Treatment device for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition treatment

Abstract

A processing apparatus for processing at least one side of a flat substrate under vacuum, the processing apparatus (1) comprising: a central processing chamber (7); a cover plate (13) having a gas inlet (4) and extending outwardly in a closing plane (Pc) such that its circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping channel (9); a pumping channel (9) connectable to one or more vacuum pumps (12), the pumping channel further surrounding at least a major part of the process chamber and being fluidly connected to the process chamber via a circumferential pump channel (8) at least in the closed state of the process chamber; and a seat (14) to support the flat substrate (17), the seat extending outwardly in a closing plane (Pc) such that its outer circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping channel and being bidirectionally, linearly movable into an open position and into a closed position to at least open and close the pumping channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing device for processing at least one side of a flat substrate according to claim 1, and a multi-chamber processing system (MCS) according to claim 13 including such a processing device. Background Art

[0002] Processing apparatus and multi-chamber processing systems (MCS) have long been known in the field of the semiconductor industry.

[0003] An example of an MCS comprising a stack of processing systems, here referred to as plasma chambers, is disclosed in FIG2(a) of US 5515986 to Balzers AG. Details of the plasma chamber can be found in FIG7(a), details of the pumping arrangement can be found in FIG5b, and details of the suction device can be found in FIGS8(a)-8(e). This document further discloses loading and unloading of flat workpieces through the side walls of the processing chamber, which makes entry and exit of the processing cavity of the plasma chamber difficult.

[0004] The latest state of the art devices disclose that flat substrates, such as wafers, are loaded from the bottom, which makes it at least easier to get the substrates into and out of the pedestal or chuck when the device is open. However, these prior art devices may still have difficult access to the pumping channels or the respective pump channels, which tend to condense residues of the PECVD process and therefore require regular maintenance and cleaning. In addition, when high temperatures have to be applied in the process chamber, especially to the chuck, for example, in order to quickly heat the wafer to the required process temperature. Furthermore, as is known from the prior art, high temperature processes under vacuum tight conditions are not designed on many devices, especially when the process pressure applied in the process device is higher than the high vacuum environment of the surrounding MCS-chamber.

[0005] definition

[0006] The process device for CVD process or PE-CVD process as disclosed can be operated under atmospheric pressure, super reduced pressure up to normal vacuum conditions in a defined gas environment. In the following, the term vacuum is used to denote a pressure from several 100 mbar to 10 -6 Any type of reduced pressure, unless otherwise specified, such as HV, which means high vacuum and covers the generally defined vacuum range from 10 -3 Up to 10 -8 The PE-CVD process is preferably carried out under vacuum. The preferred pressure ranges are given below.

[0007] The gas shower can in its simplest form be designed as a perforated sheet, i.e. a plate of minimum thickness comprising a corresponding number of small through holes to increase the flow resistance and allow better mixing of the gases in the preceding gas distribution chamber; or can be formed as a binary tree type pipeline structure. Summary of the invention

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a processing device which requires less cleaning and maintenance. It is therefore an object of the present invention to reduce the number of parts, surfaces and / or sealing gaps in or directly adjacent to the processing chamber, thereby reducing the number of particles generated during the PE-CVD process. Another object of the present invention is to ease and improve the tightness of the device with respect to a high vacuum environment, which should not be compromised by processing residues of the processing device.

[0009] Another object is to improve the temperature uniformity of a pedestal (which may be a chuck) and, in turn, to maintain a more uniform temperature of a flat substrate (eg, a wafer) held on the pedestal.

[0010] The processing device according to the present invention comprises:

[0011] Central Processing Room;

[0012] A cover plate having a gas inlet which can be attached to a process gas supply and is located in a closed plane (P C ) extends outwardly so that its circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping passage;

[0013] The pumping channel may be connected to more than one vacuum pump, for example to a pumping nozzle via pumping lines and respective fittings, the pumping channel further surrounding at least a major part of the process chamber, for example at least about 75% of the diameter, but preferably about 100%, and being fluidically connected to the process chamber via a circumferential pump channel, i.e. one end of the pump channel opens in the process chamber and the other end opens in the pumping channel, at least in the closed state of the process chamber. Alternatively, circumferentially arranged pump holes in the side wall of the process chamber may be used. The pump channels and pump holes may be arranged in a symmetry plane S of the process chamber. Thereby in the closed state a fluid path is provided between the gas inlet of the process chamber and the vacuum pump, wherein the gas inlet may comprise a gas shower, a gas ring or even in its simplest design a central opening or nozzle in a cover plate, which when in use forms the top of the process chamber, or the top of an optional gas distribution chamber. The fluid path also comprises the process chamber, the pump channel or pump hole, the pumping channel, the pumping line and a valve leading to the vacuum pump in the above order;

[0014] A pedestal, which may be a chuck, supports the flat substrate and preferably exchanges heat from the pedestal to the flat substrate and / or vice versa to form the bottom of the processing device. Heating and / or cooling means, return gas channels with respective separate return gas supplies and an electrostatic chuck (ESC) may be provided as known from the prior art. The pedestal extends outwardly in a closing plane (Pc) so that its outer circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping channel and is bidirectionally and linearly movable into an open position and into a closed position to open and close at least the pumping channel. The closing plane (Pc) is defined as the plane in which the sealing means from the cover plate and the pedestal contact each other to close at least the pumping channel to the atmosphere surrounding the processing device.

[0015] In an embodiment of the invention, the process chamber may be opened simultaneously with the pumping channel, and the process chamber may be closed simultaneously in a closed position, for example due to movement of a stage. The open / closed position is also referred to as an open / closed state hereinafter.

[0016] In the open position, the pump channel may also be opened simultaneously with the pumping channel, and in the closed position, a fluid connection of the pump channel is formed. At least one of the pumping channel, the process chamber, or the pump channel may be formed by facing surfaces of the cover plate and the pedestal in the closed position. The facing surfaces may include cavities, which in the open position are open toward the closing plane (Pc) at least in the region of the pumping channel and in the region of the process chamber. The respective cavity may be formed completely or partially in one of the pedestal and / or the cover plate.

[0017] In another embodiment of the invention, at least the cavity for the pumping channel may be formed in the cover plate. For practical reasons like ease of cleaning and maintenance, it may be advantageous to form the pumping channel and the cavity for the process chamber on one side, for example in the cover plate. Thereby, the surface of the chuck may be kept flat towards the closing plane (Pc), which facilitates the loading of flat substrates, which may be wafers for example.

[0018] Polymer seals, such as fluororubber seals, can be used for processes up to 300° C., ceramic seals can be used for very high temperature applications, for example, for temperatures above 500° C. However, for PE-CVD processes, which are usually carried out at temperatures of from 300 to 500° C., in particular metallic sealing means can be provided on or with the facing surface of the cover plate, the seal in ground plane projection comprising a ring like opening of the pumping channel, which in the open position opens towards the handling chamber and is closed by linear movement of the stand along the axis A3 towards the handling chamber. Despite the fact that in principle any known sealing means can be used, such as flange to O-ring gasket type made of plastic, metal, or ceramic, metal-to-metal seals are preferred because of their high mechanical toughness and the high temperature processing required for certain PE-CVD processes, requiring chuck temperatures between 250 and 500° C., in particular between 300 and 400° C., which is well above the maximum operating temperature of plastic gaskets. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing device comprises or consists of two metallic flanges, which are arranged on or with the facing surfaces of the cover plate and the pedestal. The metallic flanges can be made of aluminum, stainless steel, or any other structural material, which is best suited for the sometimes very corrosive environment of the EP-CVD process. This will generally also be the preferred structural material for the pedestal and the cover plate, despite the fact that some parts used in specific embodiments, such as microwave windows, or coupling walls for inductive power supplies, etc., can be made of other constructive materials such as heat-resistant glass or ceramics. In addition, when the cover plate and the pedestal are made of the same material as the flange, the cover plate and the pedestal can be made into a single piece with the flange. The surface roughness Ra of the flange can be set to 2.0 to 4.5 microns, especially 2.5 to 4.0 microns. The flatness should be 0.005 to 0.1 mm, especially the flatness of the flange with a diameter of 360 mm should be 0.01 to 0.08 mm. The contact pressure should be tight, but any deformation of the surface should be avoided, see also the next paragraph.

