Load lock device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9228685-B2
Application number	US-201113992148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2011
Priority date	Dec 9, 2010
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A load lock device includes a vessel of which an internal pressure is variable between a pressure corresponding to a vacuum chamber and an atmospheric pressure; a purge gas supply source configured to supply a purge gas into the vessel; an exhaust device configured to evacuate an inside of the vessel; a pressure controller configured to adjust the internal pressure of the vessel to be the pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber and the atmospheric pressure; a cooling member within the vessel configured to cool a substrate while the substrate is placed adjacent thereto; a first purge gas discharging member configured to discharge the purge gas to flow in parallel with the substrate while controlling a turbulent flow thereof; and a second purge gas discharging member formed of a porous material and configured to discharge the purge gas toward a bottom surface of the substrate from below the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A load lock device used when a substrate is transferred from an atmospheric atmosphere into a vacuum chamber maintained in a vacuum state and when the substrate is transferred from the vacuum chamber into the atmospheric atmosphere, the load lock device comprising:
a vessel of which an internal pressure is variable between a pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber and an atmospheric pressure;
a purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the vessel;
an exhaust device configured to evacuate an inside of the vessel;
a pressure controller configured to adjust the internal pressure of the vessel to be the pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber when the inside of the vessel communicates with the vacuum chamber and configured to adjust the internal pressure of the vessel to be the atmospheric pressure when the inside of the vessel communicates with a space under the atmospheric atmosphere by controlling the purge gas supply unit and the exhaust device;
a cooling member, having a cooling device, provided within the vessel and configured to cool the substrate while the substrate is placed adjacent thereto;
a first purge gas discharging member configured to discharge the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply unit to flow in parallel with the substrate while controlling a turbulent flow of the purge gas; and
a second purge gas discharging member formed of a porous material and configured to discharge the purge gas toward a bottom surface of the substrate from below the substrate placed adjacent to the cooling member,
wherein the second purge gas discharging member is provided in an upper portion of the cooling member.

2. The load lock device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first purge gas discharging member includes a purge gas discharge nozzle configured to discharge the purge gas supplied from the purge gas supply unit along a top surface of the substrate while controlling the turbulent flow of the purge gas.

3. The load lock device of claim 2 ,
wherein the purge gas discharge nozzle is also configured to discharge the purge gas such that a flow of the purge gas is formed on the top surface of the substrate in one direction to flow in parallel with the substrate.

4. The load lock device of claim 3 , further comprising:
a rectifying member configured to rectify the flow of the purge gas that is discharged from the purge gas discharge nozzle and formed on the top surface of the substrate.

5. The load lock device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first purge gas discharging member includes a discharging unit formed of the porous material and is configured to discharge the purge gas from the discharging unit.

6. The load lock device of claim 5 ,
wherein the discharging unit is formed of a porous ceramic.

7. The load lock device of claim 5 ,
wherein the discharging unit is disposed so as to form a flow of the discharged purge gas over an entire area of the substrate while controlling the turbulent flow of the purge gas.

8. The load lock device of claim 7 ,
wherein the discharging unit is configured to discharge the purge gas such that the flow of the purge gas is formed over the entire area of the substrate in one direction to flow in parallel with the substrate.

9. The load lock device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a rectifying member configured to rectify the flow of the purge gas that is discharged from the discharging unit and formed on a top surface of the substrate.

10. The load lock device of claim 1 ,
wherein the second purge gas discharging member is formed of a porous ceramic.

11. A load lock device used when a substrate is transferred from an atmospheric atmosphere into a vacuum chamber maintained in a vacuum state and when the substrate is transferred from the vacuum chamber into the atmospheric atmosphere, the load lock device comprising:
a vessel of which an internal pressure is variable between a pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber and an atmospheric pressure;
a purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the vessel;
an exhaust device configured to evacuate an inside of the vessel;
a pressure controller configured to adjust the internal pressure of the vessel to be the pressure corresponding to the vacuum chamber when the inside of the vessel communicates with the vacuum chamber and configured to adjust the internal pressure of the vessel to be the atmospheric pressure when the inside of the vessel communicates with a space under the atmospheric atmosphere by controlling the purge gas supply unit and the exhaust device;
a cooling member, having a cooling device, provided within the vessel and configured to cool the substrate while the substrate is placed adjacent thereto; and
a purge gas discharging member formed of a porous material and configured to discharge the purge gas toward a bottom surface of the substrate from below the substrate placed adjacent to the cooling member,
wherein the purge gas discharging member formed of the porous material is provided in an upper portion of the cooling member.

12. The load lock device of claim 11 ,
wherein the purge gas discharging member formed of the porous material is formed of a porous ceramic.

Assignees

• Kobayashi Sensho
• Kumagai Keita
• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Sensho
• Kumagai Keita

Classifications

• H10P72/0466 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0434 Primary

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• C23C16/4408

  by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines · CPC title

• Y10T137/6416

  With heating or cooling of the system · CPC title

• F16L53/00 Primary

  Heating of pipes or pipe systems; Cooling of pipes or pipe systems · CPC title