Method of thermal treatment of a wafer in an evacuated environment
First Claim
1. The method of treating a wafer-like article in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of positioning the article over a heat-exchanging structure at a station within the vacuum chamber, pushing the article against said structure and maintaining a gas under pressure which is substantially less than atmospheric pressure between the article and said structure to facilitate the conduction of heat between the article and said structure by said gas, said gas being inhibited from flowing from between said structure and article while said article is being pressed against said structure and said heat conduction by said gas is being facilitated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Semiconductor wafers are coated with metallic film by supporting the wafers individually adjacent a ring-shaped sputtering source. A vacuum chamber sputter coating apparatus has a number of work stations therein, at least one of which includes the ring-shaped sputtering source. Also included is a load lock; and an intermittently rotating vertical plate-like wafer carrier therewithin positioned closely adjacent the chamber entrance, and carrying wafers in turn from the load lock to the work stations. The carrier includes apertures each accepting a wafer therewithin in an upright position, with the wafers edgewise resiliently supported by clips. A chamber door is provided with a vacuum chuck to grasp a wafer presented vertically by a blade-like elevator which cooperates with a cassette and conveyor moving the cassette along a horizontal path below the chamber entrance. Closure of the door inserts the wafer into the clips within the carrier and chamber, and the reverse operation extracts a wafer previously coated at a sputtering work station. Both surfaces of the wafer can be accessed by processing equipment, for example, for wafer heating or cooling at some of the work stations. Thermal transfer for wafer heating or cooling is accomplished by introducing a gas at a pressure of approximately 100 to 1000 microns in a region between the wafer and a heating element or heat sink. The gas conducts thermal energy between the wafer and the heating element or heat sink.
134 Citations
19 Claims
- 1. The method of treating a wafer-like article in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of positioning the article over a heat-exchanging structure at a station within the vacuum chamber, pushing the article against said structure and maintaining a gas under pressure which is substantially less than atmospheric pressure between the article and said structure to facilitate the conduction of heat between the article and said structure by said gas, said gas being inhibited from flowing from between said structure and article while said article is being pressed against said structure and said heat conduction by said gas is being facilitated.
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12. The method of treating a flat article in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of:
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maintaining a vacuum chamber pressure within said vacuum chamber at a level substantially less than atmospheric pressure; providing, at a work station communicating with said vacuum chamber, a heat-exchanging structure having a heat-exchanging-surface; positioning the article adjacent said heat-exchanging structure so that a peripheral portion of a surface of said article contacts said heat-exchanging surface; maintaining gas pressure between said article and heat-exchanging surface by means of an orifice opening therebetween and communicating with a source of pressurized gas while applying pressure to hold at least said peripheral portion of the article against said heat-exchanging structure to contain said gas sufficiently between said article and heat-exchanging surface so that said gas pressure is significantly above said vacuum chamber pressure, yet substantially less than atmospheric pressure, whereby conduction of heat between said article and said heat-exchanging surface by said gas can be more efficient than with gas at said vacuum chamber pressure; and releasing said pressure after the heat transfer treatment has been completed, whereby gas remaining between said article and heat-exchanging surface is admitted into said vacuum chamber. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification