Method and apparatus for improved substrate handling

• US 20020170672A1
• Filed: 07/11/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alexey Goder, Eugene Gantvarg, Howard E. Grunes, Ilya Perlov
• Original Assignee: Alexey Goder, Eugene Gantvarg, Howard E. Grunes, Ilya Perlov
• Inventors: Gantvarg, Eugene, Perlov, Ilya, Grunes, Howard E., Goder, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US10/193,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20020170672A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.31
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67196 characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67745 characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68792 characterised by the construction of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/135 Associated with semiconductor wafer handling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for substrate handling. In a first aspect, a temperature adjustment plate is located below a substrate carriage and is configured such that a substrate may be transferred between the temperature adjustment plate and the substrate carriage by lifting and lowering the substrate carriage above and below the top surface of the temperature adjustment plate. The temperature adjustment plate may be configured to heat and/or cool a substrate positioned thereon. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A method of transferring a substrate to a vacuum processing chamber comprising:

placing a substrate within a transfer chamber;

adjusting the temperature of the substrate while the substrate is within the transfer chamber; and

transferring the substrate from the transfer chamber to a vacuum processing chamber via a substrate handler positioned within the transfer chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the temperature of the substrate comprises placing the substrate on a temperature adjustment plate.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing at least a first substrate and adjusting the temperature of the first substrate while a second substrate is being processed within the vacuum processing chamber.

4. A method of transferring a substrate to a vacuum processing chamber comprising:

placing a substrate within a transfer chamber;

employing a temperature adjustment plate to adjust the temperature of the substrate while the substrate is within the transfer chamber; and

transferring the substrate from the transfer chamber to a vacuum processing chamber via a substrate handler positioned within the transfer chamber.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein adjusting the temperature of the substrate comprises placing the substrate on the temperature adjustment plate.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising storing at least a first substrate and adjusting the temperature of the first substrate while a second substrate is being processed within the vacuum processing chamber.

7. A vacuum processing tool comprising:

one or more vacuum processing chambers;

a sealable transfer chamber adapted to pump and vent between vacuum and atmospheric pressure;

a substrate handler contained within the sealable transfer chamber; and

a controller, coupled to the sealable transfer chamber, programmed to pump and vent the sealable transfer chamber between vacuum and atmospheric pressure, each time a substrate is loaded into or out of the processing tool.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the substrate handler is magnetically coupled.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the sealable transfer chamber comprises a rotatable substrate storage member that operates in a plane above the substrate handler;

and

wherein the substrate storage member and the substrate handler are adapted such that relative motion therebetween transfers a substrate between the substrate handler and the substrate storage member.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the substrate handler comprises a blade for supporting a substrate;

and

the substrate storage member comprises a plurality of opposed substrate supports which define a passage through which the substrate handler blade may pass.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the substrate storage member and the substrate handler are both supported by a first wall of the sealable transfer chamber such that the substrate storage member and the substrate handler both move if the first wall deflects.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a temperature adjustment plate adapted to support a substrate thereon;

wherein the substrate storage member and the temperature adjustment plate are adapted such that relative motion therebetween transfers a substrate between the substrate storage member and the temperature adjustment plate, and wherein the temperature adjustment plate is supported by the first wall of the sealable transfer chamber.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein transferring the substrate comprises transferring the substrate along a straight line from the load lock/transfer chamber to the processing chamber.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein placing a substrate within the load lock/transfer chamber comprises placing two substrates within the load lock/transfer chamber;

and

further comprising storing one of the two substrates within the load lock/transfer chamber while processing the other within the vacuum processing chamber.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein placing the two substrates within the load lock/transfer chamber comprises placing the two substrates on a rotatable substrate carriage having two horizontally adjacent storage locations;

and

further comprising transferring a substrate to the substrate handler via positioning a storage location above the substrate handler, and changing the elevation of the substrate carriage relative to the substrate handler.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein transferring the substrate into the vacuum processing chamber comprises transferring the substrate along a straight line from the load lock/transfer chamber to the vacuum processing chamber.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the motor is further adapted to lift and lower the external magnet so as to cause the rotatable substrate support to lift and lower.

13. A method comprising:

placing a substrate within a load lock/transfer chamber;

pumping the load lock/transfer chamber to a desired vacuum level;

opening a sealable slit that connects the load lock/transfer chamber to a vacuum processing chamber;

transferring the substrate through the sealable slit into the vacuum processing chamber via a substrate handler contained within the load lock/transfer chamber.

18. A transfer chamber comprising:

a sealable chamber having a main portion and a smaller outwardly extending portion;

a rotatable substrate carriage contained within the sealable chamber, the rotatable substrate support having;

at least one substrate storage location positioned within the main portion of the sealable chamber;

an internal magnet supporting portion that extends from a central region of the rotatable substrate carriage into the outwardly extending portion of the sealable chamber;

at least one internal magnet attached to the internal magnet supporting portion that is contained in the outwardly extending portion of the sealable chamber;

at least one external magnet positioned outside the outwardly extending portion of the sealable chamber and magnetically coupled to the at least one internal magnet; and

a motor coupled to the at least one external magnet and adapted to rotate the external magnet about the outwardly extending portion of the sealable chamber so as to cause the rotatable substrate support to rotate.