Supporting device and supporting method for warped substrate in vacuum coating and etching equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for supporting a warped substrate in vacuum coating and etching equipment. The supporting method comprises the following steps: placing a plurality of thimbles with sensors below the substrate; a plurality of ejector pins are prepared to ascend at the same time to bear the substrate arranged on the manipulator or the substrate table; a sensor at the lower part of the ejector pin judges whether the ejector pin is in contact with the substrate or not in the ejector pin rising process and transmits a signal to a controller; the sensor or the controller transmits a signal that the ejector pin is not in contact with the substrate to the actuator, and the actuator drives the ejector pin to continuously ascend; and the actuator stops the ejector pins immediately when receiving a signal that the ejector pins are in contact with the substrate, and the operation is performed until all the ejector pins are in contact with the substrate. According to the method for supporting the warped substrates in the vacuum coating and etching equipment, different substrates can be accurately lifted, and it is ensured that the substrates cannot slide on the ejector pins in the lifting process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of substrate support devices in vacuum equipment, and in particular to a support device and a support method for a warped substrate in vacuum coating and etching equipment. Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, both the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries have high requirements for the quality, uniformity and thickness error of thin films. In each link of the production process, the substrate needs to be continuously raised and lowered to facilitate the robot to transport and transfer the substrate so that the substrate can be processed in different processes, such as thin film deposition, etching, or testing.

[0003] In the process of substrate manufacturing, due to the unevenness of heating or cooling, or the internal stress generated or released during the thin film deposition and etching process, the substrate is prone to warping, and after warping, the warping shape of the substrate is relatively complex and changeable, and the warping conditions of different substrates are inconsistent. In the existing equipment for lifting substrates, since the equipment uses the same driving mechanism to lift multiple ejectors to lift the substrate, during the lifting process of the warped substrate, multiple ejectors are raised to the same horizontal height, but due to the warping of the substrate, it cannot be guaranteed that all ejectors can contact the bottom of the warped substrate. Therefore, the existing lifting equipment cannot achieve accurate lifting of different substrates, which will cause the warped substrate to slip on the ejector pins and cause fragmentation problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, which can accurately lift different substrates and ensure that the substrate will not slip on the ejector pins during the lifting process.

[0005] The present invention also provides a method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device.

[0006] According to the first aspect of the present invention, a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device comprises:

[0007] Substrate stage;

[0008] A plurality of ejector pin lifting assemblies are installed on the substrate stage, the ejector pin lifting assemblies include ejectors, the ejectors include a supporting portion, a sensor and a connecting portion, two ends of the sensor are respectively connected to the supporting portion and the connecting portion, the supporting portion is used to support the substrate, and the sensor is used to sense whether the supporting portion is in contact with the substrate.

[0009] The support device for warped substrates in vacuum coating and etching equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the ejector pins of multiple ejector pin lifting assemblies support substrates, which are detected by sensors. The sensors sense whether the abutting portion and the substrate are in contact, effectively avoiding the situation where the abutting portion does not abut on the substrate, thereby enabling each ejector pin to accurately abut the substrate, and for different substrates, after detection by sensors, each ejector pin can accurately abut the substrate. In this way, the support device can accurately lift different substrates and ensure that the substrate will not slip on the ejector pins during the lifting process.

[0010] According to the support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device in some embodiments of the present invention, the ejector lifting assembly also includes an ejector driving member, one end of the connecting portion is detachably connected to the ejector driving member, and the other end of the connecting portion is detachably connected to the sensor; the ejector driving member is used to drive the ejector to perform a lifting movement so that the ejector lifts the substrate up and down.

