Swing valve and etching machine table

Abstract

The utility model provides a swing valve and an etching machine table, and relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, the swing valve comprises a valve shell, a rotating assembly, a driving assembly and a sealing assembly; the rotating assembly comprises a valve plate, a sealing ring and a gasket. The driving assembly comprises a driving shaft; the rotating assembly is arranged on the driving shaft in a sleeving mode and located in the valve shell, and the valve plate is driven by the driving shaft to rotate so as to open or close an inner cavity of the valve shell; the sealing assembly is connected with the valve plate to form a sealing cavity, and the sealing ring and the gasket are all contained in the sealing cavity at the joint of the driving shaft and the valve plate. The contact part of the rotating assembly and the valve plate is completely sealed in the sealing cavity, particulate pollutants generated when the swing valve rotates are prevented from entering a cavity body of the etching cavity, and the product performance and quality are guaranteed; and meanwhile, the overall structure of the swing valve is not changed, and the cost is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, especially to a pendulum valve and etching machine platform. BACKGROUND

[0002] The pendulum valve in the etching machine platform is a key component for controlling the gas flow between the etching cavity and the external vacuum system, mainly used for ensuring the vacuum environment of the system and accurately controlling the gas in the process, and the pendulum valve can quickly respond and accurately position to ensure the smooth progress of the process.

[0003] The pendulum valve includes a valve shell, a valve, a rotating assembly and a driving assembly, and the rotating assembly includes a valve plate, a sealing ring and a gasket. The working principle of the pendulum valve is based on mechanical movement, and the valve plate can be controlled by the driving assembly to swing horizontally around the shaft to control the opening and closing of the air flow passage. However, the valve plate, the sealing ring and the gasket of the rotating assembly may generate particles under pressure during rotation; in addition, the lubricating grease coated on the surface of the sealing ring may also generate particles after drying and hardening. If the above-mentioned particle pollutants fall on the surface of the wafer, they will have a negative impact on the performance and quality of the product. SUMMARY

[0004] The utility model aims at providing a pendulum valve to overcome the problem of particle pollutants generated by the traditional rotating assembly under pressure during rotation and the lubricating grease on the surface of the sealing ring after drying and hardening, which affect the yield of wafer production after entering the etching cavity.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a pendulum valve, comprising: a valve shell, a rotating assembly, a driving assembly and a sealing assembly;

[0006] The rotating assembly includes a valve plate, a sealing ring and a gasket; the driving assembly includes a driving shaft;

[0007] The rotating assembly is sleeved on the driving shaft and located in the valve shell, and the valve plate rotates under the drive of the driving shaft to open or close the inner cavity of the valve shell;

[0008] The sealing assembly is connected with the valve plate to form a sealing cavity, and the connection between the driving shaft and the valve plate, the sealing ring and the gasket are all contained in the sealing cavity.

[0009] In one embodiment, the sealing assembly includes a shielding ring and a sealing cover; the sealing cover includes a cover body and a protrusion formed by the partial circumferential wall of the cover body extending in the axial direction;

[0010] The cover body and the shielding ring are respectively arranged on both sides of the valve plate, the driving shaft is arranged in the shielding ring, and the sealing cover is connected with the shielding ring through the protrusion to form the sealing cavity.

[0011] In one embodiment, both the valve plate and the shielding ring have openings in the circumferential direction, and the protrusion is located within the openings.

[0012] In one embodiment, the shielding ring is integrally formed with the valve plate.

[0013] In one embodiment, the outer diameter of the shielding ring is the same as the outer diameter of the sealing cap.

[0014] In one embodiment, the overall height of the sealing cover is the sum of the height of the cover body, the height of the shielding ring, and the thickness of the valve plate.

[0015] In one embodiment, the valve housing is provided with a groove for accommodating the protrusion and the shielding ring.

[0016] In one embodiment, the bottom width of the groove is greater than the width of the shielding ring.

[0017] In one embodiment, the sealing cap is snap-fitted to the valve plate.

[0018] Secondly, this application also provides an etching machine, comprising: the swing valve described in any one of the first aspects.

[0019] The aforementioned swing valve and etching machine have at least the following advantages:

[0020] The swing valve of this application has a sealing component at the contact part between the rotating component and the valve plate, which houses the sealing ring and the gasket in the sealing cavity formed by the sealing component and the valve plate. This prevents particulate contaminants generated when the swing valve rotates from entering the cavity of the etching chamber, thus ensuring product performance and quality. At the same time, this application does not change the overall structure of the swing valve and also reduces costs. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the etching machine in one embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the swing valve in one embodiment;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of A in the middle;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing cap structure in one embodiment;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a bottom view of the valve plate in one embodiment.

[0026] Figure label:

[0027] 1, etching chamber; 2, wafer; 3, electrostatic chuck; 4, particle contamination; 5, molecular pump; 6, valve housing; 7, drive shaft; 8, valve plate; 9, seal assembly; 10, shield ring; 11, seal cover; 12, groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] For the purpose of the present application, the following detailed description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the preferred embodiments of the present application are shown. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present application can be more thoroughly and completely understood.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs. The terminology used in the description of the present application herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] In the case of using "include", "have", and "contain" described herein, unless an explicit limiting term is used, such as "only", "consisting of", etc., another component can be added. Unless otherwise mentioned, the singular form of the term can include the plural form and cannot be understood as one in number.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, a first element can be called a second element, and similarly, a second element can be called a first element.

[0032] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be internal communication of two elements or interaction relationship of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1In the conventional technology, an electrostatic chuck 3 (ESC) is arranged in an etching chamber 1 of an etching machine, and a wafer 2 is placed on the ESC during etching of the wafer 2. The ESC adsorbs and fixes the wafer 2 by electrostatic force to avoid contamination caused by physical contact. During etching, a swing valve dynamically adjusts an opening and closing angle, and a molecular pump 5 quickly extracts gas in the etching chamber 1 when the swing valve is opened, adjusts gas flow, controls pressure in the etching chamber 1, and maintains stability of a vacuum environment of the etching chamber 1. During the above process, particle contaminants 4 enter the etching chamber 1 along with the gas flow and adhere to the surface of the wafer 2, which has a negative impact on product performance and quality.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Therefore, in an embodiment, the application provides a swing valve, which comprises a valve shell 6, a rotating assembly, a driving assembly, and a sealing assembly 9.

[0035] The valve shell 6 is arranged between the etching chamber 1 and a vacuum system, and is used to form a gas passage between the etching chamber 1 and the vacuum system.

[0036] The driving assembly comprises a driving shaft 7, the driving shaft 7 penetrates the valve shell 6 and extends into a cavity of the valve shell 6, the rotating assembly is sleeved on the part of the driving shaft 7 located in the valve shell 6, and rotates under the driving of the driving shaft 7. The connection between the driving shaft 7 and the rotating assembly is located in the valve shell 6.

[0037] Further, the driving assembly further comprises a power supply for providing power to the driving shaft 7. For example, the power supply can adopt an electric driving mode and / or a pneumatic driving mode. If the electric driving mode is adopted, the power supply can adopt a servo motor or a stepper motor to provide power, so as to adapt to a high-precision and fast-response scene. If the pneumatic driving mode is adopted, the power supply can also push a cylinder by compressed gas, so as to drive the driving shaft 7 to rotate, so as to adapt to a high-pressure, explosion-proof or electromagnetic interference sensitive environment. Further, the embodiment of the application can also adopt a mode of cooperation between the electric driving mode and the pneumatic driving mode, for example, the electric driving mode is mainly used to realize accurate adjustment, and the pneumatic driving mode is used as a supplement to cope with unexpected situations, so as to ensure the reliability of the driving assembly.

[0038] The rotating assembly comprises a valve plate 8, a sealing ring and a gasket. The valve plate 8 is sleeved on the driving shaft 7, and the sealing ring and the gasket are located between the gap between the valve plate 8 and the driving shaft 7, so as to realize the close contact between the valve plate 8 and the driving shaft 7. The rotating assembly is located in the valve shell 6, and the valve plate 8 rotates under the driving of the driving shaft 7, so as to open or close the inner cavity of the valve shell 6.

[0039] The sealing assembly 9 is connected with the valve plate 8 to form a sealing cavity, and the connection between the driving shaft 7 and the valve plate 8, the sealing ring and the gasket are all accommodated in the sealing cavity.

