TWI548110B - Substrate automatic conveying system - Google Patents

Description

Substrate automatic transmission system

The present invention is generally associated with an automated substrate transfer system, and more particularly, a transfer system for carrying a heterojunction substrate that would require flipping for different processing.

Photovoltaic batteries or solar cells are devices that convert sunlight into DC power. A typical solar cell includes a p-type germanium substrate having a thickness of less than about 0.3 mm and an n-type thin layer disposed on the top surface of the p-type germanium substrate. The voltage or current generated by the solar cell depends on its internal p-n junction, the interface characteristics of the deposited layer structure, and the surface area of the device. When exposed to sunlight, the p-n junction creates a free electron/hole pair, and the electric field in the p-n junction depletion region separates the electron holes, creating a voltage. The current generated by the solar cell can be delivered to a power load unit to provide power. Each solar cell can generate a certain amount of power, and multiple solar cells can be modularized to provide the required system power.

It is estimated that more than 90% of PV modules are based on silicon wafers. The high market growth rate and the substantial need to reduce the cost of solar power generation are the fabrication and development of tantalum substrates for photovoltaic cells. A series of challenges have come. In order to overcome these challenges, solar cells generally have the following process requirements: reduce the manufacturing cost of the substrate, increase the system throughput, increase the running time of the process machine, and improve the substrate area that can be processed in each process cycle. The quality of the resulting laminate structure is controlled. In particular, in the case of a newly developed heterojunction-based solar cell with high conversion efficiency, it is necessary to form different layer structures on the front and back sides of the substrate in the process, so two or more devices are used. Depositing the machine and adding a lot of processes, how can we be different The above-mentioned process requirements are met in the fabrication of the tantalum-based solar cells, which are subject to constant research, development, and improvement by those skilled in the art.

In view of the above needs, the present invention therefore proposes a novel automatic substrate transfer system that achieves the invention of simultaneous and large-scale processing of heterojunction substrates by using a transfer device that connects two different process machines. It is compatible with the different substrate size requirements and arrangement between the machine and the machine, and through the special turning machine and loading machine to turn the substrate and preheat the substrate.

The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic substrate transfer system, comprising: a crystal cassette loading machine; a conveyor tool comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor, wherein the front end of the first conveyor and the crystal cassette The machine tool is coupled to and can transport the substrate carrier from the crystal cassette loading device, and the substrate carrier is used to carry a plurality of substrates; a first loading device is interposed in the first conveyor and a first process a substrate carrier for loading or unloading from the first conveyor or the first processing machine; a turning tool coupled to the rear end of the first conveyor for turning over a first process substrate is placed on another substrate carrier on the second conveyor; a second loading tool is interposed between the second conveyor and a second process machine executing the second process, a substrate carrier for loading or unloading from the second conveyor or the second processing machine, wherein the first loading device and the second loading device are provided with a preheating device for heating and accommodating the substrate carrier and Base ; Crystal cell and a load-out equipment, connected to the rear end of the implement and the second conveyor for unloading a substrate carrier after the first process and the second process and which contained a substrate feeding.

The objectives and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the written description of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧ (automatic substrate transfer) system

101‧‧‧Crystal loading equipment

101A‧‧‧Limited institutions

103‧‧‧Conveyor

103A‧‧‧First conveyor

103B‧‧‧Second conveyor

105‧‧‧Substrate carrier

107‧‧‧Preheating site

109‧‧‧First loading equipment

109a‧‧‧Preheating device

111‧‧‧Cooling site

113‧‧‧Flip machine

114‧‧‧Second loading equipment

114a‧‧‧Preheating device

115‧‧‧Crystal Carrying Machine

117‧‧‧Carriage recovery unit

119‧‧‧Carriage cleaning device

200‧‧‧Crystal storage system

211‧‧‧ Robotic arm

213‧‧‧Support arm

213A‧‧‧Support features

216‧‧‧Substrate conveying mechanism

300‧‧‧First Process Machine

400‧‧‧Second process machine

500‧‧‧Crystal Station

1091‧‧‧ cavity

1093, 1095, 1097‧‧‧ sub-cavity

1093a, 1093b, 1095a, 1095b, 1097a, 1097b‧‧‧

1093c, 1095c, 1097c‧‧‧ valves

1099‧‧‧ thimble

C‧‧‧Crystal Box

P1‧‧‧First Process

P2‧‧‧Second process

S‧‧‧Substrate

This manual contains the drawings and constitutes a part of this manual in the text. The embodiment is further understood. The drawings depict some embodiments of the invention and, together with the description herein. In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an automatic substrate transfer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a view showing a substrate carrier (tray) according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of a whole batch of substrates in a crystal cassette using a mechanical arm; FIG. 4 schematically depicts another use of a mechanical arm clip. A plan view of an embodiment of the entire substrate is taken; and FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a load lock in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that all the illustrations in the specification are in the nature of the illustrations. For the sake of clarity and convenience of illustration, the components in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced in size and proportion. Generally, in the figure The same reference symbols will be used to identify corresponding or similar component features in the modified or different embodiments.

In the detailed description that follows, the component symbols are marked as part of the accompanying drawings and are described in the manner in which the particular embodiments of the embodiments can be practiced. Such embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice. The reader is aware that other embodiments may be utilized and structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the embodiments. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be considered as a limitation, and the embodiments included herein are defined by the scope of the accompanying claims. In addition, those skilled in the art may use different names to refer to the same or similar components, such as substrates and wafers, carriers or carrier plates, etc., such differences in the terms do not affect or limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the patent application requested.

The present invention generally provides an automatic substrate transfer system that can be integrated with various on-line process machines for carrying substrates to be processed, particularly for use in deposition coating processes for carrying and handling heterojunctions (heterojunctions). ) Solar cell 矽 substrate. The above substrate automatic transfer system contains one or more units or functional implements for batch processing of the substrate. In the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of substrates are arranged in a planar array, so that the surface of each substrate can be directly and uniformly exposed to various process environments, such as generated plasma, radiant heat, process gas, etc. The secondary processing method does not depend on the general vertical stacking or back-to-back batch processing, and depends on the diffusion process or the energy is sequentially transmitted to the respective substrates.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , a schematic diagram of an automatic substrate transfer system 100 is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the substrate automatic transfer system 100 includes a cassette loading device 101 which is disposed at the forefront of the entire transmission system and is responsible for preparing the in-process article to be loaded into the system. Such as a batch of heterojunction solar cell substrates. In one embodiment, the cassette loading tool 101 is coupled to an external cassette station or cassette storage system 200, and the user or automated system can manually or issue commands from the cassette station 200. The in-process substrate to be processed is proposed, for example, in a plurality of solar cell substrates placed in a cassette C and sent out in batches. The cassette C can be fed to the cassette loading tool 101 via a manual, workbench or track to prepare the loading of the substrate. The cassette loading tool 101 can accommodate a plurality of cassettes C at a time and load them into the system 100 in sequence (only one is shown as a representative) to avoid process interruption or system idle.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the cassette loading tool 101 is coupled to a conveyor 103 for loading into the article. The conveyor rig 103 can be a conveyor belt or conveyor that can contain components such as tracks or rollers that are driven by the actuator to move objects thereon. Since the embodiment uses a heterojunction solar cell process as an example, the substrate is processed by two or more different processing machines in a process cycle, for example, an intrinsic amorphous germanium deposition process is performed on a first machine. In addition, a doping amorphous germanium deposition process is performed by a second machine, so that the conveyor tool 103 is divided into a first conveyor 103A at the first process end and a first process at the second process end. Two conveyors 103B to distinguish between two process intervals.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the prepared substrate in the cassette loading tool 101 is first placed by the robot arm on a specific substrate carrier 105 on the first conveyor 103A. The substrate carrier 105 may be a tray for performing a first process, and the substrates S sandwiched from the cassette loading device 101 are arranged in a planar array on the substrate carrier 105, as shown in FIG. The 5 x 6 array form is shown. In such a manner, the conveyor tool 103 can transfer a large number of substrates S (such as 30 sheets) to the processing machine or station at a time in batch mode, and each substrate S can be directly and uniformly exposed during the process. In various process environments, such as plasma, radiant heat, process gases, etc. generated in the process chamber. In one of the arrangements of the present invention, the substrate carrier 105 may be provided with a plurality of limiting mechanisms 101A, such as pockets or thimbles, etc., and the shape thereof is designed to correspond to the size of the substrate S, such as 158 mm×158 mm. To support or fix the substrate S. Further, in the present invention, the substrate carrier 105 has good thermal conductivity to allow thermal energy to be evenly distributed throughout the carrier range in a subsequent customized preheating process.

