Substrate processing system, substrate chamber for vacuum processing system, and method for cooling substrate

Abstract

A substrate processing system (100) is described. The substrate processing system (100) includes one or more substrate chambers, and the one or more substrate chambers include a substrate transport system (140). In addition, the substrate processing system (100) includes one or more substrate cooling devices (150) arranged between a first track (141) and a second track (142) of the substrate transport system (140). Additionally, a substrate chamber for a vacuum processing system and a method for cooling a processed substrate are described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate processing systems, particularly vacuum processing systems for processing one or more substrates in a substantially vertical orientation, such as for display production. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate chambers for vacuum processing systems. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to vacuum processing systems and substrate chambers having substrate cooling devices. Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to methods for cooling substrates. Background Art

[0002] Techniques for layer deposition on substrates include, for example, sputtering deposition, thermal evaporation, and chemical vapor deposition. Sputtering deposition processes can be used to deposit layers of material on substrates, such as layers of conductive or insulating materials. Coating materials can be used in several applications and in several technical fields. For example, one application is in the field of microelectronics, such as producing semiconductor devices. Moreover, substrates for displays are typically coated by sputtering deposition processes. Other applications include insulating panels, substrates with TFTs, color filters, or the like.

[0003] The substrate processing system may include an atmospheric portion (e.g., a cleaning chamber), one or more vacuum chambers, and a load lock chamber for loading substrates from the atmospheric portion into the one or more vacuum chambers. During processing, the substrate is typically exposed to elevated temperatures. After processing, the processed substrate is typically cooled. Therefore, typically the temperatures in the various chambers of the substrate processing system are different. It is challenging to process thin substrates, particularly thin large-area substrates, at elevated and / or varying temperatures. In conventional processing systems, cooling is typically provided by introducing a cooling gas into the substrate chamber. However, cooling gas cooling systems have some disadvantages in terms of cooling efficiency, operating and maintenance costs. For example, commonly used cooling gases (e.g., helium) are very expensive. In addition, for effective cooling, a large amount of cooling gas needs to be used.

[0004] Therefore, there is a continuing need for an improved substrate cooling system that at least partially overcomes some of the problems of the prior art, such as problems with cooling efficiency and cost of ownership. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above, a substrate processing system, a substrate chamber for a vacuum processing system and a method of cooling a substrate according to the independent claims are provided. Further aspects, advantages and features are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate processing system is provided. The substrate processing system includes one or more substrate chambers, and the one or more substrate chambers include a substrate transport system. In addition, the substrate processing system includes one or more substrate cooling devices, and the one or more substrate cooling devices are arranged between a first track and a second track of the substrate transport system.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate processing system is provided. The substrate processing system includes a load lock chamber, a preheating chamber connected to the load lock chamber, and a transport system. The transport system has a first track for transporting an unprocessed substrate. Additionally, the transport system has a second track for transporting a processed substrate. The transport system is disposed in the load lock chamber and the preheating chamber. At least one of the load lock chamber and the preheating chamber includes one or more substrate cooling devices for cooling the processed substrate.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a substrate chamber for a vacuum processing system is provided. The substrate chamber includes a substrate transport system having a first transport track and a second transport track. In addition, the substrate chamber includes a cooling device arranged between the first transport track and the second transport track.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of cooling a substrate is provided. The method includes providing cooling of the substrate in one or more substrate chambers by using one or more substrate cooling devices disposed between a first track and a second track of a substrate transport system.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a coated substrate, in particular a coated substrate for manufacturing an electronic device, is provided. The method comprises using at least one of a substrate processing system according to any embodiment described herein and a substrate chamber according to any embodiment described herein.

[0011] Embodiments also relate to apparatus for performing the disclosed methods and include apparatus portions for performing the described aspects. These method aspects may be performed by hardware components, computers programmed by appropriate software, any combination of the two, or in any other manner. In addition, embodiments according to the present disclosure also relate to methods for operating the described apparatus. The methods for operating the described apparatus include method aspects for performing each function of the apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are achieved, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to the embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to the embodiments of the present disclosure and are described as follows:

[0013] Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional top view of a substrate processing system according to embodiments described herein;

[0014] Figures 2 to 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional top view of a substrate processing system according to further embodiments described herein;

[0015] Figure 5A shows a schematic perspective view of a first chamber of a substrate processing system according to embodiments described herein;

[0016] Figure 5B shows a schematic perspective view of a second chamber of a substrate processing system according to embodiments described herein;

[0017] Fig. 6A shows a schematic cross-sectional top view of a substrate chamber for a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein;

[0018] Figure 6B shows a schematic perspective view of a substrate chamber for a vacuum processing system according to embodiments described herein; and

[0019] Figure 7 A flow chart is shown for illustrating a method of cooling a processed substrate according to embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same components. Only the differences relative to a separate embodiment are described. Each example is provided in a manner to explain the present disclosure and is not intended to be a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, the features shown or described as parts of an embodiment may be used in other embodiments or used in conjunction with other embodiments to produce other embodiments. This specification is intended to include such modifications and variations.

[0021] For example, reference Figure 1, describes a substrate processing system 100 according to the present disclosure. According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate processing system 100 includes one or more substrate chambers 105, which include a substrate transport system 140. In addition, the substrate processing system 100 includes one or more substrate cooling devices 150 arranged between a first track 141 and a second track 142 of the substrate transport system 140. Typically, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 have a cooling surface 154 oriented to face the substrate 10 to be cooled. In particular, the area A of the cooling surface 154 CS corresponds at least substantially to a substrate area A of the substrate 10 to be cooled S In other words, the area A of the cooling surface 154 CS Can be 0.8×A S ≤A CS ≤1.2×A S , especially 0.9×A S ≤A CS ≤1.1×A S .

[0022] Thus, an improved substrate processing system can be provided compared to the prior art. In particular, by providing a processing system having one or more substrate cooling devices as described herein, more efficient substrate cooling can be provided at a lower cost. In addition, an advantage of providing a substrate cooling device between the first substrate transport track and the second substrate transport track is that the cooling device can also be used as a radiation wall, for example when the unprocessed substrate on the first track is heated and the processed substrate on the second track is cooled. Therefore, by utilizing the substrate processing system described herein, additional cooling chambers can be avoided. Therefore, the embodiments as described herein provide more efficient substrate cooling while achieving a compact processing system layout with a small footprint, so that short substrate processing cycle times can be achieved. In addition, it should be noted that substrate cooling provides improved substrate processing, especially after substrate processing, when the substrate leaves the processing system. For example, by the embodiments described herein, slippage of the robot fork used to pick up the processed substrate can be avoided, thereby substantially eliminating substrate damage or breakage.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown by way of example, the first rail 141 and the second rail 142 generally extend in the substrate transport direction 11. Figure 1 , the lateral direction 12 and the vertical direction 13 are shown. Therefore, it should be understood that the substrate transport direction 11 and the lateral direction 12 define a horizontal plane. Typically, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 are configured as walls extending in the vertical direction 13. In addition, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 typically extend over at least half of the length L of the substrate chamber in the substrate transport direction 11.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown by way of example, one or more substrate cooling devices 150 may be disposed at a first lateral distance D1 from the first track 141 and at a second lateral distance D2 from the second track 142. For example, the first lateral distance D1 and the second lateral distance D2 may be substantially equal. Therefore, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 may be disposed substantially in the middle between the first track 141 and the second track 142.

[0025] Before describing various additional embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail, some aspects regarding some terms used herein are explained.

[0026] In the present disclosure, a "substrate processing system" may be understood as a system configured for substrate processing, in particular for material deposition on a substrate. For example, the substrate processing system may be an in-line processing system having a plurality of chambers connected to each other.

[0027] In particular, an inline processing system can be understood as an arrangement in which two or more vacuum chambers are arranged in a line. In addition, the inline processing system can be configured for one or more layers on a vertical substrate in position. Therefore, the substrate processing system can be a vertical substrate processing system, that is, configured to process a substrate with a substantially vertical substrate orientation. For example, one or more layers can be deposited in a static deposition process or a dynamic deposition process. The deposition process can be a PVD process (e.g., a sputtering process) or a CVD process. Further, it should be noted that typically the substrate processing system is a vacuum processing system having one or more chambers configured to provide vacuum conditions.

[0028] In the present disclosure, "substrate" may be understood as a substrate used for deposition of material, in particular deposition of one or more layers, such as for display manufacturing. For example, the substrate described herein should cover substrates typically used for LCD (liquid crystal display), PDP (plasma display panel) and the like. Typically, the substrate is held or supported by a carrier. Thus, the carrier may be loaded with the substrate. For example, the substrate may be present in a substrate receiving area of ​​the carrier.

