TWI759470B - Gate valve device and substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] Suppression of deformation of the carrying-in/outlet of the substrate. [Technical content] A gate valve device is connected to a substrate carrying outlet formed on a side wall of a processing container in which a predetermined process is applied to the substrate under a reduced pressure environment, and the gate valve device has a wall portion formed to communicate with the importing outlet. and the wedge member, which is inserted into: the groove formed in the upper part of the opening part of the wall, that is, the upper part of the opening, and the part formed above the inlet outlet of the side wall of the processing container, that is, the inlet outlet The upper groove supports the upper part of the load-in outlet from the upper surface of the upper groove of the load-in outlet.

Description

Gate valve device and substrate processing system

Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to gate valve devices and substrate processing systems.

A substrate processing system for performing a desired plasma processing on a substrate such as a glass substrate for FPD (Flat Panel Display) is known. The substrate processing system includes, for example, a processing module that performs plasma processing on a substrate, a conveying module that accommodates a conveying device that carries in and out of the substrate, and a gate valve device provided between the processing module and the conveying module Wait.

The processing module is a processing container that performs plasma processing on a substrate under a reduced pressure environment. In the processing container, a mounting table (hereinafter referred to as a "susceptor") that functions as a lower electrode on which the substrate is placed is arranged, and the upper electrode facing the base. Then, a high-frequency power source is connected to at least one of the susceptor and the upper electrode, and a high-frequency power is applied to the space between the susceptor and the upper electrode.

In the processing module, the processing gas supplied to the space between the susceptor and the upper electrode is plasmatized by high-frequency power to generate ions and the like, and the generated ions and the like are guided to the substrate, and applied to the substrate. long-term plasma treatment, such as plasma etching treatment.

And in the side wall of a process container, the carrying-in exit used for carrying in and carrying out a board|substrate is formed. The gate valve device is connected to the carry-in outlet in the side wall of the processing container. In addition, the opening and closing of the carry-in outlet is performed by the operation of the gate valve device when the substrate is carried in and carried out.

The gate valve device is, for example, a wall portion having an opening portion that communicates with an inlet and outlet of the substrate in the processing module. Since the size of the glass substrate for FPD is very large, it is necessary to precisely align the inlet port and the opening. Therefore, by the groove formed in the portion above the opening in the wall portion (hereinafter referred to as the "opening upper portion"), and the portion formed above the carry-in outlet in the side wall of the processing container (hereinafter referred to as the "upper opening") A wedge member is inserted into the groove of the "upper portion of the loading outlet") to perform alignment between the opening on the gate valve device side and the loading outlet on the processing container side. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 4546460 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-230870 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent No. 3043848 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-81633

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

However, in the case where the wedge member is inserted in the positional alignment between the opening on the gate valve device side and the loading outlet on the processing container side: the groove on the upper part of the opening and the groove on the upper part of the loading outlet are generally adjusted separately. The groove and the wedge member formed in the upper portion of the opening and the upper portion of the carry-in outlet are positioned in the height direction so that the wedge member is placed on the lower surface of the groove in the upper portion of the carry-in outlet. Accordingly, the upper portion of the inlet port in the side wall of the processing container is supported by the upper portion of the opening in the wall portion of the gate valve device through the wedge member placed on the lower surface of the groove in the upper portion of the inlet port.

However, in the structure in which the upper part of the inlet port in the side wall of the processing container supports the upper part of the opening in the wall part of the gate valve device, under the reduced pressure environment in which the inside of the processing container is depressurized, in addition to the force corresponding to the atmospheric pressure, the force corresponding to the gate valve device The force of its own weight is given to the upper part of the carry-in exit. Therefore, the upper part of the carry-in exit is deflected, and the carry-in exit is deformed. Deformation of the carry-in outlet is a cause of deterioration of the airtightness in the processing container, and is therefore unfavorable.

