Double-shaft slewing mechanism and thin film deposition equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a double-shaft slewing mechanism and thin film deposition equipment. The double-shaft rotating mechanism comprises an inner rotating shaft and an outer rotating shaft, the outer rotating shaft coaxially surrounds the inner rotating shaft and is rotationally connected with the inner rotating shaft through a first bearing; the first driving motor is rigidly connected with the inner rotating shaft so as to drive the inner rotating shaft to perform first rotation; and the second driving motor is rigidly connected with the outer rotating shaft so as to drive the outer rotating shaft to perform second rotation and is used for improving the movement precision and flexibility of a manipulator in the thin film deposition equipment so as to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a dual-axis rotary mechanism and a thin film deposition device. Background Art

[0002] In the PECVD process, the thickness uniformity of the film directly affects the performance and reliability of the device. For example, in applications such as optical films, microelectronic devices, MEMS devices, solar cells, flat panel displays, semiconductor lasers, sensors, and photonic crystals, uneven film thickness can lead to inconsistent optical properties, unstable electrical properties, and decreased mechanical properties.

[0003] In thin film deposition equipment, multi-station design (for example, 4 or 6 stations) has become an important means to improve production efficiency and process flexibility. This type of equipment is usually equipped with a vacuum manipulator in the reaction chamber to quickly and accurately transfer the wafer from the wafer transfer port to each deposition reaction station. With the continuous advancement of thin film deposition technology, especially in plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology, the requirements for film thickness uniformity are extremely high. However, conventional vacuum manipulators usually only have one degree of rotational freedom and cannot meet the needs of these high-precision processes.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a dual-axis rotation technology to improve the motion accuracy and flexibility of the robot in the thin film deposition equipment so as to improve the uniformity of the thin film deposition. Summary of the invention

[0005] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a dual-axis rotation mechanism and a thin film deposition device, which are used to improve the movement accuracy and flexibility of a robot in the thin film deposition device to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0007] Specifically, the dual-axis rotating mechanism provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: an inner rotating shaft; an outer rotating shaft, coaxially surrounding the inner rotating shaft and rotatably connected to the inner rotating shaft via a first bearing; a first drive motor, rigidly connected to the inner rotating shaft to drive the inner rotating shaft to perform a first rotation; and a second drive motor, rigidly connected to the outer rotating shaft to drive the outer rotating shaft to perform a second rotation.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first drive motor operates along with the operation of the second drive motor, so as to drive the inner rotating shaft to rotate synchronously with the rotation of the outer rotating shaft.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first drive motor and the second drive motor are both disc-type hollow motors, wherein the second drive motor is located at the lower end of the outer rotating shaft to be rigidly connected to the outer rotating shaft, the first drive motor is located below the second motor, and the inner rotating shaft passes through the hollow structure of the second drive motor to be rigidly connected to the first drive motor.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the inner rotating shaft is rigidly connected to the first drive motor via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key, and / or the outer rotating shaft is rigidly connected to the second drive motor via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first bearing is a magnetic fluid bearing, which is used to perform magnetic fluid sealing on the inner rotating shaft and the outer rotating shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the inner rotating shaft is a hollow structure, through which cooling gas flows, so as to cool the first bearing.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the dual-axis rotating mechanism further includes: a rotating shaft housing, which coaxially surrounds the outer rotating shaft and is rotationally connected to the outer rotating shaft via a second bearing.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the second bearing is a magnetic fluid bearing to perform magnetic fluid sealing on the outer rotating shaft and the rotating shaft housing, and a coolant channel is provided in the side wall of the rotating shaft housing, through which coolant flows to cool the second bearing.

[0015] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the dual-axis rotating mechanism also includes: a rotating mechanism body, which is arranged on the outside of the inner rotating shaft, the outer rotating shaft, the first drive motor and the second drive motor, and is used to integrate the inner rotating shaft, the outer rotating shaft, the first drive motor and the second drive motor into one.

[0016] In addition, the thin film deposition equipment provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a plurality of deposition reaction stations for performing thin film deposition on a plurality of wafers; a dual-axis rotating mechanism as described in any one of the first aspect of the present invention; and a vacuum robot for obtaining the wafer from the film transfer port and transferring it to each of the deposition reaction stations, wherein the vacuum robot includes at least two rotating axes, the first rotating axis connecting the inner rotating axis and one of the outer rotating axes of the dual-axis rotating mechanism to adjust the posture of the vacuum robot, and the second rotating axis connecting the inner rotating axis and the other of the outer rotating axis to synchronously rotate the wafer during the process of the vacuum robot transferring the wafer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-axis rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A partial enlarged structural schematic diagram of an inner rotating shaft and an outer rotating shaft provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Reference numerals:

[0021] 10 Internal rotary axis

[0022] 11. First drive motor

[0023] 12. First bearing

[0024] 13 Cooling gas channel

[0025] 20 External rotary axis

[0026] 21 Second drive motor

[0027] 22 Second bearing

[0028] 30 Rotary axis housing

[0029] 31 Coolant channel

[0030] 40 Rotating mechanism body DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0033] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0034] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer and / or part discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] As mentioned above, in the PECVD process, the thickness uniformity of the film directly affects the performance and reliability of the device. For example, in applications such as optical films, microelectronic devices, MEMS devices, solar cells, flat panel displays, semiconductor lasers, sensors, and photonic crystals, uneven film thickness can lead to inconsistent optical properties, unstable electrical properties, and decreased mechanical properties.

