Load lock chamber for large area substrate processing system

• US 7,207,766 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kurita, Shinichi, Blonigan, Wendell T., Tanase, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kramer; Dean J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams; Greg
• Application Number:
  US10/832,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20050095088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 414/217, 414/937, 414/939, 414/941, 414/774, 414/754, 414/777, 414/779, 901/47
• US Class Current: 414/641
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2249/02 Controlled or contamination-free environments or clean space conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 49/064 in a horizontal position B65G49/066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 49/067 Sheet handling, means, e.g. manipulators, devices for turning or tilting sheet glass suction cups B65G49/061; combined with vertical conveyors C03B33/00 - C03B33/10; stacking and destacking B65G49/068
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 49/068 Stacking or destacking devices; Means for preventing damage to stacked sheets, e.g. spaces stacking in general B65G57/00; destacking in general B65G59/00; spacer sheets in general B65H
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67236 the substrates being processed being not semiconductor wafers, e.g. leadframes or chips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 including wafer orienting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

A load lock chamber and method for transferring large area substrates is provided. In one embodiment, a load lock chamber suitable for transferring large area substrates includes a plurality of vertically stacked single substrate transfer chambers. The configuration of vertically stacked single substrate transfer chambers contributes to reduced size and greater throughput as compared to conventional state of the art, dual slot dual substrate designs. Moreover, the increased throughput has been realized at reduced pumping and venting rates, which corresponds to reduced probability of substrate contamination due to particulates and condensation.

Claims

1. A loadlock chamber comprising:

a chamber body having a first side adapted for coupling to a vacuum chamber, a second side adapted for coupling to a factory interface and a third side coupling the first and second sides;

N vertically stacked substrate transfer chambers formed in the chamber body, where N is an integer greater than two;

N−

1 interior walls, each interior wall separating and environmentally isolating adjacent substrate transfer chambers; and

at least one alignment mechanism disposed in each substrate transfer chamber, each said alignment mechanism in each said substrate transfer chamber rotatable about an axis coplanar with a plane of the third side.

2. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the chamber body is fabricated from one piece of material.

3. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sides are fabricated with the interior walls from one piece of material to form a chamber subassembly, and the first or second side part of the chamber subassembly is sealingly coupled thereto.

4. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the chamber body further comprises:

a plurality of modular sections, each section including at least one substrate transfer chamber, wherein the modular sections are vertically stacked.

5. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer chamber has an internal volume of less than or equal to about 1000 cubic liters.

6. The loadlock chamber of claim 5, wherein each chamber can accommodate a substrate having a plan area of at least 2.7 square meters.

7. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises a plurality of fixed substrate supports adapted to maintain a substrate disposed in the substrate transfer chamber in a spaced apart relation to the body.

8. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers are adapted to accommodate a substrate having a plan area of at least 2.7 square meters.

9. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

a cooling plate disposed on or formed integrally with at least one of the interior wall, top or bottom of the chamber body.

10. The loadlock chamber of claim 9, wherein the cooling plate further comprises:

a plurality of passages adapted to flow a heat transfer fluid therethrough.

11. The loadlock chamber of claim 9, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

a plurality of fixed substrate supports adapted to maintain a substrate disposed in the substrate transfer chamber in a spaced apart relation to the body, at least one of the substrate supports disposed through the cooling plate; and

an actuator coupled to the cooling plate and adapted to control the elevation of the cooling plate relative to a distal end of the substrate support.

12. The loadlock chamber of claim 11, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

a heater disposed in at least one of a top or bottom of the substrate transfer chamber.

13. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

a heater disposed in at least one of a top or bottom of the substrate transfer chamber.

14. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment mechanism further comprises:

a first alignment mechanism and a second alignment mechanism disposed in opposite corners of the substrate transfer chamber and adapted to align the substrate horizontally in a predefined orientation within the substrate transfer chamber.

15. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

a vent port and a pump port.

16. The loadlock chamber of claim 15, wherein the pump ports of each substrate transfer chamber are coupled to a single pump.

17. The loadlock chamber of claim 15, wherein the pump ports of each substrate transfer chamber are coupled to respective pumps.

18. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the interior wall further comprises:

a plurality of grooves running between the first and second sides, the grooves adapted to receive at least a portion of an end effector of a substrate transfer robot.

19. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein the alignment mechanism further comprises:

a shaft extending through the third side into a recess formed in the chamber body;

a lever coupled to the shaft extending from the recess and into the chamber body;

two rollers coupled to a first end of the lever; and

an actuator coupled to the shaft on an exterior side of the third side, the actuator adapted to urge the rollers against adjacent edges of a substrate disposed in the chamber body.

20. The loadlock chamber of claim 19, wherein the alignment mechanism further comprises:

a housing coupled to the chamber body and having the shaft passing therethrough; and

a seal disposed between the housing and shaft for preventing vacuum leakage from the chamber body.

21. The loadlock chamber of claim 19, wherein the shaft is rotatably coupled to the chamber body.

22. The loadlock chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the substrate transfer chambers further comprises:

two substrate access ports having a width greater than at least 2000 mm.

23. The loadlock chamber of claim 22, wherein N chambers are formed in the chamber body for receiving a single substrate and N is an integer greater than three.

24. The loadlock chamber of claim 22 further comprising:

a radiant heater disposed in each of the substrate transfer chambers.

25. The loadlock chamber of claim 22 further comprising:

a cooling plate disposed in each of the substrate transfer chambers.

26. The loadlock chamber of claim 22, wherein each chamber can accommodate a substrate having a plan area of at least 2.7 square meters.

27. A loadlock chamber comprising:

a chamber body having a first side adapted for coupling to a vacuum chamber and a second side adapted for coupling to a factory interface;

a first chamber formed within the chamber body;

a first slit valve coupled to the chamber body selectively sealing a first substrate access port formed through the first side of the chamber body and coupled to the first chamber;

a second slit valve coupled to the chamber body selectively sealing a second substrate access port formed through the second side of the chamber body and coupled to the first chamber;

at least a second chamber formed in the chamber body and isolated from the first chamber by a horizontal wall;

a third slit valve selectively sealing a third substrate access port formed through the first side of the chamber body and coupled to the second chamber;

a fourth slit valve coupled to the chamber body selectively sealing a fourth substrate access support coupled to the second chamber;

a third chamber formed in the chamber body above the first and second chambers and separated from the second chamber by a second horizontal wall;

a fifth slit valve coupled to the chamber body selectively sealing a fifth substrate access port coupled to the third chamber;

a sixth slit valve coupled to the chamber body selectively sealing a sixth substrate access port coupled to the third chamber; and

at least two alignment mechanisms disposed in each chamber, each alignment mechanism having a rotational axis coplanar with a wall of the chamber body.

28. The loadlock chamber of claim 27 further comprising:

a first pressure management system fluidly coupled to the first chamber; and

a second pressure management system fluidly coupled to the second chamber, the first and second pressure management systems independently controllable.

29. The loadlock chamber of claim 28, wherein the first pressure management system further comprises:

a vent valve coupled to the first chamber through an exhaust port; and

a pump coupled to the first chamber through a pumping port.

30. A large area substrate processing system comprising:

a transfer chamber;

a transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber;

a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the transfer chamber; and

a plurality of vertically stacked single substrate loadlock chambers forming a unitary body coupled to the transfer chamber, wherein each chamber further comprises a rotating alignment mechanism adapted to center a substrate within the chamber, and the alignment mechanism rotates about an axis defined coplanar with a wall of the chamber.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the alignment mechanism further comprises:

a substantially vertical shaft extending through a side wall of the chamber.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the alignment mechanism further comprises:

a shaft extending through a side wall of the chamber;

a lever arm coupled to the shaft within the chamber; and

an actuator coupled to the shaft outside the chamber and controlling a rotational position of the lever arm.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the alignment mechanism further comprises:

two rollers having a rotational axis parallel to the shaft and extending from the lever arm, the rollers configured to contact adjacent sides of the substrate when the lever arm is rotated.