ACCURATE CONVEYANCE SYSTEM USEFUL FOR SCREEN PRINTING
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
- a material conveyor assembly comprising;
a platen having a substrate supporting surface;
a first material positioning mechanism that is adapted to provide a supporting material to the substrate supporting surface;
the supporting material having a first surface on which a plurality of features are formed; and
a second material positioning mechanism that is adapted to receive the supporting material transferred across at least a portion of the substrate supporting surface from the first material positioning mechanism;
one or more sensor assemblies disposed over the first surface, wherein the one or more sensor assemblies are positioned to sense the change in position of the plurality of features formed on the first surface; and
a controller adapted to receive a signal from the one or more sensor assemblies and control the position of the supporting material on the substrate supporting surface using an actuator coupled to the first material positioning mechanism or the second material positioning mechanism.
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Abstract
The present invention(s) provide an apparatus and method for processing substrates in a screen printing chamber that can deliver a repeatable and accurate screen printed pattern on one or more processed substrates. In one embodiment, the screen printing chamber is adapted to perform a screen printing process within a portion of a crystalline silicon solar cell production line in which a substrate is patterned with a desired material. In one embodiment, the screen printing chamber is a processing chamber positioned within the Rotary line tool or Softline™ tool available from Baccini S.p.A., which is owned by Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
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a material conveyor assembly comprising; a platen having a substrate supporting surface; a first material positioning mechanism that is adapted to provide a supporting material to the substrate supporting surface; the supporting material having a first surface on which a plurality of features are formed; and a second material positioning mechanism that is adapted to receive the supporting material transferred across at least a portion of the substrate supporting surface from the first material positioning mechanism; one or more sensor assemblies disposed over the first surface, wherein the one or more sensor assemblies are positioned to sense the change in position of the plurality of features formed on the first surface; and a controller adapted to receive a signal from the one or more sensor assemblies and control the position of the supporting material on the substrate supporting surface using an actuator coupled to the first material positioning mechanism or the second material positioning mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12)
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8. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
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receiving a substrate on a first surface of a support material, wherein the first surface has plurality of features formed thereon; moving the support material across a surface of a substrate support; sensing the movement of the plurality of features past a sensor assembly; and controlling the position of the substrate on the surface of the substrate support based at least partially on the data received from the sensed movement of the plurality of features. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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13. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
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receiving a substrate on a first surface of a support material, wherein the first surface has plurality of features formed thereon; moving the support material across a surface of a substrate support using an actuator coupled to the supporting material; emitting electromagnetic radiation from a source onto the first surface of the support material, wherein the emitted radiation striking the first surface interacts with the plurality of features formed thereon; receiving an intensity of the electromagnetic radiation after the at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation has interacted with the plurality of features; and monitoring the intensity of the received electromagnetic radiation to determine the position of the substrate on the surface of the substrate support. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A support material used to support a substrate during processing, comprising:
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a material having a first surface, and a first end and a second end; a plurality of features formed on a region of the first surface which extends in a direction between the first end and second end, wherein the material a sufficient thickness in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first surface to allow a air to pass through the thickness when a vacuum is applied to a side opposite to the first side of the material. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification