Method and apparatus for improved substrate handling

• US 6,575,737 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Gantvarg, Evgueni, Grunes, Howard E, Goder, Alexey, Perlov, Ilya
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US09/611,549
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 432/6, 432/81, 432/124, 432/141, 432/253, 414/217, 414/331.04, 414/222.01, 414/937, 414/940, 414/222.07, 414/222.12, 414/223.01, 414/331.02, 62/62, 204/298.25, 118/719, 118/724, 118/725
• US Class Current: 432/81
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67196 characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68785 characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68792 characterised by the construction of the shaft

Abstract

A transfer chamber is provided. The transfer chamber has a temperature adjustment plate located in an upper portion of the chamber, a substrate handler located in a lower portion of the chamber, and a rotatable substrate carriage adapted so as to raise and lower between an elevation above a substrate supporting surface of the temperature adjustment plate, and an elevation below a substrate supporting blade of the substrate handler. The rotatable substrate carriage is adapted to transfer a substrate to and from the substrate supporting surfaces of the temperature adjustment plate, and of the substrate handler blade.

Claims

1. A transfer chamber comprising:

a chamber having;

a temperature adjustment plate located in an upper portion of the chamber, and having a substrate supporting surface;

a substrate handler located in a lower portion of the chamber and having a substrate supporting blade; and

a rotatable substrate carriage adapted so as to raise and lower between an elevation above the substrate supporting surface of the temperature adjustment plate, and an elevation below the substrate supporting blade of the substrate handler.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the temperature adjustment plate is adapted to cool a substrate placed thereon.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the temperature adjustment plate is adapted to heat a substrate placed thereon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the rotatable substrate carriage comprises a plurality of substrate seats, each substrate seat comprising:

a pair of opposing substrate supports that define a passage through which both the substrate handler blade, and the temperature adjustment plate may pass.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the temperature adjustment plate has a plurality of notches formed therein through which the substrate supports may pass.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the temperature adjustment plate, the substrate handler and the rotatable substrate carriage are each coupled to a common surface of the chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the common surface of the chamber is a bottom surface of the chamber.

8. A processing system comprising:

the transfer chamber of claim 1; and

at least one processing chamber coupled to the transfer chamber such that the substrate handler may transfer substrates therebetween.

9. The processing system of claim 8 further comprising:

a loadlock coupled to the transfer chamber.