Vacuum coating equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides vacuum coating equipment, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor production equipment. The substrate table comprises a substrate carrying table; the power supply control module comprises a radio frequency power supply, a switching unit and a grounding unit, the radio frequency power supply and the grounding unit are both connected to the switching unit, the switching unit is connected to the slide holder, and in the process of process treatment, the switching unit is connected with the radio frequency power supply to carry out substrate treatment. After the process treatment is completed, the switching unit is used for controlling the radio frequency power supply to be disconnected and connected with the grounding unit, so that the slide holder is grounded, and the substrate is also placed on the substrate holder, so that static electricity possibly remained on the substrate can be effectively eliminated, the influence of jacking of the substrate is avoided, the risk of substrate breakage can be effectively reduced, the influence on other processes is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved. The structural design is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, specifically relating to a vacuum coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In vacuum coating equipment, substrates are placed on a substrate stage for processing. After processing, static electricity may remain on the substrate. When the substrate enters the next process, this residual static electricity can easily affect the normal operation of the process and the processing quality of the substrate, potentially leading to substrate abnormalities. The substrate stage structure, from top to bottom, mainly includes a first metal layer, an insulating layer, a second metal layer, and a support rod. The substrate is placed on top of the first metal layer. After processing, to facilitate substrate removal, the substrate stage lowers and lifts the substrate, making it difficult to eliminate static electricity. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application aims to at least solve one of the aforementioned technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, this application provides a vacuum coating apparatus capable of solving the problem of electrostatic residue on the substrate.

[0004] The vacuum coating apparatus according to an embodiment of this application includes:

[0005] A vacuum cavity, wherein a vacuum chamber is provided inside the vacuum cavity;

[0006] A substrate stage, comprising a support rod and a substrate carrier stage, wherein the support rod passes through the bottom of the vacuum cavity and the substrate carrier stage is disposed at the upper end of the support rod and located within the vacuum cavity;

[0007] A power control module, comprising an RF power supply, a switching unit, and a grounding unit, wherein the RF power supply and the grounding unit are both connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the wafer stage;

[0008] The switching unit is used to control the connection of the radio frequency power supply or the grounding unit to the wafer stage.

[0009] The vacuum coating apparatus according to the embodiments of this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0010] The vacuum coating equipment described in this application allows the grounding unit and RF power supply to be connected to the wafer stage one by one via a switching unit. During the processing, the RF power supply is connected via the switching unit to process the substrate. After the processing is completed, the RF power supply is disconnected via the switching unit, and the grounding unit is connected, grounding the wafer stage. At this time, the substrate is still placed on the substrate stage, effectively eliminating any residual static electricity on the substrate and preventing it from being affected by being lifted. This effectively reduces the risk of substrate breakage and minimizes the impact on other processes. The structural design is simple, and the operation is easy. It can be automatically controlled by a program to switch the grounding unit connection after the substrate processing is completed, or it can be manually operated to switch the grounding unit connection after the substrate processing is completed. The static electricity elimination mechanism is stable and reliable.

[0011] According to some embodiments of this application, the power control module further includes a matching unit connected between the radio frequency power supply and the switching unit.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, the vacuum cavity is grounded.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage further includes an insulating layer and a support plate. The insulating layer is disposed at the bottom of the substrate stage, the support plate is disposed at the bottom of the insulating layer, the support rod passes through the insulating layer and the support plate and is connected to the substrate stage, and the switching unit passes through the support rod and is connected to the substrate stage.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the vacuum coating apparatus further includes a ejector pin, which is vertically inserted through the substrate stage. The lower end of the ejector pin protrudes downward relative to the support plate. When the substrate stage is lowered, the lower end of the ejector pin abuts against the vacuum cavity, causing the upper end to protrude from the substrate stage.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this application, the ejector pin includes a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment from top to bottom. The first segment is a metal structure, the second segment is an insulating structure, and the weight of the third segment is greater than the weight of the first segment.

[0016] According to some embodiments of this application, the lower end of the second segment protrudes from the lower end of the support plate.

