Substrate carrier

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate transfer systems comprising the use of a carrier configured to transfer objects through a substrate processing system. The carrier generally comprises a base, a first magnetic levitation element coupled to the base, and a second magnetic levitation element. The first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element may be aligned in a first direction, the first magnetic levitation element may include a first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element may include a second feature array. The carrier may also include a first support member coupled to the base and a second support member coupled to the base. The first support member and the second support member are positioned below the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element, and the first support member and the second support member are configured to support an object.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The embodiments described herein generally relate to semiconductor processes, and more specifically, to semiconductor process equipment used for transferring semiconductor substrates. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor devices are typically formed on semiconductor substrates using processing systems comprising multiple process chambers, wherein each process chamber is used to complete one or more of various steps (e.g., depositions) for forming semiconductor devices (e.g., memory chips). Processing systems may use substrate transfer systems to move substrates between each of the process chambers. The process chambers and substrate transfer systems of the processing system may each be maintained under vacuum during processing. Substrate transfer systems may utilize carriers to move substrates through each of the process chambers and between each of the process chambers. However, transporting substrates in and out of each of the process chambers precisely, reliably, and smoothly during the various steps used to form semiconductor devices can be a challenge. For example, it is desirable that the carriers have advantageous dimensions and, preferably, can transport substrates without adversely affecting the various activities used to form the semiconductor devices. Furthermore, it is preferred that the carrier manufacturing process is not overly complex and that the manufacturing cost is not too high. Additionally, it is important that carriers be multifunctional, including the ability to handle routine obstacles during transport and adaptability to perform various assigned tasks in processing systems.

[0003] Accordingly, in order to overcome the various challenges mentioned above, there is a need for further improvements in substrate transfer mechanisms including substrate carriers.

[0004] To achieve the aforementioned objectives and related objectives, one or more aspects include features that are fully described below and, in particular, indicated in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings describe in detail specific exemplary features of one or more aspects. However, these features represent only some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be utilized.

[0005] The embodiments provided herein generally include a carrier configured to support objects and transport them through a substrate processing system.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure include a carrier. The carrier generally includes a base, a first magnetic levitation element coupled to the base, and a second magnetic levitation element. The first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element may be aligned in a first direction, and the first magnetic levitation element may include a first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element may include a second feature array. The first feature array and the second feature array may each include a ferromagnetic material. The first feature array and the second feature array may be linear feature arrays aligned in the first direction. The carrier also generally includes a first support member coupled to the base and a second support member coupled to the base. The first support member and the second support member may be positioned below the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element, and the first support member and the second support member may be configured to support an object.

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure include a carrier. The carrier generally includes a base and a first magnetic levitation element and a second magnetic levitation element coupled to the base. The first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element may be aligned in a first direction, the first magnetic levitation element may include a first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element may include a second feature array. The first feature array and the second feature array may each include a ferromagnetic material, and the first feature array and the second feature array may be linear arrays of features aligned in the first direction. The carrier may also generally include an array of legs coupled to the base and aligned in the first direction.

