JP3117354B2 - Substrate transfer device for film forming equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a plasma CVD (chem.
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a device for transporting a substrate such as a glass or a silicon wafer of a film forming device for forming a thin film in a vacuum, such as an ical vapor deposition (chemical vapor deposition) device and a sputtering device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a substrate is taken in and out of a vacuum vessel such as a plasma CVD apparatus or a sputtering apparatus,
Generally, a method is employed in which a substrate is fixed to a substrate holder, and the substrate holder is transported together with the substrate.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional film forming apparatus. As shown in the drawing, the film is formed in a vacuum vessel 01, and an electrode 03 is provided on a door 02 which can be freely opened and closed. When a film is formed by this apparatus, the door 02 is closed, and the substrate
5, a plurality of substrates 04 are attached, and the substrate holder 05
Is suspended on a substrate transport unit 06 provided at an upper portion in the vacuum vessel 01, so that the substrate is moved together with the substrate transport unit 06 by a moving device (not shown). At the center of the vacuum vessel 01, a heater 07 is provided. Then, the substrate holder 0 hung by the substrate transport unit 06
After 5 moves between the heater 07 and the electrode 03 and then stops, a film is formed on the substrate 04.

[0004]

However, in the above-described conventional transfer method, it takes time and effort to mount the substrate 04 on the substrate holder 05, and a very complicated robot is required for automation. When glass is heated in a vacuum as a typical example of the substrate 04, the substrate holder 05 is also heated, which not only causes a trouble in the transport system due to thermal expansion and the like, but also causes the glass to be heated. It causes cracking. In particular, large-area substrates are easily broken. Further, a longer processing time is required as compared with the case where only glass is heated and cooled. Further, since the substrate holder 05 moves in the vacuum vessel 01, it causes contamination of impurities, and the substrate holder 05 on which the substrate 04 is mounted must be returned from the exit to the entrance, which causes a problem that the apparatus becomes complicated. was there.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and eliminates the need for a substrate holder, prevents cracks even in a large-area substrate, prevents impurities from being mixed into a vacuum vessel, and provides a method for heating and cooling the substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus of a film forming apparatus which requires a shorter time.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate between a heater and an electrode in a vacuum vessel. In, a cart that can hold the substrate at an angle to stabilize and move in a horizontal and parallel direction to the heating surface of the heater,
A driving device for reciprocating the carriage, a positioner provided to face the heating surface of the heater, and a substrate which is moved obliquely upward while drawing an arc to be received from the carriage to the positioner. A pendulum-type positioner feeding device capable of closely contacting the heating surface of the heater, and a guide means having an arc-shaped guide surface for guiding the movement of the positioner.

In the above-mentioned apparatus, it is preferable in terms of processing ability to provide two positioners opposite to the front and rear heating surfaces of the heater.

[0008]

In the above construction, first, the substrate is held in a state of being leaned up on the carriage, and the carriage is moved into the vacuum vessel. Next, after moving the substrate between the heater and the positioner, the positioner is moved obliquely upward while drawing an arc, and the substrate is transferred to the positioner. Perform processing.
This eliminates the need for a conventionally used substrate holder for holding a substrate.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer apparatus in a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing an example applied to a plasma CVD apparatus or the like. It should be noted that only the internal mechanism arranged inside the vacuum vessel is shown in the figure, and the vacuum vessel itself is not shown.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a heater provided in the center of the inside of the vacuum vessel, which has heating surfaces on both front and rear surfaces. Positioners 12 for holding the substrate 14 via claws 18 during the film forming process are provided on both front and rear sides of the heater 11. The positioner 12 has a pair of left and right notches 25 for avoiding interference with a substrate positioning claw 26 described later.
Is provided.

In the figure, reference numeral 13 denotes a truck, and at four corners of the truck 13, a substrate support rod 17 having the aforementioned substrate positioning claws 26 is provided.
Are held upright, and the two substrates 14 are held in a state of leaning obliquely.

In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes a pair of front and rear positioner supports. A pair of left and right rollers 24 is attached to the lower end of the positioner support 22, and a pair of left and right support arms 29 are attached to the upper end.

The rollers 24 are rotatable on a pair of left and right arcuate positioner trajectory determining rails 30 extending in the front-rear direction, and the upper end of the support arm 29 is moved forward and backward by a pair of left and right rotation center supports 27. It is connected by a rotation center pin 28 so as to be able to rotate in the direction.

In the drawing, reference numeral 23 denotes a positioner feeder which is driven by a hydraulic device or the like from outside the vacuum vessel. It is driven in a shape.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a guide roller attached to the carriage 13, which drives a pair of front and rear guide rails 16 extending in the left-right direction on a pair of front and rear guide rails 16 provided on a side surface of the carriage 13. , And is driven by a drive device (comprising a pinion in the illustrated example) 21. In the drawing, reference numeral 19 denotes a depression provided in the heater 11, and
The above-mentioned claw 18 is inserted.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the Z axis is the vertical axis of the apparatus, the Y axis is the horizontal axis in the front-rear direction, the X axis is the horizontal axis in the horizontal direction, and θ is the moving direction of the bogie 13. And the movement angle of the positioner 12 performed by the positioner feeder 23.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a connection structure between the rotation center pin 28 and the rotation center support 27. by the way,
In order to prevent the trajectory of the claw 18 from changing due to thermal expansion from the heater 11, the roller 24 is rolled on the positioner trajectory determining rail 30. In this case, the extension of the radius of gyration due to the thermal expansion must be released. The pendulum movement of the positioner 12 cannot be performed.

In order to release the extension of the turning radius, FIG.
(A), the lower end of the rotation center support 27 is formed in a hook shape so that the rotation center pin 28 can move upward in the Z-axis. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a compression spring 36 may be interposed between the rotation center support receiving jig 37 and the rotation center support 27 '. Various other structures are conceivable.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are explanatory views of the structure of the positioner 12 alone. The center of the positioner 12 is the substrate 14
The lower end is cut out at the same width as the substrate 14 in order to dodge the carriage 13 when receiving the substrate. In the drawing, reference numeral 31 denotes a stop provided at the four corners of the central missing portion of the positioner 12 for holding the substrate 14, and 32 denotes the outer shape of the substrate.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the mutual positional relationship between the carriage 13 and the positioner 12. As shown in FIG. As shown, the trolley 1
A substrate positioning claw 26 provided on the third substrate support rod 17 is inserted into the notch 25 of the positioner 12.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modification of the positioner. The positioner 12 'has a shape separated left and right. Various shapes can be considered as long as the shape can hold the substrate 14 and does not contact the carriage 13.

The substrate 14 is made of flat glass or the like. The substrate 14 is mounted on a substrate supporting rod 17 which is inclined at an angle of about 10 degrees above the carriage 13 and is detachably fixed by a substrate positioning claw 26. It is transported in the X-axis direction parallel to the heater 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 13 is a table mounted on a guide rail 16 provided at the bottom of the vacuum vessel via a guide roller 15, and a driving force provided on a side surface thereof. The transmission unit 20 is connected to a driving device 21 provided through the outside of the bottom of the vacuum container.

A plurality of the driving devices 21 are arranged at regular intervals according to the guide rails 16, and the driving force is transmitted from the outside, whereby the driving device 21 is rotated, and the rotating force is transmitted to the driving force transmitting unit 20. , The carriage 13 is moved. In the illustrated example, a case where a pinion is used for the driving device 21 and a rack is used for the driving force transmission unit 20 is shown, but other driving means such as rollers may be used.

The present apparatus is used as follows. First, the carriage 13 moves in the X-axis direction while holding the substrate 14, and stops when the substrate 14 reaches a predetermined position between the heater 11 and the positioner 12. FIG. 2 is a side view showing this state.

Next, a positioner feeder 23 provided through the outside of the bottom of the vacuum vessel is provided with a positioner 12.
Is moved by an angle θ. The positioner 12 avoids the carriage 13 in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 6A, receives only the substrate 14, and fixes it to the film forming apparatus.

