A batch load carrier for substrates, a processing apparatus and a method of use thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a batch loading substrate carrier, a processing device and a use method thereof, wherein the carrier is provided with a processing channel, at least one processing station is arranged in the processing channel, the processing station comprises a fixed component and a slidable component, the carrier comprises a side plate, the side plate is provided with a mounting member, the mounting member is provided with the first mounting hole, and the first mounting hole is used for assembling the slidable component. By adopting the above scheme, the slidable component specifically slides in the first mounting hole of the mounting member and does not directly contact the side plate, when damage occurs at the first mounting hole, the mounting member can be directly replaced, the whole side plate does not need to be disassembled and assembled, maintenance work is relatively simple, and efficiency can be relatively high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of photovoltaic equipment technology, specifically to a carrier, processing equipment, and method of using for batch loading of substrates. Background Technology

[0002] Processing equipment is required when performing coating and other treatments on semiconductor substrates. In actual production, yield is a crucial consideration, necessitating batch preparation of the substrates to be processed. This batch preparation requires the design of appropriate carriers. When processing one side of a substrate, such as coating, it is usually necessary to shield or protect the other side. For example, in the production of solar cells, when processing large batches of substrates simultaneously within the same chamber, one side of the substrate needs to be shielded while maintaining sufficient batch size. Currently, a feasible method is to stack two substrates, using each other for shielding. However, this method requires ensuring good adhesion between the two substrates. Poor adhesion can result in the treatment of surfaces that are not intended for processing, such as wire bonding.

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical issues, a carrier has been designed that ensures a good fit between the two substrates through the interaction of fixed and sliding components. Specifically, holes are directly drilled in the side plate of the carrier, allowing the sliding components to slide within these holes. However, this approach causes direct wear on the side plate. When the side plate suffers severe wear and damage, the entire carrier must be disassembled and replaced, making the process extremely cumbersome.

[0004] In addition, the sliding position of the sliding parts is not easy to adjust during actual operation.

[0005] Therefore, how to provide a solution to overcome or alleviate at least some of the above-mentioned defects remains a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a carrier, processing equipment, and method of using substrates for batch loading. The processing equipment includes a side plate with a mounting member and a first mounting hole for mounting and sliding of a sliding component, thereby avoiding direct wear of the sliding component on the side plate.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a carrier for batch loading substrates. The carrier is provided with a processing channel, and at least one processing station is provided in the processing channel. The processing station includes a fixed component and a sliding component. The carrier includes a side plate, and the side plate is provided with a mounting component. The mounting component is provided with a first mounting hole, which is used to assemble the sliding component.

[0008] Using the above solution, the sliding component slides within the first mounting hole of the mounting member without directly contacting the side plate. When the first mounting hole is damaged, the mounting member can be replaced directly without disassembling the entire side plate. This makes maintenance relatively simple and efficient.

[0009] Optionally, the mounting component is a reactive passivation block.

[0010] Optionally, the material of the reactive passivation block is different from the material of the sliding component.

[0011] Optionally, the reactive passivation block is made of any one of stainless steel plated with Teflon, aluminum alloy, or graphite.

[0012] Optionally, the first mounting hole is a stepped hole, which includes a small-diameter hole section and a large-diameter hole section, and the slidable component is slidably assembled on the small-diameter hole section.

[0013] Optionally, the large-diameter hole segment and the small-diameter hole segment are arranged sequentially along the direction from the outer wall surface of the side plate to the inner wall surface of the side plate.

[0014] Optionally, the sliding component is a clamping component.

[0015] Optionally, the outer surface of the slidable component is provided with a reactive passivation layer.

[0016] Optionally, the carrier includes two side plates arranged opposite each other, the slidable component is slidably mounted on the side plates, at least one of the side plates is slidably mounted with a locking member, the slidable component is provided with a locking groove, and the locking member can be embedded in the locking groove.

[0017] Optionally, the side plate is provided with a second mounting hole, and the lock is disposed in the second mounting hole and is able to slide within the second mounting hole.

[0018] Optionally, a gasket is provided in the second mounting hole, and the gasket and the locking member are arranged sequentially in the thickness direction of the side plate.

