Rotary shaft sealing device and semiconductor substrate processing apparatus using same

Abstract

Disclosed are a rotary shaft sealing device and a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus using same. A rotary shaft sealing device, which is mounted in a chamber for processing a semiconductor substrate while rotating a susceptor for loading the semiconductor substrate, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a hollow housing connected to the chamber; a shaft which is accommodated inside the housing and one end of which passes through the wall of the chamber and is connected to and rotates the susceptor; and a sealing part which is arranged inside the housing to seal a gap between the housing and the shaft, and is provided with a plurality of seals for providing sealing even when the shaft rotates inside the housing.

Description

Rotating shaft sealing device and semiconductor substrate processing device using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotary shaft sealing device and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a rotary shaft sealing device and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same, which secures airtightness by sealing the space between a shaft penetrating a chamber and a housing with a plurality of seals and controlling the pressure by supplying gas to the space between the seals.

[0002] Semiconductor substrate processing devices are used for the mass production of integrated circuits and include equipment for forming a thin film of a predetermined thickness on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or glass, or for performing oxidation treatment, annealing, and impurity diffusion treatment. For example, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and plasma deposition processes may be used in the thin film formation process, and furnace equipment for heat treatment of the substrate is also used.

[0003] In particular, in plasma organic chemical vapor deposition (PVC) apparatus, an electric field is applied to a mixed gas within the chamber to form a plasma, and a thin film is deposited on a substrate through the reaction. In such apparatus, the susceptor often performs rotational motion to secure the semiconductor substrate and ensure uniform processing, or performs up-and-down motion depending on the process conditions. Accordingly, the shaft connected to the susceptor penetrates the chamber wall and is connected to an external drive unit, and a sealed structure is required that allows for rotational and linear motion of the shaft while maintaining the airtightness of the chamber.

[0004] Conventionally, methods utilizing bellows and magnetic fluid seals on the lifting and rotating rods have been used for the lifting and rotating movements of the susceptor. Bellows are corrugated tube structures designed to maintain airtightness during linear movement, and are often formed by welding multiple metal plates; however, cracks can occur due to repeated motion and thermal and mechanical loads. If cracks occur in the bellows, not only can airtightness be reduced, making device operation difficult, but there is also a problem that contamination of the chamber interior may be caused by the generation of particles.

[0005] In addition, magnetic fluid seals are a method of sealing by utilizing the surface tension of a liquid by placing magnetic fluid along magnetic flux lines in the gap between the shaft and the pole piece, but it has been pointed out that cooling may be required depending on the operating temperature conditions of the device, and that particles of magnetic fluid are released into the surroundings and contaminate the deposition device when used for a long time.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a rotary shaft sealing device capable of stably maintaining the airtightness of a chamber while a shaft penetrating the wall of a chamber processing a semiconductor substrate performs rotational and linear motion, and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same.

[0007] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a rotary shaft sealing device and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same, which can mitigate wear, heat generation, and leakage of individual seals and thereby extend the seal life by providing one or more annular spaces formed by a housing and a shaft between adjacent multiple seals and controlling the pressure of said annular spaces, thereby maintaining the differential pressure acting on individual seals below a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure.

[0008] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a rotary shaft sealing device and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same, which can reduce the differential pressure burden on each seal by dividing the high differential pressure in stages by providing multiple annular spaces and forming different set pressures in each annular space such that the pressure in the multiple annular spaces decreases in stages as it moves away from the chamber.

[0009] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0010] A rotary shaft sealing device mounted in a chamber that processes a semiconductor substrate while rotating a susceptor that loads a semiconductor substrate, according to one embodiment of the present invention, may include: a hollow housing connected to the chamber; a shaft accommodated within the housing, one end of which penetrates the wall of the chamber and is connected to the susceptor to rotate the susceptor; and a sealing part having a plurality of seals disposed within the housing to seal the gap between the housing and the shaft, and which perform sealing even when the shaft rotates within the housing.

[0011] Additionally, it may further include an annular space formed by the housing and the shaft between adjacent seals; and a supply passage for supplying gas to the annular space.

[0012] Additionally, it may further include a regulator connected to the supply channel to regulate the pressure of the annular space.

[0013] In addition, the annular space may be provided in multiple numbers, and the regulator may form different set pressures in each of the annular spaces so that the pressure in each of the annular spaces decreases in stages as it moves away from the chamber.

[0014] In addition, the above-mentioned set pressure can be set so that the differential pressure acting on each of the adjacent seals is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure.

[0015] In addition, the regulator can form a set pressure formed in at least one of the annular spaces that is greater than the pressure of the chamber.

[0016] In addition, the plurality of the above seals may be lip seals having a lip formed on the inner circumference of an annular sealing to maintain airtightness of the chamber.

[0017] In addition, the regulator can variably adjust the pressure formed in the annular space in conjunction with the pressure fluctuation of the chamber, thereby ensuring that the differential pressure acting on each of the seals adjacent to the annular space is maintained at or below a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure.

[0018] A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a chamber for receiving the semiconductor substrate; a susceptor provided within the chamber for loading the semiconductor substrate; and a rotary shaft sealing device mounted in the chamber to rotate the susceptor while sealing the chamber; wherein the rotary shaft sealing device may include: a hollow housing connected to the chamber; a shaft received within the housing, one end of which penetrates the wall of the chamber and is connected to the susceptor to rotate the susceptor; and a sealing part having a plurality of seals disposed within the housing to seal the gap between the housing and the shaft, and which perform sealing even when the shaft rotates within the housing.

[0019] Additionally, it may further include an annular space formed by the housing and the shaft between adjacent seals; and a supply passage for supplying gas to the annular space.

[0020] Additionally, it may further include a regulator connected to the supply channel to regulate the pressure of the annular space.

[0021] In addition, the annular space may be provided in multiple numbers, and the regulator may form different set pressures in each of the annular spaces so that the pressure in each of the annular spaces decreases in stages as it moves away from the chamber.

[0022] In addition, the regulator can form a set pressure formed in at least one of the annular spaces that is greater than the pressure of the chamber.

[0023] A rotary shaft sealing device according to one embodiment of the present invention and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same can stably maintain the airtightness of the chamber while a shaft penetrating the wall of a chamber processing a semiconductor substrate performs rotational and linear motions.

[0024] In addition, by providing one or more annular spaces formed by a housing and a shaft between adjacent seals and controlling the pressure in the annular spaces, the differential pressure acting on individual seals is maintained below a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure, thereby mitigating wear, heat generation, and leakage of individual seals and extending the seal life.

[0025] In addition, by providing multiple annular spaces and forming different set pressures in each annular space such that the pressure in the multiple annular spaces decreases in stages as it moves away from the chamber, the differential pressure can be divided in stages to reduce the differential pressure burden on each seal.

[0026] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a rotating shaft sealing device according to one embodiment of the present invention and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same.

[0028] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the state in which the susceptor is raised in the semiconductor substrate processing apparatus of Figure 1.

[0029] Figure 3 is a drawing showing the semiconductor substrate and susceptor portion in detail in Figure 1.

[0030] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft sealing device of Figure 1.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a seal according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft sealing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the embodiments of the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted.

[0034] The terms used in this specification are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] In this specification, terms such as “comprising,” “having,” or “having” are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not excluding in advance the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0036] Furthermore, the components shown in the embodiments of the present invention are illustrated independently to represent different characteristic functions and do not imply that each component consists of separate hardware or a single software unit. That is, for convenience of explanation, each component is described as a separate component, and at least two of the components may be combined to form a single component, or a single component may be divided into multiple components to perform a function. Such integrated and separated embodiments of each component are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they do not deviate from the essence of the invention.

[0037] In addition, the following embodiments are provided to explain more clearly to those with average knowledge in the industry, and the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clearer explanation.

[0038] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a rotating shaft sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a semiconductor substrate processing device using the same, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a state in which the susceptor is raised in the semiconductor substrate processing device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a drawing showing the semiconductor substrate and susceptor parts in detail in FIG. 1.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the semiconductor substrate processing device (10) according to the present embodiment may include a chamber (13) for receiving a semiconductor substrate (S), a susceptor (22) provided in the chamber (13) for loading the semiconductor substrate (S), and a rotating shaft sealing device (100) mounted in the chamber (13) to rotate the susceptor (22) while sealing the chamber (13).

