Disk coating system

• US 6,919,001 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intevac
• Original Assignee: Intevac
• Inventors: Fairbairn, Kevin P., Marion, Craig, Weiss, Robert E., Bluck, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): MCDONALD, RODNEY GLENN
• Application Number:
  US10/361,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20030159919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 204/298.25, 204/192.2, 156/345.31, 156/345.32, 118/719, 414/225.01, 414/226.02, 414/226.01, 414/217
• US Class Current: 204/298.25
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4587 the substrate being supported substantially vertically
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00 Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor G11B11/00 and G11B13/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/8404 manufacturing base layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67161 characterized by the layout of the process chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67178 vertical arrangement
• 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 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67236 the substrates being processed being not semiconductor wafers, e.g. leadframes or chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418

Abstract

There is described a disk processing and manufacturing equipment in which the processing chambers are stacked on top of each other and in which the disks move through the system on disk carriers which are adjustable to take disks of varying sizes. The disks enter the system through a load zone and are then installed into disk carriers. They move in the carriers sequentially through processing chambers at one level and then move to the other level in a lift or elevator. At this other level, the disks again move sequentially through the system on that level and then exit at an unload zone.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system for the processing of substrates into magnetic disks comprising:

an entryway to feed substrates in cassettes into the processing system and into a vacuum environment;

a lifter to raise substrates one by one from said cassettes;

processing stations aligned adjacent with one another to process substrates individually while substrates are maintained in a vertical orientation;

disk carriers to carry substrates into processing stations and to hold substrates in a vertical position as individual substrates are processed and move through said processing stations and from station to station;

a transfer device to transfer substrates in position on said lifter into disk carriers;

transport paths and drives to move disk carriers from processing station to processing station and to an unload zone, said unload zone having a lifter to remove processed disks from said disk carrier after disk processing and to remove the processed disks back to a cassette to be transported out of said system;

said processing stations being positioned in a stacked relationship with at least a second layer of processing stations positioned above a first layer of processing stations so that the footprint for two process stations is substantially not greater than the footprint for one process station and less than the footprint of two process stations positioned one following the other lengthwise.

2. A substrate processing system for the manufacture of magnetic disks in accordance with claim 1 in which said second layer of processing stations is positioned on top of said first layer of processing stations and in which the processes practiced in said processing stations manufacture magnetic hard disks.

3. A substrate processing system for the manufacture of magneto optical disks in accordance with claim 1 in which said second layer of processing stations is positioned on top of said first layer of processing stations and in which the processes practiced in said processing stations manufacture magneto-optical disks.

4. A substrate processing system for the manufacture of magnetic disks in accordance with claim 1 including a disk carrier exchange station positioned along the path of travel through said processing stations by a disk carrier to furnish clean replacement disk carriers for a carrier that has been exposed to coating processes in said system.

5. A substrate processing system for the manufacture of magnetic disks in accordance with claim 1 in which the path of travel of a disk carrier is from processing station to adjacent processing station in sequence and from a first level to the second level following processing at said first level in an elevator.

6. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 4 in which said disk carrier exchange station is positioned at the start of a process sequence at the initial level for processing and in which a clean disk carrier is substituted for a disk carrier that has completed cycles and otherwise would have accepted and sequenced a new incoming disk.

7. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 4 in which said disk carrier exchange stations is positioned at a point in the process sequence following processing of disks with processes that result in deposits on the disk carrier that can poison later processes and in which a clean disk carrier can be substituted for a disk carrier with depositions on its surface.

8. A substrate processing system for the manufacture of magnetic disks in accordance with claim 5 in which the path of travel of a disk carrier is into an elevator to raise the disk carrier to the upper level and then from processing station to adjacent processing station in sequence on said upper level and from said upper level to the lower level following processing in said upper level in an lift.

9. A processing system in accordance with claim 1 in which said disk carriers each carry more than a single disk.

10. A combination processing system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising:

a stacked set of processing stations to process substrates in a vertical position with coating materials used in manufacturing magnetic hard disks, said processing stations being positioned in a reasonably straight line with one layer of processing stations positioned on top of the other layer of processing stations so that a second station is generally directly above a first station;

a circular set of processing stations to process substrates with coating materials used in manufacturing magnetic hard disks; and

feeding equipment to transfer substrates processed in said straight line stacked set of processing stations to and through said circular set of processing stations and then sequentially back through the other level of stacked processing stations to a point to exit the system.

11. A combination processing system to manufacture magnetic hard disks in accordance with claim 10 in which the circular set of processing stations are at the circumference of a central vacuum system.

12. A substrate treatment system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising,

a load station to feed cassettes of substrates for processing from atmospheric conditions into a vacuum environment through a vacuum load lock,

an unload station to feed coated magnetic disks after processing into cassettes and out of a vacuum environment through a vacuum load lock to atmospheric conditions;

a lifter blade to lift substrates individually from cassette at said load station and to transfer substrates to a first station where substrates are placed into a disk carrier;

disk carriers to hold substrates in a vertical position and carry substrates to and through process stations;

process stations to process said substrates in said disk carriers;

a transport system to move disks in disk carriers from station to station at programmed intervals;

said processing stations positioned in two levels, one above the other,

at least one disk carrier lift to raise and/or lower disk carriers from one level to a second level; and

said transport system configured to transport disk carriers laterally and vertically from processing station to processing station and to said unload station whereat the disk is moved into an unload cassette for transfer out of the vacuum environment to atmospheric conditions through an unload aperture by transferring said cassette through a vacuum load lock.

