Batch LED heating and cooling chamber or loadlock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10283379-B2
Application number	US-201615001716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jan 22, 2015
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for heating and cooling a plurality of substrate wafers are provided. LED lamps are positioned against the back sides of a plurality of cold plates. In some embodiments, wafers are supported on a wafer lift which can move all wafers together. In some embodiments, wafers are supported on independent lift pins which can move individual wafers for heating and cooling. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide for decreased time between wafer switching in a processing chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wafer cassette comprising:
at least one wall supporting a plurality of cold plates, the wall allowing access to a front side of at least some of the cold plates;
a plurality of LED lamps positioned against a back side of the cold plates and having a front side spaced from a front side an adjacent cold plate to form a gap, the plurality of LED lamps directed toward the front side of the adjacent cold plate; and
a wafer lift positioned to support a plurality of wafers at a periphery, the wafer lift able to move the plurality of wafers within the gaps.

2. The wafer cassette of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cold plates comprises at least one fluid channel through a body of the cold plate.

3. The wafer cassette of claim 2 , wherein the at least one wall comprises a supply manifold in fluid communication with the fluid channels in the body of the cold plate.

4. The wafer cassette of claim 3 , wherein the at least one wall further comprises a return manifold in fluid communication with the fluid channels in the body of the cold plate.

5. The wafer cassette of claim 1 , wherein the gap between the front side of the LED lamps and the front side of the adjacent cold plate is in the range of about 2 mm to about 15 mm.

6. The wafer cassette of claim 1 , wherein the LED lamps emit light at a wavelength of about 450 nm.

7. The wafer cassette of claim 1 , wherein the wafer lift moves a plurality of wafers away from the front side of the cold plates by a distance of at least 50% of the gap.

8. A system comprising:
at least one loadlock chamber containing the wafer cassette of claim 4 ,
an inlet line in fluid communication with the supply manifold, an inlet line heater connection and an inlet line cooler connection;
an outlet line in fluid communication with the return manifold, an outlet line heater connection and an outlet line cooler connection;
a heater bypass loop in fluid communication with the inlet line heater connection and the outlet line heater connection, the heater bypass loop comprising a bypass valve to allow a fluid to flow between the inlet line and the outlet line; and
a cooler bypass loop in fluid communication with the inlet line cooler connection and the outlet line cooler connection, the cooler bypass loop comprising a cooler bypass valve to allow a fluid to flow between the inlet line and the outlet line.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Schaller Jason M
• Vopat Robert Brent
• Pergande Paul E
• Riordon Benjamin B
• Blahnik David T
• Weaver William T

Classifications

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H10P72/14

  Vertical carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are horizontally supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0436

  mainly by radiation · CPC title