A substrate stage and vacuum coating equipment

Abstract

This application discloses a substrate stage and vacuum coating equipment, relating to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology. The substrate stage includes: a substrate stage body with a first substrate holder detachably mounted thereon; a rotating bracket with a second substrate holder detachably mounted thereon; and a driving mechanism for driving the rotating bracket to rotate. When a substrate needs to be fixedly mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the substrate stage body through the first substrate holder. When a substrate needs to be rotatedly mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the rotating bracket through the second substrate holder. This simultaneously accommodates the needs of both fixed and rotating mounting, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional structures.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, and in particular to a substrate stage and vacuum coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With the application of thin film materials and the development of vacuum coating equipment, sputtering coating systems, as a new type of coating equipment, have a wide range of applications. They can be used to prepare thin films of various materials such as metals, semiconductors, oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, silicides, sulfides, and fluorides. They can even be used to prepare films of materials that are difficult to synthesize, such as diamond and cubic nitride films. Through different target substrate treatments, the target material sublimates from a solid to a vapor state. The atoms that escape from the target substrate move towards the substrate, forming a deposition state on the substrate surface, thus forming the thin film surface layer. This is an important component in semiconductor production.

[0003] In existing semiconductor coating equipment, the substrate can only be fixedly or rotated when mounted on the substrate stage, which is insufficient in functionality. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application aims to at least address one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, in a first aspect, this application proposes a substrate stage that is compatible with both fixed and rotating mounting of substrates, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0005] Secondly, this application proposes a vacuum coating apparatus that uses the aforementioned substrate stage.

[0006] The substrate stage according to the first aspect of this application includes: A substrate stage body, wherein a first substrate holder is detachably disposed at a first end along a first direction; A rotating bracket is rotatably disposed on the outer periphery of the substrate stage body. The rotating bracket is coaxially disposed with the substrate stage body, and a second substrate holder is detachably disposed at a first end of the rotating bracket along the first direction. A drive mechanism, which is tractively connected to the rotating bracket and configured to drive the rotating bracket to rotate; The substrate stage can mount a substrate via the first substrate holder, so that the substrate remains relatively fixed to the substrate stage body, or mount a substrate via the second substrate holder, so that the substrate can rotate relative to the substrate stage body.

[0007] The substrate stage according to the embodiments of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: The substrate stage in this application has a rotating bracket on the outer periphery of the substrate stage body, a first substrate holder on the substrate stage body, and a second substrate holder on the rotating bracket. In production applications, when the substrate needs to be fixedly mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the substrate stage body through the first substrate holder. When the substrate needs to be rotated on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the rotating bracket through the second substrate holder. This simultaneously accommodates the needs of both fixed and rotating mounting, solving the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0008] It should be noted that the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder can be removed according to the actual installation situation. For example, if the second substrate holder will obstruct the substrate when the first substrate holder is used to install the substrate, the second substrate holder can be removed. If it does not obstruct the substrate, the second substrate holder can be kept, and vice versa.

[0009] According to some embodiments of this application, the driving mechanism includes: A primary transmission gear set includes a first transmission shaft and a second transmission shaft that are vertically distributed, and a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear respectively disposed on the first transmission shaft and the second transmission shaft. The first bevel gear meshes with the second bevel gear, and the second transmission shaft is parallel to the axis of the substrate stage body. A two-stage transmission gear set, comprising a first transmission gear, a second transmission gear, a third transmission gear, and a third transmission shaft, wherein the third transmission shaft is disposed between the second transmission shaft and the rotating bracket, the first transmission gear is fixedly connected to the second transmission shaft, the second transmission gear is fixedly connected to the third transmission shaft and meshes with the first transmission gear, and the third transmission gear is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket and meshes with the second transmission gear.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this application, a magnetic coupling is provided on the side of the first drive shaft away from the rotating bracket.

[0011] According to some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage further includes a housing, which is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the substrate stage body, and an annular space is defined between the housing and the substrate stage body, with the rotating support located within the annular space.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, the distance from the rotating bracket to the substrate stage body along the radial direction is less than the distance from the rotating bracket to the housing, and a bearing assembly is provided between the rotating bracket and the housing.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, a second anti-fouling plate is provided between the housing and the rotating bracket, the second anti-fouling plate being configured to cover the bearing assembly.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage further includes a first anti-fouling plate disposed between the housing and the substrate stage body, the first anti-fouling plate being configured to cover the annular space.

[0015] According to some embodiments of this application, the side of the first anti-fouling plate closest to the axis of the substrate stage body is close to the first substrate holder or the second substrate holder.

[0016] According to some embodiments of this application, along the first direction, the rotating bracket is recessed within the annular space relative to the substrate stage body, and the second substrate holder extends obliquely from the end of the rotating bracket toward the end of the substrate stage body.