[0011] According to the support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device in some embodiments of the present invention, the ejector drive member is provided with an ejector drive member groove, the connecting portion comprises a connecting portion end and a connecting rod connected to each other, the connecting portion end protrudes from the end surface of the connecting rod toward the ejector drive member, and when the connecting portion end is connected to the groove wall of the ejector drive member groove, the ejector drive member drives the connecting portion to rise and fall, so that the ejector lifts the substrate to rise and fall.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the support device for warping substrates in vacuum coating and etching equipment also includes a substrate stage lifting component, the substrate stage lifting component is used to drive the substrate stage to rise or fall, the substrate stage is provided with a substrate stage groove and a through hole, the substrate stage groove is connected with the through hole, the abutting portion is penetrated by the through hole and the substrate stage groove, the top of the abutting portion is provided with an abutting head, the abutting head protrudes along the radial direction of the abutting head, the diameter of the abutting head gradually decreases from top to bottom, the diameter of the substrate stage groove gradually decreases from top to bottom, the abutting head is arranged in the substrate stage groove, and the abutting head abuts against the groove wall of the substrate stage groove, the substrate stage lifting component first drives the substrate stage to rise and fall, and the ejector pin lifting component then drives the abutting head to rise and fall, so as to avoid the generation of plasma in the gap between the ejector pin and the substrate stage when the substrate stage is applied with RF bias.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the support device for warped substrates in vacuum coating and etching equipment, the diameter of the through hole is smaller than the minimum diameter of the substrate stage groove to avoid the generation of plasma in the gap between the ejector pin and the substrate stage when a radio frequency bias is applied to the substrate stage.

[0014] According to the supporting device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device in some embodiments of the present invention, the abutment head is made of a flexible material, so that the abutment head can safely hold the substrate.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, the substrate stage lifting assembly includes a stepper motor, the stepper motor is connected to the substrate stage, and the stepper motor is used to drive the substrate stage to rise and fall.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, at least three ejector pin lifting assemblies are provided, at least three ejector pin lifting assemblies are array-distributedly installed on the substrate table, and at least three ejector pin lifting assemblies are used to jointly lift the substrate.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, the sensor is configured as a pressure sensor or a distance sensor, the pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure exerted by the substrate on the supporting portion, and the distance sensor is used to detect the distance between the supporting portion and the substrate.

[0018] According to a method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to a second aspect of the present invention, a supporting device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device is used to support the substrate, wherein the supporting device comprises an ejector pin, the ejector pin comprises a supporting portion, a sensor and a connecting portion, two ends of the sensor are respectively connected to the supporting portion and the connecting portion, the supporting portion is used to support the substrate, and the sensor is used to sense whether the supporting portion is in contact with the substrate;

[0019] The method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device comprises the following steps:

[0020] placing a plurality of the ejector pins with the sensors attached thereto under the substrate;

[0021] A plurality of ejectors are simultaneously prepared to rise to receive the substrate placed on the robot arm or the substrate stage;

[0022] The sensor at the lower part of the ejector pin detects whether the ejector pin contacts the substrate during the ejector pin's ascending process, and transmits a signal to the controller;

[0023] The sensor or the controller transmits a signal "the ejector pin has not yet contacted the substrate" to the actuator, and the actuator drives the ejector pin to continue to rise; when the actuator receives the signal "the ejector pin has already contacted the substrate", the actuator immediately stops the ejector pin, and operates in this way until all the ejector pins contact the substrate.

[0024] The support method for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to an embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: after the ejector pin is placed under the substrate, the sensor will detect it and transmit a signal to the controller, so that the controller allows the actuator to drive the ejector pin to rise or fall, so that the ejector pin can support the substrate. In this way, the support method can accurately lift different substrates and ensure that the substrate will not slip on the ejector pin during the lifting process.

[0025] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a square horizontal flat substrate being lifted up simultaneously by four ejector pins at the same horizontal position;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a square, horizontally placed, warped substrate being lifted by four ejector pins at the same horizontal position, but the warping of the substrate causes only two ejector pins to contact the bottom surface of the substrate, and the other two ejector pins do not contact the bottom surface of the substrate;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an ejector pin in a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an ejector pin driving member in a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an ejector pin lifting assembly (including an ejector pin and an ejector pin driving member) in a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of a substrate stage and a substrate stage lifting assembly in a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an ejector pin lifting assembly and a substrate stage in a support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 The present invention is a flowchart of a method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Reference numerals:

