Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080219824 | MULTIPLE SUBSTRATE TRANSFER ROBOT - Embodiments of multiple substrate transfer robots and substrate processing systems have been disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a multiple substrate transfer robot is provided and may include an arm capable of extending along a horizontal direction; and a wrist coupled to the arm and having a plurality of blades coupled thereto, each blade configured to horizontally support a substrate thereupon and vertically disposed with respect to each of the other blades. In some embodiments, a substrate processing system is provided and may include a substrate processing chamber having a plurality of susceptors, wherein each susceptor is vertically disposed and capable of holding a semiconductor substrate; and a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of blades for transferring a plurality of substrates to and from the processing chamber, each blade configured to horizontally support a substrate thereupon and vertically disposed with respect to each of the other blades. | 09-11-2008 |
20080220150 | MICROBATCH DEPOSITION CHAMBER WITH RADIANT HEATING - The present invention generally provides an apparatus and method for processing and transferring substrates in an epitaxial deposition chamber. Embodiments of the invention described herein are adapted to maximize chamber throughput and improve film deposition uniformity. In one embodiment, two substrates are processed simultaneously using radiant heating of the substrates in a cold wall, low pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor. | 09-11-2008 |
20090004405 | Thermal Batch Reactor with Removable Susceptors - An apparatus and method for uniform heating and gas flow in a batch processing chamber are provided. The apparatus includes a quartz chamber body, removable heater blocks which surround the quartz chamber body, an inject assembly coupled to one side of the quartz chamber body, and a substrate boat having removable susceptors. In one embodiment, the boat may be configured with a plurality of susceptors to control substrate heating during batch processing. | 01-01-2009 |
20100047049 | VERTICAL WAFER BUFFERING SYSTEM - A wafer buffering system is provided herein. In some embodiments, a wafer buffering system may include a frame having a vertical shaft disposed therethrough; two storage platforms, coupled to the frame on either side thereof, each to receive a wafer carrier thereon; and a transfer mechanism coupled to the vertical shaft and capable of vertical movement therealong and lateral movement along an x-axis extending in either direction from the frame at least sufficient to move over the two storage platforms. The transfer mechanism may further include a telescoping fork arm capable of laterally extending in a first direction and in a second direction corresponding to lateral positions of the two storage platforms on either side of the frame. | 02-25-2010 |
20100080904 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH OFF-CENTER GAS DELIVERY FUNNEL - Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are disclosed herein. The process chamber includes a chamber body, a substrate support pedestal, a pump port and a gas injection funnel. The chamber body has an inner volume and the substrate support pedestal is disposed in the inner volume of the chamber body. The pump port is coupled to the inner volume and is disposed off-center from a central axis of the substrate support pedestal. The pump port provides azimuthally non-uniform pumping proximate to a surface of the substrate support pedestal and creates localized regions of high pressure and low pressure within the inner volume during use. The gas injection funnel is disposed in a ceiling of the chamber body and opposite the substrate support pedestal. The gas injection funnel is offset from the central axis of the substrate support pedestal and is disposed in a region of low pressure. | 04-01-2010 |
20100111511 | USE OF INFRARED CAMERA FOR REAL-TIME TEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROL - Embodiments of the invention generally contemplate an apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling the temperature of a substrate during processing. One embodiment of the apparatus and method takes advantage of an infrared camera to obtain the temperature profile of multiple regions or the entire surface of the substrate and a system controller to calculate and coordinate in real time an optimized strategy for reducing any possible temperature non-uniformity found on the substrate during processing. | 05-06-2010 |
20100116205 | PROCESS EQUIPMENT ARCHITECTURE - Embodiments of the present invention relate to improvements to single-substrate, multi-chamber processing platform architecture for minimizing fabrication facility floor space requirements. Prior art systems require significant floor space around all sides to allow for adequate installation and servicing. Embodiments of the present invention provide platforms that allow for servicing the chambers and supporting systems via a front and rear of the platform allowing multiple, side-by-side platform placement within a fabrication facility, while providing improved serviceability of the platform components. | 05-13-2010 |
