Substrate frame for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment

By adopting the design of rotating mechanism and screw assembly in the substrate holder of the scanning magnetron sputtering equipment, the problems of increasing sealing area and increasing compression force caused by the increase in the size of the substrate holder are solved, and the reduction of sealing area and compression force, the reduction of motor power and size, as well as the improvement of sealing properties and vacuum degree are achieved, which reduces the processing cost of the equipment.

CN119800313APending Publication Date: 2025-04-1148TH RES INST OF CHINA ELECTRONICS TECH GROUP CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510166723.7
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-02-14
Publication Date
2025-04-11

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

With the increase in wafer size in the semiconductor industry, the increase in substrate rack size leads to an increase in sealing area, thereby increasing air leakage rate, reducing vacuum environment stability, increasing maintenance difficulty and cost. At the same time, the motor power and size also increase, resulting in an increase in energy consumption and an increase in cost.

Method used

A substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment is designed, using a rotating mechanism and a screw assembly. The drive assembly drives the screw assembly up and downward movement, and drives the substrate rack sealing seat and roller assembly to reciprocate and rise and fall. The gears and racks mesh to drive the worm and worm gear movement, thereby driving the rotation of the rotary conductor wheel, realizing the rotation of the substrate disk seat, reducing the opening size between the injection chamber and the process chamber, and reducing the sealing area and compression force.

Benefits of technology

It effectively reduces the sealing area and compression force, reduces the motor power and size, improves the sealing and vacuum degree, and reduces the processing cost of the equipment.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a substrate frame for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment. The substrate frame comprises a substrate disc seat, a substrate frame sealing seat, a rotating mechanism, a bracket assembly, a screw rod assembly and a driving assembly, the substrate disc seat is arranged above the substrate frame sealing seat, one end of the screw rod assembly is connected with the driving assembly, the other end of the screw rod assembly is connected with the substrate frame sealing seat, the substrate disc seat is connected with the substrate frame sealing seat through the rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism comprises a rotary guide wheel, a rotating assembly and a roller assembly; a worm wheel is arranged below the rotary guide wheel, the roller assembly is connected with the substrate frame sealing seat and comprises a connecting rod and worms, at least two gears are arranged between the two worms, two racks are arranged on the substrate frame sealing seat, the lead screw assembly drives the substrate frame sealing seat to ascend and descend in a reciprocating mode under driving of the driving assembly, and the gears are meshed with the racks. The rotating assembly ascends and descends along the rotating guide wheel under the action of the balls, and then the substrate disc base is driven to rotate. The sealing device has the advantages of compact structure, good sealing performance, low cost and the like.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention mainly relates to the field of magnetron sputtering, in particular to a substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment. Background Art

[0002] Magnetron sputtering is a vacuum coating technology widely used in the industrial field. It mainly coats various products with uniform and dense thin films through a specific physical process in a high vacuum chamber, thereby meeting the diverse needs of different industries for product surface performance.

[0003] In recent years, with the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, the size of wafers has continued to move towards larger specifications. In order to adapt to large-sized wafers, the size of the substrate rack has to continue to increase. This change has brought a series of thorny problems. On the one hand, the increase in the size of the substrate rack directly leads to a significant increase in the size of the sealing surface, which in turn leads to a significant increase in the volume of the cavity. This not only gradually increases the overall leakage rate of the equipment, seriously affecting the stability of the vacuum environment during the coating process and reducing the coating quality; but also the overall equipment appears to be more and more bloated, and the internal operating space becomes extremely narrow. Once the equipment fails, it is difficult for maintenance personnel to carry out maintenance work in a limited space, which greatly increases the difficulty and time cost of maintenance.

[0004] On the other hand, the increase in the size of the sealing surface greatly increases the clamping force required to seal the cover. In order to provide sufficient clamping force, the corresponding motor power and size have to continue to increase. This not only leads to a sharp increase in the manufacturing cost of the equipment, but also a significant increase in energy consumption during the operation of the equipment, further increasing the operating costs of the company. How to reduce the sealing area, reduce the clamping force required for sealing, reduce the requirements for motor power, and reduce costs are technical problems that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment which has a compact structure, good sealing performance and low cost.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment, comprising a substrate disc seat, a substrate rack sealing seat, a rotating mechanism, a bracket assembly, a screw assembly and a driving assembly; the substrate disc seat is arranged above the substrate rack sealing seat, one end of the screw assembly is connected to the driving assembly, and the other end passes through the bracket assembly and is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat, the substrate disc seat is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat through a rotating mechanism, the rotating mechanism comprises a rotary guide wheel, a rotating assembly and a roller assembly, the rotating assembly is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel, a worm gear is provided below the rotary guide wheel, the The roller assembly is arranged below the substrate rack sealing seat, and the roller assembly includes a connecting rod and a worm arranged at both ends of the connecting rod, at least two gears are arranged between the two worms, and two racks are vertically arranged on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat. Under the drive of the driving assembly, the screw assembly drives the substrate rack sealing seat and the roller assembly to reciprocate and rise and fall in the vertical direction, the gear is meshed with the rack, driving the worm and the worm wheel to move, and then driving the rotary guide wheel to rotate, and the rotating assembly is lifted and lowered along the rotary guide wheel under the action of the ball, thereby driving the substrate disc seat to rotate.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention: a connecting block is provided between the worm and the gear, and the roller assembly is connected to the substrate frame sealing seat through the connecting block.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention: the bracket assembly includes an upper mounting plate, a guide rod, a guide plate and a lower mounting plate; one end of the guide rod is connected to the upper mounting plate, and the other end of the guide rod passes through the guide plate and is connected to the lower mounting plate.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention: a sealing assembly is also provided in the bracket assembly, and the sealing assembly includes a support member and a bellows along the outer circumference of the support member, the upper end of the bellows is connected to the upper mounting plate, and the lower end of the bellows is connected to the guide plate.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention: the support member is a hollow structure, the screw assembly includes a screw and a screw seat, the screw passes through the hollow structure and is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat, the screw seat is connected to the guide plate, and under the drive of the driving assembly, the screw assembly and the guide plate are reciprocated and lifted along the guide rod to realize the reciprocating lifting of the substrate rack sealing seat.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention: a first gear is provided at the output end of the driving component, a second gear is provided below the screw seat, and the driving component drives the first gear to rotate and then drives the second gear to rotate.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention: the rotary guide wheel is installed on the substrate rack sealing seat, the rotary guide wheel includes a rotary column and a magnetic fluid, the magnetic fluid passes through the substrate rack sealing seat, and a guide rail is provided on the rotary column. When the rotating component is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel, the ball clamp is arranged in the guide rail and rolls along the guide rail, thereby driving the rotating component to move up and down in the vertical direction.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention: a protrusion is provided on the upper surface of the substrate holder sealing seat, the substrate disc seat is arranged above the protrusion, and the rotating mechanism drives the substrate disc seat to rotate along the surface of the protrusion.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, it also includes an elastic component, one end of which is fixed on the substrate disc seat, and the other end is fixed on the substrate frame sealing seat.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention: a sealing groove is provided on the substrate holder sealing seat for vacuum sealing.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: The substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment of the present invention, when it is necessary to transfer the film, the driving component drives the screw component to move up and down, thereby driving the substrate rack sealing seat to move, and is provided with a rotating mechanism, and the rotating mechanism includes a rotary guide wheel, a rotating component and a roller component, which are used to drive the substrate disc seat to rotate, and the roller component moves with the substrate rack sealing seat, and a worm is provided at each end of the roller component, and at least two gears are provided between the two worms, and two racks are vertically provided on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat, and the rotating component is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel, and a worm wheel is provided below the rotary guide wheel. When the roller assembly is lifted and lowered reciprocatingly in the vertical direction, the gear and the rack are meshed. , driving the worm and worm gear to move, and then driving the rotary guide wheel to rotate. Under the action of the ball, the rotating component first descends and then rises. Under the action of the rotating component, the substrate disc seat first rotates and then restores. When it rotates, it just enters the process chamber from the injection chamber, thereby reducing the opening size between the injection chamber and the process chamber, and also reducing the size of the substrate holder sealing seat. The reduced sealing area reduces the required pressing force for sealing, thereby reducing the power and size of the motor. At the same time, because the force on each structure is reduced, the structural strength requirement is reduced, and the size is also reduced accordingly, so that the required sealing area is further reduced, the sealing is improved, and the processing cost of the equipment can be effectively reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a stereogram of the present invention in a specific embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the present invention in a specific embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3It is a state change diagram of the substrate disc seat during the descending process of the substrate rack sealing seat of the present invention.

[0020] Legend: 1. substrate disc seat; 2. substrate rack sealing seat; 3. rotating mechanism; 31. rotary guide wheel; 32. rotating assembly; 33. roller assembly; 331. connecting rod; 332. worm; 333. gear; 334. connecting block; 4. bracket assembly; 41. upper mounting plate; 42. guide rod; 43. guide plate; 44. lower mounting plate; 5. screw assembly; 51. screw; 52. screw seat; 6. driving assembly; 7. worm gear; 8. rack; 9. sealing assembly; 91. support member; 92. bellows; 10. first gear; 11. second gear; 12. bump; 13. elastic assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific preferred embodiments, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "side", "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships 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 referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0023] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, this embodiment discloses a substrate rack for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment, including a substrate disc seat 1, a substrate rack sealing seat 2, a rotating mechanism 3, a bracket assembly 4, a screw assembly 5 and a driving assembly 6; the substrate disc seat 1 is arranged above the substrate rack sealing seat 2, one end of the screw assembly 5 is connected to the driving assembly 6, and the other end of the screw assembly 5 passes through the bracket assembly 4 and is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat 2, the substrate disc seat 1 is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat 2 through the rotating mechanism 3, the rotating mechanism 3 includes a rotary guide wheel 31, a rotating assembly 32 and a roller assembly 33, the rotating assembly 32 is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel 31, and a worm gear 7 is provided below the rotary guide wheel 31. The roller assembly 33 is arranged below the substrate rack sealing seat 2. The roller assembly 33 includes a connecting rod 331 and a worm 332 arranged at both ends of the connecting rod 331. At least two gears 333 are arranged between the two worms 332. Two racks 8 are vertically arranged on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat 2. Under the drive of the driving assembly 6, the screw assembly 5 drives the substrate rack sealing seat 2 and the roller assembly 33 to reciprocate and rise and fall in the vertical direction. The gear 333 is engaged with the rack 8, driving the worm 332 and the worm wheel 7 to move, thereby driving the rotary guide wheel 31 to rotate. Under the action of the ball, the rotating assembly 32 rises and falls along the rotary guide wheel 31, thereby driving the substrate disc seat 1 to rotate.

[0026] The substrate rack of the present embodiment is used for scanning the magnetron sputtering equipment. When the film needs to be transferred, the driving component 6 drives the screw component 5 to move up and down, thereby driving the substrate rack sealing seat 2 to move. A rotating mechanism 3 is provided, and the rotating mechanism 3 includes a rotary guide wheel 31, a rotating component 32 and a roller component 33, which are used to drive the substrate disc seat 1 to rotate. The roller component 33 moves with the substrate rack sealing seat 2. A worm 332 is provided at each end of the roller component 33, and at least two gears 333 are provided between the two worms 332. Two racks 8 are vertically provided on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat 2. The rotating component 32 is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel 31, and a worm wheel 7 is provided below the rotary guide wheel 31. When the roller component 33 is lifted and lowered reciprocatingly in the vertical direction, the gear 333 meshes with the rack 8, driving the worm 332 and the worm wheel 7 to move, thereby driving The movable rotary guide wheel 31 rotates, and the rotating component 32, under the action of the ball, first descends and then rises. Under the action of the rotating component 32, the substrate disc holder 1 first rotates and then returns. When it rotates, it just enters the process chamber from the injection chamber, thereby reducing the opening size between the injection chamber and the process chamber, and can also reduce the size of the substrate holder sealing seat 2, reduce the sealing area, and improve the vacuum degree of the equipment. The reduced sealing area reduces the required pressing force for sealing, thereby reducing the power and size of the motor, and the entire substrate holder only needs one driving component 6 to move up and down in the vertical direction, and at the same time realizes the complex rotation and rotation of the substrate disc holder 1; and because the force of each structure is reduced, the structural strength requirement is reduced, and the size is also reduced accordingly, so that the required sealing area is further reduced, the sealing is improved, and the processing cost of the equipment can be effectively reduced.

[0027] In this embodiment, a connecting block 334 is provided between the worm 332 and the gear 333, and the roller assembly 33 is connected to the substrate frame sealing seat 2 through the connecting block 334. When the substrate frame sealing seat 2 moves up and down under the action of the screw assembly 5, the roller assembly 33 also moves up and down synchronously.

[0028] In this embodiment, the support assembly 4 includes an upper mounting plate 41, a guide rod 42, a guide plate 43 and a lower mounting plate 44; one end of the guide rod 42 is connected to the upper mounting plate 41, and the other end of the guide rod 42 passes through the guide plate 43 and is connected to the lower mounting plate 44; a sealing assembly 9 is also provided in the support assembly 4, and the sealing assembly 9 includes a support member 91 and a bellows 92 along the outer periphery of the support member 91, the upper end of the bellows 92 is connected to the upper mounting plate 41, and the lower end of the bellows 92 is connected to the guide plate 43. Driven by the drive assembly 6, the screw assembly 5 drives the substrate rack sealing seat 2 to reciprocate and rise and fall in the vertical direction, so that the substrate rack sealing seat can be reciprocated and raised in the process chamber of the magnetron sputtering system, thereby achieving the purpose of transporting the substrate. Moreover, the double-layer sealing structure of the bellows 92 and the support member 91 is utilized to realize the lifting and lowering seal of the substrate holder sealing seat 2. Since the bellows 92 in this embodiment can be made longer, and the stroke and length of the bellows 92 have a great influence on the life, the bellows in this embodiment has a longer life, thereby reducing the frequency of replacement and maintenance of the sealing assembly 9.

[0029] In this embodiment, the support member 91 is a hollow structure, the screw assembly 5 includes a screw 51 and a screw seat 52, the screw 51 passes through the hollow structure and is connected to the substrate holder sealing seat 2, the screw seat 52 is connected to the guide plate 43, and under the drive of the drive assembly 6, the screw assembly 5 and the guide plate 43 are reciprocated along the guide rod 42 to achieve the reciprocating lifting of the substrate holder sealing seat 2. The drive assembly 6 is driven by a screw drive assembly, which has accurate positioning and high reliability, and solves the problems in the prior art such as the difficulty in controlling the lifting of the substrate holder sealing seat 2 and the contamination of the inside of the vacuum chamber due to the inaccurate positioning and easy oil leakage of the hydraulic drive system.

[0030] In this embodiment, the output end of the driving assembly 6 is provided with a first gear 10, and the lower part of the screw seat 52 is provided with a second gear 11. The driving assembly 6 drives the first gear 10 to rotate and then drives the second gear 11 to rotate. The screw seat 52 is driven to move by gear meshing. When the power is transmitted from the driving assembly 6 to the screw seat 52, most of the energy is used to drive the movement of the screw seat 52, rather than being consumed in the transmission process, so the transmission efficiency is high; and the movement speed and position of the screw 51 can be accurately controlled.

[0031] In this embodiment, the rotary guide wheel 31 is installed on the substrate holder sealing seat 2, and the rotary guide wheel 31 includes a rotary column and a magnetic fluid, and the magnetic fluid passes through the substrate holder sealing seat 2. A guide rail is provided on the rotary column. When the rotating assembly 32 is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel 31, the ball rolls along the guide rail, thereby driving the rotating assembly 32 to move up and down in the vertical direction. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the guide rails on the rotary column are staggered, so that the rotating assembly 32 can move up and down along the rotary column.

[0032] In this embodiment, a protrusion 12 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate holder sealing seat 2, and the substrate disc seat 1 is arranged above the protrusion 12. The rotating mechanism 3 drives the substrate disc seat 1 to rotate along the surface of the protrusion 12; it also includes an elastic component 13, one end of the elastic component 13 is fixed on the substrate disc seat 1, and the other end is fixed on the substrate holder sealing seat 2. The substrate holder sealing seat 2 is also provided with a sealing groove for vacuum sealing. Under the action of the ball, the rotating component 32 first descends and then rises. Under the action of the rotating component 32 and the elastic component 13, the substrate disc seat 1 will rotate along the surface of the protrusion. When the substrate disc seat 1 rotates, it just enters the process chamber from the injection chamber. The opening size between the injection chamber and the process chamber can be designed to be smaller, thereby reducing the size of the substrate holder sealing seat 2, reducing the sealing area, and effectively improving the sealing performance.