[0017] The vacuum coating apparatus according to the first aspect of this application includes a substrate stage with any of the above-described structures.

[0018] The vacuum coating equipment according to the embodiments of this application has at least the following beneficial effects: The vacuum coating equipment in this application utilizes the aforementioned substrate stage. When a substrate needs to be fixedly mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the substrate stage body using the first substrate holder. When a substrate needs to be rotated and mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the rotating bracket using the second substrate holder. This simultaneously accommodates the needs of both fixed and rotating mounting, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and some of these additional aspects and advantages will become apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein: Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a structure for a first substrate holder and a second substrate holder; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a structure for a first anti-fouling plate and a second anti-fouling plate; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a structure in which the first substrate holder is mounted on the substrate stage body. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are 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.

[0023] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0024] In the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as "setup," "installation," and "connection" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0025] In the description of this application, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0026] With the application of thin film materials and the development of vacuum coating equipment, sputtering coating systems, as a new type of coating equipment, have a wide range of applications. They can be used to prepare thin films of various materials such as metals, semiconductors, oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, silicides, sulfides, and fluorides. They can even be used to prepare films of materials that are difficult to synthesize, such as diamond and cubic nitride films. Through different target substrate treatments, the target material sublimates from a solid to a vapor state. The atoms that escape from the target substrate move towards the substrate, forming a deposition state on the substrate surface, thus forming the thin film surface layer. This is an important component in semiconductor production.

[0027] In existing semiconductor coating equipment, the substrate can only be fixedly or rotated when mounted on the substrate stage, which is insufficient in functionality.

[0028] Therefore, this application proposes a substrate stage that is compatible with both fixed and rotating installation of substrates, thus overcoming the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0029] Reference Figures 1 to 4 In some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage includes a substrate stage body 100, a rotating support 200, and a drive mechanism 300.

[0030] Specifically, a first substrate holder 101 is detachably disposed at a first end of the substrate stage body 100 along a first direction. The first substrate holder 101 is configured to match the substrate so as to mount the substrate onto the substrate stage body 100.

[0031] The rotating support 200 is rotatably disposed on the outer periphery of the substrate stage body 100, meaning the rotating support 200 can rotate around the substrate stage body 100. The rotating support 200 is coaxially disposed with the substrate stage body 100, and a second substrate holder 102 is detachably disposed at a first end of the rotating support 200 along a first direction. The second substrate holder 102 is configured to mate with the substrate to mount the substrate onto the rotating support 200 and hold the substrate at the first end of the substrate stage body 100.

[0032] It should be noted that the first end of the rotating bracket 200 and the first end of the aforementioned substrate stage body 100 are on the same side along the first direction.

[0033] The drive mechanism 300 is connected to the rotating bracket 200 and is configured to drive the rotating bracket 200 to rotate.

[0034] In this embodiment, the substrate stage can mount the substrate via the first substrate holder 101, so that the substrate and the substrate stage body 100 remain relatively fixed; or mount the substrate via the second substrate holder 102, so that the substrate can rotate relative to the substrate stage body 100.

[0035] It is understood that the substrate stage in this embodiment, by providing a rotating bracket 200 on the outer periphery of the substrate stage body 100, and configuring a first substrate holder 101 on the substrate stage body 100 and a second substrate holder 102 on the rotating bracket 200, allows for simultaneous compatibility of fixed and rotating installation needs in production applications. This addresses the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0036] Because the coating equipment also has other structures, the rotating support 200 can be connected to the substrate stage body 100 or to other structures to maintain its position.

[0037] It should also be noted that the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102 can be disassembled according to the actual installation situation. For example, if the second substrate holder 102 will obstruct the substrate when the first substrate holder 101 is used to install the substrate, the second substrate holder 102 can be disassembled. If it does not obstruct the substrate, the second substrate holder 102 can be retained, and vice versa.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the drive mechanism 300 is a multi-stage transmission structure to adjust the transmission ratio of the rotating support 200. The specific transmission ratio can be flexibly set as needed and is not specifically limited here.

[0039] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 300 includes: The primary transmission gear set includes a first transmission shaft 301 and a second transmission shaft 304 that are vertically distributed, and a first bevel gear 302 and a second bevel gear 303 respectively disposed on the first transmission shaft 301 and the second transmission shaft 304. The first bevel gear 302 meshes with the second bevel gear 303. The second transmission shaft 304 is parallel to the axis of the substrate stage body 100. The secondary transmission gear set includes a first transmission gear 305, a second transmission gear 307, a third transmission gear 308, and a third transmission shaft 306. The third transmission shaft 306 is disposed between the second transmission shaft 304 and the rotating support 200. The first transmission gear 305 is fixedly connected to the second transmission shaft 304. The second transmission gear 307 is fixedly connected to the third transmission shaft 306 and meshes with the first transmission gear 305. The third transmission gear 308 is fixedly connected to the rotating support 200 and meshes with the second transmission gear 307.

[0040] In this embodiment, power is input via the first drive shaft 301, and then transmitted to the rotating support 200 via the first bevel gear 302, the second bevel gear 303, the second drive shaft 304, the first drive gear 305, the second drive gear 307, and the third drive gear 308, driving the rotating support 200 to rotate. Since the first drive shaft 301 is perpendicular to the second drive shaft 304, the dimensions of the transmission mechanism can be effectively controlled in the first direction. Specifically, the axis of the substrate stage body 100 is typically vertical, therefore the first direction is the vertical direction. Through the structural design of this embodiment, the dimensional space requirements of the drive mechanism 300 in the vertical direction can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing the overall volume and size of the device in the vertical direction.

[0041] In some embodiments of this application, a magnetic coupling is provided on the side of the first drive shaft 301 opposite to the rotating support 200. Since the substrate stage is located in the vacuum chamber of the coating equipment, this embodiment uses a magnetic coupling to connect the power source, which helps to ensure vacuum tightness.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage further includes a housing 400, which is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the substrate stage body 100. An annular space is defined between the housing 400 and the substrate stage body 100, and the rotating support 200 is located within this annular space. Using the structural configuration of this embodiment, the rotating support 200 can be enclosed by the housing 400, ensuring the integrity of the substrate stage and preventing contamination of the rotating support 200, thus helping to extend its service life.

[0043] In some embodiments of this application, the distance from the rotating bracket 200 to the substrate stage body 100 along the radial direction of the substrate stage body 100 is less than the distance from the rotating bracket 200 to the housing 400, and a bearing assembly 201 is provided between the rotating bracket 200 and the housing 400.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, by placing the rotating bracket 200 close to the substrate stage body 100, a larger space can be formed between the rotating bracket 200 and the housing 400, facilitating the installation of the bearing assembly 201. Simultaneously, reducing the distance between the rotating bracket 200 and the substrate stage body 100 helps improve the positioning accuracy of the rotating bracket 200 and the substrate stage body 100. Therefore, when mounting the substrate via the second substrate holder 102, it is beneficial to ensure the positioning accuracy between the substrate and the substrate stage body 100.

[0045] Reference Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, a second anti-fouling plate 401 is provided between the housing 400 and the rotating bracket 200, and the second anti-fouling plate 401 is configured to cover the bearing assembly 201.

[0046] Understandably, when the second substrate holder 102 is mounted on the rotating bracket 200, it needs to extend to the first end of the substrate stage body 100 to ensure the substrate is positioned there, thus covering the gap between the rotating bracket 200 and the substrate stage body 100. In this embodiment, by providing a second anti-fouling plate 401, the area between the rotating bracket 200 and the housing 400 can be covered, preventing the bearing assembly 201 from being contaminated by the coating.

[0047] Reference Figure 3Specifically, two second anti-fouling plates 401 are provided. Both second anti-fouling plates 401 are annular structures, and their centers coincide with the axis of the substrate stage body 100. The two second anti-fouling plates 401 are stacked along the first direction, and one second anti-fouling plate 401 is fixedly connected to the outer shell 400, while the other second anti-fouling plate 401 is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket 200.

[0048] With the structural configuration of this embodiment, in the first direction, the projection of the two second anti-fouling plates 401 can completely cover the annular area between the rotating bracket 200 and the housing 400, thereby effectively preventing the bearing assembly 201 from being contaminated.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, the substrate stage further includes a first anti-fouling plate 103, which is disposed between the housing 400 and the substrate stage body 100, and is configured to cover the annular space.

[0050] Considering that the peripheral area of ​​the substrate stage body 100 is easily contaminated by the coating when the substrate is mounted using the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102 is removed, this embodiment effectively prevents contamination of the area between the outer casing 400 and the substrate stage body 100 by providing a first anti-fouling plate 103 to cover the annular space.

[0051] In some embodiments, the outer periphery of the first anti-fouling plate 103 is detachably connected to the housing 400, and its side near the substrate stage body 100 abuts against the first substrate holder 101. With the structural configuration of this embodiment, the first anti-fouling plate 103 is only suitable for substrate mounting using the first substrate holder 101.

[0052] In some embodiments, the outer periphery of the first anti-fouling plate 103 is detachably connected to the housing 400, and its side near the substrate stage body 100 abuts against the second substrate holder 102. With the structural configuration of this embodiment, the first anti-fouling plate 103 is only suitable for substrate mounting using the second substrate holder 102.

[0053] It is understandable that in practical applications, the first anti-fouling plate 103 of the above two structures can be configured, and the corresponding first anti-fouling plate 103 can be selected according to the installation of the substrate.

