Suction cup, suction device and thin film deposition apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to a chuck, a suction device and a thin film deposition device. The chuck comprises a base body and a protruding part. The base body is provided with an air channel. The base body has a base surface. A plurality of protruding parts are arranged on the base surface at intervals. Each protruding part has a suction surface arranged away from the base surface. Each suction surface is provided with a suction groove. The chuck is provided with an air hole connected with the suction groove and the air channel. The application can reduce the size of the stress concentration area of a workpiece caused by contact with the chuck, thereby reducing the risk of hidden cracks of the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of suction cup technology, and in particular to suction cups, adsorption devices, and thin film deposition equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Thin film deposition equipment often uses chucks to pick up silicon wafers. A typical and challenging problem is the appearance of "microcracks" during wafer pickup. These cracks are usually regular in shape (cross-shaped or nearly cross-shaped) and are mostly microcracks, making them difficult to detect during initial inspection. However, they can propagate during subsequent processing or heat treatment, leading to product scrap. Utility Model Content

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a suction cup, an adsorption device, and a thin film deposition equipment to address the problem of microcracks easily appearing on silicon wafers when they are adsorbed by suction cups.

[0004] Firstly, this application proposes a suction cup, comprising: A matrix, wherein an air passage is provided within the matrix, and the matrix has a base surface; The base surface has a plurality of protrusions spaced apart. Each protrusion has an adsorption surface facing away from the base surface. Each adsorption surface has an adsorption groove recessed therein. The suction cup has an air hole connecting the adsorption groove and the air passage. The sum of the areas of the adsorption surfaces of all the protrusions is less than the area of ​​the base surface.

[0005] In some embodiments, the protrusion height of the protrusion relative to the base surface is 1 mm to 6 mm.

[0006] In some embodiments, the adsorption tank includes a first tank portion and a second tank portion, the first tank portion and the second tank portion being intersected, and the air hole being located at the intersection of the first tank portion and the second tank portion.

[0007] In some embodiments, the substrate includes a main body portion and a cover portion connected along the protruding direction of the protrusion, the base surface is located at one end of the main body portion in the protruding direction, the main body portion includes a back surface disposed opposite to the base surface, the back surface is recessed to form an air groove communicating with the air hole, the cover portion fits against the back surface and covers the air groove to form the air passage.

[0008] In some embodiments, the substrate includes a longitudinal portion and a transverse portion, a plurality of transverse portions being spaced apart on the same side of the longitudinal portion in a second direction, and the protrusions are provided on both the longitudinal portion and the transverse portion; The longitudinal portion extends beyond the transverse portion at two ends in a third direction, and one of the ends is provided with a mounting portion for mounting the suction cup.

[0009] In some embodiments, the mounting portion includes a slot disposed on the longitudinal portion, two slots being arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal portion in the first direction and communicating through the protrusion direction of the protrusion.

[0010] In some embodiments, the protrusion has a flexible layer, and the adsorption surface is located on the flexible layer.

[0011] In some embodiments, the protrusion is a flexible portion and is detachably mounted to the substrate.

[0012] Secondly, this application proposes an adsorption device, including a vacuum system and the suction cup described in the first aspect, wherein the vacuum system is connected to the air passage.

[0013] Thirdly, this application provides a thin film deposition apparatus, including the adsorption device as described in the third aspect.

[0014] The aforementioned suction cup, adsorption device, and thin film deposition equipment form an adsorption surface with multiple protrusions on the substrate. The sum of the areas of these adsorption surfaces is smaller than the area of ​​the substrate. Compared to directly adsorbing the workpiece using the substrate, this reduces the contact area between the suction cup and the workpiece, thereby reducing the size of the stress concentration area caused by contact with the suction cup and thus lowering the risk of microcracks in the workpiece. Furthermore, the multiple protrusions are arranged separately at different positions to ensure stable adsorption of the workpiece. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 These are schematic diagrams of the suction cups in some embodiments; Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the suction cup shown. Figure 3 This is a partial structural diagram of the suction cup in some other embodiments.

[0016] The reference numerals in the detailed embodiments are as follows: 100. Suction cup; X. Protrusion direction; Y. First direction; Z. Second direction; 10. Substrate; T. Air passage; T1. Air groove; 11. Main body; m1. Base surface; m2. Back side; 12. Cover part; 10a. Longitudinal part; 10b. Transverse part; 10c. Mounting part; c1. Slot; 20. Protrusion; 21. Adsorption surface; 22. Adsorption groove; 22a. First groove; 22b. Second groove; K. Air hole; 23. Flexible layer. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0018] In the description of this application, it should be understood that, where they appear, the terms “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” and “circumferential” 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 application and 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 application.