[0036] Flat substrate 20, ejector pin 22, warped substrate 24, abutting portion 26, abutting head 28, sensor 30, connecting portion 32, connecting portion end 34, connecting rod 36, connecting portion limit block 38, ejector pin driving member 40, ejector pin driving member slot 42, ejector pin lifting assembly 44, substrate stage 46, substrate stage slot 48, through hole 50, substrate stage lifting assembly 52, supporting device 54. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., and orientations or positional relationships indicated are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is more than two, and "greater than", "less than", "exceed" etc. are understood to exclude the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, the description with reference to the term "some embodiments" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an existing flat substrate 20 being lifted by ejector pins 22 is shown in FIG. Figure 1In the figure, the substrate is in a flat state, so it is recorded as a flat substrate 20. The four ejector pins 22 can all be supported under the flat substrate 20. Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 In the figure, a schematic diagram of a square, horizontally placed, warped substrate 24 being lifted by four ejector pins 22 at the same horizontal position is shown, but the warping of the substrate 24 results in only two ejector pins 22 being in contact with the bottom surface of the substrate 24, and the other two ejector pins 22 are not in contact with the bottom surface of the substrate 24. That is, in addition to the above-mentioned flat substrate 20, there is another situation of the existing substrate, which forms a warped substrate 24 after warping during the production and packaging process. The present application is mainly aimed at the warped substrate 24, wherein the warped substrate 24 is collectively referred to as the substrate 24 below. After the substrate 24 is warped, it will form a shape with a low middle and high sides, or a shape with a high middle and low sides, and may also form a wave-like undulating shape, etc. Due to the changeable shape after warping, in the prior art, since the equipment uses the same driving mechanism to lift multiple ejector pins 22 to lift the substrate 24, during the lifting process of the warped substrate 24, multiple ejector pins 22 are lifted to the same level, but due to the warping of the substrate 24, it is impossible to ensure that all ejector pins 22 can contact the bottom of the warped substrate 24. Therefore, the existing lifting equipment cannot accurately lift each different substrate 24, which will cause the warped substrate 24 to slip on the ejector pins 22 and cause fragmentation problems. In view of this, the present application proposes a support device 54 for the warped substrate 24 in a vacuum coating and etching device. It is hereinafter referred to as the support device 54.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 3 to 7In some embodiments, the support device 54 includes: a substrate stage 46 and a plurality of ejector lifting assemblies 44; the plurality of ejector lifting assemblies 44 are installed on the substrate stage 46, the ejector lifting assemblies 44 include ejector pins 22, the ejector pins 22 include a supporting portion 26, a sensor 30 and a connecting portion 32, and the two ends of the sensor 30 are respectively connected to the supporting portion 26 and the connecting portion 32. The supporting head 28 of the supporting portion 26 is used to support the substrate 24, and the sensor 30 is used to sense whether the supporting head 28 is in contact with the substrate 24. Specifically, the ejector pins 22 of the plurality of ejector lifting assemblies 44 support the substrate 24, and the sensor 30 is used to detect whether the supporting head 28 is in contact with the substrate 24, which effectively avoids the situation where the supporting head 28 is not in contact with the substrate 24, thereby realizing that each ejector pin 22 accurately supports the substrate 24, and for different substrates 24, after detection by the sensor 30, each ejector pin 22 can accurately support the substrate 24. In this way, the support device 54 can accurately lift different substrates 24 and ensure that the substrate 24 does not slip on the ejector pin 22 due to the lack of support from a certain ejector pin 22 during the lifting process. It should be noted that when each ejector pin 22 accurately supports the substrate 24, the length of each ejector pin 22 can be different, which varies according to the warping position of the substrate 24. For example, when the warping amplitude of the substrate 24 is relatively large, an ejector pin 22 with a larger length can be selected. In addition, the length of the ejector pin 22 can also be a fixed value. The stroke of the ejector pin 22 can be controlled by the signal of the sensor 30 to ensure that all the ejector pins 22 are in contact with the bottom surface of the substrate 24.

[0044] Further, in some embodiments, the sensor 30 is configured as a pressure sensor or a distance sensor, the pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of the substrate 24 on the abutting portion 26, and the distance sensor is used to detect the distance between the abutting head 28 and the substrate 24. When the sensor 30 is a pressure sensor, it can be imagined that the abutting head 28 of the ejector 22 is used to support the substrate 24, the connecting portion 32 is connected to the ejector drive 40, and the ejector drive 40 can drive the connecting portion 32 to rise or fall, thereby the ejector 22 can rise or fall. Specifically, by judging the data of the pressure sensor, it is judged whether the abutting head 28 is in contact with the substrate 24. For example, when the data of the pressure sensor is zero or no, it can be known that the abutting portion 26 has not yet abutted on the substrate 24. In this way, through the detection of the pressure sensor, the abutting head 28 of each ejector 22 can be abutted on the substrate 24, thereby lifting the substrate 24. When the sensor 30 is a distance sensor, when the data of the distance sensor is zero or small, it can be known that the holding head 28 is in contact with the substrate 24, and when the data is large, it can be known that there is still a distance between the holding head 28 and the substrate 24.

[0045] It should be noted that if the ejector pin 22 rises too high, the abutting head 28 may damage the substrate 24 or cause the substrate 24 to deform. Therefore, after detection by the sensor 30, the abutting head 28 can be driven to slowly abut against the substrate 24, so that there is an appropriate contact force between the abutting head 28 and the substrate 24.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, the ejector lifting assembly 44 further includes an ejector driving member 40, one end of the connecting portion 32 is detachably connected to the ejector driving member 40, and the other end of the connecting portion 32 is detachably connected to the sensor 30. The ejector driving member 40 is used to drive the ejector 22 to perform lifting motion, so that the ejector 22 lifts the substrate 24 up and down.

[0047] The other end of the connecting portion 32 can be connected to the sensor 30 by means of a bolt, and one end of the connecting portion 32 is connected to the connecting portion end 34 by means of the ejector drive slot 42. Figure 5 In some embodiments, the ejector drive member 40 is provided with an ejector drive member slot 42, and the connecting portion 32 includes a connecting portion end 34 and a connecting rod 36 connected to each other, and the connecting portion end 34 protrudes from the end surface of the connecting rod 36 toward the ejector drive member 40. When the connecting portion end 34 is connected to the slot wall of the ejector drive member slot 42, the ejector drive member 40 drives the connecting portion to rise and fall, so that the ejector 22 lifts the substrate 24 to rise and fall. When the connecting portion end 34 is arranged in the ejector drive member slot 42, the ejector drive member 40 can drive the connecting portion 32 to rise or fall, so that the ejector 22 rises or falls by itself when it has not yet contacted the bottom surface of the substrate 24, or the ejector 22 rises or falls when lifting the substrate 24. Among them, the ejector drive member 40 can be a stepping motor, etc. In addition, please refer to Figure 5 When the connecting portion end 34 is arranged in the ejector drive groove 42, a connecting portion limit block 38 can be arranged on the connecting portion 32, and the connecting portion limit block 38 is located between the connecting portion end 34 and the connecting rod 36. The connecting portion limit block 38 can abut against the opening of the ejector drive groove 42 to prevent the connecting portion 32 from moving further downward.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7In some embodiments, the support device 54 further includes a substrate stage lifting assembly 52, which is used to drive the substrate stage 46 to rise or fall, so that the substrate stage 46 can switch between the process station and the pick-and-place station, wherein, after the substrate stage 46 rises, the substrate stage 46 can cooperate with the baffle to prevent the thin film or etching products from being deposited on the inner wall of the chamber. In addition, since the substrate 24 will subsequently undergo an etching process on the substrate stage 46, or a radio frequency power supply will be added to the substrate stage 46 to generate a bias voltage on the substrate surface, at this time, if the substrate stage 46 has a larger hole, the hole will generate secondary plasma, thereby reducing the uniformity of etching or coating of the local substrate 24. Therefore, the hole of the substrate stage 46 needs to be smaller. Further, the substrate stage 46 is provided with a substrate stage groove 48 and a through hole 50, the substrate stage groove 48 is connected with the through hole 50, the abutting portion 26 is penetrated through the through hole 50 and the substrate stage groove 48, the top of the abutting portion 26 is provided with an abutting head 28, the abutting head 28 protrudes along the radial direction of the abutting head 26, the diameter of the abutting head 28 gradually decreases from top to bottom, and the diameter of the substrate stage groove 48 gradually decreases from top to bottom, wherein the cross section of the abutting head 28 may be a trapezoid, the cross section of the substrate stage groove 48 may also be a trapezoid, the abutting head 28 is provided in the substrate stage groove 48, and the abutting head 28 abuts against the groove wall of the substrate stage groove 48, the substrate stage lifting assembly 52 first drives the substrate 24 to rise and fall, and the ejector pin lifting assembly 44 then drives the abutting portion 26 to rise and fall, so as to avoid the generation of plasma in the gap between the ejector pin 22 and the substrate stage 46 when the substrate stage 46 is applied with a radio frequency bias. That is, the generation of secondary plasma is reduced. In this way, when the substrate stage 46 rises, the supporting portion 26 will rise with the substrate stage 46 under the cooperation of the supporting head 28 and the substrate stage groove 48. After the substrate stage 46 stops rising, the supporting portion 26 can start to rise to support the substrate 24. Specifically, the substrate stage groove 48 of the substrate stage 46 is opened only after the ejector pin 22 moves upward relative to the substrate stage 46. When the substrate stage 46 and the ejector pin 22 are moving, the process has not yet started, the substrate stage 46 has not been powered by RF power, and the plasma in the cavity does not exist. It should be added that the existing ejector pin 22 adopts an integrated structure, which cannot achieve the situation in which the ejector pin 22 rises synchronously with the substrate stage 46 in the present application. It can only be operated to rise together when the substrate stage 46 rises. When the ejector pin 22 and the substrate stage 46 are operated to rise at the same time, the ejector pin 22 and the substrate stage 46 need to be controlled at the same time, which makes the control more difficult. In the present application, when the substrate stage 46 rises, the abutting portion 26 can rise along with the substrate stage 46 under the cooperation of the abutting head 28 and the substrate stage groove 48, and after the substrate stage 46 stops rising, the abutting portion 26 can start to rise to support the substrate 24. That is, the substrate stage 46 can be controlled to rise first, and then the ejector pin 22 can be controlled to rise, which helps to reduce the difficulty of operation.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 6In some embodiments, the diameter of the through hole 50 is smaller than the minimum diameter of the substrate stage groove 48 to prevent plasma from being generated in the gap between the ejector pin 22 and the substrate stage 46 when the substrate stage 46 is applied with a radio frequency bias. Specifically, in order to reduce the generation of secondary plasma, the size of the hole on the substrate stage 46 can be reduced, that is, the diameter of the through hole 50 is smaller than the minimum diameter of the substrate stage groove 48, wherein the minimum diameter can be the diameter of the substrate stage groove 48 at the connection between the substrate stage groove 48 and the through hole 50.

