Methods and systems for supporting a workpiece and for heat-treating the workpiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9627244-B2
Application number	US-74257503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2003
Priority date	Dec 20, 2002
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for supporting a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer. A support system is configured to support the workpiece while allowing thermally-induced motion of the workpiece, which may include thermal bowing or thermal bending. The system may include a support member having a moveable engagement portion engageable with the workpiece, the engagement portion being moveable to allow the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece while supporting the workpiece. The moveable engagement portion may include a plurality of moveable engagement portions of a plurality of respective support members, which may be resiliently engageable with the workpiece. The support members may include flexible support members each having an unconstrained portion and a constrained portion, and the moveable engagement portions may include the unconstrained portions. Alternatively, the support members may be rigid and the system may include a plurality of force applicators such as springs in communication with the support members.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for supporting a semiconductor workpiece, the apparatus comprising:
a heating system configured to cause thermally-induced motion of the semiconductor workpiece by heating a surface of the workpiece relative to a bulk of the workpiece; and
a support system configured to allow the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece while supporting the workpiece;
wherein the support system is configured to allow motion of outer regions of the workpiece while maintaining a center of mass of the workpiece in a desired range; and
wherein the support system is configured to minimize motion of the center of mass of the workpiece.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said support system comprises a support member having a moveable engagement portion engageable with the workpiece, wherein said engagement portion is moveable to allow the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece while supporting the workpiece.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the workpiece comprises a semiconductor wafer, and wherein the moveable engagement portion is engageable with the semiconductor wafer to allow thermally-induced motion of the wafer while supporting the wafer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the engagement portion is automatically moveable in response to the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the engagement portion is moveable to minimize stress in the workpiece while supporting the workpiece during the thermally-induced motion.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the support member comprises a rigid moveable support member.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the engagement portion of the support member comprises a plurality of moveable engagement portions of a plurality of respective support members.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of moveable engagement portions of the plurality of respective support members comprises at least three moveable engagement portions of at least three respective support members.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of moveable engagement portions of the plurality of respective support members comprises at least four moveable engagement portions of at least four respective support members.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of moveable engagement portions of the plurality of support members comprises a plurality of tips of a plurality of respective support pins.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the tips of the support pins are engageable with an outer perimeter zone of the workpiece.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the support system is configured to automatically allow motion of the tips of the support pins in response to thermally-induced motion of the outer perimeter zone of the workpiece.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise material that is transparent to at least some irradiance wavelengths with which the workpiece is capable of being irradiance-heated.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise optically transparent material.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise quartz.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise sapphire.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise metal.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the plurality of support pins comprise tungsten.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of the plurality of tips of the plurality of respective support pins has an outer coating.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the outer coating comprises tungsten nitride.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the outer coating comprises tungsten carbide.

22. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of moveable engagement portions is resiliently engageable with the workpiece.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a plurality of force applicators in communication with the plurality of support members to apply forces thereto to cause each of the engagement portions to tend to maintain contact with the workpiece during the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein each of the force applicators comprises a torque applicator.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the torque applicator is configured to apply an upward force at a location on the support member interposed between a pivot point of the support member and the engagement portion.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the torque applicator is configured to apply a downward force at a location on the support member such that a pivot point of the support member is interposed between the location and the engagement portion.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein each of the force applicators comprises first and second torque applicators configured to apply first and second opposing torques to each of the support members, the second torque acting to oppose overshoot by the support member of an equilibrium position thereof.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein each of the force applicators comprises a spring connected to the support member.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the spring comprises a constant force spring.

30. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the plurality of moveable engagement portions of the plurality of support members comprises a plurality of smooth-surfaced tips of a plurality of respective support pins.

31. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a support member motion system configured to move the moveable engagement portions in response to the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the support member motion system is configured to move the support members in response to the thermally-induced motion of the workpiece.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the motion system comprises, for each of the support members, a respective actuator connected to the support member.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the motion system is configured to apply an electric current to each of the actuators to move each of the support members.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein each of the actuators comprises a voice-coil actuator connected to the support member.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein each of the actuators comprises a piezoelectric actuator connected to the support member.

37. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein each of the actuators comprises a linear servo actuator connected to the support member.

38. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the motion system further comprises, for each of the actuators, a motion translator configured to translate a linear motion of a moveable member of the actuator into an arcuate motion of the support member.

39. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein the motion system comprises at least one controller configured to adjust positions of the plurality of support members to minimize a difference between a weight of the workpiece and an upward force applied to the workpiece by the plurality of engagement portions of the plurality of support members.

40. The app

Assignees

• Camm David Malcolm
• Sempere Guillaume
• Kaludjercic Ljubomir
• Stuart Gregory
• Bumbulovic Mladen
• Tran Tim
• Dets Sergiy
• Komasa Tony
• Rudolph Marc
• Cibere Joseph
• Mattson Tech Inc

Inventors

• Camm David Malcolm
• Sempere Guillaume
• Kaludjercic Ljubomir
• Stuart Gregory
• Bumbulovic Mladen
• Tran Tim
• Dets Sergiy
• Komasa Tony
• Rudolph Marc
• Cibere Joseph

Classifications

• H10P72/7616

  characterised by a coating, a hardness or a material · CPC title

• H10P72/7606

  characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring · CPC title

• H10P72/7608 Primary

  characterised by a plurality of separate clamping members, e.g. clamping fingers · CPC title

• H10P72/50 Primary

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• H01L21/68728 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic