Substrate supporting apparatus and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024417855-A1
Application number	US-202418739563-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 11, 2024
Priority date	Jun 14, 2023
Publication date	Dec 19, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A substrate supporting apparatus includes: a susceptor configured for a substrate to be place on; and a moving mechanism that is connected to the susceptor and configured to rotate the susceptor about a central axis of the susceptor, the central axis extending in a vertical direction, wherein the moving mechanism is configured to move the susceptor further in a direction extending in an imaginary horizontal plane perpendicular to the central axis.

First claim

1 . A substrate supporting apparatus comprising:
a susceptor configured for a substrate to be place on; and a moving mechanism that is connected to the susceptor and configured to rotate the susceptor about a central axis of the susceptor, the central axis extending in a vertical direction, wherein the moving mechanism is configured to move the susceptor further in a direction extending in an imaginary horizontal plane perpendicular to the central axis.

2 . The substrate supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the susceptor is configured to be stopped at any position within a movement range thereof extending in the direction extending in the horizontal plane.

3 . The substrate supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the moving mechanism comprises:
an external gear, tooth being placed side by side on an inner circumference thereof; and
an internal gear connected to the susceptor, tooth being placed side by side on an outer circumference thereof, the internal gear being configured rotate in a state where the tooth and the tooth meshing with each other, wherein
a number of teeth of the internal gear is less than a number of teeth of the external gear.

4 . The substrate supporting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein any point on the susceptor traces a trochoidal curved trajectory on the imaginary horizontal plane.

5 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
the substrate supporting apparatus according to claim 1 ; and a chamber housing the susceptor.

6 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
the substrate supporting apparatus according to claim 3 ; a chamber housing the susceptor; a lifting mechanism configured to move the susceptor vertically; and a drive source configured to drive the lifting mechanism.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the external gear and the internal gear are placed outside the chamber.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the drive source is further configured to rotate the internal gear.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the internal gear is configured to repeat forward and reverse rotation within an angle range of 180° or less centered on a central axis of the internal gear in a rotation direction of the internal gear about the central axis.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a gear mechanism configured to transmit a rotational driving force of the driving source to the internal gear, wherein
the gear mechanism comprises:
an input shaft configured for the rotational driving force to be input; and
a plurality of output shafts configured for the rotational driving force that is input to the input shaft and branched to be output,
a plurality of sets of the susceptor and the movement mechanism are provided, and the internal gear of the moving mechanism of each of the sets is connected to each of the input shafts.

11 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a connecting member connecting the internal gear and the output shafts, wherein
the output shaft has a vertical shaft part extending in a vertical direction, and the connecting member connects the internal gear and the vertical shaft part that are arranged eccentric to each other.

12 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the gear mechanism comprises:
an input gear provided to the input shaft; a ring gear configured to mesh with the input gear; a gear housing fixed on the ring gear; a pinion shaft supported by the gear housing; a pair of pinion gears rotatably supported by the pinion shaft; and a pair of side gears configured to mesh with the pair of the pinion gears, and
a pair of the output gears that are arranged coaxially with a central axis of the ring gear are provided, and
each of the side gears is provided to each of the output gears.

13 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a number of teeth of the ring gears is larger than a number of teeth of the input gear.

14 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a number of teeth of the pinion gears is identical to a number of teeth of the side gears.

15 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising a lock mechanism configured to prevent rotation of one of the output shafts.

16 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a CVD equipment configured to deposit a thin film on the substrate by a CVD method.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• Yanagisawa Ippei
• Hamaguchi Takashi

Classifications

• H10P72/7618 Primary

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/7626 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the shaft · CPC title

• C23C16/4584 Primary

  the substrate being rotated · CPC title

• C23C16/4581

  characterised by material of construction or surface finish of the means for supporting the substrate · CPC title