[0040] The swing valve is provided with a sealing assembly 9 at the contact part of the rotating assembly and the valve plate 8. The sealing ring and the gasket are accommodated in the sealing cavity formed by the sealing assembly 9 and the valve plate 8, so as to avoid the particulate contaminants 4 generated when the swing valve rotates from entering the cavity of the etching cavity 1, and to ensure the product performance and quality. Meanwhile, the overall structure of the swing valve is not changed, and the cost is also reduced.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 2-4 Optionally, the sealing assembly 9 comprises a shielding ring 10 and a sealing cover 11, and the shielding ring 10 and the sealing cover 11 cooperatively form the sealing cavity.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 Optionally, the sealing cover 11 comprises a cover body and a protrusion formed by the part of the circumferential wall of the cover body extending in the axial direction. The cover body and the shielding ring 10 are respectively arranged on the two sides of the valve plate 8, the drive shaft 7 is arranged in the shielding ring 10, and the sealing cover 11 is connected with the shielding ring 10 through the protrusion to form the sealing cavity. With this structure, the valve plate 8 and the shielding ring 10 are sleeved on the drive shaft 7. The side of the valve plate 8 facing the etching cavity 1 is recorded as the upper side of the valve plate 8, and the side of the valve plate 8 facing the valve shell 6 is recorded as the lower side of the valve plate 8. The cover body of the sealing cover 11 is located on the upper side of the valve plate 8, and the sealing cover 11 extends to the lower side of the valve plate 8 through the protrusion. The shielding ring 10 is located on the lower side of the valve plate 8 and is connected with the protrusion. The cover body, the valve plate 8 and the shielding ring 10 form a closed space, and the contact part of the rotating assembly and the drive shaft 7 is completely shielded in the closed space. During the etching process, the particulate contaminants 4 generated by the rotating assembly due to pressure and friction will be completely collected in the closed space shown in the figure, and will not be lifted into the etching cavity 1, thereby effectively reducing the particulate contamination caused by the swing valve. Figure 3

[0043] Please refer to Figure 5 The valve plate 8 and the shielding ring 10 both have openings in the circumferential direction, and the protrusion of the sealing cover 11 is located in the opening. Optionally, the opening of the valve plate 8 and the opening of the shielding ring 10 are consistent, so as to more conveniently assemble and disassemble the swing valve. Further, the size of the protrusion of the sealing cover 11 is matched with the size of the opening of the valve plate 8 and the shielding ring 10, so as to form the closed space.

[0044] It should be noted that Figure 5 The circular arc shape of the opening in the figure is only an example. In actual use, after long-term use, the curvature characteristics of the arc contact edge may cause the pressure of the sealing surface to be unevenly distributed, forming a gap. In order to achieve better connection between the protrusion and the opening, the shape of the opening can be appropriately adjusted. Exemplarily, the opening is provided with a trapezoidal or zigzag shape in the embodiment of the application, which can effectively avoid the above problems. Correspondingly, the shape of the protrusion of the sealing cover 11 can also be adjusted accordingly to cooperate with the opening. ​

[0045] Optionally, the shielding ring 10 is integrally formed with the valve plate 8, and the valve plate 8 extends outwardly along a direction perpendicular to the valve plate 8 to form the shielding ring 10.

[0046] Please continue to refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 In the valve plate 8, the contact surface of the rotating shaft forms a circumference with an opening, and the shielding ring 10 is located outside the circumference, that is, the inner diameter of the shielding ring 10 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the circumference, so as to not contact the rotating components such as the rotating shaft and the sealing ring; the outer diameter and the height of the shielding ring 10 are determined according to whether they affect the normal rotation of the valve plate 8, and in this embodiment, the specific size of the shielding ring 10 is not limited.

[0047] Optionally, the cover body of the sealing cover 11 is a streamlined structure to avoid increasing the flow resistance of the gas and interfering with the uniformity of the etching process. For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the cover body of the sealing cover 11 is a cylindrical structure, and the outer diameter of the shielding ring 10 is the same as the outer diameter of the sealing cover 11, so that the outer wall of the combination of the shielding ring 10 and the sealing cover 11 is a smooth curved surface. By using this structure, the influence of the sealing assembly 9 on the gas flow can be reduced.

