Air-tight seal structure and substrate processing equipment
By adopting a gas-sealed structure in the substrate processing equipment, the sealing gas is passed through the runner system and discharged through the exhaust port, the problem of high-speed rotating substrate being contaminated by particles during the cleaning process is solved, and more efficient substrate surface protection and drying are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510166636.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-13
AI Technical Summary
In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the high-speed rotating substrate is easily contaminated by particles generated by conventional rolling bearings during the cleaning process, while the magnetic fluid sealed bearings produce particles themselves after long-term use, resulting in contamination of the substrate surface.
It adopts an air-sealed structure, including an outer ring and an inner ring arranged in a coaxial sleeve, the upper part of the inner ring and the lower part are fixedly connected, and passes through the axial limit of the outer ring. The upper part of the inner ring includes a first flow channel and a second flow channel that penetrates the axially. There is a third flow channel and a fourth flow channel between the lower part of the inner ring and the outer ring, and is equipped with an upper exhaust port and a lower exhaust port respectively. The first flow channel is in communication with the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel. When the substrate rotates at a high speed, the sealing gas is passed through the third and fourth flow channels, and it serves to assist in blowing and sealing the particles below.
It effectively reduces or avoids pollution on the substrate surface, shortens the drying time of the substrate, improves the production capacity of the equipment, and has better sealing effect than magnetic fluid sealing.
Smart Images
Figure CN119982900A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically, relates to an airtight structure and substrate processing equipment. Background Art
[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, such as cleaning process, liquid is sprayed above and below the high-speed rotating substrate to protect and clean the substrate surface. The existing high-speed rotation of the substrate is generally achieved by rolling bearings. However, during the high-speed rotation of the substrate, conventional rolling bearings are bound to produce particles. These particles will contaminate the surface of the cleaned substrate and cause defects. These defects will greatly affect the yield of the substrate. In the existing substrate cleaning process, the substrate surface sealing protection is mainly achieved by using magnetic fluid sealed bearings. The magnetic fluid sealed bearings can prevent particles from overflowing from under the bearings and contaminating the substrate surface. However, the magnetic fluid will generate particles itself after long-term use, and the particles generated by itself will overflow and cause contamination of the substrate surface. Summary of the invention
[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide an airtight structure and a substrate processing device, which can reduce or avoid contamination of the surface of a substrate rotating at a high speed in a semiconductor manufacturing process.
[0004] To achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: In a first aspect, the present invention provides an air-sealing structure, comprising an outer ring and an inner ring which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relatively, the inner ring comprising an inner ring upper split body and an inner ring lower split body sleeved outside the inner ring upper split body, the inner ring upper split body and the inner ring lower split body are fixedly connected, and the inner ring is axially limited by the outer ring; The inner ring upper body includes a first flow channel and an axially extending second flow channel. A third flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The third flow channel has an upper exhaust port. A fourth flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The fourth flow channel has a lower exhaust port. The first flow channel is connected to the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel.
[0005] In one embodiment, a fifth flow channel is provided on the inner ring lower split body, one end of the fifth flow channel is connected to the first flow channel, and the other end of the fifth flow channel is connected to the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel.
[0006] In one embodiment, the third flow channel cross section and the fourth flow channel cross section are cross sections that change in size alternately along the exhaust direction.
[0007] In one embodiment, the outer ring includes an outer ring upper body and an outer ring lower body, the outer ring upper body and the outer ring lower body are fixedly connected, and a rotating support is provided between a side of the outer ring lower body away from the outer ring upper body and the inner ring lower body.
[0008] In one embodiment, a first tooth-shaped structure having multiple layers of concentric arrangements is provided in a radial direction on one side of the inner ring lower body facing the outer ring upper body, and a second tooth-shaped structure having multiple layers of concentric arrangements is provided in a radial direction on one side of the inner ring lower body facing the outer ring lower body, and the first tooth-shaped structure and the second tooth-shaped structure are used to cooperate with the outer ring to form the third flow channel.
[0009] In one embodiment, the outer ring upper body is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged third tooth-shaped structures, and the outer ring lower body is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged fourth tooth-shaped structures, and the third flow channel is formed between the third tooth-shaped structure and the first tooth-shaped structure and between the fourth tooth-shaped structure and the second tooth-shaped structure.
