Vacuum chamber and vacuum processing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of vacuum processing, and particularly discloses a vacuum chamber and vacuum processing equipment, the vacuum chamber comprises a chamber mechanism, a transmission driving mechanism and a rotation driving mechanism; the chamber mechanism comprises a chamber body, a first opening and closing door and a second opening and closing door, mounting openings are formed in the two opposite sides of the chamber body in the first direction, and the first opening and closing door and the second opening and closing door can open or close the two mounting openings in a one-to-one correspondence mode; inlets and outlets are formed in the two opposite sides of the cavity body in the second direction; the transmission driving mechanism is arranged on the cavity body; the rotation driving mechanism is arranged on the chamber body. Compared with the prior art, the vacuum chamber is high in universality, high in installation consistency when facing vacuum processing equipment with multiple chambers, capable of simplifying assembly and improving the early-stage delivery speed and the later-stage maintenance efficiency of the equipment, simple in chamber standby warehouse, low in maintenance cost and material waiting cost and high in practicability. And the problem that equipment production is interrupted for a long time due to confusion is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of vacuum processing technology, and in particular to a vacuum chamber and vacuum processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Vacuum processing equipment is a type of equipment used to perform various processing steps in a vacuum environment. Its applications are wide-ranging, including but not limited to vacuum coating equipment and vacuum etching equipment. Specifically, the vacuum processing chamber of a vacuum processing equipment is a sealed container used to perform specific processes in a vacuum environment. Its core function is to achieve surface treatment of a substrate through physical or chemical methods while simultaneously controlling parameters such as gas pressure and temperature.

[0003] In the prior art, when the vacuum processing chamber in the vacuum processing equipment is multi-chambered, one or more vacuum processing chambers are connected to the outermost side of the wafer entry / exit chamber, and a conveying mechanism is provided between two adjacent chambers to realize the transportation of the substrate between the wafer entry / exit chamber and the vacuum processing chamber, as well as the transportation between vacuum processing chambers. However, the existing vacuum processing equipment has poor versatility of vacuum chambers, slow delivery speed in the early stage, low maintenance efficiency in the later stage, and complex inventory of multiple chambers, which can easily lead to confusion and cause long-term interruption of equipment production, as well as high maintenance costs and waiting material costs. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a vacuum chamber and vacuum processing equipment to solve the problems in the prior art, such as slow delivery speed in the early stage, low maintenance efficiency in the later stage, complex inventory of multiple chambers, which can easily lead to confusion and long-term interruption of equipment production, as well as high maintenance costs and waiting material costs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] On one hand, this utility model provides a vacuum chamber capable of transporting a substrate loading mechanism. The substrate loading mechanism includes a transport frame and a rotating frame rotatably disposed within the transport frame. The rotating frame is used to load a substrate. The vacuum chamber includes:

[0007] A chamber mechanism, comprising a chamber body, a first switch door, and a second switch door, wherein the chamber body has mounting openings on opposite sides along a first direction, and the first switch door and the second switch door can open or close the two mounting openings in a one-to-one correspondence; and the chamber body has inlets and outlets on opposite sides along a second direction.

[0008] A transmission drive mechanism is provided on the chamber body for moving the substrate loading mechanism along the second direction, so that the substrate loading mechanism enters or exits the chamber body through the inlet and outlet;

[0009] A rotary drive mechanism is provided on the chamber body for detachably connecting to and driving the rotating frame within the chamber body to rotate relative to the transport frame.

[0010] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, one side of the first switch door is hinged to the chamber body, and one side of the second switch door is hinged to the chamber body; the first switch door can be equipped with a sputtering device, and the second switch door can be equipped with a plasma generator.

[0011] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the inlet and outlet of the chamber body are provided with door flanges, which can be detachably connected to a blind plate, an atmospheric isolation door, or a vacuum isolation valve.

[0012] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the transmission drive mechanism includes a first drive motor and a sprocket transmission assembly. The first drive motor is disposed on the chamber body and located outside the chamber body. The drive end of the first drive motor is connected to the sprocket transmission assembly and is used to drive the sprocket transmission assembly to move the substrate loading mechanism along the second direction.