[0017] According to some embodiments of this application, the length of the first segment matches the thickness of the stage.

[0018] According to some embodiments of this application, the vacuum coating apparatus further includes a support portion disposed at the bottom of the vacuum chamber and aligned vertically with the ejector pin.

[0019] According to some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage, the insulating layer, and the support plate are coaxially provided with clearance holes. The vacuum coating equipment also includes a ejector pin, which is fixed to the bottom of the vacuum chamber and aligned with the clearance holes. When the substrate stage is lowered, the ejector pin passes through the clearance holes and protrudes from the upper end of the substrate stage.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and some of these additional aspects and advantages will become apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of one connection of the power control module in this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a partial structural cross-sectional view of the substrate stage in this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of one structure of the ejector pin in this application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a state in which the ejector pin lifts up the substrate in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and 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 this application.

[0029] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0031] In the description of this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0032] Reference Figures 1 to 5 This application discloses a vacuum coating apparatus, including a vacuum chamber 100, a substrate stage 200, and a power control module 300. Specifically, the vacuum chamber 100 contains a vacuum chamber 101. The substrate stage 200 includes a support rod and a substrate carrier 2001. The support rod passes through the bottom of the vacuum chamber 100 and can be adjusted vertically under the control of a related drive. The substrate carrier 2001 is located at the upper end of the support rod and within the vacuum chamber 101. The substrate carrier 2001 is used to place a substrate and moves vertically under the control of the support rod. The power control module 300 includes an RF power supply 302, a switching unit 301, and a grounding unit 303. The RF power supply 302 and the grounding unit 303 are both connected to the switching unit 301, which is connected to the substrate carrier 2001. The switching unit 301 controls whether the RF power supply 302 or the grounding unit 303 is connected to the substrate carrier 2001.

[0033] During operation, the RF power supply 302 is connected to the wafer stage 2001 through the switching unit 301, and RF energy is applied to the wafer stage 2001 to process the substrate on the wafer stage 2001. After the process is completed, the switching unit 301 disconnects the RF power supply 302 and connects to the grounding unit 303, so that the wafer stage 2001 is grounded, and the substrate is also grounded, which can eliminate any residual static electricity.

[0034] Therefore, in the vacuum coating equipment of this application, the grounding unit 303 and the radio frequency power supply 302 can be connected to the substrate stage 2001 one by one through the switching unit 301. During the process, the switching unit 301 is used to connect the radio frequency power supply 302 to process the substrate. After the process is completed, the switching unit 301 controls the radio frequency power supply 302 to be disconnected and connects to the grounding unit 303, so that the substrate stage 2001 is grounded. At this time, the substrate is still placed on the substrate stage 200, which can effectively eliminate the static electricity that may remain on the substrate and will not be affected by the substrate being lifted. It can effectively reduce the risk of substrate breakage and reduce the impact on other processes. The structural design is simple.

[0035] Furthermore, it is easy to operate. It can be automatically controlled by a program to switch the grounding unit 303 connection after the substrate has completed the process, or it can be manually operated to switch the grounding unit 303 connection after the substrate has completed the process. The electrostatic discharge mechanism is stable and reliable. The switching unit 301 can be set as a relay or other structures.

[0036] In some embodiments of this application, the power control module 300 further includes a matching unit connected between the RF power supply 302 and the switching unit 301.

[0037] In some embodiments of this application, the vacuum cavity 100 is grounded, and the grounding of the vacuum cavity 100 and the radio frequency power supply 302 form a radio frequency path.

[0038] Reference Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage 200 further includes an insulating layer 2002 and a support plate 2003. The insulating layer 2002 is disposed at the bottom of the substrate stage 2001, covering both the bottom and side surfaces of the substrate stage 2001. The support plate 2003 is disposed at the bottom of the insulating layer 2002. A support rod passes through the insulating layer 2002 and the support plate 2003 and is connected to the substrate stage 2001. The switching unit 301 passes through the support rod and is connected to the substrate stage 2001.

