Substrate clamping device

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate clamping device which comprises a base and a plurality of clamping pieces, and the clamping pieces are mounted in corresponding mounting holes in the base and are configured to rotate relative to the base so as to clamp or loosen a substrate; and a bearing structure is arranged between the clamping piece and the mounting hole. The bearing structure is arranged between the clamping piece and the mounting hole in the base, so that friction between the clamping piece and the base in the self-rotation process of the clamping piece relative to the base is reduced, and the service life of the clamping piece is greatly prolonged; and particle pollution generated in the self-rotation process of the clamping piece relative to the base is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to a substrate clamping device. Background Art

[0002] In wafer processing equipment, a wafer chuck is often required. Specifically, a wafer is fixed on a rotatable wafer chuck, and the wafer chuck drives the wafer to rotate to cooperate with other modules of the equipment for corresponding processing processes. The wafer chuck generally includes a base and a plurality of clamping members. The plurality of clamping members are installed on the base to form a clamping space. The clamping members are in transmission connection with a driving member, and under the drive of the driving member, the clamping members rotate relative to the base to close and open the clamping space, that is, to clamp or release the wafer.

[0003] Since the main body part of the clamping member is usually installed in the mounting hole of the base, during the process of rotating relative to the base, the main body part of the clamping member will inevitably rub against the hole wall of the mounting hole. On the one hand, this will shorten the service life of the clamping member. On the other hand, the particles generated by the friction will contaminate the wafer on the base and the components inside the base, causing adverse effects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a substrate clamping device for solving the technical problems of how to improve the service life of the clamping member and reduce the particle contamination generated during the opening and closing of the clamping member.

[0005] To achieve the above object and other related objects, one aspect of the present invention provides a substrate clamping device, including: a base and a plurality of clamping members. The clamping members are installed in corresponding mounting holes on the base and are configured to rotate relative to the base to clamp or release a substrate. Wherein, a bearing structure is provided between the clamping member and the mounting hole.

[0006] Optionally, the bearing structure is a rolling bearing, including an inner ring and an outer ring. The outer ring of the rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the mounting hole, and the inner ring of the rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the clamping member.

[0007] Optionally, the bearing structure is a sliding bearing, including a bushing. Wherein, the outer wall of the bushing is fixedly connected to the mounting hole, and the clamping member is rotatable relative to the inner wall of the bushing.

[0008] Optionally, the mounting hole includes a first circumferential groove, and the bearing structure is arranged in the first circumferential groove.

[0009] Optionally, it further includes a bearing cover plate. The bearing cover plate is located at the bottom of the mounting hole and is fixedly connected to the base.

[0010] Optionally, at least two coaxial rolling bearings are arranged in each of the mounting holes.

[0011] Optionally, the rolling bearings are ceramic bearings.

[0012] Optionally, the bushing is a ceramic bushing.

[0013] Optionally, a seal is further included, the mounting hole includes a second circumferential groove, and the seal is arranged in the second circumferential groove.

[0014] Optionally, the clamping member includes a main body portion, a clamping portion located at the top of the main body portion, and a gear portion located at the bottom of the main body portion. The clamping portion is located outside the base and is used for clamping the substrate; the gear portion is located inside the base and is in transmission connection with a gear transmission member, and is used for driving the clamping member to rotate relative to the base under the drive of the gear transmission member.

[0015] As described above, the present invention provides a substrate clamping device, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1) By arranging a bearing structure between the clamping member and the mounting hole on the base, during the relative rotation of the clamping member with respect to the base, the friction between the clamping member and the base is reduced, and the service life of the clamping member is greatly increased;

[0017] 2) The particle contamination generated during the relative rotation of the clamping member with respect to the base is reduced. Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 It shows a schematic structural diagram of the substrate clamping device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It shows a partial structural diagram of the clamping member and the base in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 It shows a top view of the bearing cover in Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 It shows a front view of the bearing cover in Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It shows a partial structural diagram of the clamping member and the base in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; and

[0023] Figure 6 It shows a partial structural diagram of the clamping member and the base in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0024] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation manners. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that the drawings of the present disclosure only illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner. Although only the components related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, rather than being drawn according to the number, shape, and size of the components in actual implementation, the form, quantity, and ratio of each component in actual implementation can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout form of its components may also be more complex.

[0026] When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The implementation manners described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementation manners consistent with the present invention. On the contrary, they are only examples of devices consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] The terms used in this disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular forms "a", "the", and "that" used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified and defined, it should be noted that the terms "mounted", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, or it can be the communication inside two elements. It can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific situations.

[0029] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in this disclosure to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the same type of information from each other.

[0030] Embodiment 1

[0031] Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1The structural schematic diagram of the substrate clamping device in the first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The substrate clamping device includes a base 1 and a plurality of clamping members 2. The clamping members 2 are installed in corresponding mounting holes 13 on the base 1 and are configured to rotate relative to the base 1 by themselves to clamp or release the substrate. Among them, a bearing structure is provided between the mounting hole 13 and the clamping member 2. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the substrate may be, for example, a wafer, and the bearing structure is a bearing 14, and the bearing 14 is a rolling bearing. The outer ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the mounting hole 13, and the inner ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the clamping member 2.

[0032] Continue to refer to Figure 1 , in this embodiment, the base 1 includes an upper base 11 and a lower base 12. The upper base 11 and the lower base 12 are fixedly connected to enclose an internal space. The mounting holes 13 are provided on the upper base 11 and are distributed circumferentially along the upper base 11. The clamping member 2 includes a main body portion 21, a clamping portion 22 located at the top of the main body portion 21, and a gear portion 23 located at the bottom of the main body portion 21. The clamping portion 22 is located outside the base 1 and protrudes outward for clamping the substrate. The gear portion 23 is located inside the base 1 and is in transmission connection with a gear transmission member 4 for driving the clamping member 2 to rotate relative to the base 1 by itself under the drive of the gear transmission member 4. The gear transmission member 4 is in transmission connection with a driving component, and the driving component drives the gear transmission member 4 to rotate, thereby driving the gear portion 23 of the clamping member 2 to rotate, so that the clamping member 2 rotates relative to the base 1 by itself. A rotating shaft 3 is provided at the center of the base 1 for driving the base 1 to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft 3 under the drive of a rotating shaft driving device (such as a motor). The gear transmission member 4 is located in the internal space of the base 1, and a central bearing 5 is provided on the inner ring of the gear transmission member 4. Exemplarily, the central bearing 5 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 3.

[0033] Combined with Figure 2 , which shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the clamping member 2 and the base 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention. The mounting hole 13 includes a first circumferential groove 131, and the bearing 14 is arranged in the first circumferential groove 131. The bearing 14 is accommodated in the first circumferential groove 131, and the outer ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the first circumferential groove 131. For example, the outer ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the first circumferential groove 131 by being in tight fit with the first circumferential groove 131. The inner ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the clamping member 2. For example, the inner ring of the bearing 14 is fixedly connected to the clamping member 2 by being in tight fit with the clamping member 2.

[0034] Preferably, in this embodiment, it further includes a bearing cover 6. Combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4, which respectively show the top view and the front view of the bearing cover plate 6 in this embodiment. The bearing cover plate 6 is located at the bottom of the mounting hole 13. Screw holes 65 that cooperate with the screws 61 are provided on both sides of the bearing cover plate 6. The bearing cover plate 6 can be fixedly connected to the upper base 11 through the screws 61. The bearing cover plate 6 includes a central hole 62 and a fixed platform 63. Among them, the central hole 62 is used for the clamping member 2 to pass through to avoid the clamping member 2. The fixed platform 63 abuts against the bottom of the outer ring of the bearing 14 to strengthen the fixation of the outer ring of the bearing 14 and the first circumferential groove 131. Further, since the bearing 14 is a rolling bearing, in order to avoid affecting the rotation of the inner ring of the bearing 14, in this embodiment, an avoidance groove 64 is also provided between the central hole 62 and the fixed platform 63 for avoiding the inner ring of the bearing 14, so that the inner ring of the bearing 14 can rotate freely in the avoidance groove 64 and avoid interfering with the rotation of the inner ring of the bearing 14. Refer to Figure 1 , to limit the axial position of the clamping member 2 and ensure its free rotation, a thimble bearing 7 is arranged at the bottom of the clamping member 2, and the thimble bearing 7 is installed on the lower base 12.

