JP2010135485A - Thin film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate by transferring a thin film material formed on a carrier such as a sheet film to the substrate, wherein a degree of vacuum needed for thin film formation is ensured and the maintainability is excellent. <P>SOLUTION: In the thin film forming apparatus, the thin film is transferred to the substrate while the sheet film where the thin film is formed and the substrate are inserted between an upper block and a lower block. An upper plate 11 on which the upper block is mounted and a bottom plate 19 on which the lower block is mounted are coupled to each other by a frame 10 assembled by combining angles 101. A processing chamber 1 is constituted by fitting a panel-like front plate 13, a side plate 14, and a back plate 16 to an opening in a side surface of the frame through seal members 138, 148, 168. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate. The substrate on which the thin film is formed includes a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for FED (Field Emission Display), a substrate for optical disk, a substrate for magnetic disk, Various substrates such as a magneto-optical disk substrate are included.

  In recent years, as a technique for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a technique in which a thin film formed on a sheet film is pressure-transferred to the surface of the substrate has been proposed. For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, in a vacuum container, a substrate surface is obtained by bringing a sheet film coated with a thin film material held on a lower plate into close contact with a substrate held on an upper plate and pressurizing the substrate surface. The thin film material is transferred to

  Although there is no specific description of the structure of the vacuum container in Patent Document 1, the structure of the vacuum processing container used in this type of substrate processing apparatus has an attachment hole for attaching a mechanical component to a housing cut out from a metal block. In general, there is a window for taking in and out materials. The vacuum container having such a structure is configured so that the number of openings provided in the housing is as small and small as possible in order to ensure airtightness.

JP 2004-186292 A (for example, FIG. 2)

  By the way, as in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the degree of vacuum required in a thin film forming apparatus that transfers a thin film to a substrate by overlapping and pressing the substrate and the sheet film is, for example, about several Pa, This is lower than the general degree of vacuum required in the vacuum processing container of the substrate processing apparatus. On the other hand, in this type of thin film forming apparatus, it is important to ensure the parallelism of the upper and lower plates that sandwich the substrate and the sheet film. For this reason, it is required that maintenance such as position adjustment can be easily performed. Yes.

  As described above, in the thin film forming apparatus, although the performance required for the vacuum vessel is different from that of other apparatuses, the structure of the thin film forming apparatus including the structure of the processing chamber has not been so far. It has not been examined.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate by transferring a thin film material formed on a carrier, such as a sheet film, to the substrate. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that can obtain a necessary degree of vacuum and is excellent in maintainability.

  In order to achieve the above object, a thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention sandwiches a carrier having a thin film formed thereon and a substrate between an upper block and a lower block that are configured to be able to come into contact with each other. A transfer unit that transfers the thin film to the substrate surface, and a processing chamber that accommodates the upper block and the lower block therein, the processing chamber including an upper plate portion that supports the upper block; A chamber main portion having a structure in which a lower plate portion supporting the lower block is connected by a connecting portion having an opening on a side surface, and is configured to be detachable from the chamber main portion, and the connection is made via a seal member. And a side panel member mounted so as to close the opening of the portion.

  In the invention configured as described above, a detachable side panel member is provided on the side surface of the processing chamber containing the transfer unit. Therefore, since the transfer unit can be exposed by removing the side panel member, it is excellent in maintainability. On the other hand, the upper plate portion that supports the upper block of the transfer unit and the lower plate portion that supports the lower block of the transfer unit are integrated as a chamber main portion by a connecting portion that connects them. Therefore, the side panel member can be attached and detached without changing the relative positional relationship between the upper and lower blocks of the transfer unit, which requires a high degree of parallelism in order to sandwich and press the substrate and the thin film carrier uniformly. It can be carried out. In addition, a reduction in airtightness may be a problem by making a part of the processing chamber detachable. However, the inventors of the present application can achieve a degree of vacuum of about several Pa required for this type of thin film forming apparatus. It has been confirmed by the experiment.

  The upper plate portion, the lower plate portion, and the connecting portion constituting the chamber main portion may be integrally formed from the beginning by machining, casting, or the like, and individually created parts are welded. Alternatively, they may be integrated by assembling together by bonding, screwing, or the like.

  In this apparatus, the chamber main portion may have a structure in which the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion are connected by a plurality of columnar members as the connecting portions. If it does in this way, the big opening enclosed by the upper side plate, the lower side plate, and the columnar member can be provided, and maintainability can be improved more.

  In this case, the plurality of columnar members are further connected by a beam member to form a frame as the connecting portion integrally with the beam member, and are surrounded by the beam member and the columnar member. An opening may be formed, and the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion may be attached to the frame body to constitute the chamber main portion. By attaching the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion to the integrated frame in this way, the positioning accuracy of the upper block and the lower block of the transfer unit attached to the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion, respectively. Can be improved.

  Moreover, you may provide the said side surface panel member which has a door which can be opened and closed freely. By doing so, simple operations that are frequently performed, such as loading and unloading of a substrate, can be performed through the door. In the case where a plurality of side panel members are provided, the doors may be provided only in some of them.

  In addition, the side panel member having an exhaust port formed therein and a decompression unit that decompresses the inside of the processing chamber through the exhaust port may be provided. By doing so, the inside of the processing chamber can be depressurized to a desired degree of vacuum. Further, by providing the side panel member with the exhaust port connected to the decompression means, the processing for drilling the exhaust port is facilitated, and the design flexibility of the processing chamber is increased.

  Further, a drive mechanism for separating and contacting the upper block and the lower block may be provided, and the drive mechanism may be attached to at least one of the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion. In the processing chamber of the present invention, since the positional relationship between the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion is fixed, a drive mechanism is attached to one or both of these to drive the upper block and / or the lower block. By doing so, the upper block and the lower block can be separated and brought into contact with each other with excellent positional accuracy. In this case, it is desirable that the drive mechanism for driving the upper block is attached to the upper plate portion, and the drive mechanism for driving the lower block is attached to the lower plate portion.

