Deposition system with electrically isolated pallet and anode assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9556512-B2
Application number	US-201314023211-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2007
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A system for substrate deposition is disclosed. The system includes a wafer pallet and an anode. The wafer pallet has a bottom and a top. The top of the wafer pallet is configured to hold a substrate wafer. The anode has a substantially fixed position relative to the wafer pallet and is configured to move with the wafer pallet through the deposition chamber. The anode is electrically isolated from the substrate wafer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for depositing a material, comprising: placing a substrate wafer on a top of a wafer pallet; coupling the wafer pallet to a transport carrier and an anode,
inserting an insulator between the wafer pallet and the transport carrier, wherein the transport carrier is electrically coupled to the anode,
inserting an anode post of the anode through an anode opening in the wafer pallet, connecting a wire to the anode post, wherein the wire runs approximately across the top of the wafer pallet, wherein the substrate wafer is electrically isolated from the anode; moving the substrate wafer, wafer pallet, transport carrier, and anode together through a deposition chamber; and depositing a deposition material on the substrate wafer.

2. A method for depositing a material, comprising: placing a substrate wafer in direct contact with a portion of a body of a wafer pallet at a top surface of the body of the wafer pallet to maintain the substrate wafer at substantially the same electrical potential as the wafer pallet,
coupling the wafer pallet to a transport carrier and an anode, wherein the portion of the body of the wafer pallet that is in direct contact with the substrate wafer is electrically isolated from the anode;
inserting an insulator between the wafer pallet and the transport carrier, wherein the transport carrier is electrically coupled to the anode,
inserting an anode post of the anode through an anode opening in the wafer pallet,
connecting a wire to the anode post, wherein the wire runs approximately across the top of the wafer pallet;
wherein the wafer pallet is for moving with the substrate wafer through a pass-through deposition system and moving the substrate wafer, wafer pallet, transport carrier, and anode together through a deposition chamber of the pass-through deposition system; and depositing a deposition material on the substrate wafer.

3. A pass-through deposition system, comprising: a wafer pallet having a body with a bottom surface and a top surface, the top surface of the body of the wafer pallet configured to hold a substrate wafer in direct contact with a portion of the body of the wafer pallet to maintain the substrate wafer at substantially the same electrical potential as the wafer pallet, wherein the wafer pallet is configured to move the substrate wafer through the pass-through deposition system;
and an anode having a substantially fixed position relative to the wafer pallet so that the anode is configured to move with the wafer pallet, wherein the anode is electrically isolated from the portion of the body of the wafer pallet that is to be in direct contact with the substrate wafer, wherein the wafer pallet comprises an anode opening from the bottom surface to the top surface of the wafer pallet,
and wherein the anode opening is dimensioned to allow the anode to pass through the anode opening without touching the wafer pallet and connecting a wire to the anode, wherein the wire runs approximately across the top of the wafer pallet.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a transport carrier configured to carry the wafer pallet through a deposition chamber, the deposition chamber containing the deposition source.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the transport carrier is configured to carry the wafer pallet through the deposition chamber along a substantially linear transport path.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising an insulator coupled between the wafer pallet and the transport carrier, wherein the anode is electrically coupled to the transport carrier and electrically isolated from the wafer pallet.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the anode comprises a raised portion of the transport carrier, the anode located approximately adjacent to the wafer pallet.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the transport carrier comprises a carrier opening approximately at a location corresponding to a wafer opening of the wafer pallet.

9. The system of claim 3 , wherein the wafer pallet further comprises:
a wafer pocket on the top surface of the body of the wafer pallet, the wafer pocket configured to hold the substrate wafer; and
a wafer opening from the bottom surface to the top surface of the body of the wafer pallet approximately at the wafer pocket.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the wafer pocket comprises at least one beveled edge on which to mount a corresponding side of the substrate wafer.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the wafer pocket comprises an uneven mounting configuration configured to hold the substrate wafer at a non-zero angle relative to the top of the wafer pallet.

12. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a grounding device electrically coupled to the anode and to a ground reference, wherein the grounding device comprises a conductive roller, a conductive brush, or a carrier track.

13. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a deposition chamber, wherein the wafer pallet is configured to move with the substrate wafer through the deposition chamber.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the deposition chamber comprises a deposition source housed therein.

Assignees

• Sunpower Corp

Inventors

• Cousins Peter John
• Luan Hsin-Chiao
• Pass Thomas
• Ferrer John
• Gallardo Rex
• Meyer Stephen F

Classifications

• H10P72/7621

  characterised by supporting two or more semiconductor substrates · CPC title

• H10P72/3314

  Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• H01J37/32752

  for moving the material across the discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/34

  operating with cathodic sputtering (H01J37/36 takes precedence {; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34}) · CPC title