Plug gauge and use method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a plug gauge and a use method thereof. The plug gauge is used for detecting the condition of a gap between a lifting ejector pin (Lift Pin) and a pin hole. The length of the plug gauge is greater than the depth of the pinhole; the plug gauge comprises a detection part and an operation part; the detection part can be inserted into a gap between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole; the operation part is used for inserting the detection part into the gap between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole and driving the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pin hole so as to detect whether the gap between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole meets requirements or not. According to the invention, the gap condition between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole can be detected after the lifting ejector pin is installed, a basis is provided for adjusting the position of the lifting ejector pin, the concentricity of the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole is improved, the possibility of contact friction between the lifting ejector pin and the inner wall of the pin hole in the technological process is reduced, abnormal defects are reduced, and the yield of a production line is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of microelectronics, and particularly to a plug gauge and a method for using the same. Background Art

[0002] Currently, during the maintenance operation after the electrostatic chuck (ESC) operation of an etching machine type, since there is no unified installation specification and fixing tool to confirm the concentricity between the lift pin and the pin hole, it is possible that the installation tolerance between the lift pin and the pin hole is abnormal. If the gap between the lift pin and the pin hole is too small or they come into contact, during the subsequent wafer transfer and interaction process, the lift pin and the pin hole are extremely likely to rub against each other to generate metal or ceramic particles. These particles contaminate the wafer during the electrostatic chucking process, resulting in incomplete local etching. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the problem in the prior art that it is impossible to confirm whether the lift pin and the pin hole are concentric after the electrostatic chuck (ESC) operation, the present invention provides a plug gauge and a method for using the same. The present invention can detect the gap situation between the lift pin and the pin hole after the lift pin is installed, provide a basis for adjusting the position of the lift pin, so as to improve the concentricity between the lift pin and the pin hole, thereby reducing the possibility of contact friction between the lift pin and the inner wall of the pin hole during the process, further reducing abnormal defects, and improving the yield of the production line.

[0004] To achieve the above object and other related objects, on the one hand, the present invention provides a plug gauge for detecting the gap situation between a lift pin and a pin hole, wherein: the length of the plug gauge is greater than the depth of the pin hole; the plug gauge includes a detection part and an operation part, the detection part can be inserted into the gap between the lift pin and the pin hole; the operation part is used to insert the detection part into the gap between the lift pin and the pin hole and drive the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pin hole to detect whether the gap between the lift pin and the pin hole meets the requirements.

[0005] Optionally, the detection part and the operation part are integrally formed.

[0006] Optionally, the plug gauge is made of a soft and thin material.

[0007] Optionally, the plug gauge is made of soft plastic.

[0008] Optionally, both the detection part and the operation part are strip-shaped.

[0009] Optionally, the thickness of the detection part is less than or equal to half of the difference between the diameters of the lift pin and the pin hole.

[0010] Optionally, the thickness range of the detection part is 0.05 mm - 0.2 mm.

[0011] Optionally, the width of the detection part is less than or equal to the circumference of the pinhole.

[0012] Optionally, the surface of the operation part is provided with a knurled layer with concavities and convexities, and / or the length range of the operation part is 5 - 10 cm.

[0013] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for using a plug gauge. The method for using a plug gauge uses the plug gauge described in any one of the above, and the method for using a plug gauge includes:

[0014] Insert the detection part of the plug gauge into the pinhole with a lifting thimble fixed inside.

[0015] Control the operation part to drive the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole.

[0016] During the process of rotating the detection part, judge whether the detection part encounters jamming or blocking. If so, it indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole does not meet the unified specification standard. If not, continue to rotate the detection part until the detection part can smoothly rotate one week along the inner wall of the pinhole, which indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole meets the unified specification standard.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the plug gauge and the method for using the same provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

[0018] For the plug gauge provided by the present invention, since the length of the plug gauge is greater than the depth of the pinhole, it can ensure that the plug gauge can contact the bottom of the pinhole after being inserted into the pinhole, so as to ensure the comprehensiveness and integrity of subsequent detection; the plug gauge includes a detection part and an operation part, and the detection part can be inserted into the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole, laying a foundation for further confirming the gap between the pinhole and the lifting thimble; by driving the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole through the operation part, the gap situation between the lifting thimble and the pinhole can be comprehensively and completely reflected. In summary, the present invention can detect the gap situation between the lifting thimble and the pinhole after the lifting thimble is installed, providing a basis for adjusting the position of the lifting thimble, so as to improve the concentricity between the lifting thimble and the pinhole, thereby reducing the possibility of contact friction between the lifting thimble and the inner wall of the pinhole during the process, further reducing abnormal defects, and improving the yield rate of the production line.