[0010] In one embodiment, the inner ring lower body is provided with a plurality of fifth tooth-shaped structures along the axial direction, and the fourth flow channel with a variable cross-section is formed between the fifth tooth-shaped structures and the outer ring lower body.
[0011] In one embodiment, the first flow channel includes an inlet flow channel and a branch flow channel for communicating with the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel, the inlet flow channel is arranged in the axial direction, and the branch flow channel is arranged in the circumferential direction.
[0012] In one embodiment, there are multiple fifth flow channels, and the multiple fifth flow channels are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction.
[0013] In one embodiment, the fifth flow channel is inclined toward one side of the fourth flow channel.
[0014] In one embodiment, the rotating support member is a bearing, the number of the bearings is greater than one, and a supporting sleeve is provided between adjacent supporting bearings; A locking nut is arranged at the bottom of the inner ring lower body, and the locking nut abuts against the bearing.
[0015] In one embodiment, the lower exhaust port is disposed at a position lower than the bearing.
[0016] In one embodiment, the inner ring upper body further includes a sixth flow channel, and the sixth flow channel is used to dry the substrate disposed on the outer ring.
[0017] A second aspect of the present invention provides a substrate processing device, comprising the airtight structure as described above.
[0018] The air-sealing structure provided by the present invention comprises an outer ring and an inner ring which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relative to each other, the inner ring comprising an inner ring upper split and an inner ring lower split sleeved on the outside of the inner ring upper split, the inner ring upper split and the inner ring lower split are fixedly connected, the inner ring is axially limited by the outer ring, the inner ring upper split comprises a first flow channel and an axially penetrating second flow channel, a third flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower split and the outer ring, the third flow channel has an upper exhaust port, a fourth flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower split and the outer ring, the fourth flow channel has a lower exhaust port, the first flow channel is connected with the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel, when the air-sealing structure is in use, the substrate is placed on the outer ring and rotated at a high speed, after the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel, the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port through the third flow channel, which can play an auxiliary drying role for the substrate arranged on the outer ring, thereby shortening the substrate drying time, and the sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port through the fourth flow channel, which can seal the particles below from flowing upward and polluting the surface of the substrate.
[0019] The substrate processing equipment provided by the present invention includes the air-sealing structure as described above. When the air-sealing structure is in use, the substrate is placed on the outer ring and rotated at high speed. After the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel, the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port through the third flow channel, which can assist in drying the substrate arranged on the outer ring, thereby shortening the substrate drying time. The sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port through the fourth flow channel, which can seal the particles below from flowing upward and contaminating the back side of the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0021] Figure 1 A side view of a gas-tight sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an airtight sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the airflow direction of the air-tight sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A side view of the inner ring lower split of the air sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A side view of the split upper outer ring of the air-sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A side view of the inner ring lower split of the air sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7A comparison diagram of the air-sealing and magnetic fluid-sealing effects of the air-sealing structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are: 1-outer ring; 2-inner ring; 3-upper exhaust port; 4-lower exhaust port; 5-rotating support; 6-sleeve; 7-locking nut; 8-bolt; 11-upper split of outer ring; 12-lower split of outer ring; 21-upper split of inner ring; 22-lower split of inner ring; 23-first flow channel; 24-second flow channel; 25-third flow channel; 26-fourth flow channel; 27-fifth flow channel; 28-sixth flow channel; 111-third tooth-shaped structure; 121-fourth tooth-shaped structure; 221-first tooth-shaped structure; 222-second tooth-shaped structure; 223-fifth tooth-shaped structure; 231-inlet flow channel; 232-outlet flow channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof used herein are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatuses.
[0025] It should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by terms such as "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the 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 operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.
[0026] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.
[0027] The airtight sealing structure and substrate processing equipment provided by the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.
[0028] Figure 1 A side view of the airtight sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an airtight sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 For a cross-sectional view of the airflow direction of the airtight sealing structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 1-Figure 3 The first aspect of this embodiment provides an air-sealing structure, comprising an outer ring 1 and an inner ring 2 which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relative to each other, the inner ring 2 comprising an inner ring upper body 21 and an inner ring lower body 22 sleeved on the outer side of the inner ring upper body 21, the inner ring upper body 21 and the inner ring lower body 22 are fixedly connected, and the inner ring 2 is axially limited by the outer ring 1.
