Pipeline for preloading cavity and preloading equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a pipeline for a preloading chamber and preloading equipment, the pipeline comprises a pipe body, one end of the pipe body is used for connecting the preloading chamber, and the other end of the pipe body is used for connecting a vacuum pump; the blocking piece is embedded in the pipe body, and the blocking piece is provided with a first end part, a second end part and a gas channel; the first end and the second end are located at the two ends of the blocking piece respectively, the diameter of the first end is larger than that of the second end, the first end is close to the pre-loading cavity, and the second end is close to the vacuum pump; the gas channel extends from the first end part to the second end part and communicates the interior of the pipe body, and the inner diameter of the gas channel is gradually reduced from the first end part to the second end part. According to the pipeline provided by the invention, the pollution particles in the pipe body can be effectively prevented from flowing back, the cleanliness of the interior of the pre-loading chamber is ensured, and the pollution particles are prevented from polluting wafers in the pre-loading chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing equipment, and in particular to a pipeline and a preloading equipment used in a preloading chamber. Background Art

[0002] The Load lock Chamber (LLC) module is used to connect the Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) and the Transfer Module (TM). The function of the LLC module is to continuously switch the environment in the chamber between vacuum and atmospheric conditions.

[0003] The LLC module cavity is directly connected to the vacuum pump through the pipeline, and the vacuum pump evacuates the cavity through the pipeline. When the LLC module works for a long time, a large number of contaminants will be generated inside the cavity, and these contaminants will enter the pipeline and adhere to the inner wall of the pipeline, making it difficult to remove. When the suction process is performed in the cavity, some of the contaminants on the pipeline will be brought into the cavity by the airflow to contaminate the wafer. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a pipeline and a preloading device for a preloading chamber, which ensure the cleanliness of the interior of the preloading chamber, avoid contamination of wafers, and improve the reliability of wafer processing.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a pipeline for a pre-loading chamber, comprising: A tube body, one end of which is used to connect to the pre-loading chamber and the other end of which is used to connect to the vacuum pump; A blocking member is embedded in the tube body, and the blocking member has a first end, a second end, and a gas channel; the first end and the second end are respectively located at two ends of the blocking member, the diameter of the first end is larger than the diameter of the second end, and the first end is close to the pre-loading chamber, and the second end is close to the vacuum pump; the gas channel extends from the first end to the second end and conducts the interior of the tube body, and the inner diameter of the gas channel gradually decreases from the first end to the second end. The beneficial effect of the pipeline for the preloading chamber provided by the present invention is that: by arranging a blocking member in the tube body, since the gas channel on the blocking member extends from the first end to the second end and connects the interior of the tube body, and the inner diameter of the gas channel gradually decreases from the first end to the second end, when the gas flows back from the tube body to the preloading chamber, the contaminated particles in the tube body can be effectively prevented from flowing back, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the interior of the preloading chamber and preventing the contaminated particles from contaminating the wafers in the preloading chamber.

[0006] In some embodiments, the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member and the inner wall of the tube body is in the range of 0-90°. The beneficial effect is that by setting the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member and the inner wall of the tube body in the range of 0-90°, the backflow of polluted particles can be effectively prevented while ensuring gas flowability.

[0007] In some embodiments, the tube body includes a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies, and each of the sub-tube bodies may be provided with the blocking member. The beneficial effect is that the tube body includes a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies, so the length of the tube body can be appropriately adjusted according to needs, thereby increasing the applicability of the pipeline. In addition, the splicing arrangement of a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies facilitates the cleaning of the inside of the tube body, thereby reducing the production cost.

[0008] In some embodiments, the blocking member is detachably connected to the sub-tube body. The beneficial effect is that each sub-tube body is provided with a blocking member to further improve the blocking effect of pollutant particles in the tube body. In addition, the blocking member and the sub-tube body are detachably arranged to facilitate cleaning of the inside of the tube body and the blocking member.

[0009] In some embodiments, the outer wall of the first end portion is provided with an annular embedded portion along its circumference; The inner wall of the sub-tube body is provided with a slot, and the slot cooperates with the embedding portion to fix the blocking member in the sub-tube body. The beneficial effect is that by providing an annular embedding portion along the circumference of the outer wall of the first end portion and providing an annular slot on the inner wall of the sub-tube body, the blocking member and the sub-tube body are detachably connected through the cooperation of the embedding portion and the slot.

