SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING TUBE ASSEMBLY

• US 20180240696A1
• Filed: 09/05/2016
• Published: 08/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YOO, Cha Young, JE, Sung Tae, CHOI, Kyu Jin, KU, Ja Dae, KIM, Jun, JUNG, Bong Ju, PARK, Kyung Seok, KIM, Yong Ki, KIM, Jae Woo
• Granted Patent: US 10,840,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45504 Laminar flow
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45578 Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67309 characterized by the substrate support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67326 Horizontal carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are vertically supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67346 characterized by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67757 vertical transfer of a batch of workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68785 characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support

Abstract

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a tube assembly having an inner space in which substrates are processed and assembled by laminating a plurality of laminates, a substrate holder configured to support the plurality of substrates in a multistage manner in the inner space of the tube assembly, a gas supply unit installed on one side of the tube assembly to supply a process gas to each of the plurality of substrates in the inner space; and an exhaust unit connected to the tube assembly to exhaust the process gas supplied into the inner space, the substrate processing apparatus that induces a laminar flow to supply a uniform amount of process gas to a top surface of the substrate.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a tube assembly having an inner space in which substrates are processed and assembled by laminating a plurality of laminates;

a substrate holder configured to support the plurality of substrates in a multistage manner in the inner space of the tube assembly;

a gas supply unit installed on one side of the tube assembly to supply a process gas to each of the plurality of substrates in the inner space; and

an exhaust unit connected to the tube assembly to exhaust the process gas supplied into the inner space.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the laminates comprises:

a plate having a surface area;

a hollow part provided in a central portion of the plate so that the substrate holder is movable; and

protrusion parts, each of which protrudes from at least one surface of a first surface and a second surface, which face each other, on a portion of a circumference of the plate,

wherein, when the plurality of laminates are laminated, the protrusion parts support the plates so that the plates are spaced apart from each other.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the gas supply unit is disposed on one side of the plate, and

the protrusion parts comprise:

a pair of first protrusion members spaced apart from each other on both sides of the plate in a direction crossing an injection direction of the process gas to inject a flow of the process gas from one side to the other side of the plate; and

a second protrusion member connected to the first protrusion members and disposed on the other side of the plate.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the laminates further comprises an exhaust hole defined in the plate to exhaust the process gas between the hollow part and the second protrusion member, and

the exhaust holes of the plurality of laminates are disposed in a line to provide a path through which the process gas is exhausted.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein a plurality of isolation plates configured to divide a processing space in which each of the substrates is processed are disposed on the substrate holder, and

the isolation plates are disposed to correspond to the plate in a horizontal direction.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein a path through which the process gas is supplied is provided in each of the protrusion parts, and

the laminate further comprises a plurality of injection holes defined in an inner wall of the protrusion part to inject the process gas to the substrates and communicating with the path within the protrusion part.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein an insertion part is provided in the protrusion part, and

the tube assembly further comprises a fixing bar inserted into the insertion part to fix the laminates.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the protrusion parts of the plurality of laminates has a different thickness.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the tube assembly further comprises one or more height adjustment members installed between the protrusion parts of the plurality of laminates.

10. A method for assembling a tube assembly that forming an inner process in which a plurality of substrates are processed, the method comprising:

inserting a plurality of laminates into an alignment bar extending in a vertical direction;

inserting a fixing bar into the plurality of laminates; and

separating the alignment bar from the laminates,

wherein the alignment bar is softer than each of the laminate, and the fixing bar is harder than the alignment bar.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fixing bar is made of the same material as the laminate.