TWI438829B - Loadlock chamber for chemical vapor deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Loading chamber for chemical vapor deposition equipment

The present invention relates to a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, and more particularly to a method for minimizing structural deformation by strengthening the strength of a structure to avoid bending stress caused by a pressure difference. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus.

Flat panel displays have been widely used in television products, computer screens, or personal portable terminals. The flat panel display may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel, and an organic light emitting diode. In these flat panel displays, a liquid crystal display is an optical switching phenomenon in which a liquid crystal between an upper and a lower glass substrate of a two-sheet is injected by a liquid crystal of an intermediate substance between a solid state and a liquid state to display a digital image or an image. And using the voltage difference between the upper and lower glass substrate electrodes to change the direction of the liquid crystal molecules, thereby generating different brightness.

At present, liquid crystal displays are widely used in electronic products such as electronic watches, electronic computers, televisions, automotive products, odometers, and aircraft operating systems. In general, when the size of the display screen is less than 17 inches, the liquid crystal display television already has a size of 20 to 30 inches. However, the size of the recently popular liquid crystal display television is 40 inches or more, and the size of the computer screen continues to increase from 20 inches or more.

Thus, manufacturers of liquid crystal displays are developing methods of manufacturing larger sized substrates. Furthermore, mass production of the eighth generation of glass substrates having a horizontal and vertical length of about 2 meters has been prepared or is currently in production. The liquid crystal display is mass-produced through a TFT Array process, a cell process, and a module process, wherein the thin film transistor array process includes repeated deposition, In the steps of photolithography, etching, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the liquid crystal cell process bonds the upper and lower glass substrates to each other, and the module process is used to complete LCD products.

The chemical vapor deposition process of one of the above described thin film transistor array processes is performed in a process chamber, and the process chamber has an optimum environment for a chemical vapor deposition process. In particular, a plurality of substrates are processed in a short period of time, and a chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a plurality of process chambers disposed at predetermined intervals is widely used.

The chemical vapor deposition apparatus has a plurality of process chambers for performing a chemical vapor deposition process, and a loadlock chamber is formed to output a substrate to the process before inputting a substrate to a corresponding process chamber. a chamber environment, and a transfer chamber to connect each process chamber to the load chamber, and having a robot arm to transfer the substrate from the load chamber to the corresponding process chamber, or to remove the substrate from The process chamber is transferred to the loading chamber.

A chemical vapor deposition process is performed in a process chamber, that is, the substrate is in a high temperature and low pressure environment. Therefore, it is difficult to allow the substrate to be directly input into the process chamber under high temperature and high pressure at atmospheric pressure, so before the substrate is transferred to the corresponding process chamber, the process chamber must be formed in the same environment, which is loaded by The room is completed. That is, the loading chamber accommodates the substrate in the same environment as the process chamber, or in the same environment before the substrate is input from the outside world to the process chamber, or is the same as the substrate is removed from the process chamber to the outside world. surroundings.

Recently, so-called multi-loadlock chambers have a plurality of single-chamber chambers for increasing process efficiency and improving productivity. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a cross-sectional view of a conventional multi-load compartment 10 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-load chamber 10 has a three-unit unit chamber structure, that is, first, second, and third single-chamber chambers 11a, 12a, 13a stacked on each other, and includes formation. On an upper wall 15 of an upper surface of the multi-loading chamber 10, a lower wall 16 is formed on a lower surface of the multi-loading chamber 10, and the first, second, and third chamber frames 11, 12, 13 are vertically Stacked between the upper wall 15 and the lower wall 16, a first partition wall 17 is interposed between the first cavity frame 11 and the second cavity frame 12, and a second partition wall 18 is inserted in the second cavity frame. 12 is between the third chamber frame 13. The three chambers 10a through which the substrate is outputted or taken out are formed on the opposite lateral sides of the multi-load chamber 10.

Compared with a loading chamber (not shown) having a single chamber, the multi-loading chamber 10 has a three-layer stack structure which is advantageous for improving process efficiency and productivity, but is disadvantageous when the size of the substrate is increased. The overall height of the loading chamber 10 is limited to the effective Z-axis parameters of the robotic arm mounted in the transfer chamber. Therefore, when the substrate size is increased, the upper wall 15, the first and second partition walls 17, 18, and the lower wall 16 formed in the multi-loading chamber 10 have a thickness that cannot be secured with a sufficient strength to avoid being in a single group. The problem of bending stress caused by the pressure difference between the chambers.

Therefore, when at least one of the three single-chamber chambers is maintained in a vacuum state, a pressure corresponding to atmospheric pressure is generated in the vertical direction of the multi-load chamber 10. The generated pressure acts on the upper wall 15, the first and second partition walls 17, 18, and the lower wall 16 as the same bending stress, so that the upper wall 15, the first and second partition walls 17, 18, and the lower wall 16 At least one of them bends inward or downward.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the first and third single-chamber chambers 11a, 13a are maintained in an atmospheric pressure (ATM) state, and the second single-group chamber 12a is maintained in a vacuum (VAC) state, The first partition wall 17 is bent downward due to the bending stress generated by the pressure difference between the first and third single-chamber chambers 11a, 13a and the second single-group chamber 12a, and the second partition wall is made 18 bends upwards. Such bending phenomena may adversely affect the process due to friction between the first and second partition walls 17, 18 and the first, second, and third chamber frames 11, 12, and 13. Moreover, the bending stress is switched to a slot valve connected to the loading chamber 10, so that a housing (not shown) of the slot valve may be deformed to cause leakage, which must be taken into consideration. .

Further, in the multi-loading chamber 10, the lower surfaces of the first, second, and third single-chamber chambers 11a, 12a, 13a must be formed with a robot arm that may hold the substrate as necessary, and must also be taken into consideration. Therefore, a method of forming a plurality of grooves may be considered to facilitate the entry and removal of the robot arm integrally with the bottom surface of each single group of chambers. However, in such a case, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost is also increased.

Moreover, when a part of the portion for supporting the substrate is damaged, the operator must enter the inside of the single group chamber to repair the damaged portion. This is a very inconvenient job, and the corresponding disassembly during maintenance is complicated, which must be taken into consideration.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional multi-load chamber 20 for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a portion of the conventional loading chamber of Figure 3. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 simultaneously, the loading chamber 20 includes a cavity 21 having a plurality of content spaces 21s for accommodating a plurality of substrates, and a bracket coupling member 27 coupled to the outer wall of the cavity 21.

The cavity 21 includes an upper wall 22, a lower wall 24, two partition walls 25 disposed between the upper wall 22 and the lower wall 24, and a side wall 26 disposed between the wall surfaces. The bracket coupling member 27 includes a first coupling member 27a having a length corresponding to the height of the side wall 26 and screwed to the side wall 26 of the cavity 21, and a second coupling member 27b having a small square shape and A joint is joined to the side wall 26 and the partition wall 25. Therefore, a plurality of substrates can be retained in the content space 21s of the loading chamber 20 in order to improve work efficiency.

In the loading chamber 20, the respective content spaces 21s can be maintained under different pressure states in the process, that is, the substrate is input into each of the contents of the cavity 21, or the substrate is separated from the contents of the cavity 21. The process of taking out the space 21s. Therefore, a pressure is converted from the content space 21s under high pressure to the space 21s at low pressure so that the partition wall 25 and the side wall 26 joined to the partition wall 25 can be bent. As a result, the particles can be generated from the joint between the upper wall 22, the lower wall 24, the partition wall 25, and the side wall 26 forming the cavity 21, or from the joint between the cavity 21 and the bracket coupling member 27. It is produced, so it has a bad influence on the process.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus that minimizes deformation of the structure by strengthening the strength of the structure to prevent a pressure difference between the plurality of single-group chambers The resulting bending stress, and leakage due to deformation of the slot valve cover structure, is prevented by switching to the slot valve to open/close the bending stress of the plurality of grooves formed in the chamber.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus which can enhance the strength of a partition wall while allowing a mechanical arm to be input into or taken out from the chamber, and can be easily manufactured to reduce manufacturing costs. And the structure is simple and easy to maintain and repair, and it can improve the productivity according to the way of processing the substrate.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a load chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus which can be firmly bonded not only to respective wall walls formed in a cavity but also to space by content as compared with the prior art. When the pressure difference between the bends is generated, the position between each wall wall can be remarkably reduced, or the number of particles generated between each wall wall and the joint structure for joining the respective wall walls can be improved. Process efficiency.

According to a first object of the present invention, there is provided a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising a cavity having a plurality of single-group chambers for accommodating a substrate therein, and a plurality of substrates a cavity for input or removal formed on one side and the other side of the corresponding one of the chambers; and at least one reinforcing plate coupled to one side of the cavity in which the cavity is formed and the other At least one of the sides enhances a strength of the cavity to prevent bending stresses due to a pressure differential between the plurality of single sets of chambers.

According to a second object of the present invention, there is provided a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising a cavity having a plurality of single chambers partitioning at least one partition wall for accommodating a substrate, plural The strength reinforcing units are spaced apart and detachably coupled to the lower surface of the partition wall, by reinforcing a strength of the partition wall to avoid bending the partition wall, and a plurality of contact support strips. Removably coupled to the strength enhancing unit and in contact with the substrate.

According to a third object of the present invention, there is provided a loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising a cavity having an upper wall, a lower wall, disposed between the upper wall and the lower wall And at least one partition wall substantially parallel to the upper wall and the lower wall, and a side wall disposed across the upper wall, the lower wall and the partition wall, and having a plurality of content spaces to A substrate is housed therein.

In order to enable your review committee to have a better understanding and recognition of the structure, efficacy and methods of the present invention, the detailed description will be followed by the illustration.

While the invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments of the present invention It is not intended that the invention be limited to the following drawings and embodiments.

This case has been claimed by the Korea Intellectual Property Office on November 21, 2007, in the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0119236, and on December 14, 2007, in the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0131150, and The advantages of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0027927, filed on March 26, 2008, are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The accompanying drawings are intended to be illustrative of the embodiments of the invention In the following, embodiments of the invention are explained with reference to the accompanying drawings and are described in detail. The same reference element numbers indicate the same elements.

The following description is for reference. A substrate as described below may refer to a flat panel display including a liquid crystal display (LCD) substrate, a plasma display panel (PDP) substrate, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) substrate. For convenience of explanation, the term "substrate" used in the present embodiment may be any of the above types of substrates.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus using a loading chamber in accordance with the present invention. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the loading chamber of Figure 5. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the loading chamber of Figure 6 taken along line A-A. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the loading chamber of Figure 6 taken along line B-B.

Referring to FIG. 5, for example, a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display includes a plurality of process chambers 400 for performing a chemical vapor deposition process, and forming a substrate into one of the corresponding ones. The process chamber 400 is preceded by a loading chamber 100 for inputting a substrate into an environment of the process chamber 400, and a transfer chamber 500 connecting the process chamber 400 and the load chamber 100. A robotic arm 510 is disposed in the transfer chamber 500 for transferring the substrate in the loading chamber 100 to the corresponding one of the processing chambers 400, or transferring the substrate in the corresponding one of the processing chambers 400 to the loading Room 100.

A chemical vapor deposition process is performed in a process chamber 400 in which the substrate is in a high temperature and low pressure environment. Since it is difficult to directly input the substrate under atmospheric pressure to the process chamber 400 at a high temperature and low pressure, it must be formed by the action of the load chamber 100 before the substrate is transferred to the corresponding one of the process chambers 400. The same environment as the process chamber 400.

In detail, when an external substrate encountering a chemical vapor deposition process is inserted by a transfer automatic control device (not shown), the load chamber 100 forms an internal environment having substantially the same temperature and pressure as the process chamber 400. The substrate in the loading chamber 100 in substantially the same environment as the processing chamber 400 is taken out to one of the processing chambers 400 by a robot arm 510 in the transfer chamber 500 and subjected to a corresponding deposition process. Conversely, the substrate that has completed the chemical vapor deposition process in the process chamber 400 is taken out by the robot arm 510 of the transfer chamber 500 and transferred to the load chamber 100 that maintains substantially the same temperature and pressure as the outside world. Finally, the substrate is taken out to the outside world by the transmission automation device.

As described above, the loading chamber 100 provides a chamber for housing a substrate substantially in the same state as the processing chamber 400, or before an external substrate is input into the processing chamber 400 or the substrate is removed from the processing chamber 400. A chamber to the external environment before the outside world.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 simultaneously, the loading chamber 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a cavity 110 having three single-group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a for receiving the substrate therein, and two reinforcing plates 120 and 130 respectively. The front surface and the rear surface of the cavity 110 are joined to strengthen the strength of the cavity 110, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs 140, 150 are respectively disposed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the cavity 110.

The cavity 110 includes an upper wall 115 formed on an upper surface of the cavity 110, a lower wall 116 formed on a lower surface of the cavity 110, and a first one disposed between the upper wall 115 and the lower wall 116 in a vertical Z-axis direction. The second and third chamber frames 111, 112, 113 are inserted into the first partition wall 117 between the first and second chamber frames 111, 112, and are inserted into the second and third chamber frames 112, 113. The second partition wall 118. The first and second partition walls 117, 118 are divided into the interior of the cavity 110 to form three single sets of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a. The constituent elements of each of the cavities 110 are formed of aluminum material values and are joined to each other by a plurality of bolts (not shown) to form the cavities 110.

According to the above three-layer stack structure, three single-group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a are formed in the cavity 110. That is, the cavity 110 includes a first single set of chambers 111a defined by the upper wall 115, the first cavity frame 1111 and the first partition wall 117, and the first partition wall 117, the second cavity frame 112 and the second partition A second single set of chambers 112a defined by wall 118, and a third single set of chambers 113a defined by second partition wall 118, third chamber frame 113 and lower wall 116.

As described above, since the three single-chamber chambers 111a, 112a, 113a are formed in a stacked manner, the load chamber 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is advantageous for improving process efficiency as compared with a loading chamber having a single chamber. And productivity. In any event, two or four or more single sets of chambers (not shown) may be stacked one upon another in accordance with other embodiments.

An external substrate is input to each of the single-group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, or three chambers 111b, 112b, 113b through which the substrate is taken out from each of the single-group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a. The front surface of the cavity 110 is formed. The three cavity grooves 111b, 112b, and 113b are formed corresponding to the first, second, and third single-group chambers 111a, 112a, and 113a, respectively. Although not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a slot valve (not shown) for selecting to open/close the three chamber slots 111b, 112b, 113b is provided on the front side of the loading chamber 100 for output on the substrate. One of the three chamber slots 111b, 112b, 113b corresponding to the opening period and the one of the three chamber slots 111b, 112b, 113b are closed when the substrate output and the take-out flow are completed.

The rear surface of the cavity 110 is a portion that is connected to the transfer chamber 500. The substrate is transported from the process chamber 400 to the substrate of each of the individual sets of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, or the substrate is removed from each of the individual sets of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a to the process chamber 400. The three cavity grooves 111c, 112c, and 113c are formed corresponding to the first, second, and third single-group chambers 111a, 112a, and 113a, respectively. Although not shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a slot valve (not shown) for connecting the loading chamber 100 and the transfer chamber 500 and selectively opening/closing the three chambers 111c, 112c, 113c is formed. On the back side of the loading chamber 100. That is, the substrate output corresponds to one of the three chamber slots 111c, 112c, 113c that is opened during the take-out process, and the three chamber slots 111c, 112c, 113c are closed when the substrate output and the take-out flow are completed. One.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 simultaneously, a pair of reinforcing plates 120, 130 are respectively coupled to the front and rear surfaces of the cavity 110 to strengthen the strength of the cavity 110 to prevent being caused by the single group of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a. The bending stress generated by the pressure difference between them. In this embodiment, although the reinforcing plates 120 and 130 are respectively coupled to the front surface and the rear surface of the cavity 110, the reinforcing plate may be connected only to one of the front surface and the rear surface of the cavity 110, or plural. The reinforcing plates can be attached to any surface of the cavity in an overlapping manner.

When at least one of the three single-chamber chambers 111a, 112a, 113a is maintained in a vacuum state as described above, a pressure corresponding to atmospheric pressure is generated in a vertical (Z-axis) direction, and the pressure system is A bending stress is applied to the upper wall 115, the first partition wall 117, the second partition wall 118, and the lower wall 116 such that at least one of the wall walls is bent upward or downward.

For example, when the first and third single-chamber chambers 111a, 113a are maintained at atmospheric pressure while the second single-group chamber 112a is maintained in a vacuum state, due to the first and third single-group chambers 111a, 113a and The bending stress generated by the pressure difference between the second single group chambers 112a causes the first partition wall 117 to bend downward and the second partition wall 118 to bend upward. The bending phenomenon may adversely affect the process due to particles generated by the friction between the first and second partition walls 117, 118 and the cavity frames 111, 112, 113. As a result, the load chamber 100 is structurally deformed, which hinders accurate input and removal of the substrate. Further, the bending stress is switched to the groove valve connected to the loading chamber 100, so that the outer cover (not shown) of the groove valve is deformed and a leak is generated.

The reinforcing plates 120, 130, such as the solution to solve the problem, strengthen the structural strength of the cavity 110 to prevent bending stress caused by the pressure difference between the single sets of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, so that the cavity The structural deformation of the body 110 is minimized and the bending stress that is transferred to the slot valve is blocked to avoid leakage due to deformation of the slot valve cover.

The upper, lower, left and right ends of the reinforcing plates 120, 130 shown in FIG. 6 can respectively protrude to the upper, lower, left and right surfaces of the cavity 110. This is why the structural strength of the cavity 110 can be further improved as compared to the case where the size of the reinforcing plates 120, 130 is made the same or smaller than the front or rear surface of the cavity 110. Moreover, three openings 121, 122, 123 or 131, 132, 133 provided corresponding to the three cavity grooves 111b, 112b, 113b or 111c, 112c, 113c are formed on the reinforcing plate 120 or 130, and The substrate is not prevented from being input to the single group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, or the substrate is taken out from the single group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a.

The reinforcing plates 120 and 130 according to the embodiment of the present invention are made of a steel material having enhanced mechanical strength, preferably a stainless steel material having enhanced mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, and using a plurality of bolts 125, 135. Fixedly coupled to the cavity 110. In addition to the bolting methods described above, the reinforcing plates 120, 130 and the cavity 110 can be combined in different ways. However, the joining method which is often used is regarded as a reinforcing plate bonding method, and is not suitable for the bonding method of the cavity 110 formed of the aluminum material value and the reinforcing plates 120 and 130 made of stainless steel.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 simultaneously, the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 extending along the X-axis direction of the width of the cavity 110 are respectively disposed at a predetermined interval on the upper surface of the cavity 110 in the length (Y-axis) direction of the cavity 110. And three positions on the lower surface. Three reinforcing ribs 140 disposed on the upper surface of the cavity 110, and three reinforcing ribs 150 disposed on the lower surface of the cavity 110 are disposed corresponding to each other as shown in FIG. This is why the configuration of the above-described reinforcing ribs 140, 150 can further improve the structural strength of the cavity 110. However, the number and arrangement of the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified differently depending on the shape and size of the cavity 110.

The reinforcing plates 120 and 130 as described above are made of steel material according to the reinforcing ribs 140 and 150 of the present embodiment. Preferably, the reinforcing ribs 140 and 150 are made of stainless steel material which is strengthened by mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, and is used in plural. The bolts 145, 155 are fixedly coupled to the upper and lower surfaces of the cavity 110. Each of the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 has a flange formed at one end thereof, as shown in Fig. 7, for connecting the upper surface or the lower surface of the cavity 110 to promote bolting. With the above reinforcing plates 120, 130, the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 further strengthen the structural strength of the cavity 110 to prevent bending stress caused by the pressure difference between the single groups of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, so that Structural distortion of the cavity 110 is minimized.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of windows 119 formed of a transparent material are disposed on the left side surface and the right side surface of the cavity 110. Therefore, when observing the interior of the loading chamber 100, the process operator can monitor the progress of the loading chamber 100.

Referring to FIG. 7, according to the loading chamber 100 of the embodiment, a reinforcing strip 160 including a long rod shape is disposed on the upper surface of each of the upper wall 116 and the first and second partition walls 117 and 118. To further strengthen the strength of the cavity 110. That is, six reinforcing strips 160 extending in the length (Y-axis) direction are respectively disposed on the upper surfaces of the upper wall 116, the first and second partition walls 117, 118. The six reinforcing strips 160 are disposed at a predetermined interval toward the width (X-axis) of the cavity 110, as shown in FIG. 5 as the entry path of the robot arm 510. However, the number and configuration of the reinforcing ribs 160 are not limited to those described above, but may be modified differently depending on the shape and size of the cavity 110.

Like the reinforcing plates 120, 130 and the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 as described above, the reinforcing strip 160 according to the present embodiment is made of a steel material, preferably a stainless steel material that strengthens mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. The system is fixedly coupled to the cavity 110 by a plurality of bolts (not shown). The reinforcing strip 160, together with the reinforcing plates 120, 130 and the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 as described above, further strengthens the strength of the cavity 110 to prevent the pressure difference between the single set of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a. The bending stress is generated so that the structural deformation of the cavity 110 can be minimized.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 simultaneously, a support bar 165 having a long rod shape is coupled to the upper portion of each of the reinforcing ribs 160 and contacts and supports the lower surface of the substrate housed in the cavity 110. The support bar 165 according to the present embodiment is made of an aluminum material value, and is detachably coupled to the groove 160a formed on the upper surface of the reinforcing bar 160 in the longitudinal direction thereof by sliding means. Both ends of the support bar 165 are fixed to each reinforcing bar 160.

As shown in FIG. 7, the support bar 165 includes a plurality of universal balls 165a disposed at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction thereof and contacting and supporting the lower surface of the substrate housed in the cavity 110. The universal ball 165a is provided to prevent scratches from being generated on the substrate housed in the cavity 110.

In the loading chamber 100 according to the present embodiment, since the reinforcing plates 120, 130 are respectively coupled to the front and rear surfaces of the cavity 110, the prevention is prevented by being between the single-group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a. The strength of the cavity 110 of the bending stress generated by the pressure difference makes it possible to minimize the structural deformation of the cavity 110. Moreover, the reinforcing plates 120, 130 prevent the bending stress from being converted to the groove valve formed on the cavity 110 and used to open/close the cavity grooves 111b, 112b, 113b to prevent leakage due to structural deformation of the groove valve cover. .

Moreover, since the loading chamber 100 according to the present embodiment includes the reinforcing ribs 140, 150 and the reinforcing strip 160 joined to the cavity 110, the strength of the cavity 110 can be further strengthened to prevent bending stress.

Figure 9 is a plan view showing a first single set of chambers of a loading chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing Figure 9. Figure 11 is a partial perspective view of Figure 10. Figure 12 is an enlarged view showing a main portion of Figure 11. Figure 13 is a partially enlarged and exploded perspective view showing a portion of Figure 9; Figure 14 is a front elevational view of the alignment machine of Figure 13; Figure 15 is a rear elevational view of Figure 14. Figure 16 is a plan view showing the alignment machine of Figure 13. Fig. 17 is a view showing the operational state of Fig. 16.

A loading chamber (not shown) according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes an aligning unit for aligning a substrate, please refer to FIGS. 13-17 as well, and will be described in detail later.

As shown in Figures 13-17, the loading chamber includes a plurality of alignment machines 280 connected to a portion of the cavity 110, and contacts and squeezes a substrate input into a single set of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a as shown in Figure 7. A calibration substrate, and an alignment reference plate 265 are disposed adjacent each of the alignment machines 280 to interact with each of the alignment machines and to limit rotation of the alignment machine 280 of the calibration substrate.

The alignment machine 280 and the alignment reference plate 265 accurately perform a calibration operation on the substrate as compared to conventional techniques in a relatively simple configuration. In particular, compared with the prior art, productivity can be improved because the completed calibration work added by the inaccurate calibration work on the substrate is reduced.

The structure of the alignment machine 280 and the alignment reference plate 265 disposed in each of the single group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a is for reference. For convenience of explanation, only the structural state in which the alignment machine 280 and the alignment reference plate 265 are disposed in the first single group chamber 111a will be discussed in the following description.

Referring to FIG. 9, two alignment machines 280 are disposed in diagonal regions of the first single set of chambers 111a, and calibration operations are completed to input the substrates into the first single set of chambers 111a. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, each of the alignment machines 280 according to the present embodiment is made of a single member and detachably coupled to the region of the penetration portion H of the chamber frame 111 of FIG. That is, in the present embodiment, each of the alignment machines 280 made of a single member is coupled to the region of the penetration portion H of the chamber frame 111 such that a portion of the alignment machine 280 can face the first single group chamber. The interior of the chamber 111a, and another portion, may be exposed outside of the first single set of chambers 111a. When the alignment machine 280 is made of a member as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 and is connected to the region of the penetration portion H of the chamber frame 111, the alignment machine 280 can be easily installed, and maintenance and repair are easy. . However, the scope of the invention is not limited thereto.

Each of the alignment machines 280 includes a body portion 286, a shaft portion 281, a roller support portion 282 having one end rotatably coupled to the shaft portion 281, and a plurality of roller assemblies 283 coupled to the roller support portion 281 for relative rotation. A plurality of contact rollers 284 connected to each of the roller assemblies 283 and contacting the side surfaces of the substrate, and a rotational driving portion 285 connected to the body portion 286 and opposite to the shaft portion 281 to rotate the roller support portion 282.

The body portion 286 is coupled to the penetration portion H of FIG. 13 to be exposed from a cavity frame 211. The rotation driving portion 285 is coupled to the body portion 286. That is, a cylinder body 285a of the rotation driving portion 285 is provided in the body portion 286.

The shaft portion 281 rotatably supports the drum support portion 285. The height of the shaft portion 281 is designed to contact and support the side surface of the substrate input to the first single group chamber 111a by the contact roller 284. A coupling flange 281a is provided at the lower end of the shaft portion 281.

The roller support portion 282 supports the roller assembly 283 and the contact roller 284, and has one end portion that is coupled to the shaft portion 281 and that rotates toward the front and the rear with respect to the shaft portion 281 at a predetermined angle. The roller support portion 282 is manufactured to have a special thickness and a special curved shape as shown in the drawing in consideration of the configuration of the roller assembly 283. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the roller support portion 282 does not have to be formed to have the shape as described above.

The roller assembly 283 supports the contact roller 284 and is coupled to the roller support portion 282. In the present embodiment, the two roller units 283 are disposed on the drum support portion 282, and each of the roller assemblies 283 is disposed on the drum support portion 282 in a mutually intersecting direction. This configuration is based on a substrate having a generally rectangular shape.

In contrast to the prior art, when the roller assembly 283 is fixed to the roller support portion 282, in the present embodiment, the roller assembly 283 is disposed at the cymbal roller support portion 282 so as to be freely rotatable within a predetermined angular range. Therefore, the influence of the calibration work on the substrate can be greatly improved as compared with the prior art. The roller assembly 283 may be made of an engineering plastic different from the roller support portion 282, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

The contact roller 284 is substantially in contact with the substrate, and a pair of contact rollers 284 are coupled to each roller assembly 283. Although the contact roller 284 can be coupled to the roller assembly 283 by one or three or more components, preferably, the attachment of the two contact rollers 284 is more efficient.

The contact roller 284 is disposed to be freely rotatable relative to the roller assembly 283 at a predetermined angle toward the front and rear directions. Since the roller support portion 282 can be rotated in the front direction and the rearward direction with respect to the shaft portion 281, the roller assembly 283 can be relatively rotated with respect to the roller support portion 282, and the contact roller 284 can be relatively rotated with respect to the roller assembly 283 while being opposed With conventional techniques, the efficiency in calibration work can be significantly improved. The following description is for reference. Preferably, the contact roller 284 can be made of a plastic material, such as rubber or a coffin, without damaging the material of the substrate.

The rotation driving portion 285 is coupled to the body portion 286 and rotates the roller supporting portion 282 with respect to the shaft portion 281. The rotary driving portion 285 can be made into a variety of different shapes. In the present embodiment, the rotary driving portion 285 is a cylinder, which can be a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or a hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder.

The cylinder 285 includes a cylinder body 285a disposed in a surface direction of the partition wall 117 along a region of the chamber frame 111, and a cylinder rod 285b that is extendable or contractible with respect to the cylinder body 285a, and has a rotatably coupled to One end portion of a protruding portion 282a formed at a lower surface portion of the roller supporting portion 282 is formed.

Therefore, when the cylinder rod 285b extends relative to the cylinder main body 285a, the aligning machine 280 can be rotated toward a forward direction R1 as shown in FIG. When the cylinder rod 285b is contracted relative to the cylinder body 285a, the alignment machine 280 can be rotated in a rearward direction R2 as shown in FIG. Although the roller support portion 282 in this embodiment is made of a stainless steel material, the present invention is not limited thereto.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since each roller assembly 283 is coupled to the roller support portion 282 of the two contact rollers 284 by a member, it is coupled to the roller support portion 282 to be relatively rotatable, and for precise alignment of the substrate, the rotation is performed. There must be a limit and the alignment reference plate 265 is disposed therein. That is, when the roller assembly 283 is rotated to an angle, the contact roller 284 can contact the alignment reference plate 265 so that the rotation of the roller assembly 283 can be restricted.

When the alignment reference plate 265 restricts the rotation of the contact roller 284, a final position at which the substrate is automatically moved by the contact roller 284 has been determined so that the alignment reference plate 265 can be used for alignment reference by a substrate. The alignment reference plate 265 of the present embodiment is roughly L-shaped.

The alignment reference plate 265 is coupled to a strength reinforcing unit 260 which will be described in detail later. In detail, the alignment reference plate 265 is coupled to a reinforcing bar 261 of the strength reinforcing unit 260, in particular, to a first upper surface 261a of the one end region of the reinforcing bar 261.

Referring back to FIGS. 9-12, the loading chamber (not shown) of the present embodiment includes a plurality of strength reinforcing units 260 detachably coupled to the lower surface of each of the partition walls 117, 118 shown in FIG. The partition walls 117, 118 are prevented from being bent, and the partition walls 117, 118 are reinforced, and a plurality of contact support strips 270 are detachably coupled to the strength reinforcing unit 260 to contact and support the substrate.

The following description is for reference. In the present embodiment, the term "bending" is used to mean that all of the partition walls 117, 118 as shown in Fig. 2 are bent upward and downward, and that portions of the partition walls 117, 118 are twisted or deformed.

The strength reinforcing unit 260 and the contact support bar 270 may allow the robot arm 510 as shown in FIG. 5 to enter and exit, and at the same time strengthen the strength of the partition walls 117, 118. In particular, the manufacturing cost can be reduced due to the ease of manufacturing the loading chamber. Furthermore, the loading chamber has a simple structure and is easy to maintain and maintain, so that the productivity for processing the substrate can be improved.

Although the strength reinforcing unit 260 and the contact support bar 270 are disposed on the partition walls 117, 118, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, only the partition wall 117 formed on the bottom surface of the first single group chamber 111a will be discussed.

As shown in FIGS. 9-12, each strength reinforcing unit 260 includes a reinforcing bar 261 having a long rod shape, and a body and an empty plate 263 disposed between the reinforcing bar 261 and the partition wall 117 are formed.

The reinforcing strip 261 has a volume that is relatively larger than the empty plate 263 and the contact support strip 270, and substantially prevents the partition wall 117 from being bent. The cross-sectional structure of the reinforcing strip 261 is substantially stepped. Therefore, the upper surface of the reinforcing strip 261 has a first upper surface 261a formed with a higher order, and a second upper surface 261b formed parallel to the first upper surface 261a and lower than the first upper surface 261a. The reinforcing strip 261 can be made of aluminum or steel.

The empty plate 263 is disposed between the reinforcing bar 261 and the partition wall 117, and may be formed of a material different from the reinforcing bar 261 such as Teflon. When the empty plate 263 is formed of a Teflon material, particles are generated by the friction between the reinforcing bar 261 and the partition wall 117.

The reinforcing strip 261 and the empty plate 263 may be coupled to the lower surface of the partition wall 117 by bolt bonding. In any case, since the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, in addition to the bolt bonding method, for example, a forced insertion method can also be applied.

Since the empty plate 263 is disposed between the reinforcing bar 261 and the partition wall 117, the empty plate 263 may have a complete panel structure which is substantially equal or smaller than the bottom surface of the reinforcing bar 261. However, in the present invention, the empty plate 263 is composed of a plurality of veneers 263a which are cut toward the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing bar 261. In this example, a plurality of veneer insertion grooves 262 into which the upper surface of the partial veneer 263a is inserted may be formed on the upper surface of the reinforcing bar 261. However, since the present invention is not limited thereto, the insertion of the single-plate into the groove 262 does not necessarily need to be formed on the lower surface of the reinforcing bar 261. However, when the veneer insertion groove 262 is formed on the lower surface of the reinforcing bar 261, since the relative bonding position between the reinforcing bar 261 and the veneer 263a can be set, the operation can be performed relatively easily.

When each of the strength reinforcing units 260 includes the reinforcing bars 261 and the empty plates 263 and is attached to the lower surface of the partition wall 117 at the same interval, the manufacture of the loading chamber becomes easy, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. And the robot arm 510 can be allowed to perform an input and take-out operation. Although the robot arm 510 is not drawn in detail, since the robot arm 510 generally used for processing the substrate is bifurcated, the robot arm 510 can be input or taken out in the space between the strength reinforcing units 260 so as to be reinforced by the strength unit. 260 naturally allows the input and removal operations of the robot arm 510.

The contact support strips 270 can be detachably coupled to the strength-reinforcing unit 260 (the present invention is six units). The contact support strip 270 may be formed of an aluminum material. A plurality of universal balls 271 that substantially support the substrate are disposed on the surface of each of the contact support bars 270. The universal balls 271 are disposed on the contact support bar 270 at the same interval toward the longitudinal direction of the contact support bar 270. When the substrate is supported on the universal ball 271, the contact area with the substrate can be lowered to reduce the scratches generated on the substrate.

In the mounting position of the contact support strip 270 of the present invention, the contact support strip 270 is coupled to the second upper surface 261b of the reinforcing strip 261. As described above, the second upper surface 261b of the reinforcing strip 261 is formed at a position lower than the first upper surface 261a. However, when the contact support bar 270 is coupled to the second upper surface 261b of the reinforcing bar 261, the universal ball 271 contacting the support bar 270 may be positioned higher than the first upper surface 261a.

As repeatedly stated, since the contact support strip 270 substantially supports the substrate, the contact support strip 270 typically rubs against the substrate. Therefore, the universal ball 271 coupled to the contact support bar 270 needs to be easily replaced. However, it is very inconvenient for a worker to directly enter the single-chamber chambers 111a, 112a, 113a to replace the universal ball 271. Therefore, when the contact support bar 270 is coupled to the strength reinforcing unit 260 which can be easily detached, maintenance and repair of the contact support bar 270 can be easily performed.

The detachable structure of the reinforcing strip 261 contacting the support strip 270 to the strength reinforcing unit 260 can be varied from one to the other. In the present invention, a detachable sliding coupling member 273 is provided so that the contact support bar 270 can be detachably slidably coupled to the reinforcing bar 261.

The detachable sliding coupling member 273 includes a sliding groove portion 273a formed at both ends of the contact supporting bar 270 along the longitudinal direction of the contact supporting bar 270, and vertically protrudes from the second upper surface 261b of the reinforcing bar 261 at the end thereof. A pair of sliding projections 273b are provided so that the sliding projections 273b are slidably inserted into the sliding groove portions 273a. Moreover, the detachable sliding member 273 further includes a stopper 273c having a larger radius than the sliding projection 273b, which is coupled to the top end of each of the sliding projections 273b to avoid vertical movement of the contact support bar 270.

In the above structure, when the maintenance and repair work of the contact support bar 270 or the replacement work of the universal ball is to be completed, first, the stopper 273c must be removed so that the contact support bar 270 can be easily removed from the strength reinforcing unit 260. The reinforcing strip 261 is separated. When the contact support strip 270 is detached from the reinforcing strip 261, the work can be easily performed outside the single set of chambers 111a, 112a, 113a.

When the maintenance and repair work is completed, the sliding groove portion 273a of the contact support bar 270 is slidably coupled to the sliding projection portion 273b, and then the stopper 273c is coupled to the sliding projection portion 273b. In this state, since the upward movement of the contact support bar 270 is restricted, the contact support bar 270 can be easily coupled to the reinforcing bar 261 of the strength reinforcing unit 260.

According to the concept of the present invention, since the strength of the partition walls 117, 118 can be enhanced while allowing the robot arm 510 to enter and exit the single group chambers 111a, 112a, 113a, the manufacture of the load chamber is very easy, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the structure of the loading chamber is simple, maintenance and repair work is simplified to improve the productivity of the substrate processing.

Referring to FIGS. 18-20, a loading chamber 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a cavity 310 having a plurality of content spaces 310s for receiving a plurality of boards therein, and a coupling member 340. The cavity 310 includes an upper wall 315, a lower wall 316, a plurality of partition walls 320 disposed between the upper wall 315 and the lower wall 316 and parallel to the upper wall 315 and the lower wall 316, and vertically disposed on the wall walls. A side wall 330 between. The coupling member 340 connects the partition wall 320 and the side wall 330.

For convenience of explanation, in the following description, a first partition wall 320a represents one of the partition walls 320 disposed at the upper portion, and a second partition wall 320b represents another partition wall 320 disposed at the lower portion. The side wall 330 includes a plurality of single side walls 330a disposed between the upper wall 315 and the first partition wall 320a, between the first partition wall 320a and the second partition wall 320b, and between the lower wall 316 and the second partition wall 320b. .

The cavity 310 includes an inlet portion 311 for inputting an external substrate into the content space 310s so that the substrate can be input into the content space 310s, or for taking the substrate out of the content space 310s to be as shown in FIG. The transfer chamber 500 and an outlet portion (not shown) are used to take the substrate out of the content space 310s to the transfer chamber 500. Moreover, the cavity 310 further includes a pressure control unit (not shown) and a temperature control unit (not shown) to roughly control the pressure and temperature of the content space 310s. In particular, the pressure control unit selectively controls the pressure of the content space 310s to be substantially the same as the external atmospheric pressure, or is controlled to be substantially the same vacuum state as the process chamber 400 shown in FIG. 5 so as to be maintained. The reliability of the substrate.

In the structure of the cavity 310 of the present embodiment, first, a pair of single set side walls 330a are vertically joined to both sides of the lower wall 316, and the second partition wall 320b is superposed on the top end of the single set of side walls 330a. The other pair of single side walls 330a are vertically joined to both sides of the second partition wall 320b, and the first partition walls 320a are stacked on the top end of the single set of side walls 330a. Although the content space 310s of the cavity 310 is three in the embodiment, the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, and if necessary, two or four or more content spaces 310s may also be disposed in the system. Cavity 310.

The upper wall 315 and the single side wall 330a disposed vertically may be connected by a screw (not shown). Moreover, the lower wall 316 vertically disposed thereon and the single set of side walls 330a may be coupled by a screw (not shown).

The partition wall 320 and the single set of side walls 330a disposed therewith are joined by the joint member 340 (i.e., screw) of the present embodiment, which is screwed to the horizontal plane of the partition wall 320 and then screwed to the single set side wall 330a. The above-described bonded structure is quite different from the combined structure of the loading chamber 20 according to the prior art as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, according to the prior art, a bracket coupling member 27 having a length direction is coupled to the outer wall of the cavity 21 and exposed to be coupled to the corresponding wall wall. However, this bonded structure has a problem in that a large amount of particles are generated at the joint portion. In other words, when the partition wall 25 and the side wall 26 are repeatedly bent, between the partition wall 25 of the cavity 21 and the side wall 26, or between the bracket 21 of the cavity 21, the partition wall 25 and the side wall 26, Friction is generated by the pressure difference between the space 21s of the cavity 21. As a result, particles are generated so as to adversely affect the process.

However, according to the present embodiment, since the screw 340 joins the partition wall 320 and the single set of side walls 330a of the side wall 330, in the side wall 330, the partition wall 25 and the cavity 21 shown in FIG. 3 in the prior art are remarkably reduced. The contact between the side walls 26 is the friction generated by the contact between the bracket coupling member 27, the partition wall 26 and the side wall 26 of the cavity 21 to reduce the generation of particles.

In detail, a plurality of insertion spaces 321s for inserting and removing the screws 340 are a single set of side walls 330a disposed above the partition wall 320 to join the single set of side walls 330a disposed under the partition wall 320 and the lower side thereof using the screws 340. . Each of the insertion spaces 321s forms a recessed portion inwardly of the outer surface of the single set of side walls 330a toward the content space 310s, and can be processed to form a corner portion in each of the single set of side walls 330a.

As shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 20, the coupling member 340 (i.e., the screw 340) according to the present embodiment includes a head portion 341 which is positioned at an upper portion of the partition wall 320 when joined, and is coupled to the lower portion of the partition wall 320 and the upper portion of the single set side wall 330a. A handle to avoid protruding outwardly from the upper portion of the screw 340 after penetrating the partition wall 320, and connected to the single set of side walls 330a and firmly joining all of the wall walls. A receiving groove 323 for receiving the head 341 of the screw 340 is disposed at an upper portion of the partition wall 320 to prevent the head portion 341 from being exposed to the upper surface of the partition wall 320. Such a shape can reduce the generation of particles by reducing the friction generated between the respective structural elements, or even reducing the friction that may occur when the partition wall 320 is bent between the partition walls.

In detail, since the coupling member 340 penetrates the edge portion of the partition wall 320, it generates a minimum deformation such as bending at the partition wall 320, and then is joined to the single set of side walls 330a, even when the partition wall 320 or the side wall 330 By bending at a pressure difference between the space 310s of the cavity 310, it is possible to avoid generation of the smallest particles at the joint between the joint member 340 and the partition wall 320.

As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a window 332 for monitoring the internal accommodating space 310s is disposed in each single set of side walls 330a. A coupling hole 334 to which the coupling member 340 is coupled is disposed on a lower surface of the single set of side walls 330a on which the window 332 is mounted. When the coupling member 340 that has passed through the coupling hole 334 passes through a portion of the side wall 330a and the partition wall 320 and is then joined to the single set of side walls 330a disposed under the partition wall 320, not only a single group disposed below the partition wall 320 The side wall 330a and the single set of side walls 330a and the partition wall 320 disposed above the partition wall 320 are connected to each other.

Since the window 332 is coupled to an opening of the single set of side walls 330a, the connectable joints 340 are inserted inwardly from the outer surface of the single set of side walls 330a by a predetermined distance and are coupled to the single set of side walls 330a and adjacent the partition walls 320. . Moreover, since the bonding system connects the joint portion 340 to the partition wall 320 to produce an edge portion which is least curved, the generation of particles can be reduced for the reasons described above.

a particle leakage preventing portion 350 for preventing particles from being generated by a pressure difference between the content space 310s and an O-ring (not shown), and the O-rings (not shown) are attached to the respective wall walls. To prevent intrusion of outside air, the particle leakage preventing portion 350 is further disposed at a joint portion between the partition wall 320 and the single set side wall 330a, a joint portion between the upper wall 315 and the single set side wall 330a, and the lower portion. A junction between wall 316 and a single set of side walls 330a.

The particle leakage preventing portion 350 has a strip shape as shown in Figs. 19 and 20 along the peripheral direction of the joint portion. As described above, since the bonding member 340 is joined to a portion which relatively produces less bending, the generation of particles can be reduced as compared with the prior art. In the present embodiment, since the particle leakage preventing portion 350 is further provided, even when particles are generated, the particles can be prevented from escaping to the outside to further improve the process efficiency.

The particle leakage preventing portion 350 is not made of a Teflon material or an insulating material such as a polycarbonate resin. In particular, the Teflon system is chemically inert and heat resistant, and exhibits excellent insulation stability so as to be suitable for use in the particle leakage preventing portion 350. The particle leakage preventing portion 350 can be bonded or screwed to the above-mentioned bonding portion.

The O-ring system prevents external air from intruding into a small space created between the upper wall 315 and the single set of side walls 330a, between the partition wall 320 and the single set of side walls 330a, and between the lower wall 316 and the single set of side walls 330a. The O-ring system can be disposed along the circumference of the contact surface between the respective wall walls.

The partition wall 320 of the present embodiment includes a projection 325 that protrudes toward each of the content spaces 310s to maintain a predetermined strength. The protrusion 325 can minimize the curvature of the partition wall 320 even when a load is placed in a direction of a pressure difference between the content spaces 310s positioned above and below the partition wall 320. Moreover, the curvature of the outer region of the partition wall 320 to which the joint member 340 is attached can be further reduced due to the structure of the partition wall 320, so that the generation of particles can be surely reduced.

The length of the protrusion 325 is approximately smaller than the width of the content space 310s. That is, as shown in Fig. 20, a separation gap G is formed between the side surface of the protruding portion 325 and the inner side surface of the single set side wall 330a. Therefore, a distributed load relative to atmospheric pressure is actuated toward the partition wall 320 from the content space 310s positioned above the partition wall 320. When the partition wall 320 is bent downward by the distributed load, the separation gap G between the side surface of the protruding portion 325 and the inner side surface of the single set of side walls 330a can avoid the side surface of the protruding portion 325 and the single set of side walls 330a. The inner sides are in contact with each other to prevent the generation of particles.

In the operation of the loading chamber for the chemical vapor deposition apparatus as described above, when a substrate is externally input to the upper space 310s of the cavity 310, and a predetermined process is maintained substantially simultaneously in the process chamber 400. The space 310s in the middle of the cavity 310 is maintained in a vacuum state substantially the same as the process chamber 400 because the upper content space 310s is maintained, and the intermediate content space 310s maintains the same atmospheric pressure as the external environment. Therefore, a distributed load is generated from the intermediate content space 310s to the upper content space 310s. Thus, the partition wall 320 is slightly bent in one direction. When the above process is repeated, the partition wall 320 may be bent upward or downward so that the curved or partition wall 320 may affect not only the single set of side walls 330a but also the joints 340 that are connected to the partition wall 320 and the single set of side walls 330a. .

As a result, in the loading chamber 20 shown in Fig. 3, the particles are generated by the bending of the respective wall walls of a joint portion between the cavity 21 and the bracket coupling member 27 coupled to the outer wall of the cavity 21, so that the particles are cleaned. The room was contaminated. However, the joint member 340 of the present embodiment is exposed to the outer wall of the cavity 310 and exposed to the outside, but penetrates the outer region of the least curved partition wall 320, and then joined to the adjacent single set of side walls 330a. Significantly reduce the number of particles produced.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, the strip-shaped particle leakage preventing portion 350 is provided at a joint portion between the partition wall 320 and the single-group side wall 330a, a joint portion between the upper wall 315 and the single-group side wall 330a, and the lower portion. The junction between the wall 316 and the single set of side walls 330a prevents particles from leaking to the outside. Therefore, errors in the process can be reduced.

According to the present embodiment, since the wall walls each forming the cavity 310 are firmly coupled, and the bending of the respective wall walls is caused by the pressure difference between the content spaces 310s, the load chamber is hardly affected, and the load chamber is remarkably lowered. The amount of particles produced at the junction of the respective walls allows the environment of the workspace to remain clean.

In the embodiment described above, although the partition wall is integrally disposed between the single set of side walls to divide the cavity into a plurality of content spaces, the partition walls may be separately manufactured as an upper wall and vertically stacked. The lower wall is maintained in a bonded state on the respective side walls of the individual groups.

As described above, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, by providing a reinforcing plate attached to each opposite side of the cavity, the strength of the cavity is enhanced to minimize deformation of the cavity to prevent separation between the single set of chambers. The bending stress generated by the differential pressure, or by limiting the bending stress to avoid the leakage of the structural deformation of the groove valve cover formed in the cavity for opening/closing the groove, the bending pressure can be converted to the groove valve .

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the strength of the cavity partition can be enhanced when the robotic arm is allowed to enter or exit the chamber. In particular, the load chamber can be easily manufactured in order to reduce the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, since the structure of the loading chamber is simple, it can be easily maintained and repaired in order to improve the productivity of the substrate processing.