[0019] Furthermore, the detection part and the operation part adopt an integrally formed design method, which is not only convenient for production and manufacturing to reduce costs, but also can ensure the structural strength; by using a soft and thin material for the plug gauge, the insertion resistance can be reduced, the risk of scratching the hole wall can be reduced, and a better fit can be brought, and it can be bent and folded in half to adapt to different usage scenarios.

[0020] Furthermore, the thickness of the detection part is less than or equal to half of the difference between the lifting thimble and the diameter of the pinhole, which can ensure that the plug gauge can be inserted into the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole at least from a certain position, and the gap standard can be unified according to the thickness of the detection part; the width of the detection part is set to be less than or equal to the circumference of the pinhole to avoid uneven gap detection caused by the need for the plug gauge to overlap during use, and to ensure that the plug gauge can complete effective detection.

[0021] Furthermore, by providing a knurled layer with concavities and convexities on the surface of the operation part, the stability of the operator when controlling (such as grasping) the operation part can be improved, preventing slipping during operation due to insufficient friction, thereby improving the detection efficiency. Further, by setting the length range of the operation part to 5 - 10 cm, it is more convenient for the operator to manually operate the operation part to drive the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 Schematic structural diagram of the plug gauge provided by one embodiment of the present invention during use;

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic structural diagram of the plug gauge provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 General flow schematic diagram of the usage method of the plug gauge provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 Schematic structural diagram of the electrostatic adsorption device provided by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Among them, the attached Figures 1 to 4 reference numerals are explained as follows:

[0027] 10 - Plug gauge; 110 - Detection part; 120 - Operation part; 120a - Knurled layer with concavities and convexities; 20 - Lifting thimble; 30 - Pinhole. Detailed Embodiments

[0028] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present invention will be clearer. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise scales, only for conveniently and clearly assisting in explaining the purpose of the present invention. In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, please refer to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the structures, scales, sizes, etc. shown in the drawings of this specification are only used to cooperate with the content disclosed in the specification for those familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size, in the case of being the same or similar to the effects that the present invention can produce and the purposes that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope covered by the technical content disclosed by the present invention. The specific design features of the present invention disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, directions, positions and shapes, will be partially determined by the specific application and use environment. Also, in the following described embodiments, sometimes the same reference numerals are used commonly between different drawings to represent the same part or parts having the same functions, and the repeated description thereof is omitted. In this specification, similar reference numerals and letters are used to represent similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0029] The core idea of the present invention is to provide a plug gauge and its using method to solve the problem in the prior art that when performing maintenance operations after electrostatic adsorption work, it is impossible to confirm whether the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole are concentric.

[0030] To achieve the above idea, one embodiment of the present invention provides a plug gauge. Exemplarily, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a schematic structural diagram of the plug gauge provided in this embodiment during use. As can be seen from Figure 1 , the length of the plug gauge 10 is greater than the depth of the pin hole 30. The plug gauge includes a detection part 110 and an operation part 120. The detection part 110 can be inserted into the gap between the lifting ejector pin 20 and the pin hole 30; the operation part 120 is used to insert the detection part 110 into the gap between the lifting ejector pin 20 and the pin hole 30 and drive the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the pin hole 30 to detect whether the gap (exemplarily, as shown in Figure 1 , when the plug gauge 10 is in use, first install the lifting ejector pin 20 in the pin hole 30. At this time, there is a gap interval to be confirmed between the outer wall of the lifting ejector pin 20 and the inner wall of the pin hole 30) between the lifting ejector pin 20 and the pin hole 30 meets the requirements.

[0031] Accordingly, for the plug gauge provided by the present invention, since the length of the plug gauge 10 is greater than the depth of the pinhole 30, the plug gauge 10 can contact the bottom of the pinhole 30 after being inserted into the pinhole 30, so as to ensure the comprehensiveness and integrity of subsequent detection; the plug gauge 10 includes a detection part 110 and an operation part 120, and the detection part 110 can be inserted into the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30, laying a foundation for further confirming the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30; by driving the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole 30 through the operation part 120, the gap condition between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30 can be comprehensively and completely reflected. In summary, the present invention can detect the gap condition between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30 after the lifting thimble 20 is installed, providing a basis for adjusting the position of the lifting thimble 20, so as to improve the concentricity between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30, thereby reducing the possibility of contact friction between the lifting thimble 20 and the inner wall of the pinhole 30 during the process, further reducing abnormal defects and improving the yield of the production line.

[0032] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , from Figure 1 it can be seen that the detection part 110 and the operation part 120 are integrally formed, which can simplify the operation, reduce the cost and improve the structural strength.