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure include a carrier. The carrier generally includes a base and a first magnetic levitation element, a second magnetic levitation element, a third magnetic levitation element, and a fourth magnetic levitation element, each of which is coupled to the base. The first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element may be aligned in a first direction, and the third magnetic levitation element and the fourth magnetic levitation element may be aligned in a second direction. The first direction may be oblique to the second direction. The first magnetic levitation element may include a first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element may include a second feature array, the third magnetic levitation element may include a third feature array, and the fourth magnetic levitation element may include a fourth feature array. The first feature array, the second feature array, the third feature array, and the fourth feature array may each include a ferromagnetic material. The first feature array and the second feature array may be a first linear array of features aligned in a first direction, and the third feature array and the fourth feature array may be a second linear array of features aligned in a second direction. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0009] In order to enable a detailed understanding of the features of the embodiments of the present disclosure mentioned above, a more specific description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be made with reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings merely illustrate typical embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, as the present disclosure may allow for other equally valid embodiments. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view of an exemplary substrate processing system in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate side views of a portion of an exemplary station of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. FIG. 3a illustrates an exemplary carrier comprising a base and magnetic levitation elements according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3b illustrates an exemplary carrier comprising magnetic levitation elements according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier of FIG. 3a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5a illustrates a side view of an exemplary carrier of FIG. 3a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5b illustrates a side view of an exemplary carrier of FIG. 3b according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6a is an isometric view of the carrier illustrated in FIG. 3a, including landing rails, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6b illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line (6B) of FIG. 6a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6c illustrates an enlarged uppermost side isometric view taken from FIG. 6a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7a illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier in a process location according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7b illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier configured to be separated at a process location according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate partial cross-sectional views of enlarged portions of the carrier of FIG. 6a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic plan view of an exemplary substrate processing system having additional stations in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. For ease of understanding, the same reference numbers have been used where possible to designate identical elements common to the drawings. The elements disclosed in one embodiment are considered to be useful for other embodiments without specific reference. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to substrate transfer systems comprising the use of a carrier configured to support objects and transfer them through a substrate processing system. In some cases, the carrier may be a semiconductor substrate carrier configured to transfer semiconductor substrates to substrate processing chambers disposed within the substrate processing system, within the substrate processing chambers, and between the substrate processing chambers. The carrier may include one or more rails and may be configured to be magnetically levitating and transferred through one or more rails in the substrate processing systems. Each of the one or more rails may include a plurality of features that may comprise a magnetic material or be made of a magnetic material. The carrier may additionally be formed of advantageous materials and advantageous dimensions so that the carrier can reliably transfer objects through the substrate processing system. In some embodiments, the carrier may be configured to be present in the process chambers of the substrate processing system during processing without adversely affecting the various processing activities used in the process chambers. The carrier may also include features (e.g., support legs) configured to enable the carrier to handle common obstacles (e.g., power loss, electrostatic charge accumulation, carrier collisions) without losing transport capability. The carrier may also be configured to transport various objects or even multiple objects simultaneously. Additionally, the carrier described herein may be configured to enable the use of sensors in substrate processing systems to determine the presence and location of the transported carrier and / or object(s).

[0011] Example of a substrate processing system

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic plan view of an exemplary substrate processing system (100) in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The substrate processing system (100) includes a controller (150) and one or more processing lines (102).

[0013] Each of the one or more processing lines (102) includes a plurality of stations as illustrated in FIG. 1. In one example, the processing line (102) illustrated on the upper right of FIG. 1 includes at least four processing stations (112, 113, 116, and 117), and the processing line (102) illustrated on the upper left of FIG. 1 includes at least four processing stations (112, 113, 116, and 117). However, the processing stations (111, 114, and 115) may also be configured to perform one or more substrate processing processes. Each processing line (102) may include a magnetic transport system (not shown) comprising a plurality of individual magnetic levitation assemblies disposed within stations (111-118) configured to transport an object (140) (Fig. 3a) placed on a carrier (130) (Figs. 2a to 2b and Figs. 3a to 3b) through the processing line (102). Each processing line (102) may be independent of other processing lines (102). Processing lines (102) may be physically separated from one another by a gap (103). The gap (103) may be sized so that a technician can walk between each processing line (102) to service one or more stations (111-118).

[0014] Each processing line (102) may include a plurality of slit valves (160) to selectively isolate each station (111-118). The slit valves (160) may be selectively opened and closed to allow an open path for the movement of the carrier (130), selectively isolate the stations (111-118) from one another, and facilitate pressurization or depressurization of the stations (111-118).

[0015] A substrate processing system (100) may be used to process a number of substrates in each processing line (102) to produce a desired manufactured substrate. In some cases, the substrate processing system (100) may include a number of physical vapor deposition (PVD) processing chambers. For example, a first station (111) may be a first load lock station, a second station (112) may be a degassing station, a third station (113) may be a pre-cleaning station, a fourth station (114) may be a routing station, a fifth station (115) may be a routing station, a sixth station (116) may be a PVD tantalum nitride deposition station, a seventh station (117) may be a PVD copper deposition station, and an eighth station (118) may be a routing station that also serves as a buffer station. An object (140) (e.g., a substrate) can be transported and processed within each process station (112-113 and 116-117). The vacuum size within each station (111-118) can be increased per station. For example, the vacuum size within the seventh station (117) can exceed the vacuum size within other stations (e.g., stations (111-116 and 118)).

