A high efficiency PVD vacuum stream transport structure

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of efficient PVD vacuum logistics transmission structures, including feeding chamber, process chamber, discharging chamber, manipulator chamber and vacuum pump set.The utility model is isolated by being provided with vacuum plug valve between each key chamber, so that manipulator chamber and process chamber can always maintain vacuum state in production process.Only need to carry out vacuumizing operation to relatively independent feeding and discharging chamber, save the time-consuming of manipulator chamber repeatedly vacuumizing under traditional mode, substantially shorten production rhythm.And using the manipulator of double arm, two pieces of substrate can be simultaneously handled in one transmission stroke, and transmission capacity is doubled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of PVD equipment technology, and in particular to a high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing fields of semiconductors, optical components, and flat panel displays, physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology is widely used to deposit functional thin films on substrate surfaces. PVD processes are typically performed in a vacuum environment and involve transferring the substrate from a loading chamber to one or more process chambers for coating, and then transferring it to an unloading chamber.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream PVD equipment on the market generally adopts a single-piece and step-by-step transport structure. Before and after each transport, the relevant chambers often need to undergo a cycle from vacuum breaking to transport and then vacuuming again. The vacuuming process is time-consuming, severely restricting the production cycle and overall efficiency of the equipment. Furthermore, traditional equipment chambers mostly adopt a linear assembly line layout, requiring the robotic arm to move back and forth in a long, narrow layout, resulting in long transport paths and further increasing non-productive time. The loading and unloading chambers are usually single-sided stacking of substrates, with limited single-load capacity. To meet the needs of continuous production, frequent loading or unloading operations are necessary, each accompanied by vacuum breaking and re-vacuuming of the chambers, creating an efficiency bottleneck. Moreover, most current equipment uses a single-arm robotic arm, which can only grasp and place one substrate at a time, limiting transport capacity. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows:

[0006] A high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure includes a loading chamber, a process chamber, a unloading chamber, a robotic arm chamber, and a vacuum pump assembly.

[0007] The loading chamber is connected to the robotic arm chamber via a second valve, the robotic arm chamber is connected to the process chamber via a third valve, and the robotic arm chamber is connected to the unloading chamber via a fourth valve. Both the loading chamber and the unloading chamber are equipped with a four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism. The robotic arm chamber is equipped with a double-arm robotic arm. The vacuum pump group is connected to the robotic arm chamber, the process chamber, the loading chamber, and the unloading chamber via vacuum pipes.

[0008] Furthermore, the four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism includes a cassette and a lifting and rotating structure. The cassette has multiple loading surfaces for supporting the substrate clamp, and the lifting and rotating structure is used to drive the cassette to rotate around its central axis.

[0009] Furthermore, the cartridge has four loading surfaces.

[0010] Furthermore, the robotic arm includes a robotic arm base, a drive unit disposed on the base, and two independent robotic arms arranged vertically and vertically controlled by the drive unit, each robotic arm having a gripper at its end for grasping a substrate clamp.

[0011] Furthermore, a first valve is provided at the opening end of the feeding chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, a fifth valve is provided at the opening end of the feeding chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, the PVD vacuum material transport structure also includes sensors, which are located at the connection points between each chamber and the robotic arm chamber.

[0014] Beneficial effects:

[0015] This invention isolates the key chambers using vacuum gate valves, ensuring that the robotic arm chamber and the process chamber remain under vacuum throughout the production process. Vacuuming is only required for the relatively independent loading and unloading chambers, eliminating the time-consuming repeated vacuuming of the robotic arm chamber in traditional methods and significantly shortening the production cycle. Furthermore, the dual-arm robotic arm can simultaneously handle two substrates in a single transport stroke, doubling the transport capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the loading chamber, unloading chamber, and robotic arm chamber in this utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the loading chamber in this utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the internal structure of the robotic arm chamber in this utility model.

