Substrate cooling apparatus using conduction and radiation

Abstract

An apparatus for cooling a substrate is presented. The apparatus includes: a chamber housing; a first port disposed in the first wall, the first port configured to be hermetically isolated from a first environment; a second port disposed in the second wall, the second port configured to be hermetically isolated from a second environment; a first support disposed between the top and bottom of the chamber housing; a second support disposed between the first support and the bottom of the chamber housing; the first main body is arranged under the top wall; and a second body disposed directly above the bottom wall, wherein an emissivity of the first body and an emissivity of the second body are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate cooling chamber, and more particularly, to a load lock chamber in a substrate processing system configured to efficiently and effectively cool the temperature of processed substrates. Background Art

[0002] In wafer processing, wafers need to be cooled at different steps. Generally, wafers are cooled in a vacuum load lock chamber before being exposed to the atmosphere.

[0003] Currently, cooling plates are used to cool the places where wafers are placed. Although this method is effective, its scalability is not very good if multiple wafers need to be cooled simultaneously.

[0004] Therefore, an effective method is needed to cool more than one wafer. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention content is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments disclosed. The present invention content is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] According to one embodiment, an apparatus for cooling a substrate can be provided, which is further configured to transfer the substrate between a first environment having a first pressure and a second environment having a second pressure. The apparatus includes: a chamber housing having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, a third wall, a fourth wall opposite the third wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall, defining a chamber volume therebetween; a first port disposed in the first wall, the first port configured to be hermetically isolated from the first environment; a second port disposed in the second wall, the second port configured to be hermetically isolated from the second environment; a first support member disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall; a second support member disposed between the first support member and the bottom wall; a first body disposed directly below the top wall; and a second body disposed directly above the bottom wall, wherein the first body and the second body can respectively absorb heat emitted from a first substrate placed on the first support member and a second substrate placed on the second support member, and the emissivity of the first body and the emissivity of the second body are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0007] In at least one aspect, the first environment is an equipment front end module (EFEM) for providing a substrate to the apparatus, the second environment is a processing module for processing the substrate, and the first pressure and the second pressure are different.

[0008] In at least one aspect, each of the first support member and the second support member includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip is configured to extend radially inward from the inner portion.

[0009] In at least one aspect, each of the first support member and the second support member includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip includes a plurality of pins.

[0010] In at least one aspect, the shape of each of the plurality of pins is one of cylindrical, taper-tipped cylindrical, triangular prism-shaped, and square prism-shaped.

[0011] In at least one aspect, the length of the lip is equal to or greater than a predetermined length.

[0012] In at least one aspect, the device further includes a first track and a second track, wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed on the first track and the second track and configured to be movable up and down.

[0013] In at least one aspect, the first track and the second track are directly attached to the third wall and the fourth wall.

[0014] In at least one aspect, when receiving a substrate, the first support member and the second support member are respectively located at a first upper position and a first lower position, and the first support member and the second support member are configured to move to a second upper position and a second lower position respectively when cooling the substrate.

[0015] In at least one aspect, a first distance between the first body and the second upper position and a second distance between the second body and the second lower position are equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

[0016] In at least one aspect, the device further includes a controller that is electrically coupled to the first support member and the second support member and configured to control the upward and downward movement of the first support member and the second support member.

[0017] According to one embodiment, a substrate processing assembly can be provided, the assembly including: a front-end-of-line module that includes a front-end-of-line module chamber having one or more interface openings and a robotic arm for moving substrates; a plurality of processing chambers configured to process substrates; and a load lock chamber configured to cool substrates and transfer substrates between the front-end-of-line module and the plurality of processing chambers, the load lock chamber including: a chamber housing having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, a third wall, a fourth wall opposite the third wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall that define a chamber volume therebetween; a first port disposed in the first wall, the first port configured to be hermetically isolated from a first environment; a second port disposed in the second wall, the second port configured to be hermetically isolated from a second environment; a first support member disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall; a second support member disposed between the first support member and the bottom wall; a first body disposed directly below the top wall; and a second body disposed directly above the bottom wall, wherein the emissivity of the first body and the emissivity of the second body are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0018] In at least one aspect, each of the first support member and the second support member includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip is configured to extend radially inwardly from the inner portion.

[0019] In at least one aspect, each of the first support member and the second support member includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip includes a plurality of pins.

[0020] In at least one aspect, the shape of each of the plurality of pins is one of cylindrical, tapered cylindrical, triangular prism-shaped, and square prism-shaped.

[0021] In at least one aspect, the length of the lip is equal to or greater than a predetermined length.