[0019] Furthermore, where applicable, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0020] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," "fixing," etc., shall be interpreted broadly. For example, they may refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they may refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they may refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they may refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0022] It should be noted that, if an element is described as "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is described as "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0023] In order to reduce the problem of microcracks in thin workpieces such as silicon wafers when the suction cup is used to adsorb them, this application first proposes a suction cup.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The suction cup 100 proposed in this application embodiment includes a base 10 and protrusions 20. An air passage T is provided inside the base 10, and the base 10 has a base surface m1. A plurality of protrusions 20 are provided at intervals on the base surface m1. Each protrusion 20 has an adsorption surface 21 disposed opposite to the base surface m1. An adsorption groove 22 is recessed on each adsorption surface 21. The suction cup 100 is provided with an air hole K that connects the adsorption groove 22 and the air passage T.

[0025] The protrusion 20 and the base 10 can be integrally formed or separately connected. The air passage T is used to connect with an external vacuum system to transmit negative pressure to the air vent K. Since the air passage T is located on the base 10, if the protrusion 20 and the base 10 are separately connected, the airtightness requirements between the protrusion 20 and the base 10 need to be considered to avoid air leakage. For example, the protrusion 20 is bonded to the base surface m1. As another example, a mating part is provided on the base surface m1, and the protrusion 20 is assembled and connected to the mating part. Preferably, the protrusion 20 and the base 10 are integrally formed, which makes the overall structure of the suction cup 100 simple, and prevents air leakage at the connection between the protrusion 20 and the base 10, making the suction effect of the suction cup 100 more reliable.

[0026] The end surface of the protrusion 20 that is opposite to the base surface m1 serves as the adsorption surface 21 for adsorbing the workpiece. An adsorption groove 22 is provided on the adsorption surface 21, and the adsorption groove 22 is connected to the air hole K. Negative pressure is transmitted to the adsorption groove 22 through the air hole K, thereby enabling the workpiece to be adsorbed onto the adsorption surface 21. The adsorption groove 22 can be a straight groove, an annular groove, or other irregularly shaped groove.

[0027] The protrusions 20 are generally columnar. The multiple protrusions 20 occupy only a portion of the base surface m1, and the sum of the areas of all their adsorption surfaces 21 is less than the area of ​​the base surface m1. Understandably, the sum of the areas of all adsorption surfaces 21 refers to the sum of the areas of all adsorption surfaces 21 projected along the protrusion direction X of the protrusion 20.

[0028] In this embodiment, an adsorption surface 21 is formed by multiple protrusions 20 disposed on the base surface m1, and the sum of the areas of the adsorption surfaces 21 is smaller than the area of ​​the base surface m1. Compared with directly adsorbing the workpiece using the base surface m1, the contact area between the suction cup 100 and the workpiece is reduced, thereby reducing the size of the stress concentration area on the workpiece due to contact with the suction cup 100, and thus reducing the risk of microcracks in the workpiece. Moreover, the multiple protrusions 20 are arranged separately to adsorb the workpiece at different positions, ensuring stable adsorption of the workpiece.

[0029] Preferably, the number of protrusions 20 is 4 to 6. Preferably, the protrusions 20 are evenly distributed on the base surface m1.

[0030] In some embodiments, the protrusion height of the protrusion 20 relative to the base surface m1 is 1mm to 6mm. Specifically, the protrusion height of the protrusion 20 can be 2mm, 1mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, etc. A smaller protrusion height results in less material consumption for the suction cup 100, but increases the processing difficulty. A larger protrusion height of the protrusion 20 makes processing easier, but results in higher material consumption. When the protrusion height of the protrusion 20 is within the above-mentioned range, it is not only easy to process but also requires less material.

[0031] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 1 The adsorption tank 22 includes a first tank 22a and a second tank 22b. The first tank 22a and the second tank 22b are intersected and the air hole K is located at the intersection of the first tank 22a and the second tank 22b.

[0032] The first groove 22a and the second groove 22b intersect and connect to form a roughly cross-shaped structure, with the vent K located at the intersection of the cross structure. At this time, the adsorption groove 22 adopts a cross-shaped structure. On the one hand, the negative pressure in the adsorption groove 22 can adsorb the workpiece from the two intersecting directions, ensuring stable adsorption of the workpiece. On the other hand, the adsorption surface area 21 of the adsorption groove 22 is moderate, and the area of ​​the workpiece subjected to the adsorption force is moderate, reducing the risk of microcracks.

