Lifting mechanism and semiconductor production apparatus

Abstract

This utility model provides a lifting mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The lifting mechanism includes multiple sets of drive components and multiple sets of auxiliary components. The drive components are spaced apart circumferentially along the part to be lifted and are movably connected to the part. The auxiliary components include racks and gears. The rack is fixed to one side of the drive component along its height, and the gear is rotatably connected to the part to be lifted and meshes with the rack. This application connects a rack to one side of the drive component and a gear to the part to be lifted. When the part to be lifted moves up and down under the drive of the multiple drive components, the part pushes the gear to slide on the rack. Because the rack and pinion have high transmission accuracy and can bear a certain amount of power, the multiple drive components maintain horizontal and synchronous movement during the lifting process, preventing the lifting mechanism from tilting, which could cause jamming, component damage, or equipment downtime. This reduces maintenance costs and increases the service life of the lifting mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a lifting mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing equipment typically includes a reaction chamber and a cover plate that forms a vacuum chamber with it. The cover plate usually supports spray head assemblies, electrical boxes, gas holders, radio frequency power supplies, etc., and can weigh up to a ton. Therefore, a lifting mechanism is used to control the raising and lowering of the cover plate. The lifting mechanism is usually equipped with multiple sets of drive components to raise and lower the cover plate synchronously, thereby stably opening or closing the cover plate.

[0003] Because semiconductor manufacturing equipment requires frequent cavity opening for maintenance and troubleshooting, lifting mechanisms are frequently used for cavity opening and closing. The significant weight of the equipment causes physical deformation of the frame, and maintaining perfect synchronization among the motors of multiple drive components is difficult. Therefore, during lifting, the lifting mechanism often jams, and excessive instantaneous torque from one motor can cause the lead screw or nut to fail, leading to equipment downtime and increased maintenance costs. While some designs incorporate level sensors to monitor and provide real-time feedback to the motors for speed adjustment, or allow for individual motor speed adjustments, the control system is extremely complex. Furthermore, if the signal is interfered with or interrupted, it is difficult to adjust the motor speed in time to control synchronous horizontal lifting, and it is also difficult to avoid damage to the lifting mechanism caused by the large instantaneous torque output of the motor. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present invention provides a lifting mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to achieve synchronous lifting, avoid jamming or damage to the lifting mechanism, reduce maintenance costs and increase service life.

[0005] This utility model provides a lifting mechanism, which includes:

[0006] Multiple sets of drive components are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the component to be lifted and are movably connected to the component to be lifted.

[0007] Multiple auxiliary components are provided, including racks and gears. The racks are fixed to one side of the drive component along the height of the drive component, and the gears are rotatably connected to the lifting component and mesh with the racks.

[0008] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the driving components are N groups and N≥3, then the number of auxiliary components n is n≥N-1 groups.

[0009] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the driving component includes a motor, a lead screw, and a lead screw nut. The two ends of the lead screw are respectively connected to the motor and the lead screw nut, and one end of the lead screw nut is connected to the object to be lifted. The motor is started to make the lead screw rotate, thereby driving the lead screw nut to move up and down along the lead screw, so as to drive the object to be lifted to move up and down.

[0010] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the driving component further includes a support member, which is sleeved on the outside of the lead screw and the lead nut.

[0011] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the rack is fixed on the side of the support member facing the center of the part to be lifted, and the gear is located above the part to be lifted and meshes with the rack.

[0012] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the length of the rack is consistent with the lifting distance of the nut.

[0013] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the drive assembly further includes a torque clutch, with the motor and the lead screw connected to its two sides respectively, for automatically disconnecting the connection between the motor and the lead screw.

[0014] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, the lifting mechanism further includes multiple sets of guide components. The multiple sets of guide components and the multiple sets of drive components are spaced apart around the object to be lifted, and the guide components are movably connected to the object to be lifted to guide the object to be lifted.

[0015] In the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model, there are N groups of driving components and guiding components, and N≥3. Then the number of auxiliary components n is n≥N-1 groups.

[0016] This utility model also provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, which includes:

[0017] A lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism is any one of the lifting mechanisms described above.

