TWI789798B - Lifting system and method for automatic horizontal adjustment - Google Patents

Abstract

This application relates to a lifting system and method for automatic horizontal adjustment. In one embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned lifting system for automatic horizontal adjustment includes: a plurality of guiding support devices connected to the device to be lifted; a plurality of lifting mechanisms connected to corresponding ones of the above-mentioned plurality of guiding supporting devices. One; a plurality of motors, which are respectively arranged on the corresponding one of the above-mentioned plurality of lifting mechanisms, to drive the corresponding lifting mechanism to drive the corresponding guide support device to rise or fall; and a horizontal position sensor, which is arranged on The top of one of the plurality of guide support devices is used to detect the inclination of the above-mentioned lifted device, and transmit a signal based on the detection result to control the above-mentioned plurality of motors.

Description

Lifting system and method for automatic horizontal adjustment

This application generally relates to the field of semiconductor processing equipment, and more specifically, relates to a lifting system and method for automatic horizontal adjustment.

Semiconductor processing equipment generally includes a reaction chamber and a cover plate forming a vacuum chamber therewith. The lifting of the cover can be controlled by the lifting device. However, the lifting device used in the current semiconductor processing equipment cannot realize automatic level adjustment. However, the automatic horizontal adjustment devices used in construction machinery are usually complex in structure and cumbersome in adjustment methods. It is difficult to achieve high-precision automatic horizontal adjustment, and use magnetic blocks to generate magnetic fields to stabilize the platform, so they are not suitable for semiconductor processing equipment.

This application provides a lifting system with automatic level adjustment, which can automatically adjust the level of the lifting device, and has stable lifting, high repeatability and long maintenance period.

In one aspect, the application provides a lifting system with automatic horizontal adjustment, which includes: a plurality of guiding support devices connected to the device to be lifted; a plurality of lifting mechanisms connected to the above-mentioned plurality of guiding supporting devices a corresponding one of them; a plurality of motors, which are respectively arranged on a corresponding one of the above-mentioned plurality of lifting mechanisms, to drive the corresponding lifting mechanism to drive the corresponding guide support device to rise or fall; and a horizontal position sensor, It is installed on the top of one of the plurality of guiding and supporting devices, and is used to detect the inclination of the above-mentioned lifted device, and transmit a signal based on the detection result to control the above-mentioned plurality of motors.

According to an embodiment of the present application, each lifting mechanism of the plurality of lifting mechanisms includes a transmission device, and the transmission device is connected to a corresponding motor and connected to a corresponding guide support device through a connecting member.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the transmission device includes a reducer, a lead screw and a lead screw nut.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the connecting part includes a mechanical level adjusting device for adjusting the horizontal position of the corresponding guiding and supporting device and locking the corresponding guiding and supporting device.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the mechanical level adjustment device includes joint bearings and disc springs.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the joint bearings include a pair of joint bearings respectively disposed on both sides of the corresponding guide support device, and the disc springs comprise two sets of disc springs respectively disposed on both sides of the corresponding guide support device. spring.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the lifting system also includes a control module connected to the horizontal position sensor and the plurality of motors to set the initial value of the horizontal position sensor and the plurality of motors. The output power and speed of the motor.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned lifted device is a cover plate of a semiconductor processing equipment.

According to an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned semiconductor processing equipment also includes a reaction chamber, and the plurality of lifting mechanisms are fixed on the above-mentioned reaction chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present application, when the inclination of the above-mentioned lifting device exceeds the setting value of the above-mentioned horizontal position sensor, the above-mentioned horizontal position sensor calculates the motor pulse output number according to the inclination of the above-mentioned lifting device, and The result is transmitted to at least one of the plurality of motors.

According to an embodiment of the present application, at least one of the plurality of motors independently adjusts its output power and rotational speed based on the number of motor pulse outputs transmitted from the horizontal position sensor.

In another aspect, the present application also provides a method of using any of the above-mentioned lifting systems, which includes: controlling the above-mentioned plurality of motors, so that the above-mentioned plurality of guide support devices drive the above-mentioned lifting device to rise or fall; and During the lifting or lowering process of the lifting device, the horizontal position sensor detects the inclination of the lifting device, and adjusts the output of at least one of the plurality of motors based on the detection result.

The details of one or more examples of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the following description and drawings, as well as from the claims.

In order to better understand the spirit of the present invention, it will be further described below in conjunction with some embodiments of the present invention.