[0029] The inner ring upper body 21 includes a first flow channel 23 and an axially extending second flow channel 24. A third flow channel 25 is provided between the inner ring lower body 22 and the outer ring 1. The third flow channel 25 has an upper exhaust port 3. A fourth flow channel 26 is provided between the inner ring lower body 22 and the outer ring 1. The fourth flow channel 26 has a lower exhaust port 4. The first flow channel 23 is connected to the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26.
[0030] The airtight structure of the embodiment of the present invention is an airtight structure used for protecting and drying the surface of a substrate. The use scope of the airtight structure includes but is not limited to cleaning equipment, gluing equipment, developing equipment and other equipment that have high requirements for the cleanliness of the substrate surface. The substrates include but are not limited to semiconductor chips, liquid crystal display substrates, LED substrates, photomask substrates, etc.
[0031] The inner ring 2 of the air-sealing structure of the present embodiment comprises an inner ring upper body 21 and an inner ring lower body 22, and the outer ring 1 comprises an outer ring upper body 11 and an outer ring lower body 12. The outer ring 1 and the inner ring 2 are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relative to each other. The outer ring upper body 11 and the outer ring lower body 12 of the present embodiment are fixedly connected, and the inner ring upper body 21 and the inner ring lower body 22 are fixedly connected. A rotating support 5 is provided between the side of the outer ring lower body 12 away from the outer ring upper body 11 and the inner ring lower body 22 of the present embodiment. The present embodiment does not impose any special restrictions on the fixed connection method of the outer ring upper body 11 and the outer ring lower body 12. For example, the outer ring upper body 11 and the outer ring lower body 12 are fixedly connected by bolts 8, and the inner ring upper body 21 and the inner ring lower body 22 are fixedly connected by bolts 8. For example, a bearing is provided between the lower part of the outer ring lower body 12 of the present embodiment and the inner ring lower body 22. In this embodiment, the inner ring lower body 22 is sleeved inside the outer ring lower body 12 and supported by two bearings, the two bearings are supported by a sleeve 6, and the bottom bearing is fixed and locked by a locking nut 7. After the inner ring 2 and the outer ring 1 of this embodiment are installed and locked by the locking nut 7, there is no axial movement between the inner ring lower body 22 and the outer ring lower body 12 and they are concentrically arranged.
[0032] The bottom of the inner ring lower body 22 of this embodiment is provided with a locking nut 7, which abuts against the rotating support 5. This embodiment can ensure that there is no axial movement between the inner ring lower body 22 and the outer ring lower body 12 after the inner ring and the outer ring are installed, which can significantly reduce vibration and noise and improve the running stability of the sealing structure.
[0033] The inner ring upper body 21 of this embodiment includes a first flow channel 23 and an axially penetrating second flow channel 24, wherein the second flow channel 24 is used for back spray protection of the substrate, for example, during the front cleaning process of the substrate, the back of the substrate is protected by passing inert gas through the second flow channel 24. The second flow channel 24 of this embodiment axially penetrates the inner ring upper body 21, and the second flow channel 24 of this embodiment is located at the center of the inner ring upper body 21.
[0034] The first flow channel 23 of this embodiment is connected with the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26, the third flow channel 25 is connected with the upper exhaust port 3, and the fourth flow channel 26 is connected with the lower exhaust port 4. For example, after the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel 23 of this embodiment, during the rotation of the outer ring, a part of the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port 3 through the third flow channel 25, and a part of the sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port 4 through the fourth flow channel 26. The gas flowing through the third flow channel 25 is discharged from the upper exhaust port 3. During the drying process of the substrate, it can assist the drying of the substrate and shorten the substrate drying time. The gas flowing through the fourth flow channel 26 is discharged from the lower exhaust port 4, and the gas discharged from the lower exhaust port 4 can prevent the particles below from flowing upward, and seal the particles below from contaminating the substrate surface. For example, the inner ring lower body 22 of this embodiment is provided with a fifth flow channel 27, one end of which is connected with the first flow channel 23, and the other end of which is connected with the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26.
[0035] The existing substrate surface sealing protection during the cleaning process mainly uses magnetic fluid sealing bearings for sealing protection to prevent particles from overflowing from below and contaminating the substrate surface. However, after long-term use, the magnetic fluid itself will produce particles and overflow to contaminate the substrate surface. The clean air sealing structure with auxiliary drying provided in this embodiment can effectively seal the particles below the cavity to contaminate the substrate surface and shorten the drying time by more than 50%, thereby improving the equipment production capacity.
[0036] When the air-sealing structure provided in this embodiment is in use, the substrate is placed on the outer ring and rotated at high speed. After the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel, the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port through the third flow channel, which can assist in drying the substrate arranged on the outer ring, thereby shortening the substrate drying time. The sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port through the fourth flow channel, which can seal the particles below from flowing upward and contaminating the substrate surface.
[0037] See also Figure 3 In a specific embodiment, the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 are both flow channels with alternating cross-sections along the gas outlet direction. The third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 of this embodiment generate great resistance due to the alternating cross-sections of the flow channels, which increases the internal pressure of the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 to achieve better sealing. At the same time, the flow rate of the sealing gas used will also be reduced, saving the amount of sealing gas.
[0038] Figure 4 For a side view of the inner ring lower split of the air sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 2-Figure 4In a specific embodiment, the inner ring lower body 22 is provided with a first tooth-shaped structure 221 arranged concentrically in a radial direction on one side facing the outer ring upper body 11, and the inner ring lower body 22 is provided with a second tooth-shaped structure 222 arranged concentrically in a radial direction on one side facing the outer ring lower body 12. The first tooth-shaped structure 221 and the second tooth-shaped structure 222 are used to cooperate with the outer ring 1 to form the third flow channel 25. The third flow channel 25 of this embodiment is formed by the first tooth-shaped structure 221 arranged concentrically in a radial direction on one side facing the outer ring upper body 11 on the inner ring lower body 22 and the second tooth-shaped structure 222 arranged concentrically in a radial direction on one side facing the outer ring lower body 12 on the inner ring lower body 22. Figure 5 For the side view of the outer ring upper body of the air sealing structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 2-Figure 5 , the outer ring upper body 11 is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged third tooth-shaped structures 111, the outer ring lower body 12 is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged fourth tooth-shaped structures 121, and the third flow channel 25 is formed between the third tooth-shaped structure 111 and the first tooth-shaped structure 221 and between the fourth tooth-shaped structure 121 and the second tooth-shaped structure 222. In this embodiment, the air-sealing structure outer ring lower body 12 is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged fourth tooth-shaped structures, the outer ring upper body 11 is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged third tooth-shaped structures 111, and the air-sealing structure inner ring lower body 22 is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged first tooth-shaped structures 221 and second tooth-shaped structures 222. The first tooth-shaped structure 221 and the third tooth-shaped structure 111, and the second tooth-shaped structure 222 and the fourth tooth-shaped structure 121 together form the third flow channel 25. The flow channel cross-section of the third flow channel 25 changes in size alternately to increase the airflow resistance.
[0039] Figure 6 For a side view of the lower inner ring of the air-sealing structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention, please refer to Figure 2-Figure 6 Preferably, a plurality of fifth tooth-shaped structures 223 are arranged on the outer side below the fifth flow channel 27 of the inner ring lower body 22 along the axial direction, and the fourth flow channel 26 with a changing cross section is formed between the fifth tooth-shaped structure 223 and the outer ring lower body 12. In this embodiment, multiple layers of fifth tooth-shaped structures 223 are arranged along the axial direction below the inner ring lower body 22. The cross section of the fifth tooth-shaped structure 223 along the radial direction changes from large to small. For example, the outer contour of the fifth tooth-shaped structure 223 in this embodiment is an outer triangle. The fifth tooth-shaped structure 223 in this embodiment and the inner surface of the outer ring lower body 12 together form the fourth flow channel 26 with alternating space sizes, which can increase the flow resistance and communicate with the fifth flow channel 27 by using the labyrinth sealing principle. The fifth tooth-shaped structure 223 in this embodiment can also be rectangular, and a space with alternating sizes is formed between the rectangular fifth tooth-shaped structures 223 arranged at intervals and the outer ring lower body 12.
[0040] The third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 of this embodiment are both provided with multi-layer sealing teeth to make the internal pressure of the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 of the air-tight structure higher than the outlet pressure of the upper and lower parts, so as to seal the particles below to prevent the substrate surface from being contaminated.
[0041] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 In a specific embodiment, the first flow channel 23 includes an axially arranged inlet flow channel 231 and a circumferentially arranged outlet flow channel 232, and the outlet flow channel 232 is connected to the fifth flow channel 27. When the air-sealing structure of this embodiment is used, a sealing gas of more than 3L / min is introduced into the inlet flow channel 231 of the first flow channel 23, which can inhibit the flow of particles inside and below the rotating support 5 to the surface of the substrate. During the substrate process, the outer ring 1 of the air-sealing structure rotates at a high speed together with the substrate, and the second flow channel 24 sprays the process liquid onto the surface of the substrate. At the same time, the sealing gas flows into the annular outlet flow channel 232 through the inlet flow channel 231, and then flows into the fifth flow channel 27 evenly distributed along the circumference from the annular outlet flow channel 232. The third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 are arranged above and below the fifth flow channel 27, respectively. After the sealing gas flows out of the fifth flow channel 27, it is divided into two paths. One path flows upward from the third flow channel 25 to the upper exhaust port 3 to the substrate surface to dry it, and the other path flows downward from the fourth flow channel 26 to the rotating support 5 and discharges the heat and particles generated by the high-speed rotation of the rotating support 5 from the lower exhaust port 4 to prevent particles from flowing upward and contaminating the substrate surface. The outlet flow channel 232 of this embodiment is continuously arranged along the circumferential direction on the inner ring upper split 21, so that the sealing gas can flow into the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 more evenly.
[0042] There are multiple fifth flow channels 27, and the multiple fifth flow channels 27 are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, by providing multiple fifth flow channels 27 evenly spaced, the sealing gas entering from the second flow channel 24 enters from the fifth flow channel 27 and then enters the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 through the fifth flow channel 27. Since the fifth flow channels 27 are evenly spaced on the inner ring lower split 22, the airflow from the fifth flow channel 27 into the third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 is more stable.
[0043] Furthermore, the fifth flow channel 27 is tilted toward the fourth flow channel 26. The fifth flow channel 27 of this embodiment is tilted toward the fourth flow channel 26, so that the airflow entering from the fifth flow channel 27 can flow more toward the fourth flow channel 26. The fourth flow channel 26 of this embodiment is used to seal the surface of the substrate contaminated by particles below. More airflow entering from the fifth flow channel 27 can achieve a better sealing effect.
[0044] Further, the lower exhaust port 4 is arranged on a side away from the bearing. The lower exhaust port 4 of this embodiment is arranged on a side away from the bearing. The lower exhaust ports 4 of this embodiment are evenly arranged around the circumference of the outer ring lower body 12, and the lower exhaust port 4 is located lower than the bearing to facilitate the discharge of particles generated by the bearing.
[0045] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 In a specific embodiment, the inner ring upper body 21 further includes a sixth flow channel 28, and the sixth flow channel 28 is used to blow dry the substrate placed on the outer ring upper body 11. The sixth flow channel 28 of this embodiment is a blow-drying flow channel. For example, after the substrate is cleaned, ventilation is performed through the sixth flow channel 28 for blow-drying. Among them, the number of the sixth flow channels 28 can be multiple. The inner ring upper body 21 of this embodiment is provided with an inclined auxiliary blow-drying flow channel, which can shorten the spin-drying time by more than 50% and improve the equipment production capacity. Exemplarily, the inner ring upper body 21 of this embodiment can also be provided with a flow channel for spraying a chemical cleaning liquid.
[0046] The air-sealing structure of this embodiment introduces sealing gas of more than 3L / min into the first flow channel 23, which can inhibit the flow of particles inside and below the bearing to the surface of the substrate. During the substrate process, the outer ring of the air-sealing structure rotates at high speed with the substrate, and the process liquid or gas is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate through the second flow channel 24. At the same time, the sealing gas flows into the fifth flow channel 27 uniformly distributed on the circumference through the inlet flow channel 231 and the annular outlet flow channel 232 of the first flow channel 23. The third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 are arranged above and below the fifth flow channel 27, respectively. After the sealing gas flows out of the fifth flow channel 27, it is divided into two paths. One path flows upward from the third flow channel 25 to the surface of the substrate to play a role in drying, and the other path flows downward from the fourth flow channel 26 to the bearing and discharges the heat and particles generated by the high-speed rotation of the bearing from the lower exhaust port 4, so as to avoid the particles flowing upward to pollute the surface of the substrate. The third flow channel 25 and the fourth flow channel 26 will make the air-sealing structure form a state of high internal pressure and low pressure at both ends to achieve a sealing effect, so as to avoid the particles below flowing upward to pollute the surface of the substrate. After the process fluid is sprayed, the substrate will be spun at high speed and dried. At this time, the auxiliary drying gas will be introduced into the sixth flow channel 28 and sprayed onto the substrate surface. Under the action of the auxiliary drying gas and the gas flowing out of the third flow channel 25, the substrate surface will be dried quickly, shortening the drying time by more than 50%, improving production capacity, and reducing gas usage.
[0047] The air-sealing structure of this embodiment can be inflated to form a positive pressure seal inside, or it can be evacuated to form a negative pressure seal inside. The air-sealing structure can achieve a good sealing effect at a very low sealing gas flow rate by using a reasonable flow channel arrangement, and an air channel can be configured inside the bearing to assist in drying the substrate, which can not only effectively protect the back of the substrate but also improve production capacity. The air-sealing structure has a low flow rate requirement for the sealing gas through the design of the air-sealing flow channel, and the sealing effect is better than the magnetic fluid currently used. Figure 7 For a comparison of the air seal and magnetic fluid seal effects provided by the embodiments of the present invention, please refer to Figure 7 In the figure, A is a contamination degree diagram of the back side of the substrate collected after the substrate is cleaned using magnetic fluid sealing, and B is a contamination degree diagram of the back side of the substrate collected after the substrate is cleaned using the gas sealing structure of this embodiment. The sealing effect of the gas sealing structure of this embodiment is obviously better than that of the magnetic fluid sealing effect.
[0048] The air-sealing structure provided by the embodiment of the present invention comprises an outer ring and an inner ring which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relative to each other, the inner ring comprising an inner ring upper split and an inner ring lower split sleeved on the outside of the inner ring upper split, the inner ring upper split and the inner ring lower split are fixedly connected, the inner ring is axially limited by the outer ring, the inner ring upper split comprises a first flow channel and an axially extending second flow channel, a third flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower split and the outer ring, the third flow channel has an upper exhaust port, a fourth flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower split and the outer ring, the fourth flow channel has a lower exhaust port, the first flow channel is connected with the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel, when the air-sealing structure is in use, the substrate is placed on the outer ring and rotated at a high speed, after the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel, the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port through the third flow channel, which can play an auxiliary drying role for the substrate arranged on the outer ring, thereby shortening the substrate drying time, and the sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port through the fourth flow channel, which can seal the particles below from flowing upward and polluting the surface of the substrate.
[0049] A second aspect of the present embodiment provides a substrate processing device, comprising the airtight structure as described in the above embodiment.
[0050] For example, the air-sealing structure includes an outer ring and an inner ring which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relative to each other, the inner ring includes an inner ring upper body and an inner ring lower body sleeved outside the inner ring upper body, the inner ring upper body and the inner ring lower body are fixedly connected, and the inner ring is axially limited by the outer ring; The inner ring upper body includes a first flow channel and an axially extending second flow channel. A third flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The third flow channel has an upper exhaust port. A fourth flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The fourth flow channel has a lower exhaust port. The first flow channel is connected to the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel.
[0051] The substrate processing equipment of this embodiment includes the air-sealing structure as described above. When the air-sealing structure is in use, the substrate is placed on the outer ring and rotated at high speed. After the sealing gas is introduced into the first flow channel, the sealing gas is discharged from the upper exhaust port through the third flow channel, which can assist in drying the substrate placed on the outer ring and shorten the substrate drying time. The sealing gas is discharged from the lower exhaust port through the fourth flow channel, which can seal the particles below from flowing upward and contaminating the back of the substrate.