[0050] Furthermore, in order to prevent the ejector pins 22 from damaging the substrate 24 when supporting the substrate 24, in some embodiments, the abutment head 28 is made of a flexible material so that the abutment head 28 can safely abut the substrate 24. The flexible material can be rubber, so that the abutment head 28 can cause less damage to the substrate 24.

[0051] In some embodiments, the substrate stage lifting assembly 52 includes a stepper motor, and in addition to the stepper motor, it can also be a cylinder. The stepper motor is connected to the substrate stage 46, and the stepper motor is used to drive the substrate 24 to rise and fall. Specifically, the stepper motor is connected to the substrate stage lifting assembly 52, and can drive the substrate stage 46 to rise or fall, so that the substrate stage 46 can be switched between the process station and the pick-and-place station.

[0052] In some embodiments, at least three, for example, six, ejector pin lifting assemblies 44 are provided. For a square substrate 24, at least three ejector pins 22 may be able to abut against a base surface. Multiple ejector pin lifting assemblies 44 are installed in an array on the substrate stage 46, and multiple ejector pin lifting assemblies 44 are used to jointly lift the substrate 24. Specifically, for most substrates 24, the size difference between the substrates 24 is not large, so the multiple ejector pins 22 of the multiple ejector pin lifting assemblies 44 can adapt to different substrates 24, thereby accurately lifting the substrate 24 and improving the adaptability of the support device 54.

[0053] The function of the supporting device 54 is explained again below. The substrate 24 is lifted by the robot and penetrated into the cavity of the etching or coating chamber. The ejector pin 22 rises to fit the substrate 24 and continues to rise to lift the substrate 24, so that the substrate 24 is separated from the robot. After that, the robot is returned to its original position. The ejector pin 22 can descend or lift the substrate stage 46 to make the substrate 24 fall on the substrate stage 46, and then rise and fall to the process position. In this way, a process movement of the substrate 24 is completed.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 8In some embodiments, a method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device uses a supporting device 54 to support a substrate 24, wherein the supporting device 54 includes an ejector pin 22, and the ejector pin 22 includes an abutting portion 26, a sensor 30, and a connecting portion 32. Two ends of the sensor 30 are respectively connected to the abutting portion 26 and the connecting portion 32. The abutting portion 26 is used to support the substrate 24, and the sensor 30 is used to sense whether the abutting portion 26 is in contact with the substrate 24.

[0055] A method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching apparatus comprises the following steps:

[0056] S101, placing a plurality of ejector pins 22 with sensors 30 under a substrate 24;

[0057] S102, multiple ejectors 22 are prepared to rise simultaneously to receive the substrate 24 placed on the robot or the substrate 24 table;

[0058] S103, the sensor 30 at the lower part of the ejector pin 22 detects whether the ejector pin 22 contacts the substrate 24 during the ascending process of the ejector pin 22, and transmits a signal to the controller;

[0059] S104, the sensor 30 or the controller transmits a signal "the ejector pin 22 has not yet contacted the substrate 24" to the actuator, and the actuator drives the ejector pin 22 to continue to rise; when the actuator receives the signal "the ejector pin 22 has contacted the substrate 24", the ejector pin 22 is stopped immediately, and the operation is continued until all the ejector pins 22 contact the substrate 24.

[0060] Furthermore, the actuator may be an ejector drive member 40, such as a linear motor, a stepper motor, and a cylinder. Specifically, after the ejector 22 is placed under the substrate 24, the sensor 30 will detect and transmit a signal to the controller, so that the controller will send a signal to the actuator, and the actuator can drive the ejector 22 to rise or fall after receiving the signal, so that the ejector 22 can abut against the substrate 24. In this way, the support method can accurately abut against the substrate 24 to prevent the substrate 24 from slipping on the ejector 22.

[0061] The sensor 30 can be a pressure sensor or a distance sensor. When the sensor 30 is a pressure sensor, it can be imagined that the abutting portion 26 of the ejector 22 is used to support the substrate 24, the connecting portion 32 is connected to the ejector drive 40, and the controller can control the ejector drive 40, so that the ejector drive 40 drives the connecting portion 32 to rise or fall, thereby the ejector 22 can rise or fall. Specifically, by judging the data of the pressure sensor, it is judged whether the abutting portion 26 is in contact with the substrate 24. For example, when the data of the pressure sensor is zero or not, it can be known that the abutting portion 26 has not yet abutted on the substrate 24, so the pressure sensor transmits a signal to the controller, and the controller transmits a signal to control the actuator to drive the ejector 22 to rise. In this way, through the pressure sensor detection, the abutting portion 26 of each ejector 22 can be abutted on the substrate 24, thereby lifting the substrate 24. When the sensor 30 is a distance sensor, when the data of the distance sensor is zero or small, it can be known that the supporting portion 26 is in contact with the substrate 24, and when the data is large, it can be known that there is still a distance between the supporting portion 26 and the substrate 24. At this time, the distance sensor transmits a signal to the controller, and the controller transmits a signal to control the actuator to drive the ejector 22 to rise, so that the ejector 22 resists the substrate 24.

[0062] The signal of "the ejector pin 22 has not yet contacted the substrate 24" mentioned above means that when the sensor 30 is a pressure sensor, when the pressure sensor does not detect pressure, the pressure value is zero, and the ejector pin 22 has not yet contacted the substrate 24. The signal of "the ejector pin 22 has contacted the substrate 24" means that the pressure sensor detects a value, that is, the ejector pin 22 has contacted the substrate 24. When the sensor 30 is a distance sensor, the distance sensor detects the distance between the abutting portion 26 and the substrate 24, and the distance value is 10mm, that is, the ejector pin 22 has not yet contacted the substrate 24. The signal of "the ejector pin 22 has contacted the substrate 24" means that the distance sensor detects the value between the abutting portion 26 and the substrate 24, such as a value of 0 or a value of 0 to 0.1mm, that is, the ejector pin 22 has contacted the substrate 24. The principle that the controller receives the signal from the sensor 30 and sends the signal to the actuator is common knowledge and will not be described in detail here.