  According to the present invention, the side surface of the processing chamber that constitutes the thin film forming apparatus and accommodates the transfer unit is constituted by the side panel member that is detachable from the chamber main part. Therefore, the transfer unit can be exposed by removing the side panel member, and the maintenance is excellent. Even when the side panel member is attached or detached, the relative positional relationship between the upper and lower blocks of the transfer unit, which requires high parallelism to sandwich and press the substrate and the carrier uniformly, is changed. There is no. As for the degree of vacuum, a degree of vacuum of about several Pa required for this type of thin film forming apparatus can be achieved.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention. This thin film forming apparatus is an apparatus for forming a thin film such as SOG (Spin-On-Glass) on the surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. In this apparatus, a transfer unit, which will be described later, is installed in a processing space formed inside the processing chamber 1, and a thin film is formed on the substrate surface by the transfer unit in the decompressed processing space. First, the configuration of the processing chamber 1 will be described. For convenience of explanation, directions of X, Y, and Z are defined as shown in FIG.

  2 and 3 are exploded perspective views showing the structure of the processing chamber. In the processing chamber 1, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, an upper plate 11 made of stainless steel is fixed to the upper part of a rectangular parallelepiped frame 10 made of, for example, stainless steel and having an L-shaped cross section 101. Has been. The joints between the angles 101 constituting each side and the frame 10 and the upper plate 11 are joined so as to have no gap, for example, by welding. Further, the outer surface of the joint between the angles 101 after welding is finished smoothly by polishing.

  A plurality of male screws 102 are erected outwardly at a portion corresponding to the side surface of the angle 101 constituting the frame 10 in order to attach a side plate or the like to be described later. On the other hand, a plurality of through holes 103 through which screws to be fastened to the bottom plate 19 are inserted are formed in the surface to be the bottom of the frame 10. The upper plate 11 is processed such as a plurality of mounting holes and notches for mounting a transfer unit and other components described later.

  The frame 10 integrated with the upper plate 11 in this manner sandwiches an elastic seal member 198 made of, for example, silicone rubber on the bottom plate 19 attached to the device frame 99 (FIG. 1) so that the upper surface is substantially horizontal. Placed. The bottom plate 19 is provided with screw holes 195 corresponding to the through holes 103 of the frame 10, and the frame 10 and the bottom plate 19 are fastened by a plurality of screws 199 inserted through the through holes 103 of the frame 10. The screw hole 195 of the bottom plate 19 is threaded on the side surface, but does not penetrate to the bottom surface of the bottom plate 19. For this reason, attachment and removal work of the frame 10 with respect to the bottom plate 19 can be performed from the upper side, and air leakage through the screw hole 195 is prevented. The bottom plate 19 is provided with a through hole 191 for inserting a support shaft of a transfer unit described later, a screw hole for attaching the unit, and the like.

  Thus, the upper plate 11, the frame 10 and the bottom plate 19 are integrated. In the following description, an assembly formed by integrating the upper plate 11, the frame 10, and the bottom plate 19 as described above is referred to as a “chamber main portion”. In the state so far, the upper surface and the lower surface of the rectangular parallelepiped frame 10 are closed by the upper plate 11 and the bottom plate 19, respectively, and the other four surfaces other than these are opened greatly. In other words, the upper plate 11 is supported in parallel with the bottom plate 19 at its four corners by four pillars (angle 101) standing upright from the bottom plate 19. From another perspective, it can be said that the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 19 are respectively attached to the top and bottom of the rectangular parallelepiped frame 10 assembled with the angle 101 as a beam and a column.

  For the four side surfaces of the chamber main part integrated in this way, as shown in FIG. 3, a front plate 13, a pair of side plates 14 and a back plate 16 each serving as a side panel member formed of, for example, a stainless steel plate are provided. The seal members 138, 148, and 168 are mounted. In FIG. 3, only one of the pair of side plates 14 is shown and the other is omitted, but another side plate having the same structure as the illustrated side plate 14 is mounted on the other surface of the frame 10.

  The front plate 13 is provided with an opening 134 for inserting and removing the substrate in the Y direction with respect to a transfer unit described later, and a door 131 that can be opened and closed is attached to the opening 134. A packing 132 is attached to the peripheral edge of the door 131, and a lock mechanism 133 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 134 of the front plate 13, so that the door 131 is closed from the gap between the door 131 and the front plate 13. Air leakage is prevented. Further, a plurality of through holes 135 are formed in the peripheral portion of the front plate 13, and the male screw 102 erected on the frame 10 is inserted into the through hole 135 through the seal member 138, and the female screw 139 is inserted. Thus, the front plate 13 is fixed to the front surface of the frame 10. By adopting a structure in which the male screw 102 is erected on the frame 10 and is fixed by the female screw 139 from above the front plate 13, air leakage from the periphery of the screw hole can be prevented.

  Similarly, the side plate 14 is also attached to the frame 10 with the seal member 148 interposed therebetween, and is fixed to the side surface of the frame 10 by a female screw 149. Similarly, the back plate 16 is fixed to the rear surface of the frame 10 with a female screw 169 across the seal member 168. The back plate 16 is provided with a through hole for mounting other parts such as an exhaust port 161 for attaching an exhaust pipe, which will be described later, and a leak valve.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the chamber main part is formed by attaching the frame 10 integrated with the upper plate 11 to the bottom plate 19 installed on the apparatus frame 99, and the chamber main part is further opened. The processing chamber 1 is configured by attaching the front plate 13, the side plate 14, and the back plate 16 to the four side surfaces, and the processing space SP is formed in the chamber. A transfer unit described below is installed in the processing space SP thus formed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the transfer unit of the thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention. This transfer unit includes an upper block 3 fixed to an upper plate 11 constituting the processing chamber 1 and a lower block 5 fixed to a bottom plate 19, and a substrate W that is a thin film formation target, and a thin film material The thin film on the sheet film F is transferred to the substrate W by sandwiching the sheet film F as a carrier coated with the upper and lower blocks 3 and 5. As the thin film carrier, for example, a quartz plate may be used instead of the sheet film.

  In the following description, a symbol starting with “3” means that the component constitutes the upper block 3, while a component starting with “5” It shall mean that it constitutes the lower block 5.

  The processing space SP can be evacuated by a vacuum pump 95 connected to the processing chamber 1 via an exhaust pipe 951. The vacuum pump 95 is controlled by a control unit 91 that controls the entire apparatus, and can operate according to an operation command from the control unit 91 to exhaust and decompress the processing space SP. Further, the control unit 91 can adjust the exhaust amount from the processing space SP by the vacuum pump 95 and control the pressure (degree of vacuum) in the processing space SP. Thereby, the thin film can be transferred to the substrate W while controlling the dry state of the thin film. The pressure in the processing space SP is set to a predetermined pressure within the range from atmospheric pressure to several Pa according to the type of thin film.

