KR101564583B1 - Load Lock Chamber And Substrate Processing Apparatus Including The Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a load lock chamber and a substrate processing apparatus including the same, wherein a load lock chamber according to the present invention includes a lower plate and an upper plate facing each other and a lower plate connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an internal space, A first vacuum sealing means disposed between the buffer plate and the side wall, the first vacuum sealing means having a ring-shaped cross section and disposed on the outside of the buffer plate; As shown in FIG.

Load lock chamber, vacuum sealing means

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a load lock chamber and a substrate processing apparatus including the same,

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus including a load lock chamber, and more particularly to a semiconductor processing apparatus or a substrate for a flat panel display including a load lock chamber and a load lock chamber including a buffer plate and an open- ≪ / RTI >

In general, in order to manufacture a semiconductor device or a flat panel display device, a thin film deposition process for depositing a thin film of a specific material on a substrate, a photolithography process for exposing or concealing a selected one of the thin films using a photosensitive material, And the etching process of removing the thin film of the desired pattern and performing the desired patterning process. Most of these processes proceed inside the chamber of the substrate processing equipment designed for the optimum environment for the process.

In recent years, a process chamber, a load lock chamber, a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate between the load lock chamber and the process chamber, and the like are integrally connected And a substrate processing apparatus of a substrate processing apparatus is widely used. The chamber arrangement type of the substrate processing apparatus includes a cluster type in which a plurality of substrates are independently and parallelly processed, and a plurality of substrates are subjected to a series of sequential processes, And can be divided into an in-line type.

1 is a top view of a conventional cluster type substrate processing equipment.

1, the clustered substrate processing equipment 60 includes a transfer chamber 10, a process chamber 20, a load lock chamber 30, a transfer unit 40, and a load port 50 .

A plurality of process chambers 20 and a plurality of load lock chambers 30 are radially coupled to the periphery of the transfer chamber 10 and one side of the transfer section 40 is connected to the load lock chamber 30, 40 is connected to the load port 50 for exchanging the substrate S with the outside of the equipment.

The processing chamber 20 is a space for performing a process such as thin film deposition, etching, and the like on the substrate S while maintaining a high vacuum state. The transfer chamber 10 includes a transfer chamber robot 12, As a space for transferring the substrate S between the process chamber 20 and the process chamber 20 or between the process chamber 20 and the load lock chamber 30.

A first slot valve 22 is provided between the transfer chamber 10 and the process chamber 20 for opening and closing the substrate while the transfer chamber 10 and the load lock chamber 30 are connected to each other. (32).

The transferring unit 40 transfers the substrate S to the load port 50 by transferring the unprocessed substrate S into the load lock chamber 30 or transferring the processed substrate S from the load lock chamber 30 to the load port 50, And a cassette (not shown) on which the substrate S is placed is placed in the load port 50.

The load lock chamber 30 is switched to a vacuum state when connected to the transfer chamber 10 to serve as a buffer between the vacuum transfer chamber 10 and the atmospheric pressure transfer unit 40 and is connected to the transfer unit 40 , The vacuum state and the atmospheric pressure state are repeated in the substrate exchange process.

At least two or more load lock chambers 30 may be connected to the sides of the transfer chamber 10 to increase the substrate processing speed. In the load lock chamber 30, at least one slot do.

2 is a top view of a conventional in-line type substrate processing equipment.

2, the in-line type substrate processing equipment 160 includes a transfer chamber 110, a process chamber 120, and a load lock chamber 130. As shown in FIG.

The plurality of process chambers 120 and the load lock chambers 130 are connected in series along the long sides of the rectangular transfer chambers 110. Therefore, unlike the clustered substrate processing equipment (60 in FIG. 1), the number of process chambers 120 and load lock chambers 130 connected to the transfer chamber 110 can be easily increased. The number of the process chambers 120 and the load lock chambers 130 to be connected may be limited in consideration of the moving speed and the distance of the transfer chamber robot 112 in the transfer chamber 110.

A guide rail 114 is provided for the linear reciprocating movement of the transfer chamber robot 112 inside the transfer chamber 110. The transfer chamber robot 112 moves along the guide rail 114, ) Or the load lock chamber (130) and the substrate (S).

In this substrate processing equipment, the load lock chambers 30, 130 connected to the periphery of the transfer chamber 10, 110 may be fabricated to have a single slot, but may be made to have more than two slots, In some cases, it is manufactured.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a load lock chamber of a conventional substrate processing equipment.

3, the load lock chamber 230 is connected to the lower plate 231 and the upper plate 232 and the lower plate and the upper plates 231 and 232, respectively, A sidewall 233 defining an inner space and an inner wall 234 formed at an inner center of the sidewall 233 to separate the inner space into a lower first slot 230a and an upper second slot 230b. Here, the lower plate, the upper plate, the side walls and the inner walls 231, 232, 233 and 234 are integrally formed.

The first and second slots 230a and 230b are respectively formed with a first substrate inlet 236 connected to a transfer part at atmospheric pressure and a second substrate inlet 236 formed at the other side of the first and second slots 230a and 230b. And a second substrate inlet / outlet 235 connected to the transfer chamber in the state of FIG.

The first and second slots 230a and 230b and the door 237 for controlling the communication between the first and second slots 230a and 230b are formed in the first substrate inlet port 236. When the first and second slots 230a and 230b are in a vacuum state The door 237 closes the first substrate inlet 236 and a vacuum between the side wall 233 of the first substrate inlet 236 and each door 237 is formed by a vacuum such as an O- Vacuum sealing means (not shown) is interposed.

A substrate stand 238 for temporarily holding a substrate carried in from the outside is formed in each of the first and second slots 230a and 230b. The substrate stand 238 is interposed between the substrate and the substrate stand 238, A lift pin (not shown) for mounting the substrate is protruded from the upper surface of the substrate table 238. [ At least two of the substrate table 238 may be provided in one slot.

Each of the first and second slots 230a and 230b alternately and repeatedly maintains a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state. To this end, the first and second slots 230a and 230b are provided with exhaust lines And an intake line (not shown) for pressurizing atmospheric pressure are connected.

The load lock chamber 230 of the substrate processing equipment has alternately repeated atmospheric pressure and vacuum conditions so that the lower plate, the upper plate, the side walls and the inner walls 231, 232, 233, and 234 of the load lock chamber 230 A force which is periodically changed by a variation in the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the load lock chamber 230 is received.

That is, when the load lock chamber 230 is in a vacuum state, the lower plate, the upper plate and the side walls 231, 232, and 233 are subjected to a compressive force from the outside to the inside, and when the load lock chamber 230 is at atmospheric pressure The compressive force applied to the lower plate, the upper plate, and the side walls 231, 232, and 233 is eliminated.

Since the first and second slots 230a and 230b are isolated from each other and operate independently of each other, when the first slot 230a is in the vacuum state and the second slot 230b is in the atmospheric pressure state, And the inner wall 234 is subjected to a downward force when the first slot 230a is at atmospheric pressure and the second slot 230b is in a vacuum state.

As the size of the large area flat panel display increases and thus the size of the substrate and substrate processing equipment increases, the impact of such repetitive forces on the load lock chamber of the substrate processing equipment increases further. For example, Deformation such as warping occurs in the lower plate, the upper plate and the inner wall of the load lock chamber due to the change in the force.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where the load lock chamber of Fig. 3 is deformed.

4, when the first slot 230a of the load lock chamber 230 of the substrate processing equipment is in an atmospheric pressure state and the second slot 230b is in a vacuum state, The upper wall 232 and the side wall 233 and the inner wall 234 are subjected to a compressive force toward the inside of the second slot 230b so that the upper portion of the upper plate 232 and the inner wall 234, A phenomenon of bowing toward the inside of the slot 230b occurs.

When the first and second slots 230a and 230b are both at atmospheric pressure, the compressive force is released and restored to the shape shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, during the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, The side wall 233 is vertically moved to move up and down by the deformation and restoration and the door 237 and the side wall 234 are moved upward and downward by the deformation and restoration, (233) are spaced apart from each other by an undesired distance, adversely affecting the maintenance of the vacuum state.