[0020] Numbered in the diagram: 1. Loading chamber; 2. Processing chamber; 3. Robotic arm chamber; 4. Vacuum pump assembly; 5. Unloading chamber; 6. First valve; 7. Second valve; 8. Third valve; 9. Fourth valve; 10. Fifth valve; 11. Chiller; 12. Rotary guide rail; 13. Lifting and rotating structure; 14. Fixture; 15. Robotic arm; 16. Robotic arm; 17. Sensor; 18. Robotic arm base. Detailed Implementation

[0021] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0022] In addition, unless otherwise specified, the components used in the following embodiments are all existing components, and their corresponding connection methods can also be achieved through conventional technical means, which will not be described in detail in this application. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] Example

[0024] This embodiment provides a highly efficient PVD vacuum material transport structure, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the system includes a loading chamber 1, a processing chamber 2, a discharging chamber 5, a robotic arm chamber 3, and a vacuum pump assembly 4. The loading chamber 1 is connected to the robotic arm chamber 3 via a second valve 7. The robotic arm chamber 3 is connected to the processing chamber 2 via a third valve 8, and the robotic arm chamber 3 is connected to the discharging chamber 5 via a fourth valve 9. A first valve 6 is installed at the opening of the loading chamber 1. A fifth valve 10 is installed at the opening of the discharging chamber 5. Specifically, the robotic arm chamber 3 is positioned centrally, with the loading chamber 1, processing chamber 2, and discharging chamber 5 arranged adjacent to it, thereby shortening the transmission path of the robotic arm 15 and improving transmission efficiency. Furthermore, by placing multiple valves between each chamber and at the openings of the loading chamber 1 and the discharging chamber 5, the opening and closing of the valves can be controlled to maintain a vacuum state independently in each chamber, preventing airflow disturbances and impurity intrusion between chambers. In this embodiment, all five valves are existing vacuum slide gate valves. The open end refers to the only channel that directly connects the chamber to the external atmospheric environment.

[0025] Both the loading chamber 1 and the unloading chamber 5 are equipped with four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanisms. A robotic arm 15 is installed in the robotic arm chamber 3. The vacuum pump unit 4 is connected to the robotic arm chamber 3, the process chamber 2, the loading chamber 1, and the unloading chamber 5 via vacuum pipes. By connecting the vacuum pump unit 4 to each chamber, not only can vacuuming be performed in the initial stage, but it can also operate at low power during production to replenish minor leaks and maintain the preset vacuum level in each chamber, eliminating the need for repeated vacuuming and breaking.

[0026] Preferably, the four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism includes a cassette 11 and a lifting and rotating structure 13. The cassette 11 has four loading surfaces for supporting the substrate clamp, and the lifting and rotating structure 13 is used to drive the cassette 11 to rotate around its central axis.

[0027] Specifically, to ensure that each layer of the cassette 11 can hold raw materials or finished products, the lifting and rotating structure 13 moves in a circular motion along the rotating guide rail 12. The cassette 11 has four sides, with 10 layers on each side. When one side is filled, the lifting and rotating structure 13 rotates the layer 90 degrees to the next side, and the operation is repeated until all four sides are filled with raw materials or finished products.

[0028] Preferably, the robotic arm 15 includes a robotic arm base 18, a drive unit mounted on the robotic arm base 18, and two independent robotic arms 16 arranged vertically and horizontally, controlled by the drive unit. Each robotic arm 16 has a gripper 14 at its end for grasping a substrate clamp. The two robotic arms 16 can simultaneously pick up and deliver two substrates. The robotic arm 15 can rotate 360 ​​degrees and move between the three chambers to complete the task of picking up and delivering the gripper 14. The dual-arm design also increases its transmission efficiency and reduces time costs.

[0029] Preferably, the PVD vacuum material transport structure further includes a sensor 17, which is disposed at the connection between each chamber and the robotic arm chamber 3, for detecting the position and entry / exit status of the robotic arm 15, and thereby controlling the opening and closing of the corresponding valves.