  In the processing space SP, first and second plates 34 and 54 are accommodated facing each other vertically. The first plate 34 is horizontally fixed and supported by an upper base member 31 fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 11 constituting the processing chamber 1, and is positioned above the second plate 54. The first plate 34 constitutes a sample stage on which the substrate W is mounted, and the lower surface 342 facing the second plate 54 forms the mounting surface of the substrate W. The lower surface 342 of the first plate 34 is formed in a circular shape. Here, the substrate W to be thin film formed includes, for example, a semiconductor wafer formed in a disk shape and a structure in which electrode wiring is patterned on the semiconductor wafer. A thin film such as an insulating film is transferred.

  The lower surface 342 of the first plate 34 is formed by a quartz plate polished to ensure flatness, and the substrate W is mounted on the quartz plate. Quartz is excellent as a material for mounting the substrate W because it does not contain a substance that contaminates the substrate W, has good workability, and easily obtains the required flatness. The first plate 34 includes a heater 341 as a heating means inside. The heater 341 is electrically connected to the heater controller 93, and the heater controller 93 controls the heating of the heater 341 between 25 ° C. and 300 ° C. based on substrate temperature information from the control unit 91.

  In addition, a plurality of (two in this embodiment) lifters 344 are supported on the upper plate 11 so as to be movable up and down and movable in the horizontal direction. A claw member 345 is fixed to the lower end of each lifter 344. The upper surface of the claw member 345 is finished so that it can engage with the peripheral edge of the substrate W, and the substrate W can be placed on the claw member 345. A lifter drive mechanism 92 is connected to each lifter 344, and the lifter drive mechanism 92 operates in response to an operation command from the control unit 91. Thus, the substrate loading position where the substrate W loaded into the processing space SP can be placed on the claw member 345 and the substrate W placed on the claw member 345 are mounted on the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34. The plurality of lifters 344 can be moved integrally to the board mounting position (position shown in FIG. 4).

  Specifically, when a lowering command is given from the control unit 91 to the lifter drive mechanism 92, the lifter 344 moves downward, and after moving the claw member 345 to the lower side of the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34. Further, the lifter 344 is moved horizontally so that the claw member 345 is opposed to the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the first plate 34. As a result, the claw member 345 is positioned at the substrate carry-in position, and the substrate W can be placed on the claw member 345. In this state, the substrate W carried by the operator via the door 131 is received.

  When the lift command is given from the control unit 91 to the lifter drive mechanism 92, the lifter drive mechanism 92 moves the lifter 344 upward to place the substrate W placed on the claw member 345 on the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34. Adhere to. As a result, the claw member 345 is positioned at the substrate mounting position, and the substrate W is mounted on the first plate 34.

  The second plate 54 is mounted on an elevating unit 52 provided so as to be movable up and down along the moving direction Z (vertical direction), and is disposed below the first plate 34 so as to face each other with its axis line aligned. The elevating unit 52 has a lower base member 51 attached to the bottom plate 19, and a second plate 54 is fixedly supported on the lower base member 51. The second plate 54 constitutes a transfer plate on which the sheet film F is mounted, and an upper surface 542 facing the first plate 34 forms a mounting surface for the sheet film F. The upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is formed in a circular shape. The sheet film F is formed in a circular shape larger than the substrate W, and a thin film is formed on the surface (thin film forming surface). Further, the planar size of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is smaller than the planar size of the sheet film F. The sheet film F is held by being sandwiched in the moving direction Z by an upper clamping unit and a lower clamping unit, which will be described later, and the second plate 54 is formed on the back surface of the sheet film F (a thin film is formed on both main surfaces of the sheet film). The non-thin film forming surface opposite to the surface is disposed on the side. Similar to the first plate 34, the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is formed of a quartz plate. The second plate 54 has a built-in heater 541 as a heating means. The heater 541 is electrically connected to the heater controller 94, and the heater controller 94 controls the heating of the heater 541 between 25 ° C. and 300 ° C. based on the substrate temperature information from the control unit 91.

  The sheet film F is a sheet-like film made of an organic material having flexibility and plasticity such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or ETFE (ethylenetetrafluoroethylene).

  The elevating unit 52 has a support shaft 513 that is integrally suspended at the center of the lower surface of the lower base member 51. The support shaft 513 is supported so as to be movable up and down along the movement direction Z, and is configured to be moved up and down by the weighted motor 53. In other words, the weighting motor 53 is connected to the lower end of the support shaft 513, and the lifting unit 52 is moved up and down along the movement direction Z by operating the weighting motor 53 in accordance with an operation command from the control unit 91. Can do. The second plate 54 supported on the lower base member 51 moves up and down along the movement direction Z by the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit 52.

  In this embodiment, in order to improve the handleability of the sheet film F, an integrated ring body RF is formed by using a pair of rings Rup and Rdw as shown in FIG. The film F is being transported. Below, the handling structure of the sheet film F is demonstrated, referring FIG. 4 and FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a ring body and a configuration for sandwiching the ring body. This ring body RF holds the sheet film F by sandwiching the periphery of the sheet film F over the entire circumference by the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rdw. The upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rdw are annular members having the same shape, and by arranging the upper ring Rup and the lower ring Rdw across the sheet film F, the sheet film F can be held by magnetic force adsorption. Yes.

  An upper clamp 35 and a lower clamp 55 are provided around the first and second plates 34 and 54 to hold the ring body RF by sandwiching a pair of rings Rup and Rdw from above and below. Each of the upper clamp 35 and the lower clamp 55 is an annular member having substantially the same inner diameter as the pair of rings Rup and Rdw, and the outer diameter of the upper clamp 35 is smaller than the outer diameter of the pair of rings Rup and Rdw. On the other hand, the outer diameter of the lower clamp 55 is formed larger than the outer diameter of the pair of rings Rup and Rdw.

  With this configuration, when the ring body RF is held between the upper clamp 35 and the lower clamp 55 in the vertical direction (moving direction Z), as a result, the sheet film F becomes the upper side composed of the upper ring Rup and the upper clamp 35. The holding portion UH and the lower holding portion DH including the lower ring Rdw and the lower clamp 55 are held (held) (FIG. 5B). That is, when the sheet film F placed on the lower clamping unit DH is pressed from above by the upper clamping unit UH, the sheet film F is clamped by the lower clamping unit DH and the upper clamping unit UH. Hereinafter, the lower clamping unit DH and the upper clamping unit UH are collectively referred to as “a pair of clamping units”.