[0052] The air-sealing structure of this embodiment can be inflated to form a positive pressure seal inside, or it can be evacuated to form a negative pressure seal inside. The air-sealing structure can achieve a good sealing effect at a very low sealing gas flow rate by using a reasonable flow channel arrangement, and an air channel can be configured inside the bearing to assist in drying the substrate, which can not only effectively protect the back of the substrate but also improve production capacity. The air-sealing structure has a low flow rate requirement for the sealing gas through the design of the air-sealing flow channel, and the sealing effect is better than the magnetic fluid currently used. Figure 7 A is a contamination level diagram of the back side of the substrate collected after the substrate is cleaned using magnetic fluid sealing, and B is a contamination level diagram of the back side of the substrate collected after the substrate is cleaned using the gas sealing structure of this embodiment. The sealing effect of the gas sealing structure of this embodiment is significantly better than that of the magnetic fluid sealing effect.
[0053] The substrate processing equipment of the embodiment of the present invention can be a cleaning equipment, a glue coating equipment, a developing equipment, etc., which have high requirements on the cleanliness of the substrate surface. The substrates include but are not limited to semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display substrates, LED substrates, photomask substrates, etc. The back of the substrate processed by the substrate processing equipment of this embodiment has a low degree of contamination, which can improve the substrate yield.
[0054] In the above description, the description with reference to the terms "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example" and the like 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 representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.
[0055] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the above embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. An airtight sealing structure, characterized in that: It comprises an outer ring and an inner ring which are coaxially sleeved and can rotate relatively, the inner ring comprises an inner ring upper body and an inner ring lower body sleeved outside the inner ring upper body, the inner ring upper body and the inner ring lower body are fixedly connected, and the inner ring is axially limited by the outer ring; The inner ring upper body includes a first flow channel and an axially extending second flow channel. A third flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The third flow channel has an upper exhaust port. A fourth flow channel is provided between the inner ring lower body and the outer ring. The fourth flow channel has a lower exhaust port. The first flow channel is connected to the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel.
2. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fifth flow channel is provided on the inner ring lower split body, one end of the fifth flow channel is communicated with the first flow channel, and the other end of the fifth flow channel is communicated with the third flow channel and the fourth flow channel.
3. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The third flow channel cross section and the fourth flow channel cross section are cross sections that change alternately in size along the exhaust direction.
4. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer ring comprises an outer ring upper body and an outer ring lower body, the outer ring upper body and the outer ring lower body are fixedly connected, and a rotating support is arranged between a side of the outer ring lower body away from the outer ring upper body and the inner ring lower body.
5. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: A first tooth-shaped structure having multiple layers of concentric arrangements is provided in a radial direction on one side of the inner ring lower body facing the outer ring upper body, and a second tooth-shaped structure having multiple layers of concentric arrangements is provided in a radial direction on one side of the inner ring lower body facing the outer ring lower body, and the first tooth-shaped structure and the second tooth-shaped structure are used to cooperate with the outer ring to form the third flow channel.
6. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer ring upper body is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged third tooth-shaped structures, and the outer ring lower body is provided with multiple layers of concentrically arranged fourth tooth-shaped structures. The third flow channel is formed between the third tooth-shaped structure and the first tooth-shaped structure and between the fourth tooth-shaped structure and the second tooth-shaped structure.
7. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner ring lower body is provided with a plurality of fifth tooth-shaped structures along the axial direction, and the fourth flow channel with a variable cross-section is formed between the fifth tooth-shaped structures and the outer ring lower body.
8. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first flow channel includes an axially arranged inlet flow channel and a circumferentially arranged outlet flow channel, and the outlet flow channel is communicated with the fifth flow channel.
9. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: There are multiple fifth flow channels, and the multiple fifth flow channels are evenly spaced along the circumferential direction of the inner ring lower split.
10. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: The fifth flow channel is inclined toward one side of the fourth flow channel.
11. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rotating support member is a bearing, the number of the bearings is greater than one, and a supporting sleeve is arranged between adjacent supporting bearings; A locking nut is disposed at the bottom of the inner ring lower split body, and the locking nut abuts against the support bearing.
12. The airtight sealing structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The lower exhaust port is disposed at a position lower than the bearing.
13. The airtight sealing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The inner ring upper body also includes a sixth flow channel, and the sixth flow channel is used to dry the substrate arranged on the outer ring.
14. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: It comprises the airtight structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 above.