Substrate processing systems, apparatus, and methods with substrate carrier and purge chamber environmental controls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359743-B2
Application number	US-201514931520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2015
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Electronic device processing systems including environmental control of the factory interface, a carrier purge chamber, and one or more substrate carriers are described. One electronic device processing system has a factory interface having a factory interface chamber, one or more substrate carriers coupled to the factory interface, and an environmental control system coupled to the factory interface, the carrier purge chamber, and the one or more substrate carriers and operational to control an environment at least within the factory interface chamber, carrier purge chamber, and the one or more substrate carriers. Methods for processing substrates are described, as are numerous other aspects.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device processing system, comprising:
a factory interface including a factory interface chamber;
one or more substrate carriers coupled to the factory interface;
an environmental control system coupled to the factory interface and to the one or more substrate carriers and operable to control an environment within the one or more substrate carriers and the factory interface chamber;
a carrier purge chamber environmental control system configured and adapted to purge a carrier purge chamber until certain environmental conditions are met; and
the carrier purge chamber being formed by at least portions of a load port back plate and a door opener sealed against an inside wall of the load port back plate.

2. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control system comprises:
a carrier environmental control system that is operable to provide an inert gas to purge the one or more substrate carriers; and
a factory interface environmental control system that is operable to provide an inert gas to the factory interface chamber.

3. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control system comprises:
a carrier environmental control system that is operable to provide an inert gas to the one or more substrate carriers; and
a carrier purge chamber environmental control system that is operable to provide an inert gas to a carrier purge chamber sealed to a wall of the factory interface.

4. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the control of the environment within the one or more substrate carriers and a factory interface chamber includes providing an inert gas to the one or more substrate carriers and the factory interface chamber that comprises argon, N 2 gas, or helium.

5. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control system is operational to control an amount of O 2 , or an amount of an inert gas, within the factory interface chamber and the one or more substrate carriers.

6. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , comprising a humidity sensor adapted to sense relative humidity of the factory interface chamber or the one or more substrate carriers.

7. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 comprising an oxygen sensor adapted to sense an oxygen level of the factory interface chamber or the one or more substrate carriers.

8. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured and adapted to control one or more of:
a relative humidity,
an amount of O 2 ,
temperature,
an amount of inert gas, or
an amount of chemical contaminate

within the factory interface chamber or the one or more substrate carriers.

9. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control system comprises:
a controller; and
an inert gas supply responsive to the controller and configured and adapted to flow an amount of inert gas into the one or more substrate carriers and the factory interface chamber of the factory interface.

10. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental control system comprises a carrier environmental control system coupled to a bottom of the one or more substrate carriers.

11. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 , comprising a flange clamping system configured to seal a flange of the one or more substrate carriers to an outside wall of the factory interface.

12. The electronic device processing system of claim 1 further comprising at least one inflow passage connecting an inert gas supply to the carrier purge chamber, the inflow passage being at least partially formed in the load port back plate.

13. The electronic device processing system of claim 12 further comprising at least one outflow passage connected to the carrier purge chamber, the outflow passage being at least partially formed in the load port back plate.

14. The electronic device processing system of claim 13 further comprising one or more sensors connected in series with the outflow passage.

15. An electronic device processing system, comprising:
a factory interface including a factory interface chamber;
one or more substrate carriers coupled to the factory interface;
a carrier purge chamber between the factory interface chamber and the one or more substrate carriers, the carrier purge chamber defined by a purge housing sealed against an inside wall of the factory interface facing the factory interface chamber, the purge housing including a door opener configured to open and close a door on the one or more substrate carriers; and
an environmental control system coupled to the carrier purge chamber and the one or more substrate carriers and operable to control an environment within the one or more substrate carriers and the carrier purge chamber.

16. A method of processing substrates within an electronic device processing system, comprising:
providing a factory interface including a factory interface chamber;
providing one or more substrate carriers docked to the factory interface;
providing a carrier purge chamber between the factory interface chamber and the one or more substrate carriers, the carrier purge chamber defined by a purge housing sealed against an inside wall of the factory interface facing the factory interface chamber, the purge housing including a door opener configured to open and close a door on the one or more substrate carriers; and
controlling environmental conditions within the carrier purge chamber and the one or more substrate carriers.

17. The method of claim 16 , comprising meeting environmental preconditions within the one or more substrate carriers before opening a substrate carrier door of the one or more substrate carriers.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein environmental conditions within the factory interface chamber and the one or more substrate carriers comprise one or more of:
a relative humidity below a predefined relative humidity threshold;
a temperature below a predefined temperature threshold;
an amount of O 2 below a predefined O 2 threshold;
an amount of an inert gas below a predefined flow threshold; and
an amount of chemical contaminate below a predefined chemical contaminant threshold.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein controlling the environmental conditions in the one or more substrate carriers is met by flowing an inert gas into a bottom entry of the one or more substrate carriers and flowing carrier environment out through a bottom exit.

20. The method of claim 16 , comprising:
providing a chamber environmental control system including one or more carrier purge chambers associated with the one or more substrate carriers; and
controlling inert gas provided to the one or more carrier purge chambers to purge an environment of the one or more carrier purge chambers before fully opening a carrier door of the one or more substrate carriers.

21. The method of claim 20 , comprising retracting a carrier purge housing from the inside wall of the factory interface only when one or both of a relative humidity threshold or an oxygen threshold are met.

22. A method of processing substrates within an electronic device processing system, comprising:
providing a factory interface including a factory interface chamber, one or more substrate carriers docked to the factory interface, and one or more carrier purge chambers defined b

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Rice Michael R
• Hruzek Dean C

Classifications

• H10P72/3408 Primary

  Docking arrangements · CPC title

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• H01L21/67775

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10P72/0402

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