Load lock device

Abstract

In a load lock device where a portion of the wall moves vertically, high cooling efficiency is achieved. [Solution] The load lock devices 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, and 1e each have a fixed part F and a movable part M that forms a load lock chamber L by being connected to the fixed part F, and at least one of the fixed part F and the movable part M has a cooling gas inlet 7 that supplies cooling gas into the load lock chamber L. The movable part M has a stage 6 that supports a wafer W, a cooling plate 5 that cools the wafer W, a base member 2 that supports either the stage 6 or the cooling plate 5, a second support shaft 12 connected to the part of the stage 6 or the cooling plate 5 that is not supported by the base member 2, a second drive unit 13 that moves the second support shaft 12, a first support shaft 10 connected to the base member 2, and a first drive unit 11 that moves the first support shaft 10, the second support shaft 12, and the second drive unit 13 together.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Relates to a load lock device for cooling a wafer processed at high temperature.

Background Art

[0002] In a chemical vapor deposition apparatus or an ion implantation apparatus, a configuration is used in which a wafer heated at high temperature in a processing chamber is subjected to a predetermined process, and then the wafer is cooled in a load lock chamber before being returned to a cassette arranged on the atmosphere side.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a load lock chamber having a cooling mechanism. The wafer placed on a cooling plate in the load lock chamber is cooled by supplying nitrogen gas toward the upper and lower surfaces of the wafer.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the wafer is transported in the horizontal direction. However, the transport of the wafer through the load lock chamber is not necessarily performed in the horizontal direction. The wafer may be transported in both the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0005] In the load lock chamber described in Patent Document 2, the transport of the wafer between the intermediate vacuum chamber adjacent to the processing chamber and the load lock chamber is carried out vertically, and the transport of the wafer between the load lock chamber and the loading portion on the atmosphere side is carried out horizontally.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the load lock chamber described in Patent Document 2, when wafers are transported vertically, a portion of the wall surface constituting the load lock chamber moves vertically. In this type of load lock chamber, a mechanism is provided that moves along the walls of the load lock chamber. As a result, it is considered difficult to place wafer cooling means inside the load lock chamber compared to load lock chambers that transport wafers only in the horizontal direction. Studies are being conducted on how to arrange the cooling plate shown in Patent Document 1 and how to supply cooling gas to improve wafer cooling efficiency.

[0008] In this invention, a load lock device in which a portion of the wall surface moves vertically achieves high cooling efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The load lock device is The fixing part, It has a movable part that forms a load lock chamber when connected to the fixed part, At least one of the fixed portion and the movable portion has a cooling gas inlet for supplying cooling gas to the load lock chamber, The aforementioned movable part is A stage that supports the wafer, A cooling plate for cooling the wafer, A base member that supports either the stage or the cooling plate, A second support shaft connected to the member of the stage and the cooling plate that is not supported by the base member, A second drive unit that moves the second support shaft, A first support shaft connected to the base member, The first support shaft, the second support shaft, and the second drive unit are moved together by a first drive unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] A cooling plate and a stage are arranged on the moving part side, and a cooling gas is supplied into the load lock chamber. Moreover, the relative positional relationship between the cooling plate and the stage is changed on the moving part side. Since there is a cooling gas between the wafer and the cooling plate, the thermal conductivity between the members increases, and the cooling efficiency of the wafer improves. Also, by reducing the distance between the cooling plate and the stage, the cooling efficiency of the wafer can be improved for each stage. Furthermore, since both the cooling plate and the stage are arranged on the moving part side, the relative position adjustment between the two is easier compared to the configuration where the cooling plate is arranged on the fixed part side.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] Configuration diagram of the load lock device [Figure 2] Shows the state when the moving part moves downward from the state shown in Fig. 1 [Figure 3] Plan view of the cooling plate shown in Fig. 1 when viewed from above [Figure 4] Plan view of the stage shown in Fig. 1 when viewed from above [Figure 5] Flowchart showing the flow until the heat-treated wafer is transported to the atmosphere [Figure 6] Explanatory drawing showing the positional relationship between the wafer and the cooling plate [Figure 7] Plan view of another cooling plate [Figure 8] Plan view of another cooling plate [Figure 9] Plan view of another cooling plate [Figure 10] Configuration diagram of another load lock device [Figure 11] Configuration diagram of another load lock device [Figure 12] Configuration diagram of another load lock device [Figure 13] Configuration diagram of another load lock device

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for describing the embodiments, common components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. Note that the following embodiments do not unduly limit the content of the present disclosure described in the claims. Also, not all the components shown in the embodiments are essential components of the present disclosure. Further, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily drawn precisely.