[0041] The semiconductor substrate processing device (10) may be any one of a furnace equipment, a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) equipment, an etching equipment, a high-pressure hydrogen annealing equipment, or a deposition equipment, but is not limited thereto.

[0042] The chamber (13) is configured to perform physical or chemical treatments, such as etching, deposition, and polishing, on a semiconductor substrate (S) while rotating a susceptor (22) loaded with the semiconductor substrate (S). It may include a lower chamber (13a) and an upper chamber (13b) covering the upper opening of the lower chamber (13a). An exhaust line may be connected to one side of the chamber (13) to allow the interior of the chamber (13) to be exhausted by a vacuum pump (12). A process gas supply port (11) through which process gas is introduced may be provided in the upper chamber (13b). The process gas introduced from the process gas supply port (11) may pass through a process gas inlet space (42) and be uniformly injected into the interior of the chamber (13) through a plurality of nozzles (41) of a spray plate (40). The process gas may be selected according to the purpose of the process, such as deposition, etching, or annealing on the semiconductor substrate (S), and the present invention is not limited to the type of process.

[0043] A susceptor (22) for mounting a semiconductor substrate (S) may be placed in the lower chamber (13a). A heater (21) may be provided on the upper part of the susceptor (22), and the semiconductor substrate (S) may be transported to the upper part of the heater (21) by a transport robot or the like from the opening of the upper chamber (13b) before the process. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3, a flow path (24) for supplying gas may be provided in the susceptor (22), and an inert gas (G), etc., may be supplied to the area around the susceptor (22) or the heater (21) through the flow path (24) to suppress the inflow of particles during the process or to assist in heat transfer characteristics.

[0044] The susceptor (22) is coupled to one end of the shaft (120) and can be rotated or raised and lowered. The other end of the shaft (120) can be connected to the first power transmission unit (50) to be driven for rotation and connected to the second power transmission unit (30) to be driven for raising and lowering. The second power transmission unit (30) may include a base plate (31), a rod (32), and a lifting motor (33). As the rod (32) is raised and lowered by the lifting motor (33), the base plate (31) is raised and lowered, and accordingly, the shaft (120) and the susceptor (22) can be raised and lowered. The first power transmission unit (50) can transmit rotational force to the shaft (120) to rotate the susceptor (22). Depending on the embodiment, the second power transmission unit (30) may or may not be provided.

[0045] Additionally, an inert gas supply unit (34) and a regulator (150) may be provided on the base plate (31). The inert gas supply unit (34) may provide an inert gas such as nitrogen (N2) or argon (Ar), and the regulator (150) may control the pressure formed in the annular space (111) described later by adjusting the pressure or flow rate of the gas supplied from the inert gas supply unit (34).

[0046] The shaft (120) can be connected to a rotary union (170) so that gas is stably supplied even during the rotational movement of the shaft (120). The rotary union (170) is a connecting part that allows a fluid, such as gas, to communicate between the rotating shaft (120) and a fixed pipe, and can deliver gas (G) supplied from an inert gas supply unit (34) into the shaft (120) or into a pipe communicating with the shaft (120). In one embodiment, the gas (G) introduced through the rotary union (170) can move upward along a gas supply path (122) formed inside the shaft (120) shown in FIG. 4 and be supplied to a flow path (24) within the susceptor (22). Additionally, the gas (G) can be delivered to a supply path (112) formed in the housing (160) and supplied to an annular space (111).

[0047] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating shaft sealing device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a seal according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] A rotating shaft sealing device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5. The rotating shaft sealing device (100) may be configured to maintain airtightness of the chamber (13) while allowing rotation or linear movement of a shaft (120) penetrating the wall (16) of the chamber (13). A rotating shaft sealing device (100) according to an embodiment may include a hollow housing (160) connected to the chamber (13), a shaft (120) accommodated within the housing (160), and a sealing part (140) that seals the gap between the housing (160) and the shaft (120).