[0019] Optionally, the gasket is detachably mounted to the side plate to allow for the replacement of gaskets of different thicknesses.

[0020] The present invention also provides a processing device, including a heating component, a gas supply component, a gas extraction component, and a carrier, wherein the carrier is the aforementioned carrier for batch loading substrates.

[0021] The present invention also provides a method of using a processing device, applicable to the above-mentioned processing device, wherein the sliding component is a clamping component, and the method of use includes the following steps: Step S1, installing a substrate group at the processing station, the substrate group including a plurality of mating substrates to be processed; Step S2, controlling the clamping component to slide within the first mounting hole to clamp each of the substrates to be processed in the substrate group; Step S3, processing the substrate group.

[0022] Optionally, the side plate is slidably fitted with a locking element, and the pressing component is provided with a locking groove; step S2 further includes: causing the locking element to be embedded in the locking groove. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A simplified structural diagram of the carrier of the processing equipment provided by the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A simplified side view;

[0025] Figure 3 A simplified diagram showing the connection structure of the clamping component, the reaction passivation block, and the side plate;

[0026] Figure 4 A simplified diagram of the connection structure of the clamping components, locking parts, gaskets, and side plates;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the method of using the processing device provided by the present invention.

[0028] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0029] 1. Carrier, 11. Processing channel, 12. Processing station, 13. Side plate, 131. Reaction passivation block, 131a. First mounting hole, 131a-1. Large diameter hole section, 131a-2. Small diameter hole section, 131b. Protruding tooth, 132. Second mounting hole;

[0030] 2 clamping components, 21 locking groove;

[0031] 3 locking components;

[0032] 4 gaskets. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0035] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "linking" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0036] The directional terms used in the embodiments of this invention, such as "inner" and "outer," are merely for reference to the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer explanation and understanding of the embodiments of this invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this invention. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated in this application, "a plurality of" as used in this application refers to two or more.

[0037] In the description of embodiments of the present invention, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus 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 apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0038] Please refer to Figures 1-4 , Figure 1 This is a simplified structural diagram of the carrier of the processing equipment provided by the present invention. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A simplified view diagram. Figure 3 This is a simplified diagram of the connection structure of the clamping component, the reaction passivation block, and the side plate. Figure 4 A simplified diagram of the connection structure of the clamping components, locking parts, gaskets, and side plates.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a processing apparatus, including a carrier 1, which can specifically be a carrier for batch loading substrates. The carrier 1 is provided with a processing channel 11, which has a channel extending direction ( Figure 1(in the left and right directions). A processing station 12 is provided in the processing channel 11. The number of processing stations 12 can be one; or the number of processing stations 12 can be multiple, in which case the processing stations 12 can be arranged in the direction of channel extension.

[0040] Processing station 12 is equipped with a fixed fixing component (not shown in the figure) for supporting a substrate assembly (not shown in the figure). The substrate assembly includes multiple substrates to be processed that are bonded together. These substrates can be semiconductor substrates such as silicon wafers. In the direction in which the multiple substrates to be processed are bonded together, the outer surfaces of the two substrates at both ends are the surfaces to be processed, and the remaining surfaces are non-processed surfaces. For example, when the substrate assembly includes two substrates to be processed, the two surfaces of the two substrates to be processed that are bonded together are non-processed surfaces. Each substrate to be processed has a surface opposite to the non-processed surface, which is the surface to be processed.

[0041] In practice, a processing medium can be used to treat the surface to be treated, and the specific processing technology is not limited here. For example, the processing technology can be a coating process, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) or low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), and the processing medium can be a film-forming gas.

[0042] The specific structure of the fixing component is not the focus of this invention and will not be described in detail here. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can refer to relevant technologies for understanding.

[0043] In this embodiment of the invention, the processing device further includes a sliding component, combined with Figure 2 The processing device may include a side plate 13, which may be provided with a first mounting hole 131a. A sliding component may be installed in the first mounting hole 131a and slide within the first mounting hole 131a to achieve the corresponding function. The aforementioned sliding component may be a clamping component 2, which is used to clamp multiple substrates to be processed in the substrate group. With this configuration, the clamping of the clamping component 2 can significantly improve the tightness of the mating and bonding of multiple substrates to be processed, thereby largely preventing the processing medium from entering between two adjacent substrates to be processed and preventing the non-processed surfaces from being processed by the processing medium, which is beneficial to improving product quality.

[0044] In detail, the pressing component 2 may be configured with a pressing groove, which may include a bottom wall and two side walls. Specifically, the pressing component 2 may press the substrate group through the side walls of the groove, thereby improving the tightness of the adhesion of multiple substrates to be processed in the substrate group.

[0045] The fixing component can support multiple substrate groups at the same time, and correspondingly, the clamping component 2 can also clamp multiple substrate groups at the same time, enabling batch loading of substrates.

[0046] Furthermore, a mounting component can be configured at processing station 12. This mounting component has a first mounting hole 131a, and the sliding part can slide within the first mounting hole 131a of the mounting component. In this way, when the first mounting hole 131a is damaged, the mounting component can be directly replaced without disassembling the entire processing equipment, making maintenance relatively simple and efficient.

[0047] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 The carrier 1 may include two side plates 13 arranged opposite each other, and at least one of the two side plates 13 may be provided with the aforementioned mounting component. The mounting component can avoid direct wear between the clamping component 2 and the side plate 13, which is beneficial to ensuring the service life of the side plate 13. Specifically, the mounting component may be a reaction passivation block 131, which may be provided with a first mounting hole 131a. The axial end of the clamping component 2 can be slidably fitted into the first mounting hole 131a to adjust the clamping state of the clamping component 2 on the substrate group.

[0048] The reaction passivation block 131 specifically refers to a component that is not easily reacted with the processing medium. Here, "not easily" means that no reaction occurs or the amount of reaction is very small. In this way, when used in the processing equipment, no or very little impurities such as coating powder products are generated at the mounting component. The sliding of the pressing component 2 in the first mounting hole 131a is not easily jammed, which is more conducive to ensuring the smooth sliding of the pressing component 2.

[0049] Furthermore, the outer surface of the sliding component can also be provided with a reaction passivation layer. Specifically, the reaction passivation layer refers to a film layer that does not easily react with the processing medium. Here, "not easily" means that no reaction or a very small amount of reaction occurs. In this way, when used in the processing equipment, the surface of the sliding component does not generate or generates very little impurities such as coating powder products. The sliding of the sliding component in the first mounting hole 131a will not cause jamming, which is more conducive to ensuring the smooth sliding of the sliding component.

[0050] The materials of the reaction passivation block 131 and the reaction passivation layer are not limited here. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can set them according to specific needs, as long as they can meet the requirements of use. For example, the materials of the reaction passivation block 131 and the reaction passivation layer include, but are not limited to, stainless steel plated with Teflon (stainless steel with Teflon coating), aluminum alloy, graphite, etc.

[0051] In some alternative implementations, the materials of the reaction passivation block 131 and the clamping member 2 can be different, which can further reduce the friction between the clamping member 2 and the reaction passivation block 131, thereby improving the smoothness of the operation of the clamping member 2.

[0052] The first mounting hole 131a can be a stepped hole, which can include a large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and a small-diameter hole section 131a-2. The aforementioned clamping member 2 can be slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section 131a-2. In this way, the contact area between the clamping member 2 and the reaction passivation block 131 can be smaller, which can reduce the friction between the clamping member 2 and the reaction passivation block 131 to a greater extent, thereby improving the smoothness of the operation of the clamping member 2. Furthermore, the reaction passivation block 131 is used to form the wall of the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, and can also scrape off impurities such as coating powder products accumulated on the clamping member 2, which can reduce the possibility of impurities entering between the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 and the clamping member 2, and the phenomenon of sliding jamming of the clamping member 2 caused by this.

[0053] Here, the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the formation method of the small-diameter hole segment 131a-2. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can set it according to specific needs, as long as it can meet the requirements of use. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 can be formed by two upper and lower protrusions 131b, both of which can scrape off impurities accumulated on the pressing component 2; it should be understood that in some other embodiments of the present invention, only one of the upper and lower protrusions 131b may exist.

[0054] Along the direction from the outer wall surface of the side panel 13 to the inner wall surface of the side panel 13, Figure 3 In the direction from left to right, the large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 can be arranged sequentially. With this arrangement, since the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 is closer to the inner wall surface of the side plate 13, the reaction passivation block 131 used to form the wall of the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 can better scrape off impurities, thereby reducing the possibility of impurities entering between the first mounting hole 131a and the clamping component 2. This has a more positive effect on improving the smoothness of sliding of the clamping component 2.

[0055] In some alternative embodiments, at least one of the side plates 13 may be slidably fitted with a locking member 3, and the pressing member 2 may be provided with a locking groove 21, into which the locking member 3 can be inserted to lock the pressing state of the pressing member 2.

[0056] The locking element 3 can be slidably mounted on the inner wall of the side plate 13. Alternatively, the locking element 3 can also be slidably mounted on the outer wall of the side plate 13. Furthermore, the side plate 13 can be provided with a second mounting hole 132, and the locking element 3 can be slidably mounted within the second mounting hole 132. In this way, the locking element 3 is essentially slidably mounted inside the side plate 13, which can reduce the impact of impurities such as coating powder products in the processing channel 11 on the locking element 3. At the same time, it can avoid the locking element 3 occupying space on the outer wall of the side plate 13, which is beneficial to improving the smoothness of the outer wall of the side plate 13.

[0057] The second mounting hole 132 can extend in the vertical direction, allowing the locking member 3 to slide in that direction. Alternatively, the second mounting hole 132 can extend in other directions, such as the channel extension direction of the processing channel 11. Figure 4 Extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper, as long as the lock 3 can slide out or be embedded in the lock groove 21 when sliding in the corresponding second mounting hole 132.

[0058] The locking component 3 can be a manually operated part. For example, the locking component 3 can be equipped with a handle, allowing operators to lock or unlock the pressing component 2. Alternatively, the locking component 3 can be a semi-automatic part. For instance, the locking component 3 can be embedded in the locking groove 21 by its own weight, but needs to be manually disengaged from the groove 21. Or, the locking component 3 can be an automated part. For instance, the locking component 3 can be equipped with a drive component to control its displacement. The drive component includes, but is not limited to, a motor, a linear cylinder, or a linear hydraulic cylinder. It should be noted that when the drive component is a motor, a displacement conversion mechanism such as a lead screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism can also be configured to convert the rotational displacement output by the motor into the linear displacement required by the pressing component 2. The optimal usage is that when the pressing component 2 moves laterally, the locking groove 21 moves to the position of the locking component 3, and the locking component 3 embeds itself in the locking groove 21 under its own weight. Unlocking can then be performed using an automated component.

[0059] Furthermore, a gasket 4 can also be provided inside the second mounting hole 132, in the thickness direction of the side plate 13. Figure 4 In the left-right direction, the gasket 4 and the locking member 3 can be arranged sequentially. The arrangement of the gasket 4 can change the embedding position of the locking member 3 and the pressing member 2, thereby adjusting the degree of pressing of the pressing member 2 on the substrate group.

[0060] In practical use, the gasket 4 and the side plate 13 can be detachably connected, such as by screws or snap-fit, to facilitate the replacement of the gasket 4. This allows for easy adjustment of the sliding amount of the clamping component 2 relative to the side plate 13, thereby changing the clamping effect of the clamping component 2 on the substrate assembly. Simultaneously, it can accommodate coating treatments on substrate assemblies of different sizes, expanding the processing range of the processing equipment provided by this invention and improving compatibility. The replaceable thickness gasket 4, combined with the gravity-operated locking component 3, allows for adjustment of the displacement distance of the clamping component 2, thus meeting the requirements of the carrier for different displacement distances on substrates of varying thicknesses.

[0061] In the solution provided by the present invention, both the setting of the reaction passivation block 131 and the setting of the gasket 4 can be carried out by reprocessing the original side plate 13, which has a relatively low cost and can be easily promoted and used.

