair of rails 81 is attached to the chamber mount 60, the attachment strength of the pair of rails 81 can further be improved. Moreover, since the pair of rails 81 are attached to the ceiling plate 151 of the vacuum chamber main body 30, when the vacuum chambers 121-125 depressurize by raising the intensity | strength in the normal direction of the ceiling plate 151, Deformation of the ceiling plate 151 in the system can be suppressed. Moreover, since the rails 82 and 83 are attached to the ceiling plate 151 in the vicinity of the opening part 31 which is easy to deform in the ceiling plate 151, the deformation of the ceiling plate 151 can be suppressed more suitably. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide a new member for supporting the other end side of the pair of rails 81, the space saving of the whole film-forming apparatus 100 can be aimed at.

The return conveyor 65 conveys the conveyance tray 20 to a standing state. Thereby, the main frame 66 of the return conveyor 65 is lengthened longitudinally, and the other ends of the rails 82 and 83 can be easily mounted on the upper end of the main frame 66. In addition, since the main frame 66 of the return conveyor 65 has a wall shape as a single body, the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (Y direction) compared with the strength in the up-down direction (Z direction) (X direction) ) Strength is weak. The upper end of the main frame 66 of the present embodiment is attached to the rails 82 and 83. Therefore, since the rails 82 and 83 act as strength members in the plate thickness direction (X direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction (Y direction), the strength in the plate thickness direction (X direction) can be increased. In addition, since the strength in the plate thickness direction (X direction) of the main frame 66 is reinforced by the rails 82 and 83, the width dimension of the main frame 66 in the X direction can be reduced.

At both ends of the lifting beam 84, guide rollers 96 and 97 that can travel along the pair of rails 81 are provided. The guide means 80 has a derailment prevention mechanism which prevents derailment of the guide rollers 96 and 97. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the fall of the chamber door 40 supported by the lifting beam 84 from the pair of rails 81 can be prevented, and the safety of the opening / closing operation of the chamber door 4 can be improved.

The guide means 80 has a meandering prevention mechanism for preventing meandering of the guide rollers 96 and 97. As a result, the chamber door 40 supported by the lifting beam 84 can be smoothly horizontally moved. In addition, since the chamber door 40 is moved in parallel with the rails 82 and 83, the chamber door 40 is equally provided by the plurality of workers M so that the rotation moment does not act on the chamber door 40. It is not necessary to press or pull, so that the worker M can open and close the chamber door 40 by himself.

In the peripheral surface of the guide roller 96 which travels the rail 82, the recessed part 96a continuous in the circumferential direction is formed, and in the guide 85 of the rail 82 which the guide roller 96 runs, The convex part 87a corresponding to the recessed part 96a of the guide roller 96 is formed. Thereby, since the moving direction of the guide roller 96 is restricted only to the plate | board thickness direction (X direction), the derailment and meandering of the guide roller 96 can be prevented suitably.

On both ends of the lifting beam 84, a plurality of guide rollers 96, 97 are arranged in the direction (X direction) in which the rails 82, 83 extend. As a result, the lifting beams 84 are supported on the rails 82 and 83 at a plurality of points in the direction in which the rails 82 and 83 extend (the X direction), so that the directions in which the rails 82 and 83 extend ( The chamber door 40 can be smoothly moved by preventing rocking of the chamber door 40 in the X direction).

As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on the embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The film forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the ion plating method, and other film forming methods (for example, a sputtering method) may be applied.

The film forming apparatus and the film forming apparatus tray of the present invention are not limited to the substrate being upright and conveyed, but may be conveyed by tilting the substrate. For example, the structure which conveys the inclined board | substrate may be inclined by inclining said film-forming apparatus and a conveyance tray. For example, the peripheral surface of the conveying roller may be formed to intersect the rotation axis. The film-forming apparatus which conveys a board | substrate may be used using the conveyance tray which inclines and supports a board | substrate. The inclination angle at the time of inclining a board | substrate can be made into about 0 to 15 degrees with respect to a perpendicular direction.

In the guide means 80 of the present invention, a convex portion is formed in the guide roller 96, a concave portion is formed in the guide 85 of the rail 82, and a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion is formed in the guide roller 96. The formed structure may be sufficient. The irregularities of the guide 85 and the guide roller 96 may be formed not only on the rail 82 side but also on the guide 86 and the guide roller 97 on the rail 83 side. In addition, the number of the guide rollers 96 and 97 traveling on one rail 82 and 83 is not limited to two, and even if the roller support part 92 has two or more guide rollers 96 and 97, do.