[0013] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the rotary drive mechanism includes a second drive motor and a gear transmission assembly. The second drive motor is located in the chamber body and outside the chamber body. The drive end of the second drive motor is connected to the gear transmission assembly. When the substrate loading mechanism is located inside the chamber body, the gear transmission assembly can be driven and connected to the rotating frame.

[0014] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber further includes a blocking assembly disposed on the chamber body. The blocking assembly is used to extend to stop the movement of the transport frame, or to retract to avoid the transport frame.

[0015] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber further includes a positioning component disposed on the chamber body. The positioning component is used to extend along the first direction to abut against and position the transport frame, or to retract to release the transport frame.

[0016] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber further includes an offset assembly, which includes a sliding guide rail connected to the transport frame, and the transport frame is movable on the transmission drive mechanism via the sliding guide rail.

[0017] As an alternative to the aforementioned vacuum chamber, a positioning sensor is also provided on the chamber body, which is used to detect the position of the substrate loading mechanism.

[0018] On the other hand, this utility model provides a vacuum processing device, including a vacuum chamber as described above, wherein the vacuum chamber includes at least two, and the inlet and outlet of the at least two vacuum chambers are arranged sequentially at intervals along a second direction.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0020] The vacuum chamber includes a chamber mechanism, a transmission drive mechanism, and a rotation drive mechanism. The chamber mechanism includes a chamber body, a first switch door, and a second switch door. The chamber body has mounting ports on opposite sides along a first direction. The first and second switch doors can open or close the two mounting ports one-to-one. By opening the first and / or second switch doors, operators can easily install sputtering devices, plasma generators, heaters, condensation mechanisms, cryogenic pumps, vacuum pumping components, vacuum breaking components, and vacuum detection elements on the inside or outside of the vacuum chamber, forming a wafer entry / exit chamber or a coating chamber. This eliminates the need for multiple chambers, reduces the complexity of the spare parts inventory, improves assembly efficiency, and facilitates later maintenance. Meanwhile, the chamber body has inlets and outlets on opposite sides along the second direction. The transmission drive mechanism is located in the chamber body and is used to move the substrate loading mechanism along the second direction so that the substrate loading mechanism can enter or exit the chamber body through the inlet and outlet, thereby realizing the movement of the substrate loading mechanism. Thus, the transmission drive mechanism is directly set in the chamber body, which can reduce the use of external handling mechanisms and further reduce the complexity of the storage. The rotation drive mechanism is located in the chamber body and is used to detachably connect to and drive the rotating frame in the chamber body to rotate relative to the transport frame. Thus, when the rotation drive mechanism is connected to the rotating frame, it can drive the rotating frame to rotate. When the rotation drive mechanism is detached from the rotating frame, the transmission drive mechanism can normally transport the substrate loading mechanism. This vacuum chamber, by setting a first switch door, a second switch door, a transmission drive mechanism, and a rotation drive mechanism on the chamber body, can form a basic chamber unit. By selecting and installing different devices on the vacuum chamber, different functional chambers can be formed. It has strong versatility and high installation consistency when dealing with multi-chamber vacuum processing equipment. It can simplify assembly, improve the early delivery speed and later maintenance efficiency of the equipment, and the chamber inventory is simple, with low maintenance costs and waiting material costs. It will not cause confusion that leads to long-term equipment production interruptions. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum chamber structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a first structural schematic diagram of multiple vacuum chambers provided in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of multiple vacuum chambers provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] In the picture:

[0025] 1. Chamber mechanism; 11. Chamber body; 111. Mounting port; 112. Inlet / outlet; 113. Door flange; 12. First opening / closing door; 13. Second opening / closing door; 2. Transmission drive mechanism; 21. First drive motor; 22. Sprocket drive assembly; 3. Rotation drive mechanism; 31. Second drive motor; 4. Atmospheric isolation door; 5. Vacuum isolation valve; 6. Substrate loading mechanism; 61. Transport frame; 62. Rotating frame. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0027] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this utility model and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The terms "first position" and "second position" refer to two different positions. Moreover, "above," "on top of," and "over" the first feature in relation to the second feature includes the first feature directly above and diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "under," and "below" the first feature in relation to the second feature includes the first feature directly below and diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] The embodiments of this utility model 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 utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model.

