Apparatus and methods for wafer rotation in carousel susceptor

• US 10,262,888 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Gangakhedkar, Kaushal, Yudovsky, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, Parviz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nuckols, Tiffany Z
• Application Number:
  US15/474,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 118730, 15634555
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• 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

Apparatus and method for processing a plurality of substrates in a batch processing chamber are described. The apparatus comprises a susceptor assembly, a lift assembly and a rotation assembly. The susceptor assembly has a top surface and a bottom surface with a plurality of recesses in the top surface. Each of the recesses has a lift pocket in the recess bottom. The lift assembly including a lift plate having a top surface to contact the substrate. The lift plate is connected to a lift shaft that extends through the susceptor assembly and connects to a lift friction pad. The rotation assembly has a rotation friction pad that contacts the lift friction pad. The rotation friction pad is connected to a rotation shaft and can be vertically aligned with the lift friction pad.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a susceptor assembly having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness, the susceptor assembly including a plurality of recesses in the top surface, each of the recesses having a recess bottom spaced a distance from the top surface of the susceptor assembly, each of the recesses having a lift pocket with a lift pocket bottom surface spaced a distance from the recess bottom defining a depth of the lift pocket;

a lift assembly including a lift plate having a top surface and bottom surface defining a thickness, a lift shaft extending from the lift plate opposite the top surface and a lift friction pad with a bottom surface at an end of the lift shaft, the lift plate positioned within the lift pocket and the lift shaft positioned within an opening in the susceptor assembly and extending a distance from the bottom of the susceptor assembly; and

a rotation assembly comprising a rotation friction pad with a top surface and a rotation shaft extending from the rotation friction pad, the top surface of the rotation friction pad in vertical alignment with the bottom surface of the lift friction pad, the rotation assembly having a pulley connected to the rotation shaft,

wherein when the lift assembly is in a lowest position, the lift plate is resting against the lift pocket bottom surface and the lift friction pad is not in contact with and is spaced a distance from the rotation friction pad.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the lift plate is within ±

2 mm of the depth of the lift pocket.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lift plate has an outer peripheral edge with a maximum width in the range of about 30 mm to about 70 mm.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lift pocket is substantially centered in the recess.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lift friction pad comprises an opening extending through a thickness of the lift friction pad, the opening having a flared lower portion sized to cooperatively interact with a complementary flared lower portion of the lift shaft.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lift shaft has a length sufficient to pass through the susceptor and extend the lift plate above the bottom surface of the recess by a distance greater than or equal to about 1 mm.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lift friction pad has a maximum width in the range of about 20 mm to about 50 mm.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each recess has a lift assembly.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation friction pad has a maximum width in the range of about 20 mm to about 50 mm.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation assembly further comprises a flange having an opening sized to allow the rotation shaft to pass through and a bottom surface with a plurality of bolt holes therethrough to allow the flange to be bolted to a surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation shaft has a length sufficient to pass through a bottom of a processing chamber and allow sufficient vertical movement to contact the lift friction pad and move the lift friction pad vertically.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the rotation shaft has a sufficient length to allow a stroke in the range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a rotation motor having a belt connected to the pulley of the rotation assembly.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein there are six rotation assemblies, with each rotation shaft having a pulley connected thereto.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each rotation assembly has a separate rotation motor with a belt connected thereto so that each rotation assembly can be rotated independently of any other rotation assembly.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein there is one rotation motor with a belt sized to contact the pulley on each of the rotation assemblies so that all of the rotation assemblies are rotated at the same time.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation assembly further comprises a direct drive rotation motor in contact with and configured to rotate the rotation shaft and a z-axis motor configured to move the rotation assembly vertically.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber including a bottom, top and sidewall defining a processing region within;

a susceptor assembly inside the processing chamber, the susceptor assembly having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness, the susceptor assembly including a plurality of recesses in the top surface, each of the recesses having a recess bottom spaced a distance from the top surface of the susceptor assembly, each of the recesses having a lift pocket substantially centered within the recess, each lift pocket having a lift pocket bottom surface spaced a distance from the recess bottom defining a depth of the lift pocket;

a lift assembly positioned within each of the plurality of recesses, the lift assemblies including a lift plate having a top surface and bottom surface defining a thickness within ±

2 mm of the depth of the lift pocket, a lift shaft extending from the bottom surface of the lift plate, the lift shaft having a length sufficient to pass through the susceptor assembly and extend the lift plate above the recess bottom by a distance greater than or equal to about 1 mm, the lift assembly including a lift friction pad with a bottom surface at an end of the lift shaft, the lift plate positioned within the lift pocket and the lift shaft positioned within an opening in the susceptor assembly and extending a distance from the bottom of the susceptor assembly;

a plurality of rotation assemblies, each rotation assembly comprising a rotation friction pad with a top surface and a rotation shaft extending from the rotation friction pad, the top surface of the rotation friction pad in vertical alignment with the bottom surface of the lift friction pad,

a flange with an opening sized to allow the rotation shaft to pass through and a bottom surface with a plurality of bolt holes therethrough, the flange positioned adjacent to and connected to the bottom of the processing chamber outside of the processing region;

a pulley connected to the rotation shaft of each of the rotation assemblies; and

a rotation motor having a belt sized to contact the pulley on each of the rotation assemblies so that all of the rotation assemblies are rotated at the same time,

wherein when the lift assembly is in a lowest position, the lift plate is resting against the lift pocket bottom surface and the lift friction pad is not in contact with and is spaced a distance from the rotation friction pad.