[0010] In some embodiments, one end of the sub-tube body is provided with a first connecting portion and an abutting portion in sequence, and the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body is provided with a second connecting portion; When the two sub-tube bodies are connected, the first connection part of one of the sub-tube bodies and the second connection part of the other sub-tube body are connected in a cooperative manner, and the abutting part abuts the embedded part so that the embedded part is inserted into the slot. Its beneficial effect is that: one end of the sub-tube body is provided with the first connection part and the abutting part in sequence, so the abutting part is located at the front end of the first connection part, the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body is provided with the second connection part, and the structures of the first connection part and the second connection part can be connected in a cooperative manner. Therefore, when the first connection part of one sub-tube body and the second connection part of the other sub-tube body are connected in a cooperative manner, the abutting part located at the front end of the first connection part can abut the tail of the embedded part to ensure the stability of the blocking member set in the sub-tube body, avoid the blocking member from detaching from the sub-tube body when the airflow is sucked back, thereby improving the reliability of the blocking member in blocking polluted particles.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first connection part is an external thread structure provided on the outer side wall of one end of the sub-tube body, and the second connection part is an internal thread structure provided on the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body, and the external thread structure and the internal thread structure can be threadedly connected. The beneficial effect is that the first connection part is an external thread structure provided on the outer side wall of one end of the sub-tube body, and the second connection part is an internal thread structure provided on the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body, and a plurality of sub-tube bodies are fixedly connected to each other by adopting a threaded connection method.

[0012] In some embodiments, the pipeline for the preloading chamber also includes a filter disc embedded in the sub-tube body, and the filter disc is detachably located between the abutment portion and the embedding portion, and is used to filter the polluted particles in the sub-tube body. Its beneficial effect is that by arranging the filter disc in the sub-tube body, it further plays a role in blocking the polluted particles, further ensuring the cleanliness in the preloading chamber, and avoiding the contamination of the wafer. In addition, the filter disc is located between the abutment portion and the embedding portion, and the filter disc is fixed by the cooperation of the abutment portion and the embedding portion. The installation method is simple and reliable, and it is convenient to disassemble and clean the filter disc, reducing the complexity of the internal structure of the pipeline.

[0013] In some embodiments, a sealing ring is also included; A sealing groove is provided on the sub-tube body, the sealing groove is arranged close to the first connecting portion, and the sealing groove and the abutting patch are respectively located on two sides of the first connecting portion; The sealing ring is arranged in the sealing groove to seal the two connected sub-tube bodies. The beneficial effect is that by providing the sealing groove in the area near the first connecting part on the sub-tube body and cooperating with the sealing ring, the sealing connection between two adjacent sub-tube bodies is achieved, thereby ensuring the sealing of the interconnection of multiple sub-tube bodies.

[0014] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a preloading device, including a preloading chamber, a vacuum pump and the pipeline; One end of the pipeline is connected to the pre-loading chamber, and the other end of the pipeline is connected to the vacuum pump. The beneficial effect of the preloading equipment provided by the present invention is that a blocking member is arranged in the pipeline for connecting the preloading chamber and the vacuum pump. Since the gas channel on the blocking member extends from the first end to the second end and connects the inside of the pipeline, and the inner diameter of the gas channel gradually decreases from the first end to the second end, when the gas flows back from the pipeline into the preloading chamber, the contaminated particles in the pipeline can be effectively prevented from flowing back, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the interior of the preloading chamber and preventing the contaminated particles from contaminating the wafers in the preloading chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1A cross-sectional view of a pipe on a pre-loading chamber along its axial direction provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a sub-tube body along its axial direction of an embodiment provided by the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a blocking member according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention after the blocking member and the sub-tube body are assembled along the axial direction thereof; Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a sub-tube body along its axial direction in another embodiment provided by the present invention; Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of two sub-tubes of the embodiment provided by the present invention after being spliced ​​together along the axial direction; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the filter screen provided by the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sealing ring according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a preloading device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Reference numerals: Tube body 1, sub-tube body 11, slot 111, first connection portion 112, abutment portion 113, second connection portion 114, sealing groove 115, blocking member 2, first end portion 21, second end portion 22, gas channel 23, embedding portion 24, Filter disc 3, annular frame 31, filter screen 32, sealing ring 4, pre-loading chamber 5, vacuum pump 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein should be the usual meanings understood by people with general skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. "Including" and similar words used in this article mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Unless otherwise specified, the "connection" described in this article can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, that is, connected through an intermediate.

[0018] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a pipeline for preloading a chamber, referring to Figure 1As shown, the pipeline includes a tube body 1, one end of the tube body 1 is used to connect to the pre-loading chamber, and the other end is used to connect to the vacuum pump. The vacuum pump evacuates the pre-loading chamber through the tube body 1 to make the interior of the pre-loading chamber in a vacuum state. The blocking member 2 is embedded in the tube body 1, and the blocking member 2 has a first end 21, a second end 22 and a gas channel 23. Among them, the first end 21 and the second end 22 are respectively located at the two ends of the blocking member 2, the diameter of the first end 21 is larger than the diameter of the second end 22, so that the blocking member 2 is a truncated cone structure, and the first end 21 is close to the pre-loading chamber, and the second end 22 is close to the vacuum pump. The gas channel 23 extends from the first end 21 to the second end 22 and conducts the interior of the tube body 1, so that the gas flow can only flow in the tube body 1 through the gas channel 23, and the inner diameter of the gas channel 23 gradually decreases from the first end 21 to the second end 22.

[0019] In this embodiment, the blocking member 2 is arranged in the tube body 1. Since the gas channel 23 on the blocking member 2 extends from the first end 21 to the second end 22 and connects the interior of the tube body 1, and the inner diameter of the gas channel 23 gradually decreases from the first end 21 to the second end 22, when the gas flows back from the tube body 1 into the pre-loading chamber, the contaminated particles in the tube body 1 can be effectively prevented from flowing back, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the interior of the pre-loading chamber and preventing the contaminated particles from contaminating the wafers in the pre-loading chamber.

[0020] refer to Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member 2 and the inner wall of the tube body 1 is a, and the range of a is 0-90°.

[0021] In this embodiment, the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member 2 and the inner wall of the tube body 1 can be 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 60° or 65°. Preferably, the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member 2 and the inner wall of the tube body 1 is 45°. By setting the angle between the outer wall of the blocking member 2 and the inner wall of the tube body 1 to a range of 0-90°, the gas flowability in the tube body 1 can be ensured while effectively preventing the backflow of polluted particles.

[0022] In some preferred embodiments, the diameter of the second end portion 22 is half of the diameter of the first end portion 21 .

[0023] refer to Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the tube body 1 includes a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies 11 , and the blocking member 2 may be provided in each of the sub-tube bodies 11 .

[0024] In this embodiment, since the tube body 1 is formed by splicing a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies 11, the length of the tube body 1 can be appropriately adjusted as needed, thereby increasing the applicability of the pipeline. In addition, in this embodiment, a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies 11 are spliced ​​and arranged, which facilitates the cleaning of the interior of the tube body 1 and reduces the production cost. Furthermore, each of the sub-tube bodies 11 can be provided with the blocking member 2 to further improve the blocking effect on the polluted particles in the tube body 1.

[0025] In some embodiments, the blocking member 2 is detachably connected to the sub-tube body 11 .

[0026] It is understandable that during long-term use of the tube body 1, due to the blocking effect of the blocking member 2, polluted particles may adhere to the blocking member 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the blocking member 2 is detachably connected to the sub-tube body 11, so as to facilitate cleaning of the inside of the tube body 1 and the blocking member 2.

[0027] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the outer wall of the first end portion 21 is provided with an annular embedded portion 24 along its circumference, and the embedded portion 24 extends toward the second end portion 22. The inner wall of the sub-tube body 11 is provided with a slot 111, and the slot 111 cooperates with the embedded portion 24 to fix the blocking member 2 in the sub-tube body 11.

