Small thermal mass pressurized chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10304703-B2
Application number	US-201615268158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2016
Priority date	Oct 4, 2015
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing chamber incorporating a small thermal mass which enable efficient temperature cycling for supercritical drying processes. The chamber generally includes a body, a liner, and an insulation element which enables the liner to exhibit a small thermal mass relative to the body. The chamber is also configured with suitable apparatus for generating and/or maintaining supercritical fluid within a processing volume of the chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a chamber body defining a processing volume for operating at elevated pressures, wherein the chamber body comprises:
a liner disposed within the chamber body adjacent the processing volume; and
an insulation element disposed within the chamber body and extending along a major axis of the processing volume, wherein the insulation element has a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to a coefficient of thermal expansion of the chamber body and the liner, and wherein the liner is in contact with the insulation element such that the liner is encased by the insulation element and separates the insulation element from the processing volume;

a door movably disposed adjacent to the chamber body;
a substrate support coupled to the door and disposed within the processing volume; and
a baffle plate disposed within the processing volume.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the liner has a thermal mass less than a thermal mass of the chamber body.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the insulation element is disposed between the liner and the chamber body.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support is configured to move into and out of the processing volume.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the substrate support is coupled to a heating element.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the baffle plate is coupled to an actuator to move the baffle plate within the processing volume and the actuator is configured to raise and lower the baffle plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the baffle plate includes a material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, aluminum, ceramic materials, quartz materials, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the insulation element does not border the processing volume.

9. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a chamber body defining a processing volume for operating at elevated pressures, wherein the chamber body comprises:
a liner disposed within the chamber body adjacent the processing volume; and
an insulation element disposed within the chamber and extending along a major axis of the processing volume, wherein the insulation element has a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to a coefficient of thermal expansion of the chamber body and the liner, and wherein the liner is in contact with the insulation element and separates the insulation element from the processing volume such that the insulation element is not in direct contact with the processing volume;

a door movably disposed adjacent to the chamber body;
a substrate support coupled to the door and disposed within the processing volume; and
a baffle plate disposed within the processing volume.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the liner defines the processing volume, and wherein the insulation element is disposed between the liner and the chamber body.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the liner is encased by the insulation element.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Gouk Roman
• Chen Han-Wen
• Verhaverbeke Steven
• Delmas Jean

Classifications

• H10P72/3306

  Horizontal transfer of a single workpiece · CPC title

• H10P72/0411

  for wet cleaning or washing · CPC title

• H10P72/33

  into and out of processing chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/7626

  characterised by the construction of the shaft · CPC title

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title