Liquid recovery assembly and substrate processing apparatus
By setting a lifting drive module on the outside of the rotary table and adopting a symmetrically configured lifting drive combination, the problem of liquid recovery components occupying rotary table space in the prior art is solved, achieving efficient liquid recovery and simplified maintenance process, and improving production efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GRAND PLASTIC TECH
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-16
AI Technical Summary
In the existing technology, the lifting structure of the liquid recovery component is complex, occupies the space above and below the rotating table, resulting in increased equipment size and inconvenient maintenance.
The lifting drive module of the liquid recovery component is set on the outside of the rotary table, and the first and second lifting drive combinations are symmetrically configured to independently control the lifting action of each recovery ring. A stepper motor is used in conjunction with a point memory control system to ensure accurate positioning.
The simplified lifting structure of the recovery ring enhances the openness of the space above and below the rotating platform, improves maintenance convenience and process efficiency, and strengthens liquid recovery efficiency and production stability.
Smart Images
Figure CN224368254U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a liquid recovery assembly and substrate processing equipment. Background Technology
[0002] In substrate manufacturing technology, materials such as photomasks, glass substrates, or semiconductor wafers undergo rotary wet processes, such as etching or cleaning. In these processes, liquid is sprayed onto the substrate surface by a liquid supply device positioned above the rotary table, while excess liquid is splashed out from the substrate edges and the outer edge of the rotary table due to centrifugal force. To prevent this liquid spillage from polluting the environment or causing equipment corrosion, a liquid recovery mechanism is required for effective collection.
[0003] In existing technologies, the lifting and lowering of a ring-shaped recycling device is often controlled by a circumferential arm or support arm positioned above or below the rotary table. However, such mechanisms typically span the space above or below the rotary table, resulting in a complex overall structure, increased equipment size, and making the maintenance and repair of the rotary table or recycling device difficult.
[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a liquid recovery component and a substrate processing device to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content
[0005] To address the problems of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide a liquid recovery component and substrate processing equipment, which can simplify the lifting structure of the recovery ring, improve the modularity of the structure, and maintain the openness of the space above and below the rotating platform to facilitate maintenance and space utilization.
[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a liquid recovery assembly disposed on the outside of a rotary table for recovering process liquid splashed from the rotary table. The liquid recovery assembly includes: a plurality of recovery rings arranged sequentially from top to bottom, each of which moves up and down relative to the rotary table to recover the corresponding process liquid; and a first lifting drive assembly disposed on one side of the plurality of recovery rings, including a plurality of lifting drive modules respectively connected to each of the recovery rings to independently control the lifting and lowering actions of each of the recovery rings.
[0007] In some embodiments, each of the lifting drive modules includes: a drive device; a transmission member connected to the drive device to receive its power output; and a guide rod, one end of which is connected to the corresponding recovery ring and the other end of which is connected to the transmission member, wherein the drive device drives the guide rod through the transmission member, thereby driving the connected recovery ring to lift and lower.
[0008] In some embodiments, the liquid recovery assembly further includes a second lifting drive assembly disposed on the other side of the plurality of recovery rings and disposed opposite to the first lifting drive assembly. The second lifting drive assembly also includes a plurality of lifting drive modules, which are respectively connected to each of the recovery rings to independently control the lifting action of each of the recovery rings.
[0009] In some embodiments, the number of the plurality of lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly is the same as the number of the plurality of lifting drive modules in the second lifting drive assembly.
[0010] In some embodiments, the plurality of lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are paired up and connected to the same recovery ring to coordinate the lifting and lowering of the recovery ring.
[0011] In some embodiments, each pair of lifting drive modules consists of two lifting drive modules that are positioned relative to each other in the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly and have the largest lateral spacing.
[0012] In some embodiments, the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are respectively disposed on the outer side of the rotary table, and the space above and below the rotary table remains open.
[0013] In some embodiments, the plurality of lifting drive modules are arranged along a straight line.
[0014] In some embodiments, the arrangement direction of the plurality of lifting drive modules is parallel to the tangential direction formed by the outer periphery of each of the recovery rings.