The terms "in one embodiment" or "according to an embodiment" used in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and the terms "in other (some/certain) embodiments" or "in other (some) embodiments" used in this specification Reference is not necessarily to different specific embodiments according to other (some/certain) embodiments. It is intended, for example, that claimed subject matter encompasses combinations of all or some of the exemplified embodiments. The meanings of "upper" and "lower" mentioned in this article are not limited to the relationship directly presented in the diagram, but should include descriptions with clear corresponding relationships, such as "left" and "right", or "upper" and "lower". "The opposite. The "connection" mentioned herein should be understood to cover "direct connection" as well as "connection via one or more intermediate components". The names of various components used in this manual are for the purpose of illustration only, and do not have a limiting effect. Different manufacturers may use different names to refer to components with the same function.

Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that these implementations are done for illustration purposes only. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic diagram of a leveling automatic adjusting lifting system 10 according to some embodiments of the present application. In FIG. 1 , the lifting system 10 can control the lifting of the lifted device (for example, the cover plate 500 ), and the cover plate 500 can be attached to the reaction chamber 600 to form a sealed cavity for semiconductor processing.

The lifting system 10 includes a plurality of guiding and supporting devices 100 , a plurality of lifting mechanisms 200 , a plurality of motors 300 and a horizontal position sensor 400 . Although a specific number of lift mechanisms, guide support devices, and motors are shown in FIG. 1, those skilled in the art will understand that the leveling self-adjusting lift system 10 may include fewer or greater numbers of lift mechanisms, guide support devices and motor.

The guide support device 100 is connected to the cover plate 500 through the first connecting member 101 to drive the cover plate 500 to rise and fall with it. During the ascending and descending process, the guide support device 100 and the cover plate 500 are relatively fixed to each other.

The lifting mechanism 200 is connected to the corresponding guiding and supporting device 100 through the second connecting member 201 . One end of the lifting mechanism 200 is fixed on the reaction chamber 600 .

The motor 300 is arranged on the top of the lifting mechanism 200 . Each motor 300 corresponds to a single lifting mechanism 200 . The motor 300 can drive the corresponding elevating mechanism 200 so that it drives the corresponding guiding and supporting device 100 to ascend and descend through the second connecting member 201 , so as to realize the ascending and descending of the cover plate 500 .

The horizontal position sensor 400 is disposed on the top of a guide support 100 . The horizontal position sensor 400 can be disposed on the top of any one of the guide supports 100 . The horizontal position sensor 400 can detect the inclination of the cover 500 and transmit a signal based on the detection result to control each motor 300 . The type of the horizontal position sensor 400 is not limited, and may be any suitable type of horizontal position sensor.

In some embodiments, the leveling automatic adjusting lifting system 10 may also include a control module (not shown), the control module is connected to the horizontal position sensor 400 and the motor 300 to set the initial value of the horizontal position sensor 400 And the output power and rotational speed of the motor 300. In one embodiment, the control module may be a PMC control module. According to some embodiments, the horizontal position sensor 400 can directly transmit a signal based on the detection result to the motor 300 to control the motor 300 . According to other embodiments, the horizontal position sensor 400 can transmit a signal based on the detection result to the control module, and then the control module generates a corresponding control signal to control the motor 300 .

The lifting system 10 with automatic horizontal adjustment can be applied to various lifting devices. In some embodiments, the horizontally automatically adjusted lifting system 10 can be applied to plasma chemical enhanced vapor deposition equipment, atomic layer deposition equipment or 3D vacuum equipment.

FIG. 2 shows a part of the cross-sectional view of the lifting mechanism 200 and the guide support device 100 along the dotted line aa' in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the lifting mechanism 200 may include a transmission device 210 , and the transmission device 210 is disposed inside the lifting mechanism 200 . The transmission device 210 (for example, the upper end) is connected to the corresponding motor 300 and connected to the corresponding guide support device 100 through the second connecting member 201 to transmit the power of the motor 300 to the corresponding guide support device 100 . In an embodiment, the transmission device 210 may include a reducer, a lead screw and a lead screw nut.

The reducer is a reduction transmission device, which is used to match the speed and transmit the torque. The speed reducer of the present application is not limited, and any suitable type of speed reducer can be used.

Lead screws and lead screw nuts are mainly used for conversion between rotary motion and linear motion. Lead screw and lead screw nut can be selected according to any suitable type. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the lead screw nut can be a trapezoidal lead screw nut 211 . In one embodiment, the motor 300 rotates the lead screw through the reducer, so that the lead screw nut moves up or down, and the second connecting part 201 connected to the lead screw nut also moves up or down accordingly, thereby driving When the corresponding guide support device 100 rises or falls, the lifted device connected to the guide support device 100 can rise or fall accordingly.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the guide and support device 100 in FIG. 1 along the dotted line bb', and also shows the outer outline of the lifting mechanism 200 connected to the guide and support device 100 . FIG. 4A is a partially enlarged view of the portion encircled by a dotted line in FIG. 3 . FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the disc spring 221 and the joint bearing 222 in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 3 , the second connection part 201 connecting the lifting mechanism 200 to the guide support device 100 may include a mechanical level adjustment device 220 , which can be used to adjust the horizontal position of the guide support device 100 and lock the guide support device 100 . The mechanical level adjusting device 220 is arranged on the side of the lifting mechanism 200 connected with the guide supporting device 100 . As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A , the mechanical level adjustment device 220 may include a disc spring 221 and a joint bearing 222 . The lower end of the connecting member can pass through the center of the disc spring 221 and be placed in the joint bearing 222, so as to realize the connection between the lifting mechanism 200 and the guide support device 100. In some embodiments, the joint bearing 222 includes a pair of joint bearings respectively disposed on both sides of the guide support device 100 , and the disc spring 221 comprises two sets of disc springs respectively disposed on both sides of the guide support device 100 .

As shown in FIG. 4B , the disc spring 221 is in the shape of a conical disc, which can be deformed after being compressed to withstand a certain load. In order to achieve a better adjustment effect, the disc springs 221 can be arranged in pairs. For example, five pairs of disc springs 221 may be provided on each side of the guide support device 100 . The number of disc springs 221 can be selected according to the load. The disk spring 221 can perform a certain degree of displacement compensation and lock the guide support device 100 . In some embodiments, during the process of lowering the cover plate 500 , in order to ensure that the cover plate 500 fits closely with the reaction chamber 600 , the falling displacement of the cover plate 500 is smaller than the equivalent displacement output by the lead screw in the lifting mechanism 200 . The equivalent displacement of the screw output refers to the displacement of the screw nut when the motor outputs a certain power. The disc spring 221 can absorb the displacement interference and lock the guide support device 100 due to deformation, so as to prevent the motor 300 from being overloaded, thereby protecting the motor 300 .

The joint bearing 222 has an arc surface, which allows a certain axial offset. When a plurality of motors 300 are out of sync or the guide support device 100 has a small inclination, the joint bearing 222 can fine-tune the position of the guide support device 100, and the displacement compensation and locking are performed by the disc spring 221 to ensure the guide The supporting device 100 and the lifting mechanism 200 will not be stuck.

公式(1)When the cover 500 is raised or lowered, the horizontal position sensor 400 can detect the inclination of the cover 500 . When the inclination of the cover plate 500 exceeds the setting value of the horizontal position sensor 400, horizontal adjustment is required, and the horizontal position sensor 400 or other devices can generate a control signal based on the detection result of the horizontal position sensor 400 to The output (eg, output power or rotational speed) of at least one of the motors 300 is adjusted. In one embodiment, the horizontal position sensor 400 calculates the motor pulse output number of the motor 300 according to formula (1), and transmits the calculation result to the motor 300 that needs to be adjusted, and the motor 300 automatically adjusts its output power according to the motor pulse output number and rotating speed, so that the cover plate 500 rises and falls smoothly. Those skilled in the art can understand that the horizontal position sensor 400 can also adopt other forms of formulas or calculation methods.

Formula 1)

In the formula (1), the motor distance L is the distance between the motors, the inclination is the inclination of the cover detected by the horizontal position sensor 400 relative to the horizontal plane, the lead is the lead of the screw, and the reduction ratio is that of the reducer. The reduction ratio and the step angle are the step angle of the motor 300 . Each motor can independently adjust its output power and rotational speed based on the number of motor pulse outputs transmitted from the horizontal position sensor 400 .

Referring to FIG. 1 again, according to some embodiments of the present application, a method of using the lifting system 10 may include: controlling a plurality of motors 300, so that a plurality of guiding and supporting devices 100 are driven by a lifting device (such as a cover plate 500) to rise or fall ; During the process of rising or falling of the above-mentioned lifted device, the inclination of the above-mentioned lifted device is detected by the horizontal position sensor 400, and the output (such as output power or rotational speed) of at least one motor 300 is adjusted based on the detection result .

In some embodiments, a method of using the lifting system of the present application may include: setting the initial value of the horizontal position sensor and the output power and rotation speed of the motor through the control module; driven by the motor, the lifting mechanism uses The transmission device drives the guide support device to rise or fall, so that the lifted device rises or falls with the guide support device; the horizontal position sensor detects the level of the lifted device, and transmits the detection result to the motor; the motor is based on The above detection results automatically adjust their respective output power and rotational speed independently. When the motor is not synchronous or the guide support device is slightly tilted, the mechanical level adjustment device adjusts the horizontal position of the guide support.

