A coating module of a wafer vacuum coating device

Abstract

The application discloses a wafer vacuum coating equipment coating module, relates to the field of vacuum coating, and comprises a shell, a supporting plate arranged in the shell, a plurality of bearing blocks movably arranged below the supporting plate, the bearing blocks being connected with the supporting plate through connecting rods, the connecting rods penetrating the supporting plate in the vertical direction, the bottom end of the connecting rod being fixedly connected with the bearing block and located below the supporting plate, and the top end of the connecting rod being located above the supporting plate, a target material fixedly arranged in the shell, the target material being located below the bearing block, a first driving element connected with the supporting plate and used for driving the supporting plate to rotate around the vertical direction, and a second driving element connected with the top end of the connecting rod and used for driving the connecting rod to drive the bearing block to move along the vertical direction. The wafer vacuum coating equipment coating module provided in the specification can realize continuous coating of wafers and improve processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to the field of vacuum coating technology, and in particular to a coating module of a wafer vacuum coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Vacuum coating refers to a method of heating metallic or non-metallic materials under high vacuum conditions, causing them to evaporate and condense onto the surface of the workpiece (metal, semiconductor, or insulator) to form a thin film. Vacuum coating is an important aspect of vacuum applications. Based on vacuum technology, it utilizes physical or chemical methods and incorporates a series of new technologies such as electron beams, molecular beams, ion beams, plasma beams, radio frequency, and magnetron sputtering to provide a new process for thin film preparation for scientific research and practical production. Simply put, the method of evaporating or sputtering metals, alloys, or compounds in a vacuum, causing them to solidify and deposit on the object to be coated (called a substrate, sheet, or matrix), is called vacuum coating.

[0003] In existing technologies, vacuum coating chambers typically contain a target and a support for placing the substrate. The target faces the support, and rotating the support ensures uniform coating of the substrate. However, after coating is complete, the vacuum in the coating chamber usually needs to be broken, the coated substrate removed, and other substrates to be coated introduced. The vacuum in the coating chamber is then evacuated again to continue coating. This method cannot achieve continuous coating of substrates, resulting in long downtime and reduced processing efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, one object of this specification is to provide a coating module for a wafer vacuum coating equipment that can realize continuous coating of wafers and improve processing efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this specification provides a coating module for a wafer vacuum coating apparatus, comprising: case; A support plate disposed within the housing; Multiple support blocks are movably disposed below the support plate, and the support blocks are connected to the support plate via connecting rods; the connecting rods pass through the support plate in the vertical direction, the bottom end of the connecting rods is fixedly connected to the support blocks and located below the support plate, and the top end of the connecting rods is located above the support plate; A target material is fixedly disposed within the housing, and the target material is located below the support block; A first driving member connected to the support plate is used to drive the support plate to rotate about the vertical direction; A second driving member that can be connected to the top end of the connecting rod is used to drive the connecting rod to move the bearing block in the vertical direction.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the top of the connecting rod is provided with a protrusion, and a spring is provided between the protrusion and the support plate, with the spring sleeved outside the connecting rod; under the action of the spring, the distance between the top of the connecting rod and the support plate is at its maximum, and the bearing block is in contact with the support plate; when the second driving member drives the connecting rod to move the bearing block downward, the spring is compressed, and the bearing block separates from the support plate.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the housing includes a top plate located at the top; the first driving member and the second driving member are mounted on the top plate; the first driving member and the second driving member are spaced apart in a first direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the output end of the second driving member is connected to a driving plate, which is horizontally disposed within the housing, and the bottom surface of the driving plate is used to contact the top end of the connecting rod.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the drive plate is provided with a plurality of drive rods, each drive rod corresponding to a connecting rod, and the drive rod is located above the connecting rod; the bottom surface of the drive rod is used to contact the top surface of the connecting rod.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the housing is further provided with a heating assembly, the top of which is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the top plate, and the heating assembly is located between the support plate and the top plate; the output end of the first driving member passes through the center of the heating assembly and is fixedly connected to the support plate.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the heating assembly includes heating wires and a protective cover, with multiple heating wires evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the protective cover surrounds the periphery, top end, and bottom end of the heating wires.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the housing includes two side plates perpendicular to the first direction, one of which has an opening, the size of which in the second direction is larger than the size of the wafer; the first direction, the second direction, and the vertical direction are mutually perpendicular.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with a baffle, which is arranged perpendicular to the first direction; the size of the baffle is greater than or equal to the size of the opening.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the housing includes a top plate at the top; the top plate is provided with a third driving member, the output end of which is fixedly connected to the baffle, and the third driving member is used to drive the baffle to move in a vertical direction, so that the baffle switches between a position covering the opening and a position opening the opening. Beneficial effects