[0036] In thin film deposition equipment, multi-station design (for example, 4 or 6 stations) has become an important means to improve production efficiency and process flexibility. This type of equipment is usually equipped with a vacuum manipulator in the reaction chamber to quickly and accurately transfer the wafer from the wafer transfer port to each deposition reaction station. With the continuous advancement of thin film deposition technology, especially in plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology, the requirements for film thickness uniformity are extremely high. However, conventional vacuum manipulators usually only have one degree of rotational freedom and cannot meet the needs of these high-precision processes.

[0037] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a dual-axis rotation mechanism and a thin film deposition device, which are used to improve the movement accuracy and flexibility of a robot in the thin film deposition device to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0038] In some non-limiting embodiments, the dual-axis rotation mechanism provided in the first aspect of the present invention may be configured in the thin film deposition device provided in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0039] Specifically, the thin film deposition equipment may include a plurality of deposition reaction stations, a dual-axis rotation mechanism and a vacuum robot.

[0040] The multiple deposition reaction stations are used to perform thin film deposition on multiple wafers. The dual-axis rotary mechanism includes an inner rotary axis, an outer rotary axis, a first drive motor and a second drive motor, which are used to drive a vacuum manipulator to rotate. The vacuum manipulator is used to obtain a wafer from a wafer transfer port and transfer it to each deposition reaction station.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1-2 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a dual-axis rotating mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A partial enlarged structural schematic diagram of an inner rotating shaft and an outer rotating shaft provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0042] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the dual-axis rotary mechanism includes an inner rotary shaft 10, an outer rotary shaft 20, a first drive motor 11 and a second drive motor 21. The outer rotary shaft 20 coaxially surrounds the inner rotary shaft 10 and is rotatably connected to the inner rotary shaft 10 via a first bearing 12. The first drive motor 11 is rigidly connected to the inner rotary shaft 10 to drive the inner rotary shaft 10 to perform a first rotation. The second drive motor 21 is rigidly connected to the outer rotary shaft 20 to drive the outer rotary shaft 20 to perform a second rotation.

[0043] Furthermore, the first drive motor 11 operates along with the operation of the second drive motor 21 to drive the inner rotating shaft 10 to rotate synchronously with the rotation of the outer rotating shaft 20. Here, the implementation of the synchronous rotation of the inner rotating shaft 10 with the outer rotating shaft 20 may include a mechanical linkage device, electronic synchronous control, magnetic coupling, hydraulic or pneumatic transmission, a coaxial nested structure, and a composite drive method.

[0044] In some embodiments, the first drive motor 11 and the second drive motor 21 are both disk-type hollow motors. The second drive motor 21 is located at the lower end of the outer rotating shaft 20 to rigidly connect the outer rotating shaft 20, the first drive motor 11 is located below the second motor, and the inner rotating shaft 10 passes through the hollow structure of the second drive motor 21 to rigidly connect the first drive motor 11. Here, the spatial structural arrangement of the first drive motor 11 and the second drive motor 21 can cooperate with the structure of the double rotating shaft to realize the integration of the double-axis rotating mechanism, thereby realizing the miniaturization of the device.

[0045] In some embodiments, the inner rotating shaft 10 is rigidly connected to the first drive motor 11 via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key, and / or the outer rotating shaft 20 is rigidly connected to the second drive motor 21 via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first bearing 12 is a magnetic fluid bearing, which is used to perform magnetic fluid sealing on the inner rotating shaft 10 and the outer rotating shaft 20. The sealing method of the magnetic fluid seal can provide a higher sealing performance and a higher vacuum degree for the thin film deposition equipment. In addition, the magnetic fluid seal has a lower particle size and effectively avoids the particle problem in the reaction chamber of the semiconductor device.

[0047] In some embodiments, the inner rotary shaft 10 is a hollow structure, through which cooling gas is passed to cool the first bearing 12. The cooling gas passage 13 is passed with cooling gas to cool the first bearing 12, which can effectively extend the service life of the first bearing 12, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the dual-axis rotary mechanism and reducing maintenance costs.

[0048] In some embodiments, the dual-axis rotary mechanism further includes a rotary shaft housing 30 , which coaxially surrounds the outer rotary shaft 20 and is rotatably connected to the outer rotary shaft 20 via a second bearing 22 .

[0049] Furthermore, the second bearing 22 is a magnetic fluid bearing, which performs magnetic fluid sealing on the outer rotating shaft 20 and the rotating shaft housing 30. The sealing method of the magnetic fluid seal can provide a higher sealing performance and a higher vacuum degree for the thin film deposition equipment. In addition, the magnetic fluid seal has a lower particle size and effectively avoids the particle problem in the reaction chamber of the semiconductor device.

[0050] Furthermore, a coolant channel 31 is provided in the side wall of the rotary shaft housing 30, through which coolant flows to cool the second bearing 22. Cooling gas is passed into the coolant channel 31 to cool the second bearing 22, which can effectively extend the service life of the second bearing 22, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the dual-axis rotary mechanism and reducing maintenance costs.

[0051] In some embodiments, the dual-axis rotating mechanism also includes a rotating mechanism body 40, which is arranged outside the inner rotating shaft 10, the outer rotating shaft 20, the first drive motor 11 and the second drive motor 21, and is used to integrate the inner rotating shaft 10, the outer rotating shaft 20, the first drive motor 11 and the second drive motor 21 into one.

[0052] The following will describe the working principle of the above-mentioned dual-axis rotary mechanism in conjunction with some embodiments of vacuum manipulators that obtain wafers from a wafer transfer port and transfer them to each deposition reaction station. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments of vacuum manipulators are only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, and are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit all functions or all working methods of the dual-axis rotary mechanism.

[0053] Specifically, the vacuum manipulator may include at least two rotating axes, the first rotating axis is connected to one of the inner rotating axis 10 and the outer rotating axis 20 of the dual-axis rotating mechanism to adjust the posture of the vacuum manipulator, and the second rotating axis is connected to the other of the inner rotating axis 10 and the outer rotating axis 20 to synchronously rotate the wafer during the process of the vacuum manipulator transferring the wafer. Here, the vacuum manipulator can obtain the wafer from the wafer transfer port and transfer it to each deposition reaction station. The first rotating axis of the vacuum manipulator can be driven by one of the inner rotating axis 10 and the outer rotating axis 20 to rotate around the central axis of the corresponding rotating axis (for example, the outer rotating axis 20 can rotate 180 degrees), so that the manipulator can be turned from one reaction station to another reaction station to ensure that the wafer it transfers is transferred to the target reaction station.

[0054] Furthermore, the second rotating axis of the vacuum robot can rotate the wafer via the transmission of the other of the inner rotating axis 10 and the outer rotating axis 20 to further improve the accuracy of wafer transfer, thereby improving the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0055] In summary, the dual-axis rotation mechanism and thin film deposition equipment provided by the present invention can be used to improve the movement accuracy and flexibility of the robot in the thin film deposition equipment to improve the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0056] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0057] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A dual-axis rotary mechanism, characterized in that: include: Internal rotary axis; An outer rotary shaft coaxially surrounds the inner rotary shaft and is rotatably connected to the inner rotary shaft via a first bearing; A first driving motor, rigidly connected to the inner rotating shaft to drive the inner rotating shaft to perform a first rotation; as well as The second driving motor is rigidly connected to the outer rotating shaft to drive the outer rotating shaft to perform a second rotation.

2. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first drive motor operates along with the operation of the second drive motor to drive the inner rotating shaft to rotate synchronously with the rotation of the outer rotating shaft.

3. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first drive motor and the second drive motor are both disc-type hollow motors, wherein the second drive motor is located at the lower end of the outer rotating shaft to be rigidly connected to the outer rotating shaft, the first drive motor is located below the second motor, and the inner rotating shaft passes through the hollow structure of the second drive motor to be rigidly connected to the first drive motor.

4. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner rotary shaft is rigidly connected to the first drive motor via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key, and / or The outer rotary shaft is rigidly connected to the second drive motor via a flange, a tension sleeve or a mounting key.

5. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first bearing is a magnetic fluid bearing, which is used to perform magnetic fluid sealing on the inner rotating shaft and the outer rotating shaft.

6. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner rotary shaft is a hollow structure, through which cooling gas flows to cool the first bearing.

7. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The rotary shaft housing coaxially surrounds the outer rotary shaft and is rotatably connected to the outer rotary shaft via a second bearing.

8. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second bearing is a magnetic fluid bearing, so as to perform magnetic fluid sealing on the outer rotating shaft and the rotating shaft housing. A coolant channel is provided in the side wall of the rotary shaft housing, through which coolant flows to cool the second bearing.

9. The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The rotating mechanism body is arranged outside the inner rotating shaft, the outer rotating shaft, the first driving motor and the second driving motor, and is used to integrate the inner rotating shaft, the outer rotating shaft, the first driving motor and the second driving motor into one.

10. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: Multiple deposition reaction stations for thin film deposition on multiple wafers; The dual-axis rotary mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9; as well as A vacuum robot is used to obtain the wafer from the wafer transfer port and transfer it to each of the deposition reaction stations, wherein the vacuum robot includes at least two rotating axes, a first rotating axis is connected to one of the inner rotating axis and the outer rotating axis of the dual-axis rotating mechanism to adjust the posture of the vacuum robot, and a second rotating axis is connected to the other of the inner rotating axis and the outer rotating axis to synchronously rotate the wafer during the process of the vacuum robot transferring the wafer.

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