JPH08203977A - Vertically delivering equipment in a vacuum - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a vertically delivering equipment in a vacuum which is suitable for realizing ultrahigh vacuum ultraclean atmosphere and improving the life of an apparatus. CONSTITUTION: A cylindrical barrier 2 for isolating vacuum from the external atmosphere is installed outside a vacuum vessel 1. One end 2a of the barrier is opened on a bottom surface aperture 3 of the vacuum vessel 1. A rod 8 is inserted in the bottom surface aperture 3 so as to be movable up and down, and levitated and retained in the radial direction and the axial direction by a magnetic force from the outer peripheral surface side of the barrier 2. The float-retaining is performed by the radial and axial magnetic retainers 9, 10. A vertically moving means 11 for transferring the magnetic retainers 9, 10 up and down along the barrier 2 are installed outside the barrier 2. When the magnetic retainers 9, 10 are transferred up and down by the vertically moving means 11, the rod 8 follows the retainers and moves up and down. That is, in the vacuum vessel 1, the rod 8 which is float-retained by the magnetic force can be moved up and down without expansion and contraction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vacuum vertical transfer device for vertically transferring a workpiece such as a silicon wafer in a vacuum container of a semiconductor manufacturing / inspecting device or a liquid crystal substrate manufacturing / inspecting device. It is intended to realize a high-vacuum / ultra-clean atmosphere and prolong the life of the equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an in-vacuum vertical transfer device as shown in FIG. 3 has been used for transferring a work in the vertical direction in a vacuum container of this type.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a metal bellows 50 in the vacuum container 1 for shutting off vacuum from the atmosphere. The metal bellows 50 is installed in the bottom opening 3 of the vacuum container 1 and is made of metal. The outer peripheral surface side of the bellows 50 is exposed to the atmosphere (vacuum atmosphere) in the vacuum container 1, and
The inner peripheral surface side of is set to the atmosphere.

A shaft portion 51 is provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the metal bellows 50.
Is attached so as to be vertically movable, the tip of the shaft portion 51 is integrally attached to the lid 50a of the metal bellows 50, and the rear end of the shaft portion 50 is integrally attached to the piston in the cylinder 52.

When the shaft 51 is moved up and down via the piston in the cylinder 52, the metal bellows 50 expands and contracts in the vacuum container 1, whereby the metal bellows 50 is moved.
The work W installed at the tip of the workpiece is transferred up and down.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional in-vacuum transfer device, the metal rose 50 expands and contracts in the vacuum container 1 as described above. Therefore, the bellows weld portion of the metal bellows 50 is repeatedly subjected to a load, and not only the metal powder is generated therefrom, but also the metal rose 50 has a bellows-like shape, so that the surface area is large and a large amount of gas is generated from the surface. It is difficult to realize an ultra-high vacuum / ultra-clean atmosphere because of the structure in which gas easily accumulates. Further, there is a problem that a leak occurs in the bellows welded portion under a repeated load of about 50,000 cycles, resulting in a short device life.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an up / down transfer device in a vacuum suitable for realizing an ultrahigh vacuum / ultraclean atmosphere and extending the life of the equipment. To provide.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is provided outside a vacuum container and has one end opened at the bottom opening of the vacuum container and the other end sealed. A cylindrical partition wall, a rod that is vertically movably inserted into the bottom surface opening, a front end portion is located inside the vacuum container, and a rear end portion is located inside the partition wall; and an outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall. A radial magnetic supporting means for levitationally supporting the rod in the radial direction with a magnetic force, and an axial magnetic supporting means for levitationally supporting the rod in the axial direction with a magnetic force from the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall,
Vertical moving means for moving the radial magnetic support means up and down along the partition wall.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the radial magnetic supporting means is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall, and is provided with a radial electromagnet for attracting a magnetic target integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod. Has an outer permanent magnet body which is installed on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall and repels an inner permanent magnet body integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod, and the vertical moving means has the radial electromagnet and the outer permanent magnet body. And a moving mechanism body that moves the moving unit body up and down along a partition wall.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the radial magnetic supporting means and the vertical moving means are provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall, and the linear pulse motor main body is integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod. It is characterized in that it is composed of a comb-shaped magnetic material target facing each other.

[0011]

In the present invention, when the radial magnetic support means and the axial magnetic support means move up and down along the partition, the rod moves up and down in the partition following this movement. That is, the rod floated and supported by the magnetic force moves up and down as it is without expanding and contracting, thereby vertically delivering the work placed on the tip of the rod.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the vacuum upper and lower delivery device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, this in-vacuum transfer device has a partition wall 2 made of a metal for shutting off vacuum from the atmosphere, and the partition wall 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is installed outside the vacuum container 1. Has been done.

One end 2a of the partition wall 2 is opened to the bottom opening 3 of the vacuum container 1 and fixed to the vacuum container 1, and the other end 2b of the partition wall 2 is sealed by a lid 4.

The partition wall 2 is fixed to the vacuum container 1 by a flange portion 5 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the one end 2a of the partition wall 2 and a screw 6 for connecting this to the vacuum container 1. A sealing material 7 is interposed between the flange portion 5 and the vacuum container 1 to block the gap.

A rod 8 is inserted in a bottom opening 3 of the vacuum container 1 so as to be vertically movable. The rod 8 has a tip 8a side located inside the vacuum container 1 and a rear end 8b side located inside the partition wall 2. It is arranged to do.

The rod 8 is floated and supported by the magnetic force from the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall 2 in the radial direction. Thus, the radial magnetic support means 9 for floating and supporting the rod 8 in the radial direction is composed of a plurality of radial electromagnets 900, 900, and a radial displacement sensor unit (not shown) and the like.

The radial electromagnets 900, 900 ...
On the other hand, the radial displacement sensor portion (not shown) detects the displacement of the rod 8 in the radial direction.
This is output to a control circuit (not shown), and the control circuit adjusts the exciting current of the radial electromagnets 900, 900 ... Based on the detection result of the radial displacement sensor unit, and thereby the attraction force of the radial electromagnets 900, 900. Control.

A magnetic target 901 is provided inside the partition wall 2.
And the magnetic target 901 is the rod 8
Are integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the and are arranged so as to face the radial electromagnets 900, 900 ... Through the partition wall 2.

That is, the radial magnetic supporting means 9 attracts the magnetic target 901 by the magnetic force of the radial electromagnets 900, 900 ..., By this, the radial direction floating support of the rod 8 is achieved, and the radial electromagnets 900, 900. The distance between 901 is always set to be a constant distance.

On the other hand, the rod 8 is supported in the axial direction by the magnetic force from the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall 2, and the axial magnetic support means 10 for supporting the rod 8 in the axial direction in this manner is the partition wall 2. It is provided with a pair of upper and lower outer permanent magnet bodies 100 and 101 arranged on the outer peripheral surface side.

The outer permanent magnet bodies 100 and 101 are provided so as to repel each other with the inner permanent magnet bodies 102 and 103 arranged inside the partition wall 2, and the inner permanent magnet bodies 102 and 103 are magnetic body targets. It is located above and below 901 and is integrally attached to the outer peripheral surface of the rod 8.

The upper outer permanent magnet body 100 is installed slightly above the upper inner permanent magnet body 102, and the lower outer permanent magnet body 101 is installed slightly below the lower inner permanent magnet body 103. .

That is, the axial magnetic support means 10 floats and supports the rod 8 in the radial direction by the repulsive force of the outer permanent magnet bodies 100 and 101 between the axial magnetic support means 10 and the inner permanent magnet bodies 102 and 103, and supports the rod 8 in the axial direction. Load (thrust force)
Is configured to receive.

On the outside of the partition 2, vertical moving means 11 for moving the radial and axial magnetic supporting means 9, 10 up and down along the partition 2 is provided, and the vertical moving means 11 is a moving part main body 110. And moving mechanism 11
1 is comprised.

.. and a pair of upper and lower outer permanent magnet bodies 1 in the moving part main body 110.
00 and 101 are integrally attached, and the moving mechanism 111 is configured to move the moving unit main body 110 up and down along the partition wall 2.

As the moving mechanism 111, for example, a ball screw mechanism or a slide mechanism including an air cylinder and a guide can be adopted.

Next, the operation of the in-vacuum upper and lower transfer device constructed as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

According to this in-vacuum transfer device, the inner permanent magnet bodies 102, 103 and the outer permanent magnet bodies 100, 1
The repulsive force of 01 causes the rod 8 to float and be supported in the axial direction.

Further, when the radial magnetic support means 9 is operated, the rod 8 is supported in the radial direction by the attraction force of the radial electromagnets 900, 900.

After the rod 8 is levitationally supported in the radial direction and the axial direction as described above, the moving mechanism body 111 is actuated to move the moving portion main body 110 up and down, so that the rod 8 follows this movement. Move up and down in the vacuum container 1 and the partition wall 2. By such vertical movement of the rod 8,
The work W placed on the tip of the rod 8 can be transferred in the vertical direction.

Accordingly, in the vacuum vertical transfer device of the above-described embodiment, the rod 8 floated and supported by the magnetic force does not expand and contract in the vacuum container 1 and moves vertically as it is, and the conventional metal bellows is eliminated. It is a thing. For this reason, the rod 8 does not have a bellows portion or a bellows welded portion for expansion and contraction like a metal bellows, and the surface area is smaller than that of the metal bellows. It is possible to prevent gas accumulation, leaks, etc., realize an ultra-high vacuum and ultra-clean atmosphere, and extend the life of the equipment.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the vacuum vertical transfer device shown in FIG. 2 and the above embodiment is that the radial magnetic supporting means 9 and the vertical moving means 11 are one linear. It is composed of the pulse motor 12.

That is, the linear pulse motor 12 is composed of a comb tooth-shaped magnetic target 120 and a linear pulse motor main body 121. The comb tooth-shaped magnetic target 120 is inside the partition wall 2, and the linear pulse motor main body 121 is It is arranged on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall 2.

The comb-shaped magnetic target 120 is the rod 8
The linear pulse motor main body 121 is integrally mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the rear portion, while the linear pulse motor main body 121 is installed at a position facing the comb tooth-shaped magnetic target 120 via the partition wall 2.

When a predetermined pulse signal is output from the motor driving means (not shown) to the linear pulse motor main body 121 side, the rod 8 moves upward or downward, and at the same time, the linear pulse motor main body 121 moves the comb tooth-shaped magnetic body. The target 120 is sucked, so that the rod 8 is supported in the radial direction.

That is, the linear pulse motor 12 serves as both the radial magnetic supporting means 9 and the vertical moving means 11.

In this embodiment, the outer permanent magnet bodies 100, 101 of the axial magnetic support means 10 are fixed in place without vertically moving, but the inner permanent magnet bodies 102, 10 are fixed.
Since 3 moves up and down together with the rod 8, the opposed positions of the outer permanent magnet bodies 100, 101 having a short length as shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the inner permanent magnet bodies 102, 103 are displaced, whereby the axial magnetic support means. The function of 10 (function of radial levitation support) may be lost. For this reason, the outer permanent magnet bodies 100 and 101 in this embodiment need to have a length that can sufficiently cover the range of movement strokes of the inner permanent magnet bodies 102 and 103. Therefore, the outer permanent magnet bodies shown in FIG. Those longer than 100 and 101 are applied.

Next, the operation of the in-vacuum upper and lower delivery device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.

In this vacuum top-and-bottom delivery device, the inner permanent magnet bodies 102 and 103 and the outer permanent magnet bodies 100 and 101 are used.
The rod 8 is levitationally supported in the axial direction by the repulsive force.

When the linear pulse motor 12 is activated, the rod 8 moves up and down. At this time, at the same time, the suction force of the linear pulse motor body 121 supports the rod 8 in the radial direction.

That is, in the vacuum container 1 and the partition wall 2, the rod 8 moves up and down while being axially and radially supported via the inner and outer permanent magnet bodies 101 to 104 and the linear pulse motor 12. By the vertical movement of 8, the work W placed on the tip of the rod 8 can be delivered in the vertical direction.

Therefore, even in the in-vacuum vertical delivery device of this embodiment, the rod 8 floated and supported by magnetic force does not expand and contract in the vacuum container 1 and moves up and down as it is in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Since the conventional metal bellows has been abolished, it is possible to prevent all the harmful effects of metal bellows, that is, the generation of metal powder, large amount of gas, gas accumulation, leaks, etc., and to realize an ultra-high vacuum / ultra-clean atmosphere. The life of the device can be extended.

Particularly, in this embodiment, one linear pulse motor 12 includes a radial magnetic support means 9 and a vertical movement means 11.
Since it also serves as the above two means, it is suitable for downsizing the device.

[0045]

As described above, in the in-vacuum vertical delivery device according to the present invention, the rod floated and supported by the magnetic force does not expand and contract in the vacuum container, but vertically moves as it is. It is an abolition of Rose. For this reason, the rod does not have bellows or bellows welds for expansion and contraction like metal bellows, and the surface area is smaller than that of metal bellows. It is suitable for preventing accumulation and leaks, realizing an ultra-high vacuum / ultra-clean atmosphere, and extending the life of the equipment. Further, since the axial magnetic supporting means is composed of a permanent magnet and is levitationally supported in the axial direction by the magnetic force, there is an effect of preventing a drop during a power failure.

Even in the inventions according to claims 2 and 3, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional vacuum top-bottom delivery device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Partition wall 8 Rod 9 Radial magnetic supporting means 10 Axial magnetic supporting means 11 Vertical moving means 100, 101 Outer permanent magnet body 110 Moving part main body 111 Moving mechanism body 120 Comb tooth-shaped magnetic target 121 Linear pulse motor main body 900 Radial electromagnet 901 Magnetic Body target

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vacuum container is provided outside the vacuum container,
A cylindrical partition wall having one end opened at the bottom opening of the vacuum container and the other end sealed, and a vertically separable insert into the bottom opening, with the tip positioned inside the vacuum container, A rod whose end is located in the partition wall, a radial magnetic support means for levitationally supporting the rod in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall, and a magnetic levitation support for the rod in the axial direction from the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall. And a vertical moving means for vertically moving the radial magnetic supporting means along the partition wall. 2. The radial magnetic supporting means is provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall, and further comprises a radial electromagnet for attracting a magnetic target integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod, and the axial magnetic supporting means comprises the outer peripheral surface of the partition wall. Has an outer permanent magnet body that is installed on the surface side and that repels an inner permanent magnet body that is integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod, and the vertical moving means integrally mounts the radial electromagnet and the outer permanent magnet body. 2. The in-vacuum vertical delivery device according to claim 1, comprising a moving part main body and a moving mechanism for moving the moving part main body up and down along a partition wall. 3. A linear magnetic motor main body provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the partition wall and a comb-shaped toothed body which is integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rod and which opposes the linear pulse motor main body. The vacuum top-bottom delivery device according to claim 1, comprising a magnetic target.