[0013] Based on FIGS. 1 to 4, the configuration of the load lock device 1a will be described. FIG. 1 depicts a configuration diagram of the load lock device 1a. When the load lock device 1a is divided into two in the vertical direction, the load lock device 1a includes a moving part M including units that move in the vertical direction (such as a cooling plate 5 and a stage 6 described later) and a fixed part F that does not include units that move in the vertical direction. Note that the vertical direction is a direction parallel to the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1.

[0014] When the moving part M moves, the connection state with the fixed part F changes. In FIG. 1, the moving part M and the fixed part F are in a connected state. Specifically, the first base member 2 of the moving part M and the second base member 3 of the fixed part F are in contact with each other, and a load lock chamber L is formed. In FIG. 2, the moving part M moves in the vertical direction (downward in the figure), and the moving part M and the fixed part F are in a non-connected state. When the moving part M and the fixed part F are in a non-connected state, the transfer of the wafer W between a processing chamber (not shown) and the load lock chamber L is carried out.

[0015] In FIG. 1, the fixed part F has a second base member 3 that constitutes the ceiling portion of the load lock chamber L. An inlet / outlet 9 that forms a transfer path when horizontally transferring the wafer W is provided at one end of the second base member 3. The opening and closing of the inlet / outlet 9 are carried out by rotating the flap valve 4 around the Z-axis shown in the figure.

[0016] The second base member 3 is equipped with a cooling gas inlet 7 for supplying a cooling gas (e.g., nitrogen gas or argon gas) into the load lock chamber L. Although two cooling gas inlets 7 are shown in Figure 1, the number of cooling gas inlets 7 is not limited to two. There may be three or more, or there may be just one. The location where the cooling gas inlets 7 are provided is not limited to a position facing the outer periphery of the wafer W, but may also be a position facing the center of the wafer W.

[0017] A cooling gas supply source is connected to the cooling gas inlet 7 via a valve (not shown). A diffusion filter may be installed at the cooling gas inlet 7 to adjust the flow rate from the supply source. By installing a diffusion filter, the flow rate of the cooling gas supplied to the load lock chamber L is reduced, thereby suppressing the stirring up of particles within the load lock chamber L. Alternatively, an adjustable opening limiting plate may be attached to the cooling gas inlet 7 to adjust the flow rate and flow of the cooling gas supplied to the load lock chamber L.

[0018] The moving section M includes a stage 6 that supports the wafer W, a cooling plate 5 that cools the wafer W, and a first base member 2 that supports the cooling plate 5. The cooling plate 5 is supported by the first base member 2 via a support member 8 erected on the first base member 2. The support member 8 is, for example, a cylindrical member with an opening formed on its side through which cooling gas passes.

[0019] Stage 6 is connected to a second support shaft 12 for moving Stage 6 vertically. The second support shaft 12 is moved vertically by a second drive unit 13 which has a drive source and a drive mechanism.

[0020] A first support shaft 10 is connected to the first base member 2 for moving the first base member 2 vertically. The first support shaft 10 supports the second drive unit 13. The first support shaft 10 is moved vertically by the first drive unit 11, which has a drive source and a drive mechanism. When the first drive unit 11 moves the first support shaft 10 vertically, the second drive unit 13, the second support shaft 12, the cooling plate 5, the stage 6, the support member 8, and the first base member 2 move together with the first support shaft 10.

[0021] A cooling source R is located outside the load lock device 1a. The refrigerant flow path P, which extends from the cooling source R, passes through the first support shaft 10, the first base member 2, and the support member 8, and connects to a refrigerant flow path (not shown) formed inside the cooling plate 5.

[0022] Figure 3 is a plan view of the cooling plate 5 shown in Figure 1, viewed from above. The cooling plate 5 is composed of circular components. The dashed circle represents the outer shape of the wafer W. In plan view, the outer shape of the cooling plate 5 is larger than the outer shape of the wafer W, and it cools the entire wafer W from below.