Compared with the existing lifting system, the automatic horizontal adjustment lifting system of this application can automatically adjust the level of the lifting device, the lifting is stable, the repeatability is high, the maintenance period is long, and it has economic value for production. In addition, the automatic horizontal adjustment lifting system of this application can allow a certain amount of deviation in the synchronization of the motors, and when the multiple motors are out of sync, the motors can automatically adjust their output power and speed according to the detection results of the horizontal position sensor , to achieve motor synchronization. In addition, the lifting system with automatic horizontal adjustment of the present application can make the cover closely fit the reaction chamber after falling, thereby ensuring the vacuum chamber.

The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. Thus, the invention is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

10: Lifting system 100: guide support device 101: the first connecting part 200: lifting mechanism 201: the second connecting part 210: transmission 211: trapezoidal screw nut 220: mechanical level adjustment device 221: disc spring 222: joint bearing 300: motor 400: Horizontal position sensor 500: cover plate 600: reaction chamber

The disclosure in this specification refers to and includes the following figures: Fig. 1 is the overall schematic diagram of the lifting system with automatic horizontal adjustment according to some embodiments of the present application; Fig. 2 is a part of the cross-sectional view of the lifting mechanism and the guide support device in Fig. 1 along the dotted line a-a'; Fig. 3 is the cross-sectional view of the guide support device in Fig. 1 along the dotted line bb'; Fig. 4A is a partially enlarged view of the part circled by a dotted line in Fig. 3; Fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of the disc spring and joint bearing in Fig. 4A. According to common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. The shapes of the components shown in the drawings are only illustrative shapes, and do not limit the actual shapes of the components. Additionally, the implementations illustrated in the figures may be simplified for clarity. Accordingly, a drawing may not illustrate all components of a given device or device. Finally, the same reference numerals may be used throughout the description and drawings to refer to the same features.

10: Lifting system

100: guide support device

101: the first connecting part

200: lifting mechanism

201: the second connecting part

300: motor

400: Horizontal position sensor

500: cover plate

600: reaction chamber

Claims (12)

A lifting system with automatic horizontal adjustment, which includes: a plurality of guiding support devices, which are connected to the device to be lifted; a plurality of lifting mechanisms, which are respectively connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of guiding and supporting devices; a plurality of motors, which respectively arranged on the corresponding one of the plurality of elevating mechanisms, used to drive the corresponding elevating mechanism to drive the corresponding guide support device to rise or fall; and a horizontal position sensor, which is arranged on one of the plurality of guide support devices On the top of a guiding support device, it is used to detect the inclination of the lifted device, and transmit a signal based on the detection result to control the plurality of motors. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein each lifting mechanism of the plurality of lifting mechanisms includes a transmission device, the transmission device is connected to a corresponding motor, and is connected to a corresponding guide support device through a corresponding connecting member. As the lifting system of claim 2, wherein the transmission device includes a reducer, a lead screw and a lead screw nut. The lifting system according to claim 2, wherein the connecting part includes a mechanical level adjustment device to adjust the horizontal position of the corresponding guide support device and lock the corresponding guide support device. The lifting system of claim 4, wherein the mechanical level adjustment device includes joint bearings and discs shape spring. The lifting system according to claim 5, wherein the joint bearing includes a pair of joint bearings respectively arranged on both sides of the corresponding guide and support device, and the disc spring includes two sets of discs respectively arranged on both sides of the corresponding guide and support device shape spring. The lifting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which also includes a control module connected to the horizontal position sensor and the plurality of motors to set the initial value of the horizontal position sensor And the output power and speed of the plurality of motors. The lifting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the device to be lifted is a cover plate of semiconductor processing equipment. The lifting system according to claim 8, wherein the semiconductor processing equipment also includes a reaction chamber, and the plurality of lifting mechanisms are fixed on the reaction chamber. The lifting system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the inclination of the lifted device exceeds the set value of the horizontal position sensor, the horizontal position sensor calculates according to the inclination of the lifted device The motor outputs a number of pulses and transmits the result to at least one of the plurality of motors. As the lifting system of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the plurality of motors independently adjusts its output power and rotational speed based on the number of motor pulse outputs transmitted from the horizontal position sensor. speed. A method of using the lifting system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which includes: controlling the plurality of motors so that the plurality of guiding and supporting devices drive the lifting device to rise or fall; and when the lifting device is raised Or during the process of descending, the inclination of the lifted device is detected by the horizontal position sensor, and the output of at least one of the plurality of motors is adjusted based on the detection result.

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