20100133257 | Rapid Thermal Processing Chamber With Micro-Positioning System - Methods and apparatus for rapid thermal processing of a planar substrate including axially aligning the substrate with a substrate support or with an empirically determined position are described. The methods and apparatus include a sensor system that determines the relative orientations of the substrate and the substrate support. | 06-03-2010 |
20100224130 | ROTATING SUBSTRATE SUPPORT AND METHODS OF USE - A method and apparatus for processing a substrate utilizing a rotating substrate support are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrate includes a chamber having a substrate support assembly disposed within the chamber. The substrate support assembly includes a substrate support having a support surface and a heater disposed beneath the support surface. A shaft is coupled to the substrate support and a motor is coupled to the shaft through a rotor to provide rotary movement to the substrate support. A seal block is disposed around the rotor and forms a seal therewith. The seal block has at least one seal and at least one channel disposed along the interface between the seal block and the shaft. A port is coupled to each channel for connecting to a pump. A lift mechanism is coupled to the shaft for raising and lowering the substrate support. | 09-09-2010 |
20100261040 | MODIFICATION OF MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF FILMS USING ION AND NEUTRAL BEAM IMPLANTATION - Methods and apparatus for forming substrates having magnetically patterned surfaces is provided. A magnetic layer comprising one or more materials having magnetic properties is formed on the substrate. The magnetic layer is subjected to a patterning process in which selected portions of the surface of the magnetic layer are altered such that the altered portions have different magnetic properties from the non-altered portions without changing the topography of the substrate. A protective layer and a lubricant layer are deposited over the patterned magnetic layer. The patterning is accomplished through a number of alternative processes that expose substrates to energy of varying forms. | 10-14-2010 |
20100265988 | SUBSTRATE COOL DOWN CONTROL - Methods and apparatus for precise substrate cool down control are provided. Apparatus for measuring temperature of substrates may include a cool down plate to support a substrate; a sensor to provide data corresponding to a temperature of the substrate when disposed on the cool down plate; and a computer coupled to the sensor to determine the temperature of the substrate from the sensor data. A method for measuring the temperature of a substrate may include providing a substrate to be cooled to a chamber having a cool down plate disposed therein, a sensor to provide data corresponding to a temperature of the substrate, and a computer coupled to the sensor; sensing a first temperature of the substrate after a predetermined first time interval has elapsed; comparing the first temperature to a predetermined temperature; and determining whether the first temperature is greater than, equal to, or less than the predetermined temperature. | 10-21-2010 |
20110041764 | BATCH PROCESSING PLATFORM FOR ALD AND CVD - A batch processing platform used for ALD or CVD processing is configured for high throughput and minimal footprint. In one embodiment, the processing platform comprises an atmospheric transfer region, at least one batch processing chamber with a buffer chamber and staging platform, and a transfer robot disposed in the transfer region wherein the transfer robot has at least one substrate transfer arm that comprises multiple substrate handling blades. The platform may include two batch processing chambers configured with a service aisle disposed therebetween to provide necessary service access to the transfer robot and the deposition stations. In another embodiment, the processing platform comprises at least one batch processing chamber, a substrate transfer robot that is adapted to transfer substrates between a FOUP and a processing cassette, and a cassette transfer region containing a cassette handler robot. The cassette handler robot may be a linear actuator or a rotary table. | 02-24-2011 |
20110277689 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH OFF-CENTER GAS DELIVERY FUNNEL - Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are disclosed herein. The process chamber includes a chamber body, a substrate support pedestal, a pump port and a gas injection funnel. The chamber body has an inner volume and the substrate support pedestal is disposed in the inner volume of the chamber body. The pump port is coupled to the inner volume and is disposed off-center from a central axis of the substrate support pedestal. The pump port provides azimuthally non-uniform pumping proximate to a surface of the substrate support pedestal and creates localized regions of high pressure and low pressure within the inner volume during use. The gas injection funnel is disposed in a ceiling of the chamber body and opposite the substrate support pedestal. The gas injection funnel is offset from the central axis of the substrate support pedestal and is disposed in a region of low pressure. | 11-17-2011 |