[0015] Secondly, this application also provides a substrate processing apparatus, including: a rotary table for carrying a substrate; a liquid supply device disposed above the rotary table for applying multiple process liquids to the substrate; and a liquid recovery assembly as described above.
[0016] Compared to previous technologies, this application, by placing the lifting drive module in the liquid recovery assembly outside the rotary table and symmetrically configuring it to form the first and second lifting drive combinations, successfully avoids the structural complexity and maintenance inconvenience caused by the traditional design spanning the upper and lower spaces of the rotary table. Each recovery ring can perform precise and synchronous lifting operations through corresponding paired lifting drive modules, further improving process efficiency and liquid recovery performance. In addition, the use of a stepper motor combined with a point-to-point memory control system ensures that each recovery ring accurately moves to the designated position at different process stages, significantly improving control accuracy and overall stability, demonstrating the technical advantages of optimized mechanism configuration and improved production efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0017] The following detailed description of the specific embodiments of this application, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will make the technical solution and other beneficial effects of this application readily apparent.
[0018] Figure 1 This diagram shows a schematic of the substrate processing apparatus of this application.
[0019] Figure 2 show Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the liquid recovery component in the substrate processing equipment. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the substrate processing apparatus of this application, and Figure 2 show Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a liquid recovery component in a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus 1 can be used to perform various substrate processing operations, such as wet etching or surface particle removal. The substrate processing apparatus 1 mainly includes a rotary table 10, a liquid supply device 20, and a liquid recovery component 30. The rotary table 10 is used to support the substrate to be processed (not shown in the figure), and can rotate around a central axis, and is fixed by means of vacuum adsorption, mechanical clamping, etc. The substrate used can be a circular wafer or a square glass substrate, and is not limited to a specific shape. The liquid supply device 20 is located above the rotary table 10 and is used to spray various process liquids onto the substrate, such as different types of etching solutions and deionized water (DI water). The liquid recovery component 30 is located outside the rotary table 10, and includes multiple recovery rings 31 arranged sequentially from top to bottom (including a first recovery ring 311, a second recovery ring 312, and a third recovery ring 313). In this embodiment, the number of recovery rings 31 is three, but in actual applications, it can be adjusted to two or more depending on the process requirements, and is not limited thereto. Each recovery ring 31 can be independently raised and lowered relative to the rotary table 10 to collect process liquids used in different process stages. Specifically, this substrate processing equipment 1 is used to perform a single-wafer rotary wet process. The process includes: firstly, applying a first process liquid to the substrate for preliminary cleaning or etching; then cleaning the substrate with deionized water to remove residual liquid; then applying a second process liquid for further processing; then cleaning again with deionized water; and finally drying the substrate by high-speed rotation of the rotary table 10. Throughout the process, each recovery ring 31 can be raised and lowered sequentially to a predetermined position to effectively recover the process liquids splashed out at the corresponding stage, thereby achieving the purpose of centralized liquid collection, reducing contamination, and avoiding liquid waste.
[0022] In existing technologies, the lifting and lowering of the recovery ring is typically achieved through a clamping arm or support arm mechanism positioned above or below the rotary table. These mechanisms mostly span the space above or below the rotary table, complicating the overall structure and occupying a significant amount of space. Especially in applications with multiple recovery rings, each ring requires a separate lifting mechanism, including clamping arms or support arms, leading to a substantial increase in equipment size. This not only hinders the integration and simplification of the mechanism but also increases the difficulty of future maintenance and repair work on the rotary table or recovery device.
[0023] To address the issues of traditional mechanisms occupying space above and below the rotary table and facilitating maintenance, the liquid recovery assembly 30 disclosed in this application places all mechanisms controlling the raising and lowering of the recovery rings 31 on the outside of the rotary table 10, completely avoiding any occupation or crossing of the space above or below the rotary table 10, thus keeping the vertical space of the rotary table 10 open. This design not only improves the ease of maintenance of the rotary table but also ensures that the liquid supply device has sufficient operating space.
