Apparatus for aligning substrate to chuck in processing chamber
First Claim
1. Apparatus for aligning a flat substrate with respect to another body, said apparatus comprising:
- at least three rotatable wheels mounted on horizontal axles, each of the wheels being rotatable independently of the other wheels, respective edges of said wheels defining a shape substantially congruent with the shape of said flat substrate, said axles being positioned substantially in the same plane and each of the axles being aligned substantially parallel to an edge of said substrate to be contacted by the wheel mounted on said axle;
a body to which said flat substrate is to be aligned, said body having a supporting surface for supporting said flat substrate, said supporting surface being positioned generally in an area between said wheels; and
a mechanism for lowering said flat substrate from a position above said wheels to a position wherein a peripheral region of said flat substrate makes contact with at least two of said wheels.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A passive mechanism for centering a wafer on a chuck and with respect to a backside exclusion gas ring includes a plurality of wheels that are rotatably mounted in a circular pattern at the top surface of a chuck. The axis of rotation of each wheel is parallel to the top surface of the chuck and perpendicular to a radius extending outward from the centerpoint of the chuck surface. When a wafer is placed on the chuck, its edge contacts the wheels and, by its own weight, the wafer moves toward the center of the chuck, thereby centering itself. The wafer either slides on the wheels or, if the frictional force between the wafer and one or more of the wheels is great enough, the wafer causes the wheel to turn. The wheels may be mounted on the chuck, a carrier ring or a wafer transfer arm for moving wafers between processing stations. In one embodiment the alignment wheels are mounted on a carrier ring, and a second alignment mechanism aligns the carrier ring to the chuck.
-
Citations
27 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for aligning a flat substrate with respect to another body, said apparatus comprising:
-
at least three rotatable wheels mounted on horizontal axles, each of the wheels being rotatable independently of the other wheels, respective edges of said wheels defining a shape substantially congruent with the shape of said flat substrate, said axles being positioned substantially in the same plane and each of the axles being aligned substantially parallel to an edge of said substrate to be contacted by the wheel mounted on said axle; a body to which said flat substrate is to be aligned, said body having a supporting surface for supporting said flat substrate, said supporting surface being positioned generally in an area between said wheels; and a mechanism for lowering said flat substrate from a position above said wheels to a position wherein a peripheral region of said flat substrate makes contact with at least two of said wheels. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A processing chamber for performing a process on a flat circular substrate and containing a chuck for supporting said flat circular substrate during said processing, said chamber further comprising an arrangement for aligning said flat circular substrate on said chuck, said arrangement comprising:
-
at least three rotatable wheels mounted on horizontal axles on said chuck, each of the wheels being rotatable independently of the other wheels, respective edges of said wheels defining a shape substantially congruent with the shape of said flat circular substrate, said axles being positioned substantially in the same plane and each of the axles being aligned substantially parallel to an edge of said flat circular substrate to be contacted by the wheel mounted on said axle; and a mechanism for lowering said substrate from a position above said wheels to a position wherein a peripheral region of said flat circular substrate makes contact with at least two of said wheels. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A processing chamber for performing a process on a substrate while said substrate is supported on a chuck, said chamber comprising:
-
said chuck, said chuck having a supporting surface for supporting a central region of said substrate; a carrier ring comprising; a first plurality of wheels rotatable about respective horizontal axes, said first plurality of wheels having edges which define a shape congruent with a shape of said substrate; and a plurality of shelf portions for supporting a peripheral region of said substrate; and an alignment mechanism for aligning said carrier ring to said chuck, said alignment mechanism comprising a second plurality of wheels and a plurality of alignment faces, respective ones of said alignment faces contacting one of said second plurality of wheels when said carrier ring is aligned to said chuck. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
Specification