[0015] The wafer vacuum coating equipment provided in this embodiment includes a coating module comprising a housing, a support plate, carrier blocks, a target material, a first driving component, and a second driving component. The space within the housing serves as the coating space, the target material provides the coating material, and multiple carrier blocks support the wafer. The carrier blocks are connected to the support plate via connecting rods. By driving the connecting rods with the second driving component, the carrier blocks can be moved vertically. When the carrier blocks move downwards, a predetermined distance is established between the carrier blocks and the support plate. At this point, a robotic arm can be used to move the wafer onto the carrier blocks. Then, the second driving component drives the connecting rods to move the carrier blocks upwards, causing the upper surface of the carrier blocks to contact the lower surface of the support plate. The wafer is then stably and reliably held between the carrier blocks and the support plate. By driving the support plate to rotate with the first driving component, the carrier blocks and the wafer can rotate together, thereby uniformly coating the lower surface of the wafer.

[0016] The coating chamber in this application can not only rotate the wafer, but also automatically fix and move the wafer up and down. It is convenient to cooperate with the robot to realize the automatic loading and unloading of wafers without manual intervention. The robot can be set in the chamber that shares a vacuum space with the coating chamber. The vacuum in the chamber can be maintained when taking out and placing the wafer. There is no need to break the vacuum, which can realize continuous coating of wafers and improve processing efficiency.

[0017] Specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, indicating how the principles of the present invention can be adopted. It should be understood that the scope of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0018] Features described and / or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0019] It should be emphasized that the term "including / comprises" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, whole, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, or components. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the coating module of a wafer vacuum coating equipment provided in this embodiment; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure after removing the casing and robotic arm; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure after removing the first driving component, the target material, the baffle, and the third driving component, and adding the robotic arm; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural diagram from another perspective; Figure 5 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure after the protective cover has been removed.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Housing; 101. Top plate; 102. Side plate; 103. Opening; 2. Support plate; 3. Bearing block; 4. Connecting rod; 41. Protrusion; 5. Spring; 6. Target material; 7. First driving component; 8. Second driving component; 9. Drive plate; 10. Drive rod; 11. Heating assembly; 111. Heating wire; 112. Protective cover; 12. Baffle; 13. Third driving component; 14. Connecting rod; 20. Wafer; 21. Robotic arm; X, First direction; Y, Second direction; Z, Vertical direction. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this utility model, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0024] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or may be interposed with another element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or may be interposed with another element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementations.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] Please see Figures 1 to 5 This application provides a coating module for a wafer vacuum coating apparatus, comprising: a housing 1, a support plate 2, a carrier block 3, a target material 6, a first driving component 7, and a second driving component 8.

[0027] The support plate 2 is disposed within the housing 1. Multiple bearing blocks 3 are movably disposed below the support plate 2. The bearing blocks 3 are connected to the support plate 2 via connecting rods 4. The connecting rods 4 pass through the support plate 2 in the vertical direction Z, with their bottom ends fixedly connected to the bearing blocks 3 and located below the support plate 2, and their top ends located above the support plate 2. A target material 6 is fixedly disposed within the housing 1 and located below the bearing blocks 3. A first driving member 7 is connected to the support plate 2 and is used to drive the support plate 2 to rotate around the vertical direction Z. A second driving member 8 can be connected to the top end of the connecting rods 4 and is used to drive the connecting rods 4 to move the bearing blocks 3 along the vertical direction Z.