[0049] The housing (160) may be formed in a hollow shape, with one end mounted on the wall (16) of the chamber (13), and may accommodate a shaft (120) and a sealing part (140) inside. A flange part (164) may be formed at one end of the housing (160), and a sealing member such as an O-ring (162) may be interposed between the flange part (164) and the wall (16) to maintain airtightness at the joint. The shaft (120) is accommodated within the housing (160), and one end penetrates the wall (16) of the chamber (13) and is connected to the susceptor (22), thereby allowing the susceptor (22) to be rotated or raised and lowered. The shaft (120) may perform rotational or linear motion along an axis (121) within the housing (160).

[0050] The sealing portion (140) is disposed within the housing (160) to seal the gap between the housing (160) and the shaft (120), and may be provided with a plurality of seals (142) to perform sealing even when the shaft (120) performs rotational movement or rotational movement within the housing (160). The plurality of seals (142) may be arranged in series so as to be adjacent to each other in the direction of the axis (121). The seal (142) may be a lip seal in which a lip (142b) is formed on the inner circumference of an annular sealing (142a) as shown in FIG. 5, and the lip (142b) is formed to contact the outer circumference of the shaft (120) so as to seal the gap even during rotational or linear movement of the shaft (120). The curvature direction of the lip of the lip seal (142) may be appropriately set according to the required sealing direction and pressure distribution.

[0051] Between adjacent seals (142), one or more annular spaces (111) formed by a housing (160) and a shaft (120) may be provided. The annular spaces (111) may be formed as annular spaces partitioned in the direction of the axis (121) between adjacent seals (142), and as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of annular spaces (111) including a first annular space (111a) and a second annular space (111b) may be formed. The number of annular spaces (111) is not limited to two as shown in FIG. 4, and may be implemented as one or three or more depending on the operating pressure of the chamber (13), the allowable differential pressure of the applied seals (142), etc.

[0052] A supply channel (112) for supplying gas to an annular space (111) may be provided in the rotating shaft sealing device (100). The supply channel (112) is connected to a housing (160) and may be in communication with each annular space (111). As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the supply channel (112) may be provided in each annular space formed by providing a first supply channel (112a) for supplying gas to a first annular space (111a) and a second supply channel (112b) for supplying gas to a second annular space (111b).

[0053] The gas supplied to the annular space (111) through the supply channel (112) may be provided from an external device or from the chamber (13). For example, inert gas (G) supplied from an inert gas supply unit (34) as an external device may be delivered to the supply channel (112) via a regulator (150) and supplied to the annular space (111). Additionally, as another example, the supply channel (112) may be configured to include a branch line communicating with the inside of the chamber (13) to branch the gas inside the chamber (13) and introduce it into the annular space (111). In this case, the supply channel (112) may further include a shut-off valve, a check valve, a filter, etc., and the regulator (150) can control the pressure of the annular space (111) by adjusting the pressure of the gas branched from the chamber (13).

[0054] The regulator (150) can regulate the pressure of the annular space (111) by regulating the pressure of the supply path (112). The regulator (150) may be a pressure control module including, for example, a variable regulator, a pressure reducing valve, a flow control valve, a pressure sensor, and a controller. When there are multiple supply paths (112), the regulator (150) may have independent control channels to form different set pressures for each supply path (112a, 112b), or it may be implemented by placing individual regulators on lines branched from a single pressure source.

[0055] In one embodiment, when a plurality of annular spaces (111) are provided, the regulator (150) may form different set pressures in each annular space (111) such that the pressure of the plurality of annular spaces (111) decreases stepwise as it moves away from the chamber (13). For example, the pressure (P1) of the first annular space (111a) which is relatively close to the chamber (13) may be formed to be greater than the pressure (P2) of the second annular space (111b) (P1 > P2), and a lower pressure may be formed as it moves further outward from the second annular space (111b). In this way, by dividing the differential pressure between the chamber pressure and the external pressure by a plurality of seals (142), the actual differential pressure burden acting on each seal (142) can be reduced.