The O-ring having an O-shaped cross section, which is a vacuum sealing means interposed between the door 237 and the side wall 233, has a high abrasion resistance in the horizontal direction and a very low abrasion resistance in the vertical direction. The O-rings come into contact with the door 237 and the side wall 233 at one point, respectively. As a result of the upward and downward movement of the door 237 and the side wall 233, And is subjected to a rotational force with respect to the center of the o-ring by a force in the opposite direction. The O-ring rubs against door 237 and sidewall 233 by rotation and wears as a result.

That is, periodic upward and downward movement of the side wall 233 of the load lock chamber 230 results in o-ring damage and vacuum state failure of the load lock chamber 230, Resulting in increased production costs due to shutdown.

Although not shown, the shape of the load lock chamber is the same in the case of in-line type substrate processing equipment, and the above problems are equally present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a load lock chamber capable of stably maintaining pressure and minimizing wear of a vacuum sealing means even when the sidewall of the load lock chamber is moved up and down due to a pressure difference variation, The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is characterized by comprising: a lower plate and an upper plate facing each other; A sidewall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an inner space and having a substrate entrance port; A buffer plate disposed outside the substrate entrance; A first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall, the first vacuum sealing means having a ring-shaped cross section; And a door disposed outside the buffer plate.

Wherein the first vacuum sealing means has a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section and is arranged to correspond to the first substrate entrance port, and the buffer plate has an opening corresponding to the substrate entry port, And is secured by a pair of supports connected to both ends.

The load lock chamber for the substrate processing plant may further include gap maintaining means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall to maintain a spacing therebetween, and second vacuum sealing means interposed between the door and the buffer plate.

Further, the substrate processing facility cost load lock chamber may further include a protruding portion protruding in a horizontal direction from the side wall around the substrate entrance opening, wherein the buffer plate has a vertical portion formed with an opening corresponding to the substrate entrance, And a horizontal portion corresponding to the protruding portion.

In this case, the vacuum sealing means is interposed between the horizontal portion and the protruding portion.

The substrate processing plant cost load lock chamber further includes at least one inner wall formed at the central portion of the inner space to separate the inner space into at least two slots.

On the other hand, the present invention provides a semiconductor device comprising: a load port for exchanging a substrate with an outside; A transfer unit connected to the load port and at atmospheric pressure; A load lock chamber connected to the transfer unit and repeating a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state, the load lock chamber comprising: a lower plate and an upper plate facing each other and spaced apart from each other; a side wall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an internal space, A first vacuum sealing means disposed between the buffer plate and the side wall, the first vacuum sealing means having a ring-shaped cross section, and a door disposed outside the buffer plate, A chamber; A transfer chamber connected to the load lock chamber for transferring the substrate; And at least one process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber for processing the substrate.

According to the present invention, since a buffer plate is disposed between the slot of the load lock chamber and the door, and a U-shaped or V-shaped ring-shaped vacuum sealing means is interposed between the slot and the buffer plate, Movement can be prevented from being transferred to the door, and the shutdown of the substrate processing equipment for replacement of the vacuum sealing means can be minimized. Further, by forming a protrusion in the horizontal direction on the side wall of the slot and making it correspond to the horizontal portion of the buffer plate, the vacuum in the load lock chamber can be maintained more stably and the wear of the vacuum sealing means can be further prevented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a load lock chamber of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along a line VI-VI in FIG. 5, to be.

Although not shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, in the cluster type substrate processing equipment according to the first embodiment, the transfer part and the transfer chamber are connected to both ends of the load lock chamber 330, the load port is connected to the other side of the transfer part , A plurality of process chambers are connected around the transfer chamber, and in the case of in-line type substrate processing equipment, the load lock chamber 330 of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 can also be applied.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, the load lock chamber 330 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a lower plate 331 and a lower plate 331, A side wall 333 connected to the lower plate and the upper plates 331 and 332 to define an inner space and an inner space formed in the inner central portion to connect the inner space to the lower first slot 330a and the upper second And an inner wall 334 that separates and defines the slot 330b.

