Abstract
The present invention relates to a process module comprising at least one evacuable process chamber located in the process module and at least one support device being horizontally moveable through the process module in at least one substrate transport direction for accommodating respectively at least one flat substrate which is to be processed in the process chamber. It is the object of the present invention to provide a process module of the above-mentioned type, which allows a consistent and high-quality processing of all substrates at high production speed and at the lowest device costs possible. Said object is solved by a process module of the above mentioned type in which the at least one process chamber is physically closeable with respect to the process module by means of the support device, the position of which is changeable in at least one closing direction transverse to the substrate transport direction, wherein the at least one support device forms a bottom of the at least one process chamber.
Claims
1. A process module, comprising: an evacuable process chamber disposed in the process module; at least one support device being horizontally moveable through the process module in at least one substrate transport direction for respectively accommodating at least one flat substrate to be processed in said process chamber, said at least one support device defining a bottom of said process chamber in said processing level; a lift configured to lift said at least one support device to said processing level and to lower said at least one support device to a transport level, said lift including a radiation heater, said radiation heater being configured to be lifted or lowered said lift including thermal insulation blocks, and said at least one support device having a carrier provided on said thermal insulation blocks; said at least one support device being configured to physically close said process chamber; said at least one support device being configured to change position in at least one closing direction transversely to said at least one substrate transport direction, relative to the process module; and said at least one support device forming a bottom of said process chamber.
2. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said at least one support device is electronically conductive or at least includes an electrically conductive surface.
3. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said process chamber has a ceiling, side walls and connections disposed in at least one of said ceiling or at least one side wall for at least one of gaseous, liquid or electronic media.
4. The process module according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one pump connection associated with said process module and at least one pump connection associated with said process chamber.
5. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said process chamber has a ceiling and side walls, at least one tempering element of the process module is configured to temper at least one of said ceiling or at least one side wall, and said at least one tempering element is at least one of a heating device or a cooling device.
6. The process module according to claim 1, which further comprises a transport system of the process module configured to transport said at least one support device to and away from said process chamber and to provide a supply or discharge in a transport level parallel to a horizontal extension of said process chamber.
7. The process module according to claim 6, wherein said transport system includes at least one of transport rollers, a linear motor drive or a transport arm.
8. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said lift includes a lifting frame having a side holding said at least one support device.
9. The process module according to claim 8, which further comprises a heat-insulating pressure component with a flat carrier surface providing a carrier for said lifting frame.
10. The process module according to claim 1, wherein the process module is configured to be filled with a gas.
11. The process module according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one evacuable isolation chamber of the process module surrounding said process chamber, said at least one isolation chamber having at least one isolation chamber door.
12. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said process chamber is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy or has an inside covered with aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
13. The process module according to claim 1, wherein said process chamber is a plasma chamber having a gas shower serving as a first HF-electrode, said gas shower forming a parallel plate configuration with said at least one support device.
14. The process module according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one module interface of the process module having a module door for an integration of the process module into a substrate processing device.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0046] FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a process module of the invention in a vertical cross section along a substrate transport direction;
[0047] FIG. 2 schematically shows the process module of FIG. 1 in a vertical cross section opposite to the substrate transport direction;
[0048] FIG. 3 schematically shows a further embodiment of the process module of the invention with two process chambers stacked vertically;
[0049] FIG. 4 schematically shows a next embodiment of the process module of the invention with a process chamber included in an insulation chamber;
[0050] FIG. 5A-5C schematically shows a loading sequence of the process module as shown in FIG. 4;
[0051] FIG. 6 schematically shows a further embodiment of the process module of the invention with two process chambers stacked vertically with media connections at their sides;
[0052] FIG. 7 schematically shows the process module of FIG. 6 with two process chambers surrounded by insulation chambers and lift systems in a vertical cross section; and
[0053] FIG. 8 schematically shows another embodiment of the process module of the invention with isolation rooms above and beneath the process chamber.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0054] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention:
[0055] FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a process module of the invention in a vertical cross section along a substrate transport direction. Within the process module 1, a process chamber 2 is arranged. As bottom of the process chamber 2, a support device 3 is used, on which substrates 4 lay. The process chamber 2 shown exemplarily in FIG. 1 is a parallel plate reactor for a plasma-enhanced deposition of layers on the substrates 4.
[0056] The gaseous starting substances for the layer deposition are introduced into the process chamber 2 through a gas connection set 5 in a gas shower 31. The gas shower 31 serves as a first HF-electrode in the parallel plate reactor. The support device 3 with the substrates 4 is the second electrode of the parallel plate reactor being directed parallel to the gas shower 31.
[0057] An electrical connection of the support device 3 with the HF current circuit is required so that electronic HF-power can flow from the gas shower 31 across the support device 3. This electrical connection is provided by an HF-compatible contact 6, as is shown by the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, which is a mass contact in the embodiment shown. Besides the HF-compatible contacts 6, a seal 7 is arranged, sealing the process chamber 2 against the process module 1 when the support device 3 is lifted.
[0058] The support device 3 as shown in FIG. 1 is located in a transport level and can be moved horizontally in the substrate transport direction by means of a transport system 8. In the embodiment shown, the transport device 8 is a roller transport system comprising transport rollers 9. The transport system 8 is here only used for the transport of the support device 3 into the transport module 1 and for the transport out of the transport module 1 and not for locking the process chamber 2.
[0059] To lock the process chamber 2 with the support device 3, a lift system 10 is used. For that purpose, the support device 3 is centrally arranged under the process chamber 2. Afterwards, the support device 3 is lifted by the lift system 10, wherein the support device 3 is placed on a lifting frame 12. Within the lifting frame 12, a heating plate 11 is provided, which heats the support device 3 and the substrates 4 laying thereon and thus, heats to the desired process temperature.
[0060] For the storage of the process chamber 2 in the process module 1, carriers 14 are used for the process chamber 12. The process module 1 is provided as a module of a substrate processing system, which is connected to the substrate processing system through module interfaces. On each module interface a module door 13 is provided, which can be closed to separate the process module 1 from the substrate processing system. In the embodiment shown, two substrate doors 13 are provided so that an in-line of the support device 3 through a module door 13 into the process module 1 and through the other module door 13 out of the process module 1 is possible.
[0061] FIG. 2 schematically shows the process module 1 of FIG. 1 in a vertical cross section opposite to the substrate transport direction. Some elements of the process module 1 have already been described above with reference to FIG. 1. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the transport rollers 9 present are stub rollers with a lateral guidance for the support device 3. The support device 3 as shown in FIG. 2 is in the transport level, wherein the support device 3 is centrally arranged on a support roller(s) 16 or several sequentially arranged support rollers 16. A bending of the support device 3 is avoided by the use of the support roller 16. Between the transport rollers 9 and the support roller 16, a heating plate is arranged respectively. In another embodiment of the invention, it is also possible to provide a recessed heating plate in the region of the support roller(s) 16. Lateral process chamber pump units 15 can be clearly seen in FIG. 2, which are only shown as rectangles in the background of FIG. 1. Used gases are evacuated through the process chamber pump units 15 from the process chamber 2, wherein the flow direction in the embodiment shown is optimized by flow baffles.
[0062] FIG. 3 shows a further developed process module 1A of the present invention, which provides two process chambers 2 in a vertical arrangement. The process chambers 2 have already been described in detail above with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and thus, are only illustrated highly schematic in FIG. 3. The process module 1A is formed as end module and not as in-line module as is the case of the process module 1 shown in FIG. 1. When using the end module, both the evacuation of the support device 3 and its evacuation after the processing through the same module door 13. Regarding the upper process chamber 2, the support device 3 is shown in a position during the transport. With regard to the lower process chamber 2 in FIG. 3, the support device 3 is lifted by the lift system 10 to the processing level, and thus forming the bottom of the process chamber 2. The process module 1A encloses both process chambers 2. The gas from the process module 1A is evacuated through a pump unit 17. As can be seen on the right side of the illustration of FIG. 3, the process module 1 provides two inspection openings 18, which are closed by a revision closure element 19, respectively. Maintenance work is possible in the process module 1A because of the inspection openings 18, and the process chambers 2 can be brought inside and outside of the process module 1A through these inspection openings.
[0063] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the process module 1B of the invention, at which a process chamber 2 can be locked inside an insulation chamber 20. The insulating chamber 20 can be closed with insulation chamber doors 26, so that the process chamber 2A is double delimited from the outside atmosphere. In the embodiment shown, within an insulating chamber 20, process chamber tempering elements 21 and heat reflectors 22 are shown. The process chamber tempering elements 21 present are heating rods, which can transfer their temperature partly through heat conduction and partly through radiation to the process chamber 2A. In other non-illustrated embodiments, other process chamber tempering elements such as pipes, through which a tempered liquid flows, can also be used. Below the support device 3, a radiation heater 23 is shown, which is spatially separated from the support device 3 through heat isolation blocks 25, and which transfers its heat to the support device 3 through heat radiation. The lifting frame 12A provides cooling elements 24, which consist of channels capable of transporting cooling liquid. By using cooling elements 24, an overheating of the lifting frame 12A can be avoided.
[0064] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a loading sequence of the process module 1B, which has already been described in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5A, both insulation chamber doors 26 are opened, and the support device 3 runs from left to right into the insulation chamber 20. In FIG. 5B, the support device 3 is centrally arranged below a process chamber 2B. The insulation chamber doors 26 are closed now, and in the insulation chamber 20 a different pressure can be adjusted than in a process module 1B. The process chamber 2A is, however, still open and the pressure in a process chamber 2A and in the insulating chamber 20 is, therefore, at the same level. In FIG. 5C, the process chamber 20 is closed, and in the process chamber 20, a different pressure than in the insulating chamber 20 can be adjusted, which in turn can be a different pressure than in the process module 1B. The unloading sequence is not shown, but can be realized without further instructions by a person skilled in the art on basis of his expertise.
[0065] FIG. 6 schematically shows a further process module 10 of the present invention with two vertically stapled process chambers 2B located in an insulating chamber 20. As is shown in the embodiment of the process chamber 10, an HF-inlet 27 comes out of a side wall of the process chamber 1C and is centrally connected to a showerhead 31. The gas connection set 5 is also fed out laterally from the process module 1C, thereby a constant gas emission from the shower head 31 in direction to a substrate 4 is ensured through the construction of the shower head 31.
[0066] In FIG. 7, the process module 10 illustrated in FIG. 6 is schematically shown in a vertical cross section along the substrate transport direction. The upper process chamber 2B is shown in an open state, wherein the lift system 10 is lowered. On the contrary, the lower process chamber 2B is closed, wherein the lift system 10 is extended and holds the support device 3 in the process level.
[0067] FIG. 8 schematically shows another process module 1D of the present invention, which comprises an upper insulating room 28 and a lower insulating room 29. In this embodiment, the process chamber 2C is not completely surrounded by an insulation chamber, instead isolation rooms 28, 29 are only provided above the upper side of the process chamber 2C and below the support device 3. A good thermal insulation of the process chamber 2C is achieved by the isolation rooms 28 and 29. The upper isolation room 28 can advantageously contain a HF-distributor for the distribution of HF-energy to different feeding points of the HF-electrode. Depending to the set pressure and chosen gas, a plasma ignition at the HF-distributor can be avoided.
[0068] The isolation rooms 28 and 29 comprise separate pump units 17A, 17B. This way, they can be evacuated independent of the process module 1D.
[0069] Besides the embodiments shown of the process modules 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, other non-illustrated process modules of the invention can be realized, at which the single elements shown can be arranged or combined differently and/or at which equivalent elements can be used.