[0022] In at least one aspect, the load lock chamber further includes: a first track and a second track, wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed on the first track and the second track and are configured to be movable up and down.

[0023] In at least one aspect, when receiving a substrate, the first support member and the second support member are respectively located at a first upper position and a first lower position; and the first support member and the second support member are configured to move to a second upper position and a second lower position respectively when cooling the substrate.

[0024] In at least one aspect, a first distance between the first body and the second upper position and a second distance between the second body and the second lower position are equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

[0025] In at least one aspect, the assembly further includes: a controller, which is electrically coupled to the first support member and the second support member and is configured to control the upward and downward movement of the first support member and the second support member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to facilitate understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 2 A perspective view of a substrate cooling device (mode 1) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 3 A perspective view of a substrate cooling device (mode 2) according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 4 A front view of a substrate cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation Modes

[0031] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the present invention and their obvious modifications and equivalents. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the present invention as disclosed should not be limited by the specifically disclosed embodiments described below.

[0032] As used herein, the term "substrate" can refer to any one or more underlying materials, including any one or more underlying materials that can be modified or on which devices, circuits, or films can be formed. A "substrate" can be continuous or discontinuous; rigid or flexible; solid or porous; and combinations thereof. The substrate can be in any form, such as powder, plate, or workpiece. Plate-like substrates can include wafers of various shapes and sizes. Substrates can be made of semiconductor materials, including, for example, silicon, silicon germanium, silicon oxide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide.

[0033] For example, substrates in powder form can be used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Porous substrates can contain polymers. Examples of workpieces can include medical devices (such as stents and syringes), jewelry, tooling equipment, components for battery manufacturing (such as anodes, cathodes, or separators), or components of photovoltaic cells, etc.

[0034] A continuous substrate can extend beyond the boundaries of the processing chamber where the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate can be moved through the processing chamber so that the process continues until the end of the substrate is reached. A continuous substrate can be provided from a continuous substrate feed system to allow for the manufacture and output of the continuous substrate in any suitable form.

[0035] Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates can include sheets, non-woven membranes, rolls, foils, meshes, flexible materials, bundles of continuous filaments or fibers (such as ceramic fibers or polymer fibers). The continuous substrate can also include a carrier or sheet on which a discontinuous substrate is mounted.

[0036] The diagrams presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any specific material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations for describing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] The specific embodiments shown and described are illustrative of the present invention and its best mode and are not intended to limit the scope of these aspects and embodiments in any way. In fact, for the sake of brevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and other functional aspects of the system may not be described in detail. Additionally, the connecting lines shown in the various figures are intended to represent example functional relationships and / or physical couplings between various elements. Many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in the actual system and / or may not exist in some embodiments.

[0038] It should be understood that the configurations and / or methods described herein are exemplary in nature, and these specific embodiments or examples should not be considered restrictive, as many variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. Accordingly, the various acts shown may be performed in the order shown, in other orders, or in some cases, omitted.

[0039] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of various processes, systems, and configurations, as well as other features, functions, acts, and / or properties disclosed herein, and any and all equivalents thereof.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] Chamber 120 is located between the equipment front-end module 110 and the wafer processing module 130. A substrate is provided from the substrate carrier 112 into the equipment front-end module 110, and the robotic arm 111 in the equipment front-end module 110 moves the substrate. The substrate can be processed in reaction chambers 132 - 137 and moved by the robot 131.

[0042] Chamber 120 may be referred to as a load lock chamber 120, and it may have two ports. The first port 141 may be provided in the first wall located between the load lock chamber 120 and the wafer processing module 130. The second port 142 may be provided in the second wall opposite the first wall, and the second wall is located between the load lock chamber 120 and the equipment front-end module 110. When closed, the first and second ports 141, 142 may seal the load lock chamber 120. The substrate can be transferred between the equipment front-end module 110 and the load lock chamber 120 through the second port 142, and between the load lock chamber 120 and the wafer processing module 130 through the first port 141.

[0043] Figure 2 A perspective view mode of a substrate cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] The load lock chamber 200 has a first wall 261, a second wall 262 opposite the first wall 261, a third wall 263, a fourth wall (not shown) opposite the third wall 263, a bottom wall 266, and a top wall (not shown). These walls define the chamber housing 210.

[0045] The first port 251 may be provided in the first wall 261, and although not shown, it is obvious that the second port may be provided in the second wall 262.

[0046] In the chamber housing 210, the first support member 231 and the second support member 232 may be arranged in this order downward from the top wall, and the substrate may be placed on each of the support members 231, 232 for cooling.

