Substrate processing module and method for moving workpiece

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein include a substrate processing module and a method of moving a workpiece. The substrate processing module includes a shield stack and two processing stations. The shield stack is disposed between the processing stations. The method of moving a workpiece includes the steps of moving a support portion from a first position to the shield stack in a first direction, retrieving the workpiece from the shield stack, and moving the support portion to a second position. A transfer chamber assembly and method allow for moving a workpiece to the shield stack and moving a workpiece from the shield stack to the two processing stations. A central transfer robot of the substrate processing module is configured to grasp both a substrate and a shield tray, thereby allowing one robot to be used when two robots would normally be required.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to apparatus and methods, and more particularly, to substrate processing modules and methods of moving a workpiece. Background Art

[0002] Conventional cluster tools are configured to perform one or more processes during substrate processing. For example, a cluster tool may include a PVD chamber for performing a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process on a substrate, an ALD chamber for performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process on a substrate, a CVD chamber for performing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process on a substrate, and / or one or more other processing chambers.

[0003] The cluster tools described above include a transport system to move workpieces (e.g., substrates and shutter discs) to and from the various processing chambers within the system. For example, a turntable system having multiple arms is used to grab either the substrate or the shutter disc. The rotating turntable system moves the workpieces into and out of the various processing chambers in the cluster tool. The turntable generally has different grab arms of different forms and functions, depending on the desired workpiece to be grabbed.

[0004] One disadvantage in the art is that the turntable is generally designed to grip either the substrate or the shutter disk, which results in the use of multiple types of turntables or gripper arms. In addition, the shutter garage where the workpieces are stored is usually located in a non-high vacuum portion of the cluster tool, requiring vacuum to be pulled when the workpieces are transferred from the stack to other parts of the tool.

[0005] Therefore, what is needed is a substrate processing module that can use a single transport system to transport both the substrate and the shutter tray. Summary of the invention

[0006] Embodiments disclosed herein include substrate processing modules and methods of moving a workpiece. The substrate processing modules and methods allow the use of the same transport system to move a shutter disk and a substrate.

[0007] In one embodiment, a transfer chamber assembly is provided. The transfer chamber assembly includes a shutter stack and two processing areas. The shutter stack is disposed between the processing areas. The shutter stack is configured to store one or more workpieces. The one or more workpieces include substrates or shutter disks. The shutter stack includes a shutter base, one or more shutter disk supports, and a substrate support. The one or more shutter disk supports are coupled to the shutter base. The one or more shutter disk supports are configured to support the shutter disk. The substrate support is coupled to the shutter base. The substrate support is configured to support the substrate.

[0008] In another embodiment, a transfer chamber assembly is provided. The transfer chamber assembly includes a shield stack, two processing areas, and a central transfer device. The shield stack is disposed between the processing areas. The shield stack is configured to store one or more workpieces. The one or more workpieces include substrates or shielding disks. The shield stack includes a shield base, one or more shielding disk supports, and a substrate support. The one or more shielding disk supports are coupled to the shield base. The one or more shielding disk supports are configured to support the shielding disk. The substrate support is coupled to the shield base. The substrate support is configured to support the substrate. The central transfer device includes one or more transfer arms. The transfer arm is configured to transfer at least one of the one or more workpieces from the shield stack to one of the processing areas.

[0009] In yet another embodiment, a method of moving a workpiece is provided. The method includes the steps of moving an outer end from a first position to a mask stack in a first direction, retrieving the workpiece from the mask stack, and moving the outer end to a second position. The workpiece is a substrate or a mask disk. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to understand the above features of the present disclosure in detail, a more detailed description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above can be obtained by referring to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only illustrate exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, which may allow for other equally effective embodiments.

[0011] Figure 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of a substrate having a plurality of film layers deposited thereon, the plurality of film layers being formed and / or processed by the methods and / or apparatus disclosed herein.

[0012] Figure 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of a substrate having features formed thereon, the features being covered, lined, and filled with deposited material layers formed and / or processed by the methods and / or apparatus disclosed herein.

[0013] Figure 2A is a plan view of a processing system including a processing module including a processing station in the processing module for processing a substrate according to one or more embodiments.

[0014] Figure 2B is a plan view of an alternative version of a processing system according to one or more embodiments, the processing system including a plurality of processing modules each including a processing station for processing a substrate in the processing module.

[0015] Figure 3A According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A Isometric view of the processing module.

[0016] Figure 3B According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A plan view of the processing module.

[0017] Figure 4A According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a process module illustrating a substrate support in a transfer position beneath a process station of the process module.

[0018] Figure 4B According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A partial cross-sectional view of a process module of FIG. 1 illustrating a substrate support raised into a processing position to form a sealed substrate processing volume with the process module.

[0019] Figure 4C According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a process module illustrating an alternative configuration of a substrate support in a transfer position beneath a process station of the process module.

[0020] Figure 4D According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A partial cross-sectional view of a processing module of Figure 4C An alternative configuration of a substrate support is shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate support being lifted into a processing position to form a sealed substrate processing volume with the process module.

[0021] Figure 5A According to one or more embodiments, it can be used in Figure 2A Schematic plan view of a robot that moves substrates between processing stations in a processing module.

[0022] Figure 5B According to one or more embodiments Figure 5A An isometric view of an embodiment of a robot.

[0023] Figure 5C According to one or more embodiments Figure 5A and Figure 5B A floor plan of an alternative robot configuration for a robot configuration.

[0024] Figure 6 According to one or more embodiments Figure 4B Partial cross-sectional view of a processing station of a processing module.

[0025] Fig. 7A is an isometric view of a process module including a structural support assembly operable to maintain coplanarity of a processing surface of a source assembly and a substrate support surface disposed within the process module in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0026] Figure 7B According to one or more embodiments, Fig. 7A A close-up isometric view of the structural support components on the upper wall of the chamber of the process module shown in FIG.

[0027] Figure 8 According to one or more embodiments, Fig. 7A 8 is a side cross-sectional view of a process module formed along the cross-sectional line 8 - 8 shown in FIG.

[0028] Fig. 9A According to one or more embodiments Figure 2A A floor plan of an alternative processing module configuration of a processing module configuration.

[0029] Fig. 9B According to one or more embodiments Fig. 9A A plan view of the lower main body portion of a processing module, the plan view illustrating the movement path of a paddle robot in the processing module.

[0030] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C A side view of a shutter disk disposed over a skirt and an electrostatic chuck (ESC) is shown according to some embodiments.

[0031] Fig. 10D A top view of a shielding disk according to one embodiment is shown.

[0032] Fig.11A A top view of a support portion according to one embodiment is shown.

[0033] Fig. 11B A side view of a support portion according to one embodiment is shown.

[0034] FIG. 11C to FIG. 11DDepicted is the movement of a support portion according to some embodiments.

[0035] Fig. 12A The mask stack is shown in a first position according to one embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 12B The mask stack is shown in a second position according to one embodiment.

[0037] FIG. 12C to FIG. 12D The mask stack is shown in a first position according to some embodiments.

[0038] Fig.13 is a flow chart of method operations for moving a workpiece according to one embodiment.

[0039] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to identify identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Embodiments disclosed herein include a substrate processing module and a method for moving a workpiece. The substrate processing module includes a shield stack and two processing areas. The shield stack is disposed between the processing areas. The method for moving a workpiece includes the steps of moving a support portion from a first position to the shield stack in a first direction, retrieving the workpiece from the shield stack, and moving the support portion to a second position. The substrate processing module and the method allow the workpiece to be moved to the shield stack and the workpiece to be moved from the shield stack to the two processing areas. The central transfer robot of the substrate processing module is configured to grasp both the substrate and the shield disk, thereby allowing one robot to be used when two robots would normally be required. Placing the shield stack in a high vacuum environment reduces the need to draw a vacuum when transferring the substrate from the shield stack to the processing area. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used for, but are not limited to, transferring substrates and shield disks using the same device.

[0041] In one embodiment of the disclosure provided herein, Figure 2AThe substrate processing system shown in the embodiment includes: an atmospheric pressure or ambient pressure substrate input and output handling station (also referred to as a front end 220); a substrate processing module 250 having a plurality of processing stations 260 positioned on the substrate processing module 250; and at least one intermediate section 202. Substrates are transferred from the front end 220 or from the processing module 250 to the intermediate section 202, or substrates are transferred from the intermediate section 202 to the front end 220 or the processing module 250. Although the disclosure provided herein generally describes a processing module including six processing stations, this configuration is not intended to limit the scope of the invention provided herein, as the processing module 250 may alternatively include two or more processing stations 260, such as four or more processing stations 260 (e.g., FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B ), eight or more processing stations 260, ten or more processing stations 260, or even twelve or more processing stations 260. However, in a processing sequence used to form next generation devices including multiple film stacks, such as on-chip inductors, optical film stacks, hard masks, patterning, and memory applications, it is believed that due to the number of layers to be formed and the similar processing times used to form each of the layers, six or twelve processing stations including the processing module 250 configuration will improve substrate throughput, system footprint, and CoO compared to more conventional designs known in the art.

[0042] Use processing systems (such as Figure 2A and Figure 2B The processing system 200 is used to form one or more thin films on the surface of the substrate S and / or on a layer previously formed or processed on the substrate S. Figure 1A The portion 101 of the substrate S is shown, and the portion 101 has a plurality of thin film layers 102 and 103 formed thereon. Figure 1B The diagram shows a plurality of film layers extending above a previously formed layer 122 , where the layer 122 is formed on the conductive layer 121 of the substrate S.

[0043] exist Figure 1A , a plurality of film layers 104 are shown sequentially stacked on a portion 101 of a substrate S or on a layer previously formed on the portion 101. Figure 2A In the case of a processing system of FIG. 250 (in which six processing stations 260A to 260F are accessible within the substrate processing module 250), the processing stations 260A to 260F can be sequentially arranged along the imaginary circle 252 ( Figure 3B), the imaginary circle 252 intersects the center position of each of the processing stations 260, so that a plurality of first thin film layers 102 and a plurality of second thin film layers 103 can be sequentially deposited on the substrate. Each of the processing stations 260A to 260F can be independently or similarly configured to implement a deposition process, such as PVD, CVD, ALD (atomic layer deposition), or other types of deposition processes, or etching processes. For example, the metal layers 102A to 102C can be deposited on the substrate and composed of metal, and the reactive metal layers 103A to 103C can be deposited on the substrate and composed of reactive metals (e.g., metal nitrides), wherein the metal in the reactive metal layers 103A to 103C is the same metal as the metal in the metal layers 102A to 102C. In this example, during the substrate processing sequence performed in the processing module 250, the processing stations 260B, 260D, and 260F are used to form reactive metal layers 103A to 103C (e.g., TaN, TiN, AlN, or SiN layers) on the exposed surface of the substrate by using a reactive PVD deposition process, and the processing stations 260A, 260C, and 260E are used to form pure metal layers 102A to 102C (e.g., Ta, Ti, Al, Co, Si layers) by using a non-reactive PVD deposition process, so that the processing sequence allows the formation of a metal layer and then a reactive metal layer. By sequentially moving through all the processing stations 260A to 260F and sequentially processing the substrate, a multilayer film stack of pure metal / reactive metal / pure metal / reactive metal / pure metal / reactive metal can be formed. Alternatively, the base materials of the thin film layers 102 and 103 may be different materials, in which case a sputtering target of a first material type is sputtered in the processing stations 260A, 260C, and 260E, and a target of a second type is sputtered in the processing stations 260B, 260D, and 260F to form alternating layers of the first material type and the second material type. Here, for example, alternating layers of metal layers 102A to 102C and dielectric layers 103A to 103C or alternating layers of metal layers 102A to 102C and semiconductor layers 103A to 103C, such as alternating layers of molybdenum and silicon, may be formed. Similarly, a multilayer film of the same material may be formed, wherein all layers 102A to 102C and 103A to 103C are the same material, and the substrate is sequentially moved to each processing station so that the same material is deposited on the substrate in each processing station 260. The selection of sputtering target materials, processing parameters (e.g., processing pressure), and the inert or reactive nature of the gas used to form the plasma in the processing station 260 are user selectable to allow a user or operator of the processing system 200 to flexibly control the materials and material properties of any film within the film stack formed thereon. Figure 1AIn a substrate processing sequence of a repeated stacked layer configuration as shown in , where the stacked layer deposition processes (e.g., processes for forming thin film layers 102 and 103) have similar chamber processing times, significant throughput increases and improved CoO have been observed when using one or more system configurations and methods disclosed herein. In one example, it has been found that a substrate processing sequence including a stacked layer deposition process having a processing time of less than 90 seconds (e.g., between 5 seconds and 90 seconds) combined with an increase in lower substrate transfer overhead time achieved using the architecture described herein (discussed further below) has significant advantages over current conventional processing system designs.

