Door device and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, in particular to a door device and substrate processing equipment. The door device is used for being installed on the process cavity and comprises a device body arranged on the process cavity. The driving door body is movably arranged on the device body, and a first matching part is arranged on the driving door body; the driven door body is movably arranged on the device body, and a second matching part is arranged on the driven door body; the limiting piece is arranged on the device body, and when the driving door body ascends to a first height from an initial position, the first matching part is matched with the second matching part, so that the driving door body drives the driven door body to ascend to a preset position to open the process cavity; and when the driving door body descends and the driven door body descends to a second height from the preset position, the limiting piece supports the driven door body and prevents the driven door body from continuing to descend, and after the driving door body descends to the initial position, the driving door body and the driven door body are unfolded to close the process cavity. By adopting the door device provided by the invention, the substrate transmission requirement can be met, and the process cavity can have a good sealing effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, specifically to gate devices and substrate processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] For the semiconductor industry, as the critical dimensions of semiconductor devices continue to shrink and new materials are introduced, the cleanliness requirements for semiconductor substrates, such as wafer surfaces, are becoming increasingly stringent during the manufacturing process. Wet cleaning is an essential process for obtaining high-quality integrated circuits. Currently, wet cleaning includes two methods: tank cleaning and single-wafer cleaning.

[0003] Tank-type cleaning can process multiple substrates simultaneously, offering high cleaning efficiency. The tank-type cleaning apparatus includes a mechanical transfer device and several cleaning process chambers, each containing a cleaning tank. Substrates are transferred between different cleaning process chambers. After cleaning a substrate in one cleaning process chamber, the mechanical transfer device removes the substrate from that chamber and transfers it to the next. During substrate cleaning, the doors of the cleaning process chambers are closed to ensure air cleanliness and prevent contamination of the substrate after it leaves the liquid surface of the cleaning tank.

[0004] Currently, the door device on the cleaning process chamber is a left-right sliding door. The door device includes a left door, a right door, a cylinder, and a push rod. The right door is connected to the push rod, and the push rod is connected to the cylinder. When the mechanical transfer device needs to transfer the substrate, the left and right doors are stacked, and the door device is in the open state, leaving a transfer channel for substrate transfer. When the cleaning process chamber needs to clean the substrate, the cylinder operates, driving the push rod to move to the right. The right door moves to the right with the push rod, and the left and right doors are laid flat, and the door device is in the closed state.

[0005] However, if the width of the left and right doors is large, the transmission channel will be too small after the left and right doors overlap, which will hinder the transmission of the substrate; if the width of the left and right doors is small, there will be more open space on one side of the door device after the left and right doors are laid flat, resulting in poor isolation effect of the cleaning process cavity. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a gate device and a substrate processing equipment that, while meeting the substrate transfer requirements, enables the process chamber to have a good sealing effect and improves the cleanliness of the process chamber.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A door device for mounting on a process chamber, comprising:

[0009] The main body of the device is mounted on the process chamber;

[0010] An active door body is movably mounted on the device body, and a first mating part is provided on the active door body;

[0011] A driven door body is movably mounted on the device body, and a second mating part is provided on the driven door body;

[0012] A limiting element is provided on the main body of the device;

[0013] When the active door rises from its initial position to a first height, the first and second mating parts cooperate to cause the active door to drive the driven door to rise to a preset position to open the process cavity. When the active door descends and the driven door descends from the preset position to a second height, the limiting member supports the driven door and prevents it from descending further. After the active door descends to the initial position, the active door and the driven door unfold to close the process cavity.

[0014] This application also provides a substrate processing apparatus, including a robot arm and at least one process cavity, wherein the at least one process cavity is provided with the gate device.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The door device provided by this invention, when the active door body rises from the initial position to a first height, the first mating part and the second mating part cooperate to enable the active door body to drive the driven door body to rise to a preset position to achieve the open state. A sufficiently large transmission channel is left below the active door body and the driven door body for picking up and placing the substrate. After the active door body descends, the driven door body also descends. When the driven door body descends to a second height, the limiting member supports the driven door body and prevents the driven door body from descending further. After the active door body continues to descend to the initial position, the active door body and the driven door body unfold and are arranged on the device body, with the driven door body located above the active door body, to achieve the closed state. This isolates the process chamber from other chambers or the external environment, thereby keeping the process chamber in a relatively closed state and improving the cleanliness of the process chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1a This is a perspective view of a door device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 1b This is an exploded schematic diagram of a door device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 1c This is a second exploded view of a door device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 2a This is a front view of a door device according to an embodiment of this application in the closed state.

