Alignment module with a cleaning chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11637004-B2
Application number	US-202016848614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2020
Priority date	May 24, 2019
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

An alignment module for housing and cleaning masks. The alignment module comprises a mask stocker, a cleaning chamber, an alignment chamber, an alignment stage a transfer robot. The mask stocker is configured to house a mask cassette configured to store a plurality of masks. The cleaning chamber is configured to clean the plurality of masks by providing one or more cleaning gases into a chamber after a mask is inserted into the cleaning chamber. The alignment stage is configured to support a carrier and a substrate. The transfer robot is configured to transfer a mask from one or more of the alignment stage and the mask stocker to the cleaning chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An alignment module comprising:
a mask stocker configured to house a mask cassette configured to store a plurality of masks, the mask stocker comprising a first valve assembly;
a cleaning chamber configured to clean a mask of the plurality of masks, the cleaning chamber comprising a second valve assembly;
an alignment chamber coupled to the mask stocker via the first valve assembly and the cleaning chamber via the second valve assembly, the alignment chamber comprising:
an alignment stage configured to support a carrier and a substrate; and
a transfer robot configured to transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber from one or more of the alignment stage and the mask stocker; and

an alignment system comprising one or more cameras, the alignment system configured to:
acquire one or more images of the mask and the substrate, the mask comprising first alignment elements and the substrate comprising second alignment elements; and
position, based on the one or more images, the second alignment elements within the first alignment elements to align the mask with the substrate.

2. The alignment module of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning chamber comprises:
a chamber body;
a support pedestal positioned within the chamber body and configured to support the mask; and
a lid assembly configured to introduce one or more cleaning gases into the chamber body.

3. The alignment module of claim 2 , wherein the support pedestal of the cleaning chamber comprises a biasing electrode coupled to a power supply, and wherein the power supply is configured to drive the biasing electrode with a radio frequency (RF) signal to generate a plasma in the chamber body.

4. The alignment module of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to instruct the transfer robot to transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber.

5. The alignment module of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to instruct the transfer robot to transfer the mask from the cleaning chamber to the mask stocker.

6. The alignment module of claim 4 , wherein the mask is transferred to the cleaning chamber based on at least one of a first type of deposition process and a first number of deposition cycles.

7. The alignment module of claim 6 , wherein the first type of deposition process corresponds to one of organic film deposition and metal layer deposition.

8. The alignment module of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of masks comprises a first type of masks corresponding to organic material deposition and a second type of masks corresponding to metal layer deposition.

9. An integrated platform for processing a substrate, the integrated platform comprising:
a transfer chamber comprising a substrate transfer robot;
a factory interface comprising:
a substrate carrier chamber configured to receive a substrate and chuck the substrate to a carrier; and
a factory interface transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate and the carrier from the factory interface to the transfer chamber; and

a plurality of processing chambers and an alignment module coupled to the transfer chamber, wherein the alignment module comprises:
a mask stocker configured to house a mask cassette configured to store a plurality of masks, the mask stocker comprising a first valve assembly;
a cleaning chamber configured to clean a mask of the plurality of masks, the cleaning chamber comprising a second valve assembly;
an alignment chamber coupled to the mask stocker via the first valve assembly and the cleaning chamber via the second valve assembly, the alignment chamber comprising:
an alignment stage configured to support the carrier and the substrate; and
a transfer robot configured to transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber from one or more of the alignment stage and the mask stocker; and

an alignment system comprising one or more cameras, the alignment system configured to:
acquire one or more images of the mask and the substrate, the mask comprising first alignment elements and the substrate comprising second alignment elements; and
position, based on the one or more images, the second alignment elements within the first alignment elements to align the mask with the substrate.

10. The integrated platform of claim 9 , wherein the cleaning chamber comprises:
a chamber body;
a support pedestal positioned within the chamber body and configured to support the mask; and
a lid assembly configured to introduce one or more cleaning gases into the chamber body.

11. The integrated platform of claim 10 , wherein the support pedestal of the cleaning chamber comprises a biasing electrode coupled to a power supply, and wherein the power supply is configured to drive the biasing electrode with a radio frequency (RF) signal to generate a plasma in the chamber body.

12. The integrated platform of claim 9 , further comprising a controller configured to: instruct the transfer robot to transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber based on one or more parameters.

13. The integrated platform of claim 12 , wherein the one or more parameters correspond to a first type of deposition process and a number of deposition cycles.

14. The integrated platform of the claim 13 , wherein the controller configured to instruct the transfer robot to the transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber in response to the number of deposition cycles exceeding a threshold.

15. The integrated platform of claim 14 , wherein the first type of deposition process corresponds to one of an organic film deposition and a metal layer deposition.

16. The alignment module of claim 1 , wherein the first alignment elements are holes and the second alignment elements are markings viewable via the first alignment elements.

17. The alignment module of claim 1 , wherein the alignment system is configured to move the alignment stage to align the first alignment elements with the second alignment elements.

18. The alignment module of claim 1 , wherein the transfer robot is configured to transfer the mask to the cleaning chamber via the second valve assembly, and to transfer the mask to the mask stocker via the first valve assembly.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Lerner Alexander N
• Karazim Michael P
• Constant Andrew J
• Brodine Jeffrey A
• Vellore Kim Ramkumar
• Moraes Kevin
• Shaviv Roey

Classifications

• H10P72/3218

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H10P72/1906

  specially adapted for containing masks, reticles or pellicles · CPC title

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/57

  Mask-wafer alignment · CPC title

• H10P72/3404

  Storage means · CPC title