[0039] With the structural configuration of this embodiment, since the size of the wafer stage 2001 matches the substrate and the wafer stage 2001 needs to be connected to the RF power supply 302, the insulating layer 2002 covers the bottom and sides of the wafer stage 2001 except for the top surface, which helps to ensure the smooth progress of the process. At the same time, a support plate 2003 is provided at the bottom of the insulating layer 2002 for support, which can ensure the structural strength.

[0040] The support plate 2003, when using a metal structure, has its surface treated with insulation.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3In some embodiments of this application, the vacuum coating apparatus further includes a ejector pin 201, which is vertically inserted into the substrate stage 200. The lower end of the ejector pin 201 protrudes downward relative to the support plate 2003. When the substrate stage 200 is lowered, the lower end of the ejector pin 201 abuts against the vacuum chamber 100, causing the upper end to protrude from the substrate stage 2001.

[0042] Understandably, the ejector pin 201 is vertically mounted on the substrate stage 200, allowing it to move up and down for adjustment. Simultaneously, the lower end of the ejector pin 201 protrudes from the bottom surface of the support plate 2003. When the substrate stage 200 descends, the ejector pin 201 first contacts the vacuum chamber 100. As the substrate stage 200 descends further, the ejector pin 201 slides upward relative to the substrate stage 200, causing its upper end to protrude from the upper end of the substrate carrier stage 2001, thus lifting the substrate.

[0043] Since the switching unit 301 automatically or manually connects to the grounding unit 303 after the substrate has completed the process, the static electricity remaining on the substrate can be eliminated. This process can occur either during the descent of the substrate stage 200 or before the descent of the substrate stage 200. Therefore, with the structure of this embodiment, the ejector pin 201 will lift the substrate after the static electricity is eliminated.

[0044] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments of this application, the ejector pin 201 includes a first segment 2011, a second segment 2012 and a third segment 2013 from top to bottom. The first segment 2011 is a metal structure, the second segment 2012 is an insulating structure, and the weight of the third segment 2013 is greater than the weight of the first segment 2011.

[0045] In this embodiment, firstly, since the first segment 2011 is located within the wafer stage 2001, the use of a metal structure helps ensure the overall conductivity of the wafer stage 2001, enabling the loading of radio frequency energy. Secondly, the second segment 2012 is configured as an insulating structure to prevent the support plate 2003 from becoming charged due to the ejector pin 201 passing through the insulating layer 2002. Thirdly, when the substrate stage 200 rises, the ejector pin 201 needs to fall back down to reset, allowing the substrate to be placed on the wafer stage 2001. By setting the gravity of the third segment 2013 to be greater than that of the first segment 2011, the third segment 2013 can act as a counterweight, ensuring the ejector pin 201 falls back down and preventing incomplete descent caused by friction between the ejector pin 201 and the substrate stage 200. Fourthly, since the lower end of the ejector pin 201 protrudes from the substrate stage 200, when the substrate stage 200 descends, the third segment 2013 abuts against the vacuum cavity 100, causing the first segment 2011 to gradually protrude upward from the substrate stage 200 to lift the substrate. The weight of the third segment 2013 is greater than that of the first segment 2011, which helps to ensure the stability of the ejector pin 201 and avoid wobbling.

[0046] Specifically, both the first segment 2011 and the third segment 2013 are made of metal and are connected and fixed to the second segment 2012 by a threaded connection. For example, studs are installed on the first segment 2011 and the third segment 2013, and threaded holes are provided at both ends of the second segment 2012. The first segment 2011 and the third segment 2013 are fixed to the second segment 2012 by screwing the studs into the threaded holes. At the same time, the length of the third segment 2013 is greater than that of the first segment 2011, so that its weight is greater than that of the first segment 2011.

[0047] Reference Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, the lower end of the second segment 2012 protrudes from the lower end of the support plate 2003. It is understood that the second segment 2012 is an insulating structure, and controlling its length so that its lower end protrudes from the support plate 2003 in the normal state (i.e., when the upper end of the first segment 2011 is flush with or lower than the stage 2001) can effectively ensure the insulation effect.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, the length of the first segment 2011 matches the thickness of the stage 2001. This ensures that, under normal conditions, the first segment 2011 does not intrude into the insulating layer 2002, thus helping to ensure insulation effectiveness.

