Sealing and buffering structure of conveying arm furnace door

Abstract

A conveying arm furnace door sealing and buffering structure comprises a furnace door, a movable spring seat, a static spring seat, a first spring and a positioning pin, the furnace door is matched with a furnace opening of a chemical vapor deposition furnace, the furnace door, the movable spring seat, the first spring and the static spring seat are sequentially arranged from front to back and all penetrate through the rear portion of an arm body of a conveying arm, the movable spring seat abuts against the rear side of the furnace door, and the first spring abuts against the positioning pin. The static spring seat is fixed with the rear part of the arm body, two ends of the first spring are respectively connected with the movable spring seat and the static spring seat, the positioning pin is parallel to the arm body and is positioned on the rear side of the furnace door, the positioning pin comprises a static rod and a movable rod, the static rod is fixed with the rear part of the arm body through a connecting seat, and a sliding hole axially extending backwards is formed in the front end surface of the static rod; a second spring is arranged in the sliding hole, the rear end of the movable rod is arranged in the sliding hole in a sliding mode and matched with the static rod key groove, and the front end of the movable rod is connected with the furnace door. According to the utility model, the CVD furnace can be sealed under the condition that the conveying arm is retained in the hearth, so that the requirements of a new process are met.

Description

A sealing and buffer structure for a conveyor arm furnace door Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and in particular relates to a sealing and buffering structure for a conveyor arm furnace door. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing field, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnaces are widely used for the deposition of thin films on wafer surfaces. In traditional CVD processes, the wafer is carried by a carrier boat and fed into the furnace chamber via a transport arm. The transport arm then immediately retracts outside the furnace, and the furnace door closes to maintain a vacuum or inert gas environment inside the furnace. This ensures the uniformity of the temperature and gas flow fields during deposition and prevents external contamination. With the development of advanced packaging technologies, some new processes require the transport arm to remain continuously inside the furnace during the wafer processing stage, exiting synchronously with the carrier boat after deposition is complete. However, the closure of the CVD furnace door requires the transport arm to be completely retracted. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on this, and to address the aforementioned technical problems, a sealing and buffering structure for the conveyor arm furnace door is provided.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A conveyor arm furnace door sealing and buffer structure is characterized by comprising a furnace door, a movable spring seat, a stationary spring seat, a first spring, and a positioning pin. The furnace door is adapted to the furnace opening of a chemical vapor deposition furnace. The furnace door, movable spring seat, first spring, and stationary spring seat are arranged sequentially from front to back and are all passed through the rear part of the conveyor arm. The movable spring seat abuts against the rear side of the furnace door, and the stationary spring seat is fixed to the rear part of the arm. The two ends of the first spring are respectively connected to the movable spring seat and the stationary spring seat. The positioning pin is parallel to the arm and located on the rear side of the furnace door. The positioning pin includes a stationary rod and a movable rod. The stationary rod is fixed to the rear part of the arm through a connecting seat, and an axially rearwardly extending sliding hole is formed on its front end face. A second spring is provided in the sliding hole. The rear end of the movable rod is slidably disposed in the sliding hole and cooperates with the keyway of the stationary rod. Its front end is connected to the furnace door.

[0006] This invention incorporates a furnace door sealing and buffering structure on the conveyor arm, which can seal the CVD furnace while the conveyor arm remains inside the furnace chamber, thereby meeting the requirements of the new process. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0008] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the conveying arm in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0009] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the attitude adjustment mechanism of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0010] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the posture adjustment mechanism of Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0011] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the posture adjustment mechanism in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0012] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first left and right swing adjustment plate of the attitude adjustment mechanism in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0013] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first vertical swing adjustment plate of the attitude adjustment mechanism in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0014] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the conveying arm in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the furnace door sealing buffer mechanism and attitude adjustment mechanism of Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the furnace door structure of the furnace door sealing and buffering mechanism in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 11 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the attitude adjustment mechanism of Embodiment 2 of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The embodiments of this utility model will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described in this specification are not exhaustive and do not represent the only embodiments of this utility model. The following corresponding embodiments are only for clearly illustrating the utility model content of this patent and are not intended to limit its implementation. For those skilled in the art, different variations and modifications can be made based on the described embodiments. Any obvious variations or modifications that fall within the technical concept and utility model content of this utility model are also within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, this application provides a chemical vapor deposition furnace feeding device, which includes multiple conveying arms 1100.

[0020] Multiple conveyor arms 1100 are arranged vertically at intervals, each corresponding to a different chemical vapor deposition furnace 2 on the cabinet 4.

[0021] The conveyor arm 1100 includes an arm body 1110, a posture adjustment mechanism 1120, and a drive mechanism 1130.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] The arm 1110 is used for non-contact horizontal insertion or withdrawal from the chemical vapor deposition furnace 2. It is horizontally arranged on the axial rear side of the furnace opening of the chemical vapor deposition furnace 2. The upper side of the front part of the arm 1110 forms a support surface for supporting the wafer carrier boat 3. The shape of the support surface is adapted to the bottom shape of the wafer carrier boat 3, as shown in Figure 2.

[0024] In this embodiment, the arm 1110 extends horizontally into the chemical vapor deposition furnace 2 from its initial position. The exit action includes descent and horizontal reverse movement. The purpose of descent is to place the wafer carrier boat 3 on the processing rack inside the chemical vapor deposition furnace 2. After horizontal reverse movement to below the initial position, it rises back to the initial position.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the arm body 1110 includes a thick part 1111 and a sheet-like part 1112.

[0026] The thick part 1111 is made of silicon carbide. To improve its strength, it is designed as a hollow tube. The lower part of the front end of the tube extends forward to form a sheet-like part 1112. The vertical cross-sectional shape of the sheet-like part 1112 is arc-shaped. The above-mentioned support surface is the upper surface of the sheet-like part 1112, which can be adapted to a wafer carrier with an arc-shaped bottom vertical cross-section.

[0027] The posture adjustment mechanism 1120 is used to adjust the posture of the arm body 1110 and is connected to the thick part 1111 of the arm body.

[0028] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the attitude adjustment mechanism 1120 includes a first base 1121, a lifting module 1122, a first support plate 1123, a first up-and-down swing adjustment plate 1124, an up-and-down swing adjustment bolt 1125, a first left-and-right swing adjustment plate 1126, a left-and-right swing adjustment knob 1127, and a locking knob 1128.

[0029] The first base 1121 includes a horizontal plate 1121a and a vertical plate 1121b. The horizontal plate 1121a is fixed to the vertical plate 1121b by bolts. The vertical plate 1121b faces left and right and is fixed to the drive mechanism 1130.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, the horizontal plate 1121a has two first blocks 1121c arranged at a distance from front to back. Each of the two first blocks 1121c is threaded with a first left-right adjusting bolt 1121d in the left-right direction, which is used to push and pull the lifting module 1122 left and right, so that it can move left and right on the horizontal plate 1121a.

[0031] The lifting module 1122 uses an electric cylinder, as shown in Figure 3. It specifically includes a lower support base 1122a, a top plate 1122b, a lead screw 1122c, multiple guide rods 1122d, and a motor 1122e.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the lower support 1122a is disposed on the upper surface of the horizontal plate 1121a and is threadedly connected to the first left and right adjusting bolt 1121d. It can move left and right on the horizontal plate 1121a under the push and pull of the first left and right adjusting bolt 1121d. It has multiple locking through holes 1122f in the vertical direction. Correspondingly, the horizontal plate 1121a has locking waist holes 1121e corresponding to the locking through holes 1122f. Referring to Figure 5, the left and right positions of the lower support 1122a can be locked by the locking through holes 1122f, locking waist holes 1121e and bolts.

[0033] As shown in Figure 3, the top plate 1122b is located above the lower support 1122a, and a lead screw 1122c and multiple guide rods 1122d are arranged between the two. The two ends of the lead screw 1122c are rotatably connected to the top plate 1122b and the lower support 1122a.

[0034] The motor 1122e is fixed on the lower surface of the top plate 1122b. Its output shaft is connected to the lead screw 1122c via a transmission belt and two transmission wheels. The movable frame 1122g is fixed on the nut seat of the lead screw 1122c. Driven by the motor 1122e, the movable frame 1122g can move up and down.

[0035] The first support plate 1123 is fixed to the movable frame 1122g by bolts, as shown in Figures 3 and 7. Its upper surface has two first rotating seats 1123a spaced apart from left to right. The left and right sides of the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 are respectively connected to the corresponding first rotating seats 1123a for vertical rotation. The vertical swing adjustment bolt 1125 passes through the rear end of the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 from top to bottom and is threadedly connected to the first support plate 1123. The vertical swing adjustment bolt 1125 can be operated to adjust the vertical tilt angle of the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3, the first left-right swing adjustment plate 1126 is located on the first up-down swing adjustment plate 1124 and is passed through by the up-down swing adjustment bolt 1125. It can swing left and right with the up-down swing adjustment bolt 1125 as the center. As shown in Figure 6, the front part of the first left-right swing adjustment plate 1126 has a left-right swing adjustment hole 1126a. As shown in Figure 7, the rod part 1127a of the left-right swing adjustment knob 1127 passes through the front part of the first up-down swing adjustment plate 1124 from bottom to top and is rotatably connected to the first up-down swing adjustment plate 1124. The upper end face of the rod part 1127a has an eccentric column 1127c extending into the left-right swing adjustment hole 1126a. Rotating the left-right swing adjustment knob 1127 causes the eccentric column 1127c to rotate, thereby driving the first left-right swing adjustment plate 1126 to swing left and right through the left-right swing adjustment hole 1126a, realizing the adjustment of the left-right deflection angle.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the first left and right swing adjustment plate 1126 has a hoop 1126b in the left and right direction for fixing the thick part 1111 of the arm body 1110.

[0038] Based on the above structure, the horizontal position, vertical position, vertical tilt angle, and left-right deflection angle of the arm 1110 can be adjusted.

[0039] As shown in Figure 5-7, the rod portion 1128a of the locking knob 1128 passes through the front of the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 and the first horizontal swing adjustment plate 1126 from bottom to top. The hole 1124a through which the rod portion 1128a passes in the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 is a waist-shaped through hole in the left and right direction to prevent the locking knob 1128 from interfering with the first vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 when the first horizontal swing adjustment plate 1126 swings left and right. The first horizontal swing adjustment plate 1126 is threadedly connected to the rod portion 1128a of the locking knob 1128.

[0040] After the posture of the arm body 1110 is adjusted, the arm body 1110 is locked by pressing the locking knob 1128 against it. At the same time, it can also be used to finely adjust the up and down tilt angle of the arm body 1110.

[0041] The drive mechanism 1130 is mounted on the cabinet 4. It adopts a linear module and can be an electric cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder. It is used to drive the arm 1110 to extend horizontally into or out of the chemical vapor deposition furnace.

[0042] Example 2

[0043] The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is as follows:

[0044] 1. This embodiment is used for a new process flow: After the arm body 1110 extends horizontally into the target position of the chemical vapor deposition furnace 2 from the initial position, it remains in the furnace. After the wafer is processed, the arm body 1110 moves horizontally in the opposite direction back to the initial position.

[0045] 2. As shown in Figure 8, the thick part 1111 is made of quartz and has a solid rod with a square vertical cross-section. The front end of the solid rod extends forward to form a plate-like part 1112, and the vertical cross-section of the plate-like part 1112 is an inverted trapezoid.

[0046] 3. Since the arm 1110 needs to remain in the furnace, the conveying arm 1100 in this embodiment also has a furnace door sealing and buffering mechanism 1140, as shown in Figure 9. The sealing and buffering mechanism 1140 includes a furnace door 1141, a moving spring seat 1142, a stationary spring seat 1143, a first spring 1144, and a positioning pin 1145.

[0047] As shown in Figure 10, the furnace door 1141 is a vertical disc that fits the furnace opening. The lower side of the furnace door 1141 has an eccentrically arranged perforation 1141a for the rear part (thick part 1111) of the arm body 1110 to pass through horizontally.

[0048] The rear opening of the perforation 1141a forms an annular step 1141b.

[0049] As shown in Figure 9, the furnace door 1141, the moving spring seat 1142, the first spring 1144, and the stationary spring seat 1143 are arranged in sequence from front to back, and are all horizontally passed through by the rear part of the arm body 1110.

[0050] The movable spring seat 1142 is sleeve-shaped, with its front end abutting against the aforementioned step 1141b. Its outer diameter is equal to that of the step 1141b. The sealing performance at the connection between the movable spring seat 1142 and the through hole 1141a can be further guaranteed by the sealing element.

[0051] The stationary spring seat 1143 is annular and is fixed to the circumferential surface of the disc body formed at the rear of the arm body 1110. The disc body can prevent gas leakage in the furnace. The sealing performance can be further improved by setting a seal between the stationary spring seat 1143 and the disc body.