In particular, in recent years, from the viewpoint of improving the uniformity of the plasma generated in the processing container, the space between the susceptor and the upper electrode in the processing container has been shortened, and the upper part of the carry-in outlet in the side wall of the processing container has been shortened. the tendency of the thickness to become thinner. Since the thickness of the upper part of the carrying-in outlet in the side wall of the processing container is thinner, the deflection of the upper part of the carrying-in opening becomes larger, so that the deformation of the carrying-in opening may be further increased. [means to solve the problem]

The gate valve device of the present invention, as a first aspect, is connected to the carrying-in outlet of the substrate formed on the side wall of the processing container in which a predetermined process is applied to the substrate under a reduced pressure environment, and has a wall portion formed with the above-mentioned The opening communicated with the inlet port and the wedge member are inserted into: a groove formed in a portion above the opening portion of the wall portion, that is, a groove in the upper portion of the opening, and a groove formed in a portion higher than the inlet port on the side wall of the processing container. The upper part is the groove in the upper part of the carry-in exit, and the upper part of the carry-in exit is supported from the upper surface of the groove in the upper part of the carry-in exit. [Effect of invention]

According to the first aspect of the gate valve device of the present invention, the effect of suppressing deformation of the carrying-in/outlet of the substrate can be achieved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the gate valve device and the substrate processing system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same or equivalent part.

<Substrate Processing System> FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a substrate processing system 100 of the present embodiment. The substrate processing system 100 performs plasma processing on, for example, a glass substrate (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "substrate") S for FPD. Moreover, as an FPD, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electroluminescence (Electro Luminescence; EL) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), etc. can be illustrated.

The substrate processing system 100 includes five vacuum modules connected in a cross shape. Specifically, the substrate processing system 100 includes five vacuum modules, that is, three processing modules 101 a , 101 b , and 101 c , a transfer module 103 , and a load lock module 105 .

The processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c can maintain the internal space thereof in a predetermined reduced-pressure atmosphere (vacuum state). In the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, a mounting table (not shown) on which the substrate S is mounted is provided, respectively. In the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, the substrate S is subjected to plasma treatment such as etching treatment, ashing treatment, and coating treatment under a reduced pressure environment with the substrate S placed on the stage.

The conveyance module 103 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere similarly to the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c. In the conveyance module 103, the conveyance apparatus which is not shown in figure is provided. By this conveyance apparatus, the conveyance of the board|substrate S is performed between the process modules 101a, 101b, 101c and the load lock module 105.

The load lock module 105 can be maintained in a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere similarly to the processing modules 101a, 101b, 101c and the conveyance module 103. The load lock module 105 is a receiver of the substrate S between the conveyance module 103 in the decompressed atmosphere and the external atmospheric atmosphere.

The substrate processing system 100 further includes five gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e. The gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c are respectively disposed between the conveyance module 103 and the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c. The gate valve device 110 d is arranged between the conveyance module 103 and the load lock module 105 . The gate valve device 110e is disposed on the opposite side of the gate valve device 110d in the load lock module 105 . Each of the gate valve devices 110a to 110e has a function of opening and closing an opening provided in a wall that partitions two adjacent spaces.

The gate valve devices 110a to 110d hermetically seal each module in a closed state, and can communicate between the modules and transfer the substrate S in an open state. The gate valve device 110e maintains the airtightness of the load lock module 105 in the closed state, and can transfer the substrate S between the inside and the outside of the load lock module 105 in the open state.

The substrate processing system 100 further includes a conveyance device 125 disposed at a position where the gate valve device 110 e is held between the substrate processing system 105 and the load lock module 105 . The conveying device 125 includes: a fork 127 as a substrate holder; a support part 129 that supports the fork 127 in a retractable, retractable, and revolving manner;

The substrate processing system 100 further includes cassette indexers 121a and 121b arranged on both sides of the drive unit 131, and cassettes C1 and C2 placed on the cassette indexers 121a and 121b, respectively. The cassette indexers 121a and 121b respectively have lift mechanism parts 123a and 123b for raising and lowering the cassettes C1 and C2. In each cassette C1, C2, the board|substrate S can be arrange|positioned in multiple layers with the space|interval at the upper and lower sides. The fork 127 of the conveyance apparatus 125 is arrange|positioned between cassettes C1, C2.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 100 further includes a control unit that controls the components necessary for control in the substrate processing system 100 . The control unit includes, for example, a controller including a CPU, a user interface connected to the controller, and a memory unit connected to the controller. The controller collectively controls the components necessary for control in the substrate processing system 100 . The user interface is composed of a keyboard for the process manager to input commands for managing the substrate processing system 100 , and a display for visually displaying the operation status of the substrate processing system 100 . In the storage unit, a control program (software) for realizing various processes performed by the substrate processing system 100 under the control of a controller, and a processing program in which processing condition data and the like are recorded are stored. Then, as necessary, an arbitrary processing program is called from the memory unit and executed in the controller according to an instruction from the user interface, etc., and the substrate processing system 100 performs desired processing under the control of the controller.

The above-mentioned control programs and processing programs for processing condition data, etc., are computer-readable storage media, and can be stored in, for example, a CD-ROM, a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), a flash memory, or the like. state person. Alternatively, it can also be used from other devices, such as a ground line that is transmitted at any time through a dedicated line.

<Plasma processing apparatus> Next, the configuration of the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In this embodiment, although the case where the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c are all the plasma etching apparatus 101A is exemplified, it is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plasma etching apparatus 101A according to this embodiment. The plasma etching apparatus 101A is constituted by a volume-coupled parallel-plate plasma etching apparatus for etching the substrate S.

The plasma etching apparatus 101A is provided with a processing container 1 which is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape and is made of aluminum that has been anodized (anodized aluminum treatment) on the inside. The processing container 1 is constituted by a bottom wall 1a, four side walls 1b (only two are shown), and a lid body 1c. The processing vessel 1 is electrically grounded. The side wall 1b is provided with a carry-in outlet 1b1 used for carrying in and out of the substrate S, and a gate valve device 110 for opening and closing the carry-in outlet 1b1. In addition, the gate valve device 110 may be any of the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c shown in FIG. 1 .

The lid body 1c is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the side wall 1b by an opening and closing mechanism not shown. In the state where the lid body 1c is closed, the joint portion of the lid body 1c and each side wall 1b is sealed by the O-ring 3, so that the airtightness in the processing container 1 is maintained.

A frame-shaped insulating member 9 is arranged on the bottom of the processing container 1 . The insulating member 9 is provided with a mounting table on which the substrate S can be mounted, that is, a base 11 . The base 11 which is also the lower electrode is provided with the base material 12 . The base material 12 is formed of, for example, a conductive material such as aluminum and stainless steel (SUS). The base material 12 is disposed on the insulating member 9, and a sealing member 13 such as an O-ring is provided in the joint portion of the two members to maintain airtightness. Airtightness is also maintained between the insulating member 9 and the bottom wall 1a of the processing container 1 by a sealing member 14 such as an O-ring. The outer periphery of the side portion of the base material 12 is surrounded by the insulating member 15 . Thereby, the insulating properties of the side surfaces of the susceptor 11 are ensured, and abnormal discharge during plasma processing is prevented.

Above the base 11, there is provided a shower head 31 which is parallel to the base 11 and faces the upper electrode function. The shower head 31 is the cover body 1 c supported by the upper part of the processing container 1 . The shower head 31 is formed in a hollow shape, and a gas diffusion space 33 is provided in the inside thereof. In addition, on the lower surface of the shower head 31 (the surface opposite to the base 11 ), a plurality of gas discharge holes 35 for discharging the processing gas are formed. The shower head 31 is electrically grounded, and together with the base 11 forms a pair of parallel plate electrodes.

In the vicinity of the upper center of the shower head 31, a gas introduction port 37 is provided. A process gas supply pipe 39 is connected to the gas introduction port 37 . The process gas supply pipe 39 is connected to a gas supply source 45 for supplying a process gas for etching through two valves 41 and 41 and a mass flow controller (MFC) 43 . The processing gas is, for example, a rare gas such as Ar gas or the like in addition to the halogen-based gas and the O ₂ gas.