[0062] In addition to carrier 1, the processing equipment may also be configured with other functional components to process the substrate, such as heating components, gas supply components, and gas extraction components, to achieve specific processes.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the method of using the processing device provided by the present invention.

[0064] This invention also provides a method for using a processing device, applicable to the processing devices described in the foregoing embodiments. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the method of use includes the following steps S1, S2 and S3.

[0065] Step S1: Install the substrate assembly at processing station 12. Specifically, this can be a fixed component installed at processing station 12.

[0066] Step S2: Control the pressing component 2 to slide within the first mounting hole 131a to press each substrate to be processed in the substrate group, thereby reducing the processing of the non-processed surface of the substrate by the processing medium.

[0067] In the embodiment where the locking member 3 is slidably assembled in the side plate 13 and the pressing member 2 is provided with a locking groove 21, the above step S2 may further include: embedding the locking member 3 into the locking groove 21 so as to achieve locking assembly of the pressing member 2 through the cooperation of the locking member 3 and the locking groove 21.

[0068] In the embodiment where the first mounting hole 131a is a stepped hole, the stepped hole includes a large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and a small-diameter hole section 131a-2, and the clamping member 2 is slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, the above step S2 may further include: scraping away impurities from the clamping member 2 by scraping away impurities from the wall portion used to form the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, so as to reduce the phenomenon of the clamping member 2 sliding and getting stuck in the first mounting hole 131a, which is beneficial to ensuring the smooth sliding of the clamping member 2.

[0069] Step S3 involves processing the substrate group, specifically through processes such as coating.

[0070] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A carrier for batch loading substrates, characterized in that, The carrier (1) is provided with a processing channel (11), and at least one processing station (12) is provided in the processing channel (11). The processing station (12) includes a fixed component and a sliding component. The carrier (1) includes a side plate (13), and the side plate (13) is provided with a mounting component. The mounting component is provided with a first mounting hole (131a). The first mounting hole (131a) is used to assemble the sliding component. The sliding component is a clamping component (2). The slidable component is slidably mounted on the side plate (13), and the side plate (13) is slidably mounted with a lock (3). The slidable component is provided with a lock groove (21), and the lock (3) can be embedded in the lock groove (21) under its own weight. The side plate (13) is provided with a second mounting hole (132), and the lock (3) is disposed in the second mounting hole (132) and can slide in the second mounting hole (132). A gasket (4) is provided in the second mounting hole (132), and the gasket (4) and the lock (3) are arranged in sequence in the thickness direction of the side plate (13).

2. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting component is a reactive passivation block (131).

3. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the reactive passivation block (131) is different from that of the sliding component.

4. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reactive passivation block (131) is made of any one of stainless steel plated with Teflon, aluminum alloy, or graphite.

5. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first mounting hole (131a) is a stepped hole, which includes a large-diameter hole section (131a-1) and a small-diameter hole section (131a-2). The slidable component is slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section (131a-2).

6. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to claim 5, characterized in that, Along the direction from the outer wall of the side plate (13) to the inner wall of the side plate (13), the large-diameter hole section (131a-1) and the small-diameter hole section (131a-2) are arranged in sequence.

7. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The outer surface of the sliding component is provided with a reactive passivation layer.

8. The carrier for batch loading substrates according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The gasket (4) is detachably mounted on the side plate (13) so that gaskets (4) of different thicknesses can be replaced.

9. A processing device, characterized in that, It includes a heating component, an air supply component, an air extraction component, and a carrier (1), wherein the carrier (1) is the carrier for batch loading substrates as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A method of using a processing device, characterized in that, The sliding component is a clamping component (2) applicable to the processing device of claim 9, and the method of use includes the following steps: Step S1: Install the substrate group at the processing station (12), the substrate group comprising multiple substrates to be processed in phase; Step S2: Control the pressing component (2) to slide within the first mounting hole (131a) to press each of the substrates to be processed in the substrate group; Step S3: Process the substrate group.

11. The method of using the processing device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The side plate (13) is slidably fitted with a locking member (3), and the pressing member (2) is provided with a locking groove (21). Step S2 further includes: embedding the lock (3) into the lock groove (21).

Images