In the present invention, although the worker M is configured to manually move the chamber door 40, the chamber door 40 may be moved using a drive source for driving the lifting beam 84 in the horizontal direction. For example, a high torque motor for rotating the guide rollers 96 and 97 can be used as the drive source, and a linear guide using a ball screw may be used as the drive source.

In the present invention, the entirety of the front wall 153 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 is the chamber door 40, but a part of the front wall 153 may be the chamber door 40. In this case, for example, the front wall 153 is fixed to the top plate 151, the bottom plate 152, the back wall 154, the entrance wall 155, and the exit wall 156, and has a rectangular opening. It may be comprised by the front wall part of substantially W-shape, and the chamber door which closes the opening part which became movable horizontally.

In the present invention, the opening 31 and the chamber door 40 blocking the opening 31 to open the inside of the vacuum chamber are provided on the front wall 153 side, but the opening and the chamber door are on the rear wall 154 side. It may be installed in. Moreover, the opening part and the chamber door may be provided in both the front wall 153 side and the back wall 154 side.

In the present invention, the guide means 80 has a convex portion 87a of the rail 82 for the meandering prevention mechanism and the derailment prevention mechanism and the concave portion 96a of the guide roller 96. The rail 82 of the guide means 80 may not be provided with the convex part 87a, and the guide roller 96 may not be provided with the recessed part 96a. In the present invention, the guide rollers 96 and 97 in the guide means 80 are provided on the lifting beam 84, but may be provided on the pair of rails 81 side.

In addition, the derailment prevention mechanism and the meandering prevention mechanism are not limited to the structure described in the said embodiment. For example, you may have the rail which has a flat running surface, and the guide roller which has a circumferential surface without the unevenness | corrugation which abuts on a running surface. In this structure, the spherical bearing arrange | positioned so that a guide roller may be interposed in the rotation axis direction of a guide roller is arrange | positioned at the rail. According to this structure, the chamber door can be moved only in the X direction by the guide roller rolling the running surface in the direction in which the rail extends. In addition, the movement in the Y direction is regulated by the spherical bearing disposed so as to sandwich the guide roller. Therefore, the chamber door can be moved only in the X direction without derailing and meandering.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the part of the wall of the film-forming chamber 123 is set as the structure which can open and close, other chambers may be made the structure which can open and close a part of wall similarly to the film-forming chamber 123. FIG.

10, 67: conveying apparatus (conveying means)
20: return tray
30: vacuum chamber body
31: opening
40: chamber door
65: Return Conveyor
70: Maintenance Deck
80: guide
82, 83: rail
84: lifting beam
96, 97: guide roller
100: Deposition device
101: substrate
121 ~ 125: vacuum container

Claims (8)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate,
A vacuum chamber body having a conveying means capable of conveying the substrate in a conveying direction intersecting the sheet thickness direction with the substrate standing up so that the plate thickness direction of the substrate becomes a horizontal direction, and having an opening opening therein; ,
A chamber door capable of opening and closing the opening of the vacuum chamber body;
And a guide means provided above the vacuum chamber body to guide the chamber door in a horizontally movable direction in the plate thickness direction. The method according to claim 1,
The guide means,
A pair of rails extending in the plate thickness direction and spaced apart in the conveying direction;
And a lifting beam connected between the pair of rails and connected to the chamber door, the lifting beam reciprocating along the rails. 3. The method of claim 2,
The said conveying means supports the said board | substrate by the conveyance tray which detachably supports the said board | substrate, and conveys it to the said conveyance direction,
A return means for returning said conveyance tray to an upstream side of said conveyance direction,
The conveying means is disposed to face the opening of the vacuum chamber body, spaced apart in the plate thickness direction,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end of the pair of rails is mounted on an upper end of the vacuum chamber main body, and the other end is mounted on an upper end of the conveyance means. The method of claim 3, wherein
And said conveyance means conveys said conveyance tray in an upright state. 3. The method of claim 2,
At both ends of the lifting beam, guide rollers that can travel along the pair of rails are provided.
And the guide means has a derailment preventing mechanism for preventing derailment of the guide roller. 3. The method of claim 2,
At both ends of the lifting beam, guide rollers that can travel along the pair of rails are provided.
The guide means, the film forming apparatus, characterized in that it has a meandering prevention mechanism for preventing meandering of the guide roller. The method according to claim 5 or 6,
On the circumferential surface of the guide roller which runs one of the pair of rails, a concave portion or a convex portion that is continuous in the circumferential direction is formed,
And a concave portion corresponding to the concave portion of the guide roller or a concave portion corresponding to the convex portion of the guide roller is formed on the rail on which the guide roller travels. The method according to claim 5 or 6,
And the plurality of guide rollers are arranged at both ends of the lifting beam in a direction in which the rail extends.

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