Substrate holder assembly, apparatus, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201986-A1
Application number	US-201514593841-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 9, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, a substrate holder apparatus is provided. A substrate holder apparatus includes a frame having multiple substrate contact supports configured to contact and support a substrate, and one or more vacuum ports configured to apply a vacuum at one or more locations along a bottom edge of a substrate. The one or more vacuum ports provide air outflow that removes liquid and/or residue along a bottom edge of the substrate after immersion into a tank. Assemblies including the substrate holder apparatus and methods of cleaning substrates with the substrate holder apparatus are provided, as are additional aspects.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A substrate holder apparatus, comprising:
a frame having multiple substrate contact supports configured to contact and support a substrate; and one or more vacuum ports arranged along the frame and operable to apply a vacuum at one or more locations along a bottom edge of a substrate.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiple substrate contact supports comprises three or more substrate contact supports.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the multiple substrate contact supports comprises a vacuum port located proximate thereto.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more vacuum ports comprises a first vacuum port proximate a left upper substrate contact support, and a second vacuum port proximate a right upper substrate contact support.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more vacuum ports comprises one or more slots.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more vacuum ports are connected to one or more vacuum sources configured to provide flow rates that vary in one or more of a) a flow rate amount, and 2) a time of application.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the one or more vacuum ports comprises a slot, and the multiple substrate contact supports and the slot are configured to provide a defined lower gap of less than 6 mm between the slot and a radial edge of a substrate when seated in the substrate holder apparatus.

8 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the substrate contact supports comprises a V-groove, and one of the one or more vacuum ports is substantially co-located with the V-groove, and the multiple substrate contact supports and the one of the one or more vacuum ports are configured to provide a defined gap of greater than about 0.025 mm from a bottom vertex of the V-groove to a radial edge of a substrate when seated in the substrate holder apparatus.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiple substrate contact supports comprise v-grooves, and the one or more vacuum ports are located proximate at a location of at least some of the v-grooves.

10 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more vacuum ports comprises at least two vacuum ports that include individually controllable flow rates thereat.

11 . The apparatus of claim 1 comprising at least two vacuum outlets coupled to individual ones of the one or more vacuum ports.

12 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frame includes a V-shaped upper contour.

13 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the frame includes a cover.

14 . A substrate holder assembly of a cleaning module adapted to clean a substrate, comprising:
a substrate holder apparatus including:
multiple substrate contact supports configured to support a substrate in an upright orientation, and
one or more vacuum ports configured to apply a vacuum at one or more locations along a bottom edge of a substrate; and
a vacuum apparatus coupled to the substrate holder apparatus and configured to apply a vacuum at the one or more vacuum ports.

15 . The substrate holder assembly of claim 14 wherein the vacuum apparatus applies a first vacuum at a first vacuum outlet and a second vacuum at a second vacuum outlet of the substrate holder apparatus.

16 . The substrate holder assembly of claim 14 , wherein each of the multiple substrate contact supports comprises a v-groove.

17 . The substrate holder assembly of claim 14 , wherein at least some of the multiple substrate contact supports comprise vacuum ports located thereat.

18 . The substrate holder assembly of claim 14 , wherein the one or more vacuum ports comprise a slot positioned between at least two of the multiple substrate contact supports.

19 . A method of cleaning a substrate, comprising:
supporting a substrate on multiple substrate contact supports on a frame of a substrate holder apparatus; providing one or more vacuum ports on the frame; and removing liquid from a bottom edge of the substrate by applying a vacuum to the one or more vacuum ports.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein a first vacuum is applied to a first one of the one or more vacuum ports, and a second vacuum is applied to a second one of the one or more vacuum ports, wherein the first vacuum is supplied at a different time or in a differing amount than the second vacuum.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Velazquez Edwin
• Mikhaylichenko Ekaterina
• Hanson Kyle M
• Domin Jonathan P
• Atkinson Jim K

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/78 Primary

  using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks · CPC title

• F26B5/12 Primary

  by suction · CPC title

• B08B11/02

  Devices for holding articles during cleaning {(B08B9/42 takes precedence)} · CPC title