[0022] Figure 2b This is a reverse view of a door device in the closed state according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Figure 3a This is a front view of a door device in the open state according to an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 3b This is a reverse view of a door device in the open state according to an embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the door device actively raising the door body according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 4b This is a schematic diagram of the door device actively raising the door body according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 5a This is a schematic diagram of the door device according to an embodiment of this application, showing the active door body and the driven door body rising together.

[0028] Figure 5b This is a schematic diagram of the door device according to an embodiment of this application, showing the active door body and the driven door body rising together.

[0029] Figure 6a This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure 6b This is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 6c This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation 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. Although the description of the present invention will be presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a deep understanding of the present invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The present invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0033] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0034] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] See Figures 1a-1c This application provides a door device for installation on a process cavity, comprising a driven door body 1, an active door body 2, a drive device 3, and a device body 4. The device body 4 is disposed on the process cavity, the active door body 2 is movably disposed on one side of the device body 4, the driven door body 1 is movably disposed on the other side of the device body 4 and is disposed opposite to the active door body 2, and the active door body 2 is disposed at the output end of the drive device 3.

[0039] See Figure 1a The driving device 3 includes a driving source 31, a guide rail 32, and a slider 33. The slider 33 is mounted on the guide rail 32, and the driving source 31 drives the slider 33 to move up and down along the guide rail 32. The active door body 2 is mounted on the slider 33 and moves up and down with the slider 33. In this embodiment, the driving source 31 is a cylinder, which is mounted on the device body 4. The driving source 31 in this application is not limited to a cylinder and can also be a motor, etc. In other embodiments, depending on the installation position of the door device, the driving source 31 may not be used, and the position of the active door body 2 may be changed manually.

[0040] The active door body 2 is provided with a first mating part 21, and the driven door body 1 is provided with a second mating part 11. During the raising and lowering process of the driven door body 1 along with the active door body 2, the first mating part 21 and the second mating part 11 remain in contact. Specifically, when the active door body 2 is at its initial height (e.g., ...), ... Figure 2a At the bottom of the guide rail 32, the first mating part 21 separates from the second mating part 11. When the active door body 2 rises to the first height, the first mating part 21 contacts the second mating part 11, and the first mating part 21 pushes the second mating part 11, thereby driving the driven door body 1 to rise to the preset position, such as... Figure 3a and 3b As shown. This process will be described in detail later.

[0041] A limiting element 41 is provided on the device body 4. The limiting element 41 is located on the moving path of the driven door body 1. When the driven door body 1 descends to the second height (such as at...), Figure 2b When the door reaches the height shown in the figure, the limiting member 41 contacts the driven door body 1, thereby supporting the driven door body 1 and preventing it from continuing to descend. The position of the limiting member 41 is set according to the position where the driven door body 1 stops after descending.

[0042] refer to Figure 1b and 1cAs shown, in this embodiment, the first mating part 21 is a protruding lower contact block provided on the active door body 2, and the second mating part 11 is a protruding upper contact block provided on the driven door body 1. A guide groove 42 is provided on the device body 4, within which the lower and upper contact blocks can move. When the active door body 2 rises, after the lower contact block contacts the upper contact block, the lower contact block pushes the upper contact block to move within the guide groove 42, thereby pushing the driven door body 1 upwards.

[0043] The first mating part 21 and the second mating part 11 are not limited to the structures described above. In other embodiments, the first mating part 21 is an elastic protrusion provided on the active door body 2, and the second mating part 11 is a groove provided on the driven door body 1. When the active door body 2 rises to a first height, the protrusion engages with the groove to achieve the active door body 2 driving the driven door body 1 to rise. Alternatively, the first mating part 21 can be a groove provided on the active door body 2, and the second mating part 11 can be an elastic protrusion provided on the driven door body 1, with the protrusion engaging with the groove to achieve the active door body 2 driving the driven door body 1 to rise.

[0044] Specifically, the working process of the door device is as follows:

[0045] See Figures 2a-2b When the process chamber is in operation, the active door 2 and the driven door 1 unfold and are arranged on the device body 4 to close the process chamber, isolating it from other chambers or the external environment, thus placing the process chamber in a relatively closed state, and the door device is in the closed state. At this time, the limiting member 41 supports the driven door 1, which is in the second height position, while the active door 2 is in the initial position (such as the bottom of the guide rail 32). Figure 2b As shown, the active door 2 and the driven door 1 are positioned vertically opposite each other. For example, they are close to each other without overlapping, meaning the upper edge of the active door 2 and the lower edge of the driven door 1 are nearly overlapping. In other embodiments, the active door 2 and the driven door 1 have a small overlap.

[0046] When the substrate needs to be transferred, the drive device 3 operates, and the drive source 31 drives the slider 33 to slide on the guide rail 32, causing the active door 2 to move upward from its initial position along with the slider 33. (See also...) Figures 4a-4b As the active door 2 rises, the first mating part 21 and the second mating part 11 have not yet made contact. When the active door 2 rises to the first height, the first mating part 21 and the second mating part 11 make contact. (See reference...) Figures 5a-5b The driving door 2 continues to rise, and the second mating part 11 cooperates with the first mating part 21, causing the driven door 1 to rise under the push of the driving door 2. The driven door 1 and the driving door 2 rise synchronously to a preset position (e.g., Figure 3a and Figure 3b(as shown at the top of guide rail 32), at this time the door device is in the open state. In this state, the driven door body 1 and the driving door body 2 overlap, thereby maximizing the door opening. A transmission channel is left below the driven door body 1 and the driving door body 2, through which the robot enters the process cavity to pick up and place substrates. During the synchronous rise of the driven door body 1 and the driving door body 2, and after the driven door body 1 and the driving door body 2 rise synchronously to the preset position, the first mating part 21 and the second mating part 11 are always in contact.

[0047] If the process cavity requires substrate processing, the drive device 3 drives the slider 33 to descend. The active door 2 descends from a preset position along with the slider 33, while the driven door 1 descends due to gravity. The driven door 1 and the active door 2 descend synchronously. When the driven door 1 descends to the second height position, the limiting member 41 supports the driven door 1 and prevents it from descending further. (See reference...) Figures 2a-2b The active door 2 continues to descend to its initial position along with the slider 33, thereby unfolding the active door 2 and the driven door 1 to isolate the process chamber from other chambers or the external environment, improving the cleanliness of the process chamber. At this time, the door device is in the closed state.

[0048] It should be noted that when the door device in this embodiment is used on the process chamber of a wet cleaning equipment, a fixing plate 8 is also provided above the opening of the process chamber (see [reference]). Figure 6a When the door device is in the open state, the driven door body 1, the active door body 2, and the fixed plate 8 overlap, leaving a sufficiently high transmission channel below the driven door body 1 and the active door body 2. The robot arm enters the process cavity through the transmission channel to pick up and place substrates. When the door device is in the closed state, the driven door body 1, the active door body 2, and the fixed plate 8 isolate the process cavity from other chambers or the external environment. The application scenarios of the door device of this application are not limited to wet cleaning equipment, but can also be on other process equipment, such as electroplating equipment. Those skilled in the art can determine whether to set a fixed plate and the height of the fixed plate based on the height of the process cavity and the size of the substrate.

[0049] In one example, such as Figure 1a and 1bAs shown, the active door 2 includes a first connecting portion 24, a first transition portion 22, and a first panel 23 connected in sequence. The first connecting portion 24 and the first panel 23 extend in opposite directions from the two ends of the first transition portion 22, respectively. The first connecting portion 24 is movably disposed on the device body 4. A first mating portion 21 is disposed on the first connecting portion 24. In one embodiment, the first connecting portion 24 and the first transition portion 22, as well as the first transition portion 22 and the first panel 23, are at a perpendicular angle and connected by an arc-shaped transition. The first connecting portion 24 is closer to the substrate in the process cavity than the first panel 23, and a larger gap is left between the first panel 23 and the substrate in the process cavity to prevent interference between the first panel 23 and the substrate in the process cavity.

[0050] See Figure 3b The driven door 1 includes a second connecting portion 14, a second transition portion 12, and a second panel 13 connected in sequence. The second connecting portion 14 and the second panel 13 extend in opposite directions from the two ends of the second transition portion 12, respectively. The second connecting portion 14 is movably disposed on the device body 4. A second mating portion 11 is disposed on the second connecting portion 14. In one embodiment, the second connecting portion 14 and the second transition portion 12, as well as the second transition portion 12 and the second panel 13, are at a perpendicular angle and connected by an arc-shaped transition. The second connecting portion 14 is closer to the substrate in the process cavity than the second panel 13, and a larger gap is left between the second panel 13 and the substrate in the process cavity to prevent interference between the second panel 13 and the substrate in the process cavity.

[0051] When the door device is in the open state, the first panel 23 and the second panel 13 completely or partially overlap. When the door device is in the closed state, the first panel 23 and the second panel 13 partially overlap, or the upper edge of the first panel 23 and the lower edge of the second panel 13 are just close to each other without overlapping. During the process of the active door body 2 driving the driven door body 1 to rise, the first panel 23 and the second panel 13 completely or partially overlap.

[0052] Furthermore, to enhance the stability of the first panel 23 and the second panel 13, reinforcing ribs are provided on both the first panel 23 and the second panel 13.

[0053] It should be noted that the active door body 2 and the driven door body 1 can also be moved and installed on the same side of the device body 4. The drive source in this application is not limited to a cylinder, but can also be a motor, etc.

[0054] See Figures 6a-6c This embodiment provides a substrate processing apparatus, which includes a robot arm 6 and at least one process cavity 5, with the aforementioned door device provided at the opening of the process cavity 5.

[0055] After substrate 7 is processed in process cavity 5, refer to Figure 6a The active door 2 pushes the driven door 1 to rise. (See also...) Figure 6b The driven door 1 and the active door 2 rise synchronously to a preset position, overlapping each other. A transfer space is left below the driven door 1 and the active door 2. The robotic arm 6 enters the process cavity 5 through the transfer space, retrieves the substrate 7, and transfers it to the next process cavity 5. (See reference...) Figure 6c When the substrate 7 is processed in the process cavity 5, the active door 2 and the driven door 1 are unfolded and arranged at the opening of the process cavity 5, that is, the door device is in the closed state, and the substrate 7 is processed in the process cavity 5, such as etching, cleaning, etc.

[0056] The active door 2 and the driven door 1 are arranged at the opening of the process cavity 5 to isolate the process cavity 5 from other chambers or the external environment, so that the process cavity is in a relatively closed state, which effectively improves the cleanliness of the process cavity 5 and prevents the substrate from being contaminated after leaving the liquid surface.

[0057] It should be emphasized that the application scenarios of the substrate processing equipment in this application are not limited to substrate cleaning processes. The substrate processing equipment can also be used for etching, photolithography, and other processes. The process cavity 5 defined in this application is not limited to a chamber for processing the substrate; the process cavity 5 can also be other accommodating spaces with openings.

[0058] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above disclosure is merely illustrative and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application, and therefore remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0059] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0060] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

Claims

1. A door device for installation on a process chamber, characterized in that, include: The main body of the device is mounted on the process chamber; An active door body is movably mounted on the device body, and a first mating part is provided on the active door body; A driven door body is movably mounted on the device body, and a second mating part is provided on the driven door body; A limiting element is provided on the main body of the device; When the active door rises from its initial position to a first height, the first and second mating parts cooperate to cause the active door to drive the driven door to rise to a preset position to open the process cavity. When the active door descends and the driven door descends from the preset position to a second height, the limiting member supports the driven door and prevents it from descending further. After the active door descends to the initial position, the active door and the driven door unfold to close the process cavity.

2. The door device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a drive unit, with the active door body located at the output end of the drive unit.

3. The door device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driving device is mounted on the device body. The driving device includes a driving source, a guide rail, and a slider. The active door body is mounted on the slider, and the slider is mounted on the guide rail. The driving source drives the slider to move up and down along the guide rail.

4. The door device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The active door is movably disposed on one side of the device body, and the passive door is movably disposed on the other side of the device body, and is disposed opposite to the active door.

5. The door device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The active door includes a first connecting part, a first transition part and a first panel connected in sequence. The first connecting part is movably disposed on the device body. The first connecting part and the first panel extend in opposite directions from the two ends of the first transition part, respectively. The first connecting portion and the first transition portion, as well as the first transition portion and the first panel, are at a vertical angle.

6. The door device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The driven door body includes a second connecting part, a second transition part and a second panel connected in sequence. The second connecting part is movably disposed on the device body. The second connecting part and the second panel extend in opposite directions with the two ends of the second transition part as the starting points. The second connecting portion and the second transition portion, as well as the second transition portion and the second panel, are at a vertical angle.

7. The door device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first mating part is a protruding lower contact block on the active door body, and the second mating part is a protruding upper contact block on the driven door body. The device body is provided with a guide groove, and the lower contact block pushes the upper contact block to move in the guide groove so that the active door body drives the driven door body to rise.

8. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a robotic arm and at least one process cavity, wherein the at least one process cavity is provided with a door device as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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