In other implementations, the substrate carrier 105 can also be designed to be stacked directly in the crystal cassette C or in the cassette loading tool 101, so that only the robot arm will be loaded in the loading program. The substrate carrier 105 having the substrate S can be placed on the first conveyor 103A from the cassette loading tool 101, and it is not necessary to perform operations such as pinch, set, and arrangement of the respective substrates S.

Next, Figures 3 and 4 will illustrate an example to illustrate the implementation details of the above-described gripping action. Referring first to Figure 3, a schematic plan view of a batch of substrates in a wafer cassette using a robotic arm is schematically depicted. As shown in Fig. 3, the robot arm 211 includes a plurality of support arms 213 having support features 213A for grasping the substrate S to be transferred. Each support feature 213A may contain a gripping member (not shown), such as a machined groove or slot or the like, designed to secure the substrate S from sliding away from the predetermined position during movement.

Fig. 4 schematically depicts another plan view of an embodiment in which a whole batch of substrates S is formed using a robotic arm. As shown in FIG. 4, the robot arm 212 has a plurality of substrate transport mechanisms 216 designed to support and transport the entire batch of substrates S within the wafer cassette. The substrate transport mechanism 216 may contain A member driven by an actuator, such as a track or a roller, moves an object thereon. A corresponding transport mechanism can be disposed in the crystal cassette loading tool 101 to cooperate with the substrate transport mechanism 216 of the robot arm 212 to facilitate synchronous transfer of the entire batch of substrates.

Referring to FIG. 1 , after the substrate S to be processed is disposed on the substrate carrier 105 , the substrate carrier 105 is transferred to a first processing machine 300 along the track of the first conveyor 103A. During this period, the substrate carrier 105 on which the substrate S is mounted first undergoes an initial heating operation through a preheating station 107. The heating operation of the preheating station 107 is performed under normal temperature and normal pressure, and the substrate carrier 105 can be lifted from the first conveyor 103A to a certain height through a robot arm (not shown) and then heated. . The substrate S on the substrate carrier 105 is heated to a temperature not exceeding 100 ° C, preferably 80 ° C. This preheating action can effectively reduce the time required for the heating action in the vacuuming environment in subsequent processes.

The substrate carrier 105 and the substrate S after the normal temperature heating are subsequently transferred to the end of the first processing machine 300. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first process machine 300 is preferably a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) machine for depositing amorphous germanium on the substrate of the heterojunction solar cell. film. However, the invention is not intended to limit the type of machine to which it is applicable. In other embodiments, the first process machine 300 may include, but is not limited to, various chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machines, such as low pressure CVD (LPCVD), sub-normal pressure. Sub-atmosphere CVD (SACVD), or hot wire CVD (HWCVD), etc., atomic layer deposition (ALD) machines, various heat treatment machines, Such as rapid thermal oxidation (RTO), rapid thermal nitridation (RTN), rapid thermal annealing (RTA), etc., etching machine, or plasma cleaning machine, etc. .