[0023] The cooling plate 5 has four insertion openings 5h. The support portion 6c of the stage 6 shown in Figure 4 is inserted through the insertion openings 5h. Figure 4 is a plan view of the stage 6 shown in Figure 1, viewed from above. The dashed circle represents the outer shape of the wafer W. The stage 6 has a main body 6a to which the second support shaft 12 is connected, four connecting parts 6b extending radially from the main body 6a to the wafer W, and a support part 6c, one end of which is attached to the connecting part 6b and the other end of which extends in the Y-axis direction. The back surface of the wafer W is supported at the tip of each support part 6c. The tips of the support parts 6c are tapered to bring the misaligned wafer W into a predetermined position.

[0024] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the sequence of events from receiving the heat-treated wafer W to transporting it to the atmosphere. Initially, the moving unit M is in the state shown in Figure 2. The high-temperature wafer W, processed in the processing chamber, is transported to the stage 6 (S1). Once the wafer W is transported to the stage 6, the moving unit M moves upward and connects to the fixed unit F (S2). After the moving unit M connects to the fixed unit F, the second drive unit 13 moves the second support shaft 12 downward, causing the stage 6 to descend (S3). As the stage 6 descends, the wafer W supported by the stage 6 moves towards the cooling plate 5. In parallel with the descent of the stage 6, or after the descent of the stage 6 is completed, cooling gas is supplied into the load lock chamber L from the cooling gas inlet 7 of the second base member 3.

[0025] The cooling gas supplied to the load lock chamber L passes through the path indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 and is supplied to both the top and bottom surfaces of the wafer W. A portion of the cooling gas supplied from the top of the wafer W is supplied to the top of the wafer W, cooling its surface. Another portion of the cooling gas travels down the sidewall of the load lock chamber L. As illustrated in Figure 4, the stage 6 partially supports the wafer W on its underside. Because the stage 6 does not support the entire circumference of the wafer W on its underside, the cooling gas that passes through the stage 6 is supplied to the underside of the wafer W. Furthermore, some of the cooling gas that has moved below the cooling plate 5 passes through the gap formed between the inlet 5h of the cooling plate 5 and the support portion 6c of the stage 6 and is supplied to the underside of the wafer W.

[0026] By supplying cooling gas to the underside of the wafer W, the thermal conductivity between the cooling plate 5 and the wafer W is improved. Furthermore, by bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5, the cooling efficiency of the wafer is further improved.

[0027] Figure 6 shows what happens when the wafer W is brought close to the cooling plate 5. The wafer W deforms somewhat as it cools. If the wafer W deforms significantly, the back surface of the wafer W comes into contact with the surface of the cooling plate 5, causing friction on the back surface of the wafer W. This friction on the back surface of the wafer W generates particles in the load lock chamber L. In addition, this friction on the back surface of the wafer W causes scratches on the wafer W. To avoid particle generation and scratches on the back surface of the wafer W, a small gap is provided between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5, as illustrated in Figure 6.

[0028] However, the acceptable amount of particles varies depending on the type of process used during wafer processing. Furthermore, the amount of deformation of the wafer W also differs depending on the wafer material and the temperature difference during cooling. Considering these factors, there are cases where it is not necessary to provide a gap between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5. In such cases, the wafer W may be placed in contact with the cooling plate 5. The temperature difference when cooling the wafer W is the temperature difference between the wafer temperature during the heat treatment performed in the processing chamber and the target wafer temperature during the cooling treatment in the load lock chamber L.

[0029] Returning to Figure 5, once the cooling process of the wafer W is complete, the stage 6 rises (S4). As the stage 6 rises, the wafer W moves away from the cooling plate 5, and the distance between the two components increases. Subsequently, the flap valve 4 opens, and the hand of the atmospheric robot for transporting the wafer W from the atmospheric side moves into the load lock chamber L. Due to the rise of the stage 6, there is a wide gap between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5. The atmospheric robot's hand is moved below the wafer W, and the wafer W is handed over to the atmospheric robot's hand by raising the moved hand. Then, the atmospheric robot's hand is moved to the outside (atmospheric side) of the flap valve 4, and the wafer W is transported to the atmospheric side (S5).