  The sheet film F sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH is disposed between the first plate 34 and the second plate 54. Specifically, the surface (thin film forming surface) of the sheet film F on which the thin film is formed faces the first plate 34, while the back surface (non-thin film forming surface) side of the sheet film F faces the second plate 54. Further, the sheet film F is sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH.

  6 is a view showing a thin film forming apparatus when the A-A ′ cut surface of FIG. 4 is viewed from above. Of the two clamps, the lower clamp 55 is supported in a horizontal posture on a clamp receiver 555 composed of a plurality of (three in this embodiment) cylindrical bodies erected on the bottom plate 19. The clamp receivers 555 are arranged radially at equiangular (120 °) intervals around an axis J (hereinafter simply referred to as “center axis”) J that passes through the center of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 and extends in the movement direction Z. A concave portion 551 that is recessed toward the inside capable of accommodating the lower end portion (lower ring Rdw) of the ring body RF is formed in the upper peripheral portion (annular portion) of the lower clamp 55 (FIG. 5A). . Then, by accommodating the lower end portion of the ring body RF in the recess portion 551, the movement of the ring body RF in the horizontal direction can be restricted by the peripheral surface portion 552 surrounding the periphery of the recess portion 551.

  Further, on the lower base member 51, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) push-up pins 56 are clamped radially around the central axis J at equiangular (120 °) intervals and along the circumferential direction. It is erected so as to be positioned between the receptacles 555. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the lower clamp 55, pin insertion holes 553 (FIG. 4) into which the tip portions of the push-up pins 56 can be inserted corresponding to the push-up pins 56 are formed. For this reason, when the elevating unit 52 is driven up, the tip end portion of the push-up pin 56 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 553, and the step surface formed between the tip portion and the rear end portion of the push-up pin 56 is formed. It contacts the lower surface of the lower clamp 55. Thereby, the push-up pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 (a pair of clamping portions UH and DH) are engaged with each other. When the elevating unit 52 is further driven to rise in this state, the lower clamp 55 is separated from the clamp receiver 555 and is integrally lifted with the push-up pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 engaged. As a result, the second plate 54 and the pair of clamping parts, that is, the upper clamping part UH and the lower clamping part DH ascend while maintaining a certain positional relationship.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the push-up pin and the lower clamp are engaged. When the push-up pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 are engaged, the second plate 54 comes into contact with the sheet film F held between the pair of holding portions UH and DH, and the sheet film F is pushed up. Thereby, the sheet film F is tensed and tension can be generated in the sheet film F. Here, the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is formed in a circular shape, and the peripheral edge of the sheet film F is held (clamped) over the entire circumference by the pair of clamping parts UH and DH. Thus, a uniform tension can be applied in the circumferential direction.

  Further, in this embodiment, by adjusting the relative distance (hereinafter simply referred to as “relative distance”) D in the movement direction Z with respect to the second plate 54 of the engagement portion where the push-up pin 56 engages with the lower clamp 55, It is possible to control the magnitude of the tension generated in the sheet film F. Specifically, a step surface formed between the front end portion and the rear end portion of the push-up pin 56 (an engagement portion where the push-up pin 56 engages with the lower clamp 55) to the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54. By adjusting the distance (relative distance D), it is possible to change the magnitude of the tension generated in the sheet film F. That is, according to the relative distance D, the sheet film F is moved by the second plate 54 after the second plate 54 starts to contact the sheet film F until the push-up pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 are engaged. The amount pushed up along the direction Z (hereinafter simply referred to as “push-up amount”) Q changes. Therefore, by adjusting the relative distance D, the push-up amount Q can be changed and the magnitude of the tension generated in the sheet film F can be adjusted.

  FIG. 8 shows the structure of the push-up pin. A through hole 511 is formed in the lower base member 51 along the movement direction Z, and a push-up pin 56 is inserted into the through hole 511. As a result, the push-up pin 56 provided with the engagement portion (step surface) on the tip side is protruded toward the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH). A screw groove is cut in the rear end portion 561 of the push-up pin 56, while a screw groove that is screwed with the screw of the push-up pin 56 is cut in the inner wall of the through hole 511. Further, a double nut 516 comprising two nuts is screwed onto the rear end portion 561 of the push-up pin 56 on the upper surface side of the lower base member 51, and the push-up pin 56 is tightened to the lower base member 51 without loosening by the double nut 516. Fixed. The tip end portion 562 of the push-up pin 56 can be inserted into the pin insertion hole 553 of the lower clamp 55. Then, by inserting the front end portion 562 of the push-up pin 56 into the pin insertion hole 553, the step surface 563 (engagement site) that connects the rear end portion 561 and the front end portion 562 of the push-up pin 56 is formed on the lower clamp 55. It contacts the lower surface 554. The step surface 563 and the lower surface 554 of the lower clamp 55 are formed in parallel and abut in a surface contact state.

  According to such a configuration, the length L in the movement direction Z from the upper surface of the lower base member 51 to the step surface 563 is adjusted by loosening the double nut 516 and rotating the head 564 of the push-up pin 56. Is done. That is, in the state where the push-up pin 56 and the lower clamp 55 are engaged with each other, the gap between the lower base member 51 and the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH) is adjusted. Then, after adjusting the length L in the movement direction Z from the upper surface of the lower base member 51 to the step surface 563 to a predetermined length, the push-up pin 56 is fixed to the lower base member 51 by tightening the double nut 516. Thus, the relative distance D is adjusted by adjusting the length L in the movement direction Z from the upper surface of the lower base member 51 to the step surface 563. Thereby, the push-up amount Q can be changed, and the magnitude of the tension generated in the sheet film F can be freely adjusted with a simple configuration. Therefore, the optimal tension can be given to the sheet film F according to the kind and film thickness of the sheet film F to be used.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. In order to fix the position of the lower clamp 55 in the horizontal direction, a plurality of positioning pins 514 are attached to the lower peripheral edge of the lower clamp 55 so as to extend downward. These positioning pins 514 are inserted into through holes 512 formed in the lower base member 51 along the movement direction Z. A ball spline mechanism or the like is interposed between the positioning pin 514 and the inner wall of the through hole 512, and the positioning pin 514 is supported so as to be movable (up and down) only along the movement direction Z via the ball spline mechanism or the like. The That is, the lower clamp 55 is supported to be movable up and down along the movement direction Z with respect to the lower base member 51 while being restricted from moving in a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the movement direction Z. According to such a configuration, even if the elevating unit 52 (second plate 54) is moved along the movement direction Z, the second plate 54 and the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH) in the horizontal direction. The relative positional relationship between the two can be reliably fixed. For this reason, it can prevent that the 2nd plate 54 and a pair of clamping parts UH and DH mutually shift | deviate to a horizontal direction.