[0033] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should be able to understand that Figure 1 the structure of the plug gauge 10 shown is only an exemplary illustration of the preferred embodiment and is not a limitation of the present invention. In other embodiments, the detection part 110 and the operation part 120 can also adopt a split design. For example, the detection part 110 and the operation part 120 adopt a detachable design method to meet the detection requirements of other gap specifications between the lifting thimble 20 and the pinhole 30 by replacing the detection part 110 with different sizes.

[0034] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, the plug gauge 10 made of a soft and thin material can reduce the insertion resistance and the risk of scratching the hole wall, and can also bring a better fit, and can be bent and folded in half to adapt to different usage scenarios.

[0035] Preferably, in some exemplary embodiments, the plug gauge 10 is made of soft plastic. Accordingly, the plug gauge 10 is designed with soft plastic, which can not only ensure that the plug gauge 10 can be bent and deformed to better fit the inner wall of the pinhole 30, but also the soft plastic has low cost and less particle pollution.

[0036] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, please continue to refer to Figure 1, from Figure 1 It can be seen that both the detection part 110 and the operation part 120 are strip-shaped. Thus, it is not only convenient for the operator to hold and operate, but also convenient for processing and manufacturing. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the operation part 120 can also be fan-shaped or other regular or irregular shapes. In addition, the present invention does not overly limit the structural composition of the operation part 120. For example, components for precisely adjusting its bending degree or positioning control can be added, as long as it is convenient to operate and can drive the detection part 110 to bend and deform and rotate along the inner wall of the needle hole 30.

[0037] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , from Figure 1 It can be seen that the thickness of the detection part 110 is less than or equal to half of the difference between the diameter of the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30. Such a setting can ensure that the detection part 110 can be inserted into the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 at least from a certain point. Preferably, the thickness of the detection part 110 is set according to the gap requirement standard between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30.

[0038] Preferably, the thickness of the detection part 110 is preferably 0.05 mm - 0.2 mm, and more preferably 0.1 mm, which is the lowest safety standard to ensure that the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 do not come into contact during the process.

[0039] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , the width of the detection part 110 is less than or equal to the circumference of the needle hole 30, so as to prevent the width of the detection part 110 from being greater than the inner wall circumference of the needle hole 30, resulting in the need to overlap the detection part 110 when using the plug gauge 10, causing uneven gap detection and losing the unity of detection.

[0040] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is the structural schematic diagram of the plug gauge provided in this embodiment. From Figure 2 It can be seen that the surface of the operation part 120 is provided with a concave-convex knurled layer 120a to increase the friction between the operator and the plug gauge 10 and prevent the operator from slipping during operation.

[0041] Exemplarily, in some exemplary embodiments, the length of the operation part 120 is 5 - 10 cm. Such a setting can avoid the defects that the length of the operation part 120 is too short to be grasped conveniently and too long to be rotated conveniently, thus making it more convenient for the operator to manually operate.

[0042] Another embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for using a plug gauge. The plug gauge 10 described in any of the above embodiments is adopted in the method. Exemplarily, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 , which is a schematic diagram of the overall process of the method for using the plug gauge provided in this embodiment. As can be seen from Figure 3 , the method includes the following steps:

[0043] S1: Insert the detection part 110 of the plug gauge 10 into the pin hole 30 with the lifting thimble 20 fixed inside;

[0044] S2: Control the operation part 120 to drive the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the pin hole 30;

[0045] S3: During the process of rotating the detection part 110, determine whether the detection part 110 encounters jamming or blocking. If so, it indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the pin hole 30 does not meet the unified specification standard. If not, continue to rotate the detection part 110 until the detection part 110 can smoothly rotate one week along the inner wall of the pin hole 30, which indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the pin hole 30 meets the unified specification standard.

[0046] It can be seen that the method for using the plug gauge provided by the present invention has clear logic and is easy to implement. Further, since the method for using the plug gauge provided by the present invention and the plug gauge provided by the present invention belong to the same inventive concept, therefore, the method for using the plug gauge provided by the present invention has at least all the advantages of the plug gauge provided by the present invention. For the detailed content of the beneficial effects of the method for using the plug gauge provided by the present invention, please refer to the relevant description of the beneficial effects of the plug gauge provided by the present invention above, and will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0047] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should be able to understand that before step S1, the lifting thimble 20 needs to be fixed inside the pin hole 30 first.

[0048] Preferably, in some exemplary embodiments, before inserting the detection part 110 into the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the pin hole 30 in step S1, the method for using may further include:

[0049] Bending or folding the plug gauge 10 into a shape adapted to the inner wall of the pin hole 30.

