Lifting device and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a lifting device and semiconductor process equipment, the lifting device comprises a transmission piece, a telescopic cylinder and a transmission shaft, a telescopic rod of the telescopic cylinder extends along the vertical direction, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod is connected with the transmission piece through a floating joint; the telescopic rod can drive the transmission part to ascend or descend when translating in the vertical direction, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod can move in the preset horizontal direction relative to the transmission part. The transmission shaft extends in the vertical direction, the transmission shaft is fixedly connected with the transmission piece, the transmission shaft is used for being arranged in the process chamber and horizontally moving in the vertical direction in a reciprocating mode relative to the process chamber, and the transmission shaft is used for being connected with a lifting object; the preset horizontal direction is the direction in which the central axis of the telescopic rod horizontally points to the central axis of the transmission shaft. According to the lifting device, due to the fact that the telescopic rod and the transmission shaft are not coaxially arranged, the central axis of the transmission shaft can be closer to a lifting object, the transmission size is reduced, and the movement stability of the lifting object can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a lifting device and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] The semiconductor production process involves a large number of lifting actions, for example, the wafer or the tray carrying the wafer is lifted and lowered to switch between the wafer transfer position and the process position.

[0003] At present, a lifting device is often used to be connected to a lifting object in semiconductor process equipment. The lifting device includes a telescopic cylinder and a transmission shaft, the transmission shaft extends in a vertical direction, one end of the transmission shaft is connected to the lifting object, and the other end is connected to the telescopic rod of the telescopic cylinder, and the central axis of the transmission shaft coincides with the central axis of the telescopic rod.

[0004] In this manner, the lifting device has poor motion stability when driving the lifting object to move. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes a lifting device and semiconductor process equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, the utility model provides a lifting device applied to semiconductor process equipment, wherein the semiconductor process equipment comprises a process chamber and a lifting object arranged in the process chamber.

[0007] The lifting device includes: a transmission member, a telescopic cylinder and a transmission shaft. The telescopic rod of the telescopic cylinder extends in the vertical direction, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod is connected to the transmission member through a floating joint. The telescopic rod can drive the transmission member to rise or fall when it moves in the vertical direction, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod can move relative to the transmission member in a preset horizontal direction. The transmission shaft extends in the vertical direction, and the transmission shaft is fixedly connected to the transmission member. The transmission shaft is used to be set in the process chamber and move back and forth in the vertical direction relative to the process chamber, and the transmission shaft is used to connect with the lifting object. Among them, the preset horizontal direction is the direction in which the central axis of the telescopic rod horizontally points to the central axis of the transmission shaft.

[0008] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the floating joint includes a connecting seat and a floating member, the connecting seat is fixedly connected to the transmission member, a slide groove is provided on the connecting seat, the end of the slide groove extends to the open end along a preset horizontal direction to the surrounding side surface of the connecting seat, the slide groove passes through a side of the connecting seat facing the telescopic cylinder, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the slide groove on the side close to the telescopic cylinder is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the other side of the slide groove away from the telescopic cylinder; the floating member is at least partially slidably accommodated in the slide groove, and the floating member is fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod.

[0009] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the transmission member is provided with a through hole, the center line of which extends in the vertical direction; at least a portion of the floating member is accommodated in the through hole; when the floating member is located at the end of the slide groove, there is a gap between the floating member and the hole wall of the through hole along a preset horizontal direction; when the floating member is located at the open end, the floating member and the hole wall of the through hole are against each other.

[0010] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the floating member includes a floating body and a connecting portion stacked on top of each other, the floating body can be slidably accommodated in a slide groove, and the connecting portion is located outside the slide groove and fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod; the cross-sectional area of ​​one end of the floating body close to the telescopic cylinder is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion, and the connecting seat is against a side of the connecting portion facing the floating body.

[0011] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the slide groove is a T-shaped groove, and the T-shaped groove includes a connected horizontal groove portion and a vertical groove portion; the floating body includes a connected floating head and a connecting column, the floating head is accommodated in the horizontal groove portion, and the connecting column is accommodated in the vertical groove portion and fixedly connected to the connecting portion.

[0012] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the connecting seat includes a first column and a second column arranged coaxially, a horizontal groove is arranged on the first column, and a vertical groove is arranged on the second column and penetrates the second column in a vertical direction; the first column is protrudingly provided with an ear, the ear is located on the side of the transmission member away from the telescopic cylinder, and the ear is fixedly connected to the transmission member.

[0013] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the lifting device also includes a sleeve, which is used to be fixedly connected to the process chamber. The transmission shaft is inserted into the sleeve and is lifted and lowered relative to the sleeve, and the central axis of the transmission shaft coincides with the central axis of the sleeve.

[0014] In an implementation of the first aspect of the utility model, the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder is fixedly connected to the sleeve via a fixing plate.

[0015] In a second aspect, the utility model provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising: a process chamber, a lifting object and any one of the lifting devices provided in the first aspect of the utility model, the lifting object is arranged inside the process chamber, and the transmission shaft of the lifting device is connected to the lifting object in a transmission manner.

[0016] In an implementation of the second aspect of the utility model, a mounting seat is fixedly provided on the outer peripheral side of the process chamber, and the transmission shaft is movably connected to the mounting seat.

[0017] In an implementation of the second aspect of the utility model, the lifting object is an ejector pin assembly, which includes a bracket and a plurality of ejectors arranged on the bracket, and the plurality of ejectors are used to carry wafers.

[0018] The utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The utility model provides a lifting device in which the telescopic rod and the transmission shaft are not coaxially arranged, and the transmission shaft is movably arranged in the process chamber. Since the diameter of the transmission shaft is smaller than the size of the telescopic cylinder in the X direction, the central axis of the transmission shaft can be closer to the lifting object while ensuring that the transmission shaft does not interfere with the side wall of the process chamber, thereby reducing the transmission size and facilitating improving the movement stability of the lifting object.

[0020] Moreover, the lifting device of the utility model is also provided with a floating joint, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod has two degrees of freedom in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The floating joint can absorb the horizontal pulling force to compensate for the displacement error between the telescopic rod and the transmission shaft in the vertical direction, which can ensure the smooth operation of the telescopic rod and is conducive to further improving the movement stability of the lifting object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided for related technology;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic top view of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process equipment shown;

[0024] Figure 4 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 5 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a floating joint of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 7( a ) is a bottom view of a connection seat of a floating joint of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG7( b ) is a front view of a connection seat of a floating joint of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG7( c ) is a left side view of a connection seat of a floating joint of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG7( d ) is a cross-sectional view of a connection seat of a floating joint of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application along the AA direction;

[0031] Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application when the floating member is located at the end of the slide groove;

[0032] Fig. 9 A partial cross-sectional view of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the floating member is located at the opening end of the slide slot.

[0033] Description of reference numerals:

[0034] 100-Semiconductor process equipment;

[0035] 10-process chamber; 11-mounting seat; 12-fixing flange;

[0036] 20-thimble assembly; 21-bracket; 22-thimble; 23-connecting arm;

[0037] 30-lifting device; 31-telescopic cylinder; 311-telescopic rod; 312-first plate; 313-second plate; 314-speed regulating valve; 32-transmission member; 321-through hole; 322-first fastening screw; 323-second fastening screw; 33-transmission shaft; 331-shaft shoulder; 34-sleeve; 341-connecting flange; 342-annular boss; 343-connecting screw; 35-floating joint; 351-connecting seat; 3511-first column; 3512-ear; 3513-second column; 3514-slide; 3514a-horizontal groove; 3514b-vertical groove; 3514c-arc surface; 352-floating member; 3521-floating head; 3522-connecting column;

[0038] 3523-connecting part; 3524-floating body; 36-bellows; 37-bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Taking the ejector assembly used to carry wafers or trays in semiconductor process equipment as an example, the inventor of the present application has found through careful research that the reason for the poor motion smoothness of the object (i.e., ejector assembly) driven by the lifting device is that: in the prior art, the telescopic cylinder 31a of the lifting device is fixedly set on the mounting seat 11a outside the process chamber 10a, and the telescopic rod 311a drives the transmission shaft 33a to move relative to the process chamber 10a. The telescopic rod 311a and the transmission shaft 33a are coaxially arranged, and the central axis of the transmission shaft 33a is not colinear with the center line of the wafer 200, and the center line of the wafer 200 is colinear with the central axis of the bracket 21a of the ejector assembly. It is understandable that in Figure 1In the example shown, the distance D between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33a and the center line of the wafer 200 in the X direction = the distance W between the central axis of the telescopic rod 311a and the side wall of the process chamber 10a close to the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction + the distance L between the center line of the wafer 200 and the side wall of the process chamber 10a close to the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction. Since the size of the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction is large, in order to ensure that the telescopic cylinder 31a does not interfere with the side wall of the process chamber 10a, the distance W between the central axis of the telescopic rod 311a and the side wall of the process chamber 10a close to the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction is correspondingly large, and D is correspondingly large, resulting in poor motion stability during the process of the lifting device driving the lifting object (i.e., the ejector assembly) to move. It should be pointed out that when the process chamber 10a is circular, the X direction specifically refers to the radial direction of the process chamber 10a; when the process chamber 10a is rectangular, the X direction specifically refers to the direction where the geometric center line of the rectangular process chamber 10a is located.

[0040] In view of this, the present application provides a lifting device and a semiconductor process equipment. In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present utility model, the lifting device and the semiconductor process equipment provided by the present utility model are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic top view of a semiconductor process equipment provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1 is a partial structural diagram of the semiconductor process equipment shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 The semiconductor process equipment 100 provided in the present application includes a process chamber 10, a lifting object and a lifting device. The process chamber 10 can be a degumming chamber, a PVD chamber, an etching chamber or other types of chambers, and the present application does not make specific restrictions on this. The chamber wall of the process chamber 10 is provided with an opening.

[0042] The lifting object is arranged in the process chamber 10. Among them, the lifting object mentioned in this article should be broadly understood as the components that need to be lifted in the process chamber 10, such as the ejector assembly, the base, etc. It should be pointed out that the embodiment of the present application is shown and explained with the ejector assembly as a representative example of the lifting object, which should not be regarded as a limitation of the present application. The ejector assembly 20 includes a bracket 21 and an ejector 22 arranged on the bracket 21, and the top of the ejector 22 pushes against the wafer so that the ejector assembly 20 can carry the wafer, and the center line of the wafer is arranged collinearly with the center line of the bracket 21. The center line of the wafer can be collinear with the center line of the process chamber 10.

[0043] The lifting device provided in the present application is at least partially disposed outside the process chamber 10 . Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figures 2 to 4The lifting device 30 includes a transmission member 32, a telescopic cylinder 31 and a transmission shaft 33. The telescopic rod 311 of the telescopic cylinder 31 and the transmission shaft 33 both extend in the vertical direction, and the central axis of the telescopic rod 311 is not colinear with the central axis of the transmission shaft 33. The transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 is connected to the transmission member 32 through a floating joint 35. The transmission shaft 33 is movably arranged outside the process chamber 10. One end of the transmission shaft 33 is fixedly connected to the transmission member 32, and the other end is transmission-connected to the bracket 21. When the telescopic cylinder 31 is working, the telescopic rod 311 can drive the transmission member 32 to move back and forth in the vertical direction when it translates in the vertical direction, and then drives the transmission shaft 33 connected to the transmission member 32 to move back and forth in the vertical direction relative to the process chamber 10, and the ejector assembly 20 and the wafer carried by the ejector assembly 20 are lifted and lowered in the vertical direction accordingly. It is understood that the installation position of the lifting device 30 is not restrictive, and the lifting device 30 can be installed below the process chamber 10 or on the side of the process chamber 10. For example, the lifting device 30 is installed on the side of the process chamber 10. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the opening is specifically formed on the side wall of the process chamber 10, the side wall of the process chamber 10 is also fixedly connected to the mounting seat 11, the transmission shaft 33 is movably connected to the mounting seat 11, and the ejector assembly 20 also includes a connecting arm 23 connected to the bracket 21, the connecting arm 23 extends from the opening to the outside of the process chamber 10 and is transmission-connected to the other end of the transmission shaft 33, and the connecting arm 23 can be raised and lowered in the opening. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the mounting seat 11 can be a box structure, and an opening is formed on one side of the box structure facing the opening. The open end of the box structure is connected to the fixing flange 12, and the fixing flange 12 is attached to the outer surface of the process chamber 10 and surrounds the opening. The fixing flange 12 is connected to the side wall of the process chamber 10. After the connecting arm 23 extends from the opening to the inside of the box structure, the connecting arm 23 can be raised and lowered in the opening. At the same time, a through hole is also provided on the box structure, and the other end of the transmission shaft 33 extends into the cavity inside the box structure through the through hole. The connecting arm 23 extends from the opening to the cavity inside the box structure to connect with the other end of the transmission shaft 33.

[0044] Taking the lifting device 30 installed below the process chamber 10 as an example, the opening is specifically formed on the bottom wall of the process chamber 10, the transmission shaft 33 is movably connected to the bottom wall of the process chamber 10, and the other end of the transmission shaft 33 extends into the process chamber 10 through the opening.

[0045] The transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 can not only be connected to the transmission member 32 through the floating joint 35, but also can move along a preset horizontal direction relative to the transmission member 32. The preset horizontal direction is the direction in which the central axis of the telescopic rod 311 horizontally points to the central axis of the transmission shaft 33. For a clear understanding, the preset horizontal direction is shown as P in each of the drawings of the embodiments of the present application.

[0046] The telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 of the lifting device 30 of the present application are not coaxially arranged, and the transmission shaft 33 is movably arranged in the process chamber 10. In this embodiment, the distance D' between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 and the center line of the wafer in the X direction = the distance W' between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 and a side wall of the process chamber 10 close to the transmission shaft 33 in the X direction + the distance L' between the center line of the wafer and a side wall of the process chamber 10 close to the transmission shaft 33 in the X direction. It can be seen that, under the premise that L and L' are consistent, since the diameter d of the transmission shaft 33 is smaller than the size of the telescopic cylinder 31 in the X direction, therefore, under the premise of ensuring that the transmission shaft 33 does not interfere with the side wall of the process chamber 10, W' can be designed to be smaller than W, then D'<D. That is to say, compared with the coaxial arrangement of the telescopic rod 311a and the transmission shaft 33a in the related art, the distance between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 and the center line of the wafer along the X direction can be reduced in this embodiment, so the transmission shaft 33 can be closer to the wafer, reducing the transmission size, which is beneficial to improving the movement stability of the ejector assembly 20 during movement.

[0047] In addition, since the telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 are not coaxially arranged, when the ejector assembly 20 needs to rise, the telescopic rod 311 rises to push the transmission member 32 to move upward, and the transmission member 32 then drives the transmission shaft 33 to move upward, then the displacement of the telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 during the rise is prone to error, resulting in the telescopic rod 311 being subjected to the horizontal pulling force exerted on it by the transmission member 32, causing the telescopic rod 311 and the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31 to be easily eccentric, causing the wear of the sealing ring of the telescopic cylinder 31, resulting in the unsteady movement of the telescopic rod 311 and the ejector assembly 20 linked thereto, and affecting the service life of the telescopic cylinder 31. Similarly, when the ejector assembly 20 needs to descend, the telescopic rod 311 will also be subjected to the horizontal force exerted on it by the transmission member 32 during the descent process.

[0048] In this embodiment, a floating joint 35 is provided. The floating joint 35 reserves a margin for the movement of the telescopic rod 311 in a preset horizontal direction. The transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 has two degrees of freedom in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In this way, when the telescopic rod 311 is subjected to a horizontal pulling force applied by the transmission member 32 during the rising process of the telescopic rod 311, the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 moves along the preset horizontal direction under the action of the horizontal pulling force. The transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 is tilted to a certain extent relative to the other end within the allowable eccentricity range, so that the floating joint 35 can absorb the horizontal pulling force to compensate for the displacement error of the telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 during the rising process. The principle of the telescopic rod 311 descending process is similar and will not be repeated here. In this way, it can be ensured that the telescopic rod 311 can smoothly drive the transmission shaft 33 to operate, which is conducive to further improving the movement stability of the ejector assembly 20 and the wafer. On this basis, it is helpful to reduce the adverse effects of the eccentricity of the telescopic rod 311 and the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31 on the sealing ring of the telescopic cylinder 31, so as to extend the service life of the telescopic cylinder 31.

[0049] In some embodiments, the lifting device 30 may further include a sleeve 34, the sleeve 34 is fixedly connected to the process chamber 10, the transmission shaft 33 is inserted into the sleeve 34, and is lifted and lowered relative to the sleeve 34, and the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 coincides with the central axis of the sleeve 34. In this arrangement, the transmission shaft 33 can be installed in the process chamber 10 through the sleeve 34, and can also be translated relative to the process chamber 10 in the vertical direction.

[0050] Taking the lifting device 30 installed below the process chamber 10 as an example, the top of the sleeve 34 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the process chamber 10, and the central axis of the sleeve 34 coincides with the center line of the opening.

[0051] Taking the lifting device 30 installed on the peripheral side of the process chamber 10 as an example, the outside of the process chamber 10 is fixedly connected with the mounting seat 11, and one end of the sleeve 34 is fixedly connected to the mounting seat 11. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the specific example shown, the lifting device 30 also includes a connecting flange 341, one end of the sleeve 34 is connected to the connecting flange 341, the central axis of the sleeve 34 is colinear with the central axis of the connecting flange 341, and the connecting flange 341 is fixedly connected to the mounting seat 11 by connecting screws 343. When the mounting seat 11 is a box structure, the central axis of the sleeve 34 also coincides with the center line of the through hole on the mounting seat 11. Of course, in other examples of the present application, the connecting flange 341 and the mounting seat 11 can also be connected by other connection methods such as a snap connection.

[0052] It is understandable that in the prior art, when the telescopic rod 311a and the transmission shaft 33a are coaxially arranged (such as Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 ), the telescopic cylinder 31a can also be specifically fixedly connected to the mounting seat 11a through the flange plate 341a. At this time, the distance W between the central axis of the telescopic rod 311a and the side wall of the process chamber 10a close to the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction = the cylinder size S of the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction × 1 / 2 + the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter of the flange plate 341a r × 1 / 2 + the minimum distance k between the outer peripheral surface of the flange plate 341a and the side wall of the process chamber 10a close to the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in the embodiment where the lifting device 30 also includes a sleeve 34, the distance W' between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 and a side wall of the process chamber 10 close to the transmission shaft 33 in the X direction = the outer diameter R×1 / 2 of the sleeve 34+the difference between the outer diameter and the inner diameter r'×1 / 2 of the connecting flange 341+the minimum distance k' between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting flange 341 and a side wall of the process chamber 10 close to the transmission shaft 33 in the X direction. Under the premise that r is equal to r' and k is equal to k', since the diameter d of the transmission shaft 33 is small, the outer diameter R of the sleeve 34 can be designed to be smaller than the dimension S of the telescopic cylinder 31a in the X direction, so W' can be smaller than W. Based on this, under the premise that L and L' are consistent, D' can be smaller than D. In this way, it can be ensured that the distance between the central axis of the transmission shaft 33 and the center line of the wafer in the X direction in this embodiment can be reduced, the transmission shaft 33 can be closer to the wafer, the transmission size is reduced, and it is beneficial to improve the movement stability of the ejector assembly 20 during movement.

[0053] In the embodiment where the lifting device 30 further includes a sleeve 34, the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31 may also be fixedly connected to the sleeve 34. With this design, the sleeve 34 provides stable support for the telescopic cylinder 31 to ensure the installation stability of the telescopic cylinder 31. Figure 4 The lifting device 30 also includes a fixed plate, which includes a first plate body 312 and a second plate body 313 connected to each other. The first plate body 312 is annular and is fixedly mounted on the sleeve 34. The second plate body 313 is provided with a connecting hole that runs through its thickness. The cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31 is fixedly installed on the second plate body 313, and the central axis of the telescopic rod 311 coincides with the center line of the connecting hole, and the telescopic rod 311 is inserted into the connecting hole.

[0054] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 5When the lifting device 30 further includes a sleeve 34, the transmission shaft 33 is provided with a shoulder 331 protruding outward, and a bellows 36 is provided between the shoulder 331 and the connecting flange 341 and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the transmission shaft 33. The first end of the bellows 36 is sealedly connected to the shoulder 331 by welding, and the second end is sealedly connected to the connecting flange 341 by welding, and the second end of the bellows 36 surrounds the through hole on the mounting seat 11. In this way, the bellows 36 can seal the through hole, which is beneficial to prevent the gas in the process chamber 10 from flowing into the mounting seat 11 with a box structure from the opening and then flowing out to the outside through the through hole, so that the sealing of the process environment in the process chamber 10 can be maintained.

[0055] In a feasible manner, a sealing ring (not shown) may be further provided between the connecting flange 341 and the mounting seat 11 . The sealing ring is arranged around the outside of the transmission shaft 33 . The sealing ring can seal the gap between the connecting flange 341 and the mounting seat 11 to maintain the sealing of the process environment in the process chamber 10 .

[0056] In some embodiments, the wall of the sleeve 34 is also provided with an annular boss 342 protruding inwardly, and the annular boss 342 has a first face and a second face arranged opposite to each other along the extension direction of the central axis of the sleeve 34, the first face is connected to a part of the wall of the sleeve 34 and encloses a first space, and the second face is connected to a part of the wall of the sleeve 34 and encloses a second space. Among them, the bellows 36 is installed in the first space, and the inner diameter of the annular boss 342 is less than or equal to the outer diameter of the shoulder 331, so that the bellows 36 is confined in the first space. In addition, the lifting device 30 also includes a bearing 37, which is installed in the second space and is sleeved between the transmission shaft 33 and the wall of the sleeve 34, one end of the bearing 37 is against the second face, and the central axis of the bearing 37 coincides with the central axis of the sleeve 34. In this way, the verticality of the transmission shaft 33 is ensured by the bearing 37, which is conducive to ensuring the movement accuracy of the transmission shaft 33 in the vertical direction.

[0057] As disclosed herein, the lifting device 30, the telescopic cylinder 31 is not limited to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the embodiment where the telescopic cylinder 31 is a cylinder, one or more speed regulating valves 314 may be provided on the cylinder, and the speed regulating valves 314 may be used to adjust the movement speed of the cylinder, and further adjust the lifting speed of the transmission shaft 33 and the ejector assembly 20.

[0058] The specific structure of the floating joint 35 in the lifting device 30 of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0059] Figure 67(a), 7(b), 7(c) and 7(d) are respectively a bottom view, a front view, a left view and a cross-sectional view along the AA direction of the connection seat of the floating joint of the lifting device provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7(a) to Figure 7(d) The floating joint 35 may include a connecting seat 351 and a floating member 352. The connecting seat 351 is fixedly connected to the transmission member 32. A slide groove 3514 is provided on the connecting seat 351. The end of the slide groove 3514 extends to the opening end along a preset horizontal direction to the surrounding side surface of the connecting seat 351. The floating member 352 is at least partially slidably accommodated in the slide groove 3514. The floating member 352 is fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311.