  The other clamp, that is, the upper clamp 35 is fixed to the lower ends of a plurality of rods 356 supported so as to be movable up and down. In this embodiment, three rods 356 are provided to extend upward from the upper clamp 35 radially around the central axis J at equal angular intervals (120 °). Each of the plurality of rods 356 is connected to an air cylinder 357 for driving the upper clamp 35 up and down along the movement direction Z. The upper clamp 35 can be moved up and down along the movement direction Z by operating the air cylinder 357 according to the operation command from the control unit 91. Specifically, the upper clamp 35 is raised so that the ring body RF can be carried in and out of the second plate 54, while the upper clamp 35 is lowered and the ring body RF is clamped and fixed by the lower clamp 55. be able to.

  The air cylinder 357 is disposed on a disk-shaped plate 312 fixed by a column 311 protruding outside the processing chamber 1, and contaminants such as particles generated from the air cylinder 357 are processed in the processing space SP. It can prevent mixing in. The drive mechanism that drives the upper clamp 35 to move up and down is not limited to the air cylinder, and other lift driving actuators other than the air cylinder may be used.

  A pressure regulating valve 358 is interposed between the air cylinder 357 and a compressed air supply source for supplying compressed air to the air cylinder 357. The thrust of the rod 356 can be kept constant by adjusting the opening of the pressure regulating valve 358 according to the operation command from the control unit 91. In this embodiment, a load sensor 96 that detects a load pressure that the support shaft 513 receives in the movement direction Z is provided, and the control unit 91 adjusts based on the load pressure detected by the load sensor 96 as described later. The opening degree of the pressure valve 358 is adjusted, and feedback control is performed so as to keep the thrust of the rod 356 constant. Accordingly, the ring body RF placed on the lower clamp 55 can be pressed by the upper clamp 35 with a constant pressing force. That is, it is possible to press the sheet film F disposed on the lower holding portion DH from above with a constant pressing force by the upper holding portion UH.

  Next, the assembly procedure and maintenance of the thin film forming apparatus configured as described above will be described. The transfer unit described above includes the upper block 3 and the lower block 5, more specifically, the first plate 34 provided in the upper block 3 and the second plate 54 provided in the lower block 5. The thin film is transferred to the substrate W by sandwiching the sheet film F and the substrate W on which the thin film is formed. Therefore, it is necessary that the parallelism between the upper surface of the first plate 34 and the lower surface of the second plate 54 is maintained. Here, the upper block 3 is attached to the upper plate 11 of the processing chamber 1, and the lower block 5 is attached to the bottom plate 19. Therefore, after the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 are assembled to the processing chamber 1, it is necessary to adjust the positional relationship between them. Further, as described above, the height of the push-up pin 56 needs to be adjusted in order to give an appropriate tension to the sheet film F.

  Conventionally, as a processing chamber for processing a substrate under reduced pressure in this type of substrate processing apparatus, for example, a chamber in which a metal block is cut out to form a processing space inside is generally used. However, such a processing chamber is very expensive, and there is a problem that adjustment and maintenance after assembly are difficult. In this embodiment, maintainability is improved by assembling in the following procedure.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an assembly procedure of the thin film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. This thin film forming apparatus can be assembled, for example, by the following procedure. First, the bottom plate 19 is attached to the device frame 99 (step S101). Next, the chamber frame 10 is attached to the bottom plate 19 (step S102). The frame 10 is fixed to the bottom plate 19 by fastening screws 199 from above, and since all the side surfaces of the frame 10 are open at this point, the operation can be easily performed.

  Then, the upper block 3 of the transfer unit is attached to the upper plate 11 integrated with the frame 10. Further, the lower block 5 is attached to the bottom plate 19 attached to the apparatus frame 99. As a result, the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 are opposed to each other in the processing space SP. In this way, if the frame 10, the upper block 3, and the lower block 5 that are integrated with the upper plate 11 are individually loaded and installed, the weight at the time of loading is dispersed and each part is moved in a lightweight state. As a result, workability is improved. Note that the order of steps S102 and S103 may be changed. That is, the upper plate 3 mounted on the upper plate 11 and integrated with the frame 10 may be attached to the bottom plate 19.

  In this state, various adjustments such as relative position adjustment (for example, adjustment of parallelism) between the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 and height adjustment of the push-up pin 56 are performed (step S104). In this case, since all the side surfaces of the frame 10 are open, it is possible to access the processing space SP from an arbitrary direction, so that adjustment work can be performed with excellent workability. At this time, the positional relationship among the frame 10, the upper plate 11, and the bottom plate 19 constituting the chamber main part is fixed, so that the position adjustment can be performed with high accuracy.

  After adjusting the position in this way, each side panel member, that is, the front plate 13, the pair of side plates 14 and the back plate 16 is mounted on the frame 10 (step S105), and the thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

  Even after assembly, maintenance work such as fine adjustment of the transfer unit and cleaning of the inside of the processing chamber 1 may be required. In such a case, if some of the side panel members are removed as necessary, the transfer unit can be accessed and maintenance work can be performed. In this case, the relative positional relationship between the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 can be maintained by removing only the side panel member and not separating the frame 10 and the bottom plate 19 from each other. Therefore, only fine adjustment needs to be performed.

  Thus, in the processing chamber 1 of this embodiment, since the side panel member is detachable, it is possible to access the transfer unit without moving the positional relationship between the upper and lower blocks constituting the transfer unit. Excellent maintainability.

  In addition, since the processing chamber 1 is configured by a combination of the frame and the panel member and many openings are provided as described above, there is a concern that the airtightness of the processing chamber 1 may be lowered. However, the degree of vacuum required in this type of thin film forming apparatus is about several Pa, and a so-called high vacuum state is not required. It has been confirmed by experiments by the inventors of the present application that such a degree of vacuum can be achieved by taking appropriate measures such as appropriately setting the processing accuracy of each part.