[0018] This application uses multiple sets of drive components to drive the lifting component to perform lifting and lowering movements. A rack is connected to one side of each drive component, and a gear is connected to the lifting component. The lifting component pushes the gear to slide on the rack. Because the rack and pinion have high transmission accuracy, reaching 0.1mm or even 0.03-0.05mm, and can bear a certain amount of power, the auxiliary components can effectively ensure that the multiple drive components maintain horizontal and synchronous movement during lifting and lowering. This avoids tilting of the lifting mechanism due to uneven force on one side / deformation / high load, which could cause jamming, component damage, or equipment downtime. This reduces maintenance costs and increases the service life of the lifting mechanism. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the current lifting mechanism;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a partial structural diagram of the lifting mechanism in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 This is an overall structural diagram of the lifting mechanism in an embodiment of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 4 This is another overall structural diagram of the lifting mechanism in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0024] The labels for the attached figures are as follows:

[0025] 1. Drive assembly; 11. Motor; 12. Lead screw; 13. Lead screw nut; 14. Support component; 15. Torque clutch; 2. Auxiliary assembly; 21. Rack; 22. Gear; 3. Component to be lifted. Detailed Implementation

[0026] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The preferred embodiments of this utility model will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Reference Figures 2 to 4The diagram illustrates an embodiment of the lifting mechanism and semiconductor manufacturing equipment of this utility model. The lifting mechanism includes multiple sets of drive components 1 and multiple sets of auxiliary components 2. The multiple sets of drive components 1 are spaced apart circumferentially along the part to be lifted 3 and are movably connected to the part to be lifted 3. The auxiliary components 2 include a rack 21 and a gear 22. The rack 21 is fixed to one side of the drive component 1 along the height of the drive component 1, and the gear 22 is rotatably connected to the part to be lifted 3 and meshes with the rack 21.

[0028] Reference Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of a current lifting mechanism. Using multiple sets of drive components 1 to lift the component 3 results in difficulty maintaining perfect synchronization among the motors 11 of the multiple drive components 1. This often leads to jamming during lifting, and excessive instantaneous torque from a single motor 11 can cause the lead screw 12 or nut to fail, resulting in equipment downtime and increased maintenance costs. To address the problems of high maintenance costs and short service life, this application provides a lifting mechanism.

[0029] Specifically, the lifting mechanism is used in mechanical equipment to lift heavy objects. In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism is applied in semiconductor production equipment, mainly in thin film production equipment. Thin film production equipment usually includes a reaction chamber and a cover plate that forms a vacuum chamber with it. Generally, the cover plate will support spray head assembly, electrical box, gas cabinet, radio frequency power supply, etc., with a weight of up to tons. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the cover plate, thereby stably opening or closing the cover plate.

[0030] The lifting mechanism includes multiple sets of drive components 1 and multiple sets of auxiliary components 2. The drive components 1 are spaced apart circumferentially along the component to be lifted 3, which refers to the structural component that needs to be lifted. The drive components 1 are mainly used to drive the component to be lifted 3 to perform lifting movements. The drive components 1 have a power source and lift or lower the component to be lifted 3 through the cooperation of the multiple sets of drive components 1. One end of the drive component 1 is movably connected to the component to be lifted 3, so that the component to be lifted 3 performs lifting movements under the action of the drive components 1. In this embodiment, the component to be lifted 3 performs lifting movements along the height direction of the drive components 1, and there are at least two sets of drive components 1.

[0031] The auxiliary component 2 is used to assist the lifting member 3 in synchronous lifting and lowering movements in all directions during lifting and lowering, thereby enabling the driving of multiple sets of driving components 1 to be synchronous. The auxiliary component 2 includes a gear 22 and a rack 21. The rack 21 extends along the height direction of the driving component 1 and is fixed to one side of the driving component 1. The gear 22 is rotatably connected to the lifting member 3 and also meshes with the rack 21. That is, the gear 22 is located at the outer edge of the lifting member 3 so that it can mesh with the rack 21.

[0032] When the lifting mechanism is activated, the drive assembly 1 drives the lifting member 3 to perform lifting and lowering movements, while the lifting member 3 drives the gear 22 to slide on the rack 21.

[0033] This application uses multiple sets of drive components 1 to drive the lifting member 3 to perform lifting and lowering movements. Simultaneously, a rack 21 is connected to one side of each drive component 1, and a gear 22 is connected to the lifting member 3. The lifting member 3 pushes the gear 22 to slide on the rack 21. Since the gear 22 and rack 21 have high transmission accuracy, reaching 0.1mm or even 0.03-0.05mm, and can bear a certain amount of power, the auxiliary component 2 can effectively ensure that the multiple sets of drive components 1 maintain horizontal and synchronous movement during lifting and lowering. This avoids tilting of the lifting mechanism due to uneven force on one side / deformation / high load-bearing capacity, which could cause jamming, component damage, or equipment downtime. This reduces maintenance costs and increases the service life of the lifting mechanism.

[0034] In a specific embodiment, if the driving component 1 has N groups and N≥3, then the number n of the auxiliary component 2 is n≥N-1 groups. Specifically, the driving component 1 is used to drive the lifting member 3 to perform lifting and lowering movements. Since the lifting member 3 is heavy, multiple sets of driving components 1 are required, spaced apart circumferentially along the lifting member 3, to lift and lower the member 3 from all sides, ensuring stable movement. In this embodiment, there are at least two sets of driving components 1, and the specific number is not limited and can be set according to the actual situation of the lifting member 3. If there are N sets of driving components 1, and N≥3, then the number n of auxiliary components 2 is set to n≥N-1 sets. For example, if there are three sets of driving components 1, then there are at least two sets of auxiliary components 2, ensuring that the auxiliary components 2 enable all driving components 1 to perform synchronous lifting and lowering movements, guaranteeing the function of the auxiliary components 2, improving the structural stability of the lifting mechanism, further preventing jamming and damage to the lifting mechanism, reducing maintenance costs, and increasing service life.

[0035] In one embodiment, reference is made to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the drive assembly 1 includes a motor 11, a lead screw 12, and a lead screw nut 13. The two ends of the lead screw are connected to the motor 11 and the lead screw nut 13, respectively. One end of the lead screw nut 13 is connected to the component 3 to be lifted. Specifically, starting the motor 11 causes the lead screw 12 to rotate, thereby driving the lead screw nut 13 to move up and down along the lead screw 12, thus driving the component 3 to move up and down. The drive assembly 1 is used to drive the component 3 to move up and down. The motor 11 serves as a power source and is electrically connected to the lead screw 12, thereby driving the lead screw 12 to rotate. The lead screw 12 converts the rotational motion into linear motion, causing the lead screw nut 13 to move up and down on the lead screw 12. The lead screw nut 13 drives the component 3 to move up and down.

[0036] One end of the lead screw 12 is connected to the motor 11, and the other end of the lead screw 12 is connected to one end of the lead screw nut 13. The other end of the lead screw nut 13 is fixedly connected to the lifting member 3. When the motor 11 starts at a preset speed, it outputs torque and transmits it to the lead screw 12 to make the lead screw 12 rotate. This causes the lead screw nut 13, which cooperates with the lead screw 12, to start moving synchronously. The lead screw nut 13 moves up and down along the lead screw 12, thereby driving the lifting member 3 to move up and down, so that the lifting member 3 reaches a preset position, thus realizing the lifting movement of the lifting member 3. At the same time, when the lifting member 3 moves, the gear 22 is driven by the lifting member 3 to slide on the rack 21. Finally, the opening or closing of the lifting member 3 is realized. The drive component 1 in this embodiment has a simple structure and stable operation.

[0037] In a specific embodiment, refer to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the drive assembly 1 further includes a support member 14, which is sleeved on the outside of the lead screw 12 and the lead nut 13. Specifically, the drive assembly 1 further includes the support member 14, which has a hollow structure, so that the lead screw 12 and the lead nut 13 can both be installed inside the support member 14, that is, the support member 14 is sleeved on the outside of the lead screw 12 and the lead nut 13 to support and protect the lead screw 12 and the lead nut 13, thereby improving the structural strength and stability of the drive assembly 1, ensuring that the lead screw 12 and the lead nut 13 are not disturbed during movement, and improving the service life of the drive assembly 1.

[0038] More specifically, the motor 11 is fixed above the support member 14 so that the support member 14 supports the motor 11 and improves the structural strength.

[0039] In one embodiment, reference is made to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the rack 21 is fixed to the support member 14 on the side facing the center of the component 3 to be lifted, and the gear 22 is located above the component 3 to be lifted and meshes with the rack 21. Specifically, the rack 21 is fixed to the support member 14 and located on the side of the support member 14 facing the center of the component 3 to be lifted, while the gear 22 is located above the component 3 to be lifted and meshes with the rack 21, thereby ensuring close contact between the gear 22 and the rack 21, guaranteeing the transmission between the gear 22 and the rack 21, and improving the structural stability of the auxiliary component 2; furthermore, the rack 21 is positioned close to the component 3 to be lifted, reducing production costs.

[0040] In a specific embodiment, refer to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the length of the rack 21 is consistent with the lifting distance of the lead screw 13. Specifically, the rack 21 is fixed on the support member 14 and extends along the height direction of the support member 14. The height of the support member 14 is consistent with the height of the lead screw 12 and the lead screw 13 after assembly, so as to better protect the lead screw 12 and the lead screw 13. The lead screw 13 moves up and down on the lead screw 12. To ensure the transmission of the rack 21 and the gear 22, the sliding distance of the gear 22 is related to the lifting distance of the object to be lifted 3, and the lifting distance is related to the lifting distance of the lead screw 13. Therefore, the length of the rack 21 is kept consistent with the lifting distance of the lead screw 13 so that the gear 22 can always mesh with the rack 21 when pushed by the object to be lifted 3, avoiding the gear 22 disengaging from the rack 21, which would affect the lifting stability of the object to be lifted 3 and improve the service life of the lifting mechanism.

[0041] In one embodiment, reference is made to Figures 3 to 4 As shown, the drive assembly 1 further includes a torque clutch 15, with the motor 11 and the lead screw 12 connected to its two sides respectively, for automatically disconnecting the motor 11 and the lead screw 12. Specifically, the drive assembly 1 further includes a torque clutch 15, which is a device that controls torque transmission in a mechanical transmission system. Its core function is to automatically trigger a separation or slippage mechanism by setting a threshold value, thereby protecting the equipment, avoiding overload damage, or achieving precise torque control. One end of the torque clutch 15 is connected to the motor 11, and the other end of the torque clutch 15 is connected to the lead screw 12.

[0042] When the motor 11 starts at a preset speed, it outputs torque and transmits it to the lead screw 12 to make the lead screw 12 rotate. The lead screw nut 13, which cooperates with the lead screw 12, starts to move synchronously to convert the rotational motion of the motor 11 driving the lead screw 12 into linear motion. The lead screw nut 13 is connected to the lifting member 3 through a connector to drive the lifting member 3 to complete the lifting motion and reach the preset position, thereby completing the opening or closing of the lifting member 3.

[0043] If abnormal wear or damage occurs in the lead screw 12 or lead nut 13 of a certain group of drive components 1, or if the rack 21 and gear 22 fail, causing an abnormal increase in the instantaneous output torque of the corresponding group of motors 11, when the output torque exceeds the torque threshold set by the torque clutch 15, the torque clutch 15 will automatically disengage from the motor 11 to interrupt the power transmission with the lead screw 12. This reduces the damage to the parts of the drive components 1, such as the motor 11, lead screw 12, and lead nut 13, extending their service life and preventing other more serious losses to the lifting mechanism, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

[0044] More specifically, when the lifting mechanism is in operation, if the output torque of the motor 11 exceeds the maximum value set by the torque clutch 15, the torque clutch 15 will automatically disengage from the motor 11 to prevent torque transmission and avoid wear or failure of the lead screw 12, the lead nut 13, etc. At the same time, the machine will send a warning to the operator. The torque clutch 15 will re-engage after rotating 360°. If the torque overload threshold is triggered again, the equipment will stop and manual intervention will be required to troubleshoot the problem and restore the machine.

[0045] More specifically, the lifting or lowering of the lifting member 3 is controlled by controlling the direction of the motor 11, which is a simple control method.

[0046] In a specific embodiment, the lifting mechanism further includes multiple sets of guide components (not shown in the figure). These guide components and drive components 1 are spaced apart around the lifting member 3, and the guide components are movably connected to the lifting member 3 to guide it. Specifically, the lifting mechanism further includes multiple sets of guide components, which function as a balancing system. For example, if a lifting mechanism for a certain lifting member 3 requires four lifting devices to achieve balance, two of these can be drive components 1, i.e., a power drive system formed by the motor 11, the lead screw 12, and the lead nut 13, etc. While meeting load-bearing requirements, the other two can be set as guide components. These guide components simply serve a guiding and balancing function without power output.