[0054] In some embodiments of this application, the side of the first anti-fouling plate 103 closest to the axis of the substrate stage body 100 is close to the first substrate holder 101 or the second substrate holder 102, and maintains a certain gap with both the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102. By controlling the gap between the first anti-fouling plate 103 and the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102, the first anti-fouling plate 103 can be compatible with the installation of both the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102.

[0055] Reference Figures 1 to 4 Specifically, in some embodiments of this application, along a first direction, the rotating bracket 200 is recessed within an annular space relative to the substrate stage body 100. In this embodiment, the second substrate holder 102 extends obliquely from the end of the rotating bracket 200 toward the end of the substrate stage body 100. Therefore, the second substrate holder 102 forms a conical portion. This conical portion is close to the outer peripheral surface of the substrate stage body 100 and extends to the end of the first end of the substrate stage body 100 to fix the substrate in that position. The first anti-fouling plate 103 is generally annular in structure, and a conical sleeve with the conical direction of the conical portion is provided at the center of the first anti-fouling plate 103. There is a gap between the conical sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of the substrate stage body 100, which satisfies the installation of the second substrate holder 102. With the structural configuration of this embodiment, the first anti-fouling plate 103 is compatible with the installation of both the first substrate holder 101 and the second substrate holder 102.

[0056] Embodiments of this application also propose a vacuum coating apparatus, including a substrate stage with any of the above-described structures.

[0057] The vacuum coating equipment of this application utilizes the aforementioned substrate stage. When a substrate needs to be fixedly mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the substrate stage body 100 via the first substrate holder 101. When a substrate needs to be rotated and mounted on the substrate stage, it can be mounted onto the rotating bracket 200 via the second substrate holder 102. This simultaneously accommodates the needs of both fixed and rotating mounting, thus overcoming the shortcomings of traditional structures.

[0058] It should be noted that the substrate stage body 100 in this application can adopt the corresponding structure in the prior art, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0059] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A substrate stage, characterized in that, include: A substrate stage body, wherein a first substrate holder is detachably disposed at a first end along a first direction; A rotating bracket is rotatably disposed on the outer periphery of the substrate stage body. The rotating bracket is coaxially disposed with the substrate stage body, and a second substrate holder is detachably disposed at a first end of the rotating bracket along the first direction. A drive mechanism, which is tractively connected to the rotating bracket and configured to drive the rotating bracket to rotate; The substrate stage can mount a substrate via the first substrate holder, so that the substrate remains relatively fixed to the substrate stage body, or mount a substrate via the second substrate holder, so that the substrate can rotate relative to the substrate stage body.

2. The substrate stage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes: A primary transmission gear set includes a first transmission shaft and a second transmission shaft that are vertically distributed, and a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear respectively disposed on the first transmission shaft and the second transmission shaft. The first bevel gear meshes with the second bevel gear, and the second transmission shaft is parallel to the axis of the substrate stage body. A two-stage transmission gear set, comprising a first transmission gear, a second transmission gear, a third transmission gear, and a third transmission shaft, wherein the third transmission shaft is disposed between the second transmission shaft and the rotating bracket, the first transmission gear is fixedly connected to the second transmission shaft, the second transmission gear is fixedly connected to the third transmission shaft and meshes with the first transmission gear, and the third transmission gear is fixedly connected to the rotating bracket and meshes with the second transmission gear.

3. The substrate stage according to claim 2, characterized in that, A magnetic coupling is provided on the side of the first drive shaft away from the rotating bracket.

4. The substrate stage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate stage also includes a housing, which is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the substrate stage body. An annular space is defined between the housing and the substrate stage body, and the rotating support is located within the annular space.

5. The substrate stage according to claim 4, characterized in that, Along the radial direction of the substrate stage body, the distance from the rotating bracket to the substrate stage body is less than the distance from the rotating bracket to the housing, and a bearing assembly is provided between the rotating bracket and the housing.

6. The substrate stage according to claim 5, characterized in that, A second anti-fouling plate is provided between the housing and the rotating bracket, and the second anti-fouling plate is configured to cover the bearing assembly.

7. The substrate stage according to claim 4, characterized in that, The substrate stage also includes a first anti-fouling plate, which is disposed between the outer shell and the substrate stage body, and is configured to cover the annular space.

8. The substrate stage according to claim 7, characterized in that, The side of the first anti-fouling plate closest to the axis of the substrate stage body is close to the first substrate holder or the second substrate holder.

9. The substrate stage according to claim 4, characterized in that, Along the first direction, the rotating bracket is recessed within the annular space relative to the substrate stage body, and the second substrate holder extends obliquely from the end of the rotating bracket toward the end of the substrate stage body.

10. A vacuum coating apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the substrate stage as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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