[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the liquid recovery assembly 30 further includes a first lifting drive assembly 32 and a second lifting drive assembly 33, respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the recovery ring 31. The first lifting drive assembly 32 includes multiple lifting drive modules, including a first lifting drive module 321, a second lifting drive module 322, and a third lifting drive module 323, which are respectively connected to each of the recovery rings 31 to independently control the lifting and lowering actions of each recovery ring 31. In this application, the number of lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly 32 is the same as the number of recovery rings 31, ensuring that the height of each recovery ring 31 can be independently adjusted to meet different process requirements. For example, the first lifting drive module 321 is connected to the first recovery ring 311 to independently control the lifting and lowering actions of the first recovery ring 311. The second lifting drive module 322 is connected to the second recovery ring 312 to independently control the lifting and lowering actions of the second recovery ring 312. The third lifting drive module 323 is connected to the third recovery ring 313 to independently control the lifting and lowering actions of the third recovery ring 313.
[0025] Correspondingly, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the second lifting drive assembly 33 is located on the other side of the retrieval ring 31, symmetrically configured with the first lifting drive assembly 32. The second lifting drive assembly 33 also includes multiple lifting drive modules, the same number as the retrieval ring 31, and is connected to each retrieval ring 31 respectively to achieve independent and synchronous lifting control. For example, the second lifting drive assembly 33 includes a fourth lifting drive module 331, a fifth lifting drive module 332, and a sixth lifting drive module 333, which are connected to the first retrieval ring 311, the second retrieval ring 312, and the third retrieval ring 313 respectively to achieve coordinated and independent lifting control.
[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly 32 and the second lifting drive assembly 33 are arranged in a straight line. Specifically, the arrangement direction of these lifting drive modules located on the same side is parallel to the tangential direction formed by the outer periphery of each recovery ring 31. That is, the first lifting drive assembly 32 and the second lifting drive assembly 33 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the rotary table 10, and neither occupies the space above or below the rotary table 10, thereby keeping the space above and below the rotary table 10 open and avoiding complex structural problems caused by the mechanism spanning across. In addition, this design of parallel arrangement along the tangential direction is more efficient in terms of maintenance than the method of sequential arrangement in the radial direction (i.e., from the side closest to the rotary table outwards). All lifting drive modules located on the same side are located on the same maintenance plane, and will not obstruct each other, nor will they affect the maintenance and upkeep of specific components due to excessive proximity to the rotary table 10, thus improving the overall maintainability and ease of operation of the equipment.
[0027] In this application, each lifting drive module in the first lifting drive assembly 32 and the second lifting drive assembly 33 includes structural components such as a drive device, a transmission component, a guide rod, and a guide rod bushing. Taking the first lifting drive module 321 in the first lifting drive assembly 32 as an example, as follows... Figure 1 As shown, its structure includes a drive unit 3211, a transmission component 3212, a guide rod 3213, and a guide rod bushing 3214. The drive unit 3211 is the power output source. The transmission component 3212 is connected to the drive unit 3211 to receive its power output and convert it into linear lifting motion. One end of the guide rod 3213 is connected to the corresponding first recovery ring 311, and the other end is connected to the transmission component 3212, forming a power transmission chain. The guide rod bushing 3214 provides stable support and guidance for the guide rod 3213 during lifting, ensuring its motion accuracy and structural stability. During operation, after the drive unit 3211 is started, it drives the guide rod 3213 to move up and down through the transmission component 3212, thereby driving the connected first recovery ring 311 to lift and lower, achieving precise recovery of the corresponding process liquid.
