Vacuum processing system having improved substrate heating and cooling

• US 6,688,375 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Turner, Norman L., DʼEntremont, Alan, White, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ford, John K.
• Application Number:
  US08/950,277
• Time in Patent Office: 2,310 Days
• Field of Search: 118/719, 118/725, 118/724, 156/345, 414/217, 432/5, 165/58, 165/48.1, 165/64, 165/80.4, 165/80.5, 165/80.1, 165/61, 204/298.25, 204/298.35
• US Class Current: 165/48.1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/463 Cooling of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating

Abstract

The invention is directed a vacuum processing system having improved substrate heating and cooling facilities. An evacuable chamber of the system includes a first section in which a temperature of a substrate to be processed may be increased and a second section in which the temperature of a processed substrate may be decreased. A barrier may be provided to thermally isolate the first and second sections from each other.

Claims

1. An evacuable chamber of a vacuum processing system capable of simultaneously heating and cooling different substrates and including a first vacuum sealable passage on a first side of said chamber and a second vacuum sealable passage on a second side of said chamber for passing said substrates through said passages, comprising:

a first section in said chamber having first sidewalls including heating means incorporated therein capable of increasing a temperature of any of one or more first substrates disposed in said first section;

a second section in said chamber having second sidewalls including cooling means incorporated therein capable of decreasing a temperature of any of one or more second substrates disposed in said second section, wherein said first section lacks cooling means corresponding to those provided in said second section and said second section lacks heating means corresponding to those provided in said first section;

a plurality of shelves in said first section to support respective ones of said first substrates thereon;

a plurality of shelves in said second section to support respective ones of said second substrates thereon; and

means including a wall between said first and second sections for thermally isolating said first section from said second section.

2. The evacuable chamber of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second sections includes a plurality of platforms for respectively supporting a plurality of first and second substrates.

7. The evacuable chamber of claim 1, wherein said first and second sections are capable of simultaneously increasing a temperature of said first substrate and decreasing a temperature of said second substrate.

8. The evacuable chamber of claim 7, further comprising first and second lifting assemblies operable independently of each other.

9. The evacuable chamber of claim 7, further comprising first and second lifting assemblies operable together.

10. The evacuable chamber of claim 7, wherein said heating means includes resistive heating coils in said first sidewalls.

11. The evacuable chamber of claim 10, wherein said cooling means includes cooling passageways formed in said second sidewalls.

3. An evacuable chamber of a vacuum processing system capable of simultaneously heating and cooling different substrates and including a first vacuum sealable passage on a first side of said chamber and a second vacuum sealable passage on a second side of said chamber for passing said substrates through said passages, comprising:

a first section in said chamber having first sidewalls with resistive heaters incorporated therein capable of increasing a temperature of any of one or more first substrates disposed in said first section, wherein said first sidewalls include no liquid cooling channels;

a second section in said chamber having seconds sidewalls with liquid cooling channels incorporated therein capable of decreasing a temperature of any of one or more second substrates disposed in said second section, wherein said second sidewalls include no resistive heaters;

a plurality of shelves in said first section to support respective ones of said first substrates thereon;

a plurality of shelves in said second section to support respective ones of said second substrates thereon; and

a barrier, including a wall disposed between said first and second sections, to thermally isolate said first and second sections from each other.

4. The evacuable chamber of claim 3, wherein each of said first and second sections include respective pluralities of shelves for supporting respective pluralities of said first and second substrates thereon.

5. The evacuable chamber of claim 3, wherein said first and second sections are fixed together.

6. The evacuable chamber of claim 3, wherein said first and second sections are capable of simultaneously increasing a temperature of said first substrate and decreasing a temperature of said second substrate.

12. A cassette adapted to be positioned in an evacuable load lock chamber capable of simultaneously heating and cooling different substrates and including a first vacuum sealable passage on a first side of said chamber and a second vacuum sealable passage on a second side of said chamber for passing said substrates through said passages to and from said cassette, said cassette comprising;

a first section capable of heating a substrate supported therein;

a second section capable of cooling a substrate supported therein;

a barrier located between said first and said second sections to thermally isolate said first and second sections from each other;

heaters incorporated into interior sidewalls of the cassette in said first section to increase the temperature of the interior sidewalls of said first section;

cooling passageway configured to include a coolant and incorporated into interior sidewalls of the cassette in said second section to decrease the temperature of the interior sidewalls of said second section;

a first plurality of thermally conductive first shelves contacting said sidewalls of said first section so that heat is conducted to said first shelves; and

a second plurality of thermally conductive second shelves contacting said sidewalls of said second section so that heat is conducted from said second shelves;

wherein said interior sidewalls of said cassette in said first section include no cooling passageways as provided in said second section and said interior sidewalls of said cassette in said second section include no heaters as provided in said first section.

13. The cassette of claim 12, further comprising supports on said first and second shelves to support said substrates and provide a space between said substrates and said first and second shelves.

14. The cassette of claim 12, wherein said heaters include resistive heating coils.

15. The cassette of claim 12, wherein said barrier includes channels for the circulation of coolant therethrough.

16. The cassette of claim 12, wherein said cassette is mounted on an elevator assembly so that said substrates on said conductive shelves can be sequentially accessed via a slit valve in said load lock chamber.