[0035] In this embodiment, by providing a first circumferential groove 131 in the mounting hole 13 and installing the bearing 14 in the first circumferential groove 131, and fixedly connecting the clamping member 2 to the inner ring of the bearing 14, the clamping member 2 and the upper base 11 form a bearing rotating pair; a gear pair is formed by the gear portion 23 of the clamping member 2 and the gear transmission member 4. During the opening and closing process of the clamping member 2, the gear transmission member 4 meshes with and drives the gear portion 23, so that the gear portion 23 rotates. The gear portion 23 drives the clamping member 2 and the inner ring of the bearing 14 to rotate synchronously and self-rotate, changing the position of the clamping portion 22 of the clamping member 2 to realize the clamping or loosening of the wafer. Since the friction between the inner and outer rings of the bearing 14 is small, the self-rotation of the clamping member 2 can proceed smoothly, reducing the direct friction between the clamping member 2 and the hole wall of the mounting hole 13, that is, extending the service life of the clamping member 2 and reducing the particle contamination generated during the self-rotation of the clamping member 2.

[0036] It should be understood that in this embodiment, driving the clamping member 2 to self-rotate through the gear transmission member 4 is exemplary and does not constitute a limitation to the present invention. In other embodiments, the clamping member 2 can also be driven to self-rotate by other known methods.

[0037] Preferably, in this embodiment, two coaxial bearings 14 are provided in each mounting hole 13. If only one bearing 14 is provided between the clamping member 2 and the mounting hole 13, since there is a gap between the inner and outer rings of the bearing, it may cause the inner and outer rings of the bearing 14 to be unable to maintain coaxiality during the self-rotation process of the clamping member 2, thereby causing the clamping member 2 to skew during the self-rotation process. By providing two coaxial bearings 14 in one mounting hole 13, the two bearings 14 play a role of circumferential limit with respect to each other, which can reduce or even avoid the possible skew of the clamping member 2. It should be understood that, in this embodiment, due to the limited height of the upper base 11 provided with the mounting hole 13 and the height of the main body portion 21 of the clamping member 3, the internal space of the mounting hole 13 cannot accommodate a larger number of bearings 14. In other possible embodiments, one or more than two bearings 14 can also be provided in one mounting hole 13. Those skilled in the art can reasonably set the number of bearings 14 in combination with the actual situation under the guidance of the present disclosure.

[0038] Preferably, in this embodiment, the bearing 14 is a ceramic bearing. Ceramic bearings have the advantages of corrosion resistance, self-lubrication, and long service life. In other possible embodiments, other types of rolling bearings can also be selected for the bearing 14.

[0039] Embodiment Two

[0040] Refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 which shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the clamping member 2 and the base 1 in Embodiment Two of the present invention. Compared with Embodiment One, this embodiment further includes a seal 15. The mounting hole 13 includes a second circumferential groove 132, and the seal 15 is disposed in the second circumferential groove 132. The seal 15 is fixed in the second circumferential groove 132 for forming a seal between the clamping member 2 and the mounting hole 13, and the clamping member 2 can rotate relative to the seal ring.