[0044] It is not necessary to process the substrate loaded into the processing module 250 at each processing station 260A to 260F. For example, each of the processing stations 260A to 260F can use the same sputtering target material, load the number of substrates equal to the number of processing stations 260 into the processing module 250, and process each substrate in a different processing station in the processing station 260 to deposit the same material film layer on the substrate. Thereafter, all these substrates are removed from the processing module 250, and an equal number of substrates are loaded into the processing module 250 again, and each of these substrates is processed by a different single processing station in the processing station. Alternatively, different processing is performed in each adjacent processing station arranged along the circumference of the imaginary circle. For example, a first deposition process for depositing a first type of film layer is performed in the processing stations 260A, 260C, and 260E, and a second deposition process for depositing a second type of film layer is performed in the processing stations 260B, 260D, and 260F. However, in this case, the individual substrates are exposed to only two processing stations 260, e.g., the first substrate is exposed to only processing stations 260A and 260B, the second substrate is exposed to only processing stations 260C and 260D, and the third substrate is exposed to only processing stations 260E and 260F. The substrates are then removed. Likewise, each substrate in the system may be processed in up to all of the processing stations 260, and the processing performed at each processing station 260 may be the same or different from one or all of the remaining processing stations 260.

[0045] Reference Figure 1B , features 126 are shown extending inwardly from dielectric layer 122. Here, features (e.g., trenches, contacts, or vias) have been formed into and through dielectric layer 122, for example, by pattern etching dielectric layer 122 through a patterned mask (not shown). Figure 1B, feature 126 is a conductive via disposed in a via opening 128, wherein via opening 128 extends downward to an underlying conductive layer 121 (e.g., a copper layer used in an integrated circuit device) previously formed on a substrate (not shown). To form feature 126 in via opening 128, barrier layer 123 is first formed over an upper surface or field 127 of dielectric layer 122, over sidewall(s) of via opening 128, and over portions of conductive layer 121 exposed at the base of via opening 128. Barrier layer 123 may include a single layer of material, or a stack of two or more different materials. For example, a double layer of a tantalum film layer followed by a tantalum nitride film layer may be employed, and may be formed in a plurality of layers. Figure 2A Each sublayer of the bilayer is formed in one or more of the processing stations 260A to 260F of the processing system 200. Then, a seed layer 124 (e.g., a thin copper layer) is formed over the previously deposited barrier layer 123. The seed layer 124 is used to facilitate plating of a copper layer 125 over the seed layer in a copper plating tool separate from the processing system 200. Here, using the processing system 200, the tantalum bilayer can be sputtered from a tantalum target onto the same substrate at processing stations 260A, 260B, and then a tantalum nitride layer can be deposited on the tantalum layer in processing stations 260C, 260D by reactively sputtering the tantalum target in an inert gas-nitrogen plasma to form a tantalum nitride layer on the tantalum layer, and a copper seed layer can be formed over the tantalum nitride layer at processing stations 260E, 260F by sputtering a copper target in an inert gas plasma. Alternatively, a tantalum layer may be deposited on the substrate in processing station 260A or 260D, tantalum nitride may be deposited on the substrate in processing station 260B or 260E, and a copper seed layer may be deposited on the substrate in processing station 260C or 260F. In this configuration, a first substrate is processed sequentially in processing stations 260A through 260C, and a second substrate is processed sequentially in processing stations 260D through 260F. As will be discussed further below, it is believed that when using one or more of the system designs and methods disclosed herein, a substrate processing sequence (e.g., Figure 1B ) will achieve significant throughput increases.

[0046] Refer again Figure 2A , the processing system 200 generally includes a processing module 250, an intermediate section 202 (which is coupled between the processing module 250 and the front end 220), and a system controller 299. Figure 2AAs shown in FIG. 1 , the intermediate section 202 includes a pair of load lock chambers 230A, 230B and a pair of intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B. Each of the load lock chambers 230A, 230B is connected to the front end 220 at one side thereof through a respective first valve 225A, 225B, and is connected to one of the intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B through a respective second valve 235A, 235B. During operation, a front end robot (not shown) in the front end 220 moves a substrate from the front end to the load lock chamber 230A or 230B, or removes a substrate from the load lock chamber 230A, 230B. Then, an intermediate robot 285A, 285B in one of the associated intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B connected to one of the associated load lock chambers 230A, 230B moves the substrate from the load lock chamber 230A or the load lock chamber 230B and moves it into the corresponding intermediate robot chamber 280A, 280B. In one embodiment, the intermediate section 202 also includes a pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292 connected to the intermediate robot chamber 280, such as a pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292A connected to the intermediate robot chamber 280A and a pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292B connected to the intermediate robot chamber 280B. The substrate loaded from the front end 220 into one of the load lock chambers 230A, 230B is moved from the load lock chamber 230A or 230B to the pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292A or 292B by the associated intermediate robot 285A or 285B. In the pre-clean / degas chamber 292A, 292B, the substrate is heated to volatilize any adsorbed moisture or other volatile materials from the substrate, and the substrate is subjected to a plasma etching process to remove residual contaminant materials on the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is moved back to the corresponding intermediate robot chamber 280A or 280B by the appropriate associated intermediate robot 285A or 285B, and thus moved to the substrate support 672 (here, the processing station 260A or 260F) at the processing station 260 in the substrate processing module 250. Figure 4A , Figure 4B ). In some embodiments, Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown in FIG. 6 , once the substrate S is placed on the substrate support 672 , the substrate remains on the substrate support until all processing of the substrate in the process module 250 is completed.

[0047] Here, each of the load lock chamber 230A and the load lock chamber 230B is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), such as a roughing pump, and the output of the vacuum pump is connected to an exhaust pipe (not shown) to reduce the pressure in the load lock chamber 230A, 230B to about 10 -3Each load lock chamber 230A or 230B may be connected to a vacuum pump dedicated to the load lock chamber, or to a vacuum pump shared with one or more components within the processing system 200, or to a house exhaust other than a vacuum pump to reduce the pressure in the load lock chamber. In each case, a valve (not shown) to vent the pump or house exhaust may be provided on the load lock chamber 230A, 230B to isolate or substantially isolate the pumping outlet of the load lock chamber 230A, 230B connected to the vacuum pump or house exhaust from the interior volume of the load lock chamber 230A, 230B when the first valve 225A or 225B, respectively, is opened and the interior of the load lock chamber 230A, 230B is exposed to atmospheric or ambient pressure conditions.

[0048] After the substrate has been processed, for example, in the pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292B, the intermediate robot 285B removes the substrate from the pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292B. The processing chamber valve 244B disposed between the intermediate robot chamber 280B and the processing module 250 is opened to expose the opening 504B ( Figure 3A and Figure 4A ), and the intermediate robot 285B moves the substrate through the opening 504B to the processing station 260F of the processing module 250, where the substrate is received for processing in one or more of the processing stations of the processing module 250. In the same manner, the substrate can be moved from the front end 220 through the load lock chamber 230A to the pre-clean / degas chamber 292A, and then through the processing chamber valve 244A ( Figure 2A ) and opening 504A are moved to the processing module 250 to receive the substrate at the processing station 260A. Alternatively, the processing chamber valves 244A, 244B can be removed and the intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B are in direct and uninterrupted fluid communication with the interior of the processing module 250.

[0049] Each of the load lock chambers 230A, 230B and the intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B is configured to transfer substrates from the front end 220 into the process module 250 and from the process module 250 into the front end 220. Therefore, for the first intermediate robot chamber 280A, in order to remove a substrate positioned at the process station 260A of the process module 250, the process chamber valve 244A is opened, and the intermediate robot 285A removes the substrate from the process station 260A and moves the substrate through the opened second valve 235A connected between the intermediate robot chamber 280A and the load lock chamber 230A to place the substrate in the load lock chamber 230A. The end effector of the intermediate robot 285A on which the substrate is moved is retracted from the load lock chamber 230A, the second valve 235A of the load lock chamber 230A is closed, and the inner volume of the load lock chamber 230A is optionally isolated from the vacuum pump connected to the load lock chamber 230A. Then, the first valve 225A connected to the load lock chamber 230A is opened, and the front end 220 robot picks up the substrate in the load lock chamber 230A and moves the substrate to a storage location (e.g., a cassette or front opening unit (FOUP) 210) located within or connected to the sidewall of the front end 220. In a similar manner, the substrate can be moved from the processing station 260F position to the front end 220 using the intermediate robot chamber 280B, the intermediate robot 285B, the load lock chamber 230B, and the associated valves 235B and 225B of the load lock chamber 230B. During the movement of the substrate from the processing module 250 to the front end 220, different substrates can be located in the pre-cleaning / degassing chambers 292A, 292B connected to the intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B, and the substrate being moved to the front end 220 passes through the intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B. Because each pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292A, 292B is isolated from the intermediate robot chamber 280A, 280B to which it is attached via a valve, access to different substrates from the process module 250 to the front end 220 can be ensured without interfering with processing of substrates in the corresponding pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292A, 292B.

[0050] The system controller 299 controls the activities and operating parameters of the automation components found in the processing system 200. Generally speaking, most of the movement of substrates through the processing system is performed using various automation devices disclosed herein, using commands sent by the system controller 299. The system controller 299 is a general-purpose computer used to control one or more components found in the processing system 200. The system controller 299 is generally designed to facilitate the control and automation of one or more of the processing sequences disclosed herein, and generally includes a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown), a memory (not shown), and support circuits (or I / O) (not shown). Software instructions and data can be encoded and stored in the memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) to instruct the CPU. The program (or computer instructions) readable by the processing unit in the system controller determines which tasks are executable in the processing system. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a program that, when executed by the processing unit, is configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Preferably, the program includes code to perform tasks associated with monitoring, performing, and controlling the movement, support, and / or positioning of the substrate as well as the various process recipe tasks being performed and the various process module process recipe steps.

[0051] Reference Figure 2B , illustrates an alternative configuration of the processing system 200A, wherein the transfer chamber 240 is interposed between the load lock chambers 230A, 230B and one or more processing modules 250. Although not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure herein, Figure 2B The processing system 200A shown in does not include a separate intermediate robot chamber 280A, 280B or pre-cleaning / degassing chamber 292A, 292B. Here, multiple processing modules 250 can be connected to a single front end 220 by using an intermediate transfer chamber 240 (which has a transfer chamber robot 242 located therein). Here, the transfer chamber 240 is generally rectangular in plan view and includes four generally flat upright walls 246, through which the second valves 235A, 235B and the processing chamber valves 244A, 244B are respectively passed, three of which are attached to the processing modules 250, and the fourth of which is connected to the load lock chambers 230A, 230B. Here, after the front-end robot places the substrate into one of the load lock chambers 230A, 230B while the corresponding second valves 235A, 235B of the load lock chambers are closed, the first valves 225A, 225B of the load lock chambers are then closed, respectively, the second valves 235A, 235B of the load lock chambers are opened, and the transfer chamber robot 242 (schematically shown in FIG. Figure 2B) removes the substrate from the load lock chamber 230A or 230B and places the substrate into one of the first processing stations 260A of the processing module 250 through the processing system valve 248, which can be selectively opened to move the substrate into and out of the processing module at the station 260A and can be closed to isolate the interior volume of the transfer chamber 240 from the interior volume of the processing module 250 (e.g., the transfer area 401).

[0052] like Figure 2A As in the processing system 200 of FIG. 1 , because there are no intermediate robot chambers 280A, 280B and / or pre-cleaning / degassing chambers 292A, 292B in the processing system 200A, pre-cleaning of the substrate is performed in one or more of the processing modules 250 (e.g., at the processing station 260A) to allow a pre-cleaning process to be performed before a film layer is deposited on the substrate.

[0053] Reference Figure 2A , FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B , FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B , Figure 5, and Figure 8 , which shows additional details of the components within the processing module 250 and the internal area of ​​the processing module. Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown in FIG. 1 , the removable central cover 690 is provided in the central opening 713 ( Figure 2A , Figure 3B ,and Figure 8 ) extends above the center cover 690. The center cover 690 is removable to allow access to the interior of the processing module 250 (transfer area 401) to inspect the center transfer robot 245 of the processing module 250. At least one (and Figure 3A and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B The substrate transfer openings 504A, 504B extend inwardly from the outer surface of the peripheral wall 619 and extend into the transfer area 401 of the process module 250. The transfer openings 504A, 504B allow the intermediate robot 285A, 285B, or the central transfer robot 245 to transfer a substrate positioned outside the process module 250 to a position on a substrate support 672 positioned on the support arm 308 of the central transfer robot 245. Alternatively, the transfer openings 504A, 504B allow the intermediate robot 285A, 285B, or the central transfer robot 245 to remove a substrate from a substrate support 672 positioned on the support arm 308 of the central transfer robot 245.

[0054] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the Figure 2A and FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B260F, wherein opening 504B opens into processing module 250 at processing station 260F. In this example, the location of opening 504A corresponds to a location adjacent to processing station 260A. Processing module 250 is configured to include a central transfer robot 245 ( Figure 3A , Figure 3B ), a plurality of support arms 308 extend radially from the central transfer robot 245. In some embodiments, as Figure 5A , the number of support arms 308 is equal to the number of processing stations 260 of the processing module 250. However, the number of support arms 308 of the central transfer robot 245 can be less than or greater than the number of processing stations 260 of the processing module 250. In one embodiment, the number of support arms 308 is greater than the number of processing stations 260 to allow more substrates to be transferred through the transfer area at one time and / or to allow some of the support arms 308 to support additional hardware components, such as a paste tray and / or a shielding tray (not shown) used to perform a PVD paste operation to remove contaminants from the surface of the PVD target. The PVD paste operation is generally performed between two substrate PVD deposition processes performed in a processing station 260 and in the same substrate processing station 260.

[0055] The processing station 260 is arranged along an imaginary circle 252 ( centered on the central axis 253 (i.e., parallel to the Z direction) Figure 3B ) are arranged in a circle 252 and are circumferentially equidistant from each other, so that the center of the imaginary circle 252 coincides with the central axis 253. For example, in the case where the processing station 260F is a PVD type processing station 260, the center of the PVD target covers a portion of the imaginary circle 252, and the centers of the targets of the remaining processing stations 260A to 260E are circumferentially equidistant from each other along the imaginary circle 252. The circumferential spacing measured along the imaginary circle 252 between the centers of two adjacent processing stations 260 may be between about 700 mm and about 1000 mm, for example, between 800 mm and 900 mm. In some embodiments, the circumferential spacing measured along the imaginary circle 252 between the centers of two adjacent processing stations 260 can be equal to or greater than about 0.5 of the diameter of the substrate being processed in the processing system and less than about 3 times the diameter of the substrate being processed in the processing system, such as between about 1 and about 2 times the diameter of the substrate (e.g., a 150 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm diameter substrate).

[0056] Reference FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B , FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B ,and FIG. 5A to FIG. 5BThe central transfer robot 245 is a turntable type robot assembly 501, which includes a central support 305, and a proximal end 561 of a support arm 308 is fixed to the central support 305, for example, by a threaded fastener (not shown). The central support 305 is driven by a turntable motor 457 ( FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B and Figure 8 ) to rotate, and may include coupling to the lower wall 618 ( Figure 4A ) of a stepper motor or servo motor. The turntable motor 457 may include a drive shaft 457A coupled to the center support 305 and coincident with the center axis 253 so that when the drive shaft of the turntable motor 457 rotates, the center support 305 and each of the support arms 308 rotate through an arc centered on the center axis 253. The uppermost surface of the rotation volume through which the support arms 308 and substrate support 672 pass when rotated by the turntable motor 457 is generally referred to herein as a transport plane, which is aligned with the center axis 253. Figure 4A Each of the central support 305 and the support arms 308 is positioned within the transfer region 401, which is evacuated solely by a vacuum pump 454, which may be a turbo pump, a cryopump, a roughing pump, or other useful device capable of maintaining a desired pressure within the transfer region 401 of the process module 250. The central support 305 is positioned approximately within the central opening 723 ( Figure 8 As will be discussed further below, the transfer area 401 and the processing area 460 of the process station 260 are individually isolable so that the processes being performed in the process station 260 can be controlled and performed at a different vacuum pressure than the transfer area 401, and a variety of different process gases can be used without worrying about contaminating the transfer area 401 or other adjacently located process stations 260.

[0057] In some embodiments, the support arms 308 are configured to support substrate supports 672 that are configured to support a substrate to be processed in a processing region of the processing station 260. A substrate positioned on the substrate support 672 (on which the support arms 308 are positioned) is positioned such that the center of the substrate is positioned above a portion of the imaginary circle 252 within a tolerance limit for placement of the substrate on the substrate support. Similarly, the area, or support portion 560, of each of the support arms 308 on which the substrate support is disposed may be Figure 4A ) is also related to the imaginary circle 252( Figure 3B and Figure 5A ) are aligned to allow the center of the support portion 560 to pass through the imaginary circle 252 when the central support member 305 rotates around the central axis 253 and the support portion 560 revolves around the central axis 253.

[0058] In addition to the processing station 260, vacuum pump 265, and central transfer robot 245, Figure 3B Additionally disclosed are one or more shield stacks 310 disposed within the substrate processing module 250. The shield stack 310 may be disposed between any one of the processing stations 260 and an adjacent processing station 260. In some embodiments, a plurality of shield stacks 310 are disposed within the substrate processing module 250 such that the number of shield stacks 310 is equal to the number of processing stations 260 within the substrate processing module 250. In some embodiments, there are six shield stacks 310 such that one shield stack 310 is disposed between each of the six processing stations 260. The shield stack 310 may be disposed radially outward of the central transfer robot 245. In some embodiments, the plurality of support portions 560 of the central transfer robot 245 are also configured to transfer substrates to and from the shield stack 310. The plurality of support portions 560 may extend radially outward from the central transfer robot 245 to be at least partially located above or below the shield stack 310.

[0059] The shield stack 310 can provide a shutter disk to the substrate processing module 250. The shutter disk can be used to pre-condition the processing station 260 during the initial ignition (burn) of the chamber that constitutes the processing station 260, or the shutter disk can be used in situ for cleaning of the target or process kit. The shutter disk can also be used for sticking processing within the processing station 260. Sticking processing is an in-situ conditioning processing step that uses existing materials (targets or gases) or adds new materials (such as gases) to create a blank cover film over all processing environment surfaces in the processing station 260 to reduce defects or other lifetime driven performance impacts. Use a shutter disk to protect surfaces that would not normally be exposed to processing.

[0060] The shield stacks 310 may also be used to store substrates between processing operations within a processing station 260. In this embodiment, a substrate is moved from one of the processing stations 260 to the shield stack 310 before the substrate is moved to a second processing station 260 or transferred out of the substrate processing module 250. This embodiment is advantageous in preventing backup within the substrate processing module 250 when one or more processing operations take longer to complete than others, or it is useful for docking substrates prior to subsequent processing operations. In some embodiments, one or more of the shield stacks 310 are used to provide a shield tray while the remaining shield stacks are used to store substrates between processing operations. In some embodiments, the shield stacks 310 are cooling chambers or annealing chambers so that substrates are cooled or annealed between processing stations 260. In some embodiments, the number of support portions 560 is increased by the number of shield stacks 310 present in the substrate processing module 250.

[0061] Positioning the shield stack 330 outside of the processing station 260 allows for transport of the shield trays and / or substrates contained in the shield stack 330 without interrupting the vacuum of the substrate processing module 250. Reducing the need to interrupt the vacuum reduces processing time of the substrate processing module 250, thereby reducing costs for the user. FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D Additional details of the mask stack 310 are given in the discussion of FIG.

[0062] Reference Figure 5B , showing the Figure 2A and Figure 2B Here, the central support 305 includes a centrally located through-port 500 centered about the central axis 253 and positioned below the process module 250 to drive the turntable motor 457 drive shaft 457A ( Figure 4A ) is connected to the through-portion 500 so that the central support 305 rotates about the central axis 253. Each support arm 308 includes an extension arm portion 506 positioned between the support portion 560 and the proximal end 561. The extension arm portion 506 has at least one (and here two) weight-reducing and heat-reducing cutout regions 510 that extend generally parallel to either side of a radius extending from the central axis 253. In some configurations, as seen in plan view, the extension arm portion 506 terminates at a c-shaped end region 508 and forms a portion of the support portion 560. In some configurations, the c-shaped end region 508 includes opposing ends 514, 516 that are separated by a distance less than the diameter 520 of the through-portion 518 that the c-shaped end region 508 partially surrounds. The peripheral flange 670 ( Figure 4A) (whose layout is generally circular) has an inner diameter and an outer diameter and is configured to rest on top of the support portion 560 during movement of the substrate support 672 between processing stations 260 and to rest at a processing station 260 before the substrate support 672 is raised from the peripheral flange 670.

[0063] Reference FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B In some embodiments, the support arm 308 includes a plurality of electrical contacts 453 ( Figure 4B ), a plurality of electrical contacts 453 are provided on the upper surface of the support arm 308 and in the support portion 560. The electrical contacts 453 are used to provide electrical contact to the body 643 ( Figure 6 ) to provide power to one or more electrical components within the substrate support 672. Therefore, the combination of the body 623 and the electrical contacts 673 can be considered an electrostatic chuck (ESC). The one or more electrical components formed within the substrate support 672 may include two or more electrical contacts 673 ( Figure 4A ) of the resistive heating element 642 ( Figure 6 ), and / or one or more clamping electrodes 641 ( ) separately coupled to two or more additional electrical contacts 673 formed on the lower surface of the substrate support 672 Figure 6 ).like FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B Schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 , the electrical contacts 453 are electrically coupled to one or more power sources (e.g., a DC clamping power source 458 and / or a heater power source 459) by using a slip ring 456 adapted to allow electrical connection to the electrical contacts 453 while the support arm 308 is rotated by the turntable motor 457. A plurality of conductors or wires 455 are used to connect the one or more power sources to the electrical contacts 453. The conductors or wires 455 are routed through the drive shaft 457A, the central support 305, and the support arms 308, which are positioned within the transmission region 401 of the processing module 250. For example, three wires coupled to the power source 458 and two wires coupled to the power source 459 are provided through each support arm 308 so that they can each be individually connected to the electrical contacts 453. Thus, when the substrate support 672 is positioned on the support portion 560, the electrical contacts 673 of the substrate support 672 are electrically coupled to the electrical contacts 453 of the support arm 308, so that the substrate S can remain clamped to the substrate support 672 and can maintain a desired temperature while the substrate S and the substrate support 672 are being transported within the transport area 401. The ability to allow the substrate S to be clamped and heated during the transport process allows a greater rotation speed to be achieved by the turntable motor 457 during the transport process without worrying about losing the substrate, and allows the temperature of the substrate to be consistently maintained between processes performed in each processing station 260.

[0064] Figure 5C is a plan view of a central transfer robot 245 including an alternative robot configuration, which is a dual-arm robot 540 including two end effectors 530, 532. The central transfer robot 245 including the dual-arm robot 540 can be useful in situations where the substrate processing sequence performed in the process module 250 does not include or require sequential transfer of substrates in either direction along a path extending along the imaginary circle 252. In this process module 250 configuration, the substrate supports 672 need not be movable in the lateral plane (i.e., the XY plane), so that each substrate support 672 is maintained in one position in the XY plane below the process station 260, and substrates are transferred between the laterally fixed substrate supports 672 by the dual-arm robot 540 during processing.

[0065] In some embodiments, the two end effectors 530, 532 of the dual-arm robot 540 are independently operable and extend from and swing in an arc about a central axis 505, which extends in the Z direction (e.g., with respect to the Z direction). Figure 5C505) and generally coincident with the central axis 253 of the processing module 250. Each end effector 530, 532 is operably coupled to a central hub 536, which is composed of an upper rotatable hub and a lower rotatable hub (not shown), each of which is independently rotatable about the central axis 505. The end effector 530 includes a first fork 537a and a first arm 538. The first hub arm 542 is coupled to the central hub 536 at a first end of the first hub arm 542 and is coupled to the first arm 538 at a first wrist connection 544 at an end of the first hub arm 542 away from the end effector 530, whereby the first arm is pivotable about the first wrist axis Ω1 to allow the first end effector 530 to rotate about the first wrist axis Ω1. Likewise, by virtue of the arcuate movement of the first hub arm about the central axis 505, the first wrist link 544 can orbit about the central axis 505, and thus the first wrist axis Ω1 can orbit about the central axis 505. The end effector 532 includes a second fork 537b and a second arm 546. The second hub arm 548 is coupled to the upper rotatable hub at a first end of the second hub arm 548 and is coupled to the second arm 546 at a second wrist link 550 at an end of the second hub arm 548 away from the second end effector 532, whereby the second arm 546 is pivotable about the second wrist axis Ω2 to allow the second end effector 532 to rotate about the second wrist axis Ω2. Likewise, by virtue of the arcuate movement of the second hub arm 548 about the central axis 505, the second wrist link 550 can orbit about the central axis 505, and thus the second wrist axis Ω2 can orbit about the central axis 505. Furthermore, because the first and second end effectors 530, 532 are operably connected to the central hub 536 via upper and lower rotatable hubs, respectively, the forks 537a, 537b of the end effectors 530, 532 may overlap one another in a vertical direction to, for example, allow one of the forks 537a or 537b to receive and retract a substrate from the substrate support 672 while the other of the forks 537a or 537b is moving a different substrate inwardly from the processing module 250, thereby positioning a substrate on the substrate support 672 once the first substrate has been removed from the substrate support 672.

[0066] When the arms of the first end effector 530 and the second end effector 532 (the first arm 538 and the first hub arm 542, or the second arm 546 and the second hub arm 548) are aligned together, that is, when they form a straight path together, each of the prongs 537a, 537b of the first end effector 530 and the second end effector 532 can extend a maximum distance from the central axis 505. In this orientation of the arms, one of the first prong 537a and the second prong 537b is in a loading or unloading position to receive or leave a substrate relative to the substrate support 672. From this position, the corresponding prong 537a or 537b is retracted toward the central hub 536 by virtue of arcuate movement of the upper hub or the lower hub about the central axis 505 and arcuate movement of one of the first arm 538 or the second arm 546 about the corresponding first wrist axis Ω1 or second wrist axis Ω2. By positioning the dual-arm robot 540 in the process module 250 and positioning the central axis 505 at the location of the central axis 253, the forks 537a, 537b can be operated to access any substrate support 672 at any of the process stations 260A to 260F independently of each other. Therefore, using the robot of the structure of the dual-arm robot 540, the substrate can be moved from any of the process stations 260A to 260F to any other of the process stations 260A to 260F without passing through any intermediate process stations 260A to 260F along the imaginary circle 252.

[0067] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B and Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a portion of a process station 260F and a process module 250 is included and is intended to generally illustrate various components and attributes of a process station that may be located within a process module 250. While the configuration of the process station 260F illustrated in these figures is adapted to perform a PVD deposition process, this process station configuration is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure provided herein, as one or more of the process stations 260 within a process module 250 may also be adapted to perform CVD, PECVD, ALD, PEALD, etching, thermal processing (e.g., RTP, annealing, cooling, thermal management control), or other useful semiconductor or flat display panel substrate processing steps, as described above. However, it is believed that a process module 250 that primarily or exclusively includes process stations configured to perform a PVD deposition process is advantageous in a variety of semiconductor device formation applications due to the reduced chance of process cross contamination (e.g., less chance of residual gas cross contamination) and higher deposition rates typically achieved by a PVD process compared to other process module configurations that utilize other deposition and etching processes.

[0068] The processing station 260 generally includes a source assembly 470, a process kit assembly 480, and a substrate support actuation assembly 490, which when used together allow a desired process to be performed within a processing region 460 of the processing station 260. In various embodiments of the disclosure provided herein, the processing region 460 within each of the processing stations 260 is configured to be individually isolable from the transfer region 401 of the process module 250, thereby substantially preventing electromagnetic energy, vapors, gases, or other undesirable contaminants from adversely affecting substrates and processes being performed in adjacent processing stations or within the transfer region 401. When isolated from the transfer region 401, the processing region 460 is generally surrounded by one or more processing surfaces of the source assembly 470, one or more processing region components 685 within the process kit assembly 480, and the substrate support 672 during substrate processing steps performed within the processing station 260.

[0069] As discussed above and as Figure 4A As shown in FIG. 4 , the source assembly 470 of the processing station 260F is configured to perform a PVD deposition process. In this configuration, the source assembly 470 includes a target 472, a magnetron assembly 471, a source assembly wall 473, a cover 474, and a sputtering power supply 475. In this configuration, a processing surface 472A of the PVD target 472 generally defines at least a portion of an upper portion of the processing region 460. The magnetron assembly 471 includes a magnetron region 479 in which a magnetron 471A is rotated during processing by using a magnetron rotation motor 476. The target 472 and the magnetron assembly 471 are generally cooled by delivering a cooling fluid (e.g., DI water) to the magnetron region 479 from a fluid recirculation device (not shown). The magnetron 471A includes a plurality of magnets 471B configured to generate a magnetic field extending below a processing surface 472A of a target 472 to facilitate a sputtering process performed in the processing region 460 during a PVD deposition process.

[0070] For alternative configurations of the processing station 260 adapted to perform CVD, PECVD, ALD, PEALD, etching, or thermal processing, the source assembly 470 will generally include different hardware components. In one example, the source assembly 470 of a processing station adapted to perform a PECVD deposition process or an etching process generally includes a gas distribution plate or showerhead configured to deliver a precursor gas or an etching gas into the processing region 460 and to the entire surface of a substrate disposed within the processing station 260 during processing. In this configuration, one or more processing surfaces defining at least a portion of the processing region 460 are the lower surface of the gas distribution plate or showerhead (e.g., the surface that contacts the processing region). In this configuration, the magnetron assembly 471 and the target are not used, and the sputtering power supply 475 can be replaced with an RF power supply configured to bias the gas distribution plate.

[0071] The substrate support actuation assembly 490 includes a pedestal lift assembly 491 and a pedestal assembly 492. The pedestal lift assembly 491 includes an elevator actuator assembly 468 and an elevator mounting assembly 766, which is coupled to the lower wall 618 of the process module 250. The elevator actuator assembly 768 may include a stepper motor or servo motor actuated screw assembly, a linear motor assembly, a pneumatic cylinder actuated assembly, or other conventional mechanical linear actuation mechanism. During operation, the elevator actuator assembly 768 and the elevator mounting assembly 766 are configured to position the pedestal assembly 492 in a transfer position (e.g., a servo motor, a stepper motor, a linear motor) by using one or more mechanical actuators (e.g., a servo motor, a stepper motor, a linear motor) found within the elevator actuator assembly 768. Figure 4A ) and processing location ( Figure 4B ), the transfer position is positioned below the support arm 308 in the vertical direction (Z direction) (i.e., the transfer plane), and the processing position is located above the support arm 308 in the vertical direction. The elevator actuator assembly 768 is coupled to the base shaft 492A, and the base shaft 492A is supported by a bearing (not shown) coupled to the lower wall 618 to guide the base shaft 492A when the base shaft 492A is translated by the elevator actuator assembly 768. A bellows assembly (not shown) is used to form a seal between the outer diameter of the base shaft 492A and a portion of the lower wall 618 so that the vacuum environment created within the transfer area 401 by using the vacuum pump 454 is maintained during normal operation. It is believed that the use of separate and dedicated pedestal lift assemblies 491 that are configured to accurately position the substrate S and substrate support 672 in a desired processing position in each processing station 260 and that are also capable of individually and desirably aligning with components (e.g., target 472) within the source assembly 470 within the processing station 260 has significant advantages over conventional designs that position multiple substrates on a single support structure that does not allow for individual alignment and adjustment. Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Examples of the importance and issues associated with positioning and alignment of the substrate S and source assembly 470 components are further discussed in conjunction with.

[0072] The pedestal assembly 492 includes a support plate assembly 494 coupled to a plate support element 493, which is coupled to a pedestal shaft 492A. The pedestal assembly 492 includes a heater power supply 498, an electrostatic chuck power supply 499, and a backside gas source 497.

[0073] In some embodiments, the support plate assembly 494 includes a plurality of electrical contacts 496 ( Figure 4A). The heater power supply 498 and the electrostatic chuck power supply 499 are each electrically coupled to two or more of the electrical contacts 496. The electrical contacts 496 are used to provide power to one or more electrical components formed within the substrate support 672 when the substrate support 672 is raised from the support portion 560 of the support arm 308 by the support plate 494A. The electrical contacts 496 are configured to mate with electrical contacts 673 formed on the lower surface of the substrate support 672. In some embodiments, a separate set of electrical contacts 673 (which are formed on the lower surface of the substrate support 672) are configured to mate with the electrical contacts 496 of the support plate 494A. In one embodiment, the separate set of electrical contacts 673 is physically separated from the electrical contacts 673 configured to mate with the electrical contacts 453 of the support arm 308. In this configuration, the substrate support 672 includes two separate sets of contacts, each of which is adapted to make similar electrical connections with electrical components (e.g., resistive heating elements, clamping electrodes) embedded within the substrate support 672. Figure 4B ), a resistive heating element disposed within the substrate support 672 is coupled to two or more electrical contacts 673, which are in electrical communication with two or more electrical contacts 496 of the support plate 494A, which are coupled to the output of the heater power supply 498. One or more chucking electrodes disposed within the substrate support 672 are coupled to two or more electrical contacts 673, which are in electrical communication with the two or more electrical contacts 496 of the support plate 494A. In one example, three wires coupled to the output of the heater power supply 498 and two wires coupled to the electrostatic chuck power supply 499 are provided through the base shaft 492A so that these wires can be individually connected to their corresponding mating electrical contacts 496. In some embodiments, when the substrate support 672 is positioned in a processing position within the processing station 260, a reliable, separable electrical connection is formed between the electrical contacts 496 and their corresponding mating electrical contacts 673 due, at least in part, to a portion of the weight of the substrate support 672 allowing the surfaces of the electrical contacts 673 to rest against the mating surfaces of each of the electrical contacts 496. Thus, the substrate support 672 is allowed to clamp and heat the substrate while it is positioned on the support plate 494A during processing.

[0074] In some embodiments, the support plate assembly 494 includes a detachable backside gas connection 495 configured to mate with a backside gas receiving surface formed around a backside gas port 671 formed in the back side of the substrate support 672. The backside gas connection 495 is coupled to a backside gas source 497 configured to deliver a backside gas (e.g., N2, He, Ar) to the backside gas port 671 formed in the substrate support 672 and connected to a gas passage formed in the substrate support 672 and to a space formed between a substrate positioned on the substrate receiving surface of the substrate support 672 and the substrate support 672 during processing. Thus, the detachable backside gas connection 495 is configured to repeatedly sealably connect to the backside gas receiving surface of the substrate support 672 when the substrate support 672 is positioned on the support plate 494A and to detach from the substrate support 672 when the support plate 494A is in the transfer position (i.e., below the support arm 308). In some embodiments, the detachable backside gas connection 495 includes a machined metal or compliant sealing surface configured to mate with a polished mating surface of the backside gas receiving surface when the substrate support 672 is positioned in a processing position within the processing station 260 to form a repeatable gas-tight seal, the gas-tight seal being formed at least in part by a portion of the weight of the substrate support 672 resting on the surface of the detachable backside gas connection 495.

[0075] like FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B and Figure 6 As shown in , the process kit assembly 480 generally includes a plurality of process region components 685 and a sealing assembly 485, which are positioned above and / or within the upper process station opening 734 of the chamber upper wall 616 of the process module 250. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B and Figure 6In the example of the process station 260 configuration disclosed in , the process region component 685 includes a base plate 481, a process region shield 482, an isolating ring 483, a station wall 484, a cover ring 486, a deposition ring 488, and an inner shield 489, which together at least partially define the process region 460 of the process station 260. The base plate 481 is configured to support the process region shield 482, the isolating ring 483, the station wall 484, the sealing assembly 485, the cover ring 486, the deposition ring 488, and the inner shield 489, and allows these components to be positioned on the central opening 713 formed in the upper wall 616 of the process module 250 and removed from the central opening 713 as a whole. The isolating ring 483 formed of a dielectric material is configured to support the target 472 and is positioned on the station wall 484, and the station wall 484 is positioned on the base plate 481. When the target 472 is biased by the sputtering power supply 475, an isolation ring 483 is used to electrically isolate the target 472 from the grounded station wall 484.

[0076] The process kit assembly 480 also includes a plurality of sealing elements 1001 (e.g., O-rings) that are used to prevent atmospheric gases from entering the process region 460 during normal processing. Also, the source assembly 470 is configured to form a seal with a portion of the process kit assembly 480 by using the sealing elements 1001, and the process kit assembly 480 is configured to similarly form a seal with the upper surface of the chamber upper wall 616 by using the sealing elements 1001 to allow the process region 460 to be isolated from the external environment during processing.

[0077] The station wall 484 includes a first port 484A coupled to the vacuum pump 265 and configured to evacuate the processing region 460 during processing through a circumferential gap formed between an upper portion of the shield 489, a lower surface of the target 472, and a portion of the isolation ring 483 and the station wall 484. The station wall 484 also includes a second port 484B coupled to the gas source 699 and configured to deliver one or more processing gases (e.g., Ar, N2) to the processing region 460 through the circumferential plenum 484C during processing.