[0029] The term "substrate" as used herein shall particularly encompass non-flexible substrates, for example, glass plates and metal plates. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the term "substrate" may also encompass flexible substrates, such as coils or foils. According to some embodiments, the substrate may be made of any material suitable for material deposition. For example, the substrate may be made of a material selected from a group consisting of: glass (e.g., soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound material, carbon fiber material, or any other material or material combination that can be coated by a deposition process. For example, the substrate may have a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1.8 mm, such as a thickness of 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm. In some practical ways, the thickness T of the substrate may be 5 μm ≤ T ≤ 700 μm.

[0030] According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate is a large area substrate. For example, the large area substrate may have at least 0.01 m 2 , specifically at least 0.1m 2 And more specifically at least 0.5m 2 For example, the large area substrate may be of Generation 4.5 (which corresponds to approximately 0.67 m 2 substrate (0.73m×0.92m)), the 5th generation (which corresponds to about 1.4m 2 Substrate (1.1m×1.3m)), 7.5th generation (which corresponds to about 4.29m 2 Substrate (1.95m×2.2m)), 8.5th generation (which corresponds to about 5.7m 2 substrate (2.2m×2.5m)) or even the 10th generation (which corresponds to about 8.7m 2 Substrate (2.85m×3.05m)). Even higher generations (such as 11th and 12th generations) and corresponding substrate areas can be similarly implemented.

[0031] In the present disclosure, a "substrate chamber" may be understood as a chamber configured to receive a substrate as described herein. In particular, a "substrate chamber" as described herein is configured to receive one or more substantially vertically arranged substrates. In addition, a "substrate chamber" as described herein is generally configured to provide a vacuum condition inside the substrate chamber.

[0032] In the present disclosure, a "substrate transport system" may be understood as a system configured to transport one or more substrates within a substrate processing system. In particular, a substrate transport system is generally configured to transport a substrate held or supported by a substrate carrier. Figure 4Exemplarily described, the substrate transport system generally includes one or more paths, such as a first track and a second track, for transporting substrates within the substrate processing system. In particular, the first track may be a track configured to transport unprocessed substrates, such as transporting from the entrance of the substrate processing system toward the substrate processing chamber. The second track may be a track configured to transport processed substrates, such as transporting from the substrate processing chamber toward the exit of the substrate processing system. The first track and the second track may also be referred to as substrate transport tracks, respectively. "Track" may be understood as a guiding structure, such as a guide rail, for guiding the substrate along the substrate transport direction. Therefore, "track" may be understood as a mechanical structure. In addition, it should be noted that the substrate transport system may be a contactless transport system (e.g., based on magnetic levitation).

[0033] For example, as referenced Figure 4 Described in more detail, a first track may be provided for transporting an unprocessed substrate to a processing module (also referred to as a substrate processing chamber). A second track may be provided for transporting a processed substrate from the processing module toward the atmospheric module. Typically, the second track is displaced laterally relative to the first track. For example, the first track and the second track may be substantially parallel to each other. Therefore, it should be understood that the substrate transport system may be configured to transport one or more substrates from the atmospheric module to one or more processing modules via one or more transfer modules, and vice versa.

[0034] In the present disclosure, a "substrate cooling device" may be understood as a device configured to provide cooling of a substrate. In particular, a substrate cooling device is typically arranged and configured to remove heat from a substrate. In other words, a substrate cooling device may be a device capable of wicking thermal energy away from a substrate. Therefore, it should be understood that by providing a substrate cooling device as described herein, a heat flux from the substrate to the substrate cooling device is achieved, such that the substrate can be cooled. In particular, compared to conventional cooling systems that introduce cooling gas into a substrate chamber, the substrate cooling device described herein is a hardware device disposed inside one or more substrate chambers as described herein.

[0035] For example, reference Figure 2 According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the one or more substrate chambers 105 include a first chamber 101 connected to a second chamber 102. The first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 can be connected via a valve (e.g., a gate valve 115). In the present disclosure, a "gate valve" can be understood as a port that allows vacuum sealing of an adjacent vacuum chamber. In particular, as Figure 3 As exemplarily shown, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 include an active cooling device 155 disposed in the second chamber 102 .

[0036] In the present disclosure, an "active cooling device" may be understood as a device that performs active cooling, for example, by using a cooling fluid (such as water). For example, the active cooling device may include one or more tubes through which a cooling fluid is pumped to provide cooling. In particular, the tubes may be of a zigzag shape, which may be beneficial for improving cooling efficiency. Typically, the tubes are connected to a reservoir of cooling fluid. Therefore, it should be understood that the active cooling device may include a closed-loop cooling circuit.

[0037] like Figure 3 Schematically shown, according to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more substrate cooling devices 150 may include a passive cooling device 151 arranged in the first chamber 101. In the present disclosure, a "passive cooling device" may be understood as a device configured to absorb heat without additional active components or elements (such as a tube with a cooling liquid). In particular, as described in more detail with reference to Figure 5, the passive cooling device 151 typically includes a radiation absorbing surface 153, which is provided, for example, by a dark or black surface. In particular, the radiation absorbing surface may be provided by a coating, a layer or a foil. According to one example, the radiation absorbing surface 153 may be provided by one or more stickers.

[0038] It will therefore be appreciated that by providing a combination of active cooling means and passive cooling means, effective cooling of the substrate to be cooled is advantageously achieved.

[0039] According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first chamber 101 is a load lock chamber 110 (also referred to herein as a load lock module or a load lock module), and the second chamber 102 is a preheating chamber 121. Therefore, the second chamber 102 may include a heating device 160 for preheating an unprocessed substrate, such as Figure 4 Shown as an example.

[0040] Thus, advantageously, the first chamber 101 and the second chamber 102 have dual functions. In particular, the first chamber 101 acts as a pre-vacuum module when an unprocessed substrate enters the processing system. After processing, the first chamber 101 provides a second cooling. The second chamber 102 provides preheating of the unprocessed substrate and a first cooling of the processed substrate after processing.

[0041] Figure 4 2 shows a more detailed layout of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment described herein that can be combined with other embodiments described herein. Figure 4As shown, the substrate processing system 100 may include modules. The modules may be or include chambers. The substrate processing system may include one or more atmospheric modules 170. In addition, a robotic substrate pick-up station 171 is typically provided. The atmospheric module may include a swing module 172. Typically, the swing module 172 is configured to bring one or more substrates from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position. In addition, the processing system may include one or more load lock modules 174. The load lock module may also be referred to as a "pre-vacuum module" in this article. Typically, the first chamber 101 as described herein is a load lock module.

[0042] Additionally, the processing system may include one or more transfer modules 180. One or more transfer modules 180 may include one or more high vacuum modules 184. Typically, the second chamber 102 as described herein is a high vacuum module 184. Additionally, as described herein, Figure 4 As exemplarily shown, the substrate processing system 100 generally includes one or more processing modules 190 .

[0043] It should be understood that the one or more load lock modules 174, the one or more transfer modules 180 and the one or more process modules 190 are generally configured to provide vacuum conditions in the corresponding modules. Therefore, the vacuum condition can be applied to the one or more process modules 190 and / or the transfer module 180 and / or the load lock module 174.

[0044] As used herein, vacuum conditions include those below 10 -1 mbar or less than 10 -3 Millibars, such as 10 -7 mbar to 10 -2 For example, the vacuum conditions in the load lock module can be atmospheric pressure conditions and sub-atmospheric pressure conditions (e.g., at 10 -1 To transport the substrate into the high vacuum module, the substrate may be inserted into a load lock module at atmospheric pressure, the load lock module may be sealed, and then the load lock module may be set to less than 10 mbar. -1 Subsequently, the opening between the load lock chamber and the high vacuum module may be opened, and the substrate may be inserted into the high vacuum module to transport the substrate into the process module.

[0045] Additionally, the vacuum conditions in the process module may include a vacuum condition equal to or lower than 10 -2 Process pressure conditions of mbar, such as 10 -3 mbar to 10 -4 mbar. The basic pressure conditions in the process module can be -7 mbar to 10 -6 In the millibar range, especially in the 10-7 mbar to 5×10 -6 The vacuum conditions may be applied by using a vacuum pump or other vacuum generating techniques.

[0046] like Figure 4 By way of example, according to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the atmospheric module 170 can be connected to one or more transfer modules 180. In particular, the load lock module 174 can connect the atmospheric module and one or more high vacuum modules 184. One or more high vacuum modules 184 are typically connected to one or more processing modules 190. The load lock module or chamber can help equalize the pressure difference between the modules. For example, atmospheric pressure is applied in one module, and vacuum is applied in a module connected to this module via the load lock module.

[0047] Thus, it should be understood that the pre-vacuum module may be arranged between the atmospheric module and one or more high vacuum modules. The atmospheric module may include atmospheric conditions. For example, the air pressure in the loading module may include atmospheric air pressure. Thus, particles, such as O2, H2O, and N2, may be present in the atmospheric module or generally outside of one of the vacuum chambers. The pre-vacuum module may include different pressure conditions compared to the atmospheric module. For example, the pre-vacuum chamber includes lower pressure conditions. The pressure in the pre-vacuum chamber may be less than 10 -1 mbar. The load-vacuum chamber may be connected to one or more high vacuum modules. One or more process modules 190 may include different pressure conditions compared to the atmospheric module and / or the load-vacuum module.

[0048] For example, reference Figure 4 According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more processing modules 190 or chambers include one or more deposition sources 195. If there is more than one deposition source, the deposition sources can be arranged in a row. For example, the deposition sources can be arranged adjacent to each other. The deposition sources can extend vertically in length. As exemplarily indicated by arrow 191, a track switch is typically provided in one or more processing modules 190. The track switch is configured to transfer a substrate from a first track 141 to a second track 142.

[0049] According to an embodiment, one or more deposition sources may be rotatably fixed to the bottom side of the processing module. In particular, there may be two to ten deposition sources in one or more processing chambers. More specifically, there may be three to seven deposition sources in one or more processing chambers.

[0050] The processing of the substrate may be understood as transferring a material to the substrate. For example, the deposition material may be deposited on the substrate, for example, by a CVD process or a PVD process such as sputtering or evaporation. The substrate may include a deposition material receiving side. The deposition material receiving side of the substrate may be considered to be the side of the substrate facing the deposition source. In addition, the processing of the substrate may also include transporting the substrate from one module of the processing system to another module, in particular by using a substrate transport system as described herein.

[0051] like Figure 4 By way of example, according to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate processing system may include a heating device 160 for heating a substrate to be processed. For example, one or more of the transfer modules 180 may include a heating device 160. In particular, the second chamber 102 may include a heating device 160 for preheating an unprocessed substrate. Figure 4 As shown, typically the heating device 160 is arranged between the first track 141 and the outer wall 102W of the second chamber 102. Although not explicitly shown, the first chamber 101 may additionally or alternatively include a heating device. Therefore, heating may also be performed in the pre-vacuum chamber. For example, the heating in the pre-vacuum chamber may be performed statically. Static heating is to be understood as a stationary heating arrangement (e.g. at the chamber wall). It may also be understood as a stationary heating arrangement attached to the wall of the chamber. Static heating may include the substrate being parked in front of the heating device.

[0052] An advantage of heating the substrate in a load lock chamber and / or a high vacuum module is that particles can be removed at the start of substrate processing. Thus, particles are more effectively prevented from spreading to subsequent chambers. In addition, degassing of the substrate and / or substrate carrier is facilitated. Thus, improved process stability and performance can be achieved.

[0053] In addition, exemplarily referring to Figure 4 It should be understood that the substrate processing system 100 generally includes a substrate transport system 140 for transporting one or more substrates through the processing system. In particular, the substrate transport system 140 may include a transport path extending through the processing system, such as a first track 141 and a second track 142. For example, one or more substrates may be transferred from an atmospheric module to one or more processing modules, and vice versa. In other words, one or more substrates may circulate through the substrate processing system, in particular, between the atmospheric module and one or more processing modules. Therefore, it should be understood that the first track 141 is used to transport unprocessed substrates, and the second track 142 is used to transport processed substrates. The substrate transport direction is determined by Figure 4 The arrow 15 in FIG. 1 indicates by way of example.

[0054] Typically, one or more substrates are transported while being supported by a carrier. For example, during the deposition process and / or during transport, one or more substrates may be in a substantially vertical position. As used throughout the present disclosure, "substantially vertical" is particularly understood to allow deviations of ±20° or less (e.g., ±10° or less) from the vertical direction or orientation when referring to substrate orientation. This deviation may be provided, for example, because a substrate support or carrier with some deviation from the vertical orientation may result in a more stable substrate position. In addition, a substrate orientation facing downward may be beneficial in reducing particles on the substrate, particularly during material deposition.

[0055] For example, reference Figure 5A , shows a schematic perspective view of a first chamber 101 according to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the passive cooling device 151 can be provided by a radiation absorbing surface 153 oriented to face the substrate (in particular the processed substrate) to be transported through the passive cooling device 151. Therefore, the radiation absorbing surface 153 is usually oriented towards the second track 142. According to an embodiment, the area A of the radiation absorbing surface 153 RAS A substrate area A which at least substantially corresponds to the substrate to be cooled S In other words, the area A of the radiation absorbing surface 153 RAS It can be 0.8×A S ≤A RAS ≤1.2×A S , especially 0.9×A S ≤A RAS ≤1.1×A S .

[0056] In particular, the radiation absorbing surface 153 may be provided by a wall arranged between the first track 141 and the second track 142. For example, the wall may be a wall of a volume reducer. A "volume reducer" may be understood as an element arranged in the substrate chamber for reducing the free space in the substrate chamber. Providing a volume reducer is beneficial for reducing the time for providing vacuum or pre-vacuum conditions in the substrate chamber.

[0057] More specifically, the radiation absorbing surface 153 may be a dark or black coated surface. For example, typically the radiation absorbing surface has an emissivity ε of ε≥0.7. In particular, the radiation absorbing surface may have an emissivity ε of ε≥0.8, more particularly an emissivity ε of ε≥0.9, even more particularly an emissivity ε of ε≥0.95. For example, the radiation absorbing surface may be provided by a dark coating, in particular a dark paint layer, such as black or blue paint.

[0058] Thus, by providing a passive cooling device 151 having a radiation absorbing surface 153 as described herein, increased heat flux from the substrate to the passive cooling device 151 may be beneficially provided.

[0059] In the present disclosure, the emissivity ε represents the thermal radiation from a 'grey body' according to the Stefan-Boltzmann law, compared to the thermal radiation from an ideal 'black body' with an emissivity ε=1. The emissivity ε depends on the material and may vary with the temperature T and the wavelength of the emitted radiation. For many purposes, it is sufficient to assume that the emissivity of a dull black surface is about 1; that the emissivity ε of a surface such as a painted metal is about ε≥0.9; that the emissivity ε of a rough unpolished metal surface typically varies from ε=0.7 to ε=0.25; and that the emissivity ε of a polished metal surface is typically below 0.05, i.e. ε≤0.05. These values ​​apply at low and moderate temperatures of about 300K. For example, the emissivity of polished copper may be from ε=0.02 to ε=0.05. As another example, the emissivity of a painted or colored surface is higher than ε=0.7, i.e. ε≥0.7. Typically, the emissivity of a painted or colored surface is even higher than ε=0.9, i.e. ε≥0.9.

[0060] exemplarily referring to a schematic perspective view of a second chamber 102 according to an embodiment which can be combined with other embodiments described herein Figure 5B , the active cooling device 155 may include one or more active cooling elements 156. Typically, the active cooling device 155 is disposed at or within a wall disposed between the first track 141 and the second track 142. The wall of the active cooling device may also be referred to as a "radiation shield" or "radiation wall" because the wall of the active cooling device is typically arranged and configured to shield heat from the heating device 160, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 Exemplary description.

[0061] like Figure 5B As shown exemplarily, one or more active cooling elements 156 may include one or more tubes 157 through which a cooling fluid may be pumped to provide cooling. In particular, the tubes 157 may be of a tortuous shape that is beneficial for improving cooling efficiency. Typically, the tubes are connected to a reservoir of cooling fluid.

[0062] According to an example that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate processing system 100 includes a load lock chamber 110, a preheat chamber 121 connected to the load lock chamber 110, and a substrate transport system 140. The substrate transport system 140 includes a first track 141 for transporting an unprocessed substrate. Additionally, the substrate transport system 140 includes a second track 142 for transporting a processed substrate. The substrate transport system is disposed in the load lock chamber 110 and the preheat chamber 121. At least one of the load lock chamber 110 and the preheat chamber 121 includes one or more substrate cooling devices 150 for cooling the processed substrate. In particular, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 include at least one device selected from the group consisting of an active cooling device and a passive cooling device. Typically, the one or more substrate cooling devices 150 are arranged between the first track 141 and the second track 142. Specifically, the load lock chamber includes a passive cooling device 151 disposed between the first rail 141 and the second rail 142 , and the preheat chamber 121 includes an active cooling device 155 disposed between the first rail 141 and the second rail 142 .

[0063] For example, reference Fig. 6A and Figure 6B , describes a substrate chamber 130 for a vacuum processing system according to the present disclosure. According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate chamber 130 includes a substrate transport system 140 having a first track 141 and a second track 142. In addition, the substrate chamber 130 includes a substrate cooling device 150 arranged between the first track 141 and the second track 142.