[0016] The first station (111) (e.g., a load lock station) may have a magnetic levitation assembly (120) comprising one or more magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) comprising a plurality of linear stators (230) (Fig. 2b) and optionally a plurality of sensors (270). As will be further discussed below, the stations (111-118) will each typically include two or more magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) spaced apart within each of the stations (111-118) to support the carrier (130) when the carrier (130) is transported through the station. The stations (112-113 and 116-117) (e.g., process stations) may each have a magnetic levitation assembly (120). The fourth station (114), the fifth station (115), and the eighth station (118) (e.g., routing stations) may each have a magnetic levitation assembly (120). The fifth station (115) may also include a plurality of shutter discs to be placed on the carrier (130) without an object (140). The shutter discs are used to receive the deposition material instead of the object (140) when necessary to clean the processing equipment, such as cleaning the accumulation found on the PVD target placed within the PVD deposition process stations (e.g., stations (116-117)).

[0017] The magnetic levitation assembly (120) of the first station (111) and the magnetic levitation assembly (120) of the eighth station (118) can cooperate to change the transport direction of the carrier (130) within the substrate processing system (100) (e.g., from the X direction to the Y direction). Additionally, the magnetic levitation assembly (120) of the fourth station (114) and the magnetic levitation assembly (120) of the fifth station (115) can cooperate to change the transport direction of the carrier (130).

[0018] FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2a, FIGS. 2b, FIGS. 3a, FIGS. 3b, FIGS. 4, FIGS. 5a, FIGS. 5b, FIGS. 6a, FIGS. 6b, FIGS. 7a, and FIGS. 7b include an XYZ coordinate system to illustrate the orientation of the carrier (e.g., carrier (130, 300A, 300B, 700A, 700B)) as well as the transport directions of the carrier (130) and the object (140) through the substrate processing system (100). The arrows illustrate the direction in which one or more carriers (130) circulate within the processing line (102). During an exemplary processing operation, the carrier (130) receives an object (140) entering the first station (111) in the X direction from one or more front opening unified pods (FOUP) (126) of the factory interface (124). Next, the carrier (130) is transferred to the second station (112) in the X direction. The first station (111) also receives the carrier (130) from the eighth station (118) in the Y direction. After the carrier (130) is transferred into the second station (112), the carrier (130) is transferred to the fourth station (114) via the third station (113) in the X direction. Next, the carrier (130) is transferred from the fourth station (114) to the fifth station (115) in the Y direction. Next, the carrier (130) is transferred from the fifth station (115) to the eighth station (118) in the negative X direction via stations (116-117). Next, the carrier (130) is transferred back into the first station (111) in the Y direction. The currently manufactured object (140) is transferred back to the FOUP (126). Next, another object (140) may be placed on the carrier (130) at the first station (111) for other processing operations. A shutter disk may be transferred from the fifth station (115) to the first station (111) on the carrier (130) in a manner similar to that of the object (140).

[0019] In some embodiments of the substrate processing system (100), the processing line (102) has a non-deposition section (133) and a deposition section (134). The non-deposition section (133) may include a linear array of stations that do not cause the object (140) to undergo a process of depositing a layer on the object (140), such as a first station (111), a second station (112), a third station (113), and a fourth station (114). After the object (140) passes through the non-deposition section (133), the object (140) is transferred into a deposition section (134) which may include a linear array of stations that deposit at least one layer on the object, such as a fifth station (115), a sixth station (116), a seventh station (117), and an eighth station (118). For example, the non-deposition section (133) includes a first station (111) which is a first load lock, a second station (112) which is a degassing station, a third station (113) which is a pre-cleaning station, and a fourth station (114) which is a routing station. The deposition section (134) includes a fifth station (115) which is a routing station, a sixth station (116) which is a tantalum nitride deposition station, a seventh station (117) which is a copper deposition station, and an eighth station (118) which is a routing station that also serves as a buffer station.

[0020] FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate side views of a portion (200) of an exemplary process station (e.g., stations (112-113 and 116-117)) of the substrate processing system (100) of FIG. 1, in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. An exemplary process station that may be the process station (112-113, 116-117) described above may be referred to herein simply as a process station (205) for clarity. The process station (205) may be configured for contactless transport of a carrier (130). The process station (205) may include a processing chamber maintained at a vacuum pressure, thereby having a processing zone of the chamber at a pressure of less than 760 Torr or even between 1 millitorr (mTorr) and 500 Torr. The process station (205) may be configured for contactless transport of the carrier (130) in a vacuum chamber placed below the processing chamber, or may also be referred to herein as a processing station.