[0048] Please refer to Figure 4 Optionally, the height of the shielding ring 10 is h1, the height of the cover body is h2, and the thickness of the valve plate 8 is L.

[0049] Optionally, after the sealing assembly 9 is installed on the valve plate 8, the bottom of the shielding ring 10 is flush with the bottom of the protrusion of the sealing cover 11, that is, at this time, the overall height H of the sealing cover 11 is the sum of the height h1 of the shielding ring 10, the height h2 of the cover body, and the thickness L of the valve plate 8, that is, H = h1 + h2 + L. By using this structure, the combination of the shielding ring 10 and the sealing cover 11 becomes a closed cylindrical structure, further reducing the influence of the sealing assembly 9 on the gas flow.

[0050] In the above-mentioned swing valve, the sealing assembly 9 is arranged on the valve plate 8 and located inside the valve housing 6. In the etching process, the driving assembly transmits power to the rotating shaft to rotate the rotating assembly around the rotating shaft, so as to realize the regulation of the pressure inside the etching cavity 1. During the rotation, the valve plate 8 and the sealing assembly 9 rotate together without relative displacement, and there is no contact between them and the valve housing 6, so as to avoid the particulate contaminants 4 generated by the friction between the components from entering the etching cavity 1.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 3 The above-mentioned swing valve further comprises a groove.

[0052] The groove is arranged on the valve housing 6 and used for accommodating the protrusion of the sealing cover 11 and the shielding ring 10.

[0053] Optionally, the groove has a bottom width greater than the width of the shielding ring 10. Specifically, the outer diameter of the groove is greater than the outer diameter of the shielding ring 10, and the depth of the groove is greater than the maximum depth of the rotating assembly entering the groove during rotation. Further, the inner diameter of the groove is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the shielding ring 10, so as not to contact the rotating shaft and the sealing ring and other rotating assemblies. With this structure, the bottom of the sealing assembly 9 does not directly contact the inner wall of the groove, avoiding the generation of particulate contaminants 4 when the sealing assembly 9 rotates with the valve plate 8. At the same time, the bottom of the sealing assembly 9 is located in the groove, further avoiding the possibility of particulate contaminants 4 entering the cavity, improving the sealing effect. In addition, the bottom of the sealing assembly 9 is arranged in the groove, avoiding the formation of a gap between the sealing assembly 9 and the valve housing 6, eliminating the possibility of affecting the gas flow.

[0054] Optionally, in the case of a cylindrical structure of the sealing assembly 9, the above-mentioned groove can be correspondingly arranged as a circular ring structure.

[0055] Optionally, a connecting piece is arranged between the cover body of the sealing cover 11 and the valve plate 8, and the sealing cover 11 is detachably connected with the valve plate 8 through the connecting piece. Exemplarily, the sealing cover 11 is snap-connected with the valve plate 8. With this structure, the sealing cover 11 and the valve plate 8 can be quickly disassembled and assembled. When maintaining the etching machine, the swing valve is disassembled, the particulate contaminants 4 collected in the sealed space are removed, and after cleaning, the swing valve is assembled for normal production.

[0056] The above-mentioned swing valve is provided with a sealing assembly 9 at the contact part of the rotating assembly and the valve plate 8, the sealing ring and the gasket are accommodated in the sealing cavity formed by the sealing assembly 9 and the valve plate 8, avoiding the particulate contaminants 4 generated during the rotation of the swing valve from entering the cavity of the etching cavity 1, ensuring the product performance and quality; at the same time, the overall structure of the swing valve is not changed, and the cost is also reduced.

[0057] Further, during the rotation of the valve plate 8, the valve plate 8 and the sealing assembly 9 rotate together, and there is no relative displacement between the two, which does not interfere with the normal rotation of the valve plate 8.

[0058] Further, the sealing assembly 9 of the present application is connected by the sealing cover 11 and the shielding ring 10, and after the sealing assembly 9 is installed on the valve plate 8, a closed streamlined structure is formed, avoiding the influence of the sealing assembly 9 on the gas flow.

