Multi-Chamber Substrate Processing System

• US 20130196078A1
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Yudovsky, Joseph, Patibandla, Nag B., Narwankar, Pravin K., Xia, Li-Qun, Fujita, Toshiaki, Hofmann, Ralf, Oh, Jeonghoon, Satya, Srinivas, Wu, Banqiu
• Application Number:
  US13/754,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196078A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/535
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J

Abstract

A substrate processing system for processing multiple substrates is provided and generally includes at least one substrate processing platform and at least one substrate staging platform. The substrate processing platform includes a rotary track system capable of supporting multiple substrate support assemblies and continuously rotating the substrate support assemblies, each carrying a substrate thereon. Each substrate is positioned on a substrates support assembly disposed on the rotary track system and being processed through at least one shower head station and at least one buffer station, which are positioned atop the rotary track system of the substrate processing platform. Multiple substrates disposed on the substrate support assemblies are processed in and out the substrate processing platform. The substrate staging platform includes at least one dual-substrate processing station, each dual-substrate processing station includes two substrate support assemblies for supporting two substrates thereon.

Claims

1. A substrate processing platform for processing a plurality of substrates, the substrate processing platform comprising:

one or more gas distribution assemblies;

a rotary track mechanism, positioned at a first distance below the one or more gas distribution assemblies to receive the plurality of substrates supported by a plurality of substrate support carriers disposed thereon; and

a dual-blade transfer robot capable of carrying two substrates and concurrently transferring the two substrates onto and out of two substrate carriers disposed on the rotary track mechanism,

wherein the rotary track mechanism is capable of concurrently receiving at least two substrates and to rotate at a first rotating speed such that the plurality of substrates disposed on the plurality of substrate carriers are rotated under and passed through the one or more gas distribution assemblies.

2. The substrate processing platform of claim 1, wherein each substrate carrier disposed on the rotary track mechanism self-rotates at a second rotating speed.

3. The substrate processing platform of claim 1, further comprising one or more buffer stations rotationally disposed between the one or more gas distribution assemblies.

4. The substrate processing platform of claim 1, further comprising one or more treatment stations rotationally disposed between the one or more gas distribution assemblies.

5. The substrate processing platform of claim 4, wherein the one or more treatment stations comprise plasma processing stations.

6. The substrate processing platform of claim 1, wherein there are two or more gas distribution assemblies rotationally disposed adjacent the rotary track mechanism.

7. The substrate processing platform of claim 6, further comprising a set of first treatment stations and a set of second treatment stations, so that a first treatment station and a second treatment station are rotationally positioned adjacent the rotary track mechanism between each of the gas distribution assemblies.

8. A substrate processing system for processing a plurality of substrates, the substrate processing system comprising:

the processing platform of claim 1; and

a transfer chamber having a dual-blade transfer robot capable of carrying two substrates and concurrently transferring the two substrates onto and out of two substrate carriers disposed on the rotary track mechanism.

9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein each substrate carriers disposed on the rotary track mechanism is capable of self-rotating at a second rotating speed.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the processing platform further comprises one or more buffer stations rotationally disposed between the one or more gas distribution assemblies.

11. The substrate processing system of claim 8, further comprising one or more treatment stations rotationally disposed between the one or more gas distribution assemblies.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the one or more treatment stations comprise plasma processing stations.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the processing platform comprises two or more gas distribution assemblies rotationally disposed adjacent the rotary track mechanism.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 13, further comprising a set of first treatment stations and a set of second treatment stations, so that a first treatment station and a second treatment station are rotationally positioned adjacent the rotary track mechanism between each of the gas distribution assemblies.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 8, further comprising a staging platform having at least one dual-substrate processing station configured for concurrently processing two substrates therein.

16. A method of processing a plurality of substrates, the method comprising:

loading a plurality of substrates onto a rotary track mechanism in a processing chamber comprising a plurality of gas distribution assemblies so that the substrates are rotationally disposed about the interior of the processing chamber adjacent a rotary track mechanism and positioned in substantially equivalent starting positions;

rotating the rotary track mechanism so that each substrate moves from a first side of a gas distribution assembly to a second side of the gas distribution assembly so that layer is deposited on a surface of the substrate by a plurality of gas streams provided by the gas distribution assembly;

continuing to rotate the rotary track mechanism so that each substrate moves from the first side of a gas distribution assembly to the second side of the gas distribution assembly until a film of desired thickness is formed; and

unloading the plurality of substrates from the processing chamber so that each substrate has experienced substantially the same processing environment.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising stopping the rotary track mechanism after each substrate has passed to the second side of the gas distribution assembly so that each substrate is positioned adjacent a plasma treatment station and plasma treating the film formed on the surface of the substrate.

18. A method for batch processing a plurality of substrates, the method comprising:

loading two of the plurality of substrates onto a rotary track mechanism of a batch processing platform;

continuously rotating the rotary track mechanism such that the plurality of the substrates are moved under and passed through one or more gas distribution assemblies positioned at a first distance above the rotary track mechanism; and

unloading the two substrates from the rotary track mechanism of the batch processing platform.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of substrate are disposed on two substrate carriers disposed on the rotary track mechanism.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein two of the plurality of substrates are loaded using a dual-blade transfer robot that can carry and concurrently transfer the two substrates onto and out of the rotary track mechanism.