[0049] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 5 Based on the structural design of the aforementioned embodiments, in this embodiment, the ejector pin 201 has a first segment 2011 whose length matches the thickness of the stage 2001, and a second segment 2012 whose length exceeds the overall thickness of the insulating layer 2002 and the support plate 2003. Due to the threaded connection between the second segment 2012 and the first and third segments 2011, under normal conditions, the upper end of the second segment 2012 slightly enters the stage 2001, and the lower end protrudes from the lower end of the support plate 2003. Under normal conditions, this effectively ensures the insulation between the stage 2001 and the support plate 2003. When lifting the substrate, the first segment 2011 can protrude upwards from the stage 2001, while the third segment 2013 enters the support plate 2003, preventing the third segment 2013 from penetrating the insulating layer 2002, thus helping to ensure the overall insulation effect.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 5 In some embodiments of this application, the vacuum coating apparatus further includes a support portion 202, which is disposed at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 101 and aligned vertically with the ejector pin 201. When the substrate stage 200 descends, the support portion 202 abuts against the lower end of the ejector pin 201, causing it to protrude upwards from the upper end of the substrate stage 200. By providing the support portion 202, the length of the ejector pin 201 can be reduced, thereby improving the stability of the ejector pin 201.

[0051] In other embodiments of this application, the substrate stage 2001, the insulating layer 2002, and the support plate 2003 are coaxially provided with clearance holes. The vacuum coating equipment also includes a ejector pin 201, which is fixed to the bottom of the vacuum chamber 101 and aligned with the clearance holes. When the substrate stage 200 descends, the ejector pin 201 passes through the clearance holes and protrudes from the upper end of the substrate stage 2001. It is understood that, with the structural configuration of this embodiment, holes are only provided on the substrate stage 200. When the substrate stage 200 descends, the ejector pin 201 passes through the clearance holes to lift the substrate.

[0052] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A vacuum coating equipment, characterized in that, include: A vacuum cavity, wherein a vacuum chamber is provided inside the vacuum cavity; A substrate stage, comprising a support rod and a substrate carrier stage, wherein the support rod passes through the bottom of the vacuum cavity and the substrate carrier stage is disposed at the upper end of the support rod and located within the vacuum cavity; A power control module, comprising an RF power supply, a switching unit, and a grounding unit, wherein the RF power supply and the grounding unit are both connected to the switching unit, and the switching unit is connected to the wafer stage; The switching unit is used to control the connection of the radio frequency power supply or the grounding unit to the wafer stage.

2. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power control module also includes a matching unit, which is connected between the RF power supply and the switching unit.

3. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum cavity is grounded.

4. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate stage also includes an insulating layer and a support plate. The insulating layer is disposed at the bottom of the substrate stage, and the support plate is disposed at the bottom of the insulating layer. The support rod passes through the insulating layer and the support plate and is connected to the substrate stage. The switching unit passes through the support rod and is connected to the substrate stage.

5. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The vacuum coating equipment also includes a ejector pin, which is vertically inserted into the substrate stage. The lower end of the ejector pin protrudes downward relative to the support plate. When the substrate stage is lowered, the lower end of the ejector pin abuts against the vacuum cavity, causing the upper end to protrude from the substrate stage.

6. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The ejector pin consists of a first section, a second section, and a third section from top to bottom. The first section is a metal structure, the second section is an insulating structure, and the weight of the third section is greater than that of the first section.

7. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lower end of the second segment protrudes from the lower end of the support plate.

8. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the first segment matches the thickness of the stage.

9. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The vacuum coating equipment also includes a support part, which is disposed at the bottom of the vacuum chamber and aligned vertically with the ejector pin.

10. The vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The substrate stage, the insulating layer, and the support plate are coaxially provided with clearance holes. The vacuum coating equipment also includes a ejector pin, which is fixed to the bottom of the vacuum chamber and aligned with the clearance holes. When the substrate stage is lowered, the ejector pin passes through the clearance holes and protrudes from the upper end of the substrate stage.

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