[0033] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 2 The base 10 includes a main body 11 and a cover 12 connected along the protrusion direction X of the protrusion 20. The base surface m1 is located at one end of the main body 11 in the protrusion direction X. The main body 11 includes a back surface m2 disposed opposite to the base surface m1. The back surface m2 is recessed to form an air groove T1 that communicates with the air hole K. The cover 12 fits against the back surface m2 and covers the air groove T1 to form an air passage T.

[0034] The main body 11 and the protrusion 20 are integrally formed. The protrusion direction X of the protrusion 20 is consistent with the thickness direction of the main body 11. One end surface of the main body 11 in the thickness direction is the base surface m1, and the other end surface is the back surface m2. An air groove T1 is formed on the back surface m2, and the air groove T1 connects to all the air holes K. The cover part 12 can be bonded, welded, or assembled to the main body 11 and cover the back surface m2 to cover the air groove T1 to form an air passage T.

[0035] At this time, the base 10 is composed of a main body 11 and a cover 12 connected along the above-mentioned protruding direction X. An air groove T1 is formed by machining the back side m2 of the main body 11, and then the air groove T1 is covered by the cover 12 to obtain the air passage T, which simplifies the processing of the air passage T and reduces the processing cost of the suction cup 100.

[0036] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 1 The substrate 10 includes a longitudinal portion 10a and a transverse portion 10b. A plurality of transverse portions 10b are spaced apart on the same side of the longitudinal portion 10a in the first direction Y. Both the longitudinal portion 10a and the transverse portion 10b are provided with protrusions 20.

[0037] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, two transverse portions 10b are arranged adjacently along the second direction Z and on the same side of the longitudinal portion 10a in the first direction Y. One protrusion 20 may be arranged on the transverse portion 10b, and multiple protrusions 20 may be arranged on the longitudinal portion 10a, with these multiple protrusions 20 spaced apart along the second direction Z. Specifically, if the base 10 includes the aforementioned main body 11 and cover portion 12, each transverse portion 10b and longitudinal portion 10a has a portion located in the main body 11 and another portion located in the cover portion 12 in the aforementioned protrusion direction X. The transverse portions 10b and longitudinal portions 10a both located in the main body 11 can be integrally formed, and the transverse portions 10b and longitudinal portions 10a both located in the cover portion 12 can also be integrally formed.

[0038] At this time, the substrate 10 is connected by the intersecting transverse portion 10b and the longitudinal portion 10a. There is a gap between the transverse portions 10b, which can reduce the volume of the substrate 10, reduce the weight of the substrate 10, and reduce the manufacturing cost of the suction cup 100.

[0039] It is worth noting that the first direction Y, the second direction Z, and the protruding direction X intersect each other pairwise but are not coplanar. Generally, these three directions are perpendicular to each other pairwise. Optionally, the dimension of the longitudinal portion 10a in the first direction Y is smaller than its dimension in the second direction Z. The dimension of the transverse portion 10b in the second direction Z is smaller than its dimension in the first direction Y.

[0040] Further in the embodiments, refer to Figure 1 The longitudinal portion 10a extends beyond the transverse portion 10b at both ends in the second direction Z, and a mounting portion 10c for mounting the suction cup 100 is provided on one of its ends.

[0041] Specifically, the mounting part 10c can be a mounting groove, a mounting post, etc. The suction cup 100 is mounted to the external structure via the mounting part 10c. A protrusion 20 is provided at the other end of the longitudinal part 10a.

[0042] Specifically, in the embodiments, refer to Figure 1 The mounting part 10c includes a slot c1 provided in the longitudinal part 10a. Two slots c1 are arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal part 10a in the first direction Y and are provided through the protrusion direction X of the protrusion 20.

[0043] In practical applications, the suction cup 100 is engaged with the external structure via two slots c1 and is vertically mounted on the external structure, i.e., the base surface m1 is vertically set. In this case, the structure of the mounting part 10c is simple, and the structure of the suction cup 100 is even simpler.

[0044] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 3 The protrusion 20 has a flexible layer 23, and the adsorption surface 21 is located on the flexible layer 23.

[0045] Understandably, the adsorption surface 21 extends through the flexible layer 23. The flexible layer 23 can be made of flexible materials such as polyurethane, fluororubber, or PFA. The flexible layer 23 can be bonded or interference-fitted. In this case, a layer of soft elastomer material is provided on the surface of the suction cup 100, so that the protrusion 20 can better adapt to the microscopic unevenness of the workpiece adsorption surface 21, increase the effective contact area, make the adsorption force distribution more uniform, and buffer local stress.