[0059] Further, the valve housing 6 is provided with a groove for accommodating the protrusion and shielding ring 10, and the protrusion and shielding ring 10 is not in contact with the inner wall of the groove. First, the scheme of not being in contact with the inner wall avoids the generation of particulate contaminants 4 when the sealing assembly 9 is in contact with the groove while the valve plate 8 rotates; second, the bottom of the sealing assembly 9 is located in the groove, further avoiding the possibility of particulate contaminants 4 entering the cavity, improving the sealing effect; finally, the bottom of the sealing assembly 9 is arranged in the groove, avoiding the formation of a gap between the sealing assembly 9 and the valve housing 6, and eliminating the possibility of affecting the gas flow.

[0060] Further, the cover body of the sealing cover 11 is snap-connected with the valve plate 8, so that the swing valve of the application can be quickly and conveniently disassembled and assembled.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 1 Optionally, in an embodiment, the application also provides an etching machine, which comprises the swing valve disclosed in the above embodiments.

[0062] Further, the above-mentioned etching machine also comprises: an etching cavity 1, an electrostatic chuck 3, and a molecular pump 5.

[0063] The electrostatic chuck 3 is arranged in the etching cavity 1 and is used to fix the wafer 2 during etching processing of the wafer 2.

[0064] The etching cavity 1 is connected with the valve housing 6 of the swing valve. In the etching reaction, the swing valve dynamically adjusts the opening angle, the molecular pump 5 quickly extracts the gas in the etching cavity 1 when the swing valve is open, adjusts the gas flow, controls the pressure in the etching cavity 1, and maintains the stability of the vacuum environment of the etching cavity 1.

[0065] The above-mentioned etching machine is provided with a sealing assembly 9 on the swing valve, the sealing ring and the gasket are accommodated in the sealing cavity formed by the sealing assembly 9 and the valve plate 8, which avoids the particulate contaminants 4 generated when the swing valve rotates from entering the cavity of the etching cavity 1, and ensures the product performance and quality. At the same time, the application does not change the overall structure of the swing valve, and also reduces the cost.

[0066] Please note that the above embodiments are only for illustrative purposes and do not mean to limit the application.

[0067] Each embodiment in the specification is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the difference from other embodiments. The same and similar parts of each embodiment can be referred to each other.

[0068] Each technical feature of the above-described embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, and in order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of each technical feature in the above-described embodiments are described, however, as long as the combination of these technical features does not exist contradictory, it should be considered as the scope of the specification.

[0069] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present application, which are described in more detail and in a more specific and detailed manner, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that, for those of ordinary skill in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A swing valve characterized by, The utility model relates to a valve, comprising: a valve housing, a rotating assembly, a driving assembly and a sealing assembly; the rotating assembly comprises a valve plate, a sealing ring and a gasket, and the driving assembly comprises a driving shaft; the rotating assembly is sleeved on the driving shaft and located in the valve housing, the valve plate rotates under the driving of the driving shaft to open or close the inner cavity of the valve housing; the sealing assembly is connected with the valve plate to form a sealing cavity, and the connection part of the driving shaft and the valve plate, the sealing ring and the gasket are all accommodated in the sealing cavity.

2. The swing valve of claim 1, wherein: the sealing assembly comprises a shielding ring and a sealing cover, and the sealing cover comprises a cover main body and a protrusion formed by the axial extension of a part of the circumferential wall of the cover main body; the cover main body and the shielding ring are arranged on the two sides of the valve plate respectively, the driving shaft is arranged in the shielding ring, and the sealing cover and the shielding ring are connected through the protrusion to form the sealing cavity.

3. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: the valve plate and the shielding ring both have openings in the circumferential direction, and the protrusion is located in the opening.

4. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: the shielding ring is integrally formed with the valve plate.

5. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: the outer diameter of the shielding ring is the same as the outer diameter of the sealing cover.

6. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: the overall height of the sealing cover is the sum of the height of the cover main body, the height of the shielding ring and the thickness of the valve plate.

7. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: a groove is arranged on the valve housing to accommodate the protrusion and the shielding ring.

8. The swing valve of claim 7, wherein: the groove bottom width is greater than the width of the shielding ring.

9. The swing valve of claim 2, wherein: the sealing cover is buckle-connected with the valve plate.

10. An etching machine, comprising: The utility model relates to a valve, comprising: the valve of any one of claims 1-9.

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