20120183915 | USE OF INFRARED CAMERA FOR REAL-TIME TEMPERATURE MONITORING AND CONTROL - Embodiments of the invention generally contemplate an apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling the temperature of a substrate during processing. One embodiment of the apparatus and method takes advantage of an infrared camera to obtain the temperature profile of multiple regions or the entire surface of the substrate and a system controller to calculate and coordinate in real time an optimized strategy for reducing any possible temperature non-uniformity found on the substrate during processing. | 07-19-2012 |
20120210937 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS USING A BATCH PROCESSING CHAMBER - Aspects of the invention include a method and apparatus for processing a substrate using a multi-chamber processing system (e.g., a cluster tool) adapted to process substrates in one or more batch and/or single substrate processing chambers to increase the system throughput. | 08-23-2012 |
20120235339 | PROCESS EQUIPMENT ARCHITECTURE - Embodiments of the present invention relate to improvements to single-substrate, multi-chamber processing platform architecture for minimizing fabrication facility floor space requirements. Prior art systems require significant floor space around all sides to allow for adequate installation and servicing. Embodiments of the present invention provide platforms that allow for servicing the chambers and supporting systems via a front and rear of the platform allowing multiple, side-by-side platform placement within a fabrication facility, while providing improved serviceability of the platform components. | 09-20-2012 |
20120291709 | ROTATING SUBSTRATE SUPPORT AND METHODS OF USE - A method and apparatus for processing a substrate utilizing a rotating substrate support are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrate includes a chamber having a substrate support assembly disposed within the chamber. The substrate support assembly includes a substrate support having a support surface and a heater disposed beneath the support surface. A shaft is coupled to the substrate support and a motor is coupled to the shaft through a rotor to provide rotary movement to the substrate support. A seal block is disposed around the rotor and forms a seal therewith. The seal block has at least one seal and at least one channel disposed along the interface between the seal block and the shaft. A port is coupled to each channel for connecting to a pump. A lift mechanism is coupled to the shaft for raising and lowering the substrate support. | 11-22-2012 |
20120322240 | DAMAGE ISOLATION BY SHAPED BEAM DELIVERY IN LASER SCRIBING PROCESS - Methods and apparatuses for dicing substrates by both laser scribing and plasma etching. A method includes laser ablating material layers, the ablating by a laser beam with a centrally peaked spatial power profile to form an ablated trench in the substrate below thin film device layers which is positively sloped. In an embodiment, a femtosecond laser forms a positively sloped ablation profile which facilitates vertically-oriented propagation of microcracks in the substrate at the ablated trench bottom. With minimal lateral runout of microcracks, a subsequent anisotropic plasma etch removes the microcracks for a cleanly singulated chip with good reliability. | 12-20-2012 |
20130018500 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATES USING MODEL-BASED CONTROLAANM PORTHOUSE; KEITH BRIANAACI SunnyvaleAAST CAAACO USAAGP PORTHOUSE; KEITH BRIAN Sunnyvale CA USAANM LANE; JOHN W.AACI San JoseAAST CAAACO USAAGP LANE; JOHN W. San Jose CA USAANM GREGOR; MARIUSCHAACI GilroyAAST CAAACO USAAGP GREGOR; MARIUSCH Gilroy CA USAANM MERRY; NIRAACI Mountain ViewAAST CAAACO USAAGP MERRY; NIR Mountain View CA USAANM RICE; MICHAEL R.AACI PleasantonAAST CAAACO USAAGP RICE; MICHAEL R. Pleasanton CA USAANM MINKOVICH; ALEXAACI CampbellAAST CAAACO USAAGP MINKOVICH; ALEX Campbell CA USAANM LI; HONGBINAACI Mountain ViewAAST CAAACO USAAGP LI; HONGBIN Mountain View CA USAANM DZILNO; DMITRY A.AACI SunnyvaleAAST CAAACO USAAGP DZILNO; DMITRY A. Sunnyvale CA US - Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, methods of controlling process chambers may include predetermining a relationship between pressure in a processing volume and a position of an exhaust valve as a function of a process parameter; setting the process chamber to a first state having a first pressure in the processing volume and a first value of the process parameter, wherein the exhaust valve is set to a first position based on the predetermined relationship to produce the first pressure at the first value; determining a pressure control profile to control the pressure as the process chamber is changed to a second state having a second pressure and a second process parameter value from the first state; and applying the pressure control profile to control the pressure by varying the position of the exhaust valve while changing the process chamber to the second state. | 01-17-2013 |