[0046] In other embodiments, the protrusion 20 is a flexible part, which is detachably mounted to the base 10. That is, the protrusion 20 is entirely made of a flexible material. Since flexible materials are prone to wear and require periodic replacement, making the protrusion 20 entirely a flexible part simplifies its structure and allows for detachable mounting to the base 10, simplifying installation and facilitating replacement of the flexible part.

[0047] Specifically, an installation groove can be opened on the base surface m1, and the protrusion 20 can be interference-fitted into the installation groove. Furthermore, a positioning post can be set in the installation groove, and the protrusion 20 and the positioning post can be mated together.

[0048] In one specific embodiment of this application, the suction cup 100 includes an integrally formed protrusion 20 and a base 10. The base 10 includes a longitudinal portion 10a and two transverse portions 10b. The two transverse portions 10b are disposed on the same side of the longitudinal portion 10a in a first direction Y and are spaced apart along a second direction Z. Each transverse portion 10b has a protrusion 20, and the longitudinal portion 10a has three protrusions 20, which are spaced apart along the second direction Z. Both ends of the longitudinal portion 10a in the second direction Z extend beyond the transverse portions 10b, with one end having a slot c1 and the other end having a protrusion 20. Each protrusion 20 has a cross-shaped suction groove 22, and an air hole K is provided at the intersection of the suction grooves 22. The air hole K communicates with the air passage T in the base 10.

[0049] In addition, this application also proposes an adsorption device, including a vacuum system and a suction cup 100 as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the vacuum system is connected to the air passage T. This adsorption device possesses all the beneficial effects of the above embodiments.

[0050] A vacuum system typically includes a vacuum generator, control valves, and piping. The vacuum generator is connected to the gas passage T via piping, and the control valve is located on the piping to control the opening and closing of the piping, thereby controlling whether negative pressure is supplied to the gas passage T. The vacuum system can be configured according to conventional practices in this field.

[0051] In addition, this application also provides a thin film deposition apparatus, including the aforementioned adsorption device. This adsorption device is used to fix a workpiece for deposition processing. Various specific applications of the adsorption device exist, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A suction cup (100), characterized in that, include: A substrate (10) is provided with an air passage (T) and a base surface (m1). The protrusion (20) is provided at intervals on the base surface (m1). Each protrusion (20) has an adsorption surface (21) facing away from the base surface (m1). Each adsorption surface (21) is recessed with an adsorption groove (22). The suction cup (100) is provided with an air hole (K) that connects the adsorption groove (22) and the air passage (T). The sum of the areas of the adsorption surfaces (21) of all the protrusions (20) is less than the area of ​​the base surface (m1).

2. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protrusion height of the protrusion (20) relative to the base surface (m1) is 1mm to 6mm.

3. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adsorption tank (22) includes a first tank (22a) and a second tank (22b), the first tank (22a) and the second tank (22b) are intersecting each other, and the air hole (K) is located at the intersection of the first tank (22a) and the second tank (22b).

4. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base (10) includes a main body (11) and a cover (12) connected along the protrusion direction (X) of the protrusion (20). The base surface (m1) is located at one end of the main body (11) in the protrusion direction (X). The main body (11) includes a back surface (m2) disposed opposite to the base surface (m1). The back surface (m2) is recessed to form an air groove (T1) communicating with the air hole (K). The cover (12) fits against the back surface (m2) and covers the air groove (T1) to form the air passage (T).

5. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate (10) includes a longitudinal portion (10a) and a transverse portion (10b), and a plurality of transverse portions (10b) are spaced apart on the same side of the longitudinal portion (10a) in a first direction (Y). The protrusion (20) is provided on both the longitudinal portion (10a) and the transverse portion (10b). The longitudinal portion (10a) extends beyond the transverse portion (10b) at both ends in the second direction (Z), and a mounting portion (10c) for mounting the suction cup (100) is provided on one of the ends.

6. The suction cup (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The mounting portion (10c) includes a slot (c1) disposed on the longitudinal portion (10a). The two slots (c1) are arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal portion (10a) in the first direction (Y) and are disposed through the protrusion direction (X) of the protrusion (20).

7. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protrusion (20) has a flexible layer (23), and the adsorption surface (21) is located on the flexible layer (23).

8. The suction cup (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protrusion (20) is a flexible part, and the protrusion (20) is detachably installed on the base (10).

9. An adsorption device, characterized in that, Includes a vacuum system and a suction cup (100) as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vacuum system is in communication with the air passage (T).

10. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the adsorption device as described in claim 9.

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