[0064] According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate cooling means can include active cooling means and / or passive cooling means. For example, the passive cooling means 151 can be provided by a radiation absorbing surface 153 oriented to face the processed substrate. The active cooling means can be provided by one or more active cooling elements disposed at or within a wall arranged between the first track 141 and the second track 142. Therefore, it should be understood that the substrate chamber 130 can be the first chamber 101 or the second chamber 102 as described herein.

[0065] For example, reference Figure 7, an embodiment of a method 200 for cooling a substrate according to the present disclosure is described in the flowchart shown. According to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the method includes providing cooling of substrates in one or more substrate chambers 130 by using one or more substrate cooling devices 150 arranged between a first track 141 and a second track 142 of a substrate transport system 140. In particular, the one or more substrate chambers may include a first chamber 101 and a second chamber 102 connected to the first chamber 101. The one or more substrate cooling devices 150 generally include at least one of an active cooling device and a passive cooling device.

[0066] More specifically, according to an embodiment that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, providing cooling of the substrate includes providing first cooling of the substrate in the second chamber 102 (by Figure 7 Typically, the first cooling may be provided when the processed substrate is moved past the active cooling device 155. Alternatively, the first cooling may be static cooling, i.e., the substrate is stopped in front of the active cooling device 155.

[0067] As reference Figure 4 Exemplarily described, the second chamber 102 may be a high vacuum module 184. On one side, the second chamber 102 may be connected to the first chamber 101, such as a pre-vacuum module, and on the opposite side, the second chamber 102 may be connected to one or more processing modules 190, such as via one or more transfer modules 180 or directly.

[0068] Additionally, the method may include transporting the substrate from the second chamber 102 to the first chamber 101 connected to the second chamber 102 (by Figure 7 In addition, the method may include providing a second cooling of the substrate in the first chamber 101 (represented by block 220 in FIG. 1 ). Figure 7 230 in FIG.

[0069] Typically, the secondary cooling may be provided while the processed substrate is moved past the passive cooling device 151. Alternatively, the secondary cooling may be static cooling, ie, the substrate is stopped in front of the passive cooling device 151.

[0070] According to an embodiment of the method of cooling a substrate that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, an active cooling device 155 is disposed between a first track 141 and a second track 142 disposed in the second chamber 102. In addition, typically a passive cooling device 151 is disposed between the first track 141 and the second track 142 disposed in the first chamber 101. For example, the passive cooling device 151 may be provided by a radiation absorbing surface 153 oriented to face the substrate. Typically, the substrate to be cooled is a processed substrate, i.e., a substrate transported to the atmosphere module 170 from one or more process modules.

[0071] In view of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be appreciated that improved substrate processing systems, improved substrate chambers, and improved methods of cooling substrates are provided as compared to the prior art. In particular, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved cooling efficiency with lower operating and maintenance costs. In addition, by employing the embodiments as described herein to cool the substrate, substrate handling (e.g., by a robot at a substrate pick-up station) may be improved, thereby avoiding substrate damage or breakage.

[0072] This written description uses examples to disclose the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the described subject matter, including making and using any device or system and performing any covered method. Although various specific embodiments have been disclosed above, non-mutually exclusive features of the embodiments described above may be combined with each other. The scope of patent protection is defined by the claims, and other examples are intended to fall within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if other examples include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claims.

[0073] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments, other and further embodiments may be envisaged without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is to be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system (100), comprising: - one or more substrate chambers (105), the one or more substrate chambers comprising a substrate transport system (140), and - one or more substrate cooling devices (150), the one or more substrate cooling devices being arranged between the first track (141) and the second track (142) of the substrate transport system (140), wherein the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as walls extending over at least half of the length L of the substrate chamber in the substrate transport direction and having a cooling surface (154) oriented to face the substrate (10) to be cooled, wherein cooling of the substrate (10) is provided when the substrate (10) moves past the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) in the substrate transport direction in the one or more substrate chambers (105), and Wherein the walls of the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as radiating walls.

2. A substrate processing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the one or more substrate chambers (105) include a first chamber (101) connected to a second chamber (102), and the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) include an active cooling device (155) arranged in the second chamber (102).

3. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 2, wherein the active cooling device (155) is actively cooled by using a cooling fluid.

4. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 2, wherein the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) include a passive cooling device (151) disposed in the first chamber (101).

5. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 4, the passive cooling device (151) being configured to draw away heat without additional active components.

6. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 2, wherein the first chamber (101) is a load lock chamber (110), and the second chamber (102) is a preheat chamber (121).

7. The substrate processing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first track (141) is used to transport unprocessed substrates, and the second track (142) is used to transport processed substrates.

8. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 2, the active cooling device (155) comprising one or more active cooling elements disposed at a wall arranged between the first track (141) and the second track (142).

9. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 4, the passive cooling means (151) being provided by a radiation absorbing surface (153) oriented to face the substrate being processed.

10. The substrate processing system (100) according to claim 9, wherein the radiation absorbing surface (153) has an emissivity coefficient ε of ε≥0.

7.

11. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 9, the radiation absorbing surface (153) being provided by a wall arranged between the first track (141) and the second track (142).

12. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 11, wherein the wall is an element arranged within the one or more substrate chambers (105) for reducing a free space within the one or more substrate chambers (105).

13. The substrate processing system (100) according to claim 2, wherein the second chamber (102) comprises a heating device (160) for preheating an unprocessed substrate.

14. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 1, wherein the substrate processing system is a vertical substrate processing system for processing substrates in an orientation with a deviation of ±20° or less from vertical.

15. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 1, wherein the substrate processing system is a vertical substrate processing system for processing substrates in an orientation with a deviation of ±10° or less from vertical.

16. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 1, the one or more substrate chambers (105) being configured to receive one or more substrates arranged in an orientation that deviates from vertical by ±20° or less.

17. The substrate processing system (100) of claim 1, the one or more substrate chambers (105) being configured to receive one or more substrates arranged in an orientation that deviates from vertical by ±10° or less.

18. The substrate processing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first rail (141) and the second rail (142) are guide structures for guiding the substrate along the substrate transport direction.

19. The substrate processing system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transportation system is a non-contact transportation system based on magnetic levitation.

20. A substrate processing system (100), comprising - a load lock chamber (110); - a preheating chamber (121) connected to the load lock chamber (110); and a substrate transport system (140) having a first track (141) for transporting unprocessed substrates and a second track (142) for transporting processed substrates, the substrate transport system (140) being disposed in the load lock chamber (110) and the preheating chamber (121), wherein at least one of the load lock chamber (110) and the preheat chamber (121) comprises one or more substrate cooling devices (150) for cooling the processed substrate, wherein the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as walls extending over at least half of the length L of the at least one of the load lock chamber (110) and the preheat chamber (121) in the substrate transport direction and having a cooling surface (154) oriented to face the substrate (10) to be cooled, wherein cooling of the substrate (10) is provided as the substrate (10) moves past the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) in the substrate transport direction in at least one of the load lock chamber (110) and the preheat chamber (121), and Wherein the walls of the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as radiating walls.

21. According to the substrate processing system (100) according to claim 20, the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) include at least one device selected from a group consisting of active cooling devices and passive cooling devices, and the one or more substrate cooling devices are arranged between the first track (141) and the second track (142).

22. A substrate chamber (130) for a vacuum processing system, the substrate chamber comprising a substrate transport system (140) having a first track (141) and a second track (142) and a substrate cooling device (150) arranged between the first track (141) and the second track (142), wherein the substrate cooling device (150) is configured as a wall extending over at least half of the length L of the substrate chamber in the substrate transport direction and having a cooling surface (154) oriented to face the substrate (10) to be cooled, wherein cooling of the substrate (10) is provided when the substrate (10) moves through the substrate cooling device (150) in the substrate transport direction in the substrate chamber (130), and The wall of the substrate cooling device (150) is configured as a radiation wall.

23. The substrate chamber (130) of claim 22, the substrate cooling means (150) comprising active cooling means and / or passive cooling means, the passive cooling means being provided by a radiation absorbing surface (153) oriented to face the processed substrate.

24. A method of cooling a substrate, comprising: - providing cooling of the substrates in the one or more substrate chambers (130) by using one or more substrate cooling devices (150) arranged between a first track (141) and a second track (142) of a substrate transport system (140), wherein the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as walls extending over at least half of the length L of the substrate chamber in the substrate transport direction and having a cooling surface (154) oriented to face the substrate (10) to be cooled, wherein cooling of the substrate (10) is provided when the substrate (10) moves past the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) in the substrate transport direction in the one or more substrate chambers (130), and Wherein the walls of the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) are configured as radiating walls.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more substrate chambers (130) include a first chamber (101) and a second chamber (102) connected to the first chamber (101), and wherein the one or more substrate cooling devices (150) include at least one of an active cooling device and a passive cooling device.

26. A method of manufacturing a coated substrate, comprising using at least one of the substrate processing system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 21 and the substrate chamber (130) according to any one of claims 22 to 23.

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