[0041] In the wafer processing technology, chemical liquids with certain corrosiveness are often used. In order to prevent the chemical liquid from entering the internal space enclosed by the bearing 14 and the upper base 11 and the lower base 12 through the gap between the mounting hole 13 and the clamping member 2 and corroding the bearing 14 and other components in the internal space, in this embodiment, a second circumferential groove 132 is provided on the hole wall of the mounting hole 13, and the second circumferential groove 132 is located above the first circumferential groove 131. A seal 15, such as an O-ring, is disposed in the second circumferential groove 132 to seal the part below the second circumferential groove 132 in the base 1.

[0042] Embodiment Three

[0043] Refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6Shown is a partial structural schematic diagram of the clamping member 2 and the base 1 in the third embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the second embodiment, the implementation form of the bearing structure is changed, and the structure of a sliding bearing is adopted. It should be understood that, different from a rolling bearing, a sliding bearing does not have the structure of an outer ring and an inner ring, and is usually composed of a bearing housing and a bushing. Correspondingly, in this embodiment, the bearing cover plate 6 is no longer provided with the Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown avoidance groove 64. In other implementation manners of this embodiment, the bearing cover plate 6 may also not be provided.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, a bushing 34 is provided in the first circumferential groove 131. The outer wall of the bushing 34 is fixedly connected to the groove wall of the first circumferential groove 131, and the inner wall of the bushing 34 is in clearance fit with the clamping member 2. The clamping member 2 rotates relative to the inner wall of the bushing 34. The upper base 11 constitutes the bearing housing of this sliding bearing and forms a sliding bearing with the bushing 34. During the opening and closing process of the clamping member 2, the clamping member 2 rotates itself in the bushing 34. Since the friction between the bushing 34 and the clamping member 2 is small, the self-rotation of the clamping member 2 can proceed smoothly, avoiding direct friction between the clamping member 2 and the hole wall of the mounting hole 13, that is, not only extending the service life of the clamping member 2, but also reducing the particle contamination generated during the self-rotation of the clamping member 2.

[0045] The above embodiments merely illustrate the principles and effects of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. Any person familiar with this technology can modify or change the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field without departing from the spirit and technical idea disclosed by the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A substrate clamping device, characterized in that, comprising: a base and a plurality of clamping members, the clamping members are installed in corresponding mounting holes on the base and are configured to rotate relative to the base to clamp or release the substrate; wherein, a bearing structure is provided between the clamping member and the mounting hole.

2. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing structure is a rolling bearing, including an inner ring and an outer ring, the outer ring of the rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the mounting hole, and the inner ring of the rolling bearing is fixedly connected to the clamping member.

3. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bearing structure is a sliding bearing, including a bushing, wherein, the outer wall of the bushing is fixedly connected to the mounting hole, and the clamping member is rotatable relative to the inner wall of the bushing.

4. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the mounting hole includes a first circumferential groove, and the bearing structure is arranged in the first circumferential groove.

5. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, further comprising a bearing cover plate, the bearing cover plate is located at the bottom of the mounting hole and is fixedly connected to the base.

6. The substrate clamping device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the bearing cover plate includes a central hole and a fixing platform, wherein, the central hole is used for the clamping member to pass through to avoid the clamping member, and the fixing platform abuts against the bearing structure.

7. The substrate clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, at least two coaxial rolling bearings are arranged in each mounting hole.

8. The substrate clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the rolling bearing is a ceramic bearing.

9. The substrate clamping device according to claim 3, characterized in that, the bushing is a ceramic bushing.

10. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, further comprising a seal, the mounting hole includes a second circumferential groove, and the seal is arranged in the second circumferential groove.

11. The substrate clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the clamping member includes a main body portion, a clamping portion located at the top of the main body portion, and a gear portion located at the bottom of the main body portion, the clamping portion is located outside the base and is used for clamping the substrate; the gear portion is located inside the base and is in transmission connection with a gear transmission member, and is used for driving the clamping member to rotate relative to the base under the drive of the gear transmission member.

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