Although the bottom plate, the top plate, the side walls and the inner walls 331, 332, 333, and 334 are integrally formed, in other embodiments, the inner wall may be formed in two portions so that the first and second slots are configured as two independent chambers have. In the first embodiment, two slots are formed by one inner wall in the load lock chamber. In another embodiment, the inner wall may be removed to form one slot. In addition, an inner wall may be added to the load lock chamber The number of slots can be set to three or more.

Since the lower plate, the upper plate, and the inner walls 331, 332, and 334 have sizes corresponding to the sizes of the substrates, they have an area larger than that of the side walls 333.

The first and second slots 330a and 330b are formed with a first substrate entrance 336 connected to a transfer unit (not shown) A second substrate inlet 335 connected to a transfer chamber (not shown) in a vacuum state is formed on the other side wall 333 of the first and second substrates 330a and 330b.

An interior space of the first and second slots 330a and 330b is formed with a substrate mounting table 338 for temporarily mounting a substrate carried from the outside. A lift pin (not shown) for mounting the substrate is protruded from the upper surface of the substrate table 338 to secure the substrate. At least two board stands 338 may be installed in one slot.

Each of the first and second slots 330a and 330b alternately and repeatedly maintains a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state. To this end, the first and second slots 330a and 330b are provided with exhaust lines (not shown) ) And an intake line (not shown) for pressurizing at atmospheric pressure are connected.

A buffer plate 370 is disposed outside the first substrate inlet port 336 and a door 337 is disposed outside the buffer plate 370.

The buffer plate 370 is connected to both ends of a pair of supports 378 and is fixed to the buffer plate 370. An opening 372 corresponding to the first substrate inlet 336 is formed in the buffer plate 370. [ The buffer plate 370 absorbs the upward and downward movements of the lower plate, the upper plate and the inner walls 331, 332 and 334 due to the pressure difference variation in the first and second slots 330a and 330b to be transmitted to the door 337 . On the other hand, in another embodiment, the buffer plate may be directly fixed to the side wall of the chamber without a supporting stand by using a fastening means such as a screw.

The door 337 controls the communication between the first and second slots 330a and 330b and the outside. When the first and second slots 330a and 330b are in a vacuum state, the door 337 is coupled to the buffer plate 370, The door 337 opens the opening 372 of the buffer plate 370 when the first and second slots 330a and 330b are at atmospheric pressure.

A first vacuum sealing means 374 is interposed between the buffer plate 370 and the side walls 333 of the first and second slots 330a and 330b for the purpose of this pressure sealing, and the door 337 and the buffer plate 370, The second vacuum sealing means 339 is interposed. First and second recessed portions 370a and 337a are formed in the buffer plate 370 and the door 337 for fixing the first and second vacuum sealing means 374 and 339, respectively.

A gap maintaining means 376 is also provided to maintain a uniform spacing d (e.g., about 3 mm) between the buffer plate 370 and the side walls 333 of the first and second slots 330a, A third recessed portion 370b may be formed in the buffer plate 370 to fix the gap maintaining means 376. [

Here, the first vacuum sealing means 374 has a U-shaped or V-shaped ring shape (not shown) so that the vacuum can be maintained without being worn down even when the side walls 333 of the first and second slots 330a and 330b move up and down. . In other words, the first vacuum sealing means 374 has a curved shape with one side separated from the first vacuum sealing means 374 by a first contact point 374a that contacts the side wall 333 of the first and second slots 330a and 330b The force due to the upward and downward movement is absorbed by the first vacuum sealing means 374 and the second contact point 374b contacting the buffer plate 370 does not move up and down. Accordingly, the first vacuum sealing means 374 is resistant to vertical movement of the side walls 333 of the first and second slots 330a and 330b and maintains a vacuum. For securing the abrasion resistance, the first vacuum sealing means 374 may be formed of a polymer material such as hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR).

The second vacuum sealing means 339 may be formed of an O-ring having a circular cross section or a ring shape having a U or V shape in section so that the first and second slots 330a and 330b In the case where the absorbing buffer of the up-and-down movement of the side wall 333 is insufficient.

Accordingly, in the substrate processing equipment according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the buffer plate 370 is disposed between the side wall 333 of the first and second slots 330a and 330b and the door 337, A first vacuum sealing means 374 having a U-shaped or V-shaped ring-shaped cross section is interposed between the side wall 333 of the second slots 330a and 330b and the buffer plate 370, The upward and downward movement of the side wall 333 of the second slots 330a and 330b can be prevented from being transmitted to the door and the shutdown of the substrate processing equipment for replacing the vacuum sealing means can be minimized.

Meanwhile, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the sealing portions of the buffer plate and the load lock chamber are arranged horizontally, so that the vacuum seal is more stable against the vertical movement of the load lock chamber.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion B of FIG.

8 and 9, in the cluster type substrate processing equipment according to the second embodiment, the transfer unit and the transfer chamber are connected to both ends of the load lock chamber 430, the load port is connected to the other side of the transfer unit, A plurality of process chambers are connected around the chamber, and in the case of the in-line type substrate processing equipment, the load lock chamber 430 of FIGS. 8 and 9 can also be applied.

8 and 9, the load lock chamber 430 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a lower plate 431 and a lower plate 431, 432 which are connected to the lower plate and the upper plates 431, 432 to define an inner space and a first slot 430a formed in the inner central portion and a first slot 430a in the lower portion and a second slot 430b. ≪ / RTI >

Although the bottom plate, the top plate, the side walls and the inner walls 431, 432, 433, and 434 are integrally formed, in other embodiments, the inner walls may be formed in two portions so that the first and second slots are configured as two independent chambers have. In another embodiment, the inner wall may be removed to form one slot, or an inner wall may be added so that the number of slots included in the load lock chamber may be set to three or more.

Since the lower plate, the upper plate, and the inner walls 431, 432, and 434 have sizes corresponding to the sizes of the substrates, they have an area larger than that of the side walls 433.

The first and second slots 430a and 430b are formed with a first substrate entrance port 436 connected to a transfer section (not shown) 430b are formed with a second substrate inlet / outlet 435 connected to a transfer chamber (not shown) in a vacuum state.

A protrusion 433a protruding in the horizontal direction is formed around the first substrate inlet / outlet 436 of the other side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b connected to the transfer unit (not shown).

An interior space of the first and second slots 430a and 430b is formed with a substrate stand 438 for temporarily holding a substrate carried in from the outside. A lift pin (not shown) for mounting the substrate is protruded on the upper surface of the substrate bench 438. At least two of the substrate table 438 may be installed in one slot.

Each of the first and second slots 430a and 430b alternately and repeatedly maintains a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state. To this end, an exhaust line (not shown) for reducing the pressure of the vacuum is provided in each of the first and second slots 430a and 430b ) And an intake line (not shown) for pressurizing at atmospheric pressure are connected.

A buffer plate 470 is disposed outside the first substrate inlet port 436, and a door 437 is disposed outside the buffer plate 470.

The buffer plate 470 is fixedly connected to a pair of supports (not shown) at both ends thereof and is fixed to the lower plate, the upper plate and the inner walls 431, 432, and 434 by the pressure difference variation of the first and second slots 430a and 430b So as to prevent the door 437 from being transmitted to the door 437. On the other hand, in another embodiment, the buffer plate may be directly fixed to the side wall of the chamber without a supporting stand by using a fastening means such as a screw.

The buffer plate 470 includes a vertical portion 477 having an opening 472 corresponding to the first substrate entrance 436 and a horizontal portion 478 projecting horizontally from the vertical portion 477. The horizontal portion 478 corresponds to the projecting portion 433a of the side wall 433 and is a portion that maintains vacuum sealing of the first and second slots 430a and 430b. That is, in the load lock chamber 430 of the substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, the protrusion 433a and the horizontal portion 478 for holding the vacuum hermetically are horizontally arranged and the side wall 433 Even when a force due to the up-and-down movement is transmitted to the protruding portion 433a, the horizontal portion 478 serves to support the vacuum, so that the vacuum can be maintained more stably.

The door 437 controls the communication between the first and second slots 430a and 430b and the outside. When the first and second slots 430a and 430b are in a vacuum state, the door 437 is coupled to the buffer plate 470, The door 437 opens the opening 472 of the buffer plate 470 when the first and second slots 430a and 430b are at atmospheric pressure.