[0030] like Figures 1-3 As shown, this embodiment provides a vacuum chamber capable of transporting a substrate loading mechanism 6. The substrate loading mechanism 6 includes a transport frame 61 and a rotating frame 62 rotatably disposed within the transport frame 61.

[0031] The vacuum chamber includes a chamber mechanism 1, a transmission drive mechanism 2, and a rotation drive mechanism 3. The chamber mechanism 1 includes a chamber body 11, a first switch door 12, and a second switch door 13. The chamber body 11 has mounting ports 111 on both sides along a first direction (i.e., the X direction in the attached figure). The first switch door 12 and the second switch door 13 can open or close the two mounting ports 111 one by one. By opening the first switch door 12 and / or the second switch door 13, it is convenient for personnel to select and install sputtering devices, plasma generators, heaters, condensation mechanisms, cryogenic pumps, vacuum pumping components, vacuum breaking components, and vacuum detection elements on the inside or outside of the vacuum chamber as needed, forming a wafer entry / exit chamber or a coating chamber. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple chambers, reduces the complexity of the spare parts inventory, improves assembly efficiency, and facilitates later maintenance.

[0032] Meanwhile, the chamber body 11 is provided with inlet and outlet 112 on both sides along the second direction (i.e., the Y direction in the attached figure). The transmission drive mechanism 2 is provided in the chamber body 11 and is used to move the substrate loading mechanism 6 along the second direction so that the substrate loading mechanism 6 enters or exits the chamber body 11 through the inlet and outlet 112, thereby realizing the movement of the substrate loading mechanism 6. Thus, the transmission drive mechanism 2 is directly provided in the chamber body 11, which can reduce the use of external handling mechanisms and further reduce the complexity of the storage. The rotation drive mechanism 3 is provided in the chamber body 11 and is used to detachably connect to and drive the rotating frame 62 in the chamber body 11 to rotate relative to the transport frame 61. Thus, when the rotation drive mechanism 3 is connected to the rotating frame 62, it can drive the rotating frame 62 to rotate. When the rotation drive mechanism 3 is detached from the rotating frame 62, the transmission drive mechanism 2 can normally transport the substrate loading mechanism 6. Optionally, the transmission drive mechanism 2 is located on the lower end plate of the chamber body 11, and the rotation drive mechanism 3 is located on the upper end plate of the chamber body 11. The upper end plate of the chamber body 11 is provided with reinforcing ribs to improve the structural strength of the upper end plate. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0033] This vacuum chamber, by setting a first switch door 12, a second switch door 13, a transmission drive mechanism 2, and a rotation drive mechanism 3 on the chamber body 11, can form a basic chamber unit. By selecting and installing different devices on the vacuum chamber, different functional chambers can be formed. It has strong versatility and high installation consistency when dealing with multi-chamber vacuum processing equipment. It can simplify assembly, improve the early delivery speed and later maintenance efficiency of the equipment, and the chamber inventory is simple. The maintenance cost and waiting material cost are low, and it will not cause confusion that leads to long-term equipment production interruption.

[0034] Furthermore, one side of the first switch door 12 is hinged to the chamber body 11, and one side of the second switch door 13 is hinged to the chamber body 11. This allows both the first and second switch doors 12 and 13 to be opened by flipping, without needing to be removed from the chamber body 11. This facilitates simultaneous operation by personnel on both sides of the first switch door 12 or the second switch door 13, reducing the difficulty of device installation. The first switch door 12 can be used to install a sputtering device, and the second switch door 13 can be used to install a plasma generator, thereby reducing the space occupied inside the chamber body 11 and improving space utilization. The installation of the sputtering device on the first switch door 12 and the plasma generator on the second switch door 13 is relatively easy. Furthermore, during subsequent maintenance of the vacuum chamber, only the first switch door 12 and / or the second switch door 13 need to be opened, without disassembling the sputtering device and the plasma generator, thus improving maintenance convenience. Specifically, the first switch door 12 is arranged in an arc shape, and the sputtering device includes several targets, which are arranged sequentially at intervals along the arc surface on the first switch door 12.

