# US 2019/0244791 A1 · Raising-and-lowering mechanism, stage and plasma processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0244791 A1 - Document ID: US20190244791A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/263,114 - Filed: 2019-01-31 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-05 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Jun Young CHUNG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190244791A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow} - H01J 37/32917: {Plasma diagnostics} - H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]} - H10P 50/283: {by chemical means} - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/72: using electrostatic chucks - H10P 72/722: {Details of electrostatic chucks} - H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins} - H01J 2237/3347: bottom of holes or trenches - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A raising-and-lowering mechanism for a processing target is provided. The raising-and-lowering mechanism includes: a pin insertion hole that is provided in a stage in an up-and-down direction, the processing target that is to be processed in a processing chamber being placed on the stage; a lifter pin that is raised and lowered in the up-and-down direction; a lubrication unit that is provided at a predetermined height between the pin insertion hole and the lifter pin and supplies a lubricant to the lifter pin; a drive unit that drives the lifter pin in the up-and-down direction; and a heat-transfer gas supplying unit that includes a heat-transfer gas supplying path that penetrates through to the pin insertion hole at a position higher than the lubrication unit and supplies a heat-transfer gas to the pin insertion hole. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A raising-and-lowering mechanism for a processing target, the raising-and-lowering mechanism comprising: a pin insertion hole that is disposed in a stage, on which the processing target that is to be processed in a processing chamber is placed, the pin insertion hole penetrating through the stage in an up-and-down direction; a lifter pin that is inserted through the pin insertion hole and is raised and lowered in the up-and-down direction; a lubrication unit that is disposed at a predetermined height between the pin insertion hole and the lifter pin, and that supplies a lubricant to the lifter pin; a drive unit that drives the lifter pin in the up-and-down direction; and a heat-transfer gas supplying unit that includes a heat-transfer gas supplying path communicating with the pin insertion hole at a position higher than the lubrication unit, and supplies a heat-transfer gas to the pin insertion hole. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the heat-transfer gas supplying unit causes the heat-transfer gas to flow to the pin insertion hole via the heat-transfer gas supplying path and to be supplied onto an upper surface of the stage. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole at a position that is higher than the lubrication unit and is separated from the lubrication unit by a distance longer than a raising-and-lowering amount of the lifter pin. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the raising-and-lowering amount of the lifter pin is a movement amount of the lifter pin from a lowest position when the processing target is placed on the stage to a highest position when the processing target is lifted most by the lifter pin. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed at a portion of the heat-transfer gas supplying path at which the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: an exhaust pipe that is inserted in the pin insertion hole and is used for exhausting a heat-transfer gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the exhaust pipe is disposed between the portion of the heat-transfer gas supplying path at which the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole, and the lubrication unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The raising-and-lowering mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising: an exhaust pipe that is inserted in the pin insertion hole and is used for exhausting a heat-transfer gas, wherein the exhaust pipe is disposed between the portion of the heat-transfer gas supplying path at which the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole, and the lubrication unit, wherein the heat-transfer gas supplying unit causes the heat-transfer gas to flow to the pin insertion hole via the heat-transfer gas supplying path and to be supplied onto an upper surface of the stage, wherein the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole at a position that is higher than the lubrication unit and is separated from the lubrication unit by a distance longer than a raising-and-lowering amount of the lifter pin, wherein the raising-and-lowering amount of the lifter pin is a movement amount of the lifter pin from a lowest position when the processing target is placed on the stage to a highest position when the processing target is lifted most by the lifter pin, and wherein a groove is formed at a portion of the heat-transfer gas supplying path at which the heat-transfer gas supplying path communicates with the pin insertion hole. ### Claim 9 A stage that includes a raising-and-lowering mechanism, the stage comprising: a pin insertion hole disposed in a stage, on which a processing target that is to be processed in a processing chamber is placed, the pin insertion hole penetrating through the stage in an up-and-down direction; a lifter pin that is inserted through the pin insertion hole and is raised and lowered in the up-and-down direction; a lubrication unit that is disposed at a predetermined height between the pin insertion hole and the lifter pin, and that supplies a lubricant to the lifter pin; a drive unit that drives the lifter pin in the up-and-down direction; and a heat-transfer gas supplying unit that includes a heat-transfer gas supplying path communicating with the pin insertion hole at a position higher than the lubrication unit, and supplies a heat-transfer gas to the pin insertion hole. ### Claim 10 A plasma processing apparatus comprising: a stage, on which a processing target that is to be processed in a processing chamber is placed; and a raising-and-lowering mechanism by which the processing target is raised and lowered, wherein the raising-and-lowering mechanism includes a pin insertion hole that is disposed in the stage and penetrates through the stage in an up-and-down direction, a lifter pin that is inserted through the pin insertion hole and is raised and lowered in the up-and-down direction, a lubrication unit that is disposed at a predetermined height between the pin insertion hole and the lifter pin, and that supplies a lubricant to the lifter pin, a drive unit that drives the lifter pin in the up-and-down direction, and a heat-transfer gas supplying unit that includes a heat-transfer gas supplying path communicating with the pin insertion hole at a position higher than the lubrication unit and supplies a heat-transfer gas to the pin insertion hole.