[0060] Moreover, in this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the side of the slide groove 3514 close to the telescopic cylinder 31 (shown as the lower side of the slide groove 3514 in FIG. 7( b)) is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the other side of the slide groove 3514 away from the telescopic cylinder 31 (shown as the upper side of the slide groove 3514 in FIG. 7( b)), so the floating member 352 accommodated in the slide groove 3514 cannot be separated from the side of the slide groove 3514 close to the telescopic cylinder 31 to the outside of the slide groove 3514, so that the floating member 352 can be stably accommodated in the slide groove 3514. In this way, it can be ensured that when the telescopic cylinder 31 is working, the floating member 352 can transmit power to the connecting seat 351, and then transmit it to the transmission shaft 33 through the transmission member 32, thereby ensuring that the telescopic rod 311 can drive the transmission shaft 33 to run smoothly.

[0061] In this way, since the floating member 352 can slide in the slide groove 3514, the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 connected to the floating member 352 has horizontal freedom to compensate for the displacement error of the telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 when they are raised and lowered. Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional view of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application when the floating member is located at the end of the slide slot, Fig. 9 This is a partial cross-sectional view of a lifting device provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the floating member is located at the opening end of the slide slot. It should be noted that in the initial state, if Figure 8 As shown, the floating member 352 may be located at the end of the slide slot 3514, and during the extension of the telescopic rod 311, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown, the floating member 352 can slide along a preset horizontal direction to slide from the end of the slide groove 3514 to the open end of the slide groove 3514.

[0062] It can be understood that the cross-sectional area of ​​the side of the slide groove 3514 close to the telescopic cylinder 31 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the other side of the slide groove 3514 away from the telescopic cylinder 31. The specific implementation methods include but are not limited to the following possibilities. For example, the slide groove 3514 is a T-shaped groove. For another example, the slide groove 3514 is a dovetail groove. For another example, the slide groove 3514 is an L-shaped groove.

[0063] The floating member 352 being at least partially slidably received in the slide groove 3514 should be understood in a broad sense.

[0064] For example, it can be understood that the floating member 352 is completely accommodated in the slide groove 3514 , and at this time, the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 extends to the side of the slide groove 3514 close to the telescopic cylinder 31 to be connected with the floating member 352 .

[0065] For another example, it can be understood that part of the floating member 352 is accommodated in the slide groove 3514, and the remaining part is located outside the slide groove 3514. In a specific example, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9 The floating member 352 includes a floating body 3524 and a connecting portion 3523 which are fixedly connected. One of the floating body 3524 and the connecting portion 3523 is stacked on the other. The floating body 3524 can be slidably received in the slide groove 3514. The connecting portion 3523 is located outside the slide groove 3514 and is fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311. That is, the floating body 3524 can slide along the slide groove 3514, and the floating body 3524 is connected to the telescopic rod 311 through the connecting portion 3523. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the end of the floating body 3524 close to the telescopic cylinder 31 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion 3523, and the connecting seat 351 and the side of the connecting portion 3523 facing the floating body 3524 are against each other. In this way, the abutment relationship between the connecting seat 351 and the side of the connecting part 3523 facing the floating body 3524 can play a limiting role to limit the displacement of the connecting part 3523 in the vertical direction, so that the connecting part 3523 cannot move in the vertical direction. The floating body 3524 can be stably slid in the sliding groove 3514, and the telescopic rod 311 can stably transmit the linear power to the floating joint 35, and the transmission is smooth.

[0066] like Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the transmission member 32 is connected to the top end of the transmission shaft 33, the floating joint 35 is located above the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31, and the floating body 3524 is stacked above the connecting portion 3523. In an embodiment not shown in the figure, the transmission member 32 can also be connected to the bottom end of the transmission shaft 33, the floating joint 35 is correspondingly located below the cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder 31, and the connecting portion 3523 is stacked above the floating body 3524.

[0067] The floating body 3524 is adapted to the slide groove 3514, and the structure of the floating body 3524 can be designed according to the slide groove 3514. As shown in FIG7(b), in the embodiment where the slide groove 3514 is a T-shaped groove, the T-shaped groove specifically includes a horizontal groove portion 3514a and a vertical groove portion 3514b that are connected, and the vertical groove portion 3514b runs through the side of the connecting seat 351 facing the telescopic cylinder 31. Correspondingly, the floating body 3524 specifically includes a floating head 3521 and a connecting column 3522, and the connecting column 3522 is located between the floating head 3521 and the connecting portion 3523 and is fixedly connected to the floating head 3521 and the connecting portion 3523, wherein the floating head 3521 can be slidably received in the horizontal groove portion 3514a, and the connecting column 3522 can be slidably received in the vertical groove portion 3514b. The floating head 3521 and the connecting column 3522 may both be cylindrical, and the outer diameter of the floating head 3521 is larger than the outer diameter of the connecting column 3522, so that the floating head 3521 cooperates with the horizontal groove portion 3514a and is confined in the horizontal groove portion 3514a.

[0068] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 7( a), the vertical groove portion 3514b includes two groove walls spaced and parallel to each other along a preset radial direction and an arc surface 3514c connecting the two groove walls. The preset radial direction is parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the preset horizontal direction, and the preset radial direction is shown as O in FIG. 7( a). It can be seen that the vertical groove portion 3514b is a U-shaped groove, and the connecting column 3522 is correspondingly cylindrical. In this example, when the floating member 352 is located at the end of the slide groove 3514, the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 3522 is adapted to the arc surface 3514c of the U-shaped groove. The horizontal groove portion 3514a can also be a U-shaped groove.

[0069] The connection part 3523 may be a cylindrical structure, a block structure or other structures, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this. In the embodiment in which the connection part 3523 is a cylindrical structure, the outer diameter of the connection column 3522 is equal to the distance t between the two groove walls of the vertical groove part 3514b in the preset radial direction, and the outer diameter of the cylindrical connection part 3523 is greater than the outer diameter t of the connection column 3522, so that the connection part 3523 cannot pass through the vertical groove part 3514b in the vertical direction, and the connection seat 351 and the side of the connection part 3523 facing the floating body 3524 are against each other.

[0070] As disclosed herein, the lifting device 30 can use screw connection technology, clamping technology, welding technology or bonding technology to achieve the connection between the connecting portion 3523 and the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311. Figure 8 and Fig. 9In the example shown, the connecting portion 3523 is provided with a mounting hole, the center line of the mounting hole coincides with the center axis of the telescopic rod 311, the hole wall of the mounting hole is provided with an internal thread, and the outer surface of the transmission end of the telescopic rod 311 is provided with an external thread matching the internal thread, so that the telescopic rod 311 is threadedly connected to the connecting portion 3523.

[0071] Based on the embodiment in which the slide groove 3514 is a T-shaped groove, optionally, as Figure 6 As shown, the connecting seat 351 may include a first column 3511 and a second column 3513 which are coaxially arranged, a horizontal groove 3514a is arranged on the first column 3511, and a vertical groove 3514b is arranged on the second column 3513 and penetrates the second column 3513 in the vertical direction. The first column 3511 is provided with an ear 3512 which is protruding, and the ear 3512 is located on the side of the transmission member 32 away from the telescopic cylinder 31, and the ear 3512 is fixedly connected to the transmission member 32. The ear 3512 may be fixedly connected to the transmission member 32 by a first fastening screw 322, for example, or may be fixedly connected to the transmission member 32 by a bolt. Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, the ear 3512 and the transmission member 32 may also be connected by a snap-on connection or a welding connection. According to Figure 6 In the example shown, the first column 3511 may be protrudingly provided with two ears 3512, and the two ears 3512 may be distributed on both sides of the first column 3511 along a preset radial direction. Of course, the number of the above ears 3512 is not restrictive and can be designed according to actual working conditions and requirements.

[0072] The transmission member 32 may be, for example, Figure 4 The plate-like structure shown may also be a rod-like structure, a block-like structure or other structures, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment. The connection mode between one end of the transmission shaft 33 and the transmission member 32 is similar to the connection mode between the ear 3512 and the transmission member 32. For example, one end of the transmission shaft 33 and the transmission member 32 may be fixedly connected by a second fastening screw 323.

[0073] In some embodiments, Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the transmission member 32 may also be provided with a through hole 321, the center line of the through hole 321 extends in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the floating member 352 is accommodated in the through hole 321. Figure 8 As shown, when the floating member 352 is located at the end of the slide slot 3514, there is a gap between the floating member 352 and the hole wall of the through hole 321 along the preset horizontal direction. During the extension of the telescopic rod 311, the floating member 352 can slide along the preset horizontal direction to slide from the end of the slide slot 3514 to the open end of the slide slot 3514. When the floating member 352 moves to the open end of the slide slot 3514, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9As shown, the floating member 352 abuts against the hole wall of the through hole 321. With such a configuration, the floating member 352 can not only move along the preset horizontal direction, but also limit the travel range of the floating member 352 within the through hole 321, so as to prevent the floating member 352 from escaping from the through hole 321 and the slide groove 3514, thereby ensuring the connection reliability between the telescopic rod 311 and the floating joint 35.