In the embodiment of the present invention, a first loader 109 is interposed between the first conveyor 103A and the first process machine 300 for loading or unloading the first conveyor 103A or the first The substrate carrier 105 of the process machine 300. The first loading implement 109 can house one or more substrate carriers 105, preferably in a stacked separation. The following will be in the fifth picture The detailed construction of the first loading implement 109 having the stacked arrangement type is as follows.

Referring now to Figure 5, a cross-sectional view of the first loading implement 109 is illustrated. As shown in Fig. 5, the first loading implement 109 includes a cavity 1091 having a plurality of sub-cavities 1093, 1095, 1097 that are vertically stacked and separated from the external environment. Each of the sub-cavities 1093, 1095, and 1097 is designed to accommodate a substrate carrier 105 and a substrate S mounted thereon, that is, a plurality of substrates. The sub-cavity in this embodiment is designed to reduce the time required to pump and inflate the chamber during loading and unloading. Of course, in other embodiments, the first loading implement 109 may not adopt the design of the compartment, and all the substrate carriers 105 are stacked in a single cavity. In general, each of the sub-cavities 1093, 1095, and 1097 has an individual loading port. For example, the sub-cavities 1093 communicate with the first conveyor 103A and the first processing machine 300 via the loading ports 1093a, 1093b, respectively. The switch of the carrier ports 1093a, 1093b is controlled by the valve 1093c, and the other cavity is also designed. In an actual flow, an externally mounted robot arm (not shown) feeds the substrate carrier 105 on which the substrate S is loaded on the first conveyor tool 103A into the sub-cavity of the first loading implement 109 via the loading port. The substrate carrier 105 is held in the cavity by the ejector pin 1099. Then, the sub-cavity performs a vacuuming process. After the vacuum environment is reached, the robot arm (not shown) inside the first processing machine 300 picks up and raises the substrate carrier 105 through the loading port, and then transfers the entering device. Taiwan processing.

It is to be noted that another feature of the present invention is that the first loading tool 109 is provided with a preheating device 109a, as shown in FIG. 1, which can be used to heat the substrate carrier 105 and the substrate S carried thereon. In particular, heating is performed in an environment in which the first loading tool 109 is evacuated, which can heat the substrate S in advance to a process temperature required to perform the first process. The preheating action in the loading tool is matched with the heating action of the preheating station 107 under normal temperature and normal pressure, and the substrate S can complete the heating or preliminary heating process before entering the processing machine, so that the system or process can be eliminated. Additional heating chambers or stations are placed in the machine to reduce the fluency of the heating process, which in turn increases overall throughput.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the first process machine 300 performs a first process P1 on the loaded substrate S. Taking the embodiment of the present invention as an example, the first process is a solar cell substrate on a heterojunction. A layer of essential amorphous germanium film is deposited thereon. Of course, in the present invention, different processes are performed for different process machines. After the first process, the substrate carrier 105 and the substrate S are carried out from the first loader 109 to the first conveyor 103A by the same procedure as described above. The substrate carrier 105 after being carried out is cooled by a cooling station 111, and is preferably cooled to a temperature below 100 ° C, and can be cooled by standing or air-cooled, and then cooled to a substrate carrier at normal temperature. 105 will be conveyed to the rear end of the first conveyor 103A for a turning operation.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since different surfaces of the heterojunction solar cell substrate are to be formed, the flipping of the substrate S is a necessary action, which is performed by a flipping tool 113 disposed at the rear end of the first conveyor 103A. . In an embodiment, the flipping tool 113 can be in the form of a roller having a plurality of cutters for simultaneously clamping a whole row or an array of substrates S on the substrate carrier 105, turning it over and placing it adjacent to the second The other substrate carrier 105 is preset on the conveyor 103B, so that the turning tool 113 serves as a bridge between the first conveyor 103A and the second conveyor 103B. For the purposes of the present invention, it is very important to maintain independence between the two processes to avoid cross-contamination between processes leading to product degradation or failure. Therefore, different conveyor tools and substrate carriers are used in the process of the first process P1 and the second process P2.