[0019] Centering measures or devices may be provided to define the position between the cover plate and the pedestal. If the system is used in or attached to the inner wall of a high vacuum handling chamber of a multi-chamber system (MCS) as further described below, the pedestal drive is allowed to open and close the pumping channel. The drive may set a corresponding closing pressure to avoid atmospheric exchange, even in the case of a negative pressure difference between the high vacuum atmosphere (p3) in the surrounding multi-chamber system and the process pressure p1 in the process chamber, respectively the pressure in the pumping channel (p2). Wherein p1>p2>p3, and p1 may be about 0.1 to about 3 mbar, in particular 0.5 to about 2 mbar, p2 may be about 1*10-3 to about 5*10-2 mbar, in particular 2*10-3 to about 3*10-2 mbar, and p3 may be about 10-6 to about 10-5 mbar. During a cleaning process of the processing device, p3 may be set higher than p1 and p2, and nitrogen or other inert gas may be flushed through the handling chamber. With a pressure difference between p2 and p3 of about 2 mbar and a diameter of 360 mm, this gives an effective surface of cover and stand of 203600 square millimeters respectively, so that only small forces of about 20.4 N need to be considered, so that no special drives are required for these applications.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, which may be combined with any other embodiment, the processing device comprises at least one electrode with a power supply to apply plasma in a processing chamber of the processing device. The electrode may be a pedestal, an electrically isolated portion of a pedestal supporting the substrate, and / or a counter electrode parallel to the pedestal near the top of the processing chamber. The counter electrode may be a gas shower or a ring electrode, such as a ring electrode mounted around the gas shower. The one or more power supplies may be DC, pulsed DC, or RF power supplies or any combination thereof.

[0021] The processing devices of the present invention may be used as stand-alone devices, or installed separately into an MCS, as shown below.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-chamber processing system (MCS) having the advantages as described above and having examples as described in the following drawings. The MCS comprises:

[0023] High vacuum handling chamber;

[0024] a high vacuum pump connected to the handling chamber;

[0025] at least one load lock chamber to load and unload at least one flat substrate into and from the high vacuum transfer chamber;

[0026] at least one processing chamber, attached to the high vacuum transfer chamber, for example via a separate vacuum port;

[0027] The processing device of the present invention as described above is installed in the transport room, for example, on the ceiling or bottom of the transport room;

[0028] At least one handling device to load the flat substrate from the handling chamber into the processing chamber and / or the handling device.

[0029] The processing device is further connected to a separate vacuum pump via a pumping line, which can be placed on the side of the outer wall of the MCS or mounted to the outer wall to separately pump the processing device when the process gas is delivered via the gas inlet. The concept of separating the entire vacuum path from the processing device relative to the HV space of the MCS, and its HV transport chamber respectively effectively helps to avoid that particle emissions from the PE-CVD treatment performed in the processing device will damage the transport chamber or other parts of the MCS connected to the transport chamber. The gas delivery system is connected to the gas inlet of the processing device. The gas delivery system will generally include at least one gas reservoir and at least one gas pipeline, and optionally include a gas mixing device, such as a gas distribution chamber and a gas shower. The processing chamber may include an etching, PVD- or CVD-processing chamber for respective cleaning, etching or deposition processes.

[0030] In another embodiment of the present invention, the MCS may include at least two transfer chambers, each of which is connected to at least one processing chamber and is arranged around a robot chamber in the center of the MCS, the latter including a transfer device and being separable from each of the transfer chambers and the load lock chamber by a gate valve. In an alternative embodiment, the transfer device may be positioned in a gate lock.

[0031] The handling device can be any type of handling device, respectively a robot or a plurality of robots, including in particular fixed or movably mounted two-axis, three-axis and multi-axis handling devices, such as a SCARA robot.