A first vacuum sealing means 474 is interposed between the horizontal portion 478 of the buffer plate 470 and the protrusion 433a of the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b A second vacuum sealing means 439 is interposed between the door 437 and the vertical portion 477 of the buffer plate 470. First and second recessed portions 470a and 437a are formed in the horizontal portion 478 and the door 437 of the buffer plate 470 for fixing the first and second vacuum sealing means 474 and 439, do.

A uniform spacing d between the horizontal portion 478 of the buffer plate 470 and the protrusion 433a of the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b is about 3 mm A third recessed portion 470b may be formed in the horizontal portion 478 of the buffer plate 470 in order to fix the gap maintaining means 476 .

Here, the first vacuum sealing means 374 has a U-shaped section so that the vacuum can be maintained without being worn even when the protruding portions 433a of the side walls 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b are moved up and down. Or V-shaped ring shape. Some components of the upper and lower motions of the side wall 433 due to the pressure difference fluctuation can be changed to the rightward and leftward movement of the protruding portion 433a. The first vacuum sealing means 474 has a curved shape, Even if the first contact point 474a contacting the protruding portion 433a of the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b is moved to the left and right, the force due to the lateral movement is transmitted to the first vacuum sealing means The second contact point 474b which is absorbed by the horizontal portion 474 of the buffer plate 470 and contacts the horizontal portion 478 of the buffer plate 470 does not move to the left or right. Accordingly, the first vacuum sealing means 474 is resistant to horizontal movement of the projecting portion 433a of the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 330b, and maintains a vacuum. For securing the abrasion resistance, the first vacuum sealing means 474 may be formed of a polymer material such as hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR).

The second vacuum sealing means 439 may be formed as an O-ring having a circular section or a ring shape having a U or V shape in section so that the first and second slots 430a and 430b Of the side wall 433 is insufficient.

Thus, in the substrate processing equipment according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the buffer plate 470 is disposed between the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b and the door 437, A U-shaped or V-shaped ring-shaped first vacuum sealing means 474 is provided between the protruding portion 433a of the side wall 433 of the second slots 430a and 430b and the horizontal portion 478 of the buffer plate 470 It is possible to prevent the upward and downward movement of the side wall 433 of the first and second slots 430a and 430b due to the pressure difference variation from being transmitted to the door and to minimize the interruption of the operation of the substrate processing equipment for replacing the vacuum sealing means can do.

1 is a plan view of a conventional cluster type substrate processing equipment;

2 is a plan view of a conventional in-line type substrate processing equipment.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a load lock chamber of a conventional substrate processing equipment.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where the load lock chamber of Fig. 3 is deformed. Fig.

5 is a perspective view of a load lock chamber of a substrate processing equipment according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VI-VI of Fig. 5;

7 is an enlarged view of a portion A in Fig.

8 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is an enlarged view of a portion B in Fig.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

330, 430: load lock chambers 370, 470:

337, 437: doors 374, 474: first vacuum sealing means

339, 439: second vacuum sealing means 378, 478:

Claims (13)

