Apparatus and method for high throughput sputtering

• US 5,814,196 A
• Filed: 04/08/1993
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Conner Peripherals Incorporated (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zubeck, Robert B., Smith, Robert M., Hollars, Dennis R., Payne, Gary L., Bonigut, Josef, Waltrip, Delbert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM X
• Application Number:
  US08/046,215
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/298.15, 204/298.25, 204/298.26, 204/298.09, 118/728, 118/729, 118/500, 118/505
• US Class Current: 204/298.15
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/02 Pretreatment of the material to be coated C23C14/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/028 Physical treatment to alter the texture of the substrate surface, e.g. grinding, polishing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/35 by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering C23C14/3457 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/352 using more than one target C23C14/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/50 Substrate holders
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/54 Controlling or regulating the coating process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/541 Heating or cooling of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/052 Linking several PLC's
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31225 System structure, plc's and pc's communicate over lan
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31237 Host and rs232, rs485 to network controller and rs232 to controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32413 Pc generates control strategy, download in plc to monitor and react to events
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34029 Pam programmable axis controller, to control large number of axis
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34279 Pc, personal computer as controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34287 Plc and motion controller combined
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34304 Pc as input, edit device for plc
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50363 Load unload with two robots, one to load, other to unload
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/851 Coating a support with a magnetic layer by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32733 : Means for moving the material to be treated
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3405 : Magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 : Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 : in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67207 : comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67213 : comprising at least one ion or electron beam chamber coating by ion implantation C23C; ion or electron beam tubes H01J37/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67236 : the substrates being processed being not semiconductor wafers, e.g. leadframes or chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 : Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 : Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 : Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67712 : the substrate being handled substantially vertically
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67721 : the substrates to be conveyed not being semiconductor wafers or large planar substrates, e.g. chips, lead frames H01L21/6773 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6776 : Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 : Minimising material used in manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An apparatus in accordance with the present invention provides a single or multi-layer coating to the surface of a plurality of substrates. The apparatus may include a plurality of buffer and sputtering chambers, and an input end and an output end, wherein said substrates are transported through said chambers of said apparatus at varying rates of speed such that the rate of speed of a pallet from said input end to said output end is a constant for each of said plurality of pallets. A high throughput sputtering apparatus having a plurality of integrally matched components in accordance with the present invention may further include means for transporting a plurality of substrates through said sputtering chambers at variable velocities; means for reducing the ambient pressure within said sputtering chambers to a vacuum level within a pressure range sufficient to enable sputtering operation; means for heating said plurality of substrates to a temperature conducive to sputtering said coatings thereon, said means for heating providing a substantially uniform temperature profile over the surface of said substrates; and control means for providing control signals to and for receiving feedback input from, said sputtering chambers, means for transporting, means for reducing, and means for heating, said control means being programmable for allowing control over said means for sputtering, means for transporting, means for reducing and means for heating.

Claims

1. A sputtering apparatus for providing a single or multi-layer coating to the surface of a plurality of substrates, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of chambers;

an input end and an output end; and

a plurality of pallets for carrying substrates of said plurality of substrates from said input end to said output end, said pallet including;

a plurality of notches extending inward from edges of the pallet;

a plurality of slots including arcuate sections concentric with the substrate-carrying region to which it is closest; and

at least one cavity near at least one edge portion of the pallet;

said plurality of notches, said plurality of slots, and said at least one cavity provided for preventing warping of said pallet across a width of said pallet and along a length of said pallet by providing a space into which said pallet may expand upon an increase in pallet temperature.

2. A sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least 56 substrate-carrying regions configured to securely support a plurality of 95 mm diameter disk substrates.

3. A sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least 99 substrate-carrying regions configured to securely support a plurality of 65 mm diameter disk substrates.

4. A sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least 149 substrate carrying regions configured to securely support a plurality of 48 mm diameter disk substrates.

5. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of substrate-carrying regions for securely supporting the plurality of substrates, which plurality of substrate-carrying regions are provided in the pallet such that lines connecting the centers of three adjacent substrate-carrying regions of said plurality of substrate-carrying regions approximate an equilateral triangle so as to define a hexagonal orientation of said substrate-carrying regions;

a plurality of notches extending inward from edges of the pallet;

a plurality of slots including arcuate sections concentric with the substrate-carrying region to which it is closest; and

at least one cavity near at least one edge portion of the pallet;

said plurality of notches, said plurality of slots, and said at least one cavity provided for preventing warping of the pallet across a width of the pallet and along a length of the pallet by providing a space into which the pallet may expand upon an increase in pallet temperature.

6. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the pallet is comprised of the same material as the plurality of substrates.

7. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the pallet is comprised of aluminum.

8. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 5, further comprising a plurality of holes for receiving a sensor from a substrate loading or unloading robot, enabling the robot to orient itself with respect to the substrate-carrying regions for loading or unloading the substrates therein.

9. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein said substrate-carrying regions are substantially circular.

10. A pallet for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said substrate-carrying region further comprises:

a groove in between a front surface and a back surface of the pallet and along a bottom portion of said substrate-carrying region for supporting a substrate of the plurality of substrates at a bottom portion of said substrate, and

a lip at the back surface of the pallet and along a top portion of said substrate-carrying region for supporting said substrate at a top portion of said substrate.

11. A pallet having a front portion and a back portion for transporting a plurality of substrates through a sputtering apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of circular substrate-carrying regions provided in the pallet such that lines connecting the centers of three adjacent substrate-carrying regions of said plurality of substrate-carrying regions approximate an equilateral triangle so as to define a hexagonal orientation of said substrate-carrying regions, said plurality of substrate-carrying regions further including;

a groove in between the front surface and the back surface of the pallet and along a bottom portion of said substrate-carrying region for supporting a substrate of the plurality of substrates at a bottom portion of said substrate, and

a lip at the back surface of the pallet and along a top portion of said substrate-carrying region for supporting said substrate at a top portion of said substrate;

a plurality of notches extending inward from edges of the pallet;

a plurality of slots including arcuate sections concentric with the substrate-carrying region to which it is closest; and

at least one cavity near at least one edge portion of the pallet;

said plurality of notches, said plurality of slots, and said at least one cavity provided for preventing warping of the pallet across a width of the pallet and along a length of the pallet by providing a space into which the pallet may expand upon an increase in pallet temperature.