System architecture for combined static and pass-by processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10752987-B2
Application number	US-201815899064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 27, 2011
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed is a substrate processing system which enables combined static and pass-by processing. Also, a system architecture is provided, which reduces footprint size. The system is constructed such that the substrates are processed therein vertically, and each chamber has a processing source attached to one sidewall thereof, wherein the other sidewall backs to a complementary processing chamber. The chamber system can be milled from a single block of metal, e.g., aluminum, wherein the block is milled from both sides, such that a wall remains and separates each two complementary processing chambers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing substrates in a processing system having a static processing chamber and a pass-by processing chamber, the method comprising:
introducing the substrate into a vacuum environment by loading the substrate onto a lifter and engaging the lifter to introduce the substrate into a loadlock and seal the loadlock;
passing the lifter while holding the substrate through the loadlock and into a loading chamber;
placing the substrate onto a translator inside the loading chamber;
activating the translator to transfer the substrate onto a carrier inside the loading chamber;
transporting the carrier into the static processing chamber and holding the carrier in its position inside the static processing chamber during processing inside the static processing chamber;
once processing inside the static processing chamber is completed, transporting the carrier out of the static processing chamber and into a transport section of the pass-by processing chamber at transport speed, and accelerating the carrier prior to having leading edge of the substrate entering a processing zone of the pass-by processing chamber until the carrier reaches a position abutting a preceding carrier being processed within the processing zone of the pass-by processing chamber; and,
once the carrier reaches the position abutting the preceding carrier, reducing the speed of the carrier to thereby continue transporting the carrier inside the pass-by processing chamber at a processing speed which is slower than the transport speed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein processing inside the pass-by processing chamber comprises sputtering material on a surface of the substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pass-by processing chamber comprises a sputtering chamber, and wherein the method comprises continuously operating the sputtering chamber while transferring plurality of substrates abutting each other across the sputtering chamber.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a turning chamber, the method further comprising:
once the carrier reaches an end of processing at the pass-by processing chamber, transporting the carrier to the turning chamber at a transport speed.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a second pass-by processing chamber, the method further comprising:
rotating the carrier at the turning chamber and thereafter transporting the carrier to the second pass-by processing chamber in the transport speed until it abuts the preceding carrier inside the second pass-by processing chamber.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising a second static processing chamber, the method further comprising transporting the carrier from the second pass-by processing chamber to the second static processing chamber at a transport speed.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising rotating the carrier inside the turning chamber while holding the substrate static during rotation.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising rotating the carrier inside the turning chamber while rotating the substrate in the carrier.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a dead space in the pass-by processing chamber and sizing the dead space such that a new carrier can be accommodated within the dead space inside the pass-by processing chamber before sputtering process is completed on entire surface of the prior substrate.

10. A method for continuously operating a sputtering chamber during processing of multiple substrates in a processing system, comprising:
continuously introducing substrates into a vacuum environment of the processing system;
continuously loading substrates onto carriers inside the vacuum environment;
continuously transporting the carriers, one after the other, into a static processing chamber and holding each carrier in its position inside the static processing chamber during processing inside the static processing chamber;
for each carrier, once processing inside the static processing chamber is completed, transporting the carrier out of the static processing chamber and into a transport section of the pass-by processing chamber at transport speed, and accelerating the carrier prior to having leading edge of the substrate entering a processing zone of the pass-by processing chamber until the carrier reaches a position butting a preceding carrier being processed within the processing zone of the pass-by processing chamber; and,
once the carrier reaches the position butting the preceding carrier, reducing the speed of the carrier to thereby continue transporting the carrier inside the pass-by processing chamber at a processing speed which is slower than the transport speed.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising continuously energizing a sputtering source within the pass-by processing chamber, without repeatedly turning the sputtering source on and off for processing each subsequent substrate.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising energizing a heater within the static processing chamber.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein transporting comprises individually energizing plurality of wheels inside the system.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein continuously introducing substrates into a vacuum environment comprises introducing one substrate at a time by:
loading the substrate onto a lifter and engaging the lifter to introduce the substrate into a loadlock and seal the loadlock;
passing the lifter while holding the substrate through the loadlock and into a loading chamber;
placing the substrate onto a translator inside the loading chamber; and,
activating the translator to transfer the substrate onto a carrier inside the loading chamber.

Assignees

• Intevac Inc

Inventors

• Leahey Patrick
• Lawson Eric
• Liu Charles
• Bluck Terry
• Fairbairn Kevin P
• Ruck Robert L
• Harkness Iv Samuel D

Classifications

• C23C14/50 Primary

  Substrate holders · CPC title

• C23C14/566

  using a load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H01J37/32899

  Multiple chambers, e.g. cluster tools · CPC title

• C23C14/568

  Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations (C23C14/562 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/34 Primary

  Sputtering · CPC title