[0030] The flowchart shown in Figure 5 is performed by the control device C described in Figure 1. The control device C includes an arithmetic processing unit and a memory unit. The arithmetic processing unit is a microprocessor, a central processing unit, a microcontroller, or hardware control logic, or a combination thereof. The arithmetic processing unit may also be provided as multiple arithmetic processing units. The memory unit can store program code for realizing various functions such as a storage function for storing data, an arithmetic function for processing data, and a control function for controlling the transport of wafers W, as well as threshold values ​​for the pressure in the load lock chamber L, which will be described later. The arithmetic processing unit of the control device C accesses the program code and the like stored in the memory unit of the control device C to execute various functions.

[0031] The control device C may be provided as a dedicated device for controlling each part of the load lock device 1a. Alternatively, the control device C may be incorporated into a control device that controls each part of the chemical vapor deposition apparatus or ion implantation apparatus on which the load lock device 1a is mounted. Note that the load lock device 1a is not limited to the chemical vapor deposition apparatus or ion implantation apparatus mentioned herein, but may also be mounted on other apparatus that performs high-temperature processing of wafers W in a processing chamber.

[0032] As described above, the cooling plate 5 and stage 6 are positioned on the movable part M side, and cooling gas is supplied into the load lock chamber L. Furthermore, the relative positional relationship between the cooling plate 5 and stage 6 is changed on the movable part M side. Because a cooling gas is present between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5, the thermal conductivity between the components increases, improving the cooling efficiency of the wafer W. Furthermore, by reducing the distance between the cooling plate 5 and the stage 6, the cooling efficiency of the wafer W can be significantly improved. Furthermore, since both the cooling plate 5 and the stage 6 are located on the movable part M side, relative position adjustment between the two becomes easier compared to a configuration where the cooling plate 5 is located on the fixed part F side.

[0033] The timing of introducing the cooling gas may be in parallel with bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5, or it may be done after bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5. As the wafer W is moved downward to bring it closer to the cooling plate 5, an upward force acts on the wafer W, which is supported by the stage 6. While this force is acting on the wafer W, the risk of the wafer W falling off the stage 6 increases. Supplying cooling gas at this time may further increase the risk of the wafer W falling off, so it is desirable to supply the cooling gas after bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5.

[0034] On the other hand, in terms of ensuring a reliable supply of cooling gas between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5, it is desirable to supply the cooling gas in parallel with bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5. Alternatively, the supply of cooling gas may be started before bringing the wafer W closer to the cooling plate 5 to ensure a reliable supply of cooling gas between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5.

[0035] By continuing to supply the cooling gas, the pressure inside the load lock chamber L reaches a predetermined pressure. If the pressure inside the load lock chamber L becomes excessively higher than the atmospheric pressure, there is a concern that the flap valve 4 blocking the inlet / outlet 9 will open due to the pressure difference, and the cooling gas will be released into the atmosphere.

[0036] When nitrogen gas is used as a cooling gas, a large amount of nitrogen gas is released into the atmosphere, raising concerns that workers may suffer from nitrogen poisoning during equipment maintenance. To address this, it is desirable that the cooling gas supply be stopped before the pressure in the load lock chamber L reaches a predetermined pressure.

[0037] Before stopping the supply of cooling gas, the pressure inside the load lock chamber L is measured. A pressure value lower than the predetermined pressure at which the flap valve 4 opens is stored in the control device C as a threshold. The control device C compares the threshold value with the measured value, and stops the supply of cooling gas when the measured value exceeds the threshold value.

[0038] Instead of stopping the cooling gas, a pump may be used to control the pressure in the load lock chamber L so that the pressure in the load lock chamber L remains below a threshold while the wafer W is cooling. In this case, a roughing pump is connected to the load lock chamber L to exhaust a portion of the cooling gas supplied to the load lock chamber L.

[0039] The roughing pump may be connected to a location opposite to where the cooling gas is supplied, so that a flow of cooling gas is formed from one end to the other within the load lock chamber L. Specifically, in the configuration example shown in Figure 1, cooling gas is introduced from the ceiling of the load lock chamber L, while the pump is connected near the floor of the load lock chamber L to exhaust the cooling gas.