The substrates 14 are transferred one by one to the positioners 12 located on both sides of the heater 11 for double-sided heating, pressed against the heater 11 and heated.
At this time, since the claw 18 of the positioner 12 is housed in the depression 19 provided in the heater 11, the substrate 14
Adhere to 1. FIG. 8 is a side view showing this state.
In the figure, reference numeral 33 denotes a substrate 1 adhered to the heater 11.
The position 4 is a film forming position, and at this time, the positioner 12 is closely behind the substrate 14. 34 is a substrate transfer position (original position of the substrate 14), 35 is the positioner 12
Is the original position of

In this state, the carriage 13 is moved from the film forming chamber to the substrate 1.
When the substrate 4 is returned to its original chamber, only the substrate 14 remains, and thereafter the substrate 14 is formed. FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state where the substrate 14 is left in the film forming chamber. By using this transfer means in the plasma CVD apparatus, it becomes possible to minimize the contamination of the substrate 14 with impurities, and the processing speed can be increased by shortening the heating / cooling time.

As described above, when the substrate 14 is carried by the carriage 13 in the X-axis direction and the positioner 12 is moved by the angle θ,
Only the substrate 14 is set on the heater 11. Further, after the film formation is completed, the carriage 13 is placed in a fixed position, and the positioner 12 is moved.
Is returned to the original position by the angle θ, the substrate 14 returns to the carriage 13. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state where the carriage 13 is moved to the film forming chamber again, the positioner 12 is retracted, and the substrate 14 is transferred to the carriage 13. Thereafter, the substrate 14 is moved by the carriage 13 to another room.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show a series of pendulum movements of the positioner 12, but the rotation center position 38 in this case is not limited to the case shown in FIGS. Any position may be set as long as the shape of the positioner trajectory determining rail 30 can be determined so that the claw 18 comes to the lower end of the substrate 14 and the positioner 12 comes to the film forming position 33 at the transfer position 34.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, substrate processing can be performed without using a substrate holder, so that contamination of impurities into the vacuum vessel is minimized, and even a large area substrate is broken. In addition, the time for heating and cooling the substrate can be reduced. Further, a vacuum substrate transfer device that does not require the return function of the conventional substrate holder becomes possible, and is extremely effective when used in a thin-film manufacturing device requiring a vacuum, such as a large-area plasma CVD device and a sputtering device.

[0033]

As described above in detail with reference to the embodiments, according to the substrate transfer apparatus of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the substrate processing can be performed without using the substrate holder, so that the vacuum Minimize contamination of the container with impurities,
The time for substrate heating and cooling can be reduced without cracking even in a large-area substrate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate transfer device of a film forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a connection structure between a rotation center pin and a rotation center support.

FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory view of a positioner alone.

FIG. 5 is a structural explanatory view of a positioner alone.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a mutual positional relationship between a cart and a positioner.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modification of the positioner.

FIG. 8 is an operation state diagram of the substrate transfer device.

FIG. 9 is an operation state diagram of the substrate transfer device.

FIG. 10 is an operation state diagram of the substrate transfer device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional film forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Heater 12 Positioner 13 Dolly 14 Substrate 22 Positioner support 23 Positioner feeder 29 Support arm 30 Positioner trajectory determination rail

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI H01L 21/68 H01L 21/68 N (72) Inventor, Kazutoshi Hamamoto 1-1, Akunouramachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Inside Nagasaki Shipyard (72) Inventor Naoki Takeuchi 1-1, Akunoura-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Inside Nagasaki Shipyard (56) References JP-A-7-126848 (JP, A) (JP, U) JP-A-3-89163 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C23C 16/00 B01J 3/00 H01L 21/68 H01L 21/205 H01L 21 / 31

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate between a heater and an electrode in a vacuum vessel, wherein the substrate is held at an angle which is stable and parallel to a heating surface of the heater and in a horizontal direction. A movable truck, a driving device for reciprocating the truck, a positioner provided to face the heating surface of the heater, and moving the positioner obliquely upward while drawing a circular arc from the truck. A pendulum-type positioner feeder capable of bringing a substrate received by a positioner into close contact with a heating surface of the heater, and a guide having an arcuate guide surface for guiding the movement of the positioner. Substrate transfer device for film equipment. 2. The substrate transfer device for a film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two positioners are provided so as to face both front and rear heating surfaces of the heater.