  Next, the operation of the thin film forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 are schematic views for explaining the operation of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. In this embodiment, prior to the loading of the substrate W and the sheet film F into the processing space SP, the length L in the movement direction Z from the upper surface of the lower base member 53 to the step surface 563 is used in each push-up pin 56. It is assumed that the sheet film F is adjusted in advance according to the type and film thickness of the sheet film F to be applied.

  First, the substrate W is carried into the first plate 34 side. That is, the control unit 91 gives a lowering command to the lifter drive mechanism 92, and positions the claw member 345 at the board carry-in position as shown in FIG. Subsequently, the substrate W on which a thin film is to be formed is carried into the processing space SP through the door 131 and placed on the claw member 345. Thereafter, the control unit 91 gives a lift command to the lifter drive mechanism 92 and moves the claw member 345 to the substrate mounting position so that the upper surface (non-pattern forming surface) of the substrate W is in close contact with the lower surface 342 of the first plate 34. In this state, the substrate W is positioned (FIG. 10B). As a result, the substrate W is mounted on the first plate 34.

  On the other hand, on the second plate 54 side, the sheet film F is carried into the processing space SP while being sandwiched by the ring body RF. Here, a thin film is formed in advance on the surface (thin film forming surface) of the sheet film F sandwiched between the pair of rings Rup and Rdw constituting the ring body RF, and the thin film forming surface faces upward and the sheet film F Is carried in through the door 131. At this time, the upper clamp 35 is retracted upward so as not to prevent the ring body RF from being carried in. Further, the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is positioned below the lower clamp 55 (a mounting surface on which the ring body RF is mounted). For this reason, when the sheet film F is carried in, it can avoid that the sheet film F and the 2nd plate 54 contact. As a result, it is possible to prevent the thin film from being partially dried in a state where no tension is generated in the sheet film F, thereby preventing the uniform drying of the thin film.

  After the ring body RF is placed on the lower clamp 55, the upper clamp 35 is lowered and the ring body RF placed on the lower clamp 55 is pressed by the upper clamp 35 (FIG. 10C). . Thus, the sheet film F is uniformly pressed with a predetermined pressing force over the entire periphery, and the sheet film F is prevented from being wrinkled or bent. It will be in the state clamped by the clamping part UH and the lower side clamping part DH.

  Thus, when the loading of the substrate W and the sheet film F is completed, the control unit 91 controls each part of the apparatus, and executes a transfer process for transferring the thin film to the substrate W as described below. First, exhaust pressure reduction of the processing space SP by the vacuum pump 95 is started. The heater controller 93 energizes the heater 341 to heat the first plate 34 to heat the substrate W to a desired temperature, and the heater controller 94 energizes the heater 541 to heat the second plate 54. The sheet film F is heated to a desired temperature.

  When the processing space SP is depressurized to a desired pressure, a signal is sent from the control unit 91 to the weighting motor 53, and the ascending / descending unit 52 (second plate 54) starts to be lifted. When the second plate 54 rises, the back surface (non-thin film forming surface) of the sheet film F sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH and the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 come into contact with the second plate 54. F is attached. At this time, since the planar size of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is smaller than the planar size of the sheet film F, the entire surface of the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is covered with the sheet film F. When the second plate 54 is further raised in a state where the upper surface 542 of the second plate 54 is in contact with the sheet film F, the sheet film F is tensioned and tension is generated in the sheet film F. That is, the second plate 54 is abutted against the sheet film F sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH, and tension is generated in the sheet film F. As a result, even if the sheet film F is heated by the heater 541 and is stretched and slackened due to thermal expansion, the slack is removed.

  Further, as the elevating unit 52 is raised, the push-up pin 56 engages with the lower clamp 55 placed on the clamp receiver 555 (FIG. 11A). As a result, the relative position of the second plate 54 with respect to the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH) in the movement direction Z is fixed. As a result, the magnitude of the tension generated in the sheet film F is determined and fixed. Further, the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH) is transferred from the clamp receiver 555 to the push-up pin 56 by the rising of the second plate 54.

  Then, as the second plate 54 rises, the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH are displaced along the moving direction Z while sandwiching the sheet film F. At this time, when the rod 356 connected to the upper clamp 35 moves backward into the air cylinder 357 and the stroke becomes shorter, the pressure in the air cylinder 357 increases and the thrust of the rod 356 increases. As a result, the pressing force against the sheet film F increases, and the weighted pressure detected by the load sensor 96 increases. Therefore, the control unit 91 adjusts the opening of the pressure regulating valve 358 so that the weighted pressure detected by the load sensor 96 is constant, and performs feedback control so as to keep the thrust of the rod 356 constant. That is, the operation from the control unit 91 is performed so that the pressing force to the sheet film F is constant, that is, equal to the pressing force applied to the sheet film F before the second plate 54 contacts the sheet film F. The pressure regulating valve 358 is controlled by the command. The control unit 91 raises the elevating unit 52 and shortens the stroke by retracting the rod 356 into the air cylinder 357 while controlling the pressure regulating valve 358 so that the pressing force to the sheet film F is constant. Go. Thereby, the sheet film F is favorably and reliably held by the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH without hindering the rise of the second plate 54.

  Further, the pair of clamping portions UH and DH and the second plate 54 move integrally along the movement direction Z in a state where the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions) and the push-up pin 56 are engaged with each other. The sheet film F rises while maintaining the state where the determined tension is applied to the sheet film F. That is, since the second plate 54 and the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH are raised while maintaining a certain positional relationship, it is possible to prevent the tension applied to the sheet film F from changing. For this reason, the sheet film F can be brought closer to the substrate W while stably applying tension to the sheet film F.

  Further, the lower clamp 55 and the push-up pin 56 are engaged with each other by inserting the distal end portion 562 of the push-up pin 56 into the pin insertion hole 553 of the lower clamp 55. For this reason, when moving along the movement direction Z in a state where the lower clamp 55 and the push-up pin 56 are engaged, it is possible to prevent the mutual positional relationship from deviating.

