Carrier for batch loading of substrates, and treatment device and usage method therefor

Abstract

Provided are a carrier for batch loading of substrates, and a treatment device and a usage method therefor. A treatment channel (11) is formed in the carrier (1); at least one treatment station (12) is provided in the treatment channel (11); the treatment station (12) comprises a fixed component and a slidable component; and the carrier (1) comprises side plates (13), each side plate (13) is provided with a mounting member, a first mounting hole (131a) is formed in the mounting member, and the first mounting hole (131a) is used for assembling the slidable component. By using the carrier, the slidable components specifically slide in the first mounting holes of the mounting members and are not in direct contact with the side plates. When the first mounting holes are damaged, the mounting members can be directly replaced, the whole side plates do not need to be integrally dismounted and mounted, the maintenance operation is simple, and the efficiency is high.

Description

A carrier for batch loading substrates, processing equipment and use method thereof

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 1, 2023, with application number 202311647421.9 and invention name “A carrier for batch loading of substrates, processing equipment and method of use thereof”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of photovoltaic equipment, and in particular to a carrier for batch loading of substrates, a processing device and a method for using the same. Background Art

[0003] When performing coating and other treatments on semiconductor substrates, processing equipment needs to be configured. In actual production, the yield factor is an important consideration. The substrates to be processed need to be prepared in batches, and corresponding carriers need to be designed during batch preparation. When one side of a substrate is subjected to treatments such as coating, it is usually necessary to block or protect the other side. For example, in the production process of solar cells, a large number of substrates are processed simultaneously in the same chamber. While ensuring the batch, one side of the substrate also needs to be blocked. The currently adopted feasible method is to stack two substrates and use the substrates to block each other. In this way, it is necessary to ensure that the two substrates fit well. If they do not fit well, the surface that is not desired to be processed will be processed, such as wrap-around plating.

[0004] To address these technical issues, a carrier has been designed that achieves a secure fit between the two substrates through the interaction of fixed and slidable components. Specifically, holes are directly cut into the carrier's side panels, allowing the slidable components to slide and fit within the holes. However, this implementation can cause direct wear on the side panels. Severe wear and damage to the side panels necessitates disassembly and replacement of the entire carrier, a laborious and cumbersome process.

[0005] In addition, during actual operation, the sliding installation position of the slidable component is not easy to adjust.

[0006] Therefore, how to provide a solution to overcome or alleviate at least some of the above-mentioned defects is still a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a carrier for batch loading of substrates, a processing device and a method of using the same, wherein the processing device includes a side panel, the side panel is provided with a mounting component, the mounting component is provided with a first mounting hole for realizing the installation and sliding of a sliding component, thereby avoiding direct wear of the sliding component on the side panel.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a carrier for batch loading of substrates, wherein the carrier is provided with a processing channel, wherein at least one processing station is provided in the processing channel, wherein the processing station includes a fixed part and a sliding part, and the carrier includes a side panel, wherein the side panel is provided with a mounting component, wherein the mounting component is provided with the first mounting hole, and the first mounting hole is used to assemble the sliding part.

[0009] By adopting the above solution, the sliding component specifically slides in the first mounting hole of the mounting component without directly contacting the side panel. When damage occurs at the first mounting hole, the mounting component can be directly replaced without the need to disassemble and assemble the entire side panel. The maintenance operation is relatively simple and the efficiency can be high.

[0010] Optionally, the mounting component is a reaction passivation block.

[0011] Optionally, the material of the reaction passivation block is different from the material of the slidable component.

[0012] Optionally, the reaction passivation block is made of any one of stainless steel coated with Teflon, aluminum alloy, and graphite.

[0013] Optionally, the first mounting hole is a stepped hole, the stepped hole includes a small-diameter hole section and a large-diameter hole section, and the slidable component is slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section.

[0014] Optionally, the large-diameter hole segments and the small-diameter hole segments are arranged in sequence along a direction from the outer wall surface of the side plate to the inner wall surface of the side plate.

[0015] Optionally, the slidable component is a pressing component.

[0016] Optionally, the outer surface of the slidable component is provided with a reactive passivation layer.

[0017] Optionally, the carrier includes two side panels arranged opposite to each other, the slidable components are slidably assembled on the side panels, at least one of the side panels is slidably assembled with a locking member, the slidable components are provided with a locking groove, and the locking member can be embedded in the locking groove.

[0018] Optionally, the side panel is provided with a second mounting hole, and the locking element is arranged in the second mounting hole and is capable of sliding in the second mounting hole.

[0019] Optionally, a gasket is provided in the second mounting hole, and the gasket and the locking element are arranged in sequence in the thickness direction of the side plate.

[0020] Optionally, the gasket is detachably mounted on the side panel so as to replace the gaskets with different thicknesses.

[0021] The present application also provides a processing device, including a heating component, an air supply component, an air extraction component and a carrier, wherein the carrier is the above-mentioned carrier for loading substrates in batches.

[0022] The present application also provides a method for using a processing device, which is applicable to the above-mentioned processing device, wherein the sliding component is a pressing component, and the method for using the device comprises the following steps: step S1, installing the substrate group on the processing station, wherein the substrate group comprises a plurality of substrates to be processed that are in contact with each other; step S2, controlling the pressing component to slide in the first mounting hole to press each of the substrates to be processed in the substrate group; and step S3, processing the substrate group.

[0023] Optionally, the side panel is slidably equipped with a lock, and the pressing component is provided with a lock groove; the step S2 further includes: embedding the lock into the lock groove. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG1 is a simplified structural diagram of a carrier of a processing device provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic side view of Figure 1;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the pressing component, the reaction passivation block and the side plate;

[0027] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the pressing component, the locking member, the gasket and the side plate;

[0028] FIG5 is a flow chart of a method for using the processing device provided in this application.

[0029] The following are the descriptions of the reference numerals:

[0030] 1 carrier, 11 processing channel, 12 processing station, 13 side plate, 131 reaction passivation block, 131a first mounting hole, 131a-1 large diameter hole section, 131a-2 small diameter hole section, 131b protruding tooth, 132 second mounting hole;

[0031] 2 pressing components, 21 locking groove;

[0032] 3 locks;

[0033] 4 gaskets. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0036] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0037] The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of this application, such as "inside" and "outside", are only used to refer to the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer description and understanding of the embodiments of this application, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of this application. In addition, unless otherwise specified in this application, the "plurality" mentioned in this application refers to two or more.

[0038] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not preclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0039] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4, Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the carrier of the processing equipment provided in this application, Figure 2 is a visual diagram of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the clamping component, reaction passivation block and side plate, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of the clamping component, lock, gasket and side plate.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1, the present application provides a processing device, including a carrier 1, which can specifically be a carrier for loading substrates in batches. The carrier 1 is provided with a processing channel 11, and the processing channel 11 has a channel extension direction (left and right direction in Figure 1). A processing station 12 is provided in the processing channel 11. The number of processing stations 12 can be one; or the number of processing stations 12 can also be multiple, in which case each processing station 12 can be arranged in the channel extension direction.

[0041] The processing station 12 is equipped with a fixed fixed component (not shown in the figure) for supporting a substrate assembly (not shown in the figure). The substrate assembly includes a plurality of substrates to be processed that are relatively bonded together. The substrates to be processed can specifically be semiconductor substrates in the form of silicon wafers. In the direction in which the plurality of substrates to be processed are relatively bonded together, the outer side surfaces of the two substrates to be processed at the two ends are the surfaces to be processed, and the remaining surfaces are non-processed surfaces. For example, when the substrate assembly includes two substrates to be processed, the two surfaces of the two substrates to be processed that are relatively bonded together are non-processed surfaces. Each substrate to be processed has a surface that is opposite to the non-processed surface, which is the surface to be processed.

[0042] In a specific implementation, a treatment medium may be used to treat the surface to be treated. The specific treatment process is not limited herein. For example, the treatment process may be a coating process, such as an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process or a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process. Accordingly, the treatment medium may be a film-forming gas.

[0043] The specific structure of the fixing component is not the focus of this application and will not be described in detail here. In actual application, those skilled in the art can refer to relevant technologies for understanding.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, the processing device further includes a slidable component. In conjunction with Figures 2 and 3, the processing device may include a side panel 13, which may be provided with a first mounting hole 131a. The slidable component may be installed in the first mounting hole 131a and may slide within the first mounting hole 131a to achieve a corresponding function. The above-mentioned slidable component may be a pressing component 2, which is used to press the multiple substrates to be processed in the substrate group; such a configuration can greatly improve the tightness of the docking and bonding of the multiple substrates to be processed through the pressing of the pressing component 2, thereby largely preventing the processing medium from entering between two adjacent substrates to be processed, and thus preventing the non-processed surface from being processed by the processing medium, which is beneficial to improving product quality.