[0035] Furthermore, a door flange 113 is provided at the inlet and outlet 112 of the chamber body 11. The door flange 113 can be detachably connected to a blind plate, an atmospheric isolation door 4, or a vacuum isolation valve 5. Thus, the chamber body 11 can be equipped with different sealing components through the door flange 113 to form chambers of different functions. When an atmospheric isolation door 4 is installed on one side of the chamber body 11 and a vacuum isolation valve 5 is installed on the other side, an inlet and outlet chamber can be formed. When vacuum isolation valves 5 are installed on both sides of the chamber body 11, a coating chamber can be formed. When a blind plate is installed on one side of the chamber body 11 and a vacuum isolation valve 5 is installed on the other side, a coating chamber can also be formed.

[0036] Furthermore, the transmission drive mechanism 2 includes a first drive motor 21 and a sprocket transmission assembly 22. The first drive motor 21 is located outside the chamber body 11. The drive end of the first drive motor 21 is connected to the sprocket transmission assembly 22 and is used to drive the sprocket transmission assembly 22 to move the substrate loading mechanism 6 in the second direction. By placing the first drive motor 21 outside the chamber body 11, the space occupied inside the chamber body 11 can be reduced, and the space utilization rate can be improved. Moreover, by driving the substrate loading mechanism 6 to move through the sprocket transmission assembly 22, the transmission efficiency and transmission accuracy can be improved. Meanwhile, the rotary drive mechanism 3 includes a second drive motor 31 and a gear transmission assembly. The second drive motor 31 is located outside the chamber body 11, and the drive end of the second drive motor 31 is connected to the gear transmission assembly. When the substrate loading mechanism 6 is located inside the chamber body 11, the gear transmission assembly can be connected to the rotating frame 62. By placing the second drive motor 31 outside the chamber body 11, the space occupied inside the chamber body 11 can be reduced. Moreover, the rotating frame 62 is driven to rotate by the gear transmission assembly, which has high transmission accuracy and can effectively control the rotation angle and speed of the rotating frame 62, thereby improving the coating accuracy of the substrate on the rotating frame 62.

[0037] Furthermore, the vacuum chamber also includes a blocking assembly disposed on the chamber body 11. The blocking assembly extends to stop the movement of the transport frame 61, or retracts to avoid the transport frame 61. Thus, when the transfer drive mechanism 2 moves the substrate loading mechanism 6 to the assembly position, the blocking assembly extends to stop the substrate loading mechanism 6, facilitating the docking between the rotation drive mechanism 3 and the rotation frame 62. When the substrate loading mechanism 6 needs to move to the next chamber, the blocking assembly retracts to avoid the substrate loading mechanism 6. Optionally, the blocking assembly is a blocking cylinder.

[0038] Furthermore, the vacuum chamber also includes a positioning component, which is located on the chamber body 11. The positioning component extends along a first direction to abut against the positioning transport frame 61, or retracts to release the transport frame 61. Thus, by using the positioning component, the transport frame 61 can be positioned against it from the first direction, improving the positional accuracy of the substrate loading mechanism 6 within the chamber body 11 and facilitating the docking between the rotary drive mechanism 3 and the rotary frame 62. Simultaneously, by continuously positioning the transport frame 61 against it, the positioning component also ensures the overall stability of the substrate loading mechanism 6 when the rotary frame 62 rotates relative to the transport frame 61, thereby improving the coating accuracy. Optionally, the positioning component includes several components, each located on opposite sides of the chamber body 11 along the first direction. Further optionally, the positioning component is a positioning cylinder. Meanwhile, the vacuum chamber also includes an offset component, which includes a sliding guide rail connected to the transport frame 61. The transport frame 61 can move on the transmission drive mechanism 2 via the sliding guide rail, thereby reducing the overall lateral movement difficulty of the substrate loading mechanism 6 when the positioning component abuts and positions the transport frame 61.

[0039] Furthermore, a positioning sensor is also provided on the chamber body 11. The positioning sensor is used to detect the position of the substrate loading mechanism 6, thereby facilitating and realizing the transportation of the substrate loading mechanism 6 by the transmission drive mechanism, the docking of the transmission drive mechanism 2 with the rotating frame 62 in the substrate loading mechanism 6, the blocking component stopping the transport frame 61, and the positioning component abutting and positioning the transport frame 61.