[0056] Additionally, the set pressure formed by the regulator (150) can be set so that the differential pressure acting on each adjacent seal (142) is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure. Here, the maximum allowable differential pressure can be determined according to the material, shape, and pressure resistance performance of the seal (142), and in this embodiment, it can be set in the range of 9 bar or more and 11 bar or less, and the preferred maximum allowable differential pressure may be 10 bar. For example, when the chamber (13) is operated at a high pressure of 30 bar, the regulator (150) can induce the differential pressure between adjacent seals (142) to be approximately 10 bar each by adjusting the pressure of the supply passages (112a, 112b) so that the first annular space (111a) is formed at approximately 20 bar and the second annular space (111b) is formed at approximately 10 bar. Accordingly, excessive wear and heat generation of the seal (142) that may occur due to high differential pressure between adjacent seals (142) can be suppressed, and the possibility of leakage can be reduced.

[0057] In one embodiment, the regulator (150) can variably adjust the pressure formed in the annular space (111) in conjunction with the pressure fluctuation of the chamber (13). For example, the regulator (150) measures the pressure of the chamber (13) with a sensor or receives a reference pressure through a pilot line communicating with the chamber (13), and by adjusting the set pressure of each annular space (111a, 111b) together in response to the chamber pressure change, the differential pressure acting on each seal (142) adjacent to the annular space (111) can be maintained at a maximum allowable differential pressure or lower. Through this, stable sealing performance can be secured not only under high pressure operating conditions but also under pressure fluctuation conditions.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rotating shaft sealing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 6, the regulator (150) of the rotating shaft sealing device (100) according to another embodiment of the present invention can make the set pressure formed in the annular space (111) a barrier pressure greater than the pressure of the chamber (13).

[0060] That is, the regulator (150) can control the pressure of the supply channel (112) to form a set pressure in the annular space (111), and control the set pressure to be a barrier pressure greater than the pressure of the chamber (13). For example, if the pressure of the chamber (13) is 30 bar, the regulator (150) can control the pressure of the supply channel (112) to form a barrier pressure of 31 bar, which is 1 bar higher than the chamber pressure, in the annular space (111).

[0061] In this way, when the barrier pressure formed in the annular space (111) is greater than the chamber pressure, the pressure difference between the chamber (13) side and the annular space (111) side with respect to the seal (142) can be set in the direction from the annular space (111) toward the chamber (13). Accordingly, the leakage flow in the fine gap of the seal (142) can be induced to flow from the annular space (111) toward the chamber (13). As a result, the leakage of process gas inside the chamber (13) to the outside through the sealing part (140) is suppressed, and the risk of process gas leakage to the outside can be reduced. In addition, since the barrier gas (G) is an inert gas, even if some barrier gas (G) flows into the chamber (13), the possibility of process contamination is low, so sealing stability and process cleanliness can be secured together.

[0062] Additionally, when the pressure of the chamber (13) fluctuates according to the process sequence, the regulator (150) can variably control the pressure of the supply path (112) by referring to the chamber pressure so that the barrier pressure is always maintained higher than the chamber pressure. For example, the regulator (150) can maintain the pressure of the annular space (111) at always 1 bar higher than the pressure of the chamber (13). Accordingly, even if the pressure of the chamber (13) fluctuates, the barrier operation state is maintained, and the effect of suppressing external leakage of process gas can be continuously secured.

[0063] According to the rotary shaft sealing device of the present invention and the semiconductor substrate processing device using the same, according to the embodiments described above, the gap between the housing and the shaft can be stably sealed with a plurality of seals even when the shaft penetrating the wall of the chamber performs rotational or linear motion, thereby enabling rotational and vertical movement of the susceptor while maintaining airtightness of the chamber during the process.

[0064] In addition, one or more annular spaces formed by a housing and a shaft are provided between adjacent seals, and a supply passage that supplies gas to the annular space and a regulator that controls the pressure of the annular space by controlling the pressure of the supply passage are provided, thereby controlling the pressure of the annular space and reducing the differential pressure acting on each seal. Accordingly, even under high-pressure operating conditions, it is possible to suppress a single seal from directly bearing excessive differential pressure, thereby reducing wear and heat generation of the seal and reducing the possibility of leakage, which can improve the lifespan and sealing reliability of the seal.

[0065] In addition, since multiple annular spaces can be formed and different set pressures can be formed so that the pressure in each annular space decreases in stages as it moves away from the chamber, the pressure difference between the chamber and the outside can be divided in stages, making it easy to maintain the actual differential pressure acting on each seal below a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure.