[0045] In detail, the pressing component 2 can be configured with a pressing groove, which can include a groove bottom wall and two groove side walls. The pressing component 2 can specifically press the substrate group through the groove side walls, thereby improving the fitting tightness of multiple substrates to be processed in the substrate group.

[0046] The fixing component can carry multiple substrate groups at the same time, and accordingly, the pressing component 2 can also press multiple substrate groups at the same time, thereby realizing batch loading of substrates.

[0047] Furthermore, a mounting member may be provided at the processing station 12, the mounting member being provided with a first mounting hole 131a, within which the slidable member can slide. Thus, if the first mounting hole 131a is damaged, the mounting member can be directly replaced without disassembling the entire processing equipment, thereby simplifying maintenance and increasing efficiency.

[0048] 2 and 3 , the carrier 1 may include two opposing side panels 13, at least one of which may be provided with the aforementioned mounting member. The provision of the mounting member prevents direct wear between the pressing component 2 and the side panel 13, thereby ensuring the service life of the side panel 13. Specifically, the mounting member may be a reaction passivation block 131, which may be provided with a first mounting hole 131a. The axial end of the pressing component 2 may be slidably mounted in the first mounting hole 131a to adjust the pressing state of the pressing component 2 against the substrate stack.

[0049] The reaction passivation block 131 specifically refers to a component that is not easy to react with the processing medium. "Not easy" here means that no reaction occurs or the amount of reaction is very small. In this way, when used in the processing equipment, no or very little impurities such as coating powder block products are generated at the installation component, and the sliding of the clamping component 2 in the first mounting hole 131a is not easy to get stuck, which is more conducive to ensuring the smooth sliding of the clamping component 2.

[0050] Furthermore, the outer surface of the sliding component can also be configured with a reaction passivation layer. The reaction passivation layer specifically refers to a film layer that is not easy to react with the processing medium. "Not easy" here means no reaction or very little reaction. In this way, when used in the processing equipment, the surface of the sliding component will not produce or very little impurities such as coating powder block products, and the sliding of the sliding component in the first mounting hole 131a will not cause jamming, which is more conducive to ensuring the smooth sliding of the sliding component.

[0051] The materials of the reaction passivation block 131 and the reaction passivation layer are not limited herein. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can set them according to specific needs, as long as they can meet the requirements of use. For example, the materials of the reaction passivation block 131 and the reaction passivation layer include but are not limited to stainless steel coated with Teflon (stainless steel coated with Teflon), aluminum alloy, graphite, etc.

[0052] In some optional embodiments, the material of the reaction passivation block 131 and the material of the pressing component 2 may be different. In this way, the friction between the pressing component 2 and the reaction passivation block 131 can be further reduced, thereby improving the smoothness of the movement of the pressing component 2.

[0053] The first mounting hole 131a can be a stepped hole, which can include a large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and a small-diameter hole section 131a-2. The aforementioned pressing component 2 can be slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section 131a-2. In this way, the contact area between the pressing component 2 and the reaction passivation block 131 can be smaller, which can greatly reduce the friction between the pressing component 2 and the reaction passivation block 131, thereby improving the smoothness of the movement of the pressing component 2. In addition, the reaction passivation block 131 is used to form the wall of the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, and can also scrape away impurities such as coating powder products accumulated in the pressing component 2, thereby reducing the possibility of impurities entering between the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 and the pressing component 2, and the resulting sliding and blocking of the pressing component 2.

[0054] The present embodiment does not limit the formation of the small-diameter hole segment 131a-2. In practical applications, those skilled in the art may configure it according to specific needs, as long as it meets the requirements. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the small-diameter hole segment 131a-2 may be formed by two upper and lower protruding teeth 131b, both of which can scrape away impurities accumulated in the pressing component 2. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present embodiment, only one of the upper and lower protruding teeth 131b may be present.