[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the number of lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly 32 is the same as the number of lifting drive modules in the second lifting drive assembly 33, and each module forms a one-to-one correspondence. In actual operation, the multiple lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly 32 and the second lifting drive assembly 33 are paired up and connected to the same retrieval ring to coordinate the lifting and lowering of the retrieval ring. To ensure that the retrieval ring is subjected to balanced force during lifting and lowering, each pair of lifting drive modules is positioned on opposite sides with the maximum lateral spacing, thereby achieving the best symmetrical control effect. For example, the first lifting drive module 321 in the first lifting drive assembly 32 and the fourth lifting drive module 331 in the second lifting drive assembly 33 are positioned opposite each other with the maximum lateral spacing. Therefore, these two lifting drive modules are grouped together and connected to the first retrieval ring 311 to coordinate the lifting and lowering of the ring. Similarly, the second lifting drive module 322 and the fifth lifting drive module 332 form another group, corresponding to the second recovery ring 312 respectively; while the third lifting drive module 323 and the sixth lifting drive module 333 form a third group, corresponding to control the lifting action of the third recovery ring 313. Through this symmetrical configuration and paired control method, the lifting stability and system reliability can be effectively improved, and it also helps to simplify the mechanism design and subsequent maintenance operations.
[0029] In some embodiments, the driving device used in the lifting drive module is preferably a stepper motor. The host system pre-stores the point data corresponding to each process step, that is, the accurate coordinates of each recovery ring at a specific lifting position. During the process, the host can output corresponding point commands according to the current process stage, causing all recovery rings to move accurately and synchronously to the designated position. Compared to the traditional control method that uses pulse signals for gradual advancement, this control architecture combining stepper motors and point memory can significantly improve the synchronization and positioning accuracy of paired lifting drive modules, thereby improving the overall process stability and efficiency.
[0030] In summary, this application, by placing the lifting drive module in the liquid recovery assembly outside the rotary table and symmetrically configuring it to form the first and second lifting drive combinations, successfully avoids the structural complexity and maintenance inconvenience caused by the traditional design spanning the upper and lower spaces of the rotary table. Each recovery ring can perform precise and synchronous lifting operations through corresponding paired lifting drive modules, further improving process efficiency and liquid recovery performance. Furthermore, the use of a stepper motor paired with a point-to-point memory control system ensures that each recovery ring accurately moves to the designated position at different process stages, significantly improving control accuracy and overall stability, demonstrating the technical advantages of optimized mechanism configuration and improved production efficiency.
[0031] The liquid recovery component and substrate processing equipment provided in the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific embodiments have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the technical solutions and core ideas of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application.
Claims
1. A liquid recovery assembly, disposed outside a rotary table, for recovering process liquid splashed from the rotary table, characterized in that, The liquid recovery assembly includes: Multiple recovery rings are arranged sequentially from top to bottom, and each ring moves up and down relative to the rotating platform to recover its corresponding process liquid; and The first lifting drive assembly is disposed on one side of the plurality of recycling rings and includes a plurality of lifting drive modules, which are respectively connected to each of the recycling rings to independently control the lifting action of each of the recycling rings.
2. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned lifting drive modules includes: Drive unit; A transmission component, connected to the drive unit, to receive its power output; and A guide rod, one end of which is connected to the corresponding recovery ring, and the other end of which is connected to the transmission component, wherein the driving device drives the guide rod through the transmission component, thereby driving the connected recovery ring to rise and fall.
3. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid recovery assembly further includes a second lifting drive assembly, which is disposed on the other side of the plurality of recovery rings and is disposed opposite to the first lifting drive assembly. The second lifting drive assembly also includes a plurality of lifting drive modules, which are respectively connected to each of the recovery rings to independently control the lifting action of each of the recovery rings.
4. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The number of the plurality of lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly is the same as the number of the plurality of lifting drive modules in the second lifting drive assembly.
5. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The multiple lifting drive modules in the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are paired up and connected to the same recovery ring to coordinate the lifting and lowering of the recovery ring.
6. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Each pair of lifting drive modules consists of two lifting drive modules that are positioned relative to each other in the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly and have the largest lateral spacing.
7. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are respectively disposed on the outside of the rotary table, so that the space above and below the rotary table remains open.
8. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple lifting drive modules are arranged in a straight line.
9. The liquid recovery assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The arrangement direction of the plurality of lifting drive modules is parallel to the tangent direction formed by the outer periphery of each of the recovery rings.
10. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A rotary table, used to support the substrate; A liquid supply device is disposed above the rotary table for applying multiple process liquids to the substrate; as well as The liquid recovery assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.