Substrate carrier with hard mask

Abstract

A substrate carrier device having a hard mask is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the substrate carrier device includes: a carrier body having a support surface for supporting a substrate; and a mask assembly disposed above the support surface. The mask assembly includes: an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; and a hard mask coupled to the annular frame and disposed within the annular frame above the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to substrate processing systems and, more particularly, to a substrate carrier having a hard mask. Background Art

[0002] Masks (e.g., hard masks) are commonly used in semiconductor processing to selectively deposit material on a substrate. The mask will have a predetermined pattern of openings formed through the mask to allow material to be deposited on the substrate below the mask only at locations corresponding to the openings. However, the placement and removal of such masks are typically performed in atmosphere. The inventors have discovered that after processing a substrate using a mask, the material that has been deposited on the mask often forms particles when leaving the vacuum environment of a processing chamber or cluster tool.

[0003] Therefore, the inventors herein provide an improved substrate carrier having a hard mask. Summary of the invention

[0004] A substrate carrier device having a hard mask is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the substrate carrier device includes: a carrier body having a support surface for supporting a substrate; and a mask assembly disposed above the support surface. The mask assembly includes: an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; and a hard mask coupled to the annular frame and disposed within the annular frame above the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask.

[0005] In some embodiments, a substrate carrier apparatus includes: a carrier body having a support surface for supporting a substrate; and a mask assembly disposed above the support surface. The mask assembly includes: an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; a hard mask coupled to the annular frame and disposed within the annular frame above the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask to maintain a predetermined gap between about 20 μm and about 50 μm between the hard mask and the substrate when the substrate is disposed atop the support surface; and a flexure element coupled to the annular frame and configured to compensate for substrate thickness variations.

[0006] Other and further embodiments of the disclosure are described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above and discussed in more detail below, can be understood with reference to the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure, as the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0008] Figure 1 Depicted is a schematic top view of a substrate carrier apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 Depicted are some embodiments of the present disclosure along the Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the substrate carrier device taken along line 2-2' in FIG.

[0010] Figure 3 Depicted is a cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 4 Depicted is a schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier body for use with a carrier device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used as much as possible to designate the same elements common to each figure. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. The elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further elaboration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] A substrate carrier device with a hard mask is disclosed herein. The substrate carrier device of the present invention includes a carrier and a mask assembly, a substrate can be placed on the carrier, and the mask assembly can be placed on top of the carrier so that the hard mask of the mask assembly is arranged above the substrate. The substrate carrier device of the present invention advantageously enables the placement and removal of the hard mask above the substrate in a vacuum environment. For example, a chamber configured to receive a substrate on a carrier and place / remove the mask assembly above the substrate can be coupled to a cluster tool so that the mask assembly is always in a vacuum environment. Therefore, particle generation on the hard mask is advantageously minimized or substantially eliminated, which prevents contamination of the substrate and the processing chamber in contact with the hard mask.

[0014] The following will refer to Figure 1 and 2 to describe. Figure 1 A top view of a substrate carrier apparatus 100 is depicted, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Depicted is a view taken along line 2-2' Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier device 100. In some embodiments, the substrate carrier device 100 includes a carrier body 202 and a mask assembly 204 thereon. Figure 2 As shown, the carrier body 202 includes a support surface 206 to support a substrate 208. In some embodiments, the carrier body 202 is formed of a non-metallic material, such as, for example, aluminum oxide, silicon, etc. In some embodiments, the support surface 206 can be textured to minimize or substantially prevent the substrate 208 from moving along the support surface 206 during handling of the substrate carrier device 100. The mask assembly 204 is disposed above the support surface 206 and includes an annular frame 102 disposed atop the support surface 206 and a hard mask 104 coupled to the annular frame via a flexure element 210. As used herein, the term annular is not limited to a circular closed shape, and may include other closed shapes, such as, for example, a rectangle, a polygon, etc. The hard mask 104 is disposed within the annular frame 102 so that the hard mask 104 is located directly above the substrate 208.

[0015] The hard mask 104 includes one or more openings 106 arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask 104 to selectively allow material to be deposited onto the substrate 208 through the one or more openings 106 at locations corresponding to the one or more openings 106. The hard mask 104 further includes a plurality of spacer elements 212 extending from a bottom surface 214 of the hard mask 104 to maintain a predetermined gap 218 between the hard mask 104 and the substrate 208. In some embodiments, the plurality of spacer elements 212 may be bonded to the bottom surface 214. In some embodiments, the plurality of spacer elements 212 may be deposited on the bottom surface 214 instead. In some embodiments, the hard mask 104 may alternatively include an annular spacer (not shown) instead of a plurality of spacers. In some embodiments, the predetermined gap 218 is between about 20 μm and about 50 μm. In some embodiments, the predetermined gap is about 25 μm. In some embodiments, the hard mask 104 has a thickness 220 between about 20 μm and about 50 μm.

[0016] The flexure elements 210 couple the annular frame 102 to the hard mask 104. The flexure elements 210 are also coupled to the hard mask 104 at the ends of the flexure elements 210 opposite the annular frame 102. In some embodiments, the flexure elements 210 may be welded to both the annular frame 102 and the hard mask 104. In some embodiments, the flexure elements 210 may alternatively be brazed or glued to both the annular frame 102 and the hard mask 104. Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the flexure element includes a plurality of springs 222, which are coupled (e.g., via welding, brazing, or adhesive) to a corresponding plurality of coupling bodies 224. In some embodiments, the flexure element 210 may alternatively include an elastomeric member rather than a spring. The substrate (e.g., substrate 208) typically has a thickness variation across the substrate. The flexure element 210 advantageously compensates for such thickness variation by allowing the hard mask 104 to be not perfectly horizontal while still ensuring that the annular frame 102 sits flush against the support surface 206.

[0017] Due to the relatively small thickness of the hard mask 104, the hard mask 104 is flexible. Therefore, when the spacer element 212 and the coupling body 224 are coupled (i.e., bonded) to the hard mask 104, the hard mask 104 is tightened before coupling to ensure that the hard mask 104 is as horizontal as possible when set on the top of the substrate 208. During deposition, the hard mask 104 may experience thermal expansion and may therefore begin to sag. Therefore, in some embodiments, the hard mask 104 may include one or more protrusions 108 extending from the bottom surface 214 to compensate for this sag. One or more protrusions 108 are arranged at predetermined positions and are configured to prevent the deflection of the hard mask toward the substrate 208 from exceeding a predetermined deflection. For example, the size of each protrusion 108 can be set only to allow a maximum local deflection of about 5 μm. However, the protrusions 108 can be arranged and configured to allow any desired amount of deflection.

[0018] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier device 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The substrate carrier device 300 includes components similar to those described above with respect to the substrate carrier device 100. Therefore, descriptions of similar components are omitted herein. In some embodiments, the substrate carrier device 300 includes an annular frame 302 having a lip 304 extending radially inwardly, the lip 304 being coupled to an upper surface of the hard mask 104. In some embodiments, the flexure element includes one or more elastomeric elements 306, the one or more elastomeric elements 306 being disposed within corresponding openings / slots 308 such that the elastomeric elements 306 are disposed between the annular frame 302 and a support surface 307 of the carrier body 301. In some embodiments, the flexure element may alternatively include an annular elastomeric element (not shown) disposed within a corresponding annular channel (not shown). In some embodiments, the annular frame may be formed of an unchanging metallic material, such as, for example, a nickel-iron alloy. In some embodiments, one or more magnets 310 may be disposed in the carrier body 301 below the support surface 307 in an area below the annular frame 302 to bias the annular frame 302 toward the carrier body 301 .

[0019] Figure 4A schematic cross-sectional view of a carrier body 400 for use with a carrier apparatus (e.g., substrate carrier apparatus 100 or 300 described above) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Carrier body 400 is a portable electrostatic chuck (ESC) configured to hold a substrate atop a support surface 401 of carrier body 400 using electrostatic forces. In some embodiments, carrier body 400 may include one or more electrodes 402 and one or more corresponding electrical leads 404 configured to couple electrical power to the one or more electrodes 402 to electrostatically adsorb the substrate onto the support surface 401. After power is applied to the one or more electrodes 402 to adsorb the substrate onto the support surface 401, the electrostatic adsorption force remains on carrier body 400 and the substrate even after power is no longer supplied to the one or more electrodes 402 (i.e., during transport of the carrier apparatus to / from a processing chamber). Thus, the substrate is advantageously prevented from moving during handling during transport of the carrier apparatus.

[0020] To remove the substrate from the carrier, power having a charge opposite to the suction power is supplied to the one or more electrical leads 404 to allow removal of the substrate. The carrier body 400 may include any necessary structure to facilitate placement / removal of the substrate onto / from the support surface 401. For example, the carrier body 400 may include lift pin holes (not shown) to allow lift pins to raise / lower the substrate from / on the support surface, or alternatively, the carrier body 400 may include grooves (not shown) to allow an end effector to pass under the substrate to place and remove the substrate.

[0021] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.

Claims

1. A substrate carrier device, comprising: a carrier body having a support surface for supporting a substrate; and A mask assembly is disposed above the support surface, the mask assembly comprising: an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; a hard mask coupled to and disposed within the annular frame over the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask to a distance corresponding to a predetermined gap between the hard mask and the substrate; and A flexure element is coupled to the annular frame, wherein the flexure element is disposed between the hard mask and the annular frame or between the annular frame and the support surface. 2 . The substrate carrier apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexure element is configured to compensate for substrate thickness variations.

3. The substrate carrier apparatus of claim 2, wherein when the flexure element is disposed between the hard mask and the annular frame, the flexure element comprises: a plurality of springs, each spring coupled to the annular frame at a first end; and a corresponding plurality of coupling bodies, each coupling body being coupled to a corresponding spring of the plurality of springs at a second end of the spring opposite to the annular frame, and wherein the plurality of coupling bodies are coupled to an upper surface of the hard mask.

4. The substrate carrier device of claim 2, wherein when the flexure element is disposed between the annular frame and the support surface, the flexure element comprises one or more elastomeric elements disposed between the annular frame and the support surface.

5. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of spacer elements are configured to maintain the predetermined gap between about 20 μm and about 50 μm between the hard mask and the substrate when the substrate is disposed atop the support surface.

6. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: One or more magnets are disposed in the carrier body below the support surface in a region below the annular frame to bias the annular frame toward the carrier body.

7. A substrate carrier device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hard mask further includes one or more protrusions, which extend from the bottom surface of the hard mask and are constructed to prevent the hard mask from deflecting toward the substrate beyond a predetermined deflection.

8. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier body is formed from a non-metallic material.

9. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hard mask has a thickness between about 20 μm and about 50 μm.

10. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support surface is textured.

11. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the carrier body is a portable electrostatic chuck.

12. A substrate carrier device comprising: a carrier body having a support surface for supporting a substrate; and A mask assembly is disposed above the support surface, the mask assembly comprising: an annular frame disposed atop the support surface; a hard mask coupled to and disposed within the annular frame over the support surface, wherein the hard mask includes one or more openings arranged in a predetermined pattern and disposed through the hard mask, and wherein the hard mask includes a plurality of spacer elements extending from a bottom surface of the hard mask to a distance corresponding to a predetermined gap between the hard mask and the substrate such that the predetermined gap between about 20 μm and about 50 μm is maintained between the hard mask and the substrate when the substrate is disposed atop the support surface; and a flexure element coupled to the annular frame and configured to compensate for substrate thickness variations, wherein The flexure element is disposed between the hard mask and the annular frame or between the annular frame and the support surface.

13. The substrate carrier apparatus of claim 12, wherein when the flexure element is disposed between the hard mask and the annular frame, the flexure element comprises: a plurality of springs, each spring coupled to the annular frame at a first end; and a corresponding plurality of coupling bodies, each coupling body being coupled to a corresponding spring of the plurality of springs at a second end of the spring opposite to the annular frame, and wherein the plurality of coupling bodies are coupled to an upper surface of the hard mask.

14. The substrate carrier apparatus of claim 12, wherein when the flexure element is disposed between the annular frame and the support surface, the flexure element comprises one or more elastomeric elements disposed between the annular frame and the support surface.

15. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising: One or more magnets are disposed in the carrier body below the support surface in a region below the annular frame to bias the annular frame toward the carrier body.

16. A substrate carrier device as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the hard mask further includes one or more protrusions, which extend from the bottom surface of the hard mask and are configured to prevent the hard mask from deflecting toward the substrate beyond a predetermined deflection.

17. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the carrier body is formed from a non-metallic material.

18. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the hard mask has a thickness between about 20 μm and about 50 μm.

19. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the support surface is textured.

20. The substrate carrier apparatus of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the carrier body is a portable electrostatic chuck.

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