IN/OUT DOOR FOR A VACUUM CHAMBER

• US 20100098518A1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Cerezo, Jonathan, Handjojo, Daniel I., Nguyen, Lawrence T., Tzeng, George, Nguyen, Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US12/254,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20100098518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber

Abstract

A load lock chamber sized for a large area substrate is provided. The load lock chamber includes a housing comprising a door and a body having at least two sealable ports, a movable door associated with at least one of the sealable ports, and a door actuation assembly coupled between the door and the housing. The door actuation assembly further includes a pair of first actuators coupled to the door for moving the door in a first direction, and a pair of second actuators for moving the door in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

Claims

1. A vacuum chamber sized for a large area substrate, comprising:

a housing comprising a body having at least one sealable port;

a movable door coupled with the sealable port; and

a door actuation assembly coupling the door and the housing, the door actuation assembly comprising;

first actuators coupled to the door for moving the door in a first direction; and

second actuators for moving the door in a second direction, the second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first actuators comprise a pair of actuators disposed at positions corresponding to opposing ends of the door.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism further comprises a pair of linear guides coupled between opposing ends of the door and the housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second actuators comprise a pair of actuators that are coupled to the linear guides and movable with the door.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each of the linear guides comprises at least one sensor coupled to a controller.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the controller is further coupled to the each of the first actuators so as to provide a synchronous movement between the first actuators.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the sensor is adapted to provide a positional metric of the door.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first actuators are coupled to the door by a first pivoting link.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first actuators are coupled to a frame of the housing by a second pivoting link.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and the second actuators are selected from the group consisting of an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromechanically-operated cylinder, and a mechanically-operated cylinder.

11. A vacuum chamber sized for a large area substrate, comprising:

a housing comprising a body having at least one sealable port;

a movable door coupled with the sealable port; and

a door actuation assembly coupling the door and the housing, the door actuation assembly comprising;

a pair of first actuators coupled to the door for moving the door in a first direction;

a pair of linear guides coupled between opposing ends of the door and the housing; and

a pair of second actuators coupled to the linear guides and movable with the door, for moving the door in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first actuators are disposed at positions corresponding to opposing ends of the door.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the linear guides comprises at least one sensor coupled to a controller.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the controller is further coupled to the each of the first actuators so as to provide a synchronous movement between the first actuators.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the sensor is adapted to provide a positional metric of the door.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the first actuators are coupled to the door by a first pivoting link.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the first actuators are coupled to a frame of the housing by a second pivoting link.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first and the second actuators are selected from the group consisting of an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromechanically-operated cylinder, and a mechanically-operated cylinder.

19. A method for selectively opening and closing a sealable port in a vacuum chamber for processing a large area substrate, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises a housing, a door associated with the sealable port, the door movably coupled to a linear guide on opposing ends thereof, and a moving mechanism having a pair of first actuators and a pair of second actuators, the method comprising:

synchronously driving the first actuators coupled to the door;

detecting a position of the door;

returning a positional metric corresponding to the position of the door; and

adjusting a moving speed of the first actuators based on the positional metric to ensure a longitudinal dimension of the door remains substantially orthogonal to a travel path of at least one of the linear guides coupled to the door.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first actuators are disposed at positions corresponding to opposing ends of the door and inward of the linear guides.