Substrate transfer shuttle having a magnetic drive

• US 6,471,459 B2
• Filed: 11/23/1999
• Issued: 10/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Komatsu Technology, Inc. (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Applied Komatsu Technology, Inc. (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: White, John M., Blonigan, Wendell T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keenan, James W.
• Application Number:
  US09/447,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20010026748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 414/217, 414/749.2, 198/619, 104/282
• US Class Current: 414/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67709 using magnetic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• 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: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

A magnetic drive system for moving a substrate transfer shuttle along a linear path between chambers in a semiconductor fabrication apparatus. A rack with rack magnets is secured to the shuttle, and a rotatable pinion with pinion magnets is positioned adjacent the rack so that the pinion magnets can magnetically engage the rack magnets. Thus, rotation of the pinion will cause the shuttle to move along the linear path. The magnets may be oriented with a helix angle between their primary axis and the axis of rotation of the pinion. One rack and one pinion are located on each side of the shuttle. A set of lower guide rollers supports the shuttle, and a set of upper guide rollers prevents the shuttle from lifting off the lower guide rollers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for performing a thin film fabrication process on a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a load lock chamber in communication with the processing chamber;

a valve disposed between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber;

a substrate support movable along a path between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate support is disposable within the load lock chamber while the valve is closed and processing occurs in the processing chamber; and

a magnetic drive including a first magnetic surface on the movable substrate support to generate a first magnetic field and a plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces disposed outside and in a fixed position relative to the processing chamber and the load lock chamber to generate. a plurality of second magnetic fields, the first magnetic field magnetically engageable with the plurality of second magnetic fields so that movement of the plurality of second magnetic fields causes the substrate support to move along the path, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces rotate about one or more shafts positioned orthogonal to the path and fixed relative thereto.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces comprise a plurality of electromagnets.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein movement of the plurality of second magnetic fields is caused by movement of the plurality of second magnetic surfaces.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a magnetic levitation assembly to magnetically levitate the substrate support.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the magnetic levitation assembly includes at least two magnetic shuttle elements and at least two levitation magnet assemblies.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the magnetic shuttle elements comprise permanent magnets.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least two levitation magnet assemblies comprise permanent magnets, electromagnets, and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a plurality of guide rollers to support the substrate support.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces comprise permanent magnets.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces comprise a first set of magnetic surfaces disposed on a first side of the valve and a second set of magnetic surfaces disposed on the other side of the valve.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first set of magnetic surfaces provides a first magnetic field and the second set of magnetic surfaces provides a second magnetic field wherein the movement of the first or second magnetic field causes the substrate support to move along the path.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first set of magnetic surfaces are adjacent the load lock chamber and engage the first magnetic surface to move the substrate along the path toward the processing chamber.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces are adjacent the processing chamber and engage the first magnetic surface to move the substrate support along the path from the load lock chamber into the processing chamber.

14. An apparatus for performing a thin film fabrication process on a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a load lock chamber in communication with the processing chamber;

a valve disposed between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber;

a substrate support movable along a generally linear path between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate support is disposable within the load lock chamber while the valve is closed and processing occurs in the processing chamber, and

a magnetic drive including a first magnetic surface on the substrate support and a plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces located outside the process environment of the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, the first magnetic surface is magnetically engageable with the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces so that movement of at least one of the magnetic fields generated by the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces causes the substrate support to move along the path, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces rotate about one or more shafts positioned orthogonal to the path and fixed relative thereto.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces includes a plurality of movable magnets.

16. An apparatus for performing a thin film fabrication process on a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a second load lock chamber in communication with the processing chamber;

a valve disposed between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber;

a substrate support movable along a path between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate support is disposable within the load lock chamber while the valve is closed and processing occurs in the processing chamber;

a magnetic drive including a first magnetic surface on the movable substrate support to generate a first magnetic field and a plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces disposed outside and in a fixed position relative to the processing chamber and the load lock chamber to generate a plurality of second magnetic fields, the first magnetic field magnetically engageable with the plurality of second magnetic fields so that movement of the plurality of second magnetic fields causes the substrate support to move along the path, the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces comprise a first set of magnetic surfaces disposed on a first side of the valve and a second set of magnetic surfaces disposed on the other side of the valve, wherein the first set of magnetic surfaces rotate about a shaft disposed orthogonal to the path and in a fixed position thereto.

17. An apparatus for performing a thin film fabrication process on a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a second load lock chamber in communication with the processing chamber;

a valve disposed between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber;

a substrate support movable along a path between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate support is disposable within the load lock chamber while the valve is closed and processing occurs in the processing chamber;

a magnetic drive including a first magnetic surface on the movable substrate support to generate a first magnetic field and a plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces disposed outside and in a fixed position relative to the processing chamber and the load lock chamber to generate a plurality of second magnetic fields, the first magnetic field magnetically engageable with the plurality of second magnetic fields so that movement of the plurality of second magnetic fields causes the substrate support to move along the path, the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces comprise a first set of magnetic surfaces disposed on a first side of the valve and a second set of magnetic surfaces disposed on the other side of the valve, wherein the second set of magnetic surfaces rotate about a shaft disposed orthogonal to the path and in a fixed relation thereto.

18. An apparatus for performing a thin film fabrication process on a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber;

a load lock chamber in communication with the processing chamber;

a valve disposed between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber;

a substrate support movable along a generally linear path between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, wherein the substrate support is. disposable within the load lock chamber while the valve is closed and processing occurs in the processing chamber; and

a magnetic drive including a first magnetic surface on the substrate support and a plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces located outside the process environment of the processing chamber and the load lock chamber, the first magnetic surface is magnetically engageable with the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces so that movement of at least one of the magnetic fields generated by the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces causes the substrate support to move along the path, the plurality of movable second magnetic surfaces includes a plurality of movable magnets, wherein the plurality of movable magnets are mounted to a rotatable shaft disposed generally orthogonal to the linear path and disposed on a first side of the valve.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein each of the movable magnets engages with the first magnetic surface in a sequential order to move the substrate support along the linear path through the valve.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of movable magnets are mounted to a rotatable shaft disposed generally orthogonal to the linear path and disposed on a second side of the valve.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of the movable magnets engages with the first magnetic surface in a sequential order to move the substrate support along the linear path through the valve.