Controllable lifting device with precision measurement and lithography equipment containing the same

Abstract

The present invention discloses a controllable lifting device with precision measurement and a photolithography device. The device includes a fixed base, a guide seat, a moving assembly, and a driving assembly. The fixed base is fixedly connected to the guide seat, and a guide sleeve with a vertical axis is provided on the fixed base. The moving assembly includes a lifting head, a guide rod, and a magnetic steel. The upper end of the guide rod has a mounting hole, and the guide rod passes through the guide sleeve. An air-floating contact surface is formed between the guide rod and the guide sleeve, as well as between the fixed base and the guide seat. The magnetic steel and the lifting head are sequentially installed in the mounting hole of the guide rod, so that the lifting head extends out of the upper end of the guide sleeve. The driving assembly includes a motor coil and an iron core, and the iron core is arranged in an annular space between the guide rod and the guide sleeve. The motor coil is wound on the iron core. There is an air hole in the center of the moving assembly, and the fixed base provides positive pressure or negative pressure gas to the air hole through the airway of the guide rod. The present invention adopts air-floating contact surface guidance to reduce friction between parts, avoid particle generation, improve motion accuracy, and reduce motor driving force requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of photolithography, in particular to a controllable lifting device with precision measurement and a photolithography device comprising the same. Background Art

[0002] The silicon wafer handover device of the lithography equipment cooperates with the transfer robot to realize the handover function of the silicon wafer. The device used for controllable lifting of silicon wafers in the lithography equipment is usually called E-pin. The E-pin is installed on the wafer stage, and the lithography equipment needs to load and unload the silicon wafer when working. When loading the wafer, the silicon wafer is transferred to the set position by the robot, and the pin rod of the E-pin extends to remove the silicon wafer from the robot, and then the pin rod retracts to place the silicon wafer on the wafer stage. When unloading the wafer, the pin rod extends to lift the silicon wafer from the wafer stage to the set height, and then it is taken away by the robot. Therefore, the E-pin needs both a retractable function for lifting and lowering the silicon wafer; and a position measurement function to prevent the silicon wafer and parts from being damaged due to the inadequate lifting and lowering of the silicon wafer.

[0003] The inventors found that when placing the silicon wafer on the suction cup, the current sliding and rolling transmission structure will introduce particle contamination. If sliding guidance is used, the guide rod and the guide sleeve are made of hardness and wear-resistant materials. Although this can reduce the number of particles, it will still introduce particle contamination. If rolling guidance is used, roller guidance is used between the guide rod and the guide sleeve or the fixed seat and the guide base. This will introduce grease, cause particle contamination, and damage the photolithography environment.

[0004] To this end, a structure that can guide without polluting the lithography environment should be used, but up to now, there is no better solution. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a controllable lifting device with precision measurement, comprising a fixed base, a guide seat, a moving assembly, and a driving assembly.

[0006] The fixed base is fixedly connected to the guide base, and a guide sleeve with a vertical axis is installed on the fixed base.

[0007] The mobile components include:

[0008] Lifting head,

[0009] The guide rod has a mounting hole coaxial with the guide sleeve at its upper end, the guide rod passes through the guide sleeve coaxially, and an air-floating contact surface is formed between the upper part of the guide rod and the guide sleeve, and between the lower part of the guide rod and the fixed base and the guide seat;

[0010] The magnet, magnet and lifting head are sequentially installed into the mounting hole of the guide rod so that the lifting head extends out of the upper end of the guide sleeve.

[0011] The drive components include:

[0012] The motor coil and the iron core are coaxially arranged in the annular space between the guide rod and the guide sleeve, and the motor coil is wound around the iron core.

[0013] Among them, an air hole penetrating to the upper end of the lifting head is coaxially opened in the center of the moving component, an air inlet hole and an air duct connecting the air inlet hole and the air hole are arranged on the guide rod, and an air source hole and an air outlet hole are opened on the fixed base. The air source hole is connected to the air source, and the air outlet hole is connected to the air inlet hole on the guide rod through a hose, and positive pressure or negative pressure gas is provided to the air hole through the air source hole.

[0014] Preferably, the moving assembly further comprises a first rubber ring, a support rod and a fixing sleeve, and the fixing sleeve, the support rod, the first rubber ring and the lifting head are sequentially connected and inserted into the mounting hole of the guide rod.

[0015] Preferably, a cooling water tank for cooling the motor coil is provided on the fixed base, a cooling water fixed sleeve surrounds the periphery of the fixed base to seal the cooling water tank, and a water inlet and a water outlet connected to the cooling water tank are provided on the fixed base.