According to the concept of the present invention, not only the respective wall walls forming the cavity are firmly connected, but also a portion between each wall or each wall and a wall for combining them. The particles generated by the joint between the combined structures of the walls are significantly reduced, even when the bending caused by the pressure difference between the content spaces is reduced, thereby improving the process efficiency.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto. That is, the equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention. I would like to ask your review committee to give a clear understanding and pray for it.

10. . . Multiple loading room

10a. . . Cavity

11. . . First chamber frame

11a. . . First single group chamber

12. . . Second cavity frame

12a. . . Second single chamber

13. . . Third cavity frame

13a. . . Third single chamber

15. . . Upper wall

16. . . Lower wall

17. . . First partition

18. . . Second partition

20. . . Loading room

twenty one. . . Cavity

21s. . . Content space

twenty two. . . Upper wall

twenty four. . . Lower wall

25. . . partition

26. . . Side wall

27. . . Bracket joint

27a. . . First joint

27b. . . Second joint

100. . . Loading room

110. . . Cavity

111. . . First chamber frame

111a. . . Single group chamber

111b. . . Cavity

111c. . . Cavity

112. . . Second cavity frame

112a. . . Single group chamber

112b. . . Cavity

112c. . . Cavity

113. . . Third cavity frame

113a. . . Single group chamber

113b. . . Cavity

113c. . . Cavity

115. . . Upper wall

116. . . Lower wall

117. . . First partition

118. . . Second partition

119. . . Window

120. . . Reinforcing plate

121. . . Opening

122. . . Opening

123. . . Opening

125. . . bolt

130. . . Reinforcing plate

131. . . Opening

132. . . Opening

133. . . Opening

135. . . bolt

140. . . Reinforcing rib

145. . . bolt

150. . . Reinforcing rib

155. . . bolt

165. . . Support bar

165a. . . Universal ball

211. . . Cavity rack

260. . . Strength reinforcing unit

261a. . . First upper surface

261b. . . Second upper surface

262. . . Board insertion slot

263. . . Empty board

263a. . . veneer

265. . . Alignment reference board

270. . . Contact support strip

271. . . Universal ball

273. . . Sliding joint

273a. . . Sliding groove

273b. . . Sliding projection

273c. . . Stoppers

280. . . Aligning machine

281. . . Shaft

281a. . . Connecting flange

282. . . Roller support

283. . . Roller assembly

284. . . Contact roller

285. . . Rotary drive

285a. . . Cylinder body

285b. . . Cylinder rod

286. . . Body part

300. . . Loading room

310. . . Cavity

310s. . . Content space

311. . . Entrance

315. . . Upper wall

316. . . Lower wall

320. . . partition

320a. . . First partition

320b. . . Second partition

325. . . Projection

330. . . Side wall

330a. . . Single set of side walls

332. . . Window

334. . . Bonding hole

340. . . Joint piece (screw)

350. . . Particle leakage prevention

400. . . Process chamber

500. . . Transmission chamber

510. . . Mechanical arm

G. . . Separation gap

H. . . Penetration

R1. . . Forward direction

R2. . . Backward direction

The objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from

1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing a conventional multi-loading chamber;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional multi-loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a portion of the conventional loading chamber of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus using a loading chamber in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the loading chamber of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the loading chamber of Figure 6 taken along line A-A;

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the loading chamber of Figure 6 taken along line B-B;

Figure 9 is a plan view showing a first single set of chambers of a loading chamber in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a partial perspective view of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is an enlarged view showing a main portion of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a partial cross-sectional enlarged and exploded perspective view of Figure 9;

Figure 14 is a front elevational view of the alignment machine of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a rear elevational view of Figure 14;

Figure 16 is a plan view showing the alignment machine of Figure 13;

Figure 17 is a view showing the operational state of Figure 16;

Figure 18 is a perspective view showing a loading chamber in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 19 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing Figure 18;

Figure 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of Figure 18 to explain the state of engagement of the side wall with respect to the partition wall.

100. . . Loading room

110. . . Cavity

111. . . First chamber frame

111b. . . Cavity

112. . . Second cavity frame

112b. . . Cavity

113. . . Third cavity frame

113b. . . Cavity

115. . . Upper wall

116. . . Lower wall

117. . . First partition

118. . . Second partition

119. . . Window

120. . . Reinforcing plate

121. . . Opening

122. . . Opening

123. . . Opening

130. . . Reinforcing plate

140. . . Reinforcing rib

Claims (14)

A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising: a chamber body having a plurality of unit chambers for housing a substrate therein, and a plurality of chamber slots Forming on one side surface to the other side surface corresponding to the single group chamber; the cavity further comprising: an upper wall formed on an upper surface of the cavity; and a surface formed on the surface of the cavity a lower wall; at least one partition wall for partitioning the cavity to include the plurality of single-compartment chambers; and at least one extending toward a length of the cavity, and disposed at the partition wall And a reinforcing bar on the lower wall for reinforcing the strength of the cavity; and at least one reinforcing plate combined with at least one side surface or the other side surface of the cavity in which the cavity is formed At least one reinforcing rib extends toward the width of the cavity to strengthen a strength of the cavity to avoid bending stress due to a pressure difference between the single sets of chambers. The loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing plate is a pair of reinforcing plates respectively coupled to one side surface of the cavity and another One side surface, and an upper end, a lower end, a left end and a right end respectively protrude from an upper surface, a lower surface, a left surface and a right surface of the cavity. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of openings corresponding to the chambers are formed in the at least one reinforcing plate. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing plate is made of a steel material and joined to the cavity by a plurality of bolts. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing rib has a plurality of reinforcing ribs and is disposed at a predetermined interval from a length direction of the cavity. (interval). A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed on an upper surface of the cavity and the lower surface of the cavity are provided The plurality of reinforcing ribs are disposed perpendicular to each other. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib has a flange formed to contact an upper surface or a lower surface of the cavity One side of the end. A load chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing ribs are made of a steel material and joined to the cavity by a plurality of bolts. The loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cavity further comprises: an upper wall formed on an upper surface of the cavity; and a cavity formed in the cavity a lower wall of the lower surface of the body; at least one partition wall for partitioning the cavity to include the plurality of single set of chambers; At least one reinforcement bar extending toward the length of the cavity and disposed on the partition wall and the lower wall to strengthen the strength of the cavity. The loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one reinforcing strip is a plurality of reinforcing strips and is disposed at a predetermined interval in a longitudinal direction of the cavity. . The loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the reinforcing strip is disposed on an upper surface of the partition wall and an upper surface of the lower wall, and a support The strip contacts and supports a lower surface of a substrate that is received in the cavity and is connected to an upper portion of the reinforcing strip. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the support bar includes a plurality of balls disposed at a predetermined interval in a length direction of the support bar, And contacting and supporting the lower surface of the substrate to avoid scratching the substrate. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one window is disposed on the left surface and the right surface of the cavity for monitoring ( Monitor) the interior of the cavity. A loading chamber for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the loading chamber is used to manufacture a flat panel display.