[0047] Therefore, the multiple sets of guide components and the multiple sets of drive components 1 are all spaced around the lifting member 3 to improve the stability of the movement of the lifting member 3; the guide component is movably connected to the lifting member 3, so that when the drive component 1 drives the lifting member 3 to perform lifting and lowering movements, the lifting member 3 can perform lifting and lowering movements along the guide component at one end of the guide component.

[0048] In this embodiment, by setting the drive component 1 and the guide component to work together to realize the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting component 3, the number of drive components 1 can be reduced, thereby reducing costs.

[0049] More specifically, the guide assembly includes a guide rod and a sleeve, the sleeve being fitted over the outside of the guide rod, and the guide rod being movably connected to the lifting component 3. The guide assembly has a simple structure and ensures stable operation of the lifting component 3, thereby reducing costs.

[0050] In one embodiment, there are N sets of driving components 1 and guiding components, where N ≥ 3. Therefore, the number n of auxiliary components 2 is n ≥ N-1 sets. Specifically, the driving components 1 drive the lifting member 3 to perform lifting and lowering movements. Since the lifting member 3 is heavy, multiple sets of driving components 1 are required. To reduce costs, the lifting and lowering movements of the lifting member 3 are performed through the cooperation of the driving components 1 and the guiding components. The multiple sets of driving components 1 and the multiple sets of guiding components are all spaced circumferentially around the lifting member 3, thereby lifting and lowering the lifting member 3 from all sides, ensuring stable movement of the lifting member 3. In this embodiment, there is at least one set of driving components 1 and at least one set of guiding components. The specific number of sets is not limited and can be set according to the actual situation of the lifting member 3.

[0051] If there are N groups of drive components 1 and guide components, and N≥3, then the number n of auxiliary components 2 is set to n≥N-1 groups. For example, if there are three groups of drive components 1 and guide components, then there are at least two groups of auxiliary components 2. This ensures that the auxiliary components 2 enable all drive components 1 to perform synchronous lifting and lowering movements, ensuring the function of the auxiliary components 2, improving the structural stability of the lifting mechanism, further avoiding jamming and damage to the lifting mechanism, reducing maintenance costs and increasing service life.

[0052] This embodiment also provides a semiconductor manufacturing equipment (not shown in the figure), which includes a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism can be any type of lifting mechanism provided by this utility model. Since the specific structure and working principle of the lifting mechanism 1 have been described in detail in the previous description, they will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0053] The semiconductor manufacturing equipment in this embodiment adopts the lifting mechanism provided by this utility model. The lifting mechanism can lift synchronously, avoiding component wear, reducing maintenance costs and increasing service life. As a result, the maintenance cost of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is reduced and the service life of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is increased.

[0054] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A lifting mechanism, characterized in that, include: Multiple sets of drive components are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the component to be lifted and are movably connected to the component to be lifted. Multiple auxiliary components are provided, including racks and gears. The racks are fixed to one side of the drive component along the height of the drive component, and the gears are rotatably connected to the lifting component and mesh with the racks.

2. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, If there are N groups of driving components and N≥3, then the number n of auxiliary components is n≥N-1 groups.

3. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive assembly includes a motor, a lead screw, and a lead screw nut. The two ends of the lead screw are connected to the motor and the lead screw nut, respectively, and one end of the lead screw nut is connected to the object to be lifted. The motor is started to make the lead screw rotate, which in turn drives the lead screw nut to move up and down along the lead screw, thereby driving the object to be lifted to move up and down.

4. The lifting mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drive assembly also includes a support member, which is sleeved on the outside of the lead screw and the lead nut.

5. The lifting mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rack is fixed to the side of the support member facing the center of the part to be lifted, and the gear is located above the part to be lifted and meshes with the rack.

6. The lifting mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The length of the rack is consistent with the lifting distance of the nut.

7. The lifting mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drive assembly also includes a torque clutch, with the motor and the lead screw connected to its two sides respectively, for automatically disconnecting the motor and the lead screw.

8. The lifting mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism also includes multiple sets of guide components. The multiple sets of guide components and the multiple sets of drive components are spaced apart around the object to be lifted, and the guide components are movably connected to the object to be lifted to guide it.

9. The lifting mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that, If there are N groups of driving components and guiding components, and N≥3, then the number n of auxiliary components is n≥N-1 groups.

10. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism is the lifting mechanism according to any one of claims 1-9.

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