[0016] Preferably, a grating scale reading head mounting hole penetrating the fixed base to the guide rod is provided on the fixed base, the grating scale reading head is installed on the fixed base through the grating scale reading head mounting hole, and a grating scale is provided on the guide rod.

[0017] Preferably, a vertical limit groove is provided on the guide rod, a limit rod mounting hole is provided on the fixed base, the limit rod passes through the limit rod mounting hole and is fixed to the guide seat by a threaded connection, the end of the limit rod passing through the guide seat is inserted into the limit groove, and the end of the limit rod passing through the guide seat is sleeved with a second rubber ring.

[0018] Preferably, two air inlet holes and air ducts connected to the air holes are provided on the guide rod, two air source holes are opened on the fixed base, one air source hole is connected to the positive pressure air source, and the other air source hole is connected to the negative pressure air source, and two air outlet holes are also provided on the fixed base, and the two air outlet holes are connected to the corresponding air inlet holes on the guide rod through hoses.

[0019] Preferably, core disks are respectively provided at the upper and lower ends of the magnetic steel, and an adjustment pad is further provided between the core disk at the upper end and the fixing sleeve.

[0020] Preferably, the guide rod includes a cylinder and a block body coaxially connected to the bottom of the cylinder, an air-floating contact surface is formed between the upper part of the cylinder and the guide sleeve, one side of the two opposite side surfaces of the block body is an air-floating contact surface formed between a plurality of protruding first vertical planes parallel to each other and the guide seat, and the other side of the two opposite side surfaces of the block body is an air-floating contact surface formed between two second vertical planes extending relatively inclined and the fixed base.

[0021] Preferably, at least three positioning support rods extend from the fixed base, ends of all the positioning support rods form coplanar positioning planes, and positioning pin holes are provided on the positioning planes.

[0022] The present invention also provides a photolithography device, including a wafer stage for carrying a silicon wafer, and also including a controllable lifting device with precision measurement as described above, wherein the controllable lifting device is installed on the wafer stage.

[0023] The controllable lifting device with precision measurement and the lithography equipment including the same of the present invention have the following technical effects:

[0024] (1) The air-floating contact surface guide only retains the vertical freedom of the guide rod, which can reduce the friction between parts, avoid the generation of particles, improve the motion accuracy, and reduce the requirements for motor driving force;

[0025] (2) The cooperation between the limit groove and the limit rod can prevent the silicon wafer from exceeding the travel range under special circumstances, thereby damaging the silicon wafer and other parts of the lithography equipment, such as the fork manipulator and the objective lens;

[0026] (3) The first rubber ring prevents the silicon wafer from directly making rigid contact with the pin foot, thereby preventing damage to the silicon wafer when the silicon wafer contacts a structural member with greater rigidity, and can achieve slight adjustments in the Rx, Ry, and Z directions (a rectangular coordinate system with the vertical direction being the Z axis).

[0027] (4) The rise and fall of the silicon wafer can be monitored in real time, and the position of the silicon wafer can be accurately controlled.

[0028] (5) The up and down movement of the lifting head relies on electromagnetic interaction, which not only saves space but also meets the needs of smooth and reliable transmission of silicon wafers up and down. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The above-mentioned features and technical advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand by describing its embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 is a front cross-sectional view showing a controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2is a side cross-sectional view showing a controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram showing the connection between the lifting head, the first rubber ring and the support rod according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the pores and airways of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a fixed base according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing a moving assembly of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 1 is a bottom view of a controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The figure includes: a lifting head 1, a first rubber ring 2, a support rod 3, a fixing sleeve 4, an E-pin guide rod 5, a guide sleeve 6, an adjustment pad 7, an iron core disk 8, a magnetic steel 9, a cooling water fixing sleeve 10, a cooling water sealing ring 11, a coil core 12, a motor coil 13, a fixed base 14, a grating scale reading head 15, a grating scale 16, a guide seat 17, a limit rod 18, a second rubber ring of the limit rod 19, a flexible air pipe 20, an air pipe joint 21, a screw 22, a limit groove 23, an air hole 400, an air inlet hole 51, an air duct 52, an air outlet hole 141, a screw hole 142, a limit rod mounting hole 143, a cylinder 55, a block 56, a first vertical plane 300, a second vertical plane 200, a connecting vertical plane 561, a positioning plane 147, a positioning support rod 146, and a positioning pin hole 148. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Embodiments of the controllable lifting device with precision measurement and the lithographic apparatus including the same according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be modified in various ways or in combination without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the claims. In addition, in this specification, the drawings are not drawn to scale and the same reference numerals represent the same parts.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the controllable lifting device with precision measurement includes a fixed base 14, a guide base 17, a moving component, and a driving component, wherein the fixed base 14 is fixedly connected to the guide base 17. Figure 5It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a fixed base, wherein a screw hole 142 is processed on the fixed base 14, and the guide seat 17 is fixedly connected to the fixed base 14 through the screw hole 142. A guide sleeve 6 with a vertical axis is installed on the fixed base 14. Among them, the moving assembly includes a lifting head 1, a guide rod 5, and a magnetic steel 9. The upper end of the guide rod 5 has a mounting hole coaxial with the guide sleeve 6. The guide rod 5 coaxially passes through the guide sleeve 6 and penetrates into the space surrounded by the fixed base 14 and the guide seat 17. An annular space is formed between the guide sleeve 6 and the guide rod 5. In addition, an air floating contact is formed between the guide rod 5 and the guide sleeve 6 as well as the fixed base 14 and the guide seat 17 to limit the freedom of the guide rod 5 in five directions and retain its freedom in the vertical direction. The air floating contact refers to a certain gap between the two contact surfaces, and there is air between the gaps, which makes the two contact surfaces have a certain guiding effect and a small friction coefficient and smooth sliding. Of course, the gap should not be too large, otherwise it will not play a guiding role.

[0040] The magnetic steel 9 and the lifting head 1 are sequentially installed into the mounting hole of the guide rod 5, so that the lifting head 1 extends out of the upper end of the guide sleeve 6. Preferably, the moving assembly further includes a first rubber ring 2, a support rod 3, and a fixed sleeve 4. Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the lifting head 1 is connected to the first rubber ring 2, the first rubber ring 2 is connected to the support rod 3, the support rod 3 is connected to the fixing sleeve 4 below, and then the fixing sleeve 4 is installed in the mounting hole of the guide rod 5. The function of the first rubber ring 2 is to ensure that the lifting head 1 can have a certain flexibility in the Rx, Ry and Z directions. In addition, the upper and lower ends of the magnetic steel 9 are provided with iron core disks 8. The function of the iron core disk 8 is to optimize the magnetic field of the magnetic steel 9 itself so that the magnetic flux lines in the magnetic steel 9 form a closed loop. An iron core disk 8 is installed in the mounting hole, and then the magnetic steel 9 is installed, and then the iron core disk 8 is installed. An adjustment pad 7 can also be set above the iron core disk 8. The adjustment pad 7 is used to adjust the overall height. Then the fixing sleeve 4, the support rod 3, the first rubber ring 2, and the lifting head 1 are installed in the mounting hole in turn.

[0041] The driving assembly includes a motor coil 13 and a coil core 12. The guide sleeve 6 has an annular inner shoulder, so that an annular space with different gaps is formed between the guide rod 5 and the guide sleeve 6. The gap of the upper annular space is relatively small, and the guide rod 5 and the guide sleeve are air-floating contact surfaces. The gap of the lower annular space is larger. The coil core 12 is coaxially arranged in the lower annular space, and the motor coil 13 is wound on the coil core 12. The guide sleeve and the fixed base are provided with threading holes for connecting the two ends of the power supply coil 13 to the power supply.

[0042] Among them, Figure 4As shown, an air hole 400 is coaxially opened at the center of the moving component, that is, the air hole 400 penetrates the lifting head 1, the first rubber ring 2, the support rod 3, the fixing sleeve 4, the adjustment pad 7, the core plate 8, the magnetic steel 9 and enters the guide rod 5, and the air hole is closed at the lower end of the guide rod 5, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the lower end of the air hole 400 is closed by screwing a bolt on the bottom end of the air hole 400. The guide rod 5 is provided with an air inlet hole 51 and an air passage 52 connecting the air inlet hole 51 and the air hole 400, and the fixed base 14 is provided with an air source hole, which is connected to the air source, and the fixed base is also provided with an air outlet hole 141, which is connected to the air inlet hole 51 on the guide rod 5 through the flexible air pipe 20 and the air pipe joint 21, and positive pressure or negative pressure gas is provided to the air hole 400 through the air source hole.

[0043] Preferably, two air inlet holes and air passages connected to the air holes are provided on the guide rod 5, two air source holes are provided on the fixed base, one air source hole is connected to the positive pressure air source, and the other air source hole is connected to the negative pressure air source, and two air outlet holes are provided on the fixed base, and the two air outlet holes are connected to the air inlet holes on the guide rod 5 through hoses. The air source holes can be processed at the bottom of the fixed base 14, and are used to realize the vacuum extraction and back blowing functions of the silicon wafer.

[0044] Furthermore, a cooling water tank for cooling the motor coil is provided on the fixed base 14, and a cooling water fixed sleeve 10 surrounds the outer periphery of the fixed base to seal the cooling water tank. Figure 2 As shown, the cooling water fixing sleeve 10 is connected to the fixing base 14 by screws 22. The fixing base 14 is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet connected to the cooling water tank. Cooling water sealing rings 11 are installed on the upper and lower sides between the cooling water fixing sleeve 10 and the fixing base 14 to seal the cooling water.

[0045] Furthermore, a grating scale reading head mounting hole is provided on the fixed base 14, and the grating scale reading head 15 is installed on the fixed base 14 through the grating scale reading head mounting hole. A vertical grating scale is provided on the outer circumference of the guide rod 5. During the up and down movement of the guide rod 5, the grating scale reading head 15 can read the reading of the grating scale 16.

[0046] Furthermore, a vertical limit groove 23 is provided on the guide rod 5, and a limit rod mounting hole 143 is provided on the fixed base 14. The limit rod 18 passes through the limit rod mounting hole 143 and is fixed to the guide seat 17 through a threaded connection. The end of the limit rod 18 passing through the guide seat 17 is inserted into the limit groove 23, and the end of the limit rod 18 passing through the guide seat 17 is sleeved with a second limit rod rubber ring 19 to avoid direct rigid contact between the limit rod 18 and the limit groove 23 of the guide rod, while playing a limiting role on the guide rod.

[0047] Furthermore, if Figure 6 As shown, the guide rod 5 includes a cylinder 55 and a block 56 coaxially connected to the bottom of the cylinder, an air-floating contact surface is formed between the upper part of the cylinder 55 and the guide sleeve 6, and one of the two opposite sides of the block 56 forms an air-floating contact surface with the guide seat 17 through a plurality of mutually parallel first vertical planes 300 protruding from one side. Figure 6 Two first vertical planes 300 are used. Of course, the present embodiment does not limit the number of the first vertical planes 300, and it can also be one. The other side of the opposite sides of the block body 56 is an air-floating contact surface formed between two second vertical planes 200 extending at an angle relative to each other and a fixed base. The two second vertical planes 200 can also be vertical sections with different inclination angles. The air-floating contact surface between the cylinder 55 and the guide sleeve can be that only a part of the outer diameter of the cylinder is set to be in air-floating contact with the guide sleeve, while the outer diameter of the other part can be relatively reduced to make the sliding smooth. For example Figure 6 In the embodiment, the outer diameter of the annular boss 100 is larger than the outer diameter of the cylinder 55, and the annular boss 100 and the guide sleeve 6 are in air-floating contact.

[0048] The second vertical plane 200 may be two vertical planes symmetrically cut vertically from the horizontal ends of the side at a certain inclination angle, such as Figure 6 The middle is a vertical plane cut obliquely from the two horizontal ends of the side to the middle, and a concave connecting vertical surface 561 is formed between the two second vertical planes 200. The grating ruler 16 is installed on the connecting vertical surface 561 to protect the grating ruler from collision damage during the up and down movement. This embodiment is not used to limit the number of the steam-floating contact surfaces.

[0049] Furthermore, at least three positioning rods 146 extend from the fixed base 14, and the ends of all the positioning rods 146 form coplanar positioning planes 147, and positioning pin holes 148 are provided on the positioning planes 147. Through the positioning planes 147, the fixed base 14 is mounted on the reference plane.

[0050] The present invention also provides a photolithography device, including a wafer stage for carrying a silicon wafer, and also including a controllable lifting device with precision measurement as described above, wherein the controllable lifting device is installed on the wafer stage.

[0051] The working process of the controllable lifting device with precision measurement is described below:

[0052] Before work, the assembled controllable lifting device is fixed on the reference plane through the positioning surface 147 on the fixed base 14, and its position is fixed by a positioning pin through a positioning pin hole 148 processed on the fixed base 14.

[0053] During operation, when the silicon wafer needs to be removed from the fork robot, in order to prevent the silicon wafer from slipping, the lifting head 1 provides a back vacuum suction force to allow the silicon wafer to be adsorbed on the lifting head 1. When the silicon wafer is adsorbed on the lifting head 1, the motor coil 13 is controlled, and the magnetic force of the motor coil 13 and the magnetic steel 9 interact to make the part of the guide rod 5 with the lifting head 1 move downward as a whole. The grating scale reading head 15 and the grating scale 16 are used to monitor the descending height of the silicon wafer in real time. When the specified position is reached, the gas source providing the vacuum environment is turned off, and the lifting head 1 is provided with back-blowing gas to separate the silicon wafer from the lifting head 1. The detached silicon wafer will fall on the suction cup at this time for subsequent operations.