13. A substrate treatment system in accordance with claim 12 in which a disk carrier in a process station is continuously moved while being processed in said station.

14. A substrate treatment system in accordance with claim 12 in which one or more process stations are internally connected as to enable a disk on a disk carrier placed within any such station to be processed in accordance with the processes practiced within said stations for a period of time substantially equal to the time of processing within a single process station in the system times the number of connected process stations.

15. A substrate treatment system to manufacture magnetic hard disks comprising

a slot to feed cassettes of substrates from atmospheric conditions into a load station and cassettes of coated magnetic disks from an unload position out of the system and into atmospheric conditions;

a lifter blade to lift substrates out of a cassette in said load station and transfer substrates to a station where substrates are placed into disk carriers;

disk carriers to hold substrates in a vertical position and carry substrates to and from processing stations;

processing stations to process substrates on said disk carriers;

a transport system to move disk carriers from station to station in sequence at programmed intervals;

a disk carrier lift to raise disk carriers from a first level of processing stations to a second level of processing stations;

said processing stations being positioned in two levels, one above the other, and said transport system transferring said disk carriers laterally from processing station to processing station and vertically in said disk carrier lift from one level to the other.

16. A processing system in accordance with claim 15 including a station to change disk carriers by substituting a clean carrier into the system for a carrier that has been used within the system while coatings were deposited onto disks moving on said carrier though said system.

17. A processing system in accordance with claim 16 in which the disk carrier is opened and a disk is then placed between jaws of the disk carrier and the jaws close upon the disk to grasp the disk in the disk carrier to carry the disk through processing stations.

18. A processing station in accordance with claim 17 in which the disk is moved from said lifter blade into said disk carrier with a transport mechanism that transfer the disk by holding the disk in its central opening.

19. A processing chamber for a disk manufacturing system fitted to be positioned on top of another disk processing chamber comprising a vacuum pump extending from said chamber to pump a vacuum in said chamber, an opening at one side of said chamber to be positioned attached to an adjacent chamber, an isolation valve on the other side of the chamber to isolate the chamber from other chambers during processing within said chamber, magnetic means at the base of said chamber to assist in the transport of a disk carrier into and out of said chamber process sources positioned on the front and back walls of said chamber to enable processing of both sides of a disk positioned within said chamber, and a similar chamber-positioned beneath said chamber with a vacuum pump extending therefrom to enable actively processing another disk in disk carrier in said lower chamber during processing or transport of a disk carrier in said upper disk processing chamber.

20. A method of manufacturing a magnetic hard disk comprising placing a substrate to be processed into a vacuum chamber, lifting said substrate to a load chamber and loading said substrate into a disk carrier at said load chamber, moving said substrate and disk carrier to at least a first processing chamber at a first level and processing said substrate in said processing chamber, moving said substrate and disk carrier into a lift, changing the elevation of said substrate end said disk carrier to a different level, moving said substrate and said disk into at least a processing chamber at said new level, moving said substrate and disk carrier into a station and separating said disk from said disk carrier, lowering said disk and removing said disk from the vacuum environment.

21. The method of claim 20 in which a clean disk carrier is substituted for a coated disk carrier to avoid contamination of the disk in processing stations located following the change in the path of travel of the disk.

22. A substrate processing system comprising

an entry chamber for substrates to enter the processing system;

an exit chamber for substrates to exit the processing system;

a first set of processing stations extending horizontally, each station of said first set aligned with and adjacent to other processing stations of said first set for processing substrates;

a second set of processing stations in a stacked relationship to said first set of processing stations so that the second set of processing stations is generally within the footprint of said first set of processing stations, said second set of processing stations for processing substrates;

carriers to support substrates during travel and during processing as substrates travel between at least some of said processing stations and while substrates are processed within at least some of said processing stations, said substrates being maintained by said carriers in a vertical position;

an elevator system to elevate and lower substrates from one level of processing stations to the other level; and

transport means to transport substrates from said entry chamber through said processing stations and through said elevator system and out said exit chamber.

23. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 22 in which said first set of processing stations is in two sections with a space between sections with a swing arm positioned in said space to transfer a substrate apart from a carrier from a processing station in the first of the two sections to a processing station in the second of said two sections.

24. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 23 in which a substrate transferred by said swing arm to said processing station in the second of said two sections is positioned in a clean carrier in the processing station in the second of said two sections and is thereafter processed in the processing stations in said second of said two sections.

25. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 22 in which each of said first set and second set of processing stations includes a separation between groups of processing stations and in which a swing arm provides a means of transferring substrates apart from a carrier across said separations.

26. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 24 including transferring said substrate from a first carrier to a second carrier in connection with transfer of said substrate across said separation with said swing arm.

27. A substrate processing system in accordance with claim 22 including means to maintain processing stations under vacuum conditions.

28. A processing chamber for a disk manufacturing system fitted to be positioned in a stacked relationship with another disk processing chamber comprising a vacuum pump extending from said chamber to pump a vacuum in said chamber, an opening at one side of said chamber to be positioned attached to an adjacent chamber, an isolation valve on the other side of the chamber to isolate the chamber from other chambers during processing within said chamber, magnetic means at the base of said chamber to assist in the transport of a disk carrier into and out of said chamber, process sources positioned on the front and back walls of said chamber to enable processing of both sides of a disk positioned within said chamber, said chamber being adapted to be positioned in a stacked relationship with a similar chamber-having an independent vacuum pump extending therefrom to enable actively processing disks in disk carriers in each of said processing chambers when in position in a manufacturing system.