20130043235 | RAPID THERMAL PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH MICRO-POSITIONING SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus for rapid thermal processing of a planar substrate including axially aligning the substrate with a substrate support or with an empirically determined position are described. The methods and apparatus include a sensor system that determines the relative orientations of the substrate and the substrate support. | 02-21-2013 |
20130043632 | RAPID THERMAL PROCESSING CHAMBER WITH MICRO-POSITIONING SYSTEM - Methods and apparatus for rapid thermal processing of a planar substrate including axially aligning the substrate with a substrate support or with an empirically determined position are described. The methods and apparatus include a sensor system that determines the relative orientations of the substrate and the substrate support. | 02-21-2013 |
20140044503 | LINKED VACUUM PROCESSING TOOLS AND METHODS OF USING THE SAME - In some embodiments, a linked processing tool system is provided that includes (1) a first processing tool having at least a first transfer chamber configured to couple to a plurality of processing chambers; (2) a second processing tool having at least a second transfer chamber configured to couple to a plurality of processing chambers; (3) a third transfer chamber coupled between the first and second processing tools and configured to transfer substrates between the first and second processing tools; and (4) a single sequencer that controls substrate transfer operations between the first processing tool, the second processing tool and the third transfer chamber of the linked processing tool system. Numerous other aspects are provided. | 02-13-2014 |
20140150878 | PROCESS CHAMBER GAS FLOW APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS - Process chamber gas flow control apparatus having a tiltable valve are disclosed. The gas flow apparatus includes a process chamber adapted to contain a substrate, an exit from the process chamber including a valve seat, and a tiltable valve configured and adapted to tilt relative to the valve seat to control flow non-uniformities within the process chamber. Systems and methods including the tiltable valve apparatus are disclosed, as are numerous other aspects. | 06-05-2014 |
20140156070 | VIBRATION-CONTROLLED SUBSTRATE HANDLING ROBOTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS - Embodiments disclose a vibration-controlled robot apparatus. The apparatus includes a robot having an end effector operable to transport a substrate, a sensor coupled to the robot, the sensor operable to sense vibration as the robot transports the substrate, and operating the robot to reduce vibration of the end effector supporting the substrate. In some embodiments, a filter is provided in the motor drive circuit to filter one or more frequencies causing unwanted vibration of the end effector. Vibration control systems and methods of operating the same are provided, as are other aspects. | 06-05-2014 |
20140262035 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURING PLATFORM WITH SINGLE AND TWINNED PROCESSING CHAMBERS - A transfer chamber for semiconductor device manufacturing includes (1) a plurality of sides that define a region configured to maintain a vacuum level and allow transport of substrates between processing chambers, the plurality of sides defining a first portion and a second portion of the transfer chamber and including (a) a first side that couples to two twinned processing chambers; and (b) a second side that couples to a single processing chamber; (2) a first substrate handler located in the first portion of the transfer chamber; (3) a second substrate handler located in the second portion of the transfer chamber; and (4) a hand-off location configured to allow substrates to be passed between the first portion and the second portion of the transfer chamber using the first and second substrate handlers. Method aspects are also provided. | 09-18-2014 |
20140367266 | FAST AND CONTINUOUS EDDY-CURRENT METROLOGY OF A CONDUCTIVE FILM - A measurement tool includes a rotation stage supporting an workpiece support, a thickness sensor overlying a workpiece support surface; a translation actuator coupled to the thickness sensor for translation of the thickness sensor relative to the workpiece support surface; and a computer coupled to control the rotation actuator and the translation actuator, and coupled to receive an output of the thickness sensor. | 12-18-2014 |
20150050118 | Rapid Thermal Processing Chamber with Micro-Positioning System - Methods and apparatus for rapid thermal processing of a planar substrate including axially aligning the substrate with a substrate support or with an empirically determined position are described. The methods and apparatus include a sensor system that determines the relative orientations of the substrate and the substrate support. | 02-19-2015 |
20150076135 | HEATED SUBSTRATE SUPPORT WITH TEMPERATURE PROFILE CONTROL - Methods and apparatus of substrate supports having temperature profile control are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support includes: a plate having a substrate receiving surface and an opposite bottom surface; and a shaft having a first end comprising a shaft heater and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the bottom surface. Methods of making a substrate support having temperature profile control are also provided. | 03-19-2015 |