[0054] When the processed silicon wafer needs to be separated from the suction cup, the air holes in the lifting head 1 provide back vacuum suction again to adsorb the silicon wafer on the lifting head, and then through the interaction between the motor coil 13 and the magnetic steel 9, the lifting head 1 drives the silicon wafer to move upward. After reaching the specified position, when the fork robot needs to take away the silicon wafer, the back vacuum suction is stopped and the silicon wafer can be taken away.

[0055] During the entire moving process, the device provides an air flotation guide structure, a cooling water cooling structure, a limit structure and real-time position detection to ensure that the silicon wafer can run smoothly and safely from the fork robot to the suction cup or from the suction cup to the fork robot.

[0056] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A controllable lifting device with precision measurement, characterized in that: Including fixed base, guide seat, moving assembly, driving assembly, The fixed base is fixedly connected to the guide base, and a guide sleeve with a vertical axis is installed on the fixed base. The mobile components include: Lifting head, The guide rod has a mounting hole coaxial with the guide sleeve at its upper end, the guide rod passes through the guide sleeve coaxially, and an air-floating contact surface is formed between the upper part of the guide rod and the guide sleeve, and between the lower part of the guide rod and the fixed base and the guide seat; The magnet, magnet and lifting head are sequentially installed into the mounting hole of the guide rod so that the lifting head extends out of the upper end of the guide sleeve. The drive components include: The motor coil and the iron core are coaxially arranged in the annular space between the guide rod and the guide sleeve, and the motor coil is wound around the iron core. Among them, an air hole penetrating to the upper end of the lifting head is coaxially opened in the center of the moving component, an air inlet hole and an air duct connecting the air inlet hole and the air hole are arranged on the guide rod, and an air source hole and an air outlet hole are opened on the fixed base. The air source hole is connected to the air source, and the air outlet hole is connected to the air inlet hole on the guide rod through a hose, and positive pressure or negative pressure gas is provided to the air hole through the air source hole.

2. The controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving assembly also includes a first rubber ring, a support rod and a fixing sleeve. The fixing sleeve, the support rod, the first rubber ring and the lifting head are sequentially connected and installed in the mounting hole of the guide rod.

3. The controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cooling water tank for cooling the motor coil is provided on the fixed base, a cooling water fixed sleeve surrounds the outer periphery of the fixed base to seal the cooling water tank, and a water inlet and a water outlet connected to the cooling water tank are provided on the fixed base.

4. A controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixed base is provided with a grating scale reading head mounting hole penetrating the fixed base to the guide rod. The grating scale reading head is mounted on the fixed base through the grating scale reading head mounting hole. The guide rod is provided with a grating scale.

5. The controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: A vertical limit groove is arranged on the guide rod, a limit rod mounting hole is arranged on the fixed base, the limit rod passes through the limit rod mounting hole and is fixed on the guide seat through a threaded connection, the end of the limit rod passing through the guide seat is inserted into the limit groove, and a second rubber ring is sleeved on the end of the limit rod passing through the guide seat.

6. A controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two air inlet holes and air ducts connected to the air holes are arranged on the guide rod, two air source holes are opened on the fixed base, one air source hole is connected to the positive pressure air source, and the other air source hole is connected to the negative pressure air source, and two air outlet holes are also arranged on the fixed base, and the two air outlet holes are connected to the corresponding air inlet holes on the guide rod through hoses.

7. A controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper and lower ends of the magnetic steel are respectively provided with iron core disks, and an adjustment pad is also provided between the upper iron core disk and the fixing sleeve.

8. The controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide rod includes a cylinder and a block body coaxially connected to the bottom of the cylinder, an air-floating contact surface is formed between the upper part of the cylinder and the guide sleeve, one side of the two opposite side surfaces of the block body is an air-floating contact surface formed between a plurality of protruding mutually parallel first vertical planes and the guide seat, and the other side of the two opposite side surfaces of the block body is an air-floating contact surface formed between two relatively inclined second vertical planes and the fixed base.

9. The controllable lifting device with precision measurement according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least three positioning rods extend from the fixed base, and ends of all the positioning rods form coplanar positioning planes, and positioning pin holes are arranged on the positioning planes.

10. A photolithography device, comprising a wafer stage for carrying a silicon wafer, characterized in that: It also includes a controllable lifting device with precision measurement as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and the controllable lifting device is installed on the wafer platform.

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