Multi-single wafer processing apparatus

• US 20060137609A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aixtron Inc. (Aixtron AG)
• Original Assignee: Aixtron Inc. (Aixtron AG)
• Inventors: Reyes, Manolito Q., Puchacz, Jerzy P., Ramanathan, Sasangan, Seidel, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US11/224,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20060137609A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers

Abstract

A wafer processing apparatus includes one or more processing modules, each having multiple, distinct, single-wafer processing reactors configured for semi-independent ALD and/or CVD film deposition therein; a robotic central wafer handler configured to provide wafers to and accept wafers from each of said wafer processing modules; and a single-wafer loading and unloading mechanism that includes a loading and unloading port and a mini-environment coupling the loading and unloading port to the robotic central wafer handler. The wafer processing reactors may be arranged (i) along axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, or (ii) in quadrants defined by said axes, one axis being parallel to a wafer input plane of the at least one of the process modules to which the single-wafer processing reactors belong. Each processing module can include up to four single-wafer processing reactors, each with an independent gas distribution module.

Claims

1. A wafer processing apparatus, comprising:

one or more processing modules, each processing module having (i) multiple, distinct, single-wafer processing reactors configured for semi-independent ALD and/or CVD film deposition therein, and (ii) a wafer pick and place indexer mechanism configured to provide wafers to/retrieve wafers from each single wafer processing reactor of each respective processing module; and

a robotic central wafer handler configured to provide wafers to and accept wafers from each of said processing modules.

2. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single-wafer processing reactors of at least one of the processing modules are arranged for wafer processing along axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the at least one of the process modules to which the single-wafer processing reactors belong.

3. The wafer processing system of claim 1, wherein the single-wafer processing reactors of at least one of the processing modules are arranged for wafer processing in quadrants defined by axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the at least one of the process modules to which the single-wafer processing reactors belong.

4. The wafer processing system of either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the at least one of the processing modules includes four single-wafer processing reactors.

5. The wafer processing apparatus of either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each of the single-wafer processing reactors of the at least one of the processing modules includes an independent gas distribution module.

6. The wafer processing apparatus of either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein each of the single-wafer processing reactors of the at least one of the processing modules share a common gas exhaust system.

7. The wafer processing apparatus of either claim 2 or claim 3, further comprising a chemical source sub module stacked atop a processing chamber containing the single-wafer processing reactors, and an electrical controller sub module stacked atop the chemical source sub module.

8. The wafer processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the electrical controller sub module and the chemical source sub module are vertically displaceable from each other and from the processing chamber along one or more guide posts.

9. A wafer process module, comprising up to four semi-independent process zones arranged in quadrants of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the process module, said process zones being configured for wafer processing such that reactant leakage deposition rate from a subject one of the process zones to adjacent process zones thereof is less than 5×

10<sup>−

2</sup> times a reactant deposition rate in the subject process zone.

10. The wafer process module of claim 9, wherein the process zones are equally accessible by a wafer indexer configured to load/unload wafers to/from the semi-independent process zones.

11. The wafer process module of claim 9, wherein each of the semi-independent process zones includes an independent gas distribution module.

12. The wafer process module of claim 9, wherein the semi-independent process zones share a common gas exhaust system.

13. The wafer process module of claim 12, wherein the common gas exhaust system is arranged so as to provide azimuthally-symmetric exhaust from each of the semi-independent process zones.

14. A wafer process module, comprising up to four semi-independent process zones arranged along axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the process module, said process zones being configured for wafer processing such that reactant leakage deposition rate from a subject one of the process zones to adjacent process zones is less than 5×

10<sup>−

2</sup> times a reactant deposition rate in the subject process zone.

15. The wafer process module of claim 14, wherein the process zones are equally accessible by a wafer indexer configured to load/unload wafers to/from the semi-independent process zones.

16. The wafer process module of claim 14, wherein each of the semi-independent process zones includes an independent gas distribution module.

17. The wafer process module of claim 14, wherein the semi-independent process zones share a common gas exhaust system.

18. The wafer process module of claim 17, wherein the common gas exhaust system is arranged so as to provide azimuthally-symmetric exhaust from each of the semi-independent process zones.

19. A wafer process module, comprising a stack of electrical controls and gas source modules with said gas source modules being coupled to a reactor lid, the stack being capable of vertical motion and guided separation from a reactor chamber thereunder, thereby providing for removal of the lid, the electrical controls and the gas source modules collectively, or individually.

20. A method for wafer handling, comprising moving single wafers into/out of multi-single wafer reaction chamber zones using individual wafer end effectors of a multi-wafer indexer mechanism of a process module housing each of said multi-single wafer reaction chamber zones to

(i) sequentially accept wafers from/provide wafers to a central vacuum robotic wafer handler, and

(ii) to place on/pick up said wafers substantially simultaneously on/from reactor susceptors within each reaction chamber zone.

21. A wafer processing apparatus, comprising:

one or more processing modules, each processing module having (i) multiple, distinct, single-wafer processing reactors configured for semi-independent ALD and/or CVD film deposition therein, and (ii) a wafer pick and place indexer mechanism configured to provide wafers to/retrieve wafers from each single wafer processing reactor of each respective processing module;

a robotic central wafer handler configured to provide wafers to and accept wafers from each of said processing modules; and

one or more vertically stacked sets of electrical and chemical sub-modules, each such set corresponding to one of the processing modules, the electrical and chemical sub-modules of each set being vertically displaceable from each other and from a process chamber of a respective one of the process modules along guide posts, each such process chamber housing the multiple, distinct, single-wafer processing reactors of the respective one of the processing modules.