A lower plate and a top plate spaced apart from each other and facing each other; A sidewall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an inner space and having a substrate entrance port; A buffer plate disposed outside the substrate entrance; A first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall, the first vacuum sealing means having a ring-shaped cross section; A gap maintaining means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall for maintaining a uniform gap between the buffer plate and the side wall to suppress abrasion at a portion contacting the side wall of the first vacuum closing means; A door disposed outside the buffer plate Wherein the buffer plate and the side wall are coupled to each other to allow a vertical movement and to maintain a vacuum, The buffer plate suppresses vertical movement of the door when the lower plate and the upper plate move up and down, Wherein the first vacuum sealing means has a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section and is arranged to correspond to the first substrate entrance port, Wherein one end of the U or V character of the first vacuum sealing means contacts the side wall and the other end of the U or V character of the first vacuum sealing means contacts the buffer plate. delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the buffer plate is provided with an opening corresponding to the substrate entry port and the buffer plate is fixed by a pair of supporting members connected to the coupling means or both ends thereof. The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a second vacuum sealing means interposed between the door and the buffer plate. The method according to claim 1, And a protrusion protruding in a horizontal direction from the side wall around the substrate entrance port, wherein the buffer plate has a vertical portion formed with an opening corresponding to the substrate entrance, and a horizontal portion projecting in the horizontal direction from the vertical portion, In addition, Wherein the horizontal portion supports the projecting portion even when a force due to the vertical movement of the side wall is transmitted to the projecting portion. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the first vacuum sealing means is interposed between the horizontal portion and the projection. The method according to claim 1, And at least one inner wall formed at the center of the inner space to define the inner space into at least two slots. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the buffer plate is provided with a first recess for interposing the first vacuum sealing means, one end of the first vacuum sealing means is in contact with the side wall, and the other end is connected to the first recess, chamber. 9. The method of claim 8, Even if the first contact point contacting the one side of the first vacuum sealing means and the side wall moves up and down, the force due to the up-and-down movement is transmitted to the other end of the first vacuum sealing means and the second contact point A load lock chamber for the substrate processing plant that does not move up and down. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the second vacuum sealing means is formed in a ring shape having an opening in cross section and a second inlet groove through which the second vacuum sealing means is inserted is formed in the door and one end of the second vacuum sealing means is connected to the buffer plate, And the other end is in contact with the second recess. A load port for exchanging the substrate with the outside; A transfer unit connected to the load port and at atmospheric pressure; A load lock chamber connected to the transfer unit and repeating a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state, the load lock chamber comprising: a lower plate and an upper plate facing each other and spaced apart from each other; a side wall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an internal space, A first vacuum sealing means disposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall and having a ring-shaped cross section, the first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall, the first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall, A gap maintaining means for maintaining a uniform gap between the buffer plate and the sidewall so as to suppress abrasion of a portion of the vacuum sealing means in contact with the side wall, and a door disposed outside the buffer plate, Wherein the side wall is coupled to maintain the vacuum while allowing the vertical movement, and wherein the first vacuum sealing means has a U-shaped or V-shaped cross section, Wherein one end of the U or V character of the first vacuum sealing means is in contact with the side wall and the other end of the U or V character of the first vacuum sealing means is in contact with the buffer plate, A load lock chamber; A transfer chamber connected to the load lock chamber for transferring the substrate; At least one process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber for processing the substrate, Lt; / RTI > Wherein the buffer plate suppresses vertical movement of the door when the lower plate and the upper plate move up and down. A lower plate and a top plate spaced apart from each other and facing each other; A sidewall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an inner space and having a substrate entrance port; A buffer plate disposed outside the substrate entrance; A first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall, the first vacuum sealing means having a ring-shaped cross section; A gap maintaining means interposed between the buffer plate and the side wall for maintaining a uniform gap between the buffer plate and the side wall to suppress abrasion at a portion contacting the side wall of the first vacuum closing means; A door disposed outside the buffer plate / RTI > Wherein the buffer plate and the side wall are coupled to each other to allow the vacuum pump to move up and down, Wherein the buffer plate suppresses upward and downward movement of the door when the lower plate and the upper plate move up and down. A load port for exchanging the substrate with the outside; A transfer unit connected to the load port and at atmospheric pressure; A load lock chamber connected to the transfer unit and repeating a vacuum state and an atmospheric pressure state, the load lock chamber comprising: a lower plate and an upper plate facing each other and spaced apart from each other; a side wall connected to the lower plate and the upper plate to define an internal space, A first vacuum sealing means disposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall and having a ring-shaped cross section, the first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall, the first vacuum sealing means interposed between the buffer plate and the sidewall, A gap maintaining means for maintaining a uniform gap between the buffer plate and the sidewall so as to suppress abrasion of a portion of the vacuum sealing means in contact with the side wall, and a door disposed outside the buffer plate, The side wall being coupled to maintain a vacuum while permitting up and down movement; A transfer chamber connected to the load lock chamber for transferring the substrate; At least one process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber for processing the substrate, Lt; / RTI > Wherein the buffer plate suppresses vertical movement of the door when the lower plate and the upper plate move up and down.

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