Referring to FIG. 1, the flipped substrate S is followed by a second process P2, the flow of which is similar to the first process P1, and the substrate carrier 105 is transported along the track of the second conveyor 103B, which first passes through a The preheating station 107 performs an initial heating operation. The heating operation of the preheating station 107 is performed under normal temperature and normal pressure, and the substrate carrier 105 can be lifted from the first conveyor 103A to a certain height through a robot arm (not shown) and then heated. . The substrate S on the substrate carrier 105 is heated to a temperature not exceeding 100 ° C, preferably 80 ° C.

The substrate carrier 105 and the substrate S after the regular temperature heating are then transferred to the end of the second processing machine 400. In the embodiment of the present invention, the second process machine 400 is preferably a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) machine for turning over the back surface of the heterojunction solar cell substrate. On the other side, a doped amorphous germanium film is deposited. However, the invention is not intended to limit the type of machine to which it is applicable. In other embodiments, the first process machine 300 can include However, it is not limited to various chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machines, such as low pressure CVD (LPCVD), sub-atmosphere CVD (SACVD), or It is a hot wire CVD (HWCVD) machine, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) machine, various heat treatment machines, such as rapid thermal oxidation (RTO), rapid heat Rapid thermal nitridation (RTN), rapid thermal annealing (RTA), etc., etching machine, or plasma cleaning machine.

A second loader 114 is interposed between the second conveyor 103B and the second process machine 400 for loading or unloading the substrate from the second conveyor 103B or the second processing machine 400. With 105. An example of the detailed construction of the second loading implement 114 is shown in FIG. 5, and details are not described herein again. Similarly, the second loading tool 114 is also provided with a preheating device 114a, which can be used to heat the substrate carrier 105 and the substrate S carried thereon, especially in a vacuum environment in the first loading device 109. Heating, which can heat the substrate S in advance to a process temperature required to proceed with the second process P2. The preheating operation is combined with the heating operation of the preheating station 107 under normal temperature and normal pressure, and the substrate S can complete the heating or preliminary heating process before entering the processing machine, thereby increasing the overall production capacity.

The substrate carrier 105 carrying the second processing machine 400 is then cooled at the end of the second conveyor 103B via a cooling station 111, which is preferably cooled to a temperature below 100 °C. The final cooled product will be sent to the end of a cassette carrying tool 115 for carrying out, like the cassette loading tool 101, which may be by the robot arm 211 as shown in Figure 3 or Figure 4. The substrate S on the substrate carrier 105 is displaced in batches into the preset stencil C in the cassette carrying tool 115. Finally, the cassette loading tool 115 can transfer the finished product of the process of this stage to the other cassette station, the crystal cassette storage system, the machine table, or the process system 500 in the form of a batch of the crystal cassette. Storage or production process.

In addition to the various functional implements and stations disposed along the first conveyor 103A and the second conveyor 103B in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the end of the first conveyor 103A A carrier recovery device 117 may be additionally provided at the end to recover the substrate carrier 105 that has passed through the first process P1. The carrier recovery device 117 can be coupled to the beginning end of the first conveyor tool 103A to provide the recovered substrate carrier 105 to the wafer loading tool 101 end to carry the loaded substrate S. The same recycling mechanism can also be provided at the second process end.

Alternatively, a carrier cleaning device 119 may be selectively disposed on the end of the first conveyor 103A and the second conveyor 103B or on the carrier recovery path to clean the substrate carrier 105 that has undergone the process steps. The carrier cleaning device 119 can provide a wet chemical cleaning program and a blow drying program to remove foreign particles or deposits remaining thereon for subsequent reuse.