[0055] The large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 can be arranged sequentially along the outer wall of the side plate 13, which is from left to right in Figure 3. With this arrangement, since the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 is closer to the inner wall of the side plate 13, the wall portion of the reaction passivation block 131 used to form the small-diameter hole section 131a-2 can better scrape away impurities, thereby reducing the possibility of impurities entering between the first mounting hole 131a and the pressing member 2, which has a more positive effect on improving the sliding smoothness of the pressing member 2.

[0056] In some optional embodiments, at least one of the side plates 13 can be slidably equipped with a lock 3, and the clamping component 2 can be provided with a lock groove 21, and the lock 3 can be embedded in the lock groove 21 to lock the clamping state of the clamping component 2.

[0057] The lock member 3 can be slidably mounted on the inner wall of the side panel 13. Alternatively, the lock member 3 can be slidably mounted on the outer wall of the side panel 13. Furthermore, the side panel 13 can be provided with a second mounting hole 132, into which the lock member 3 can be slidably mounted. In this manner, the lock member 3 is effectively slidably mounted within the side panel 13, thereby reducing the impact of impurities such as the coating powder products within the processing channel 11 on the lock member 3. At the same time, the lock member 3 can be prevented from occupying space on the outer wall of the side panel 13, thereby improving the surface finish of the outer wall of the side panel 13.

[0058] The second mounting hole 132 may specifically extend in the vertical direction, in which case the locking member 3 may slide in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the second mounting hole 132 may extend in other directions, such as in the channel extension direction of the processing channel 11 (a direction perpendicular to the paper in FIG. 4 ), as long as the locking member 3 can slide out of or fit into the locking slot 21 when sliding in the corresponding second mounting hole 132.

[0059] The lock 3 can be a manually operated component, for example, the lock 3 can be equipped with a handle, and the staff can operate the lock 3 through the handle to lock or unlock the pressing component 2. In addition, the lock 3 can also be a semi-automatic component, for example, the lock 3 can be embedded in the lock groove 21 by its own weight, but needs to be disengaged from the lock groove 21 manually or by other means; or, the lock 3 can also be an automated component, for example, the lock 3 can be equipped with a driving component to control the displacement of the lock 3 through the driving component, and the driving component includes but is not limited to a motor, a linear cylinder, a linear oil cylinder, etc. It should be noted that when the driving component is a motor, a displacement conversion mechanism in the form of a screw mechanism, a gear rack mechanism, etc. can also be configured to convert the rotational displacement output by the motor into the linear displacement required by the pressing component 2. The best way to use it is that when the pressing component 2 moves laterally, when the lock groove 21 moves to the position corresponding to the lock 3, the lock 3 is embedded in the lock groove 21 under the action of its own weight, and the unlocking method can be performed by an automated component.

[0060] Furthermore, a gasket 4 can be disposed within the second mounting hole 132. The gasket 4 and the locking element 3 can be arranged sequentially in the thickness direction (left-right direction in FIG. 4 ) of the side plate 13. The placement of the gasket 4 can change the embedding position of the locking element 3 and the pressing component 2, thereby adjusting the degree of pressure exerted by the pressing component 2 on the substrate assembly.

[0061] In actual use, the gasket 4 and the side plate 13 can be detachably connected, such as by screws or snaps, to facilitate replacement of the gasket 4, thereby conveniently adjusting the amount of slippage of the pressing component 2 relative to the side plate 13 to change the pressing effect of the pressing component 2 on the substrate group. At the same time, it can also adapt to the coating treatment of substrate groups of different sizes, which can expand the range of processing objects provided by the processing equipment provided by this application and improve compatibility. The gasket 4 of interchangeable thickness combined with the lock 3 that automatically falls by gravity can adjust the displacement distance of the pressing component 2, thereby meeting the carrier's requirements for different displacement distances for substrates of different thicknesses.

[0062] In the solution provided in the present application, both the setting of the reaction passivation block 131 and the setting of the gasket 4 can be reprocessed on the original side plate 13, with relatively low cost and can be easily promoted and used.

[0063] In addition to the carrier 1 , the processing equipment may also be configured with other functional components for processing the substrate, such as a heating component, an air supply component, an air extraction component, etc., for implementing a specific process.

[0064] Please refer to FIG5 , which is a flowchart of a method for using the processing device provided in this application.

[0065] The present application also provides a method for using a processing device, which is applicable to the processing devices involved in the aforementioned embodiments. As shown in FIG5 , the method includes the following steps S1 , S2 , and S3 .

[0066] In step S1, a substrate assembly is mounted on a processing station 12. Specifically, the substrate assembly can be a fixed component mounted on the processing station 12.

[0067] Step S2 , controlling the pressing component 2 to slide in the first mounting hole 131 a to press each substrate to be processed in the substrate group to reduce the processing medium from processing the non-processed surface of the substrate to be processed.

[0068] For the embodiment in which a lock member 3 is slidably assembled in the side panel 13 and a lock groove 21 is provided in the clamping component 2, the above-mentioned step S2 may further include: embedding the lock member 3 into the lock groove 21, so as to realize the locking assembly of the clamping component 2 through the cooperation of the lock member 3 and the lock groove 21.

[0069] For the implementation scheme in which the first mounting hole 131a is a stepped hole, the stepped hole includes a large-diameter hole section 131a-1 and a small-diameter hole section 131a-2, and the clamping component 2 is slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, the above-mentioned step S2 may also include: scraping impurities of the clamping component 2 through the wall portion used to form the small-diameter hole section 131a-2, so as to reduce the phenomenon of sliding jamming of the clamping component 2 in the first mounting hole 131a, which is conducive to ensuring the smooth sliding of the clamping component 2.

[0070] Step S3, processing the substrate assembly, specifically, coating processing, etc.

[0071] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A carrier for batch loading of substrates, characterized in that: The carrier (1) is provided with a processing channel (11), at least one processing station (12) is provided in the processing channel (11), the processing station (12) includes a fixed part and a slidable part, the carrier (1) includes a side plate (13), the side plate (13) is provided with a mounting component, the mounting component is provided with a first mounting hole (131a), and the first mounting hole (131a) is used to assemble the slidable part.

2. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting component is a reaction passivation block (131).

3. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material of the reaction passivation block (131) is different from the material of the slidable component.

4. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material of the reaction passivation block (131) is any one of stainless steel plated with Teflon, aluminum alloy, and graphite.

5. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first mounting hole (131a) is a stepped hole, the stepped hole comprises a large-diameter hole section (131a-1) and a small-diameter hole section (131a-2), and the slidable component is slidably assembled in the small-diameter hole section (131a-2).

6. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 5, characterized in that: The large-diameter hole section (131a-1) and the small-diameter hole section (131a-2) are arranged in sequence along the direction from the outer wall surface of the side plate (13) to the inner wall surface of the side plate (13).

7. The carrier for loading substrates in batches according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slidable component is a pressing component (2).

8. The carrier for loading substrates in batches according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The outer surface of the slidable component is provided with a reaction passivation layer.

9. The carrier for loading substrates in batches according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The slidable component is slidably assembled on the side plate (13), the side plate (13) is slidably assembled with a locking member (3), the slidable component is provided with a locking groove (21), and the locking member (3) can be embedded in the locking groove (21).

10. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 9, characterized in that: The side plate (13) is provided with a second mounting hole (132), and the locking element (3) is arranged in the second mounting hole (132) and is capable of sliding in the second mounting hole (132).

11. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 10, characterized in that: A gasket (4) is disposed in the second mounting hole (132), and in the thickness direction of the side plate (13), the gasket (4) and the locking element (3) are arranged in sequence.

12. The carrier for batch loading of substrates according to claim 11, characterized in that: The gasket (4) is detachably mounted on the side plate (13) so as to replace the gasket (4) with different thicknesses.

13. A processing device, characterized in that: It comprises a heating component, an air supply component, an air extraction component and a carrier (1), wherein the carrier (1) is a carrier for batch loading substrates as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. A method for using a processing device, characterized in that: Applicable to the processing device of claim 13, wherein the slidable component is a pressing component (2), and the method of use comprises the following steps: Step S1, installing a substrate set at the processing station (12), wherein the substrate set includes a plurality of substrates to be processed that are bonded to each other; Step S2, controlling the pressing component (2) to slide in the first mounting hole (131a) to press each of the substrates to be processed in the substrate group; Step S3, processing the substrate set.

15. The method for using the processing device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The side plate (13) is slidably equipped with a lock member (3), and the pressing member (2) is provided with a lock groove (21); The step S2 further comprises: enabling the locking element (3) to be embedded in the locking groove (21).

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