[0040] Figure 7 shows a modified example of the cooling plate 5. When a small gap is provided between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5, there is a concern that the cooling gas may not be supplied to the entire underside of the wafer W. To address this, grooves 5g are provided across the entire surface of the cooling plate 5. By providing grooves 5g, the cooling gas can be supplied to the entire underside of the wafer W by traveling through the grooves 5g. The configuration of the grooves 5g may be the grid-like grooves shown in the figure, but it is not limited to this, and other configurations may be adopted. Preferably, the grooves 5g are connected to the insertion opening 5h of the cooling plate 5. By connecting the grooves 5g to the insertion opening 5h, the cooling gas that has passed through the insertion opening 5h can easily travel through the grooves 5g and be supplied to the entire underside of the wafer W.

[0041] Figure 8 shows a modified example of the cooling plate 5. In the cooling plate 5 shown in Figure 3, the cooling gas was supplied from below the cooling plate 5 through an inlet 5h of the cooling plate 5. This inlet 5h is not provided anywhere except in the location corresponding to the support portion 6c of the stage 6. To increase the number of locations from which the cooling gas can be supplied from below the cooling plate 5 and to supply the cooling gas to the entire underside of the wafer W, multiple openings 5k, as shown in Figure 8, may be provided in the cooling plate 5.

[0042] The example configuration shown in Figure 8 involves providing multiple small openings 5k, but it is also possible to increase the size of the openings 5k to provide a larger opening 5k. However, if the openings 5k are made larger, the area of ​​the cooling plate 5 facing the wafer W decreases, which reduces the cooling efficiency of the wafer W.

[0043] Figure 7 illustrates a configuration in which a groove 5g is provided in the cooling plate 5 to supply cooling gas to the entire underside of the wafer W. However, if the amount of cooling gas supplied between the cooling plate 5 and the wafer W is small, it will be insufficient in improving the cooling efficiency of the wafer W via the cooling gas. Therefore, as shown in the example configuration in Figure 9, a gas inlet 5I may be provided in the cooling plate 5, and cooling gas may be supplied from the cooling plate 5 toward the underside of the wafer W. In the example configuration in Figure 9, there is one gas inlet 5I, but multiple inlets may be provided. Similar to the refrigerant flow path, a gas supply path for gas introduction is formed inside the cooling plate 5.

[0044] The configuration examples of the cooling plate 5 described in Figures 7 to 9 are not limited to those shown in each figure. For example, the configurations of Figure 7 and Figure 8 may be combined to give the cooling plate 5 a groove 5g and an opening 5k. Alternatively, the configurations of Figure 8 and Figure 9 may be combined to give the cooling plate 5 an opening 5k and a gas inlet 5I.

[0045] In the load lock device 1b shown in Figure 10, cooling gas is supplied to the cooling plate 5 from a gas source G located outside the load lock device 1b. The cooling gas supplied from the gas source G passes through a gas supply path GP formed in the first support shaft 10, the first base member 2, and the support member 8, and is supplied to the cooling plate 5. When supplying cooling gas between the cooling plate 5 and the wafer W, it is preferable to supply the cooling gas from the cooling plate 5. On the other hand, although the efficiency of supplying cooling gas to the underside of the wafer W decreases, it is also possible to supply cooling gas from the first base member 2 or the stage 6 and supply the cooling gas between the cooling plate 5 and the underside of the wafer W via the cooling plate 5.

[0046] In the configuration examples shown in Figures 1 and 10, a cooling plate 5 larger than the external dimensions of the wafer W was used to cool the entire underside of the wafer W. However, in terms of cooling the wafer W, the cooling plate 5 can be smaller than the external dimensions of the wafer W. In the load lock device 1c shown in Figure 11, a cooling plate 5 smaller than the external dimensions of the wafer W is used.

[0047] In the configuration example shown in Figure 11, the cooling plate 5 is smaller than the wafer W, resulting in lower cooling efficiency for the wafer W compared to the configuration examples shown in Figures 1 and 10. However, this configuration has an advantage in that it simplifies the structure of the cooling plate 5. This is because making the cooling plate 5 smaller allows it to be placed inside the stage 6, eliminating the need to provide an insertion opening 5h in the cooling plate 5.