Based on the above description, the present invention has the advantages of connecting two independent process systems, in particular, a PECVD system, which can process a plurality of substrates in a large amount and quickly on a single carrier, and connect various interfaces through a common interface such as a crystal box. The process machine, while turning the machine, does not cause cross-contamination between the process and the process. This automated system also reduces the risk of fragmentation due to manual handling, loading/unloading, or shipping, further enhancing the overall process capacity and reliability.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ (automatic substrate transfer) system

101‧‧‧Crystal loading equipment

103‧‧‧Conveyor

103A‧‧‧First conveyor

103B‧‧‧Second conveyor

105a/105b‧‧‧Substrate carrier

107‧‧‧Preheating site

109‧‧‧First loading equipment

109a‧‧‧Preheating device

111‧‧‧Cooling site

113‧‧‧Flip machine

114‧‧‧Second loading equipment

114a‧‧‧Preheating device

115‧‧‧Crystal Carrying Machine

117‧‧‧Carriage recovery unit

119‧‧‧Carriage cleaning device

200‧‧‧Crystal Station

300‧‧‧First Process Machine

400‧‧‧Second process machine

500‧‧‧Crystal Station

C‧‧‧Crystal Box

P1‧‧‧First Process

P2‧‧‧Second process

S‧‧‧Substrate

Claims (15)

An automatic substrate transfer system comprising: a cassette loading device; a conveyor tool comprising a first conveyor and a second conveyor, wherein a front end of the first conveyor is coupled to the cassette loading device and a substrate carrier, wherein the substrate carrier is used to carry a plurality of substrates; a first loading device is interposed between the first conveyor and a first processing machine executing the first process; Loading or unloading the substrate carrier from the first conveyor or the first processing machine; a turning tool coupled to the rear end of the first conveyor for turning over the first process The substrate is placed on another substrate carrier on the second conveyor; a second loading device is interposed between the second conveyor and a second processing machine that performs the second process. The substrate carrier for loading or unloading the second conveyor or the second processing machine, wherein the first loading device and the second loading device are provided with a preheating device for heating the substrate. And the bases carried on them ; Crystal cell and a load-out equipment, connected to the rear end of the implement and the second conveyor for unloading a substrate carrier through which the first process and the second process, and the substrate on which the plurality of feed carried on. The automatic substrate transfer system of claim 1, wherein a mechanical arm is disposed between the first loading implement and the transporting implement or between the second loading implement and the transporting implement for gripping the conveying implement. The substrate carrier on. The automatic substrate transfer system of claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier is provided with a limiting mechanism. The automatic substrate transfer system as described in claim 1, further comprising a preheating station setting In the conveyor, the substrate carrier and the substrates carried thereon are preheated prior to performing the first process or the second process. The automatic substrate transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a cooling device disposed in the conveyor for cooling the substrate carrier after the process and the substrates carried thereon. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a carrier recovery device for recovering the substrate carrier passing through the first process. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 6, wherein the substrate carrier recovered by the carrier recovery device is transferred to the front end of the first conveyor to carry the newly loaded substrate. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 1, wherein the cassette loading device and the cassette carrying device can accommodate one or more crystal boxes or the substrate carrier. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a carrier cleaning device disposed in the transport mechanism for cleaning the substrate carrier passing through the first process or the second process. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 1, wherein the cassette loading device and the cassette carrying device are coupled to a cassette station. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 1, wherein the cassette loading device and the cassette carrying device are coupled to another machine or a process system. The automatic substrate transfer system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a heterojunction solar cell germanium substrate. The automatic substrate transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the first processing machine and the second processing machine comprise a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) machine and an atomic layer. Deposition, ALD) machine, heat treatment machine, etching machine, or plasma cleaning machine. The substrate automatic transfer system of claim 13, wherein the chemical vapor deposition machine comprises a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) machine, and a low pressure CVD (low pressure CVD) process. , LPCVD) machine, sub-atmosphere CVD (SACVD) machine, or hot wire CVD (HWCVD) machine. The automatic substrate transfer system according to claim 13, wherein the heat treatment machine comprises a rapid thermal oxidation (RTO) machine, a rapid thermal nitridation (RTN) machine, and a rapid heat. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) machine.