Spin chuck with rotating gas showerhead
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles, comprising:
- a closed process chamber;
a spin chuck for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation, said spin chuck including a plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins arranged in a circular series and disposed within the closed process chamber,a rotating shower head included within an upper dispense unit for supplying process gas to a first surface of a wafer-shaped article when held by said plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins, said rotating shower head comprising an outlet plate having a plurality of openings formed in each of a central and a peripheral region thereof,a process gas feed for supplying process gas to a gas distribution chamber defined within the closed process chamber, said gas distribution chamber being in fluid communication with said plurality of openings formed in said rotating shower head, anda blocking gas feed for supplying blocking gas to a gap defined between an inner surface of said closed process chamber and an outer periphery of said spin chuck to confine process gas within said gas distribution chamber,wherein each of said plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins is configured to retain said wafer-shaped article such that a second surface of said wafer-shaped article is oriented with respect to a lower dispense unit.
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Abstract
An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a spin chuck for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation, and a rotating shower head for supplying process gas to a surface of a wafer-shaped article when held by the spin chuck. The rotating shower head comprises an outlet plate having plural openings formed in each of a central and a peripheral region thereof. A process gas feed is provided so as to supply process gas to a gas distribution chamber. The gas distribution chamber is in fluid communication with a plurality of openings formed in the shower head.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles, comprising:
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a closed process chamber; a spin chuck for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation, said spin chuck including a plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins arranged in a circular series and disposed within the closed process chamber, a rotating shower head included within an upper dispense unit for supplying process gas to a first surface of a wafer-shaped article when held by said plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins, said rotating shower head comprising an outlet plate having a plurality of openings formed in each of a central and a peripheral region thereof, a process gas feed for supplying process gas to a gas distribution chamber defined within the closed process chamber, said gas distribution chamber being in fluid communication with said plurality of openings formed in said rotating shower head, and a blocking gas feed for supplying blocking gas to a gap defined between an inner surface of said closed process chamber and an outer periphery of said spin chuck to confine process gas within said gas distribution chamber, wherein each of said plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins is configured to retain said wafer-shaped article such that a second surface of said wafer-shaped article is oriented with respect to a lower dispense unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles, comprising:
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a closed process chamber, a spin chuck disposed within the closed process chamber, the spin chuck for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation, said spin chuck including a plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins arranged in a circular series, a rotating shower head disposed within the closed process chamber for supplying process gas to a first surface of a wafer-shaped article when held by said plurality of downwardly-depending gripping pins, said rotating shower head comprising a domed outlet plate defining a plurality of openings in each of a central region and a peripheral region thereof such that said central region is positioned farther from said first surface than said peripheral region, and a process gas feed for supplying process gas to a gas distribution chamber defined within said closed process chamber, said gas distribution chamber being in fluid communication with said plurality of openings, wherein said spin chuck is a magnetic rotor, said apparatus further comprising a magnetic stator surrounding said magnetic rotor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification