Wafer carrier

• US 6,544,033 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Washington, Lori, Scudder, Lance A., Callaghan, Lori A., Curelop, Bradley M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, OLIVIA T
• Application Number:
  US09/658,362
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 432/253, 432/53, 451/41, 451/287, 451/603, 451/288, 451/289, 451/397, 451/398
• US Class Current: 432/53
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67346 characterized by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68757 characterised by a coating or a hardness or a material

Abstract

Provided herein is a wafer carrier comprising a disk and a pocket, wherein the pocket is centered in the disk and holds a wafer. Also provided is a method of processing or testing a wafer for a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of placing the wafer in the wafer carrier disclosed herein; loading the wafer carrier in a loadlock chamber; and transferring the wafer carrier from the loadlock chamber to a process chamber for processing or testing.

Claims

1. A wafer carrier comprising:

a disk formed of a continuous material to the approximate size of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

a pocket positioned in said disk.

2. The wafer carrier of claim 1, wherein said disk comprises silicon carbide.

3. The wafer carrier of claim 2, wherein said disk is coated with a polysilicon layer.

4. The wafer carrier of claim 3, wherein said polysilicon layer has a thickness of about 5 microns to about 10 microns.

9. The wafer carrier of claim 1 wherein the pocket is centered on the disk.

15. The wafer carrier of claim 1, wherein the pocket is structured and arranged to hold a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits.

16. The wafer carrier of claim 1, wherein the pocket is structured and arranged to hold a portion of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits.

5. A wafer carrier comprising:

a disk formed of a continuous material having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of an 8-inch wafer; and

a pocket positioned in said disk, said pocket having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a 6-inch wafer.

6. The wafer carrier of claim 5, wherein said disk comprises silicon carbide.

7. The wafer carrier of claim 6, wherein said disk is coated with a polysilicon layer.

8. The wafer carrier of claim 7, wherein said polysilicon layer has a thickness of about 5 microns to about 10 microns.

10. The wafer carrier of claim 5 wherein the pocket is centered on the disk.

11. A substrate carrier for holding a substrate, the substrate carrier comprising:

a disk formed of a continuous material having a top surface and a bottom surface separated by a thickness, wherein the disk is formed to the approximate size of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

a pocket formed through a top surface of the disk and extending through a portion of the thickness of the disk.

12. The substrate carrier of claim 11, wherein the periphery of the pocket is substantially circular.

13. The substrate carrier of claim 12, wherein the pocket has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a 6-inch wafer.

14. The substrate carrier of claim 11, wherein the disk has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of an 8-inch wafer.

17. A wafer carrier comprising:

a disk formed of a continuous material having the approximate diameter of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

a pocket positioned in said disk.

18. The substrate carrier of claim 17, wherein the pocket is structured and arranged to hold a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits.

19. The wafer carrier of claim 17, wherein the pocket is structured and arranged to hold a portion of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits.

20. A substrate carrier for holding a substrate, the substrate carrier comprising:

a disk having a top surface and a bottom surface separated by a thickness; and

a pocket formed through a top surface of the disk and extending through a portion of the thickness of the disk, wherein the substrate carrier is a single continuous structure.

21. The substrate carrier of claim 20 wherein the disk comprises silicon carbide.

22. The substrate carrier of claim 21 wherein the disk is coated with a polysilicon layer.

23. The substrate carrier of claim 22 wherein the polysilicon layer has a thickness of about 5 microns to about 10 microns.

24. The substrate carrier of claim 20 wherein the pocket is centered on the disk.

25. The substrate carrier of claim 20 wherein the periphery of the pocket is substantially circular.

26. The substrate carrier of claim 25 wherein the pocket has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a 6-inch wafer.

27. The substrate carrier of claim 20 wherein the disk has a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of an 8-inch wafer.

28. A substrate carrier for holding a substrate, the substrate carrier comprising:

a disk having a top surface and a bottom surface separated by a thickness, wherein the disk is formed to the approximate diameter of a standard wafer substrate used in the manufacture of integrated circuits; and

a pocket formed through a top surface of the disk and extending through a portion of the thickness of the disk, wherein the substrate carrier is a single continuous structure.