[0030] Workflow:

[0031] First, before the work begins, all valves except the first valve 6 at the opening of the loading chamber 1 are closed. The vacuum pump group 4 is started to perform vacuuming operations on the centrally located robotic arm chamber 3, process chamber 2 and unloading chamber 5 until each chamber reaches the preset vacuum level.

[0032] Next, the raw materials are placed into the loading chamber 1 by manual labor or robots. The raw materials are loaded through the cassette 11 of the four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism. The cassette 11 switches the loading surface through the lifting and rotating structure 13 and makes a circular motion along the rotating guide rail 12 to achieve precise positioning and complete the orderly stacking of multiple sides. After the raw materials are loaded, the first valve 6 is closed, and the vacuum pump group 4 is then started to evacuate the loading chamber 1.

[0033] Then, after the vacuum level of the loading chamber 1 reaches the standard, the second valve 7 between the loading chamber 1 and the robotic arm chamber 3, and the third valve 8 between the robotic arm chamber 3 and the process chamber 2 are opened. The robotic arm 15 in the robotic arm chamber 3 simultaneously picks up materials and transfers all the raw materials in the loading chamber 1 to the process chamber 2. After the transfer is completed, the second valve 7 and the third valve 8 are closed, and the process officially starts. At the same time, the first valve 6 is opened again to start a new round of raw material loading and vacuuming operation of the loading chamber 1.

[0034] Next, after the process is completed, the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 9 between the robotic arm chamber 3 and the unloading chamber 5 are opened. The robotic arm 15 transfers the finished product that has been coated in the process chamber 2 to the unloading chamber 5, where it is received by the four-sided support mechanism inside the unloading chamber 5. After all the transfers are completed, the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 9 are closed, and then the fifth valve 10 at the opening end of the unloading chamber 5 is opened. The finished product is taken out manually or by a robot. After all the finished products are taken out, the fifth valve 10 is closed, and the vacuum pump group 4 is started to evacuate the unloading chamber 5.

[0035] Finally, throughout the entire loading and unloading process, the second valve 7 and the fourth valve 9 remain closed, and the vacuum pump group 4 operates continuously at low power to maintain the preset vacuum level of the robotic arm chamber 3 and the process chamber 2, ensuring that the next work cycle can be started quickly and achieving continuous, efficient, and large-scale production. The entire process uses sensor 17 to detect the entry and exit status of the robotic arm 15 and precisely control the opening and closing of each valve to ensure operational stability and consistency with the vacuum environment.

[0036] Although the embodiments of this utility model have been described in the specification, these embodiments are merely illustrative and should not limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Various omissions, substitutions, and modifications made without departing from the spirit of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure, characterized in that: It includes a loading chamber, a process chamber, a unloading chamber, a robotic arm chamber, and a vacuum pump unit. The loading chamber is connected to the robotic arm chamber via a second valve, the robotic arm chamber is connected to the process chamber via a third valve, and the robotic arm chamber is connected to the unloading chamber via a fourth valve. Both the loading chamber and the unloading chamber are equipped with a four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism. The robotic arm chamber is equipped with a double-arm robotic arm. The vacuum pump group is connected to the robotic arm chamber, the process chamber, the loading chamber, and the unloading chamber via vacuum pipes.

2. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four-sided rotating loading and bearing mechanism includes a cassette and a lifting and rotating structure. The cassette has multiple loading surfaces for supporting the substrate clamp, and the lifting and rotating structure is used to drive the cassette to rotate around its central axis.

3. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cartridge has four loading surfaces.

4. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The robotic arm includes a robotic arm base, a drive unit mounted on the base, and two independent robotic arms arranged vertically and controlled by the drive unit. Each robotic arm has a gripper at its end for gripping a substrate clamp.

5. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening end of the feeding chamber is equipped with a first valve.

6. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fifth valve is provided at the opening end of the feeding chamber.

7. The high-efficiency PVD vacuum material transport structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PVD vacuum material transport structure also includes sensors, which are located at the connection points between each chamber and the robotic arm chamber.

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