[0052] The first spring 1144 is circumferentially closed, and its two ends are connected to the moving spring seat 1142 and the stationary spring seat 1143 respectively. The sealing performance of the connection is ensured by a sealing element.

[0053] After the arm 1110 reaches the target position, the furnace door 1141 is pressed tightly by the force of the first spring 1144, ensuring the sealing performance of the furnace door.

[0054] The positioning pin 1145 is mainly used to position the furnace door 1141 to prevent it from rotating, and also has a buffering effect. In this embodiment, there are two positioning pins 1145. Both positioning pins 1145 are parallel to the arm body 1110 and are arranged at intervals on the left and right sides, and are located on the rear side of the furnace door 1141. The positioning pin 1145 includes a stationary rod 1145a and a movable rod 1145b. The stationary rod 1145a is fixed to the connecting seat 1145c by bolts. The connecting seat 1145c is fixed to the rear part of the arm body 1110 by clamping. An axially extending sliding hole is formed on the front end face of the stationary rod 1145a. A second spring is provided in the sliding hole to play a buffering role. The rear end of the movable rod 1145b is slidably disposed in the sliding hole and cooperates with the keyway of the stationary rod 1145a to prevent the furnace door 1141 from rotating. The front end of the movable rod 1145b is connected to the upper rear side of the furnace door 1141.

[0055] 4. The structure of the attitude adjustment mechanism 1120 in this embodiment is different from that in embodiment 1.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG9, the attitude adjustment mechanism 1120 includes a second base 1121, a second left-right swing adjustment plate 1122, a second support plate 1123, and a second up-down swing adjustment plate 1124.

[0057] The second base 1121 includes a back plate 1121a and an L-shaped plate 1121b. The back plate faces left and right and is fixed on the drive mechanism 1130. The L-shaped plate 1121b has a vertical plate 1121b-1 and a horizontal plate 1121b-2.

[0058] The vertical plate 1121b-1 faces left and right, and has a slide on its back. It slides up and down with the slide rail on the back plate 1121a, so that the vertical position of the L-shaped plate 1121b on the back plate 1121a can be adjusted. The vertical plate 1121b-1 has multiple vertical position locking holes 1121b-3, which are vertical. The back plate 1121a has locking screw holes corresponding to the positions of the vertical position locking holes 1121b-3. After the L-shaped plate 1121b is adjusted to the expected vertical position, the position can be locked by the vertical position locking holes 1121b-3, the locking screw holes, and the bolts.

[0059] The horizontal plate 1121b-2 is integrally formed on the vertical plate 1121b-1.

[0060] The second left-right swing adjustment plate 1122 is located on the horizontal plate 1121b-2. The two are horizontally rotatably connected by a central shaft 1122a located at the center, as shown in Figure 11. This allows adjustment of the horizontal left-right deflection angle of the second left-right swing adjustment plate 1122. The horizontal plate 1121b-2 has four left-right swing angle locking waist holes 1121b-4. The four left-right swing angle locking waist holes 1121b-4 are arranged on the same circumference with the central shaft 1122a as the center, and each is arc-shaped with the central shaft 1122a as the center. The second left-right swing adjustment plate 1122 has locking screw holes corresponding to the positions of the left-right swing angle locking waist holes 1121b-4. After the horizontal deflection angle of the second left-right swing adjustment plate 1122 is adjusted to the expected angle, it is locked by the left-right swing angle locking waist holes 1121b-4, the locking screw holes, and the bolts.

[0061] As shown in Figure 9, the second left and right swing adjustment plate 1122 has a second block 1122b, and the second block 1122b is threaded with a second left and right adjustment bolt 1122c in the left and right direction, which is used to push and pull the second support plate 1123 left and right, so that it moves left and right on the second left and right swing adjustment plate 1122.

[0062] The second support plate 1123 is located on the second left and right swing adjustment plate 1122 and slides horizontally with the track on the second left and right swing adjustment plate 1122, so that the left and right horizontal position of the second support plate 1123 on the second left and right swing adjustment plate 1122 can be adjusted. The position of the second support plate 1123 can also be locked by locking the waist hole, locking bolt and bolt.

[0063] The upper surface of the second support plate 1123 has an n-shaped frame, and the left and right side plates of the frame form two second rotating seats 1123a spaced apart from each other. One of the side plates is threadedly connected to the second left and right adjusting bolts 1122c.

