Substrate transfer device using upper and lower magnetic levitation rails

Abstract

To provide a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate stably by using an upper and lower part magnetism flowing rail.SOLUTION: The substrate transfer device according to the invention of the present application includes: a moving plate including an upper part magnetism floating rail and a lower part magnetism floating rail; a processing chamber arranged next to the moving plate, the processing chamber processing the substrate; and a shuttle arranged between the upper part magnetism floating rail and the lower part magnetism floating rail, the shuttle moving on the moving plate and storing the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate transfer apparatus including upper and lower magnetic levitation rails. [Background technology]

[0002] Throughput in equipment used in semiconductor or display processes refers to the amount of wafers or substrates processed per unit time in a single process. This throughput can be determined based on the process time of the processing chamber, the processing speed of the vacuum robot, the vacuum / standby conversion speed of the system, the cooling / heating time of the wafer, the composition of the process environment before the process begins, etc. However, there is a limit to maximizing the throughput of equipment based on these factors alone. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-0707390 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transfer device that stably transfers a substrate by using upper and lower magnetic levitation rails. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one embodiment, a substrate transfer device may include a moving plate including an upper magnetic levitation rail and a lower magnetic levitation rail, a processing chamber arranged adjacent to the moving plate for processing a substrate, and a shuttle arranged between the upper magnetic levitation rail and the lower magnetic levitation rail and configured to move on the moving plate and accommodate the substrate.

[0006] Here, the shuttle may include a first space and a second space configured to accommodate at least one substrate, and the first space and the second space may be separated and partitioned from each other.

[0007] Here, the first space may be disposed above the second space.

[0008] Here, the first space may accommodate a substrate to be processed in the processing chamber, and the second space may accommodate a substrate that has been processed in the processing chamber.

[0009] Here, the shuttle may include a first permanent magnet arranged to face the upper magnetic levitation rail and a second permanent magnet arranged to face the lower magnetic levitation rail.

[0010] Here, the shuttle may include a support for supporting the substrate, and a friction member may be disposed on one surface of the support.

[0011] Here, the shuttle may include a sensor for sensing an environment of the inside of the first space, the inside of the second space, the moving plate, or the processing chamber.

[0012] Here, the sensor may be a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a weight sensor, or a gradient sensor.

[0013] Here, the moving plate includes a fixing pin for fixing a position of the shuttle, and the fixing pin may be disposed between the electromagnets of the upper magnetic levitation rail or the lower magnetic levitation rail.

[0014] Here, the fixing pin can fix the position of the shuttle by contacting the shuttle or penetrating one surface of the shuttle.

[0015] Here, a buffer member may be disposed on one side of the first space or the second space.

[0016] Here, the sensor may be configured in the same shape as the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0017] Advantageous Effects of Invention According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a substrate transfer device that stably transfers a substrate using upper and lower magnetic levitation rails. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a substrate transfer process using a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] 13 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment; [Figure 4] 13 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The embodiments described in this specification are intended to clearly explain the concept of the present invention to those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, and therefore the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this specification, and the scope of the present invention should be interpreted as including modifications or variations that do not deviate from the concept of the present invention.

[0020] The terms used in this specification are currently widely used and general terms that are possible in consideration of the functions of the present invention, but these may change depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs, precedents, the emergence of new technology, etc. However, when a specific term is defined and used with a different meaning, the meaning of the term will be described separately. Therefore, the terms used in this specification should be defined based on the substantial meaning of the term and the overall content of this specification, rather than simply the name of the term.

[0021] The drawings attached to this specification are intended to easily explain the present invention, and the shapes illustrated in the drawings are exaggerated as necessary to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and therefore the present invention is not limited by the drawings.

[0022] In this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known structure or function related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted as necessary.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer process using a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, a substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may include at least one of a plurality of processing chambers 112-138, a moving plate 140, magnetic levitation rails 142-148, a plurality of arms 152, 154, and a plurality of shuttles 162, 164.

[0025] The first shuttle 162 and / or the second shuttle 164 may each move along the magnetic levitation rails 142-148 to transfer a substrate (hereinafter, the first shuttle 162 will be mainly described). Specifically, the first shuttle 162 may obtain a substrate from any one of the plurality of processing chambers 112-138 and transfer the obtained substrate along the magnetic levitation rails 142-146. Thereafter, the substrate may be transferred to the load lock chamber 170 by at least one of the plurality of arms 152, 154.

[0026] The magnetic levitation rails 142 to 148 may include a plurality of regions. Specifically, the magnetic levitation rails 142 to 148 may include a first rail region 142 disposed along a vertical direction on one side edge of the moving plate 140 and / or a second rail region 146 disposed along a vertical direction on the other side edge of the moving plate 140.

[0027] The magnetic levitation rails 142-148 may include a third rail region 144 and / or a fourth rail region 148 configured to connect the first rail region 142 and the second rail region 146. In this case, the third rail region 144 and / or the fourth rail region 148 may be disposed along the lateral direction of the moving plate 140 as shown in FIG.

[0028] Meanwhile, the magnetic levitation rails 142 to 148 may include an area for stopping any one of the shuttles 162, 164 so that the shuttles do not collide with each other while the shuttles 162, 164 are moving. In this manner, the area for stopping may be included in a specific area of ​​the magnetic levitation rails 142 to 148. Alternatively, the area for stopping may be selected as a specific area of ​​the magnetic levitation rails 142 to 148 based on the moving direction and / or position of the shuttles 162, 164.

[0029] Additionally or alternatively, the magnetic levitation rails 142-148 may include a third rail region 144 and / or a fourth rail region 148 for moving any one of the multiple shuttles 162, 164 from one side edge of the moving plate 140 (i.e., the first rail region 142) to the other side edge of the moving plate 140 (i.e., the second rail region 146).

[0030] The plurality of shuttles 162, 164 may include a first shuttle 162 and / or a second shuttle 164. Although the plurality of shuttles 162, 164 is illustrated in Figure 1 as including two shuttles, this is not limiting. For example, the plurality of shuttles 162, 164 may include three or more shuttles.

[0031] Each of the multiple shuttles 162, 164 can accommodate one or more substrates. For example, any of the multiple shuttles 162, 164 can carry a substrate to be processed in any one of the multiple processing chambers 112-138 and transfer it to that one processing chamber. For example, any of the shuttles can carry a substrate that has been processed in any one of the processing chambers and transfer it to the load lock chamber 170.

[0032] The second shuttle 164 can stop at another predetermined region among the magnetic levitation rails 142-148 such that a path that includes one region among the magnetic levitation rails 142-148 is provided for the first shuttle 162. In this case, a shuttle among the multiple shuttles 162, 164 that stops at another region can be determined as a shuttle located relatively close to the other region.

[0033] Specifically, the first shuttle 162 is moving upward along the first rail area 142, and the second shuttle 164 is moving downward along the first rail area 142. In this case, the second shuttle 164, which is located relatively close to the fourth rail area 148 set in another area, can move to the fourth rail area 148 and stop there.

[0034] Therefore, the first shuttle 162 can continue to move along the first rail region 142. However, the region where the second shuttle 164 stops is not limited to the fourth rail region 148. For example, if the first shuttle 162 needs to be provided with a route that includes another region, the second shuttle 164 may stop in another region.

[0035] 1 illustrates an example in which multiple shuttles 162, 164 move along the same rail region, but is not limited to this. For example, the first shuttle 162 may be moving from the first rail region 142 to the second rail region 146 via the third rail region 144, and the second shuttle 164 may be moving from the second rail region 146 to the first rail region 142 via the third rail region 144.

[0036] In this case, the first shuttle 162 located relatively close to the fourth rail area 148 can move to the second rail area 146 via the fourth rail area 148. Accordingly, the second shuttle 164 can move to the first rail area 142 via the third rail area 144. That is, the movement direction and / or stopping position of the multiple shuttles 162, 164 can be controlled so as not to collide with each other.

[0037] In this case, the moving direction and / or stopping position of each of the shuttles 162, 164 may be determined so as to minimize the total moving direction of the shuttles 162, 164. With this configuration, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 can provide an efficient movement line for the shuttles 162, 164, thereby improving throughput and reducing energy consumption.

[0038] The magnetic levitation rail and shuttle of the substrate transfer device will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer device according to an embodiment.

[0040] 2, the substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment may include an upper magnetic levitation rail 210, a lower magnetic levitation rail 220, and a shuttle 300. The moving plate may include the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220.

[0041] The upper magnetic levitation rail 210 may be disposed on one surface 201 of the moving plate, and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 may be disposed on the other surface 202 of the moving plate. In this case, the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 may be disposed to face each other.

[0042] In the prior art, the shuttle 300 transports the substrates using only the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 disposed below the shuttle. However, when the shuttle departs or stops on the lower magnetic levitation rail 220, or when the robot arm removes the substrate from the shuttle, slight vibrations occur. The substrate transport device of the present invention includes the upper magnetic levitation rail 210, unlike the prior art, and is therefore able to prevent the occurrence of slight vibrations. That is, the present invention solves the problems of the prior art by magnetically levitating the shuttle 300 above and below the shuttle 300 using not only the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 but also the upper magnetic levitation rail 210.

[0043] The upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 may include a plurality of electromagnets. In this case, the electromagnets included in the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the electromagnets included in the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 may be arranged to correspond to each other one-to-one as shown in FIG. 2, but are not limited thereto and may be arranged alternately.

[0044] The shuttle 300 may be configured to accommodate a substrate therein. The shuttle 300 may be disposed between the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 and may move on a moving plate. The shuttle 300 may move on the moving plate to deliver a substrate to a processing chamber or to move a substrate that has been processed in the processing chamber.

[0045] The shuttle 300 may include a first space 310 and a second space 320 configured to accommodate at least one substrate. In this case, the first space 310 and the second space 320 may be separated and partitioned from each other. The environments of the first space 310 and the second space 320 may be set to be different from each other. For example, the first space 310 may be set to a vacuum state, and the second space 320 may be set to a non-vacuum state. Also, for example, the environments of the first space 310 and the second space 320, such as temperature and / or humidity, may be set to be different from each other.

[0046] The first space 310 and the second space 320 may be arranged along one axis. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the first space 310 and the second space 320 may be arranged along an axis perpendicular to one surface 201 or the other surface 202 of the moving plate. In this case, the first space 310 may be arranged above the second space 320. In this case, the lateral area occupied by the shuttle 300 on the moving plate is small, so that the movement side may be efficient.

[0047] Alternatively, the first space 310 and the second space 320 may be arranged along an axis parallel to one surface 201 or the other surface 202 of the moving plate. Specifically, unlike Fig. 2, the first space 310 and the second space 320 may be arranged side by side. In this case, the distance between the one surface 201 and the other surface 202 of the moving plate is shortened, so that the area occupied vertically by the moving plate may be reduced.

[0048] The first space 310 and the second space 320 may accommodate different types of substrates. Specifically, the first space 310 may accommodate a substrate to be processed in the processing chamber, and the second space 320 may accommodate a substrate processed in the processing chamber. In this case, the first space 310 may be located below the second space 320. Specifically, since smoke is generated on the surface of the processed substrate, the space accommodating the processed substrate may be located above the space accommodating the substrate to be processed so that the processing surface of the surrounding unprocessed substrate (substrate to be processed) is not damaged. However, this is not limited thereto. The shuttle 300 accommodates substrates before and after processing in the processing chamber separately, so that confusion regarding the substrates before and after processing can be prevented.

[0049] In addition, since the first space 310 and the second space 320 of the shuttle 300 are separated from each other, it is possible to provide an optimized environment for each of the substrates before and after processing. For example, the first space 310 accommodates the substrate before processing in a vacuum state, and the second space 320 accommodates the substrate after processing in a non-vacuum state, so that the shuttle 300 can provide an optimized environment for each substrate.

[0050] The shuttle 300 may include a first permanent magnet 330 arranged to face the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and a second permanent magnet 340 arranged to face the lower magnetic levitation rail 220. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the first permanent magnet 330 may be arranged at the top of the shuttle 300 and the second permanent magnet 340 may be arranged at the bottom of the shuttle 300, but is not limited thereto. Also, while Fig. 2 illustrates two permanent magnets arranged at the top and bottom of the shuttle 300, the number of permanent magnets is not limited thereto and may be one, three, four, etc., and the number of permanent magnets arranged at the top and bottom may also be different.

[0051] The first permanent magnet 330 and the second permanent magnet 340 can magnetically levitate the shuttle 300 by the attractive or repulsive force with the electromagnets of the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220. The shuttle 300 can move between the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 and the lower magnetic levitation rail 220 using the first permanent magnet 330 and the second permanent magnet 340.

[0052] The shuttle 300 may include a support 350 capable of supporting a substrate accommodated therein. Specifically, the first space 310 and / or the second space 320 of the shuttle 300 may include a support 350 configured to support a substrate. The substrate is disposed on the support 350 and may be moved through the shuttle 300. The support 350 may support a substrate before processing, a substrate after processing, a dummy substrate, or a substrate-shaped sensor. In this case, the dummy substrate may refer to a test substrate for evaluating the stability, performance, etc. of the entire device.

[0053] According to an embodiment, a friction member may be disposed on one surface of the support 350. Specifically, the friction member may be disposed on one surface of the support 350 that contacts the rear surface of the substrate. In this case, the friction member may include a material with a high friction coefficient so that the substrate supported by the support 350 does not vibrate due to minute vibrations of the shuttle 300. For example, the friction member may be neoprene or rubber, but is not limited thereto.

[0054] The shuttle 300 may include at least one sensor (not shown) therein. Specifically, a sensor for sensing the internal environment may be disposed in the first space 310 and / or the second space 320 of the shuttle 300. The sensor may be, but is not limited to, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a weight sensor, or a gradient sensor.

[0055] For example, the first space 310 or the second space 320 may include a sensor capable of measuring the weight of the substrate or the slope of the substrate. Also, for example, the first space 310 or the second space 320 may include a sensor capable of checking whether the temperature / humidity or vacuum state of each space is properly set. In this case, the sensor may have the same shape as the substrate, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] The sensor can sense the overall environmental information of the substrate transfer apparatus as well as the environment inside the shuttle 300. Specifically, when the shuttle 300 enters a processing chamber, the sensor can sense environmental information inside the processing chamber. Also, when the shuttle 300 enters a load lock chamber, the sensor can sense environmental information inside the load lock chamber. In this way, the substrate transfer apparatus can sense environmental information inside the apparatus using the sensor of the shuttle 300.

[0057] FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0058] 3, the shuttle 300 of the substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment may further include a buffer member 360. Specifically, the shuttle 300 may include the buffer member 360 that can absorb shock to protect the substrate even if the accommodated substrate slides or swings.

[0059] The buffer member 360 may be disposed on one side of the first space 310 or the second space 320. For example, as shown in FIG 3, the buffer member 360 may be disposed on a side of the first space 310 or the second space 320 adjacent to the support 350, but is not limited thereto.

[0060] The buffer member 360 may include a material capable of absorbing shock, for example, but is not limited to, a polymer resin such as polyurethane, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, or the like, or a material having elasticity such as a sponge formed by foaming rubber, a urethane-based material, or an acrylic-based material.

[0061] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0062] 4, the substrate transfer apparatus according to another embodiment may further include a fixed pin 230. Specifically, the moving plate may include a fixed pin 230 for fixing the position of the shuttle 300. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the fixed pin 230 may be disposed between the electromagnets included in the upper magnetic levitation rail 210 or the lower magnetic levitation rail 220, but is not limited thereto.

[0063] The fixing pin 230 may be protruded or not protruded by a control unit of the substrate transfer device. Specifically, the fixing pin 230 is not protruded when the shuttle 300 moves, but can be controlled to be protruded when the shuttle 300 stops. The fixing pin 230 can fix the position of the shuttle 300 by contacting the shuttle 300 or penetrating one side of the shuttle 300. In the present invention, the position of the shuttle 300 is fixed by using the fixing pin 230, thereby preventing minute vibrations from occurring when a robot arm takes a substrate out of the shuttle or puts a substrate into the shuttle.

[0064] The method according to the embodiment may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded on a computer readable medium. The computer readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the computer readable recording medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floppy disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, and the like. The hardware devices may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform operations of the embodiment, or vice versa.

[0065] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to limited embodiments and drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than described, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different manner than described, or may be replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents, and still achieve suitable results.

[0066] Accordingly, other implementations, embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are within the scope of the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 210 Upper magnetic levitation rail 220 Lower magnetic levitation rail 300 Shuttle

Claims

1. a moving plate including an upper magnetic levitation rail and a lower magnetic levitation rail; a processing chamber disposed adjacent to the moving plate for processing a substrate; a shuttle disposed between the upper and lower magnetic levitation rails and configured to move on the moving plate and to receive the substrate; the shuttle includes a first space and a second space configured to receive at least one substrate; The substrate transfer apparatus, wherein the first space and the second space are separated and partitioned from each other.

2. The substrate transfer device of claim 1 , wherein the first space is disposed below the second space.

3. the first space accommodates a substrate to be processed in the processing chamber; The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second space accommodates a substrate that has been processed in the processing chamber.

4. 2 . The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle includes a first permanent magnet disposed to face the upper magnetic levitation rail and a second permanent magnet disposed to face the lower magnetic levitation rail.

5. the shuttle includes a support platform for supporting the substrate; The substrate transfer device according to claim 1 , wherein a friction member is disposed on one surface of the support table.

6. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle comprises a sensor for sensing an environment of the inside of the first space, the inside of the second space, the moving plate, or the processing chamber.

7. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the sensor is a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a weight sensor, or a gradient sensor.

8. The moving plate includes a fixing pin for fixing the position of the shuttle; 2. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixed pin is disposed between the electromagnets of the upper magnetic levitation rail or the lower magnetic levitation rail.

9. 9. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fixing pin fixes the position of the shuttle by contacting the shuttle or penetrating one surface of the shuttle.

10. The substrate transfer device according to claim 1 , further comprising a buffer member disposed on one surface of the first space or the second space.

11. 7. The substrate transfer apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sensor has the same shape as the substrate.

Images