[0078] The processing region shield 482 is positioned on the lower portion of the station wall 484. The processing region shield 482 is generally used to collect deposits sputtered from the target 472, surround a portion of the processing region 460, and in some configurations, such as Figure 6, supporting the seal assembly 485. In this configuration, the processing area shield 482 is adapted to form a seal at a surface 484D of the station wall 484 on which the processing station shield 482 is supported, and similarly to form a seal between a surface 485D of a lower plate 485B of the seal assembly 485 and a lower surface 482A of the processing station shield 482. The seals formed between the processing station shield 482 and a portion of the station wall 484 and the lower plate 485B can each be formed by using an O-ring (not shown), welding, or other conventional sealing methods.

[0079] In some embodiments, the sealing assembly 485 includes an upper plate 485A, a lower plate 485B, and a compliant member 485C disposed between the upper plate 485A and the lower plate 485B. Figure 6 As shown in , the compliance member 485C includes a flexible bellows assembly configured to comply in at least one direction, such as a vertical direction (i.e., Z direction), and is configured to prevent gas from passing through the compliance member 485C during processing. The flexible bellows assembly can be a stainless steel or Inconel bellows assembly that is sealably welded at ends opposite to the upper plate 485A and the lower plate 485B.

[0080] During processing, if Figure 4B and Figure 6 As shown in , when the substrate and substrate support 672 are positioned in a processing position below the source assembly 470, a portion of the substrate support 672, or a component attached to the substrate support 672 (both referred to herein as a "sealing portion" of the substrate support 672) is adapted to form a "seal" with a portion of the seal assembly 485 to substantially fluidically isolate the processing region 460 from the transfer region 410. Thus, in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4BIn the example configuration of the processing station 260 disclosed in FIGS. 6 and 7, the substrate support 672, the target 472, the sealing assembly 485, and the plurality of processing region components 685 (the plurality of processing region components 686 including the processing region shield 482, the station wall 484, and the isolation ring 483) substantially surround and define the processing region 460. In some embodiments, the "seal" formed between the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 and the upper plate 485A of the sealing assembly 485 is produced at the sealing area 487, which is formed by physical contact between the surface of the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 and the surface of a portion of the sealing assembly 485. In some lower temperature applications, the seal is formed by using a wiper seal, a u-cup seal, or an O-ring (not shown) positioned at the interface between the surface of the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 and the surface of the portion of the sealing assembly 485. In some high temperature applications (e.g., at temperatures greater than 200° C.), a seal is formed by a metal-to-metal contact or a metal-to-ceramic contact formed at an interface between the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 and a portion of the sealing assembly 485. In some embodiments, the flexible bellows assembly of the sealing assembly 485 is configured to extend in a vertical direction when the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 is positioned in contact with a surface of a portion of the sealing assembly 485 using the elevator actuator assembly 768 in the substrate support actuation assembly 490. The compliant nature of the flexible bellows assembly allows for compensation for any misalignment or flatness differences between the surface of the sealing portion of the substrate support 672 and the surface of the portion of the sealing assembly 485 so that a reliable and repeatable seal can be formed at the sealing area 487 over many cycles. As shown in FIG. 4A to 4D and Figure 6 , the substantially parallel orientation / alignment of the sealing portion of the substrate support 672, the sealing portion of the sealing assembly 485, the processing surface of the substrate, and the lower surface of the source assembly 470 (e.g., the lower surface of the target 472) also allows for a repeatable and reliable seal to be formed while also allowing for easy formation and / or maintenance of angular alignment between the processing surface of the substrate and the lower surface of the source assembly 470 during processing. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B and Figure 8 Issues related to the angular alignment between the processing surface of the substrate and the lower surface of the source assembly 470 are further discussed.

[0081] However, in some alternative embodiments, the seal assembly 485 includes only a wiper seal, a u-cup seal, or an O-ring (not shown) positioned at the interface between the sealing surface of the substrate support 672 and the lower surface 482A of the processing region shield 482 to form a seal therebetween when the substrate support 672 is positioned in the processing position. In this configuration, the portion of the substrate support 672 on which the sealing surface is formed has a diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the processing region shield 482, so that a seal can be formed between the sealing surface and the lower surface 482A while the substrate support is positioned in the processing position during a processing step.

[0082] After performing the substrate processing step(s) in the first processing station 260, the substrate S and the substrate support 672 are lowered so that they are located on the support arm 308. Then, the central transfer robot 245 rotates the central support 305 about the central axis 253 extending through the central transfer robot 245 to swing the support arm 308, the substrate S, and the substrate support 672 through the arc to index the substrate support 672 and the substrate S to a position below the second processing station 260, where the substrate S is again lifted to a processing position on the same substrate support 672 by the pedestal lifting assembly 491 dedicated to the second processing station 260. After the processing is completed on the substrate S, the substrate S and the substrate support 672 are then placed back on the end of the support arm 308 and transferred to the next processing station 260. Then, the processing cycle of lifting the substrate S and the substrate support 672, processing the substrate S, lowering the substrate S and the substrate support 672, and transferring the substrate support 672 and the substrate S can be repeated multiple times.

[0083] During the substrate S and substrate support 672 transfer sequence within the process module 250, the processing region 460 of each of the process stations 260 is in direct communication with the transfer region 401. With this structural design, system cost is reduced by eliminating the need for dedicated slit valves to isolate each process station from the transfer region as seen in more conventional designs, and thus also reduces substrate transfer overhead time (i.e., increases throughput) due to the reduction in the number of steps required to transfer substrates, while also allowing for balancing of pressure between the processing region 460 and the transfer region 401, and easier and faster achievement of a desired base pressure throughout the processing region 250. The system design disclosed herein also reduces complexity and cost by eliminating the need for separate process chamber structures (e.g., separate welded compartments) and supporting hardware (e.g., individual support frames, slit valves, etc.) required in conventional processing system designs. Furthermore, because the processing and transfer of substrates can be controlled based on the system controller 299 ( Figure 2A) to control the movement and position of the substrate support 672 through the substrate support actuator assembly 490 positioned at each processing station 260 to individually and selectively isolate the processing region 460 of each processing station 260, so this design and transfer sequence also provides additional advantages. For example, it is desirable to individually process substrates in processing stations 260A and 260B by positioning the substrate S and substrate support 672 in processing positions within these processing stations, while processing stations 260C, 260D, 260E, and 260F remain in a non-isolated state because the substrate supports 672 at these locations remain in the transfer position, and thus fluid communication is achieved between the processing regions 460 at these processing stations and the transfer region 401.

[0084] FIG. 4C to FIG. 4D 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a process module 250 including an alternatively configured version of a process station 260F in accordance with an embodiment. In this configuration, the process module 250 includes an alternatively configured central transfer robot 245 including a plurality of support arms 309 configured to transfer and place one or more substrates onto a substrate support surface 591A of a support chuck assembly 590. The substrate support surface 591A is formed on a support chuck assembly 590 attached to a pedestal lift assembly 491.

[0085] Figure 4C The support chuck assembly 590 is shown positioned in either a substrate receiving position or a substrate transfer position. Figure 4D The support chuck assembly 590 is shown when positioned in a substrate processing position. FIG. 4C to FIG. 4D The support chuck assembly 590 configuration illustrated in the drawings illustrates a design in which a substrate support element 591 of the support chuck assembly 590 remains attached to a pedestal lift assembly 491 component such that the substrate support element 591 is dedicated to a single processing station 260 and is limited to moving a substrate vertically, such as between a substrate receiving position and a processing position.

[0086] The support chuck assembly 590 includes a plate support 594 configured to support and hold the substrate support element 591 and coupled to the base shaft 592A. The support chuck assembly 590 includes a heater power supply 498, an electrostatic chuck power supply 499, and a backside gas source 497. The heater power supply 498 and / or the electrostatic chuck power supply 499 are each electrically coupled to one or more electrical components formed within the substrate support element 591. In this configuration, the body of the substrate support element 591 includes one or more resistive heating elements embedded in the body. The resistive heating elements are disposed within the body of the substrate support element 591 and are in electrical communication with the output connector of the heater power supply 498. One or more clamping electrodes disposed within the body of the substrate support element 591 are in electrical communication with the power supply 499. In one example, three wires coupled to the output of the heater power supply 498 and two wires coupled to the power supply 499 are provided through the base shaft 592A so that these wires can be individually connected to their corresponding electrical components.

[0087] The support chuck assembly 590 includes a backside gas port 595 formed in the substrate support element 591. The backside gas port 595 is coupled to a backside gas source 497 that is configured to deliver a backside gas (e.g., N2, He, Ar) to a gas passage formed in the substrate support element 591 and to a space formed between a substrate and a surface of the substrate support element 591 during processing.

[0088] As similarly discussed above, during processing, the substrate and support chuck assembly 590 is positioned within the source assembly 490 ( Figure 4D ), a portion of the support chuck assembly 590 or a component attached to the support chuck element 591 includes a sealing surface 596 adapted to form a "seal" with a portion of the seal assembly 485 to substantially fluidly isolate the processing region 460 from the transfer region 410. In some embodiments, the "seal" formed between the sealing surface 596 and the upper plate 485A of the seal assembly 485 is created within the seal region 487 by physical contact created between the surface of the sealing surface 596 and the surface of the portion of the seal assembly 485. As similarly discussed above, in some lower temperature applications, the seal is created by using a wiper seal, u-cup seal, or O-ring (not shown) positioned at the interface between the sealing surface 596 of the support chuck assembly 590 and the surface of the portion of the seal assembly 485. Also, in some high temperature applications (eg, at temperatures greater than 200° C.), a seal is formed by a metal-to-metal contact or a metal-to-ceramic contact formed at an interface between a portion of sealing surface 596 of support chuck assembly 590 and a portion of sealing assembly 485 .

[0089] Reference Figure 4C , the central transfer robot 245 includes a plurality of support arms 309 configured to pick up and place one or more substrates onto a substrate support surface 591A of a support chuck assembly 590. In one embodiment, the central transfer robot 245 includes an elevator actuator 599 configured to raise and lower the central support 305 and the plurality of support arms 309 attached thereto in the Z direction from at least a transfer position to a substrate drop position (which is below the transfer position). The support arms 309 are mounted, shaped, and configured similarly to the support arms 308 described above, except that the support arms 309 are configured to transfer substrates between processing stations 260 rather than transferring substrates and substrate supports 672 between processing stations 260. In one embodiment, each support arm 309 includes a plurality of substrate support elements 309A positioned on the underside surface of the support arm 309 such that a substrate supported on a support surface 309C of the substrate support element 309A can be positioned directly on a support surface 591A of the substrate support element 591. The inner edges 309B of the opposing substrate support elements 309A are positioned a distance apart that is less than the smallest possible outer dimension of a substrate to ensure that all possible substrates can be received and transferred by the support arm 309. The cutouts (not shown) in the upper surface and upper portion of the substrate support element 591 are configured to cooperate with the orientation of the substrate support element 309A such that after a substrate is disposed on the support surface 591A, the substrate support element 309A does not contact or interfere with the substrate support element 591 and such that the support arm can be rotated about the central axis 253 to move the support arm 309 to a position that is not above the support chuck assembly 590.

[0090] A robot arm configuration or end of a robot arm similar to the substrate support element 309A portion of the support arm 309 may also be used as part of the end effector of the intermediate robot 285A, 285B to pick up a substrate from the support surface 591A of the substrate support element 591 or the support surface 674 of the body 643 of the substrate support 672 or to place the substrate on these support surfaces. Similarly, as discussed above, in one embodiment, the intermediate robot 285A, 285B includes a lifting mechanism (not shown) configured to raise and lower the end effector (not shown) of the intermediate robot 285A, 285B to and from at least a transfer position and a substrate lowering position (which is located below the transfer position). One or more cutouts (not shown) in the upper surface and upper portion of the substrate support element 591, or the substrate support 672 are configured to directional cooperate with the substrate support element 309A positioned on the end effector (not shown) of the intermediate robot 285A, 285B, so that after the substrate is set on the substrate support element 591 or the substrate support 672 and the end effector is retracted from a position not above the support chuck assembly 590 or the substrate support 672, the substrate support element 309A does not contact or interfere with the substrate support element 591 or the substrate support 672.