[0032] The MCS as well as the processing equipment will have a common control system including central and / or peripheral processing units to control and synchronize the respective components like valves, pumps, gas flows, heating and cooling systems and drives, which components usually come with complex vacuum systems and are not mentioned further here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The prior art and embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1A The same reference numerals as those shown / described in the prior art of FIG. 1B are used in the embodiments of the present invention, processing devices, and details of the MCS. However, the reference numerals of the systems, devices, or details of the prior art are different from the corresponding parts of the present invention, have different designs, or do not use the reference numerals of the embodiments of the present invention, which are marked with a single apostrophe. These drawings show:

[0034] Figure 1Ais a schematic side cross-sectional view of an MCS with a known processing device in a closed position within the MCS;

[0035] Figure 1B is a device having a handling device in an open position Figure 1A The same side cross-sectional view of ;

[0036] Figure 2A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an MCS of the present invention with a processing device of the present invention in a closed position;

[0037] Figure 2B is a device having a handling device in an open position Figure 2A The same side cross-sectional view of ;

[0038] Figure 3 is a top view of the processing device and MCS of the present invention;

[0039] Figures 4A-4C It is an embodiment of the processing device of the present invention in a partial side view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figure 1A An exemplary embodiment of a side cross-sectional view of an MCS 30' is shown with a known handling device 1'. The handling device 1' is shown in a closed position within the MCS.

[0041] The processing device 1 ' is a device designed in particular for PE-CVD, which comprises two power supplies 25, 26, which in this case are RF power supplies for a chuck-type pedestal 23 and a counter-electrode, which as shown can be an electrically isolated gas shower 6, or any other part of the cover plate 1 '. Thus, the power can be supplied together or separately via power supply lines 27 and 28, depending on the processing needs.

[0042] The flow paths of the process gases are shown within the processing device by closed arrows. The process gases enter the gas distribution chamber 5 from one or more gas supplies 2 and gas lines 3. In case more than one process gas is used, the process gases may be mixed and the gases flow through gas showers 6 into the processing chamber 7' where they react. The respective residual gases are pumped through pump channels 8' and circumferential pumping channels 9'. Finally, pumping lines 10 guide the residual gases from the processing device 1' and the MCS 30' via pump valves 11 to vacuum pumps 12.

[0043] When a high vacuum handling chamber is used, the processing chamber is sealed relative to the handling chamber and vice versa by means of seals 20' and 21', respectively, wherein seal 20' is a flange surface and seal 21' is an O-ring type gasket. Figure 1B As shown in FIG. 1 , the processing chamber 7 of the processing device 1 ′ can be opened along the axis A3 into the open position by the stage drive 23 .

[0044] In the open position, the loading and unloading of the process chamber 1' can be performed by a handling device 37 comprising two arms that can rotate about axes A1 and A2 (rotation v-arrow), a terminal arm 38 comprising or designed as an end effector to pick up the wafer from the pins 22, which can extend from the stage, for loading and unloading operations. The wafer can then be transferred under high vacuum (HV) to the processing chambers 34-36, to the wafer magazine 41 in the handling chamber, or to the load lock chamber 33 to transfer the wafer from the handling chamber to the atmosphere (cf. Figure 3 ). The HV atmosphere is generated by a high vacuum pump 32 and a HV valve 39 attached to the HV transfer chamber 30'.

[0045] In the case of prior art processing devices, the pumping channel 9' must be opened as a whole or separately through service ports, and the pump channel 8' must be accessed through the pumping channel and / or the processing chamber (not shown).

[0046] Figure 2A and 2B An MCS 30 having a processing device 1 of the present invention is shown, similar to Figure 1A and 1B ,exist Figure 2A In the case where the processing device 1 is in the closed position for processing, Figure 2B The processing device 1 is in the open, loading / unloading position. The processing device 1 includes a cover plate 13 and a base 14, which have metal flange seals 20 and 21 on the facing surfaces around the periphery of the pumping channel 9, referring to Figure 2B . Then, in Figure 2A In the closed position in the embodiment, the cavities of the process chamber 7 and the pumping channel 9 are closed and the pump channel 8 is formed by the passage between the side wall 42 of the process chamber (which separates the process chamber and the pumping channel) and the pedestal 14, thereby forming a flow path between the cover plate and the pedestal, as indicated by the closed arrow. Despite the fact that the flow path is formed between the cover plate and the pedestal in the area of ​​the process chamber 7, the pump channel 8 and the pumping channel 9, it is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, because this design enables the easiest maintenance and cleaning of all these key parts of the device exposed to the reactive residual gas, it should be mentioned that the present invention can also be combined with different designs, for example, with alternative pump channels or pump holes 8" fixedly positioned in the side wall 42, such as with Figure 2B5A-5C. A gas manifold, such as a perforated sheet (not shown), may be used instead of the central gas inlet 4 to facilitate gas distribution in the distribution chamber 5. Further optimization of gas distribution in the distribution chamber 5 may be achieved by providing a gas side line 40 having a higher flow resistance than the gas shower, which side line may be provided around the gas shower, such as Figure 2A The side line 40 can preferably be led into the pump channel 8 as shown, or alternatively in the pumping channel 9, or in the process chamber 7 close to the opening of the pump channel.

[0047] The cover plate 13 and the pedestal 14 also comprise heating elements 29 for preheating and heating for high-temperature treatments in the temperature range between 250° C. and 500° C., respectively between 300° C. and 400° C. Due to the wide lateral extension of the pedestal and thus forming essentially the entire bottom section of the treatment device, a higher temperature uniformity can be achieved in the treatment chamber. Furthermore, condensation problems in pump channels and passages can be avoided by means of a hot bottom area. Therefore, additional heaters 29″ can be foreseen in the pedestal, such as Figure 2B The pressure P3 in the HV handling chamber 30 may be set to be significantly lower than the process pressure, for example, about 10 -6 mbar, while the process pressure P1 can be set in approximately the same range as for the cleaning process, and P2 in the pumping channel will again be lower than P1.

[0048] Other parts from the HV handling chamber 30, such as handling devices 37, 39, HV pumping units 32, 39, and pins 22 and power supplies 25, 26 from the processing device 1 can be the same as discussed in the prior art, such as pulsed DC power supplies or RF power supplies. In addition, a combination of different power supply types can be applied to certain processes, such as DC and pulsed DC, RF or the like.

[0049] Figure 3A top view of an exemplary MCS is shown, wherein the handling chamber and the processing device are shown in section. The MCS 30 contains, next to the processing device 1, a load lock chamber 33, which has an inner port and an outer port designed as a gate valve 44; three process chambers 34, 35, 36, equipped with respective closing devices 43, which again can be gate valves; and a separate chamber, which is designed as a wafer library 41. At least the load lock chamber 33 and the process chambers 34, 35, 36 are equipped with respective separate vacuum pumps (not shown), which are HV pumps for process chambers designed to carry out PVD processes. An input-output unit 45 is provided to input the respective process parameters and to control the current state of the MCS 30 and its subunits 1, 33-36, 37, 41. The loading status of each chamber and magazine is characterized by the respective wafer 17, while the chambers 34-36, especially when designed as PVD chambers and / or etching chambers, which are usually used in combination with the PE-CVD processing device 1, are often designed to process only one wafer at a time, while the magazine and / or heating / degassing chamber (not shown) can accommodate a plurality of wafers. In the middle of the MCS, a handling device that can be mounted linearly movable (double v-arrow) along the middle Y axis of the MCS includes two rotatable vertical axes A1 and A2 and a terminal support arm 38 designed as an end effector or including an end effector to lift the wafer from the extendable pins 22 or place the wafer on the pins, such as with Figures 1A to 2B shown.

[0050] like Figure 3 The processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises two vacuum pumps 12, which are coupled to the pumping channel 9 from the outside of the MCS via valves 12 and pumping lines 10. Thus, a uniform radial gas flow can be provided above the wafer at a pressure p1 in the inner processing chamber 7, which is connected to the circumferential pumping channel at a pressure p2 via small circumferential pump channels. Typically, a pressure difference P2-P1 of about 0.1 to about 0.5 mbar caused by the process gas is obtained by the gas inlet or gas shower, if provided as much as possible, and the flow resistance of the small pump channel will be sufficient to produce such a radial flow pattern.

[0051] Figure 4A Show Figure 2A 4A" in the enlarged view, which shows the vertical design of the peripheral side wall 42 of the process chamber 7. With this design, the cavity 18, i.e. the process chamber 7 and the pumping channel 9 are formed in the cover plate 13 and are closed in the closed state as shown. The passage of the pumping channel 8 is only formed in the closed state of the processing device 1.

[0052] Figure 4BA more complex embodiment is shown with a funnel-shaped side wall 42 which tapers from the process chamber to the pumping channel 8 which is arranged here in the symmetry plane S of the process chamber 7. With this design, the cavity 18 must be provided partly in the cover plate 13 and partly in the pedestal 14.

[0053] Figure 4C Once again an embodiment is shown with cavities allocated to the cover plate 13 and the pedestal 14. In this design, however, the inner circumference of the process chamber 7 is designed to extend circularly together in the direction of the pump channel, which again lies approximately in the symmetry plane S. The gap size d of the channel 8 formed between the two parallel surfaces of the cover plate 13 and the pedestal 14 should be dimensioned as discussed below to confine the plasma to the process chamber 9, i.e. to avoid plasma breakdown into the pumping channel 9: 0.5 mm ≤ d ≤ 4 mm, in particular 1 mm ≤ d ≤ 3 mm. These dimensions should be taken into account for any embodiment of the invention. The flow resistance can then be adjusted by means of the respective channel length and / or the guidance of the channel, for example, as Figure 4B and 4C A straight groove or as in Figure 4A Angled channels in the flow path. In cases where a higher flow resistance is desired, curved or meandering alternatives may be applied. However, straight guides are less sensitive to particle formation, e.g. due to flow turbulences, and are easier to clean.

[0054] like Figures 4A to 4C All embodiments shown in and their variations are obvious to the expert and can be combined with any other embodiment discussed above, however, it has been found that similar or equal Figure 4C The design of the cover 42, including the side walls 42 which continuously converge towards the pumping slit, can give an optimal, i.e., minimal turbulence, flow pattern in the processing chamber. Such flow patterns can even be improved by positioning the gas shower 6 in a recess in the cover plate 13 and / or by positioning the wafer 17 in a recess in the pedestal 14 or providing an outer cover ring 45 ( Figure 4C This is further facilitated by the dashed lines in FIG. 1 to avoid any discontinuities in the geometry of the processing chamber.

[0055] Reference numerals list

[0056] 1.1' Processing device

[0057] 2 Gas supply / gas receiver

[0058] 3 Gas pipelines

[0059] 4 Gas inlet

[0060] 5 Gas distribution chamber

[0061] 6 Gas shower

[0062] 7. 7' Processing Room

[0063] 8 Pump channel

[0064] 9, 9' Pumping channel

[0065] 10 Pumping lines

[0066] 11 Pumps and Valves

[0067] 12 Vacuum pump

[0068] 13, 13' cover

[0069] 14, 14' Base / Chuck

[0070] 15 Facing surface (cover plate)

[0071] 16 Opposing surfaces (pedestal)

[0072] 17 Substrate / Wafer

[0073] 18. Cavity of the processing chamber

[0074] 19 Cavity of pumping channel

[0075] 20, 20' seal (cover)

[0076] 21, 21' seal (pedestal)

[0077] 22 Pins

[0078] 23 Pedestal Driver / Lifter

[0079] 25 First Power

[0080] 26 Second power supply

[0081] 27 First power cord

[0082] 28 Second power cord

[0083] 29 Heater

[0084] 30, 30' Multi-chamber System (MCS)

[0085] 31. Transport Room

[0086] 32 High vacuum pump

[0087] 33 Load lock chamber

[0088] 34~36 Processing Room

[0089] 37 Handling device

[0090] 38 Terminal arm / end effector

[0091] 39 HV valve

[0092] 40 Gas side pipeline

[0093] 41 Wafer Library

[0094] 42 Side wall of the processing chamber

[0095] 43 Chamber Closure / Gate Valve

[0096] 44 Gate valve from load lock

[0097] 45 outer cover ring

[0098] 46 Input-Output Units

[0099] A1, A2 rotation axis

[0100] A3 Linear Drive / Lifting Axis

[0101] d Gap size

[0102] P c Close Plane

Claims

1. A processing device for processing at least one side of a flat substrate under vacuum, the processing device (1) comprising: Central Processing Room (7); The cover plate (13) has a gas inlet (4) and is located in the closing plane (P c ) extends outwardly so that its circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping channel (9); A pumping channel (9) connectable to one or more vacuum pumps (12), the pumping channel also surrounding at least a major part of the process chamber and being in fluid connection with the process chamber at least in the closed state of the process chamber via circumferential pump channels (8) or pump holes (8") arranged in the circumferential direction; and The base (14) is provided to support the flat substrate (17), the base being in a closed plane (P c ) extends outwardly so that its outer circumference exceeds the outer diameter of the pumping channel, and can move bidirectionally and linearly into an open position and into a closed position to at least open and close the pumping channel.

2. The processing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing chamber (7) is open in the open position and the processing chamber is closed in the closed position.

3. A processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pump channel (8) is open in the open position, and the pump channel is formed in the closed position to provide a fluid connection from the processing chamber to the pumping channel between the facing surfaces (15, 16) of the cover plate (13) and the base (14).

4. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the pumping channel (9), the processing chamber (7) and / or the pump channel (8) is formed by the facing surfaces (15, 16) of the cover and the stand in the closed position.

5. A processing device according to claim 4, wherein the facing surfaces (15, 16) at least in the region of the pumping channel (8) and in the region of the processing chamber (7) comprise cavities (19, 18) which in the open position face the closing plane (P c )Open.

6. A processing device according to claim 5, wherein the cavity (18, 19) can be formed completely or partially in one of the stand (14) and / or the cover plate (13).

7. Treatment device according to claim 6, wherein at least a cavity for the pumping channel (19) is formed in the cover plate (13).

8. A processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a metallic sealing device (20, 21) is arranged on or with the facing surfaces of the cover plate and the pedestal, and the sealing device (20, 21) surrounds the outer circumference of the pumping channel in a ground plane projection.

9. A processing device according to claim 8, wherein the sealing device (20, 21) comprises or consists of two metallic flanges.

10. Treatment device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least one electrode (6, 14) is provided with a power supply (25, 26) for applying a plasma in a treatment chamber of the treatment device.

11. The processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the electrode is a pedestal and / or a counter electrode parallel to the pedestal near the top of the processing chamber.

12. The processing device according to claim 11, wherein the counter electrode is a gas shower or a ring electrode.

13. A multi-chamber processing system (30), comprising: High vacuum handling chamber (31); a high vacuum pump (32), connected to the handling chamber; at least one load lock chamber (33) connected to the handling chamber (31) for loading and unloading at least one flat substrate (17) into and from the high vacuum handling chamber; at least one processing chamber (32, 34, 35, 36) connected to the transport chamber (31); A processing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, installed in a handling chamber (31); as well as at least one handling device (36) for loading and / or unloading a flat substrate from a handling chamber into and / or from at least one of a load lock chamber (32), a processing chamber (32, 34, 35, 36) and / or a processing device (1); The processing device (1) is connected to a separate vacuum pump (12) via at least one separate pumping line (10), and the gas delivery system (2, 3) is connected to the gas inlet of the processing device.

14. The multi-chamber processing system according to claim 13 comprises at least two transfer chambers (31), each transfer chamber (31) being connected to at least one processing chamber and being configured around a separate robot arm chamber including a transfer device (36).

Images