Single substrate vacuum processing apparatus having improved exhaust system
First Claim
1. A vacuum processing chamber comprisinga) a lid portion having a gas dispersion plate and a vacuum exhaust system therein;
- b) a chamber body comprising a support for a substrate to be processed; and
c) a processing region formed between said gas dispersion plate and said support when said lid portion is closed against said chamber body.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a single substrate vacuum processing chamber for processing large glass substrates, a novel vacuum exhaust system is built into the lid of the chamber. A plenum chamber which is connected to a continuous vacuum pump is mounted around a gas dispersion plate, also built into the lid, and has continuous access to the reaction region of the chamber by means of a restricted access passage. The plenum chamber is large with respect to the access passage which provides uniform and continuous evacuation of process gases and particulates from the full periphery of the processing region. This design minimizes the deposition of particulates onto the large area substrate and onto the port by which the substrate enters and leaves the chamber and, by the same design, creates a chamber which has a small volume in relation to the size of the substrate is can process. The close proximity of the plenum chamber and the access passage to the plasma region facilitates the use of a periodic dry etch-clean plasma to help keep these exhaust regions clean between periodic manual cleanings. A further advantage of this design is that when the chamber is to be manually cleaned periodically, the lid is easily swung open, giving ready access to the plenum chamber in which particulates have accumulated, and without disturbing gas delivery and exhaust lines which are all built into the lid.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A vacuum processing chamber comprising
a) a lid portion having a gas dispersion plate and a vacuum exhaust system therein; -
b) a chamber body comprising a support for a substrate to be processed; and c) a processing region formed between said gas dispersion plate and said support when said lid portion is closed against said chamber body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method of processing a substrate in a vacuum chamber comprising
a) closing a lid having a source of processing gas therein against a chamber body including a substrate support and a substrate mounted thereon opposite said source to form a processing region; -
b) passing said processing gas into said processing region, c) at least partially reacting said gas and said substrate to form a processing residue; and d) exhausting said processing residue upward into said lid. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A processing chamber comprising
a) a chamber body accommodating a substrate therein and having a wall with an aperture therethrough; - and
b) a lid removably and sealingly closing said aperture and including a pathway at a central part of said lid for the injection of processing gas into said chamber body and at least one exhaust channel substantially surrounding a periphery of said lid for exhausting said processing gas from said chamber body. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
- and
Specification