METHODS FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATES IN PROCESS SYSTEMS HAVING SHARED RESOURCES

• US 20110266256A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Evans, Hardy, Charles, Schwarz, Benjamin, Sui, Zhifeng, Xu, Ming, Collins, Kenneth S., Nguyen, Andrew, Cruse, James P., Cantwell, Dermot
• Granted Patent: US 8,721,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/59
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32899 Multiple chambers, e.g. cluster tools
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers

Abstract

Methods for processing substrates in twin chamber processing systems having first and second process chambers and shared processing resources are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method may include providing a substrate to the first process chamber of the twin chamber processing system, wherein the first process chamber has a first processing volume that is independent from a second processing volume of the second process chamber; providing one or more processing resources from the shared processing resources to only the first processing volume of the first process chamber; and performing a process on the substrate in the first process chamber.

Claims

1. A method of processing substrates in a twin chamber processing system having a first process chamber, a second process chamber, and shared processing resources, comprising:

providing a substrate to the first process chamber of the twin chamber processing system, wherein the first process chamber has a first processing volume that is independent from a second processing volume of the second process chamber;

providing one or more processing resources from the shared processing resources to only the first processing volume of the first process chamber; and

performing a process on the substrate in the first process chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared processing resources comprise at least one of a shared gas panel or a shared vacuum pump.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more processing resources comprises providing a process gas from a shared gas panel, wherein the process gas bypasses the second process chamber.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the process gas bypassing the second process chamber is diverted to a foreline of the first process chamber.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a service operation on the one of the first process chamber or the second process chamber the substrate has not been provided to.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing a service operation comprises:

performing at least one of a maintenance, cleaning, testing or monitoring process.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

simultaneously performing the process on the substrate in the first process chamber and the service operation on the second process chamber.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pausing the process being performed on the substrate to enable the second process chamber to use at least one of the one or more shared resources.

9. A method of processing substrates in a twin chamber processing system having a first process chamber, a second process chamber, and shared processing resources, wherein the shared processing resources comprise at least one of a shared gas panel or a shared vacuum pump, the method comprising:

providing a substrate to the first process chamber of the twin chamber processing system, wherein the first process chamber has a first processing volume that is independent from a second processing volume of the second process chamber;

providing a process gas from a shared gas panel to only the first processing volume of the first process chamber, wherein the process gas bypasses the second process chamber and is diverted to a foreline of the first process chamber; and

performing a process on the substrate in the first process chamber.

10. A computer readable medium, having instructions stored thereon which, when executed, causes a twin chamber processing system having a first process chamber, a second process chamber, and shared processing resources to perform a method, comprising:

providing a substrate to the first process chamber of the twin chamber processing system, wherein the first process chamber has a first processing volume that is independent from a second processing volume of the second process chamber;

providing one or more processing resources from the shared processing resources to only the first processing volume of the first process chamber; and

performing a process on the substrate in the first process chamber.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein providing one or more processing resources comprises providing a process gas from a shared gas panel, wherein the process gas bypasses the second process chamber.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the process gas bypassing the second process chamber is diverted to a foreline of the first process chamber.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

performing a service operation on the second process chamber.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein performing a service operation comprises:

performing at least one of a maintenance, cleaning, testing, or monitoring process.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

simultaneously performing the process on the substrate in the first process chamber and the service operation on the second process chamber.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:

pausing the processing being performed on the substrate to enable the second process chamber to use at least one of the one or more shared resources.