[0028] In this embodiment, an annular embedded portion 24 is provided on the circumference of the outer wall of the first end portion 21, and an annular slot 111 is provided on the inner wall of the sub-tube body 11. The embedded portion 24 and the slot 111 are matched to achieve a detachable connection between the blocking member 2 and the sub-tube body 11. This connection method is simple, reliable and easy to process.

[0029] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, a first connecting portion 112 and an abutting portion 113 are sequentially provided at one end of the sub-tube body 11 , and a second connecting portion 114 is provided on the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body 11 .

[0030] When the two sub-tube bodies 11 are connected, the first connecting portion 112 of one of the sub-tube bodies 11 and the second connecting portion 114 of the other sub-tube body 11 are matched and connected. At this time, the abutting portion 113 of one of the sub-tube bodies 11 abuts against the embedding portion 24 so that the embedding portion 24 is inserted into the slot 111.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first connection part 112 and the abutment part 113 are sequentially provided at one end of the sub-tube body 11, so the abutment part 113 is located at the front end of the first connection part 112, and the diameter of the abutment part 113 should be smaller than the diameter of the first connection part 112, so that the abutment part 113 can be inserted into the inside of another sub-tube. The second connection part 114 is provided on the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body 11, and the structures of the first connection part 112 and the second connection part 114 can be matched and connected with each other.

[0032] Therefore, when the first connecting portion 112 of one sub-tube body 11 and the second connecting portion 114 of another sub-tube body 11 are cooperatively connected, the abutting portion 113 located at the front end of the first connecting portion 112 can abut against the tail of the embedded portion 24 to ensure the stability of the blocking member 2 set in the sub-tube body 11, and avoid the blocking member 2 from detaching from the sub-tube body 11 when the airflow is sucked back, thereby improving the reliability of the blocking member 2 in blocking polluted particles.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first connection portion 112 is an external thread structure disposed on the outer wall of one end of the sub-tube body 11, and the second connection portion 114 is an internal thread structure disposed on the inner wall of the other end of the sub-tube body 11, and the external thread structure and the internal thread structure can be threadedly connected.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first connection portion 112 is an external thread structure arranged on the outer wall of one end of the sub-tube body 11, and the second connection portion 114 is an internal thread structure arranged on the inner wall of the other end of the sub-tube body 11. The plurality of sub-tube bodies 11 are fixedly connected to each other by adopting a threaded connection.

[0035] In some embodiments, other detachable methods can also be used to fix the plurality of sub-tube bodies 11 to each other. For example, the first connection portion 112 is a limiting protrusion disposed on the outer wall of one end of the sub-tube body 11, the limiting protrusion is annularly disposed on the outer wall of one end of the sub-tube body 11, and the limiting protrusion has a certain elasticity, and the second connection portion 114 is a limiting groove provided on the inner wall of the other end of the sub-tube body 11, the limiting groove is also annular and adapted to the limiting protrusion. Therefore, when one sub-tube body 11 is connected to another sub-tube body 11, it is only necessary to insert one end of one sub-tube body 11 into the other end of the other sub-tube body 11 so that the limiting protrusion matches the limiting groove.

[0036] refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, in some embodiments, the pipeline for preloading the chamber also includes a filter plate 3 embedded in the sub-tube body 11, and the filter plate 3 is detachably located between the abutment portion 113 and the embedded portion 24, and is used to filter the polluted particles in the sub-tube body 11.

[0037] In this embodiment, the filter disc 3 is arranged in the sub-tube body 11, which further blocks the polluted particles, thereby further ensuring the cleanliness of the pre-loading chamber and avoiding the contamination of the wafers. The filter disc 3 is located between the abutment portion 113 and the embedding portion 24, and the filter disc 3 is fixed by the cooperation between the abutment portion 113 and the embedding portion 24. The installation method is simple and reliable, and the filter disc 3 can be easily disassembled and cleaned, thereby reducing the complexity of the internal structure of the pipeline.

[0038] Specifically, refer to Figure 7 As shown, the filter disc 3 includes a circular ring frame 31 and a filter net 32 ​​, and the filter net 32 ​​is arranged in the circular ring frame 31 to form the filter disc 3 .

[0039] refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the pipeline further includes a sealing ring 4, and a sealing groove 115 is provided on the sub-tube body 11, the sealing groove 115 is arranged close to the first connecting portion 112, and the sealing groove 115 and the abutment patch are respectively located on both sides of the first connecting portion 112. The sealing ring 4 is arranged in the sealing groove 115, and is used to seal the two connected sub-tube bodies 11 to ensure the sealing of the pipeline.

[0040] In this embodiment, the sealing ring 4 is a sealing rubber. By arranging the sealing rubber in the sealing groove 115, a sealed connection between two adjacent sub-tube bodies 11 is achieved, thereby ensuring the sealing of the sub-tube bodies 11 connected to each other, thereby ensuring the sealing of the pipeline.

[0041] In another embodiment of the present invention, a preloading device is provided, referring to Fig. 9 As shown, the preloading device includes a preloading chamber 5, a vacuum pump 6 and the pipeline, and the pipeline is formed by arranging the pipe body 1 in the above embodiment. One end of the pipeline is connected to the preloading chamber 5, and the other end of the pipeline is connected to the vacuum pump 6.

[0042] In this embodiment, the blocking member 2 is provided in the pipeline connecting the pre-loading chamber 5 and the vacuum pump 6. Since the gas channel 23 on the blocking member 2 extends from the first end 21 to the second end 22 and connects the interior of the pipeline, and the inner diameter of the gas channel 23 gradually decreases from the first end 21 to the second end 22, when the gas flows back from the pipeline into the pre-loading chamber 5, the contaminated particles in the pipeline can be effectively prevented from flowing back, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the interior of the pre-loading chamber 5 and preventing the contaminated particles from contaminating the wafers in the pre-loading chamber 5.

[0043] The above is only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiment of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A pipe for a pre-loading chamber, characterized in that: include: A tube body, one end of which is used to connect to the pre-loading chamber and the other end of which is used to connect to the vacuum pump; A blocking member is embedded in the tube body, and the blocking member has a first end, a second end, and a gas channel; the first end and the second end are respectively located at two ends of the blocking member, the diameter of the first end is larger than the diameter of the second end, and the first end is close to the pre-loading chamber, and the second end is close to the vacuum pump; the gas channel extends from the first end to the second end and conducts the interior of the tube body, and the inner diameter of the gas channel gradually decreases from the first end to the second end.

2. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the outer wall of the blocking member and the inner wall of the tube body is in the range of 0-90°.

3. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tube body comprises a plurality of detachable sub-tube bodies, and each of the sub-tube bodies may be provided with the blocking member.

4. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that: The blocking member is detachably connected to the sub-tube body.

5. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outer wall of the first end portion is provided with an annular embedded portion along its circumference; The inner wall of the sub-tube body is provided with a slot, and the slot cooperates with the embedding portion so that the blocking member is fixed in the sub-tube body.

6. The pipeline for preloading chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that: A first connecting portion and an abutting portion are sequentially provided at one end of the sub-tube body, and a second connecting portion is provided on the inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body; When the two sub-tube bodies are connected, the first connecting portion of one of the sub-tube bodies is matched with the second connecting portion of the other sub-tube body and connected, and the abutting portion abuts against the embedding portion so that the embedding portion is inserted into the slot.

7. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first connection portion is an external thread structure disposed on an outer side wall of one end of the sub-tube body, and the second connection portion is an internal thread structure disposed on an inner side wall of the other end of the sub-tube body. The external thread structure and the internal thread structure can be threadedly connected.

8. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: It also includes a filter disc embedded in the sub-tube body, wherein the filter disc is detachably located between the abutting portion and the embedding portion and is used to filter polluted particles in the sub-tube body.

9. The pipeline for preloading a chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes a sealing ring; The sub-tube body is provided with a sealing groove, the sealing groove is arranged close to the first connecting portion, and the sealing groove and the abutting patch are respectively located on two sides of the first connecting portion; The sealing ring is arranged in the sealing groove and is used for sealing the two connected sub-tube bodies.

10. A preloading device, characterized in that: comprising a pre-loading chamber, a vacuum pump and a pipeline as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9; One end of the pipeline is connected to the pre-loading chamber, and the other end of the pipeline is connected to the vacuum pump.

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