  And if the 2nd plate 54 raises further, the thin film on the sheet | seat film F will closely_contact | adhere to the board | substrate W, and the transcription | transfer of the thin film to the board | substrate W will be started (FIG.11 (b)). Further, the substrate W and the sheet film F are pressed against each other for a predetermined time with a predetermined load while the processing space SP is exhausted and decompressed. In the meantime, the substrate W and the sheet film F are heated to a predetermined temperature. While the thin film is pressed against the substrate W, the sheet film F is held by the pair of holding portions UH and DH, and a certain tension, that is, a tension determined by the engagement between the lower clamp 55 and the push-up pin 56 is engaged. Is in a state that has been granted. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the sheet film F from being wrinkled or bent and to form a flat and uniform thin film on the substrate W.

  When the series of weighting operations are completed and the transfer process is completed, the heater controllers 341 and 541 stop the operation of the heaters 341 and 541 to stop the heating of the first and second plates 34 and 54, and at the same time The member 345 is retracted to the side to release the substrate holding by the claw member 345 (FIG. 11C). Subsequently, a signal is sent from the control unit 91 to the weighting motor 53 so that the weighted state becomes zero, and the lifting unit 52 and the pair of clamping portions UH, DH (upper clamp 35, ring body RF, lower clamp 55) are integrated. Is lowered (FIG. 12A). That is, the control unit 91 advances the rod 356 from the air cylinder 357 and lengthens the stroke while controlling the pressure regulating valve 358 so that the pressing force against the sheet film F is constant. Thereafter, the elevating unit 52 is lowered, and the lower clamp 55 and the ring body RF are transferred onto the clamp receiver 555 while being pressed from above by the upper clamp 35 (FIG. 12B). Further, when the elevating unit 52 is lowered and the elevating unit 52 (second plate 54) returns to the initial position before transfer, the push-up pin 56 is separated from the lower clamp 55. Further, the pressure on the ring body RF by the upper clamp 35 is released (FIG. 12C). As a result, the lower clamp 55 and the ring body RF are supported on the clamp receiver 555.

  Thus, after the second plate 54 returns to the initial position before transfer, the vacuum pump 95 is stopped. When the adhesion of the thin film is completed as described above, the substrate W is integrated with the sheet film F with the thin film interposed therebetween, and the ring body RF is taken out from the processing chamber 1 in this integrated state, and the sheet film F Is transported to a peeling device (not shown) for peeling off.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the side surface of the processing chamber 1 that accommodates the transfer unit is constituted by a detachable panel member. Therefore, when the transfer unit is adjusted, the transfer unit is exposed by removing some of the side panel members as necessary, and maintenance can be performed with good workability. Further, the side panel member is attached to the main portion of the chamber in which the upper plate 13 to which the upper block 3 of the transfer unit is fixed and the bottom plate 19 to which the lower block 5 is fixed are integrally coupled by the frame 10. Therefore, the positional relationship between the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 attached to the chamber main part does not fluctuate, and the adjustment work can be easily performed.

  Further, since the processing chamber 1 is configured by a combination of the frame 10 and a plate material, and the frame 10 is configured by a combination of the angles 101, the manufacturing cost is higher than that of a conventional processing chamber in which a metal block is cut and manufactured. Can be greatly reduced.

  Further, since the side panel member can be replaced as necessary, a part that needs to be changed according to the combination with the external device, for example, the exhaust port 161 for connecting the exhaust pipe 951 is provided in the side panel member. Accordingly, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the specification of the apparatus only by changing the side panel member.

  Further, in the transfer unit of this embodiment, the second plate 54 abuts against the sheet film F held by the pair of holding portions UH and DH by the movement of the elevating unit 52 to generate tension on the sheet film F. ing. In addition, the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH (lower clamp 55) and the push-up pin 56 (step surface 563) are engaged with each other so that the relative position of the second plate 54 with respect to the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH in the movement direction Z is determined. It is fixed. Here, since the push-up pin 56 (step surface 563) is provided in the elevating unit 52 in a state where the relative position in the movement direction Z with respect to the second plate 54 is defined, the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH and the push-up pin 56 are provided. And the relative position of the second plate 54 with respect to the pair of holding portions UH and DH in the movement direction Z is fixed. Thereby, the tension generated in the sheet film F is determined and fixed. Therefore, the tension generated in the sheet film F can be stably applied to the sheet film F. Moreover, as the second plate 54 is raised, the pair of clamping portions UH and DH (lower clamp 55) and the push-up pin 56 (step surface 563) are simply applied to the sheet film F simply by being engaged with each other. The tension can be stabilized and the apparatus can be configured simply.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH are provided so as to be movable along the movement direction Z, and the lower clamp 55 (the pair of sandwiching portions) engaged with each other by the movement of the elevating unit 52 is provided. UH, DH) and the push-up pin 56 are integrally moved along the movement direction Z to execute the transfer process. Therefore, the elevating unit 52 is moved in a state where the relative position of the second plate 54 with respect to the pair of sandwiching portions UH and DH in the moving direction Z is fixed, and the state in which the determined tension is applied to the sheet film F is maintained. The transfer process is executed. Accordingly, the thin film on the sheet film F can be transferred to the substrate W while maintaining the tension applied to the sheet film F at a constant value (determined tension), and the thin film is favorably formed on the substrate W. be able to.

  Further, according to this embodiment, the relative distance D in the moving direction Z of the step surface 563 of the push-up pin 56 with respect to the second plate 54 can be adjusted, and by adjusting the relative distance D, the step surface 563 can be engaged. The relative position in the moving direction Z of the second plate 54 with respect to the lower clamp 55 (the pair of clamping portions UH and DH) can be changed. Thereby, the magnitude | size of the tension | tensile_strength which generate | occur | produces in the sheet film F can be adjusted freely. Therefore, the optimum tension can be applied to the sheet film F according to the type and film thickness of the sheet film F to be used.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the upper block 3 and the lower block 5 constitute the “transfer unit” of the present invention. Further, the upper plate 11 and the bottom plate 19 constituting the processing chamber 1 function as the “upper plate portion” and the “lower plate portion” of the present invention, respectively. Further, the front plate 13, the side plate 14, and the back plate 16 function as the “side panel member” of the present invention. Further, the frame 10 functions as the “connecting portion” of the present invention, and the angle 101 constituting the frame 10 corresponds to the “column member” and the “beam member” of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the vacuum pump 95 functions as the “decompression unit” of the present invention, and the lifting unit 52 attached to the bottom plate 19 functions as the “drive mechanism” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the processing chamber 1 of the above embodiment has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, but may have a cylindrical shape with a curved side surface or other shapes, for example. Further, in the processing chamber 1 of the above embodiment, the side panel members constituting the four side surfaces are all detachable, but at least one may be fixed to the frame. Further, the number of side panel members is not limited to the above and is arbitrary.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the chamber main part is comprised with the top plate 11, the bottom plate 19, and the flame | frame 10 which couple | bonds both, it is not limited to such a structure. For example, a configuration in which an opening is provided in a side surface of a chamber main portion formed by hollowing out the inside of a metal block, and an upper plate, a bottom plate, and a frame are configured as an integral chamber main portion from the beginning, and a removable panel is attached to the opening It is good. Further, the frame may be configured by combining a plate-shaped material provided with an opening window.

