A wafer carrier lift system

Abstract

This invention discloses a lifting system for a wafer carrier, including a support chamber, a slider, a drive rod, and a sliding support. The support chamber is located below and connected to a wafer reaction chamber. The slider is located inside the support chamber, rises or falls along the chamber, and is connected to the wafer carrier in the wafer reaction chamber, used to raise or lower the wafer carrier within the chamber. The drive rod is connected to the slider and used to drive the slider to rise or fall. The sliding support is located between the slider and the support chamber, used to support the slider's sliding within the chamber and to balance the random forces acting on the slider. The wafer carrier lifting system provided by this invention solves problems such as structural instability and lead screw deformation caused by random forces generated by the bellows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor technology, and specifically relates to a lifting system for a wafer carrier. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor process equipment, a wafer carrier within a wafer reaction chamber uses a reciprocating lifting motion to pick up and place the wafer. A support column supporting the wafer carrier extends out of the wafer reaction chamber and connects to a slider outside the chamber. The slider's up-and-down movement causes the support column and wafer carrier to move up and down within the wafer reaction chamber. The slider is threadedly connected to a vertically positioned lead screw, which rotates to drive the slider's up-and-down movement. A retractable bellows is also provided at the connection between the wafer reaction chamber and the support column. The support column extending out of the wafer reaction chamber is located within the bellows, and the wafer reaction chamber is sealed and isolated from the outside environment through the bellows.

[0003] The support column's vertical movement causes the bellows to stretch or compress. Since the wafer reaction chamber is a vacuum chamber, the bellows connected to the wafer reaction chamber will generate random forces (hereinafter referred to as random forces) under atmospheric pressure. These random forces will be transmitted and eventually act on the slider, causing instability in the lifting device structure where the slider is located. Furthermore, the slider transmits the random forces to the lead screw. Since the random forces have a horizontal component, this component can easily cause lead screw deformation, increasing the driving torque of the motor that drives the lead screw, which may lead to motor overload risk or even a safety accident. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the issues of structural instability and lead screw deformation caused by the random directional forces generated by the bellows, this invention provides a lifting system for a wafer carrier.

[0005] The wafer carrier lifting system provided by this invention includes:

[0006] A slider, which is connected to the wafer carrier, is used to raise or lower the wafer carrier within the reaction chamber.

[0007] A support chamber is located below and connected to the wafer reaction chamber. The slider is placed inside the support chamber and rises or falls along the support chamber. A drive rod is connected to the slider and is used to drive the slider to rise or fall.

[0008] A sliding support is provided between the slider and the support chamber to support the slider to slide within the support chamber and prevent the slider from being damaged by force on the drive rod.

[0009] Optionally, the support chamber includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposite to the first inner wall, as well as a third inner wall and a fourth inner wall opposite to the third inner wall;

[0010] The first direction is set to be perpendicular to the first inner wall and the second inner wall, and the second direction is set to be perpendicular to the third inner wall and the fourth inner wall. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0011] Optionally, the sliding support includes a ball bearing, which is disposed on the slider, and a ball bearing groove is provided on the inner wall of the support chamber at a corresponding position.

[0012] Optionally, the slider has a first outer wall, a second outer wall, a third outer wall, and a fourth outer wall, which are respectively opposite to the first inner wall, the second inner wall, the third inner wall, and the fourth inner wall of the supporting chamber;

[0013] The second, third, and fourth outer walls are respectively provided with ball bearings, and the second, third, and fourth inner walls are respectively provided with ball bearing grooves.

[0014] Optionally, a slider track is provided on the first outer wall of the slider, and a corresponding groove is provided on the first inner wall.

[0015] Optionally, the force on the slider in the first direction is balanced by ball bearings disposed between the second outer wall and the second inner wall;

[0016] The force on the slider in the second direction is balanced by ball bearings arranged between the third outer wall and the third inner wall, and between the fourth outer wall and the fourth inner wall.

[0017] Optionally, a first through hole is provided on the second inner wall, and the slider is connected to the wafer carrier in the wafer reaction chamber through the first through hole;

[0018] The first through hole is opened in the vertical direction.

[0019] Optionally, two ball grooves are provided on the second inner wall;

[0020] The second outer wall is provided with two balls, which are respectively set to correspond to the two ball grooves on the second inner wall.

[0021] Optionally, the two ball grooves are symmetrically arranged with respect to both sides of the first through hole.

[0022] Optionally, the drive rod is a lead screw.

[0023] Optionally, the slider is provided with a second through hole extending in the vertical direction;

[0024] The inner wall of the second through hole has a threaded structure for thread engagement with the lead screw.

[0025] Optionally, one end of the lead screw is disposed on the top plate of the support chamber, and the other end is disposed on the bottom plate of the support chamber;

[0026] The lead screw rotates relative to the support chamber.

[0027] Optionally, the lifting system of the wafer carrier may further include a motor for driving the lead screw to rotate.

[0028] Optionally, the top plate of the support chamber is fixedly disposed on the bottom of the wafer reaction chamber.

[0029] Optionally, the wafer reaction chamber is provided with a support column for supporting the wafer carrier;

[0030] The lifting system of the wafer carrier also includes a connector for connecting the slider and the support column.

[0031] Optionally, a bellows is provided below the wafer reaction chamber, and the bellows is vertically arranged and surrounds the support column.

[0032] Optionally, the connector has a first part and a second part perpendicularly connected to the first part; wherein,

[0033] The first part passes horizontally through the inner wall of the support chamber and is connected and fixed to the slider;

[0034] The second part is set vertically, with one end connected to the support column.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the wafer carrier lifting system provided by the present invention generates a corresponding force by setting a support chamber around the slider and setting a sliding support between the slider and the support chamber to counteract the random force exerted by the bellows on the slider. This avoids problems such as structural instability and lead screw deformation caused by the random force generated by the bellows. Furthermore, multiple ball bearings are set on the second outer wall, which is most affected by random force, to better counteract and balance the random force. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 A front view of the wafer carrier lifting system and the wafer reaction chamber provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 A top view of the lifting system for the wafer carrier provided by the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first outer wall of the slider described in this invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the second outer wall of the slider described in this invention;

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the third outer wall of the slider described in this invention;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth outer wall of the slider described in this invention;

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the first inner wall of the supporting chamber according to the present invention;

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the second inner wall of the supporting chamber described in this invention;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the third inner wall of the supporting chamber described in this invention;

[0045] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth inner wall of the supporting chamber described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or terminal device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or terminal device. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." or "including..." does not exclude the presence of additional elements in the process, method, article, or terminal device that includes said element.

[0048] It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise ratios, and are only used to facilitate and clearly illustrate the purpose of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 1 A front view of the wafer carrier lifting system and the wafer reaction chamber provided by the present invention. Figure 1 In order to show the slider 200 disposed in the support chamber 100, the support chamber 100 is shown in a hollow shape, which does not represent an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2This is a top view of the lifting system for the wafer carrier provided by the present invention. See also: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wafer carrier lifting system provided by the present invention includes a support chamber 100, a slider 200, a drive rod, and a sliding support member; wherein, the support chamber 100 is disposed below and connected to the wafer reaction chamber 10; the slider 200 is disposed inside the support chamber 100, and rises or falls along the support chamber 100, and the slider 200 is also connected to the wafer carrier 20 in the wafer reaction chamber 10, for driving the wafer carrier 20, so that the wafer carrier 20 moves within the wafer reaction chamber 10. The wafer carrier 20 can be raised or lowered to pick up and place wafers; the drive rod is connected to the slider 200 and is used to drive the slider to rise or fall within the support chamber 100; the sliding support is located between the slider 200 and the support chamber 100 and is used to support the slider 200 to slide within the support chamber 100. The sliding support balances the horizontal component of the random force on the slider 200, thereby preventing the slider 200 from further acting on the drive rod and causing damage or deformation to the drive rod.

[0050] In this embodiment of the invention, the driving rod is a lead screw 300; the sliding support is a ball bearing, which is disposed on the slider 200, and a ball bearing groove is provided on the inner wall of the support chamber 100 at a corresponding position, and the ball bearing slides along the corresponding ball bearing groove.

[0051] In this embodiment of the invention, the support chamber 100 is a square cylindrical shape. Specifically, the support chamber 100 has a first inner wall 110 and a second inner wall 120 opposite to the first inner wall, as well as a third inner wall 130 and a fourth inner wall 140 opposite to the third inner wall. A first direction is defined as the direction perpendicular to the first inner wall 110 and the second inner wall 120, and a second direction is defined as the direction perpendicular to the third inner wall 130 and the fourth inner wall 140. The first and second directions are perpendicular to each other. In this embodiment of the invention, the support chamber 100 also has a top plate 150 and a bottom plate. The top plate 150 has several mounting holes 151 for fastening and fixing the top plate 150 to the bottom 11 of the wafer reaction chamber with bolts or other fasteners. This allows the support chamber 100 to be installed below and connected to the wafer reaction chamber 10.

[0052] The slider 200 is a cuboid and is adapted to the square cylindrical shape of the support chamber 100. Specifically, the slider has a first outer wall 210, a second outer wall 220, a third outer wall 230, and a fourth outer wall 240. The first outer wall 210 is opposite to the first inner wall 110 of the support chamber, the second outer wall 220 is opposite to the second inner wall 120 of the support chamber, the third outer wall 230 is opposite to the third inner wall 130 of the support chamber, and the fourth outer wall 240 is opposite to the fourth inner wall 140 of the support chamber. The square shape of the slider and the support chamber 100 can prevent the slider from rotating and provide a stable force-receiving surface.

[0053] Figures 3-6 These are schematic diagrams of the first outer wall 210, the second outer wall 220, the third outer wall 230, and the fourth outer wall 240 of the slider, respectively.

[0054] In this embodiment of the invention, a slider track 211 is provided on the first outer wall 210 of the slider, such as... Figure 3 As shown; the slider track 211 slides along the inner wall corresponding to the support chamber 100, and a groove corresponding to the slider track 211 is provided on the first inner wall. Optionally, the cross-section of the slider track 211 is "T" shaped, and the cross-section of the groove is also "T" shaped.

[0055] In this embodiment of the invention, the second outer wall 220, the third outer wall 230, and the fourth outer wall 240 of the slider are respectively provided with ball bearing mounting holes for mounting balls; wherein, the second outer wall 220 is provided with two ball bearing mounting holes 221 and 222, such as... Figure 4 As shown, two ball bearings can be installed on the second outer wall 220; the third outer wall 230 has ball bearing mounting holes 231, as shown. Figure 5 As shown; a ball bearing mounting hole 241 is provided on the fourth outer wall 240, as... Figure 6 As shown. Optionally, one ball bearing is provided on each of the third outer wall 230 and the fourth outer wall 240, located at the intersection of the transverse centerline and the longitudinal centerline. Two ball bearings are provided on the second outer wall 220, both located on the transverse centerline and symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline, and located near the edge of the second outer wall. This is because, based on practical experience, the second outer wall 220 is more susceptible to random forces, and the two symmetrical ball bearings located at the edge can better counteract the effects of random forces and also serve to balance the forces. More preferably, four ball bearings are provided on the second outer wall 220. In the transverse direction, two of the ball bearings are symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline, and in the longitudinal direction, two of the ball bearings are symmetrical about the transverse centerline, and all four ball bearings are located near the edge of the second outer wall; and so on, a plurality of ball bearings can be provided.

[0056] Figures 7-10These are schematic diagrams of the first inner wall 110, the second inner wall 120, the third inner wall 130, and the fourth inner wall 140 in the supporting chamber, respectively.

[0057] In this embodiment of the invention, the first inner wall 110 of the supporting chamber is provided with a sliding groove 111 in the vertical direction, such as... Figure 7 As shown; the groove 111 on the first inner wall corresponds to the slider track 211 on the first outer wall, and the slider track 211 slides along the groove 111.

[0058] In this embodiment of the invention, two ball grooves 121 and 122 and a first through hole 123 are formed on the second inner wall 120 of the supporting chamber. The ball grooves 121 and 122, as well as the first through hole 123, are all arranged vertically. The ball grooves 121 and 122 are located on both sides of the first through hole 123 and are symmetrically arranged. Figure 8 As shown; through the first through hole 123, the slider 200 is connected to the wafer carrier 10 in the wafer reaction chamber; the ball groove 121 and ball groove 122 on the second inner wall correspond to the ball mounting hole 221 and ball mounting hole 222 on the second outer wall, respectively. The ball in the ball mounting hole 221 will slide along the ball groove 121, and the ball in the ball mounting hole 222 will slide along the ball groove 122.

[0059] In this embodiment of the invention, the third inner wall 130 of the supporting chamber is provided with a ball groove 131 in the vertical direction, such as... Figure 9 As shown; the ball groove 131 on the third inner wall corresponds to the ball mounting hole 231 on the third outer wall, and the ball in the ball mounting hole 231 will slide along the ball groove 131.

[0060] In this embodiment of the invention, the fourth inner wall 140 of the supporting chamber is provided with a ball groove 141 in the vertical direction, such as... Figure 10 As shown; the ball groove 141 on the fourth inner wall corresponds to the ball mounting hole 241 on the fourth outer wall, and the ball in the ball mounting hole 241 will slide along the ball groove 141.

[0061] The present invention provides ball bearings disposed between the second outer wall 220 and the second inner wall 120, i.e., ball bearings in ball bearing mounting holes 221 and 222, to balance the force on the slider 200 in the first direction; the present invention provides ball bearings disposed between the third outer wall 230 and the third inner wall 130, i.e., ball bearings in ball bearing mounting holes 231, and ball bearings disposed between the fourth outer wall 240 and the fourth inner wall 140, i.e., ball bearing mounting holes 241, to balance the force on the slider 200 in the second direction; the horizontal component of the random force on the slider 200 is balanced by the ball bearings disposed between the support chamber 100 and the slider 200.

[0062] The slider 200 has a second through hole that extends vertically through the slider 200 and is used to mount the lead screw 300. The inner wall of the second through hole has a threaded structure that matches the threaded structure on the outer wall of the lead screw 300, so that the slider 200 and the lead screw 300 are threadedly connected. When the lead screw 300 rotates, the slider 200 is driven to slide along the slide groove 111 through the threaded transmission, thereby raising or lowering the slider 200 along the support chamber 100.

[0063] The lead screw 300 passes through the second through hole of the slider 200, with one end disposed on the top plate 150 of the support chamber and the other end disposed on the bottom plate of the support chamber; the lead screw 300 rotates relative to the support chamber 100.

[0064] The lifting system of the wafer carrier also includes a motor (not shown in the figure), which drives the lead screw 300 to rotate. The motor can be located outside the support chamber 100 to reduce the impact of vibration during motor operation on the stability of the support chamber 100. The motor and the lead screw 300 can be connected by a coupling 400, with the motor driving the coupling 400 to rotate, which in turn drives the lead screw 300 to rotate.

[0065] In this embodiment of the invention, the wafer reaction chamber 10 is used to provide a sealed vacuum environment for processing the wafer; the wafer reaction chamber 10 is provided with a wafer carrier 20 and a support column 30, wherein the wafer carrier 20 is used to support the wafer, and the wafer carrier 20 realizes the picking and placing of the wafer by reciprocating lifting and lowering motion; the support column 30 is located below the wafer carrier 20 and is fixedly connected to the wafer carrier 20, and is used to support the wafer carrier 20; the support column 30 also extends out of the bottom 11 of the wafer reaction chamber and is connected to the lifting system of the wafer carrier.

[0066] A retractable bellows 40 is disposed below the wafer reaction chamber 10. The bellows 40 is used to provide a sealed vacuum environment for wafer processing in conjunction with the wafer reaction chamber 10. An upper flange 41 is disposed at the upper end of the bellows 40 and a lower flange 42 is disposed at the lower end. The upper flange 41 is fixedly disposed at the bottom 11 of the wafer reaction chamber and is sealed to the bottom 11 of the wafer reaction chamber. The upper flange 41 has a through hole at the middle position, and a corresponding through hole is also provided at the bottom 11, so that the bellows 40 communicates with the wafer reaction chamber 10. At the same time, the support column 30 passes through the through hole on the bottom 11 and the through hole on the upper flange 41 and is fixedly disposed on the lower flange 42. The lower flange 42 is used to seal the lower end of the bellows 40, and the support column 30 is connected to the lifting system of the wafer carrier through the lower flange 42. The wafer reaction chamber 10 is a vacuum chamber, and the bellows 40 connected to it will generate random force under atmospheric pressure, which will act on the slider 200.

[0067] The lifting system of the wafer carrier also includes a connector for connecting the slider and the support column. In this embodiment of the invention, the connector has a first part 510 and a second part 520, which are vertically connected. The first part 510 passes horizontally through a first through hole 123 on the second inner wall of the support chamber and is fixedly disposed on the second outer wall 220 of the slider. The second part 520 is vertically upward and has a connecting flange 521 at its end. The connecting flange 521 of the second part is fastened to the lower flange 42 of the bellows by fasteners, thereby realizing the connection between the second part 520 and the support column 30.

[0068] In this embodiment of the invention, the lifting system of the wafer carrier further includes a base 600; the base 600 is disposed below the support chamber 100, and the first inner wall 110 of the support chamber extends onto the base 600, and the support chamber 100 is supported by the first inner wall 110.

[0069] The second outer wall 220 of the slider is directly connected to the connector. Therefore, the present invention provides two balls between the second outer wall 220 and the second inner wall 120, namely the balls in the ball mounting hole 221 and the ball mounting hole 222. While balancing the force on the slider in the first direction, it ensures that the force on the slider is stable and uniform, which is beneficial to the structural stability of the lifting device.

[0070] In this invention, the motor drives the coupling 400 to rotate in the forward direction, and the coupling 400 drives the lead screw 300 to rotate in the same direction. The forward-rotating lead screw 300 drives the slider 200 to rise along the inner wall of the support chamber 100 through threaded transmission. Simultaneously, the balls on the slider rise synchronously along their corresponding ball grooves. Alternatively, the motor drives the coupling 400 to rotate in the reverse direction, and the coupling 400 drives the lead screw 300 to rotate in the same direction. The reverse-rotating lead screw 300 drives the slider 200 to descend along the inner wall of the support chamber 100 through threaded transmission. Simultaneously, the balls on the slider descend synchronously along their corresponding ball grooves.

[0071] This invention uses ball bearings positioned between the support chamber 100 and the slider 200 to balance the random forces acting on the slider 200, thereby preventing the slider 200 from further acting on the lead screw 300 and causing damage or deformation. The wafer carrier lifting system provided by this invention solves the problems of structural instability and lead screw deformation caused by the random forces generated by the bellows.

[0072] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lift system of a wafer carrier for lifting a wafer carrier in a wafer reaction chamber, characterized in that, The lifting system of the wafer carrier includes: A slider, which is connected to the wafer carrier, is used to raise or lower the wafer carrier within the reaction chamber. A support chamber is located below and connected to the wafer reaction chamber; the slider is placed inside the support chamber and rises or falls along the support chamber. A drive rod, which is connected to the slider, is used to drive the slider to rise or fall. A sliding support is provided between the slider and the support chamber to support the slider to slide within the support chamber and prevent the slider from being damaged by force on the drive rod. The sliding support includes a ball bearing, which is disposed on the slider, and a ball bearing groove is provided on the inner wall of the support chamber at a corresponding position. The supporting chamber includes a first inner wall and a second inner wall opposite to the first inner wall; The slider has a first outer wall and a second outer wall, which are respectively opposite to the first inner wall and the second inner wall of the support chamber; a slider track is provided on the first outer wall of the slider, and a corresponding groove is provided on the first inner wall; a ball is provided on the second outer wall, and a corresponding ball groove is provided on the second inner wall. The wafer reaction chamber is provided with a support column for supporting the wafer carrier. A corrugated tube is provided below the wafer reaction chamber, and the corrugated tube is vertically arranged and surrounds the support column.

2. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting chamber also includes a third inner wall and a fourth inner wall opposite to the third inner wall; The first direction is set to be perpendicular to the first inner wall and the second inner wall, and the second direction is set to be perpendicular to the third inner wall and the fourth inner wall. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

3. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The slider also has a third outer wall and a fourth outer wall, which are respectively opposite to the third inner wall and the fourth inner wall of the supporting chamber; The third and fourth outer walls are respectively provided with ball bearings, and the third and fourth inner walls are respectively provided with corresponding ball bearing grooves.

4. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The force on the slider in the first direction is balanced by ball bearings arranged between the second outer wall and the second inner wall; The force on the slider in the second direction is balanced by ball bearings arranged between the third outer wall and the third inner wall, and between the fourth outer wall and the fourth inner wall.

5. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 3, characterized in that, A first through hole is provided on the second inner wall, and the slider is connected to the wafer carrier in the wafer reaction chamber through the first through hole; The first through hole is opened in the vertical direction.

6. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Two ball bearing grooves are formed on the second inner wall; The second outer wall is provided with two balls, which are respectively set to correspond to the two ball grooves on the second inner wall.

7. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The two ball grooves are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first through hole.

8. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive rod is a lead screw.

9. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The slider has a second through hole extending in the vertical direction; The inner wall of the second through hole has a threaded structure for thread engagement with the lead screw.

10. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 9, characterized in that, One end of the lead screw is disposed on the top plate of the support chamber, and the other end is disposed on the bottom plate of the support chamber; The lead screw rotates relative to the support chamber.

11. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The lifting system of the wafer carrier also includes a motor for driving the lead screw to rotate.

12. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top plate of the support chamber is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the wafer reaction chamber.

13. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting system of the wafer carrier also includes a connector for connecting the slider and the support column.

14. The lifting system of the wafer carrier as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The connector has a first part and a second part perpendicularly connected to the first part; wherein... The first part passes horizontally through the inner wall of the support chamber and is connected and fixed to the slider; The second part is set vertically, with one end connected to the support column.

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