[0063] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes can be made within the knowledge of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

Claims

1. A support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, characterized in that: include: Substrate stage; A plurality of ejector pin lifting assemblies are installed on the substrate stage, the ejector pin lifting assemblies include ejectors, the ejectors include a supporting portion, a sensor and a connecting portion, two ends of the sensor are respectively connected to the supporting portion and the connecting portion, the supporting portion is used to support the substrate, and the sensor is used to sense whether the supporting portion is in contact with the substrate.

2. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ejector lifting assembly also includes an ejector driving member, one end of the connecting portion is detachably connected to the ejector driving member, and the other end of the connecting portion is detachably connected to the sensor; the ejector driving member is used to drive the ejector to perform lifting motion so that the ejector lifts the substrate up and down.

3. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The ejector drive member is provided with an ejector drive member groove, the connecting portion comprises a connecting portion end and a connecting rod connected to each other, the connecting portion end protrudes from the end surface of the connecting rod toward the ejector drive member, and when the connecting portion end is connected to the groove wall of the ejector drive member groove, the ejector drive member drives the connecting portion to rise and fall, so that the ejector lifts the substrate to rise and fall.

4. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate stage is also included in the lifting component of the substrate stage, which is used to drive the substrate stage to rise or fall, the substrate stage is provided with a substrate stage groove and a through hole, the substrate stage groove is connected with the through hole, the abutting portion is penetrated by the through hole and the substrate stage groove, the top of the abutting portion is provided with an abutting head, the abutting head protrudes along the radial direction of the abutting head, the diameter of the abutting head gradually decreases from top to bottom, the diameter of the substrate stage groove gradually decreases from top to bottom, the abutting head is arranged in the substrate stage groove, and the abutting head abuts against the groove wall of the substrate stage groove, the substrate stage ejector pin lifting component first drives the substrate stage to rise and fall, and the ejector pin lifting component then drives the ejector pin to rise and fall, so as to avoid the generation of plasma in the gap between the ejector pin and the substrate stage when the substrate stage is applied with radio frequency bias.

5. The support device for warping substrate in vacuum coating and etching equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of the through hole is smaller than the minimum diameter of the substrate stage groove to avoid the generation of plasma in the gap between the ejector pin and the substrate stage when a radio frequency bias is applied to the substrate stage.

6. The support device for warping substrate in vacuum coating and etching equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The abutment head is made of a flexible material, so that the abutment head can safely abut against the substrate.

7. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The substrate stage lifting assembly includes a stepper motor, the stepper motor is connected to the substrate stage, and the stepper motor is used to drive the substrate stage to lift and lower.

8. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least three ejector lifting assemblies are provided, and at least three ejector lifting assemblies are installed in an array distributed on the substrate stage, and at least three ejector lifting assemblies are used to lift the substrate together.

9. The support device for a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor is configured as a pressure sensor or a distance sensor. The pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure exerted by the substrate on the abutting portion, and the distance sensor is used to detect the distance between the abutting portion and the substrate.

10. A method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device, characterized in that: The substrate is supported by a support device for warping the substrate in the vacuum coating and etching equipment, wherein the support device comprises an ejector pin, the ejector pin comprises a supporting portion, a sensor and a connecting portion, two ends of the sensor are respectively connected to the supporting portion and the connecting portion, the supporting portion is used to support the substrate, and the sensor is used to sense whether the supporting portion is in contact with the substrate; The method for supporting a warped substrate in a vacuum coating and etching device comprises the following steps: placing a plurality of the ejector pins with the sensors attached thereto under the substrate; The plurality of ejectors are simultaneously ready to rise to receive the substrate placed on the robot arm or the substrate stage; The sensor at the lower part of the ejector pin detects whether the ejector pin contacts the substrate during the ejector pin's ascending process and transmits a signal to the controller; The sensor or the controller transmits a signal "the ejector pin has not yet contacted the substrate" to the actuator, and the actuator drives the ejector pin to continue to rise; when the actuator receives the signal "the ejector pin has already contacted the substrate", the actuator immediately stops the ejector pin, and operates in this way until all the ejector pins contact the substrate.

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