  In the above embodiment, the processing chamber 1 is realized by mounting the frame 10 on the bottom plate 19 fixed to the apparatus frame 99. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. You may make it comprise the lower surface of a process chamber by covering the lower surface of the flame | frame 10 with the baseplate of substantially the same size. Further, the frame 10 and the bottom plate 19 may be fixed by welding or the like.

  In the above embodiment, the top plate 11, the bottom plate 19, the frame 10, the side panel member 13, and the like are all made of metal, but any of these is formed of resin as necessary or according to the purpose. May be.

  In the above embodiment, when the side panel member such as the side plate 14 is screwed to the frame 10, the sheet-like seal member 148 is sandwiched to prevent air leakage. However, the sealing method for sealing the processing space SP is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 shows another example of the sealing method. In this example, an annular groove is formed inside an imaginary line connecting through holes 165 for screwing provided at the peripheral edge of the back plate 16, and a ring-shaped O ring made of rubber, for example, is formed in this groove. An air leak is prevented by fitting the seal member 167 configured by the above and attaching it to the frame 10. Similarly, the front plate 13 and the side plate 14 can be provided with grooves so that the O-rings 137 and 147 can be fitted therein. In particular, when the frequency of attachment / detachment is high, it is preferable that the seal member is formed of an O-ring in that deformation and deterioration of the seal member due to repeated attachment / detachment are suppressed and workability is good.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although it has comprised so that a board | substrate etc. can be taken in / out by opening and closing the door 131 provided so that opening and closing is possible with respect to the opening part 134 of the front board 13, as shown in FIG. You may make it open and close an opening part with a valve | bulb. If it does in this way, it will become easy to open and close a door automatically, and it can respond also to automation of an apparatus.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of a door structure. In this example, an annular groove is formed so as to surround an opening 154 drilled in a front plate 15 provided in place of the front plate 13 in the above embodiment, and an O-ring 152 is fitted in this groove. . The door 151 is a plate-like member that is slightly larger than the outer periphery of the groove, and is movably supported by a drive mechanism 153 fixed to the apparatus frame 99. The drive mechanism 153 moves the door 151 upward in the figure along the Z direction, and then advances the door 151 toward the front plate 15 along the Y direction, thereby covering the opening 154 with the door 151. Further, the opening 154 is exposed by the reverse operation. A gap between the door 151 and the front plate 15 is closed by an O-ring 152 to prevent air leakage. As such a gate valve structure and its driving mechanism, known ones can be applied, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the case where a thin film is transferred to a semiconductor substrate as in the above-described embodiment, and the thin film is transferred to a mounting-related substrate such as a multichip module or a liquid crystal-related substrate as long as it is related to electronic component materials. It can also be applied to cases. The thin film is not limited to the insulating film, and a metal thin film may be transferred to the substrate.

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for photomask, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for plasma display, a substrate for FED (Field Emission Display), a substrate for optical disk, a substrate for magnetic disk, a substrate for magneto-optical disk, etc. The present invention can be applied to a thin film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate including the substrate.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the thin film formation apparatus concerning this invention. It is the 1st exploded perspective view showing the structure of a processing chamber. It is a 2nd disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of a processing chamber. It is a figure which shows the structure of the transfer unit of the thin film forming apparatus concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure which clamps a ring body and a ring body. It is a figure which shows the thin film formation apparatus when the A-A 'cut surface of FIG. 4 is seen from upper direction. It is the figure which showed the state which the push-up pin and the lower clamp engaged. It is a figure which shows the structure of a push-up pin. It is a flowchart which shows the assembly procedure of the thin film forming apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is a 1st schematic diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. It is the 2nd schematic diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. It is the 3rd schematic diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of the thin film forming apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of the sealing method. It is a figure which shows the other example of a door structure.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Processing chamber 3 ... Upper block (transfer unit)
5. Lower block (transfer unit)
10 ... Frame (connecting part, frame)
11 ... Upper plate (upper plate)
19 ... Bottom plate (lower plate)
13 ... Front plate (side panel member)
14 ... Side plate (side panel member)
16 ... Back plate (side panel member)
52 ... Lifting unit (drive mechanism)
95 ... Vacuum pump (pressure reduction means)
101 ... Angle (column member, beam member)
131: Door 137, 147, 167 ... O-ring (seal member)
138, 148, 168 ... seal member

Claims (6)

A transfer unit that transfers the thin film to the substrate surface by sandwiching the substrate and a carrier having a thin film formed between the upper block and the lower block configured to be able to come into contact with each other; and
A processing chamber for accommodating the upper block and the lower block therein,
The processing chamber comprises
A chamber main portion having a structure in which an upper plate portion supporting the upper block and a lower plate portion supporting the lower block are connected by a connecting portion having an opening on a side surface;
A thin film forming apparatus comprising: a side panel member configured to be detachably attached to the chamber main portion and mounted so as to close the opening of the connecting portion via a seal member.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chamber main portion has a structure in which the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion are connected by a plurality of columnar members as the connecting portions.   The plurality of columnar members are connected by a beam member to integrally form a frame as the connecting portion together with the beam member, and the opening is formed by being surrounded by the beam member and the columnar member. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion are attached to the frame body to constitute the chamber main portion.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising the side panel member having a door that can be freely opened and closed.   The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: the side panel member having an exhaust port formed therein; and a decompression unit that decompresses the inside of the processing chamber through the exhaust port.   6. A drive mechanism for separating and contacting the upper block and the lower block, and the drive mechanism is attached to at least one of the upper plate portion and the lower plate portion. A thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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