PCB holder

Abstract

To provide a substrate holder that prevents cracking of an extremely thin substrate. [Solution] The substrate holder (100) includes a first retaining ring (110), a second retaining ring (120), an attachment part (130) that detachably attaches the first retaining ring to the second retaining ring, and a plurality of pins (140) arranged on the inner circumference of each of the first and second retaining rings. Each of the pins has a curved surface (144) at its distal end (145). Each of the pins also includes a support piece and a cushion arranged on the support piece, the cushion having a curved surface and a thickness (T1) of 0.5 mm to 1 mm. The attachment part includes a first magnet group (132) embedded in the first retaining ring (110) and a second magnet group (134) embedded in the second retaining ring (120).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate holder. [Background technology]

[0002] Integrated chips are formed by complex manufacturing processes during which a workpiece is subjected to various steps to form one or more semiconductor devices. Some processing steps may include forming thin films on a substrate. Thin films can be deposited on the substrate in a low-pressure processing chamber using physical vapor deposition techniques.

[0003] With the development of the semiconductor industry, the thickness of the substrate is becoming thinner and thinner, so it is necessary to solve the problem of cracking of the ultra-thin substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the present disclosure as claimed.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate holder including a first retaining ring, a second retaining ring, a mounting component configured to removably mount the first retaining ring to the second retaining ring, and a plurality of pins disposed on an inner periphery of each of the first retaining ring and the second retaining ring, each pin having a curved surface at a distal end thereof.

[0006] In some embodiments, each of the pins includes a support piece and a cushion disposed on the support piece, the cushion of each of the pins having the curved surface.

[0007] In some embodiments, the thickness of the cushion for each of the pins is in the range of 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

[0008] In some embodiments, the curved surface of each said pin is a curved corner at the distal end of each said pin.

[0009] In some embodiments, the curved surface of each said pin is a curved side surface interconnecting the top and bottom surfaces of each said pin.

[0010] In some embodiments, the curved surface is spaced apart from the substrate when the substrate is clamped to the substrate holder.

[0011] In some embodiments, the contact surface of each pin with the substrate is flat.

[0012] In some embodiments, the surface roughness of the contact surface of each of the pins is in the range of 50 μm to 300 μm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the mounting component includes a first group of magnets embedded in the first retaining ring and a second group of magnets embedded in the second retaining ring, the first group of magnets and the second group of magnets having opposite magnetic poles facing each other.

[0014] In some embodiments, the number of the first magnet group embedded in the first retaining ring is equal to the number of the pins in the first retaining ring.

[0015] In some embodiments, the pins are distributed in a C-shape or an O-shape around the inner circumference of each of the first and second retaining rings.

[0016] In some embodiments, the substrate holder further includes two rotary shafts connecting the first retaining ring, the rotary shafts extending along a rotating axis.

[0017] In some embodiments, the pins include a first pin and a second pin positioned closer to the axis of rotation than the first pin, and the first pin has a larger circumferential dimension than the second pin.

[0018] In some embodiments, the pins are arranged symmetrically along the axis of rotation.

[0019] In some embodiments, the substrate holder further includes a support frame connected to the second retaining ring by the rotating shaft, the second retaining ring and the rotating shaft being reversible relative to the support frame.

[0020] In some embodiments, the support frame is configured to be coupled to a rotation holder of a rotation device.

[0021] In some embodiments, the substrate holder includes two positioning mechanisms configured to respectively couple the rotating shaft to the support frame.

[0022] In some embodiments, the thickness of each of the pins ranges from 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

[0023] In some embodiments, the circumferential dimension of each of the pins is in the range of 1 cm to 2πR cm, where R is the radius of the first retaining ring.

[0024] In some embodiments, the radial dimension of each of the pins is in the range of 0.1 mm to 30 mm. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG.

[0027] [Figure 2]1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate holder with a substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 3] 10A-10C are schematic cross-sectional views of a substrate holder with a substrate according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0029] [Figure 4] 1 is a partial perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG.

[0030] [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic top view illustrating an arrangement of pins of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG.

[0031] [Figure 6] 10A-10C are schematic top views illustrating pin arrangements of substrate holders according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG.

[0033] [Figure 8] 8 is a schematic top view of region A of the substrate holder of FIG. 7.

[0034] [Figure 9] 1 illustrates a method flow for coating a substrate using a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0036] Additionally, spatially relative terms such as "top," "above," "below," "between," and the like may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature, as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the substrate holder 100 includes a first retaining ring 110, a second retaining ring 120, and a mounting element 130 configured to removably mount the first retaining ring 110 to the second retaining ring 120. The substrate holder 100 further includes a plurality of pins 140 disposed on an inner periphery 112 of the first retaining ring 110 and an inner periphery 122 of the second retaining ring 120. Each pin 140 extends laterally from the inner periphery 112 of the first retaining ring 110 and the inner periphery 122 of the second retaining ring 120, with a distal end 145 of each pin 140 pointing toward the center of the first retaining ring 110 and the center of the second retaining ring 120.

[0038] In some embodiments, the mounting component 130 includes a first set of magnets 132 embedded in the first retaining ring 110 and a second set of magnets 134 embedded in the second retaining ring 120. The first set of magnets 132 and the second set of magnets 134 have opposite polarities facing each other such that the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 can be temporarily and removably attached to secure a substrate to the substrate holder 100.

[0039] In some embodiments, the number of first magnet groups 132 embedded in the first retaining ring 110 is equal to the number of pins 140 in the first retaining ring 110, and the number of second magnet groups 134 embedded in the second retaining ring 120 is equal to the number of pins 140 in the second retaining ring 120. In some other embodiments, the number of first magnet groups 132 embedded in the first retaining ring 110 is greater than or less than the number of pins 140 in the first retaining ring 110, and the number of second magnet groups 134 embedded in the second retaining ring 120 is greater than or less than the number of pins 140 in the second retaining ring 120.

[0040] The substrate is clamped to the substrate holder 100 while being transferred between different chambers and while being processed within the chambers of a semiconductor manufacturing process. In some situations, the substrate needs to be flipped along with the substrate holder 100. Therefore, it is important to prevent the substrate from cracking, especially during the transfer or flipping process.

[0041] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate holder containing a substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 200 is clamped to the substrate holder 100. More specifically, when clamped to the substrate holder 100, the substrate 200 is supported by pins 140. The substrate holder 100 further includes two rotating shafts 160 connected to one or both of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120, and the rotating shafts 160 extend along a rotation axis that flips the substrate 200.

[0042] The pins 140 are not located on the top or bottom surfaces of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120, but rather on the inner periphery 112 of the first retaining ring 110 and the inner periphery 122 of the second retaining ring 120. The pins 140 extend laterally from the inner periphery 112 of the first retaining ring 110 and the inner periphery 122 of the second retaining ring 120, and the distance between the pins 140 of the first retaining ring 110 and the pins 140 of the second retaining ring 120 is substantially equal to the thickness of the substrate 200. When the substrate 200 is clamped to the substrate holder 100, the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 contact each other.

[0043] Each pin 140 has a top surface 141 and a bottom surface 143, which are flat. When the substrate 200 is clamped to the substrate holder 100, the substrate 200 contacts the bottom surfaces 143 of the pins 140 of the first retaining ring 110 and the top surfaces 141 of the pins 140 of the second retaining ring 120. That is, the bottom surfaces 143 of the pins 140 of the first retaining ring 110 and the top surfaces 141 of the pins 140 of the second retaining ring 120 are the contact surfaces of the pins 140 with the substrate 200, and the contact surfaces of the pins 140 with the substrate 200 are flat. In some embodiments, the surface roughness of the contact surface of each pin is in the range of 50 μm to 300 μm.

[0044] To prevent the substrate from cracking due to shifting or pushing during the transfer or flipping process, each pin 140 has a curved surface 144 at the distal end 145 of the pin 140. In some embodiments, the curved surface 144 of each pin 140 is spaced from the substrate 200 to relieve stress on the edges of the pins 140 and to prevent sharp corners of the pins 140 from scraping against the substrate 200 in the event of an undesired shift or push during the transfer or flipping process.

[0045] In some embodiments, the curved surface 144 is a curved corner at the distal end 145 of each pin 140, and the curved surface 144 of the pin 140 of the first retaining ring 110 and the curved surface 144 of the pin 140 of the second retaining ring 120 face each other. The shape and size of the curved surface 144 of each pin 140 are also taken into consideration. In some embodiments, the curved surface 144 of each pin 140 is a quarter circle in cross section, and the radius of curvature of the curved surface 144 of each pin 140 is equal to the thickness T1 of each pin 140, where the thickness T1 is measured between the top surface 141 and the bottom surface 143 of the pin 140. In some embodiments, the thickness T1 of each pin 140 is in the range of 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

[0046] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate holder containing a substrate according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, curved surface 144 is a side surface at distal end 145 that interconnects top surface 141 and bottom surface 143 of each pin 140. In some embodiments, curved surface 144 of each pin 140 is semicircular in cross section, and the radius of curvature of curved surface 144 of each pin 140 is half the thickness T1 of each pin 140, where thickness T1 is measured between top surface 141 and bottom surface 143 of pin 140. In some embodiments, thickness T1 of each pin 140 is in the range of 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the pin 140 includes a support piece 150 and a cushion 152 disposed on the support piece 150, and the cushion 152 has a curved surface 144. For example, the thickness t1 of the cushion 152 may be in the range of 0.5 mm to 1 mm, and the curved surface 144 of the pin 140 may have a quarter-circle cross-sectional shape with a radius of curvature equal to the thickness t1 of the cushion 152. Alternatively, similar to FIG. 3, the curved surface 144 of the pin 140 may have a semicircle cross-sectional shape with a radius of curvature equal to half the thickness t1 of the cushion 152.

[0048] The Young's modulus of the cushion 152 is greater than the Young's modulus of the support piece 150. The cushion 152 is made of a more elastic material such as rubber or ceramic, and the support piece 150 is made of a more rigid material such as stainless steel or aluminum.

[0049] In some embodiments, pins 140 have a circumferential dimension d1 measured in the circumferential direction of first retaining ring 110 or second retaining ring 120, and a radial dimension d2 measured in the radial direction passing through the center of first retaining ring 110 or second retaining ring 120. In some embodiments, circumferential dimension d1 of pins 140 ranges from 1 cm to 2πR cm, where R is the radius of first retaining ring 110 or second retaining ring 120. In some embodiments, radial dimension d2 of each pin 140 ranges from 0.1 mm to 30 mm.

[0050] 5 is a schematic top view illustrating the arrangement of pins of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 200 is inverted along the rotation axis L1. When the substrate 200 is inverted together with the substrate holder 100, it is observed that the force applied to the substrate holder 100 (as shown in FIG. 1) is greatest near the rotation axis L1. Therefore, the arrangement of the pins 140 is also modified to prevent the substrate 200 from being cracked due to undesired shifting or pushing.

[0051] In some embodiments, the pins 140 include a first pin 140a and a second pin 140b positioned closer to the rotation axis L1 than the first pin 140a, and the first pin 140a has a different dimension than the second pin 140b. In some embodiments, the first pin 140a has a larger circumferential dimension d1a than the second pin 140b, so that the contact area between the second pin 140b and the substrate 200 is smaller than the contact area between the first pin 140a and the substrate 200. By reducing the contact area between the pin 140 closer to the rotation axis L1 and the substrate 200, the risk of cracking during the flipping process can be significantly reduced.

[0052] The pins 140 are arranged symmetrically along the rotation axis L1. In some embodiments, the pins 140 are distributed in an O-shape around the inner circumference of each of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 (as shown in FIG. 1). The pins 140 are evenly spaced apart and evenly distributed around the inner circumference of each of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a schematic top view illustrating the arrangement of pins in a substrate holder according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the pins 140 are arranged symmetrically along the rotation axis L1. In some embodiments, the pins 140 are distributed in a C-shape on the inner circumference of each of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 (as shown in FIG. 1). The pins 140 are arranged at different intervals on the inner circumference of each of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120. For example, no pins 140 are arranged on the inner circumference of each of the first retaining ring 110 and the second retaining ring 120 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L1.

[0054] Figure 7 is a perspective view of a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and Figure 8 is a schematic top view of region A of the substrate holder of Figure 7. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the substrate holder 100 further includes a support frame 170 connected to the second retaining ring 120 by a rotating shaft 160, such that the second retaining ring 120 and the rotating shaft 160 are reversible relative to the support frame 170. The support frame 170 is configured to be coupled to a rotating holder of a rotation device of a reversing station.

[0055] In some embodiments, the substrate holder 100 further includes two positioning mechanisms 180 configured to respectively couple the rotating shaft 160 to the support frame 170. The positioning mechanisms 180 include a slot 182 disposed in the support frame 170 and a protrusion 184 disposed on the rotating shaft 160. The protrusion 184 of the rotating shaft 160 is received within the slot 182 such that the second retaining ring 120 can be maintained with the first retaining ring 110 and the substrate 200 in a first position (e.g., first retaining ring 110 on top) or a second position (e.g., second retaining ring 120 on top).

[0056] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for coating a substrate using a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, in the method, step S10 includes clamping a substrate with a substrate holder, such as the substrate holder 100 described in FIGS. 1-7. The substrate is supported between a first retaining ring and a second retaining ring by curved pins. Step S12 includes transporting the substrate together with the substrate holder into a coating chamber. In some embodiments, the substrate is placed in the coating chamber front-side up, with the first retaining ring on top. Step S14 includes coating the front side of the substrate, and the substrate is clamped to the substrate holder during the coating process.

[0057] After step S14 is completed, in step S16, the substrate is transported together with the substrate holder to an inversion station. In some embodiments, the substrate holder is the substrate holder 100 of FIG. 1, and the entire substrate holder with the substrate inside is inverted in the inversion station. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the substrate holder is the substrate holder 100 of FIG. 7, and the support frame is fixed to the inversion station, and by rotating the rotating shaft, the first retaining ring and the second retaining ring together with the substrate are inverted in the inversion station. The substrate is inverted together with the substrate holder in the inversion station, with the backside of the substrate facing up and the second retaining ring on top.

[0058] Step S18 involves transporting the substrate together with the substrate holder from the inversion station back into the coating chamber. Step S20 involves coating the backside of the substrate, with the substrate clamped to the substrate holder during the coating process. After step S20 is completed, step S22 involves transporting the substrate together with the substrate holder to the inversion station, where the substrate is again inverted. The substrate returns so that it is front-side up, with the first retaining ring on top. The method then proceeds to step S24, which involves removing the substrate from the substrate holder for the next semiconductor process.

[0059] In the method of coating a substrate using a substrate holder according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the substrate is clamped to the substrate holder during the transfer process, the coating process, and the flipping process, and there is no need to remove the substrate from the substrate holder, thereby reducing the risk of cracking the substrate and shortening the time for loading and / or unloading the substrate.

[0060] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. a first retaining ring; a second retaining ring; a mounting component configured to removably mount the first retaining ring to the second retaining ring; a plurality of pins disposed on an inner periphery of each of the first and second retaining rings, each pin having a curved surface at a distal end; a substrate holder.

2. 2. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein each of the pins includes a support piece and a cushion disposed on the support piece, the cushion of each of the pins has the curved surface, and the thickness of the cushion of each of the pins is in the range of 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

3. 2. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein the curved surface of each pin is a curved corner at a distal end of each pin, or a curved side surface interconnecting the top and bottom surfaces of each pin, the curved surface being spaced apart from the substrate when the substrate is clamped to the substrate holder.

4. The substrate holder of claim 1 , wherein the contact surface of each pin with the substrate is flat.

5. The substrate holder of claim 4, wherein the surface roughness of the contact surface of each of the pins is in the range of 50 μm to 300 μm.

6. 2. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein the mounting component includes a first group of magnets embedded in the first retaining ring and a second group of magnets embedded in the second retaining ring, the first group of magnets and the second group of magnets having opposite magnetic poles facing each other, and the number of the first group of magnets embedded in the first retaining ring is equal to the number of the pins in the first retaining ring.

7. The substrate holder of claim 1 , wherein the pins are distributed in a C-shape or an O-shape around the inner circumference of each of the first and second retaining rings.

8. 2. The substrate holder of claim 1, further comprising two rotating shafts connecting the first retaining ring, the rotating shafts extending along a rotation axis, the pins including a first pin and a second pin positioned closer to the rotation axis than the first pin, the circumferential dimension of the first pin being larger than the circumferential dimension of the second pin, and the pins being arranged symmetrically along the rotation axis.

9. a support frame connected to the second retaining ring by the rotating shaft, the second retaining ring and the rotating shaft being reversible relative to the support frame, the support frame being configured to be coupled to a rotating holder of a rotating device; two positioning mechanisms configured to respectively couple the rotating shaft to the support frame; The substrate holder of claim 8 further comprising:

10. 2. The substrate holder of claim 1, wherein a thickness of each of the pins ranges from 0.1 mm to 20 mm, a circumferential dimension of each of the pins ranges from 1 cm to 2πR cm, where R is a radius of the first retaining ring, and the radial dimension of each of the pins ranges from 0.1 mm to 30 mm.

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