The bottom wall 1a in the processing container 1 is formed with openings 51 for exhaust penetrating at plural places (for example, eight places). An exhaust pipe 53 is connected to each of the exhaust openings 51 . Each exhaust pipe 53 has a flange portion 53a at its end, and is fixed in a state where an O-ring (not shown) is positioned between the flange portion 53a and the bottom wall 1a. An APC valve 55 and an exhaust device 57 are connected to each exhaust pipe 53 .

The plasma etching apparatus 101A is provided with a pressure gauge 61 that measures the pressure in the processing chamber 1 . The pressure gauge 61 is connected to the control unit, and immediately provides the control unit with the measurement result of the pressure in the processing container 1 .

A power supply line 71 is connected to the base material 12 of the base 11 . A high-frequency power supply 75 is connected to this power supply line 71 through a matching box (M.B.) 73 . As a result, high-frequency power of, for example, 13.56 MHz is supplied from the high-frequency power supply 75 to the susceptor 11 serving as the lower electrode. In addition, the power supply wire 71 is introduced into the processing container 1 through an opening 77 for power supply which is a through opening formed in the bottom wall 1a.

The respective components of the plasma etching apparatus 101A are configured to be controlled in connection with the control unit.

Next, the processing operation of the plasma etching apparatus 101A configured as above will be described. First, in a state where the gate valve device 110 is opened, the substrate S, which is the object to be processed, is carried from the transfer module 103 into the processing container 1 by the transfer device (not shown) through the transfer outlet 1b1, and toward the susceptor 11. transfer. After that, the gate valve device 110 is closed, and the inside of the processing chamber 1 is evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum by the exhaust device 57 .

Next, the valve 41 is opened, and the process gas is introduced into the gas diffusion space 33 of the shower head 31 through the process gas supply pipe 39 and the gas introduction port 37 from the gas supply source 45 . At this time, the flow rate control of the process gas is performed by the mass flow controller 43 . The processing gas introduced into the gas diffusion space 33 is further uniformly discharged to the substrate S placed on the susceptor 11 through the plurality of gas discharge holes 35, and the pressure in the processing container 1 is maintained at a predetermined value. Thereby, a reduced pressure environment is formed in the processing container 1 .

The high-frequency power is applied to the base 11 from the high-frequency power supply 75 through the matching box 73 in a decompressed environment. As a result, a high-frequency electric field is generated between the susceptor 11 serving as the lower electrode and the shower head 31 serving as the upper electrode, and the process gas is dissociated and plasmaized. By this plasma, an etching process is performed on the board|substrate S.

After the etching process was applied, the application of the high-frequency power from the high-frequency power supply 75 was stopped, and after the introduction of the gas was stopped, the inside of the processing chamber 1 was depressurized to a predetermined pressure. Next, the gate valve device 110 is opened, the substrate S is received from the susceptor 11 to a transfer device (not shown), and the substrate S is carried out to the transfer module 103 from the transfer outlet 1 b 1 of the processing container 1 . By the above-mentioned operation, the plasma etching process with respect to one board|substrate S is complete|finished.

<Gate Valve Device> Next, the configuration of the gate valve device 110 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the gate valve device 110 of the present embodiment.

The gate valve device 110 can be applied to any of the five gate valve devices 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e in the substrate processing system 100 shown in FIG. 1 . The gate valve device 110 is preferably applied to the gate valve devices 110 a , 110 b , and 110 c provided between the processing modules 101 a , 101 b , 101 c and the conveying module 103 . Here, in the following description, an example in which the gate valve device 110 is applied to the gate valve devices 110a, 110b, and 110c will be described. The gate valve device 110 is arranged between the processing module 101 and the conveying module 103 . The processing module 101 corresponds to any one of the processing modules 101a, 101b, and 101c, that is, the plasma etching apparatus 101A shown in FIG. 2 . In addition, in FIG. 3, illustration of the conveyance module 103 is abbreviate|omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing module 101 is provided with the processing container 1 which delimits the space in the processing module 101. As described above, the processing container 1 includes the side wall 1 b adjacent to the gate valve device 110 . The side wall 1b partitions the space in the processing module 101 and the space on the side of the gate valve device 110 adjacent thereto. In the side wall 1b, between the processing module 101 and the conveying module 103, the carrying-in exit 1b1 which can transfer the board|substrate S is provided. The side wall 1b has a surface 1b2 facing the gate valve device 110 .

In addition, in a portion (hereinafter referred to as "the upper part of the carry-in outlet") 1b3 higher than the carry-in outlet 1b1 of the side wall 1b, a position matching between the opening part 201b on the side of the gate valve device 110 described later and the carry-in outlet 1b1 is formed. Used groove 1b4.

The gate valve device 110 has a housing 201 arranged between the processing module 101 and the conveying module 103 . The casing 201 is formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape including a bottom portion, a top portion, and a wall portion 201 a that connects the bottom portion and the top portion and is adjacent to the processing container 1 . An opening portion 201b is formed in the wall portion 201a of the casing 201 on the side of the processing container 1 . The opening portion 201b communicates with the carry-in outlet 1b1 in the side wall 1b of the processing container 1 . On the other hand, the side part on the conveyance module 103 side of the casing 201 is an opening, and is connected to the inside of the conveyance module 103 .

In addition, the casing 201 is provided with a valve body and a valve body moving mechanism (not shown), and the valve body moving mechanism moves the valve body between the blocking position and the retracted position. When the valve body is moved to the closed position by the valve body moving mechanism, the opening portion 201b is blocked by the valve body, and when the valve body is moved to the retracted position by the valve body moving mechanism, the opening portion 201b is closed. liberation.

In addition, a groove 201d corresponding to the groove 1b4 of the carry-in exit upper part 1b3 is formed in a portion (hereinafter referred to as "opening upper part") 201c higher than the opening part 201b of the wall part 201a. The wedge member 251 is inserted and fixed in the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201c. The wedge member 251 is fixed by, for example, fitting. The wedge member 251 fixed in the groove 201d of the upper opening portion 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the loading outlet when the positions of the upper portion 201b and the loading outlet 1b1 are aligned, and is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the loading outlet from the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the loading outlet. The upper part will be moved into the outlet upper part 1b3 support. At this time, the upper surface of the wedge member 251 is the surface supporting the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in outlet, and the positional relationship is established that the surface below the groove 201d of the opening upper portion 201c is the lower surface supporting the wedge member 251 . In other words, the processing container 1 is placed on the wedge member 251 through the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in outlet, and is placed on the upper opening 201c through the wedge member 251 and the groove 201d.

Here, in the reduced pressure environment in which the processing container 1 is depressurized, a force corresponding to the atmospheric pressure is applied to the upper portion 1 b 3 of the loading outlet of the processing container 1 . In this way, the upper portion 1b3 of the inlet port flexes toward the side of the inlet port 1b1, and as a result, the inlet port 1b1 is deformed. If the deformation of the inlet port 1b1 is too large, the gap between the lid body 1c and the side wall 1b exceeds the range that can be sealed by the O-ring 3. As a result, the seal is broken and the airtightness in the processing container 1 is lowered.

Here, in the present embodiment, the wedge member 251 is in contact with the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the inlet port 1b3, and the upper portion 1b3 of the inlet port is loaded in the direction opposite to the bending direction under a reduced pressure environment. The upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the outlet upper portion 1b3 is provided to support the carry-in outlet upper portion 1b3. Thereby, under the reduced pressure environment, the deflection of the upper portion 1b3 of the loading outlet is reduced, and as a result, the deformation of the loading outlet 1b1 is suppressed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the opening portion 201b on the gate valve device 110 side and the carrying-in outlet on the processing container 1 side are carried out so that the upper portion 1b3 of the inlet port is supported by the wedge member 251 from the upper surface of the groove 1b4. The positional alignment between 1b1. Here, in this embodiment, in order to facilitate this positional alignment, it is preferable to take measures for the shape of the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in outlet. For example, the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in exit is formed between the lower surface of the wedge member 251 and the lower surface of the groove 1b4 facing the lower surface of the wedge member 251 in a state where the wedge member 251 is inserted into the groove 1b4 form a gap. Thereby, since the insertion of the wedge member 251 into the groove 1b4 can be performed efficiently, the positional alignment can be facilitated.

In addition, since the wedge member 251 supports the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in outlet, a force including the self-weight of the processing container 1 is imparted to the upper portion of the opening 201c through the wedge member 251, and the upper portion of the opening 201c may be bent toward the side of the opening portion 201b. . Here, the structure for reducing the deflection of the upper opening 201c may be provided in the upper opening 201c.

Specifically, the opening upper portion 201c has a protruding portion 201e that protrudes to a position higher than other portions (for example, the top portion of the casing 201) other than the wall portion 201a. By providing the protruding part 201e in the opening upper part 201c, the thickness of the opening upper part 201c along the height direction of the wall part 201a increases. Thereby, the rigidity of the opening upper part 201c can be improved, and as a result, the deflection of the opening upper part 201c can be reduced.

However, after the opening portion 201b and the carry-in outlet 1b1 are aligned by the wedge member 251, the wall portion 201a is generally fixed to the side wall 1b of the processing container 1 by fixing members such as bolts. In this case, the fixing member is disposed in the portion of the wall portion 201a surrounding the opening portion 201b. The opening upper part 201c is included in the part which surrounds the opening part 201b. As described above, the groove 201d is formed in the upper opening 201c, and the wedge member 251 is inserted into the groove 201d of the upper opening 201c. Therefore, depending on the size of the wedge member 251 along the extending direction of the opening 201b (ie, the depth direction in FIG. 3 ), it is difficult to secure the above-mentioned area for the fixing member in the upper opening 201c.

Here, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to use a plurality of small wedge members 251 to secure the above-mentioned area for the fixing member. In one example, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of wedge members 251 are inserted into the plurality of grooves (not shown) of the upper opening 201c and the plurality of grooves (not shown) of the upper part 1b3 of the carry-in outlet, and the adjacent wedge members 251 are inserted. The fixing member 253 may be arranged between the members 251 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wedge member 251 fixed in the groove 201d of the upper opening 201c is inserted into the groove 1b4 of the upper part 1b3 of the load-in outlet, and the upper part of the load-in outlet 1b3 is supported from the upper surface of the groove 1b4 of the upper part of the load-in outlet 1b3. Therefore, under the reduced pressure environment, the deflection of the upper portion 1b3 of the loading outlet can be reduced, and as a result, the deformation of the loading outlet 1b1 of the substrate S can be suppressed.

In the above-described embodiment, the wedge member 251 is fixed to the groove 201d of the upper opening 201c, but the wedge member 251 may be fixed to the groove 1b4 of the upper portion 1b3 of the carry-in outlet. Furthermore, the wedge member 251 and the groove 201d of the opening upper part 201c or the groove 1b4 of the carry-in exit upper part 1b3 may be integrally formed.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the protruding portion 201e is provided on the upper opening 201c to increase the thickness of the upper opening 201c along the height direction of the wall portion 201a, but a reinforcing member for reinforcing the upper opening 201c may be provided on the upper opening 201c. By providing the reinforcing member in the upper opening 201c, the deflection of the upper opening 201c can be reduced. In this case, the reinforcing member and the upper opening 201c are preferably made of the same material from the viewpoint of suppressing positional displacement due to thermal expansion or the like.

Furthermore, the plasma etching apparatus is not limited to the parallel plate type of the volume coupling type as shown in FIG. 2, and for example, a plasma etching apparatus using microwave plasma, a plasma etching apparatus using induction coupling plasma, and the like can be used. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the plasma etching apparatus, but can also be applied to a plasma processing apparatus for other processes such as a plasma ashing apparatus, a plasma CVD coating apparatus, a plasma diffusion coating apparatus, etc. processing as the destination substrate processing device.

1‧‧‧Processing container 1b‧‧‧Side wall 1b1‧‧‧Loading outlet 1b3‧‧‧Loading outlet upper part 1b4‧‧‧Groove 1c‧‧‧Cover body 100‧‧‧Substrate processing system 101‧‧‧Processing module 103 ‧‧‧Transportation module 110‧‧‧Gate valve device 201‧‧‧Shell 201a‧‧‧Wall part 201b‧‧‧Opening part 201c‧‧‧Opening upper part 201d‧‧‧Gutter 201e‧‧‧Protruding part 251‧‧‧ Wedge member 253‧‧‧Fixing member

[FIG. 1] A perspective view schematically showing the substrate processing system of the present embodiment. [Fig. 2] A cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the plasma etching apparatus of this embodiment. [Fig. 3] A cross-sectional view showing the structure of the gate valve device of this embodiment. [Fig. 4] A diagram for explaining the arrangement of the fixing members.

1‧‧‧Disposal container

1a‧‧‧Bottom wall

1b‧‧‧Sidewall

1b1‧‧‧Moving in and out

1b2‧‧‧face

1b3‧‧‧Loading the upper part of the exit

1b4‧‧‧ditch

1c‧‧‧Cover

3‧‧‧O-ring

101‧‧‧Processing module

110‧‧‧Gate valve device

201‧‧‧Shell

201a‧‧‧Wall

201b‧‧‧Opening

201c‧‧‧Open top

201d‧‧‧Gou

201e‧‧‧Projection

251‧‧‧Wedge member

Claims (7)

A gate valve device connected to a carrying-in outlet of the substrate formed on a side wall of a processing container in which a predetermined process is applied to the substrate under a reduced pressure environment, and comprising: a wall portion formed with an opening communicating with the carrying-in outlet; and The wedge member is inserted into: a groove formed in a portion above the opening of the wall portion, that is, a groove in the upper portion of the opening, and a portion formed above the inlet port of the side wall of the processing container, i.e., the upper portion of the inlet port The groove supports the upper part of the load-in outlet from the upper surface of the groove at the upper part of the load-in outlet; There is a gap between the lower surfaces of the grooves, and the wall portion of the gate valve device and the side wall of the processing container are fixed by a fixing member. The gate valve device according to claim 1, wherein the wedge member is applied to the upper surface of the groove in the upper portion of the inlet by applying a force in the opposite direction of the deflection direction to the upper portion of the inlet by the upper portion of the inlet under the reduced pressure environment. And the above-mentioned carry-in outlet is supported on the upper part. The gate valve device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wedge member is fixed to the groove or the upper portion of the opening. The above-mentioned groove in the upper part of the above-mentioned carry-in outlet. The gate valve device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of the wedge members inserted into the plurality of grooves in the upper portion of the opening and the plurality of grooves in the upper portion of the carry-in outlet, and the wedge members adjacent to each other. Between the members, a fixing member for fixing the wall portion to the side wall of the processing container is arranged. The gate valve device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper portion of the opening has a protruding portion that protrudes to a position higher than other portions other than the wall portion. The gate valve device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a reinforcing member for reinforcing the upper portion of the opening. A substrate processing system comprising: a processing container for applying a predetermined process to a substrate under a reduced pressure environment; and a gate valve device connected to an inlet and outlet of the substrate formed on a side wall of the processing container, wherein the gate valve device has a wall A portion is formed with an opening communicating with the inlet port; and a wedge member is inserted into: a groove formed in a portion above the opening of the wall, that is, a groove in the upper portion of the opening, and a groove formed in the processing container The portion of the side wall above the aforementioned inlet port is the inlet port The upper groove supports the upper part of the load-in outlet from the upper surface of the groove at the upper part of the load-in outlet; the wedge member is in contact with the upper surface of the groove at the upper part of the load-in outlet, and is on the lower surface of the wedge member and the load-in outlet. There is a gap between the lower surfaces of the grooves in the upper part, and the wall portion of the gate valve device and the side wall of the processing container are fixed by a fixing member.

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