[0040] This embodiment also provides a vacuum processing device, including the vacuum chambers as described above. The vacuum chambers include at least two chambers, with their inlets and outlets 112 spaced apart sequentially along a second direction. By using the vacuum chambers as described above, when two vacuum chambers are provided, they are arranged side-by-side, one of which can be a wafer entry / exit chamber and the other a coating chamber. When three vacuum chambers are provided, they are arranged side-by-side, one of which can be a wafer entry / exit chamber and the other two can be coating chambers, with the wafer entry / exit chamber located at one side edge of the entire assembly; or two of which can be wafer entry / exit chambers and the other can be a coating chamber, with the coating chamber located between the two wafer entry / exit chambers. Similarly, when several vacuum chambers are provided, they are arranged side-by-side, one of which can be a wafer entry / exit chamber and the rest can be coating chambers, with the wafer entry / exit chamber located at one side edge of the entire assembly; or two of which can be wafer entry / exit chambers and the rest can be coating chambers, with the remaining coating chambers located between the two wafer entry / exit chambers.

[0041] Obviously, the above embodiments of this utility model are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present utility model, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present utility model. Those skilled in the art can make other variations or modifications based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A vacuum chamber capable of transporting a substrate loading mechanism (6), the substrate loading mechanism (6) comprising a transport frame (61) and a rotating frame (62) rotatably disposed within the transport frame (61), the rotating frame (62) being used to load a substrate, characterized in that, The vacuum chamber includes: A chamber mechanism (1) includes a chamber body (11), a first switch door (12), and a second switch door (13). The chamber body (11) has mounting ports (111) on both sides of the first direction. The first switch door (12) and the second switch door (13) can open or close the two mounting ports (111) in a one-to-one correspondence. The chamber body (11) has inlets and outlets (112) on both sides of the second direction. A transmission drive mechanism (2) is provided on the chamber body (11) for moving the substrate loading mechanism (6) along the second direction so that the substrate loading mechanism (6) enters or exits the chamber body (11) through the inlet and outlet (112); A rotary drive mechanism (3) is provided on the chamber body (11) for detachably connecting to and driving the rotating frame (62) inside the chamber body (11) to rotate relative to the transport frame (61).

2. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, One side of the first switch door (12) is hinged to the chamber body (11), and one side of the second switch door (13) is hinged to the chamber body (11); the first switch door (12) can be equipped with a sputtering device, and the second switch door (13) can be equipped with a plasma generating device.

3. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, The chamber body (11) is provided with a door flange (113) at the inlet and outlet (112), and the door flange (113) can be detachably connected to a blind plate or an atmospheric isolation door (4) or a vacuum isolation valve (5).

4. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, The transmission drive mechanism (2) includes a first drive motor (21) and a sprocket transmission assembly (22). The first drive motor (21) is located on the chamber body (11) and outside the chamber body (11). The drive end of the first drive motor (21) is connected to the sprocket transmission assembly (22) to drive the sprocket transmission assembly (22) to move the substrate loading mechanism (6) along the second direction.

5. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, The rotary drive mechanism (3) includes a second drive motor (31) and a gear transmission assembly. The second drive motor (31) is located outside the chamber body (11). The drive end of the second drive motor (31) is connected to the gear transmission assembly. When the substrate loading mechanism (6) is located inside the chamber body (11), the gear transmission assembly can be driven to the rotating frame (62).

6. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, The vacuum chamber also includes a blocking assembly disposed on the chamber body (11), which is used to extend to stop the movement of the transport frame (61) or retract to avoid the transport frame (61).

7. The vacuum chamber of claim 1, wherein, The vacuum chamber further includes a positioning component disposed on the chamber body (11). The positioning component is used to extend along the first direction to abut against and position the transport frame (61), or to retract to release the transport frame (61).

8. The vacuum chamber of claim 7, wherein, The vacuum chamber further includes an offset component, which includes a sliding guide rail connected to the transport frame (61). The transport frame (61) is movable on the transmission drive mechanism (2) via the sliding guide rail.

9. The vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The chamber body (11) is also provided with a positioning sensor, which is used to detect the position of the substrate loading mechanism (6).

10. A vacuum processing apparatus, characterized by, The vacuum chamber includes any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises at least two, and the inlet and outlet (112) of the at least two vacuum chambers are arranged sequentially at intervals along a second direction.

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