[0064] As shown in Figure 9, the vertical cross-section of the second vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 is U-shaped. The left and right sides of its front part are respectively connected to the corresponding second rotating seat 1123a via shaft 1123b. The rear part of the upper surface of the second support plate 1123 has two vertical screws 1123b spaced apart from left to right. The left and right sides of the rear part of the second vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 have ears 1124a. The ears 1124a are passed through by the corresponding vertical screws 1123b and locked by two locking nuts on the vertical screws 1123b. By adjusting the position of the two locking nuts on the vertical screws 1123b, the vertical tilt angle of the second vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 can be adjusted.

[0065] The upper side of the second vertical swing adjustment plate 1124 has a fixed plate 1125 that is mirrored thereto. The two are fixed by bolts to fix the rear clamp of the arm body 1110.

[0066] As can be seen from the above, the beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application are as follows:

[0067] 1. Completely eliminate friction particle pollution:

[0068] The conveyor arm is automatically driven by the drive mechanism, and the posture of the arm is adjusted by the posture adjustment mechanism to ensure that the arm extends horizontally into / out of the chemical vapor deposition furnace without contact. The arm will not contact the furnace wall or slide, which can completely avoid the generation of friction particles, fundamentally solve the problem of wafer surface contamination, and improve the thin film deposition yield.

[0069] 2. Significantly improves operational safety:

[0070] Avoiding the risk of burns: Operators only need to place the boat carrying the wafers on the arm, without having to operate the high-temperature furnace at close range, realizing fully automated feeding and completely eliminating the risk of burns caused by human intervention.

[0071] Preventing wafer damage: After the attitude adjustment mechanism adjusts the posture of the arm, the drive mechanism can ensure that the carrier boat remains horizontal and stable during transportation, avoiding wafer collision damage caused by shaking or deviation.

[0072] 3. High efficiency and low labor costs:

[0073] The drive mechanism is programmable and controls the speed and stroke of the conveyor arm's entry / exit, supporting continuous conveying of multiple batches of wafer carriers, significantly shortening the single process cycle, improving production line efficiency, eliminating the need for manual pushing, and greatly saving labor costs.

[0074] 4. A furnace door sealing and buffer structure is designed on the conveyor arm, which can seal the CVD furnace when the conveyor arm is stuck in the furnace chamber, thereby meeting the requirements of the new process.

[0075] Obviously, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any changes or modifications to the above embodiments within the essential spirit of the present utility model will fall within the scope of the claims of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A sealing and buffering structure for a conveyor arm furnace door, characterized in that, The assembly includes a furnace door, a movable spring seat, a stationary spring seat, a first spring, and a positioning pin. The furnace door is adapted to the furnace opening of a chemical vapor deposition furnace. The furnace door, movable spring seat, first spring, and stationary spring seat are arranged sequentially from front to back and are all passed through the rear part of the conveyor arm. The movable spring seat abuts against the rear side of the furnace door, and the stationary spring seat is fixed to the rear part of the arm. The two ends of the first spring are connected to the movable spring seat and the stationary spring seat, respectively. The positioning pin is parallel to the arm and located on the rear side of the furnace door. The positioning pin includes a stationary rod and a movable rod. The stationary rod is fixed to the rear part of the arm through a connecting seat, and an axially rearward extending sliding hole is formed on its front end face. A second spring is provided in the sliding hole. The rear end of the movable rod is slidably disposed in the sliding hole and cooperates with the keyway of the stationary rod. Its front end is connected to the furnace door.

2. A delivery arm oven door seal bumper structure according to claim 1, wherein, The furnace door is in the shape of a vertical disc, with an eccentric perforation on its lower side for the rear part of the arm to pass through horizontally.

3. A delivery arm oven door seal bumper structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The rear opening of the perforation forms an annular step.

4. A delivery arm oven door seal bumper structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein, The movable spring seat is sleeve-shaped, with its front end abutting against the step, and the outer diameter of the front end is equal to the outer diameter of the step.

5. The delivery arm oven door seal bumper structure of claim 1, wherein, The static spring seat is ring-shaped.

6. The delivery arm oven door seal bumper structure of claim 1, wherein, The number of positioning pins is two, and the two positioning pins are arranged alternately on the left and right.

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