[0028] The wafer vacuum coating equipment provided in this embodiment includes a coating module comprising a housing 1, a support plate 2, a carrier block 3, a target material 6, a first driving member 7, and a second driving member 8. The space within the housing 1 serves as the coating space. The target material 6 provides the coating material, and multiple carrier blocks 3 support the wafer 20. The carrier block 3 is connected to the support plate 2 via a connecting rod 4. By driving the connecting rod 4 with the second driving member 8, the carrier block 3 can be moved vertically in the Z direction. When the carrier block 3 moves downward, a predetermined distance is established between the carrier block 3 and the support plate 2. At this point, a robotic arm 21 can be used to move the wafer 20 onto the multiple carrier blocks 3. Then, the second driving member 8 drives the connecting rod 4 to move the carrier block 3 upward, causing the upper surface of the carrier block 3 to fit against the lower surface of the support plate 2. At this point, the wafer 20 is stably and reliably held between the carrier block 3 and the support plate 2. By driving the support plate 2 to rotate with the first driving member 7, the carrier block 3 and the wafer 20 can rotate together, thereby uniformly coating the lower surface of the wafer 20.

[0029] The coating cavity in this application can not only rotate the wafer 20, but also automatically fix and move the wafer 20 up and down. It is convenient to cooperate with the robot arm 21 to realize the automatic loading and unloading of the wafer 20 without manual intervention. The robot arm 21 can be set in the cavity that shares a vacuum space with the coating cavity. The vacuum in the cavity can be maintained when taking out the wafer 20 and placing the wafer 20. There is no need to break the vacuum, which can realize continuous coating of the wafer 20 and improve processing efficiency.

[0030] In this embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the top of the connecting rod 4 has a protrusion 41, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of other parts of the connecting rod 4. A spring 5 is provided between the protrusion 41 and the support plate 2, and the spring 5 is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod 4. Figures 2 to 5 As shown, under the force of the spring 5, the distance between the top of the connecting rod 4 and the support plate 2 is at its maximum, and the bearing block 3 is in contact with the support plate 2. At this time, the wafer 20 is stably and reliably clamped between the bearing block 3 and the support plate 2. When the second driving member 8 drives the connecting rod 4 to move the bearing block 3 downward, the spring 5 is compressed, and the bearing block 3 separates from the support plate 2. At this time, the robotic arm 21 can be used to move the wafer 20 onto multiple bearing blocks 3.

[0031] Specifically, the housing 1 includes a top plate 101 located at the top. A first drive member 7 and a second drive member 8 are mounted on the top plate 101. The first drive member 7 and the second drive member 8 are spaced apart in a first direction X. The first direction X is perpendicular to the vertical direction Z. The robot arm 21 can move along the first direction X, thereby conveying the wafer 20 into or out of the housing 1. The first drive member 7 is preferably a servo motor.

[0032] like Figure 5As shown, the output end of the second driving component 8 is connected to a driving plate 9, which is horizontally positioned inside the housing 1. The bottom surface of the driving plate 9 contacts the top end of the connecting rod 4, thereby pushing the connecting rod 4 to move the bearing block 3. The driving plate 9 can be roughly C-shaped, with a notch in the middle to provide a space for the heating component 11 described below, thus saving materials and effort. The second driving component 8 can be a cylinder.

[0033] In one embodiment, the drive plate 9 is provided with a plurality of drive rods 10, each corresponding to a connecting rod 4, and the drive rod 10 is located above the connecting rod 4. The bottom surface of the drive rod 10 is used to contact the top surface of the connecting rod 4, thereby pushing the connecting rod 4 to move the bearing block 3. Since a spring 5 is provided, it is only necessary to ensure that the bottom surface of the drive rod 10 can contact the top surface of the connecting rod 4, and it is not necessary to physically connect the drive rod 10 and the connecting rod 4.

[0034] Preferably, when the bearing block 3 is in contact with the support plate 2, there is a certain gap between the bottom surface of the drive rod 10 and the top surface of the connecting rod 4, so as to avoid the drive rod 10 from hindering the connecting rod 4 from returning to its position (returning to the position means returning to the state where the bearing block 3 and the support plate 2 are in contact by the elastic force of the spring 5).

[0035] In this embodiment, a heating assembly 11 is also provided inside the housing 1, which can heat the wafer 20 as needed to obtain a good coating effect. The top of the heating assembly 11 is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the top plate 101. The heating assembly 11 is located between the support plate 2 and the top plate 101. The output end of the first driving member 7 passes through the center of the heating assembly 11 and is fixedly connected to the support plate 2, so that the heating assembly 11 is fixed relative to the housing 1, and the support plate 2 can drive the wafer 20 to rotate relative to the heating assembly 11.

[0036] Specifically, the heating assembly 11 includes a heating wire 111 and a protective cover 112. For example... Figure 5 As shown, multiple heating wires 111 are evenly arranged in the circumferential direction. Figure 4 As shown, a protective cover 112 surrounds the periphery, top, and bottom of the heating wire 111 to protect it. The protective cover 112, located at the top and bottom of the heating wire 111, has a notch at its center for the output shaft of the first drive member 7 to pass through. The protective cover 112 at the top of the heating wire 111 is fixedly connected to the top plate 101 via a connecting rod 14.

[0037] like Figure 1As shown, the housing 1 includes two side plates 102 perpendicular to the first direction X, one of which has an opening 103 for the robotic arm 21 to pass through. The opening 103 in the second direction Y is larger than the size of the wafer 20, ensuring that the wafer 20 can pass through the opening 103. The first direction X, the second direction Y, and the vertical direction Z are all perpendicular to each other; that is, the first direction X and the second direction Y are two perpendicular directions in the horizontal plane.

[0038] In this embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, a baffle 12 is provided inside the housing 1, and the baffle 12 is arranged perpendicular to the first direction X. The size of the baffle 12 is greater than or equal to the size of the opening 103, so that the opening 103 can be blocked during the coating process to prevent the film material from entering other chambers through the opening 103.

[0039] Specifically, a third driving member 13 is provided on the top plate 101. The output end of the third driving member 13 is fixedly connected to the baffle 12. The third driving member 13 is used to drive the baffle 12 to move in the vertical direction Z, so that the baffle 12 switches between the position of covering the opening 103 and the position of opening the opening 103. When the robot arm 21 needs to transport the wafer 20 into the housing 1 or transport the wafer 20 out of the housing 1, the third driving member 13 drives the baffle 12 to move upward, so that the opening 103 is fully opened; in other cases, the baffle 12 covers the opening 103 and blocks the opening 103.

[0040] Specifically, the housing 1 is also connected to a vacuum pumping assembly for evacuating the interior of the housing 1.

[0041] It should be noted that in the description of this specification, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only for descriptive purposes and to distinguish similar objects; there is no order between them, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Furthermore, in the description of this specification, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0042] Any numerical values ​​cited herein include all values ​​ranging from a lower limit to an upper limit, increasing by one unit, with at least two units between any lower and any higher value. For example, if the quantity of a component or the value of a process variable (e.g., temperature, pressure, time, etc.) is described as being from 1 to 90, preferably from 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, the purpose is to illustrate that values ​​such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32 are also explicitly listed in this specification. For values ​​less than 1, a unit is appropriately considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, etc. These are merely examples intended for explicit expression, and it can be assumed that all possible combinations of values ​​listed between the minimum and maximum values ​​are explicitly described in this specification in a similar manner.

[0043] Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include the endpoints and all numbers between them. The terms "approximately" or "about" used with ranges apply to both endpoints of the range. Thus, "approximately 20 to 30" is intended to cover "approximately 20 to approximately 30," including at least the specified endpoints.