[0091] It has been found that including the use of Figure 4C The processing systems 200 using robotic end effectors with support assemblies similar to the support element 309A illustrated in FIG. 2 are useful because they allow substrates to be positioned on a substrate support 672 or a substrate support surface of a support chuck assembly 590 without the need to use separate substrate lifting assemblies (e.g., lift pins, lift hoops, and lift actuators) commonly used in the art to separate the substrate from the substrate support surface during substrate exchange operations. While reducing the cost and complexity of the processing station 260, the use of this type of robotic end effector also removes the need to form holes in the substrate support 672 or the support chuck assembly 590 that are required to allow lifting assembly components (e.g., lift pins) to access a substrate disposed on the substrate receiving surface, and then also removes the need to seal the holes formed in the substrate support 672 or the support chuck assembly 590 in order to fluidly isolate the processing region 460 from the transfer region 401 during processing. Thus, in one or more of the embodiments described herein, the substrate support 672 or support chuck assembly 590 does not include through holes (e.g., lift pin holes) for receiving substrate lifting components, and in some cases may only include a single through hole (e.g., backside gas port 671 or backside gas port 595) for providing backside gas to the substrate during processing.

[0092] Although FIG. 4C to FIG. 4DThe alternative processing station configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a substrate transfer sequence that does not include moving the substrate support with the substrate, but in this case, the processing module 250 still includes the same basic transfer area 401 and processing area 460 structural configuration and advantages described above. For example, based on the system controller 299 ( Figure 2A ) controls the movement and position of the support chuck assembly 590 through the substrate support actuator assembly 490 at each processing station 260, and the processing area 460 of each processing station 260 can be individually and selectively isolated.

[0093] As above combined Figure 1A and Figure 1BAs discussed, each processing station 260A to 260F is configured to perform a desired process on a substrate separately. In one example, a deposition process is performed separately in a plurality of processing stations within the processing module 250. The deposition process performed separately may include depositing layers on a substrate sequentially via a PVD process when the substrate is sequentially processed in the processing stations 260A to 260F. During the PVD deposition process or sputtering process, a bias is applied to the target 472 by a power supply 475. The bias applied to the target causes a portion of the target material to be ejected from the surface of the target 472 due to the ionized gas atoms formed by the applied bias delivered to the sputtering gas provided from the gas source 699 bombarding the surface of the target. The flux of the ejected or sputtered material includes ionized and neutral atoms of the target material, which generally travel toward the lower portion of the formed processing region 460 and travel to the surface of the shield (e.g., inner shield 489, processing region shield 482) of the substrate S and the processing kit assembly 480. By grounding one of the electrodes formed in the substrate support 672, applying a direct current (DC) or radio frequency (RF) bias thereto, the direction of the flux of ionized target atoms ejected from the surface of the target 472 can be changed. Thus, in some embodiments, the heater power supply 498 and the electrostatic chuck power supply 499 include DC or RF power supplies configured to apply a bias to one or more clamping electrodes or (multiple) heating elements disposed within the substrate support 672. The clamping electrodes disposed within the substrate support element 591 are generally positioned directly below (e.g., 0.1 mm-1 mm) the dielectric material disposed at the substrate support surface of the substrate support 672. However, due to the inability to ionize all sputtered atoms during processing and the structural configuration of the PVD chamber, the PVD process is considered a line-of-sight deposition process, which is affected by the shape of the target and the parallelism of the target 472 to the surface of the substrate during the PVD deposition process from a within-wafer (WIW) deposition uniformity perspective. In one example, a smaller target-to-substrate spacing at one edge of the substrate relative to the opposite edge of the substrate results in a thickness variation across the substrate due to angular misalignment. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7B As discussed above, compared to not providing vacuum pressure in the transfer region 401 and the processing region 460 (which occurs, for example, during maintenance activities), the external ambient pressure region 403 ( Figure 4A) and the pressure differential created between the transfer region 401 and the processing region 460, the deformation tendency of the chamber upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618 causes the surface of the target 472 to flex and angle relative to the surface of the substrate support 672 during processing. Due to the large overall span, the chamber upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618 need to extend in the XY plane (e.g., >3m in diameter) to allow the substrate to be positioned in the transfer region 401 and transferred between the processing stations 260. Therefore, as the size of the processing module 250 increases as the substrate size increases (e.g., ≧300mm), the deflection of the target 472 in each of the processing stations 260 also increases. In order to minimize the effects of the deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618, the structural support assembly 710 is used to minimize the deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618 and improve the parallelism of the source assemblies 470 of the processing stations 260A-260F with respect to each other, regardless of whether the processing module 250 is in vacuum (e.g., 10 Torr to 10 -8 Torr) or at ambient pressure (e.g., 760 Torr).

[0094] After the PVD process step is performed in the process station 260, the bias voltage on the target 472 returns to zero, the generated plasma disappears, and the target 472 is subjected to the above-mentioned combination of Figure 4A and Figure 4B As discussed in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 , the substrate S and substrate support 672 are lowered back onto the support arm 308 .

[0095] In addition to the deposition process, one or more target material pasting processes (e.g., cleaning an oxide layer or a layer formed by reactive sputtering from the surface of the target material) and / or a chamber cleaning process may also be performed in the processing station. In one example, during the pasting process, a pasting plate and / or a shielding plate (e.g., a metal plate of the size of the substrate) are positioned on the pedestal lifting assembly 491 and moved into a processing position by the pedestal lifting assembly 491 to allow a PVD deposition process to be performed on the pasting plate and / or the shielding plate instead of on the substrate to clean the surface of the target material 472.

[0096] Now refer to Fig. 7A , Figure 7B ,and Figure 8 , which shows other structures and details of the processing module 250. Fig. 7AAs shown in , the process module 250 includes a lower block 720 and an upper block 722, the lower block 720 forming the lower portion or base of the process module 250, and the upper block 722 sealed to and supported on the lower block 720. In some embodiments, the lower block 720 and the upper block 722 are welded, brazed, or fused together by some desired means to form a vacuum-tight joint at the interface between the lower block 720 and the upper block 722. In some embodiments, the lower block 720 has a bottom surface with seven sides ( Figure 2A ) is a generally plate-shaped structure and includes a lower wall 618, the lower wall 618 including a central opening 723 and a plurality of lower processing station openings 725 ( Figure 8 The central opening 723 is provided in the central recess 724 ( Figure 8 ) in the center opening 723, the center recess 724 is disposed in the center region, and each lower processing station opening 725 corresponds to the position of the processing station 260. A plurality of base assemblies 492 ( Figure 8 618 (two of which are shown in FIG) extend through and downward from the lower wall 618. A lower support structure 727 including a support frame 728 is used to support the lower block 720 and the upper block 722 and position the process module 250 at a desired vertical position above a floor (not shown).

[0097] In some embodiments, the upper block 722 has a generally plate-like structure having eight sides ( Figure 2A ). The upper main portion 711 including the chamber upper wall 616 includes a central opening 713 ( Figure 8 ) and a plurality of upper processing station openings 734 ( 4A to 4D , Figure 7B ,and Figure 8), each upper processing station opening 734 corresponds to a positioned location of a process kit assembly 480 and a source assembly 470 of a processing station 260. It has been discovered that forming the central opening 713 in the chamber upper wall 616 such that the diameter of the central opening 713 falls within a diameter ratio (defined by the ratio of the diameter of the central opening to the diameter of the outer extension of the transfer region 401 at the inner surface 721A of the peripheral region 721 (i.e., the unsupported length of the chamber upper wall 616)) of less than about 0.5 and greater than 0.3 allows a user to access the central region of the processing module 250 through the central opening 713 without, surprisingly, adversely increasing deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 during processing (e.g., under vacuum) due to removal of material from the center of the chamber upper wall 616. In this configuration, a removable central cover 690 extends over the central opening 713 but is generally not coupled to or used to provide additional structural support to the chamber upper wall 616. The removable center cover 690 includes a seal (not shown) that prevents external ambient gas from leaking into the transfer area 401 when the vacuum pump 454 maintains the transfer area 401 under a vacuum state. The inner surface 721A of the peripheral area 721 of the lower block 720 and the upper block 722 forms the outer edge of the transfer area 401. The ports 504A, 504B extend through a portion of the inner surface 721A and through a portion of the wall of the upper block 722 ( 4A to 4D ) or a portion of the wall of the lower block 720 (not shown).

[0098] As discussed above, deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 and lower wall 618 caused by the pressure differential created between the ambient pressure region 403 and the transfer region 401 and the processing region 460 tends to cause portions of the source assembly 470 (e.g., the surface of the target 472) to flex and become angled relative to the surface of the substrate support 672 during processing. To minimize deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 and lower wall 618, a structural support assembly 710 is used to minimize deformation of the chamber upper wall 616 and / or lower wall 618 and improve parallelism of the source assembly 470, regardless of whether the processing module 250 is under vacuum or under ambient pressure. Due to manufacturing constraints, cost constraints, and constraints on shipping of the assembled upper and lower blocks 722, 720, the chamber upper wall 616 generally has an average wall thickness (Z direction) of between 50 millimeters (mm) and 100 mm, and the lower wall 618 has an average wall thickness (Z direction) of between 75 mm and 150 mm. Here, to help ensure this parallelism, the upper block 722 includes a structural support assembly 710 that includes an upper support element 701 and a plurality of mounting elements 702, each of the plurality of mounting elements 702 having a first end coupled to the chamber upper wall 616. In some embodiments, the first ends of the mounting elements 702 are coupled to the chamber upper wall 616 by bolting, welding, or even integrally forming the mounting elements 702 as part of the chamber upper wall 616. An array of mounting elements 702 is positioned on and coupled to the chamber upper wall 616 between each of the processing stations 260. In some embodiments, the array of mounting elements each has a first end coupled to the first wall at a radial position that is positioned in a radial direction 735 extending between two adjacent processing station openings. In one example, as Figure 7B As shown in , the radial position of each of the mounting elements is located along a radial direction 735 extending between each pair of processing station openings and is located at a radial position inboard of the upper processing station opening 734 (e.g., extending a smaller radius from the central axis 253). In some configurations, the mounting element 702 includes a vertical section 714A ( Figure 8 ) and also includes radial segment 714B ( Figure 7B ), the radial section 714B extends in a radial direction relative to the center axis 253.

[0099] In some embodiments, the upper support element 701 generally comprises an annular structural component coupled to the second end of each of the mounting elements 702 to minimize deflection of the chamber upper wall 616. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7BAs shown in , in some configurations, the annular shape is not a perfect annular shape and may include one or more faces (e.g., six faces as shown) and one or more flat mounting surfaces (e.g., top and bottom surfaces). The upper support element 701 is coupled to each of the mounting elements 702 by bolting (i.e., bolts 703), welding, or even forming the mounting element 702 integrally as a part of the upper support element 701. The vertical section 714A of the mounting element 702 is configured to position the upper support element 701 at a distance 808 between about 150 mm and about 450 mm relative to the mounting surface (e.g., the exposed top surface) of the chamber upper wall 616. As shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the cross-section of the upper support element 701 includes a cross-sectional height 806 and a cross-sectional width 807, which are configured to provide a desired increased rigidity to the chamber upper wall 616 due to at least its area moment of inertia to support the chamber upper wall 616 and offset the load caused by the applied vacuum pressure (e.g., ˜14.7 psig) to minimize deformation of the chamber upper wall 616. In one example, since the transfer area 401 is maintained at, for example, less than 1 Torr (e.g., 10 -3 Support to 10 -8 The three-meter diameter chamber upper wall 616 receives a total of about 716,000 N (161,000 pounds) of force due to the vacuum pressure applied during processing due to the pressure between the upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618 of the chamber. In some embodiments, the upper support element 701 and the mounting element 702 are formed of the same material as the material used to form the upper block 722 and lower block 720 components (e.g., the chamber upper wall 616 and the lower wall 618), such as an aluminum material (e.g., 6061Al). In some embodiments, the upper support element 701 and the mounting element 702 are formed of a material having a greater elastic modulus (E) than the material used to form the upper block 722 and lower block 720 components, such as a stainless steel material (e.g., 304SST, 316SST), and the upper block 722 and lower block 720 components are formed of an aluminum material. In one example, the upper support element 701 has a cross-sectional height 806 between about 50 mm and about 125 mm, a cross-sectional width 807 between about 75 mm and about 200 mm, and a central opening 805 having an inner diameter between about 750 mm and about 900 mm. In this configuration, the upper support element 701 is configured to withstand loads caused by a vacuum provided to the chamber upper wall 616, the chamber upper wall 606 including a central opening 713 in the chamber upper wall 616, the central opening 713 having a diameter less than the inner diameter of the central opening 805 (e.g., less than 85% of the inner diameter of the central opening 805, or less than 95% of the inner diameter of the central opening 805). In some embodiments, the combination of the structural support assembly 710 and the structure of the chamber upper wall 616 is configured to be oriented relative to a lateral plane 801 ( Figure 8 ) minimizes angular deflection or angular misalignment of the processing surface 472A of the target 472 to a tilt angle between 0.1 mm and about 0.25 mm (e.g., between about 0.02 and 0.05 degrees), the tilt angle being measured from edge to edge (e.g., rise) across a diameter (e.g., run) of 300 mm centered on the center of the target 472. In some embodiments, the combination of the structural support assembly 710 and the structure of the upper wall 616 of the chamber is configured to minimize angular misalignment of the processing surface 472A of the target 472 relative to an exposed surface of a substrate S disposed on the substrate support 672 to a tilt angle between about 0.1 mm and about 1 mm (e.g., between about 0.02 and 0.2 degrees), the tilt angle being measured from edge to edge (e.g., rise) across a diameter (e.g., run) of 300 mm of the substrate S. Although not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure provided herein, in some cases, due to the deflection of the chamber upper wall 616 (e.g., the 1st bending mode shape), the angular misalignment between the processing surface 472A and the lateral plane 801 may be greatest along a radial direction extending from the central axis.

[0100] Although not shown Figure 8 618, but in some embodiments, the second structural support assembly 710 is coupled to the lower wall 618 in a manner similar to the coupling of the structural support assembly 710 to the chamber upper wall 616. Thus, in some embodiments, a process module 250 can include a first structural support assembly 710 on the chamber upper wall 616 and a second structural support assembly 710 on the lower wall 618 to improve parallelism of the source assemblies 470 in all process stations 260, regardless of whether the transfer region 401 within the process module 250 is under vacuum or at ambient pressure.

[0101] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B An example of an alternative configuration of a processing module 250 is shown, comprising four processing stations, compared to the configuration of six processing stations primarily described above. Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B Another processing module concept is shown, which is a paddle-type robotic processing module 900. In this configuration, four processing stations 260 are provided, each with a Figures 2A to 8 The same general configuration of processing stations 260 is shown, but in contrast, four processing stations are located at four corners of the rectangular housing 902 and are similarly combined with FIG. 4C to FIG. 4D As depicted, the substrate supports 672A-672D are not moved from one processing station 260 to another processing station 260. The rectangular housing 902 includes an upper body 904 and a lower body 906 that are configured in a similar manner to the upper block 722 and the lower block 720 described above. Fig. 9AThe paddle robot processing module 900 includes an upper body 904 and a lower body 906, and Fig. 9B Only the lower body 906 portion of the paddle robot processing module 900 is included. The upper body 904 includes an upper chamber wall configured to support the source assembly 470 and the process kit assembly 480 of each of the processing stations 260A to 260D. The lower body 906 similarly includes a lower wall configured to support the support chuck assembly 590 within each of the processing stations 260A to 260D.

[0102] The first process chamber valve 244A and the second process chamber valve 244B are located on a common wall of the four walls of the paddle robot process module 900, so that the robot (e.g. Figure 2A The intermediate robot 285 of the embodiment of the present invention loads the substrate through these valves and loads the substrate onto the first substrate support 672A. Then, the substrate support 672A is raised to the processing position in the first processing station 260A, and the substrate is processed, for example, by depositing a sputtered film layer on the substrate. Then, the substrate can be moved from the substrate support 672A to the substrate support 672B by the first paddle robot 908A to be processed at the next processing station 260B. Alternatively, the first substrate can be loaded onto the first substrate support 672A, and then moved to the second substrate support 672B by the first paddle robot 908A without processing on the first substrate support 672A, and then the second substrate is loaded onto the first substrate support 672A to be processed on the first substrate support 672A. In a similar manner, the second paddle robot 908B can move two additional substrates between the fourth substrate support 672D and the third substrate support 672C. Processes performed on the first and second substrates in processing stations corresponding to the first and second substrates (and in some cases also processes performed on additional substrates in processing stations corresponding to additional substrates) may be performed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously.

[0103] Each paddle robot 908A, 908B includes a rotatable base 910A, 910B from which paddle arms 912A, 912B extend and terminate in paddle end effectors 914A, 914B. The rotatable bases 910A, 910B are connected to motors (not shown) below the rectangular housing and are rotatable to position the paddle end effectors 914A, 914B over one of the respective substrate supports 672A to 672D. In addition, rest stations 916A to 916D are positioned along an arcuate path 995 through which the paddle end effectors 914A, 914B swing so that substrates can be stored at the rest stations 916A to 916D between processing at the processing stations 260 or directly between the processing stations 260.

[0104] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10C A side view of shielding plates 1300a, 1300b, 1300c disposed above skirt 680 and electrostatic chuck (ESC) 622 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. For example, skirt 680 may be Figure 6 The skirt 680 includes skirt features 680a to 680c. For example, the ESC may include the above-described Figure 6 Described subject 643.

[0105] The shielding disks 1300a, 1300b, 1300c are configured to protect underlying components (e.g., body 643) from unwanted deposition. As shown, shielding disks 1300a, 1300b, 1300c include a disk body 1301 and one or more disk features 1310a to 1310c. The disk body 1301 may include any material used in the art for shielding disks, such as titanium (Ti), aluminum-silicon-carbon (AlSiC), stainless steel (SST), aluminum (Al), and any combination of the above. The disk feature 1310a ( Fig. 10A ) includes a rounded portion such that the body 1301 protrudes further from the center of the shielding disk 1300a at the bottom surface 1330 of the shielding disk than at the top surface 1331 of the shielding disk. Fig. 10B ) includes a rounded portion so that the body 1301 protrudes from the center of the shielding disk 1300b at the bottom surface 1330 of the shielding disk approximately the same distance as at the top surface 1331 of the shielding disk. Fig. 10C ) includes a rounded portion so that the body 1301 protrudes further from the center of the shielding disk 1300a at the bottom surface 1330 of the shielding disk than at the top surface 1331 of the shielding disk. In addition, the disk feature 1310c also includes a lip that extends below the bottom surface 1330. The disk features 1310a, 1310b, 1310c can be evenly positioned around the edge of the disk body 1301, or the disk features can be located only in a portion of the edge. According to one embodiment, the shielding disk includes two or more of the disk features 1310a, 1310b.

[0106] The disk features 1310a to 1310c allow for reducing stress in the disk body 1301 during high temperature processing. For example, the disk features 1310a to 1310c reduce stress in the disk body 1301 when the shielding disk 1300a to 1300c undergoes bending. The shielding disk 1300a to 1300c is sized to be placed on the ESC and the skirt so that the shielding disk still protects the ESC and the skirt when the shielding disk undergoes bending. In some cases, bending occurs due to rapid increase and / or decrease in temperature. For example, the shielding disk 1300-1300c is configured to withstand bending up to about 1 mm or more. The bending can be toward the top surface 1331, or away from the top surface. In addition, the shielding disk 1300a to 1300c is also configured to withstand lateral (i.e., perpendicular to the bottom surface 1330 and the top surface 1331) expansion or displacement of at least the port of the body 1301 up to about 0.5 mm or more.

[0107] Fig. 10D A top view of one of the shielding plates 1300a to 1300c according to some embodiments is shown. The shielding plates 1300a to 1300c include a plurality of long grooves 1320 extending from the side of the body 1301 toward the center C of the body. The shielding plates 1300a to 1300c include a plurality of short grooves 1321 extending from the side of the body 1301 toward the center C of the body. The length of the long grooves 1320 is equal to or greater than the length of the short grooves 1321. The long grooves 1320 and the short grooves 1321 can follow any path, such as a straight path. Fig. 10D As shown in FIG. 1 , the long groove 1320 and the short groove 1321 have an arc curve. The arc curve can have any angle, such as about 10°. The long groove 1320 and the short groove 1321 can have a depth of about 0.25 mm to about 0.50 mm.

[0108] The long grooves 1320 and the short grooves 1321 direct the deposited material away from the components below, thereby further protecting the components, while no material is deposited in the long grooves and the short grooves themselves. The long grooves 1320 and the short grooves 1321 direct the deposited material away from the components below, thereby further protecting the components. The long grooves 1320 and the short grooves 1321 are inclined at an angle relative to the deposition plane.

[0109] The shutter disks 1300a-1300c may have a diameter of about 300 mm or greater. The large diameter allows underlying components to be protected even if the shutter disks 1300a-1300c experience bending. This increases service life and reduces cost of ownership by extending replacement of protected components, particularly for high film thickness depositions of about 5000 nm or greater.

[0110] Fig.11AA side view of a support portion (or transmission system) 560 according to one embodiment is shown. Fig. 11B A top view of a support portion 560 according to one embodiment is depicted. As shown, the support portion 560 includes a support portion body 1405, a first gripper 1401, a second gripper 1402, and a support portion actuator 1410. Each of the first gripper 1401 and the second gripper 1402 is coupled to the support portion body 1405. The first gripper 1401 and the first gripper 1402 are configured to grip a workpiece (e.g., a substrate S, or one of the shielding disks 1300a to 1300c). The support portion 560 is configured to keep the rotational orientation of the workpiece constant during transport. For substrates having layers deposited only on certain portions thereof, a constant and consistent rotational orientation of the workpiece is desirable.

[0111] In some embodiments, the first gripper 1401 and the second gripper 1402 include flush surfaces so that the workpiece is securely positioned on the first gripper and the second gripper. In other embodiments, the first gripper 1401 and the second gripper 1402 include a snap ring or other mechanism (not shown) to secure the workpiece to the support portion 560. The support portion actuator 1410 is configured relative to the central support member 305 ( Figure 5B ) moves the support portion 560 in the Z direction. The support portion actuator 1410 may include any actuator used in the art, such as a pneumatic actuator, an electric motor, a hydraulic actuator, a stepper motor, a brush motor, or any other suitable actuator. In some embodiments, the entire center support 305 moves in the Z direction, so the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction.

[0112] Fig. 11C The movement of the support portion 560 is depicted according to one embodiment. The support portion 560 starts at a first position 1420. In the first position 1420, the support portion 560 does not grip the shutter disk or substrate.

[0113] Then, the support portion 560 is moved to the second position 1421. For example, the central transfer robot 245 is rotated by the turntable motor 457 ( Figure 5B ) so that the support portion 560 is rotated to the second position 1421. The second position 1421 is positioned so that the support portion 560 can grab the shielding disk (e.g. FIG. 10A to FIG. 10DIn some embodiments, the shielding disc is disposed in the shield stack 310. The support portion actuator 1410 is configured to move the support portion 560 in the Z direction to grab the shielding disc. In some embodiments, the entire central support 305 is moved in the Z direction by the elevator actuator 599, so that the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction to grab the shielding disc.

[0114] Then, the support portion 560 is moved to the third position 1422. For example, the central transfer robot 245 is rotated by the turntable motor 457 ( Figure 5B ), so that the support portion 560 is rotated to the third position 1422. For example, the third position 1422 is located in the processing area (e.g., the processing station 260). The support portion actuator 1410 is configured to move the support portion 560 in the Z direction to place the shutter disk in the processing area. In some embodiments, the entire central support 305 is moved in the Z direction by the elevator actuator 599, so that the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction to place the shutter disk.

[0115] Fig.11D The movement of the support portion 560 is depicted according to one embodiment. The support portion 560 starts at a first position 1420. In the first position 1420, the support portion 560 does not grip the shutter disk or substrate.

[0116] Then, the support portion 560 is moved to the second position 1421. For example, the central transfer robot 245 is rotated by the turntable motor 457 ( Figure 5B ), so that the support portion 560 is rotated to the second position 1421. The second position 1421 is positioned so that the support portion 560 can grab a substrate (e.g., substrate S). In some embodiments, the substrate is disposed in the mask stack 310. The support portion actuator 1410 is configured to move the support portion 560 in the Z direction to grab the substrate. In some embodiments, the entire center support 305 is moved in the Z direction by the elevator actuator 599, so that the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction to grab the substrate.

[0117] Then, the support portion 560 is moved to the third position 1422. For example, the rotation center transfer robot 245 ( Figure 5B), so that the support portion 560 is rotated to the third position 1422. For example, the third position 1422 is located in the processing area (e.g., the processing station 260). The support portion actuator 1410 is configured to move the support portion 560 in the Z direction to place the substrate in the processing area. In some embodiments, the entire central support 305 is moved in the Z direction by the elevator actuator 599, so that the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction to place the substrate.

[0118] exist Fig. 11C and Fig.11D In any of the examples shown in , other positions may be included. For example, the support portion 560 is moved to four, five, or even more positions. Each position can be positioned in any angle increment from about 0° to about 360°. The support portion 560 can be stably moved from one position to another, or the outer end can be moved in a step-by-step manner.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first position 1420 is located in a secondary processing area, such as another processing station 260. In these embodiments, the second position 1421 can be bypassed so that the substrate S moves from the secondary processing area to the processing area in the second position 1421. These embodiments allow for a two-step processing of the substrate, first in the secondary processing area and then in the processing area.

[0120] Fig. 12A The shield stack 1500A is shown in a first position 1591 according to one embodiment. The shield stack 1500A is configured to hold one or more shield disks 1300 and one or more substrates S. In some embodiments, the shield stack 1500A only accommodates substrates S. In some embodiments, the shield stack 1500A only includes one or more shield disks 1300a to 1300c. The shield stack 1500A can be used in place of the shield stack 330 described above.

[0121] As shown, the shutter stack 1500A includes a stack base 1502, one or more shutter disk supports 1505, a substrate support 1501, and a stack actuator 1503. One or more shutter disk supports 1505 and the substrate support 1501 are coupled to the stack base 1502. One or more shutter disk supports 1505 are configured to support the shutter disks 1300a to 1300c. The substrate support 1501 is configured to support the substrate S. The stack actuator 1503 is coupled to the stack base 1502. The stack actuator 1503 is configured to move the stack base 1502 in any desired direction. For example, the stack actuator 1503 is configured to move the stack base 1502 in the Z direction. The stack actuator 1503 may include any actuator used in the art, such as a pneumatic actuator, an electric motor, a hydraulic actuator, a stepper motor, a brush motor, or any other suitable actuator.

[0122] Although only one set of shutter disk supports 1505 and corresponding shutter disks 1300 are shown, it should be understood that the shutter stack 1500A may also include any number of sets of shutter disk supports 1505 and the same number of corresponding shutter disks 1300a to 1300c. Similarly, although only one substrate support 1501 and corresponding substrate S are shown, it should be understood that the shutter stack 1500A may include any number of sets of substrate supports 1501 and the same number of corresponding substrates S.

[0123] exist Fig. 12A In the first position 1591 shown in FIG. 1 , the support portion 560 is gripping the shutter disks 1300a to 1300c. The spacing between the top 1501T of the substrate support 1501 and the shutter disk support 1505 allows the support portion 560 to fit between the stack base 1502 and the top.

[0124] Fig. 12B The cover stack 1500A is shown in a second position 1592 according to one embodiment. The second position 1592 is at a lower elevation than the first position 1591. Fig. 12B In the second position 1592 illustrated in FIG. 1590 , the support portion 560 is gripping the substrate S. Therefore, the shutter stack 1500A is configured such that the support portion 560 can grip either the substrate S or the shutter disk 1300 .

[0125] Although Fig. 12A and Fig. 12BOnly two positions 1591, 1592 are shown, but it is understood that any number of positions of the shield stack 1500A are possible. For example, in a configuration of the shield stack 1500A including multiple substrate supports 1501, multiple positions of the shield stack are possible, each position including a stack base 1502 at a different height. In addition, the shield stack 1500A may also include lift pins (not shown) that allow for increased control over movement of the workpiece in the Z direction.

[0126] Fig. 12C The shield stack 1500B is shown in a first position 1593 according to one embodiment. The shield stack 1500B may be used in place of the shield stack 330 described above. The shield stack 1500B is similar to the shield stack 1500B, but the shield stack 1500B does not include a stack actuator. That is, the shield stack 1500B is set in a single position 1593. In contrast, Fig.12D As shown in FIG. 1 , the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction relative to the mask stack 1500B. For example, using the support portion actuator 1410 ( Fig.11A and Fig. 11B ) to move the support portion 560. In some embodiments, the entire center support 305 is moved in the Z direction by the elevator actuator 599, so the support portion 560 moves in the Z direction. In some embodiments, the actuator described herein is used with the shutter stack 1500A, so the shutter stack and the outer end 1032 each work in coordination to grab the shutter disks 1300a to 1300c and / or the substrate S.

[0127] Each of the shield stacks 1500A, 1500B allows for retrieval of a workpiece (i.e., substrate and shield disk) without interrupting vacuum. Reducing the time spent interrupting and restoring vacuum increases the throughput of the cluster tool. Additionally, according to some embodiments, the shield stacks 1500A, 1500B also include a cooling system, such as a radiant cooling system. The cooling system reduces the temperature of the shield disks 1300a to 1300c, increases the useful life of the shield disks, and reduces the cost of ownership for the user. The shield stacks 1500A, 1500B may also include one or more sensors (not shown). The sensors indicate to the support portion 560 when the support portion is disposed in the shield stack.

[0128] Fig.13 is a flow chart of a method 1600 for moving a workpiece according to one embodiment. FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D , FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D ,and Fig.13The method 1600 operations are described in detail, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that any system configured to perform the method operations in any order also falls within the scope of the embodiments described herein. The embodiments of the method 1600 can be combined with the systems and system operations described herein (e.g., Figure 2A and Figure 2B The method 1600 may be stored in or accessed by a system controller 299 of the substrate processing module 250 as a computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor of the system controller, cause the transfer chamber assembly to perform the method. The entirety of the method 1600 may be performed in a vacuum environment, such as an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environment.

[0129] The method 1600 begins at operation 1610, where a support portion (e.g., support portion 560) is moved from a first position (e.g., first position 1420) to a mask stack (e.g., mask stack 310, 1500A, or 1500B disposed at second position 1421) in a first direction. The first direction can be a straight line, or along an arcuate path. According to one embodiment, the support portion is configured to grasp both the mask tray and the substrate. According to one embodiment, the support portion is part of a central transfer robot (e.g., central transfer robot 245).

[0130] At operation 1620, the support portion retrieves the workpiece (e.g., the shield disk 1300 or the substrate S) from the shield stack. According to some embodiments, operation 1620 includes moving the support portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. For example, moving the support portion relative to the shield stack (e.g., Fig. 12C and Fig.12D ). The step of retrieving the workpiece includes retrieving the shielding plate from the shielding stack, or retrieving the substrate from the shielding stack, and the steps of retrieving the shielding plate and retrieving the substrate are performed at different heights in the second direction.

[0131] According to some embodiments, operation 1620 includes moving the shield stack in the second direction. For example, moving the shield stack relative to the support portion (eg, Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B ). The step of retrieving the workpiece includes retrieving the shielding plate from the shielding stack, or retrieving the substrate from the shielding stack, and the steps of retrieving the shielding plate and retrieving the substrate are performed at different heights in the second direction.

[0132] In some implementations, operation 1620 includes both moving the support portion in the second direction, and moving the cover stack in the second direction.

[0133] At operation 1630, the support portion moves to a second position (eg, third position 1422). The second position includes a processing area (eg, processing station 260).

[0134] It is to be understood that the method 1600 can be performed with multiple workpieces. For example, the central transfer robot includes multiple support portions, and thus multiple workpieces can be moved simultaneously. In addition, the method 1600 can also include returning the support portion(s) to a previous position (e.g., the first position 1420, the second position 1421). For example, after operation 1630, when the substrate is placed in the processing area, the support portion returns to the second position to retrieve the shutter disk, and the support portion places the shutter disk in the processing area.

[0135] As described above, a substrate processing module and method for moving a workpiece are provided. The substrate processing module includes a shield stack and two processing areas. The shield stack is disposed between the processing areas. The method for moving the workpiece includes the steps of moving a support portion from a first position to the shield stack in a first direction, retrieving the workpiece from the shield stack, and moving the support portion to a second position. The substrate processing module and method allow moving the workpiece to the shield stack and moving the workpiece from the shield stack to the two processing areas.

[0136] The central transfer robot of the substrate processing module is configured to grasp both the substrate and the shutter tray, allowing one robot to be used when two robots would normally be required. Placing the shutter stack in a high vacuum environment reduces the need to pull a vacuum when transferring substrates from the shutter stack to the processing area.

[0137] Although the above contents relate to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be designed without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A substrate processing module, comprising: A shutter disk stack, the shutter disk stack being configured to store one or more workpieces, the one or more workpieces comprising one or more of a substrate or a shutter disk, the shutter disk stack comprising: stacking base; one or more shutter disk supports coupled to the stacking base, each of the one or more shutter disk supports being configured to support a shutter disk; and a substrate support coupled to the stack base, the substrate support configured to support a substrate; and There are two processing stations, and the shielding disk stack is arranged between the processing stations.

2. The substrate processing module of claim 1, wherein the shutter disk stack further comprises: A stacking actuator is coupled to the stacking base, the stacking actuator being configured to move the stacking base.

3. The substrate processing module of claim 1, wherein each of the processing stations comprises a source assembly, and the source assembly comprises a target and a magnetron assembly.

4. The substrate processing module according to claim 1, wherein The substrate processing module further comprises a plurality of walls at least partially defining a transfer area, wherein the plurality of walls comprises: an upper wall including an array of processing station openings about a central axis; and a lower wall, the lower wall being located on a side of the substrate processing module opposite to the upper wall, wherein the transfer area is disposed between the upper wall and the lower wall, The two processing stations are located on the upper wall, wherein the two processing stations are separately arranged above the processing station opening, and The shutter disk stack is arranged in the transport area.

5. A substrate processing module, comprising: A shutter disk stack, the shutter disk stack being configured to store one or more workpieces, the one or more workpieces comprising one or more of a substrate or a shutter disk, the shutter disk stack comprising: stacking base; one or more shielding disk supports coupled to the stacking base, each of the one or more shielding disk supports being configured to support a shielding disk, the shielding disk comprising a disk body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface extending further from a center of the shielding disk than the top surface; and a substrate support coupled to the stacking base, the substrate support configured to support a substrate; two processing stations, the shielding disk stack being arranged between the processing stations; and A central transfer robot includes one or more support sections configured to simultaneously transfer a plurality of workpieces from the shutter disk stack to one of the processing stations.

6. The substrate processing module of claim 5, wherein the shutter disk stack further comprises: A stacking actuator is coupled to the stacking base, the stacking actuator being configured to move the stacking base.

7. The substrate processing module of claim 5, wherein each of the processing stations comprises a source assembly, and the source assembly comprises a target and a magnetron assembly.

8. The substrate processing module according to claim 5, wherein The substrate processing module further comprises a plurality of walls at least partially defining a transfer area, wherein the plurality of walls comprises: an upper wall including an array of processing station openings about a central axis; and a lower wall, the lower wall being located on a side of the substrate processing module opposite to the upper wall, wherein the transfer area is disposed between the upper wall and the lower wall, The two processing stations are located on the upper wall, wherein the two processing stations are separately arranged above the processing station opening, and The shutter disk stack is arranged in the transport area.

9. The substrate processing module of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more support portions is configured to grip the substrate and the shutter disk.

10. The substrate processing module of claim 9, wherein each of the support sections comprises a support section actuator configured to move each of the support sections relative to the central transfer robot.

11. A method for moving a workpiece using a substrate processing module according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method comprising the following steps: moving the support portion from a first position to a stack of shutter disks in a first direction, the shutter disks comprising a disk body having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface extending further from a center of the shutter disks than the top surface; retrieving the workpiece from the shutter disk stack, wherein the workpiece is a substrate or a shutter disk; and The support portion is moved to a second position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the support portion is configured to grip the substrate and the shutter disk.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the second location comprises a processing station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing station comprises: Top equipment; and Upper chamber.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the support portion comprises a support portion actuator, and the step of retrieving the workpiece comprises the steps of: The supporting portion is moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of retrieving the workpiece from the shutter disk stack comprises any of the following steps: (1) Retrieving the shutter disk from the shutter disk stack; or (2) retrieving the substrate from the shielding disk stack, The step of retrieving the shielding plate and the step of retrieving the substrate are performed at different heights in the second direction.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the shutter disk stack comprises: stacking base; and A stacking actuator is coupled to the stacking base, the stacking actuator being configured to move the stacking base in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the shutter disk stack further comprises: one or more shutter disk supports coupled to the stacking base, each of the one or more shutter disk supports being configured to support the shutter disk; and A substrate support is coupled to the stack base, the substrate support being configured to support the substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of retrieving the workpiece from the shutter disk stack comprises any of the following steps: (1) Retrieving the shutter disk from the shutter disk stack; or (2) retrieving the substrate from the shielding disk stack, The step of retrieving the shielding plate and the step of retrieving the substrate are performed at different heights in the second direction.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the support portion comprises: First Grabber; and Second grabber.

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