Substrate processing apparatus with air pressure adjusting module
By designing a pneumatic pressure adjustment module in the substrate processing equipment, and using the combination of fan filter unit and adjustment components, the problem of difficult to maintain the positive pressure air flow inside the equipment is solved, and better gas cleanliness control is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421926077.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-09
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-08-09
AI Technical Summary
When the fan unit is aging or the specifications are not up to standard, it is difficult to maintain the positive pressure air flow inside the equipment, resulting in difficulty in controlling the cleanliness.
A substrate processing device with a pneumatic adjustment module is designed, including a fan filter unit and a control assembly. The adjustment assembly consists of a fixed plate and a movable plate, which is connected to the external environment through a controllable air hole, and controls the airflow flow to adjust the internal air pressure.
Ensure that the internal space of the equipment maintains a positive pressure environment, improves the control ability of gas cleanliness, and solves the problem of insufficient airflow caused by aging of fan units or under-standard specifications.
Smart Images
Figure CN222939868U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to a substrate processing device, in particular to a substrate processing device with a pneumatic pressure regulating module. Background Art
[0002] With the progress of the microfabrication technology of wafers, it is required to make the ultra-clean environment in the wafer transfer chamber. Since wafers are easily contaminated, it is necessary to control the cleanliness of the space where the wafers are located during both the manufacturing process and the transportation process.
[0003] For the existing wafer processing devices, a fan unit is usually configured in the device to ensure the air cleanliness of the internal space of the device through a positive pressure air flow. However, with the aging of the fan unit or the fan specifications not meeting the design standards, it is not easy to maintain the aforementioned positive pressure air flow in the internal space. Summary of the Utility Model
[0004] The utility model provides a substrate processing device with a pneumatic pressure regulating module, which can adjust the air flow in the internal space of the device to ensure a positive pressure environment in the internal space of the device.
[0005] A substrate processing device with a pneumatic pressure regulating module of the utility model includes a device frame and a pneumatic pressure regulating module arranged in the device frame. The pneumatic pressure regulating module includes a fan filter unit and an adjusting component. The fan filter unit is located at the top of the device frame and provides an air flow blowing from the top to the bottom of the device frame. The adjusting component is located at the bottom of the device frame. The adjusting component has controllable air holes, which communicate the internal space of the device frame with the external environment. The adjusting component adjusts the air pressure in the internal space by controlling the air flow rate flowing through the controllable air holes.
[0006] In an embodiment of the utility model, the above-mentioned adjusting component includes a fixing plate and a movable plate. The fixing plate is assembled to the device frame and has a plurality of first air holes. The movable plate is assembled to the device frame and is movably stacked on the fixing plate. The movable plate has a plurality of second air holes. As the movable plate moves relative to the fixing plate, the orthographic projection profile of the second air holes on the fixing plate completely overlaps, partially overlaps or moves away from the first air holes. The first air holes and the second air holes form controllable air holes.
[0007] In an embodiment of the utility model, the above-mentioned movable plate has at least one adjusting long hole, and the adjusting component further includes at least one locking accessory. The locking accessory passes through the adjusting long hole and is locked to the fixing plate, so that the movable plate moves relative to the fixing plate along the length extension direction of the adjusting long hole.
[0008] In an embodiment of the utility model, the head size of the above-mentioned locking accessory is larger than the width of the adjusting long hole to prevent the movable plate from separating from the fixing plate.
[0009] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the contour of the above-mentioned first air hole is consistent with that of the second air hole.
[0010] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the above-mentioned adjustment assembly further includes an adjustment screw, and the movable plate further has a folded plate portion located at the edge. The adjustment screw is coupled to and passes through the equipment housing to abut against the folded plate portion. The abutting direction of the adjustment screw against the folded plate portion is parallel to the moving direction of the movable plate.
[0011] In an embodiment of the present utility model, it further includes a handling robot, which is disposed in the internal space of the equipment housing and located between the fan filter unit and the adjustment assembly.
[0012] In an embodiment of the present utility model, it further includes a plurality of loading ports, which are disposed on the equipment housing and correspond to the handling robot.
[0013] In an embodiment of the present utility model, it further includes a control module, which is electrically connected to the fan filter unit, the handling robot and the loading ports.
[0014] In an embodiment of the present utility model, the above-mentioned substrate processing equipment is an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) or a wafer sorter.
[0015] Based on the above, in addition to arranging the fan filter unit at the top of the equipment housing, the substrate processing equipment further arranges an adjustment assembly at the bottom of the equipment housing, so that the fan filter unit and the adjustment assembly form a pressure adjustment module to ensure a positive (air) pressure environment in the internal space of the equipment housing.
[0016] Furthermore, the fan filter unit at the top provides air flow to blow downward, and the adjustment assembly has controllable air holes to communicate the internal space with the external environment. Therefore, by controlling the air flow rate flowing through the controllable air holes, the air pressure in the internal space can be smoothly adjusted to ensure that the air pressure in the equipment housing (compared with the external environment) remains in a positive pressure state, thereby ensuring the gas cleanliness in the internal space.
[0017] To make the above features and advantages of the present utility model more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments are hereinafter given and detailed descriptions are made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. Description of the Drawings
[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present utility model;
[0019] Figure 2 shown from a side view Figure 1 a simple schematic diagram of the substrate processing equipment
[0020] Figure 3Yes Figure 1 Electrical relationship diagram of related components of a substrate processing apparatus;
[0021] Figure 4 Yes Figure 1 Exploded view of some components at the bottom of the substrate processing apparatus;
[0022] Figure 5 Yes Figure 1 Partial view of the bottom of the substrate processing apparatus;
[0023] Figure 6A And Figure 6B Respectively show Figure 5 Different states of the adjustment component. Detailed implementation manners
[0024] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 Shown from a side view Figure 1 Simple schematic diagram of the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 Electrical relationship diagram of related components of the substrate processing apparatus. Please also refer to Figures 1 to 3 , in this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 10, for example, is an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM) or a wafer sorter, which includes an equipment housing 300 and a pressure adjustment module 100 disposed within the equipment housing 300. The pressure adjustment module 100 includes a fan filter unit (FFU) 110, an adjustment component 120, and a differential pressure gauge 130. The fan filter unit 110 is located at the top of the equipment housing 300 and provides an air flow blowing from the top towards the bottom of the equipment housing 300, as shown in Figure 2 . The adjustment component 120 is located at the bottom of the equipment housing 300. The differential pressure gauge 130 is used to sense the pressure value (and its change) within the equipment housing 300.
[0025] Furthermore, the substrate processing equipment 10 further includes a handling robot 200, a plurality of load ports 510, 520, a control module CM, an electrical device 400 and a human-machine interface 600, wherein the handling robot 200 is disposed in the equipment frame 300 and is located between the fan filter unit 110 and the adjustment component 120. The load ports 510, 520 are disposed on the outer side of the equipment frame 300 and correspond to the operation range of the handling robot 200, and the load ports 510, 520 are respectively suitable for different types of wafer carriers, such as a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) wafer pod or an open wafer cassette. The electrical device 400 and the human-machine interface 600 are respectively disposed on the outer side of the equipment frame 300, wherein the electrical device 400 is used to supply power to related components or modules to facilitate the execution of the actions of the substrate processing equipment 10, and the human-machine interface 600 is used for users to operate and control the substrate processing equipment 10. The control module CM is electrically connected to the fan filter unit 110 , the micro pressure differential gauge 130 , the loading ports 510 , 520 , the transport robot 200 , the electrical device 400 and the human-machine interface 600 .
[0026] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the partial exploded components of the substrate processing equipment at the bottom. Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of the substrate processing equipment at the bottom. Please also refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The regulating component 120 of this embodiment has a controllable air hole AH, which connects the internal space of the device frame 300 with the external environment. The control module CM obtains the air pressure (and changes) in the device frame 300 through the micro differential pressure gauge 130, and allows the user to adjust the regulating component 120 after obtaining the information, so that the regulating component 120 can adjust the air pressure in the internal space by controlling the air flow rate flowing through the controllable air hole AH.
[0027] Further, if Figure 4 As shown, the adjustment assembly 120 includes a fixed plate 122 and a movable plate 121, wherein the fixed plate 122 is assembled to the device frame 300 and has a plurality of second air holes A2, and the movable plate 121 is assembled to the device frame 300 and movably overlapped on the fixed plate 122, and the movable plate 121 has a plurality of first air holes A1. As the movable plate 121 moves relative to the fixed plate 122, the orthographic projection contours of the first air holes A1 on the fixed plate 122 will completely overlap, partially overlap, or move away from the second air holes A2, and the first air holes A1 and the second air holes A2 form the aforementioned controllable air holes AH.
[0028] Here, ifFigure 4 As shown, the device housing 300 forms three different regions R1, R2, and R3 at the bottom and is located between the four legs 310. The three fixing plates 122 are correspondingly assembled and fixed to regions R1 - R3 respectively. Then, the movable plate 121 is assembled to the device housing 300 and is movably stacked on the fixing plates 122, and the four legs 310 are located at the four corners of the movable plate 121. By moving the movable plate 121, the purpose of adjusting the controllable air hole AH is achieved.
[0029] Figure 6A and Figure 6B respectively show Figure 5 different states of the adjusting assembly. Please also refer to Figure 5 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B . Briefly speaking, when the orthographic projection contour of the first air hole A1 on the fixing plate 122 completely overlaps the second air hole A2, the controllable air hole AH is in a fully open state (its opening diameter is equal to the diameter of the first air hole A1 and also equal to the diameter of the second air hole A2), as shown in Figure 6B . When the orthographic projection contour of the first air hole A1 on the fixing plate 122 partially overlaps the second air hole A2, the controllable air hole AH is in a semi - open state, as shown in Figure 6A . When the orthographic projection contour of the first air hole A1 on the fixing plate 122 moves away from the second air hole A2, the controllable air hole AH is in a fully closed state, as shown in Figure 5 . In addition, the contour of the first air hole A1 and the contour of the second air hole A2 in this embodiment are consistent with each other to facilitate regular adjustment of the diameter of the controllable air hole AH. It should be noted that the present utility model does not limit the contour shape and aperture size of the first air hole A1 and the second air hole A2, and they can be appropriately adjusted according to the environmental and air pressure conditions required by the substrate processing device 10.
[0030] To achieve the above - mentioned various effects of the controllable air hole AH, the movable plate 121 of this embodiment has at least one adjusting long hole A3, and the adjusting assembly 120 further includes at least one locking attachment 123. Here, six locking attachments 123 are respectively paired with six adjusting long holes A3 as an example. As shown in Figure 4 , let the locking attachment 123 pass through the adjusting long hole A3 and be locked to the device housing 300, so that the movable plate 121 moves relative to the fixing plate 122 along the length extension direction of the adjusting long hole A3. The head size of the locking attachment 123 is larger than the width of the adjusting long hole A3 to prevent the movable plate 121 from separating from the fixing plate 122.
[0031] Furthermore, the adjustment component 120 further includes an adjustment screw 124, and the movable plate 121 further has a folded plate portion 121a located at the edge. The adjustment screw 124 is coupled to and passes through the equipment housing 300 to abut against the folded plate portion 121a, and the abutting direction of the adjustment screw 124 against the folded plate portion 121a is parallel to the moving direction of the movable plate 121. In other words, the user can move and adjust the position of the movable plate 121 by adjusting the screw 124. As Figure 5 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B shown, in this embodiment, the aforementioned adjustment screw 124 and folded plate portion 121a are provided on opposite sides of the movable plate 121 to ensure the stability of the movable plate 121 when it moves.
[0032] In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, in addition to providing a fan filter unit on the top of the equipment housing, an adjustment component is further provided at the bottom of the equipment housing, so that the fan filter unit and the adjustment component form a pressure adjustment module to ensure a positive (air) pressure environment in the internal space of the equipment housing.
[0033] Furthermore, the fan filter unit at the top provides airflow to blow downward, and the adjustment component has a controllable air hole to connect the internal space and the external environment. Therefore, by controlling the airflow rate flowing through the controllable air hole, the air pressure in the internal space can be smoothly adjusted to ensure that the air pressure in the equipment housing (compared with the external environment) remains in a positive pressure state, thereby ensuring the gas cleanliness in the internal space.
[0034] Furthermore, the adjustment component is formed by stacking a fixed plate and a movable plate. The fixed plate is assembled and fixed on the bottom frame of the equipment housing, and then the movable plate is assembled to the bottom frame and stacked on the fixed plate. The movable plate can move in one direction (i.e., the length direction of the adjustment long hole) along the plane it is located through the relationship between the adjustment long hole and the locking accessory. In addition, the movable plate is provided with a folded plate portion at its edge, and is paired with an adjustment screw that is coupled to and passes through the equipment housing and then abuts against the folded plate portion. In this way, the user can move the movable plate by operating the adjustment screw, and make the first air hole of the movable plate and the second air hole of the fixed plate completely overlap, partially overlap or separate from each other, so as to achieve different states of the aforementioned controllable air hole.
[0035] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.
Claims
1. A substrate processing device with a gas pressure regulating module, characterized in that: include: Equipment frame; An air pressure regulating module is arranged in the device frame, and the air pressure regulating module comprises: A fan filter unit is located at the top of the device frame and provides airflow from the top to the bottom of the device frame; as well as The regulating component is located at the bottom of the device frame, and the regulating component has a controllable air hole, connecting the internal space of the device frame with the external environment. The regulating component adjusts the air pressure of the internal space by controlling the flow rate of the airflow passing through the controllable air hole.
2. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment component comprises: a fixing plate, assembled to the device frame and having a plurality of second air holes; and A movable plate is assembled to the device frame and movably overlapped on the fixed plate, wherein the movable plate has a plurality of first air holes, and as the movable plate moves relative to the fixed plate, the orthographic projection contours of the plurality of first air holes on the fixed plate completely overlap, partially overlap or move away from the second air holes, and the first air holes and the second air holes form the controllable air holes.
3. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The movable plate has at least one adjusting long hole, and the adjusting component also includes at least one locking component, which passes through the adjusting long hole and is locked to the equipment frame, so that the movable plate moves relative to the fixed plate along the length extension direction of the adjusting long hole.
4. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The head size of the locking attachment is larger than the width of the adjusting long hole so as to stop the movable plate from being separated from the fixed plate.
5. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The contour of the first air hole and the contour of the second air hole are consistent with each other.
6. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjustment component also includes an adjustment screw, and the movable plate also has a folding plate portion located at the edge. The adjustment screw is coupled and passes through the device frame to abut the folding plate portion. The abutment direction of the adjustment screw and the folding plate portion is parallel to the moving direction of the movable plate.
7. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a handling robot, which is arranged in the internal space of the equipment frame and located between the fan filter unit and the adjustment component.
8. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a plurality of loading ports, which are arranged on the equipment frame and correspond to the transport robot.
9. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a control module, which electrically connects the fan filter unit, the transport robot and the multiple loading ports.
10. The substrate processing equipment with a gas pressure regulating module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate processing equipment is an equipment front-end module or a wafer screening machine.