[0033] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, some improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a substrate disc seat (1), a substrate frame sealing seat (2), a rotating mechanism (3), a bracket assembly (4), a screw assembly (5) and a driving assembly (6); the substrate disc seat (1) is arranged above the substrate frame sealing seat (2); one end of the screw assembly (5) is connected to the driving assembly (6), and the other end passes through the bracket assembly (4) and is connected to the substrate frame sealing seat (2); the substrate disc seat (1) is connected to the substrate frame sealing seat (2) through the rotating mechanism (3); the rotating mechanism (3) comprises a rotary guide wheel (31), a rotating assembly (32) and a roller assembly (33); the rotating assembly (32) is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel (31); a worm gear (7) is provided below the rotary guide wheel (31); the roller assembly (33) is arranged on the substrate frame Below the sealing seat (2), the roller assembly (33) comprises a connecting rod (331) and a worm (332) arranged at both ends of the connecting rod (331), at least two gears (333) are arranged between the two worms (332), and two racks (8) are vertically arranged on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat (2). Under the drive of the driving assembly (6), the screw assembly (5) drives the substrate rack sealing seat (2) and the roller assembly (33) to move back and forth in the vertical direction, the gear (333) meshes with the rack (8), drives the worm (332) and the worm wheel (7) to move, and further drives the rotary guide wheel (31) to rotate. Under the action of the ball, the rotating assembly (32) moves up and down along the rotary guide wheel (31) and further drives the substrate disc seat (1) to rotate.

2. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting block (334) is provided between the worm (332) and the gear (333), and the roller assembly (33) is connected to the substrate frame sealing seat (2) via the connecting block (334).

3. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bracket assembly (4) comprises an upper mounting plate (41), a guide rod (42), a guide plate (43) and a lower mounting plate (44); one end of the guide rod (42) is connected to the upper mounting plate (41), and the other end of the guide rod (42) passes through the guide plate (43) and is connected to the lower mounting plate (44).

4. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: A sealing assembly (9) is also provided in the support assembly (4), the sealing assembly (9) comprising a support member (91) and a bellows (92) along the outer periphery of the support member (91), the upper end of the bellows (92) being connected to the upper mounting plate (41), and the lower end of the bellows (92) being connected to the guide plate (43).

5. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support member (91) is a hollow structure. The screw assembly (5) comprises a screw (51) and a screw seat (52). The screw (51) passes through the hollow structure and is connected to the substrate rack sealing seat (2). The screw seat (52) is connected to the guide plate (43). Under the drive of the drive assembly (6), the screw assembly (5) and the guide plate (43) are reciprocated and lifted along the guide rod (42) to achieve the reciprocating lifting of the substrate rack sealing seat (2).

6. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The output end of the driving assembly (6) is provided with a first gear (10), and a second gear (11) is provided below the screw seat (52); the driving assembly (6) drives the first gear (10) to rotate, thereby driving the second gear (11) to rotate.

7. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The rotary guide wheel (31) is mounted on the substrate rack sealing seat (2), the rotary guide wheel (31) comprises a rotary column and a magnetic fluid, the magnetic fluid passes through the substrate rack sealing seat (2), a guide rail is provided on the rotary column, and when the rotating component (32) is sleeved on the rotary guide wheel (31), the ball rolls along the guide rail, thereby driving the rotating component (32) to move up and down in a vertical direction.

8. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A protrusion (12) is provided on the upper surface of the substrate rack sealing seat (2), the substrate disc seat (1) is arranged above the protrusion (12), and the rotating mechanism (3) drives the substrate disc seat (1) to rotate along the surface of the protrusion (12).

9. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also comprises an elastic component (13), one end of the elastic component (13) is fixed on the substrate disc seat (1), and the other end is fixed on the substrate frame sealing seat (2).

10. The substrate holder for scanning magnetron sputtering equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: A sealing groove is provided on the substrate holder sealing seat (2) for vacuum sealing.