[0066] In addition, by variably adjusting the pressure formed in the annular space in conjunction with chamber pressure fluctuations, the differential pressure acting on each seal adjacent to the annular space can be maintained below the maximum allowable differential pressure despite chamber pressure changes according to the process sequence, thereby suppressing the degradation of sealing performance under pressure fluctuation conditions.

[0067] In addition, by forming a barrier pressure greater than the chamber pressure in at least one of the annular spaces, the leakage direction can be controlled by the barrier gas, thereby suppressing the leakage of process gas inside the chamber to the outside.

[0068] In the embodiments described above, the rotary shaft sealing device was explained as being applied to a semiconductor substrate processing device, but it is not limited thereto. It is understood that it can also be applied to various chemical processing chambers, reactors, mixing chambers, stirring chambers, etc., where the penetration of a rotary shaft or a shaft performing linear motion must be cleanly sealed in a high-pressure or pressure fluctuation environment.

[0069] The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, but this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotating shaft sealing device mounted in a chamber that processes a semiconductor substrate while rotating a susceptor that loads the semiconductor substrate, A hollow housing connected to the above chamber; A shaft accommodated within the above housing, with one end penetrating the wall of the chamber and connected to the susceptor to rotate the susceptor; and A rotating shaft sealing device comprising: a sealing portion having a plurality of seals disposed within the housing to seal the gap between the housing and the shaft, wherein the sealing portion performs sealing even when the shaft rotates within the housing.

2. In Paragraph 1, An annular space formed by the housing and the shaft between adjacent seals; and A rotating shaft sealing device further comprising a supply channel for supplying gas to the above-mentioned annular space.

3. In Paragraph 2, A rotary shaft sealing device further comprising a regulator connected to the supply path to regulate the pressure of the annular space.

4. In Paragraph 3, The above-mentioned annular space is provided in multiple numbers, and A rotary shaft sealing device in which the regulator forms different set pressures in each of the annular spaces such that the pressure in each of the annular spaces decreases in steps as it moves away from the chamber.

5. In Paragraph 4, A rotating shaft sealing device in which the above-mentioned set pressure is set so that the differential pressure acting on each of the adjacent seals is less than or equal to a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure.

6. In Paragraph 3, The above regulator is a rotary shaft sealing device that forms a set pressure formed in at least one of the annular spaces greater than the pressure of the chamber.

7. In Paragraph 3, A rotary shaft sealing device in which a plurality of the above-mentioned seals are lip seals having a lip formed on the inner circumference of an annular sealing to maintain airtightness of the chamber.

8. In Paragraph 3, The above regulator is a rotary shaft sealing device that maintains the differential pressure acting on each of the seals adjacent to the annular space at or below a predetermined maximum allowable differential pressure by variably adjusting the pressure formed in the annular space in conjunction with the pressure fluctuation of the chamber.

9. A semiconductor substrate processing device for processing semiconductor substrates, A chamber for accommodating the above semiconductor substrate; A susceptor provided within the chamber for loading the semiconductor substrate; and A rotary shaft sealing device mounted on the chamber that seals the chamber while rotating the susceptor; comprising The above-mentioned rotating shaft sealing device is, A hollow housing connected to the above chamber; A shaft accommodated within the above housing, with one end penetrating the wall of the chamber and connected to the susceptor to rotate the susceptor; and A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus comprising: a sealing portion having a plurality of seals disposed within the housing to seal the gap between the housing and the shaft, wherein the sealing portion performs sealing even when the shaft rotates within the housing.

10. In Paragraph 9, An annular space formed by the housing and the shaft between adjacent seals; and A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further comprising a supply channel for supplying gas to the above-mentioned annular space.

11. In Paragraph 10, A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further comprising a regulator connected to the above supply channel to regulate the pressure of the above annular space.

12. In Paragraph 11, The above-mentioned annular space is provided in multiple numbers, and A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus in which the regulator forms different set pressures in each of the annular spaces such that the pressure in each of the annular spaces decreases stepwise as it moves away from the chamber.

13. In Paragraph 11, The above regulator is a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus that forms a set pressure formed in at least one of the annular spaces greater than the pressure of the chamber.

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