[0044] All articles and references disclosed herein, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated herein by reference for various purposes. The term “substantially constitutes…” used to describe a combination should include the identified elements, components, parts, or steps, as well as other elements, components, parts, or steps that do not substantially affect the essential novelty of the combination. The use of the terms “comprising” or “including” to describe combinations of elements, components, parts, or steps herein also contemplates embodiments substantially constituted by such elements, components, parts, or steps. The use of the term “may” herein is intended to indicate that any described attribute included by “may” is optional.

[0045] Multiple elements, components, parts, or steps can be provided by a single integrated element, component, part, or step. Alternatively, a single integrated element, component, part, or step can be divided into multiple separate elements, components, parts, or steps. The use of "a" or "an" to describe an element, component, part, or step does not imply the exclusion of other elements, components, parts, or steps.

[0046] It should be understood that the above description is for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. Many embodiments and applications beyond the provided examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of this teaching should not be determined by reference to the above description, but rather by reference to the appended claims and the full scope of their equivalents. For purposes of completeness, all articles and references, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated herein by reference. The omission of any aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein in the preceding claims is not intended as a waiver of that subject matter, nor should it be construed as an indication that the inventors have not considered that subject matter as part of the disclosed utility model subject matter.

Claims

1. A coating module for a wafer vacuum coating equipment, characterized in that, include: case; A support plate disposed within the housing; Multiple support blocks are movably disposed below the support plate, and the support blocks are connected to the support plate via connecting rods; the connecting rods pass through the support plate in the vertical direction, the bottom end of the connecting rods is fixedly connected to the support blocks and located below the support plate, and the top end of the connecting rods is located above the support plate; A target material is fixedly disposed within the housing, and the target material is located below the support block; A first driving member connected to the support plate is used to drive the support plate to rotate about the vertical direction; A second driving member that can be connected to the top end of the connecting rod is used to drive the connecting rod to move the bearing block in the vertical direction.

2. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the connecting rod has a protrusion, and a spring is provided between the protrusion and the support plate. The spring is sleeved on the outside of the connecting rod. Under the action of the spring, the distance between the top of the connecting rod and the support plate is at its maximum, and the bearing block is in contact with the support plate. When the second driving member drives the connecting rod to move the bearing block downward, the spring is compressed, and the bearing block separates from the support plate.

3. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The housing includes a top plate located at the top; the first driving member and the second driving member are mounted on the top plate; the first driving member and the second driving member are spaced apart in a first direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the vertical direction.

4. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The output end of the second driving component is connected to a driving plate, which is horizontally disposed inside the housing, and the bottom surface of the driving plate is used to contact the top end of the connecting rod.

5. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The drive plate is provided with a plurality of drive rods, each of which corresponds to a connecting rod. The drive rod is located above the connecting rod. The bottom surface of the drive rod is used to contact the top surface of the connecting rod.

6. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The housing is further provided with a heating component, the top of which is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the top plate, and the heating component is located between the support plate and the top plate; the output end of the first driving member passes through the center of the heating component and is fixedly connected to the support plate.

7. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The heating assembly includes heating wires and a protective cover, with multiple heating wires evenly arranged in the circumferential direction; the protective cover surrounds the periphery, top, and bottom of the heating wires.

8. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes two side plates perpendicular to a first direction, one of which has an opening, the size of which in a second direction is larger than the size of the wafer; the first direction, the second direction, and the vertical direction are mutually perpendicular.

9. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The housing is provided with a baffle, which is arranged perpendicular to the first direction; the size of the baffle is greater than or equal to the size of the opening.

10. The coating module of the wafer vacuum coating equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, The housing includes a top plate at the top; a third driving member is provided on the top plate, the output end of the third driving member is fixedly connected to the baffle, and the third driving member is used to drive the baffle to move in the vertical direction, so that the baffle switches between a position covering the opening and a position opening the opening.

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