[0074] The term "at least part of the floating member 352 is accommodated in the through hole 321" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be understood that the floating member 352 is completely accommodated in the through hole 321. For another example, it can be understood that part of the floating member 352 is accommodated in the through hole 321 and the rest is located outside the through hole 321. Specifically, Figure 8 In the example shown, a portion of the floating body 3524 and a portion of the connecting portion 3523 are located outside the through hole 321 .

[0075] Please combine Figure 6 , Figure 7(b) Figure 8 and Fig. 9 When the connection base 351 includes the first column 3511 and the second column 3513, the second column 3513 can be located in the through hole 321, and the first column 3511 can be located outside the through hole 321. Of course, in other embodiments not shown in the figure, part of the first column 3511 can also be accommodated in the through hole 321.

[0076] In some embodiments, the telescopic rod 311 and the transmission shaft 33 may be located on the same side of the transmission member 32. Figure 3 As shown, the transmission member 32 is connected to the top end of the telescopic rod 311 and the top end of the transmission shaft 33. In this way, compared with the case where the transmission member 32 is connected to the bottom end of the telescopic rod 311 and the top end of the transmission shaft 33, the lifting device 30 of this embodiment occupies a smaller installation space in the vertical direction, and the installation position of the lifting device 30 relative to the process chamber 10 is more selective.

[0077] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lifting device, applied to semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment comprising a process chamber and a lifting object arranged in the process chamber, characterized in that: The lifting device comprises: Transmission parts; A telescopic cylinder, wherein the telescopic rod of the telescopic cylinder extends in a vertical direction, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod is connected to the transmission member through a floating joint; when the telescopic rod translates in a vertical direction, it can drive the transmission member to rise or fall, and the transmission end of the telescopic rod can move relative to the transmission member in a preset horizontal direction; and A transmission shaft extends in a vertical direction, the transmission shaft is fixedly connected to the transmission member, the transmission shaft is used to be arranged in the process chamber and reciprocate in a vertical direction relative to the process chamber, and the transmission shaft is used to be connected to the lifting object; wherein, the preset horizontal direction is the direction in which the central axis of the telescopic rod horizontally points to the central axis of the transmission shaft.

2. The lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The floating joint comprises a connecting seat and a floating member, the connecting seat is fixedly connected to the transmission member, a slide groove is provided on the connecting seat, the end of the slide groove extends to the peripheral side surface of the connecting seat along the preset horizontal direction to the open end, the slide groove penetrates a side of the connecting seat facing the telescopic cylinder, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the slide groove on one side close to the telescopic cylinder is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the slide groove on the other side away from the telescopic cylinder; The floating member is at least partially slidably received in the slide groove, and the floating member is fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod.

3. The lifting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmission member is provided with a through hole, and the center line of the through hole extends in the vertical direction; At least part of the floating member is accommodated in the through hole; when the floating member is located at the end of the slide groove, there is a gap between the floating member and the hole wall of the through hole along the preset horizontal direction; when the floating member is located at the open end, the floating member abuts against the hole wall of the through hole.

4. The lifting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The floating member includes a floating body and a connecting part which are stacked on each other. The floating body can be slidably accommodated in the slide groove, and the connecting part is located outside the slide groove and fixedly connected to the transmission end of the telescopic rod; the cross-sectional area of ​​one end of the floating body close to the telescopic cylinder is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting part, and the connecting seat is against a side of the connecting part facing the floating body.

5. The lifting device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The slide groove is a T-shaped groove, and the T-shaped groove includes a horizontal groove portion and a vertical groove portion that are connected; The floating body comprises a connected floating head and a connecting column, wherein the floating head is received in the horizontal groove portion, and the connecting column is received in the vertical groove portion and fixedly connected to the connecting portion.

6. The lifting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting seat comprises a first column and a second column which are coaxially arranged, the horizontal groove is arranged on the first column, and the vertical groove is arranged on the second column and penetrates the second column in a vertical direction; The first column is protrudingly provided with an ear portion, the ear portion is located at a side of the transmission member away from the telescopic cylinder, and the ear portion is fixedly connected to the transmission member.

7. The lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a sleeve, which is used to be fixedly connected to the process chamber. The transmission shaft is inserted into the sleeve and rises and falls relative to the sleeve. The central axis of the transmission shaft coincides with the central axis of the sleeve.

8. The lifting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cylinder barrel of the telescopic cylinder is fixedly connected to the sleeve via a fixing plate.

9. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: Process chamber; A lifting object is arranged inside the process chamber; as well as The lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the transmission shaft of the lifting device is in transmission connection with the lifting object.

10. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: A mounting seat is fixedly arranged on the outer peripheral side of the process chamber, and the transmission shaft is movably connected to the mounting seat.

11. The semiconductor process equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: The lifting object is an ejector pin assembly, which includes a bracket and a plurality of ejector pins arranged on the bracket, and the plurality of ejector pins are used to carry wafers.

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