[0050] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should be able to understand that the present invention does not impose excessive limitations on the manner of controlling the operation part 120 to drive the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the needle hole 30 in step S2. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, it can rotate clockwise; in other embodiments, it can also rotate counterclockwise. Thus, by rotating the detection part 110, it is possible to detect whether the gaps at various positions between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 meet the preset specification standards to determine whether it is necessary to adjust the position of the lifting thimble 20. If the plug gauge 10 can rotate smoothly for one week, it indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 is greater than or equal to the thickness dimension of the detection part 110, meeting the unified specification. If there is jamming or blocking, it indicates that the gap does not meet the unified specification, that is, the installation position of the lifting thimble 20 is deviated greatly. At this time, the operator can record the blocked position, and after disassembling the lifting thimble 20, reinstall and adjust the position of the lifting thimble 20 according to the detection result until the plug gauge 10 can rotate smoothly along the inner wall of the needle hole 30 for one week.

[0051] The operation step of rotating along the inner wall of the needle hole 30 here is a preferred operation. The operator can also execute step S1 at the gaps at different positions between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 according to the actual situation to judge the gap situation at this position, as long as it can ensure that the gaps at different positions between the lifting thimble 20 and the needle hole 30 are all detected.

[0052] Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the detection part 110 is strip-shaped. Step S1 inserts the detection part 110 of the plug gauge 10 into the needle hole 30 with a lifting thimble 20 fixed inside, and may further include: attaching one of the two opposite surfaces of the detection part 110 (the line connecting the two surfaces is the thickness of the detection part 110) to the inner wall of the needle hole 30, and the other surface facing the outer wall of the lifting thimble 20. Correspondingly, step S2 controls the operation part 120 to drive the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the needle hole 30, including: keeping one of the two opposite surfaces attached to the inner wall of the needle hole 30 and the other facing the outer wall of the lifting thimble 20, and controlling the operation part 120 to drive the detection part 110 to rotate along the inner wall of the needle hole 30.

[0053] Preferably, for the situation of reinstalling and adjusting the lifting thimble 20, the stability after adjustment can be further verified. Exemplarily, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4The figure is a schematic structural diagram of the electrostatic adsorption device according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operator operates the electrostatic adsorption device, and the lifting ejector pin 20 moves up and down multiple times (for example, ten times) inside the pin hole 30 to simulate the actual working condition and verify the stability after adjustment. Then the operation is stopped for secondary detection, and the operator adjusts the position of the lifting ejector pin 20 again according to the gap condition.

[0054] In summary, the plug gauge and its usage method provided by the present invention have the following advantages: For the plug gauge provided by the present invention, since the length of the plug gauge is greater than the depth of the pin hole, the plug gauge can contact the bottom of the pin hole after being inserted into the pin hole to ensure the comprehensiveness and integrity of subsequent detection; the plug gauge includes a detection part and an operation part, and the detection part can be inserted into the gap between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole, laying a foundation for further confirming the gap between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole; by driving the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pin hole through the operation part, the gap condition between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole can be comprehensively and completely reflected. In summary, the present invention can detect the gap condition between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole after the installation of the lifting ejector pin, providing a basis for adjusting the position of the lifting ejector pin, so as to improve the concentricity between the lifting ejector pin and the pin hole, thereby reducing the possibility of contact friction between the lifting ejector pin and the inner wall of the pin hole during the process, further reducing abnormal defects and improving the yield of the production line.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A plug gauge for detecting the clearance between a lift pin and a pin hole, characterized in that, The length of the plug gauge is greater than the depth of the pinhole; the plug gauge includes a detection part and an operation part, and the detection part can be inserted into the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole; the operation part is used to insert the detection part into the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole and drive the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole to detect whether the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole meets the requirements.

2. The plug gauge according to claim 1, wherein The detection part and the operation part are integrally formed.

3. The plug gauge according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plug gauge is made of a soft and thin material.

4. The plug gauge according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plug gauge is made of soft plastic.

5. The plug gauge according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the detection part and the operation part are strip-shaped.

6. The plug gauge according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the detection part is less than or equal to half of the difference between the diameter of the lifting thimble and the diameter of the pinhole.

7. The plug gauge according to claim 6, characterized in that, The thickness range of the detection part is 0.05 mm - 0.2 mm.

8. The plug gauge according to claim 5, characterized in that, The width of the detection part is less than or equal to the circumference of the pinhole.

9. The plug gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the operation part is provided with a concave-convex knurled layer, and / or the length range of the operation part is 5 - 10 cm.

10. A method for using a plug gauge as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method includes: Insert the detection part of the plug gauge into the pinhole with a lifting thimble fixed inside; Control the operation part to drive the detection part to rotate along the inner wall of the pinhole; During the process of rotating the detection part, judge whether the detection part encounters jamming or blocking. If so, it indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole does not meet the unified specification standard. If not, continue to rotate the detection part until the detection part can smoothly rotate one week along the inner wall of the pinhole, which indicates that the gap between the lifting thimble and the pinhole meets the unified specification standard.

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