[0048] In the embodiments described so far, a configuration has been described in which the moving part M moves downward when transporting the wafer W from the load lock chamber L to the processing chamber. However, when transporting the wafer W from the load lock chamber L to the processing chamber, a configuration in which the moving part M moves upward is also possible, as shown in the load lock device 1d in Figure 12. In this case, a cooling gas inlet 7 is provided in the moving part M, and cooling gas is supplied from the upper side of the wafer W.

[0049] If cooling gas is supplied only from the underside of the wafer W, it becomes necessary to hold down the upper edge of the wafer W with pins or the like, which is disadvantageous in terms of structure and cost. If cooling gas is supplied from either the upper or lower side of the wafer W, it is preferable to supply the cooling gas from the upper side of the wafer W. This does not negate the supply of cooling gas from the bottom of the wafer W; in addition to supplying cooling gas from the top of the wafer W, supplying cooling gas from the bottom of the wafer W may be performed as a supplementary measure. Furthermore, in the configuration example shown in Figure 12, an L-shaped nozzle may be erected from the second base member 3 that constitutes the floor of the load lock chamber L, and cooling gas may be supplied to the wafer W from the side (including both the top and bottom surfaces) or from the top surface through this nozzle. The cooling gas may be supplied from the fixed part F side, as shown in Figures 1 to 11 and Figure 13. Alternatively, it may be supplied from the movable part M side, as shown in Figure 12. Furthermore, it may be supplied from both the fixed part F and the movable part M.

[0050] In previous embodiments, a configuration was used in which the stage 6 was moved when adjusting the distance between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5 in the Y-axis direction. However, a configuration in which the cooling plate 5 is moved and the stage 6 is fixed is also possible. In the load lock device 1e shown in Figure 13, a configuration is employed in which the cooling plate 5 is moved when adjusting the distance between the wafer W and the cooling plate 5 in the Y-axis direction. In this case, a second support shaft 12 is connected to the cooling plate 5, and a support member 8 is connected to the stage 6. Coolant is supplied to the cooling plate 5 through the second support shaft 12. Other load lock devices may also employ a configuration in which the cooling plate 5 moves instead of the stage 6, similar to the load lock device 1e shown in Figure 13.

[0051] In previous embodiments, a configuration was adopted in which the first support shaft 10 encloses a part of the second support shaft 12. With this configuration, a part of the second support shaft 12 is housed inside the first support shaft 10, thus simplifying the structure around the first support shaft 10. However, if it is acceptable for the configuration around the first support shaft 10 to be complex, the entire second support shaft 12 may be positioned outside the first support shaft 10. In this case, if the second drive unit 13 is supported by the first support shaft 10, the second support shaft 12 can be moved in conjunction with the movement of the first support shaft 10.

[0052] In previous embodiments, the wafer W was assumed to be made of silicon or silicon carbide, but in this embodiment, the wafer may be a glass substrate in addition to a general wafer. Also, the outer shape of the wafer is not limited to circular, but may be rectangular.

[0053] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1a, 1b, 1c, 1e Load lock device 2 Base member 5 Cooling Plate 5h Insertion opening 5k aperture 5g groove 5I Gas Inlet 6 stages 7 Cooling gas inlet 10 1st support shaft 11 First drive unit 12 Second support shaft 13 Second drive unit W wafer F Fixed part M Moving part C Control device

Claims

1. The fixing part, It has a movable part that forms a load lock chamber when connected to the fixed part, At least one of the fixed portion and the movable portion has a cooling gas inlet for supplying cooling gas to the load lock chamber, The aforementioned movable part is A stage that supports the wafer, A cooling plate for cooling the wafer, A base member that supports either the stage or the cooling plate, A second support shaft connected to the member of the stage and the cooling plate that is not supported by the base member, A second drive unit that moves the second support shaft, A first support shaft connected to the base member, A load lock device having a first drive unit that moves the first support shaft, the second support shaft, and the second drive unit together.

2. The load lock device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate has an insertion opening through which a part of the stage is inserted.

3. The load lock device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate has a groove on the surface facing the wafer supported by the stage.

4. The load lock device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate has openings that penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling plate and through which the cooling gas can pass.

5. The load lock device according to claim 1, wherein the first support shaft encloses a portion of the second support shaft.

6. The load lock device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate has a gas inlet for supplying cooling gas to the wafer supported on the stage, separate from the cooling gas inlet.

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