[0047] For cooling the substrate, the first body may be placed directly below the top wall, and the second body 211 may be placed directly above the bottom wall 266. (The first body and the top wall will be shown and explained in Figure 4 .)

[0048] The emissivity (e1) of the first body and the emissivity (e2) of the second body may be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Since a high emissivity of a material is accompanied by a high absorptivity, a substance with a high emissivity may absorb more heat than a substance with a low emissivity. Therefore, the predetermined threshold may need to be close to a value of 1.0, and preferably, the threshold will be 0.9. This configuration may allow for the simultaneous cooling of multiple wafers.

[0049] Each of the first and second support members 231, 232 may include an inner portion 241 and a lip 242. The inner portion 241 may be bent to more easily hold a circular substrate. The lip 242 may extend radially inward from the inner portion. The larger the area of the substrate (having a higher temperature) in contact with the lip, the faster the substrate is cooled by conduction. For better conduction cooling, the length of the lip (d) may need to be equal to or greater than a predetermined length.

[0050] In the case where the contact area is relatively large, for example, when the temperature difference is relatively small, since the deformation of the wafer during the cooling process is very small and the sliding of the wafer on the support member is relatively small due to cooling, the advantage provided by the large contact area in improving the yield outweighs the risk of generating particles.

[0051] The first track 220 and the second track 221 may be provided in the chamber housing 210 to support the first support member 231 and the second support member 232. As shown, the first and second tracks 220, 221 may be independently installed.

[0052] Figure 3 Another mode of a perspective view of a substrate cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] The load lock chamber 300 has a first wall 361, a second wall 362 opposite to the first wall 361, a third wall 363, a fourth wall (not shown) opposite to the third wall 363, a bottom wall 366, and a top wall (not shown). These walls define the chamber housing 310.

[0054] The first port 351 may be provided in the first wall 361, and although not shown, it is obvious that a second port may be provided in the second wall 362.

[0055] In the chamber housing 310, the first support member 331 and the second support member 332 may be arranged in this order downward from the top wall, and the substrate may be placed on each of the support members 331, 232 for cooling.

[0056] To cool the substrate, the first body may be placed directly below the top wall, and the second body 311 may be placed directly above the bottom wall 366.

[0057] Each of the first and second support members 331, 332 may include an inner portion 341 and a lip. The inner portion 341 may be bent to more easily hold the circular substrate. The lip may extend radially inward from the inner portion and may include a plurality of pins 342, and the shape of the pins may be one of cylindrical, tapered tip cylindrical, triangular prism-shaped, and square prism-shaped.

[0058] Figure 3 The relatively small contact area of the pin-shaped lip in applications with a relatively high temperature difference may be advantageous, and when the wafer slides over a relatively small surface area during cooling, particle problems can be reduced.

[0059] The first rail 320 and the second rail 321 may be provided in the chamber housing 310 to support the first support member 331 and the second support member 332. As shown, the first and second guide rails 320, 321 may be independently installed.

[0060] Since there is no cooling stage or cooling station, the footprint of the tool does not increase. During the cooling stage, additional components that contact the wafer do not increase particles. This method does not increase the number of wafer transfers that typically reduce the equipment throughput. Since the number of moving parts is minimized, the impact on manufacturing cost and maintainability is further minimized by this method.

[0061] Figure 4 A front view of a substrate cooling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In Figure 4 it, the first and second walls are not shown, but the third and fourth walls 463, 464 and the top wall 461 and the bottom wall 462 may be shown.

[0062] The first rail 420 and the second rail 421 may stand up from the bottom wall 462, and the first support member 431 and the second support member 432 may be provided on the first rail 420 and the second rail 421. The first and second support members 431, 432 may be configured to be movable up and down, sliding up and down on the first and second guide rails 420, 421. The first rail 420 and the second rail 421 may be installed on the third wall 463 and the fourth wall 464 (420-1, 421-1).

[0063] When receiving the substrate (w1), the first support member 431 may be placed at position A1. However, for effective cooling using radiation, the first support member 431 may be moved upward to position A2 to place the substrate w1 closer to the first main body 410. The distance (L1) from the first main body 410 to position A2 will be equal to or less than a predetermined distance. In the present disclosure, the predetermined distance is preferably 5 mm.

[0064] When receiving the substrate (w2), the second support member 432 may be placed at position B1. However, for effective cooling using radiation, the second support member 432 may be moved downward to position B2 to place the substrate w2 closer to the second main body 411. The distance (D1) from the second main body 411 to position B2 will be equal to or less than a predetermined distance. In the present disclosure, the predetermined distance is preferably 5 mm.

[0065] The first support member 431 may include an inner portion 471 and a lip 472. The lip 472 can be used to cool the substrate by conduction.

[0066] The first and second guide rails 420, 421 and the walls of the chamber housing (461 to 464 and the first and second walls) may also need to be made of a highly conductive material to maximize the conductive cooling effect.

[0067] If the first and second tracks 420-1, 421-1 are attached to the third and fourth walls 463, 464, more heat from the substrate can be conducted, and the substrate will be cooled more effectively.

[0068] For an efficient and effective cooling effect, the controller 450 may be electrically coupled to the first support member 431 and the second support member 432. The controller 450 may be configured to move the first support member 431 upward when the substrate w1 can be placed on the first support member 431, and move the second support member 432 downward when the substrate w2 can be placed on the second support member 432.

[0069] In summary, the wafer cooling device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can use radiation and conduction to effectively cool the temperature of the substrate.

[0070] The arrangement of the above system is merely an illustration of the application of the principles of the present invention. Many other embodiments and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the full scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cooling a substrate, the apparatus further configured to transfer the substrate between a first environment having a first pressure and a second environment having a second pressure, the apparatus comprising: a chamber housing having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, a third wall, a fourth wall opposite the third wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall defining a chamber volume therebetween; a first port disposed in the first wall, the first port being configured to be sealed from a first environment; a second port disposed in the second wall, the second port being configured to be sealed from a second environment; a first support member disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall; a second support member disposed between the first support member and the bottom wall; A first body disposed directly below the top wall; as well as A second main body is arranged just above the bottom wall, The first body and the second body can absorb heat emitted from the first substrate placed on the first support and the second substrate placed on the second support, respectively, and The emissivity of the first body and the emissivity of the second body are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The first environment is an equipment front end module (EFEM) for providing a substrate into the equipment, wherein the second environment is a processing module for processing a substrate, and The first pressure and the second pressure are different.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the first support and the second support includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and Therein, the lip is configured to extend radially inwardly from the inner portion.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the first support and the second support includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and Wherein, the lip includes a plurality of pins.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: The shape of each of the plurality of pins is one of a cylindrical shape, a tapered cylindrical shape, a triangular prism shape, and a square prism shape.

6. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein: The length of the lip is equal to or greater than a predetermined length.

7. The device according to any one of claims 3-4, further comprising: A first track and a second track, wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed on the first track and the second track and are configured to be movable up and down.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The first rail and the second rail are directly attached to the third wall and the fourth wall.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein: When receiving a substrate, the first support and the second support are located in a first upper position and a first lower position, respectively; and Wherein, the first support and the second support are configured to move to a second upper position and a second lower position, respectively, when cooling the substrate.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: A first distance between the first body and the second upper position and a second distance between the second body and the second lower position are equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: A controller is electrically coupled to the first support and the second support and is configured to control upward and downward movement of the first support and the second support.

12. A substrate processing assembly, the assembly comprising: a device front end module comprising a device front end module chamber having one or more interface openings and a robotic arm for moving substrates; a plurality of processing chambers configured to process substrates; as well as A load lock chamber configured to cool substrates and transfer substrates between a tool front end module and a plurality of process chambers, the load lock chamber comprising: a chamber housing having a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, a third wall, a fourth wall opposite the third wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall defining a chamber volume therebetween; a first port disposed in the first wall, the first port being configured to be sealed from a first environment; a second port disposed in the second wall, the second port being configured to be sealed from a second environment; a first support member disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall; a second support member disposed between the first support member and the bottom wall; A first body disposed directly below the top wall; and A second body is disposed directly above the bottom wall, wherein the emissivity of the first body and the emissivity of the second body are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein: Each of the first support and the second support includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip is configured to extend radially inward from the inner portion.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein: Each of the first support and the second support includes a curved inner portion and a lip, and the lip includes a plurality of pins.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein: The shape of each of the plurality of pins is one of a cylindrical shape, a tapered cylindrical shape, a triangular prism shape, and a square prism shape.

16. The assembly according to any one of claims 13-14, wherein The length of the lip is equal to or greater than a predetermined length.

17. The assembly of any one of claims 13-14, the load lock chamber further comprising: A first track and a second track, wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed on the first track and the second track and are configured to be movable up and down.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein: When receiving a substrate, the first support and the second support are located in a first upper position and a first lower position, respectively; and Wherein, the first support and the second support are configured to move to a second upper position and a second lower position, respectively, when cooling the substrate.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein: A first distance between the first body and the second upper position and a second distance between the second body and the second lower position are equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

20. The assembly of claim 17, further comprising: A controller is electrically coupled to the first support and the second support and is configured to control upward and downward movement of the first support and the second support.

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