[0021] The carrier (130) may be configured to carry one or more objects (140). For example, the carrier (130) may be a substrate carrier, a shutter disk carrier, or a mask carrier. The carrier (130) may also be configured to carry process kit component parts. The carrier (130) may be carried in the X direction or the negative X direction, as illustrated in FIG. 2a. The carrier (130) may also be carried in the Y direction or the negative Y direction, as described above. In some cases, the object may be carried under the carrier (130) during transport, as illustrated in FIG. 3a, FIG. 3b, FIG. 4, FIG. 5a, FIG. 5b, FIG. 6a, FIG. 6b, FIG. 7a, and FIG. 7b.

[0022] The carrier (130) includes one or more magnetic levitation elements (240) that allow the carrier (130) to be levitated and transported through a process station (205). Each magnetic levitation element (240) may be a track in the X direction or the Y direction. The magnetic levitation element (240) may be substantially straight, or at least may include one or more straight sections that allow the carrier (130) to be transported contactless through a substrate processing system (100). The magnetic levitation element (240) may define a transport direction (transportation direction or transport direction), and the carrier (130) is transported contactless along this transport direction. In one example, as illustrated in FIG. 2a, a carrier (130) comprising one or more magnetic levitation elements (240) is transported by magnetic levitation through the process station (205) and to and from other adjacent process stations (205) (not shown) without the carrier (130) coming into contact with the walls or components within the process station (205).

[0023] As illustrated in FIG. 2a, the process station (205) comprises a magnetic levitation assembly (120) comprising a plurality of magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A). Each of the magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) will comprise a plurality of linear stators (230). For example, the magnetic levitation actuator assembly (120A) may comprise two or more, three or more, five or more, or ten or more linear stators (230) depending on the desired length of the magnetic levitation elements (240), often referred to herein as magnetic levitation elements (240). Alternatively, the magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) of the magnetic levitation assembly (120) may comprise a single slender linear stator (230) extending along the entire length of the magnetic levitation elements (240). The number of linear stators (230) shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b is an example, and more or fewer linear stators (230) may be used.

[0024] A linear stator (230) may be arranged to guide a corresponding magnetic levitation element (240) of a carrier (130) placed below the linear stator (230). For example, a plurality of linear stators (230) may be arranged in succession in a row extending in the X and / or Y directions as shown in FIG. 2a. One or more linear stators (230) may be configured to remain stationary during contactless transport of the carrier (130) along the magnetic levitation element (240) so that one or more linear stators (230) are coupled to a wall (e.g., top wall or side wall) of the process station (205).

[0025] One or more linear stators (230) may include a plurality of stator poles (232), such as two, four, six, eight, or more stator poles (232), as illustrated in FIG. 2b. The number of stator poles (232) shown in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b is an example, and more or fewer stator poles (232) may be used. The stator poles (232) may be protrusions or teeth that may protrude toward the carrier (130) and / or toward a magnetic levitation element (240) attached to the carrier (130). The plurality of stator poles (232) may define at least one comb structure. In some embodiments, the linear stator (230) may include two comb structures, each having a plurality of stator poles (232).

[0026] A magnetic levitation assembly (120) comprising one or more linear stators (230) and stator poles (232) may be made of or contain a magnetic material, more specifically a ferromagnetic material. The magnetic material may be a non-permanent magnetic material or a soft magnetic material. The magnetic material may be a metal, such as electric steel, silicon steel, ferritic steel, martensitic steel, or any other soft magnetic material.

[0027] The magnetic levitation element(s) (240) of the carrier (130) may be made of or contain a magnetic material, such as a ferromagnetic material. The magnetic material may be a non-permanent magnetic material or a soft magnetic material. The magnetic material may be a metal, such as electric steel, silicon steel, ferritic steel, martensitic steel, or any other soft magnetic material.

[0028] In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2a, for example, when the carrier (130) is a substrate carrier for a large-area substrate or a mask carrier for a mask for a large-area substrate, the carrier (130) may be levitized and transported non-contactually in the X or Y direction through a substrate processing system (100). A magnetic levitation element (240) is coupled to a portion of the top of the carrier (130), as illustrated. A magnetic levitation assembly (120) or at least a portion thereof may be placed on the carrier (130).

[0029] A carrier (130) is configured to be levitized and transported along the length of a magnetic levitation assembly (120) by using one or more linear stators (230) of a magnetic levitation assembly (120) that is maintained in a stationary state within a process station (205). During the contactless levitation and / or transport of the carrier (130), a magnetic levitation element (240) faces at least one linear stator (230). When the carrier (130) is transported along the magnetic levitation element (240), the magnetic levitation element (240) may face each of the different linear stators (230).

[0030] The magnetic levitation element (240) may include an array of features (250). Any number of features (250) may be formed within the array of features (251). The features (250) may be protrusions or teeth that may protrude toward at least one linear stator (230) of the opposing magnetic levitation actuator assembly (120A). The raised segments of the features (250) containing a magnetic material may define a comb-like structure as illustrated in FIG. 2b and FIG. 3a through FIG. 3b. Each magnetic levitation element (240) may also include a feature-free portion (260) adjacent to each array of features (250). The feature-free portion (260) may be equal to or extend across part of the length of the array of features (251). The featureless portion (260) may be substantially flat (e.g., a flat surface), which is used by sensors (270) to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (130) during non-contact buoyancy and / or transport. In some embodiments, the featureless portion (260) may not be included in the carrier (130), and other parts of the carrier (130) may be intended to enable sensors (270) to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (130). The featureless portion (260) may also be implemented by a planar surface or a non-planar surface. The featureless portion (260) may also have features of the same height or varying heights.

[0031] A pitch or spacing may be provided between adjacent stator poles (232) of a linear stator (230). The term “adjacent stator poles” (and likewise “adjacent features (250)”) refers to poles of the same linear stator (230) that are adjacent to each other with respect to a direction defined by the magnetic levitation element (240), such as the transport direction (e.g., the X direction in FIG. 2a). The pitch may be a distance extending along the magnetic levitation element (240), such as a horizontal distance. Likewise, a pitch or spacing may be provided between adjacent features (250) of the magnetic levitation element (240). According to some embodiments, the first pitch between adjacent stator poles (232) of the linear stator (230) may be different from the second pitch between adjacent features (250) of the magnetic levitation element (240). In particular, the ratio of the first pitch to the second pitch may be a non-integer (the first pitch is not an integer multiple of the second pitch, and the second pitch is not an integer multiple of the first pitch). The stator poles (232) of the linear stator (230) and the features (250) of the magnetic levitation element (240) may be provided according to a p / q configuration. A p / q configuration means that the distance (in the transport direction) spanned by p consecutive adjacent stator poles (232) of the linear stator (230) includes a total of q features (250) of the magnetic levitation element (240). In some embodiments, q may be equal to p + 1 or p - 1. For example, p = 3 and q = 2; or p = 3 and q = 4. In additional examples, p = 4 and q = 3.

[0032] According to some embodiments, one or more linear stators (230) of the magnetic levitation assembly (120) include a set of electromagnets. With this in mind, one or more linear stators (230) are active magnetic systems capable of providing an adjustable and controllable magnetic field. For example, each stator pole (232) of the linear stator (230) may include an electromagnet. The electromagnet may include individual coils wound around each stator pole (232). Different winding methods may be provided for winding the coils around each stator pole (232). For example, the coils may be wound vertically in that the coils are wound from the top to the bottom (clockwise) or from the bottom to the top (counterclockwise). In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation element (240) may not include an electromagnet. The magnetic levitation element (240) may be a magnetically passive system, wherein the magnetic levitation element (240) is formed of a ferromagnetic material without any electromagnets mounted thereon. In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation element (240), or at least the features (250) formed on the magnetic levitation element, comprises a ferromagnetic material selected from the group comprising transition metals (e.g., iron, nickel, cobalt) and their alloys, and alloys of rare earth metals. In one example, the magnetic levitation element (240) comprises ferritic stainless steel, such as 409, 430, and 439 stainless steel. The magnetic levitation element (240) may also comprise electric steel, silicon steel, martensitic steel, or any other soft magnetic material.

[0033] In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation assembly (120) comprises two parallel magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the X direction, configured to levitate the carrier (130) and propel the carrier (130) in a positive or negative X direction. The carrier (130) similarly comprises two parallel magnetic levitation elements (240) extending in the X direction. Each magnetic levitation element (240) is positioned on the carrier (130) so as to be directly beneath one or more linear stators (230) of the individual magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the X direction when the carrier is propeled in the X direction. Additionally, the magnetic levitation assembly (120) may also comprise two parallel magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the Y direction, configured to levitate the carrier (130) and propel the carrier (130) in a positive or negative Y direction. The carrier (130) similarly includes two parallel magnetic levitation elements (240) extending in the Y direction. Each magnetic levitation element (240) is positioned on the carrier (130) so as to be directly beneath one or more linear stators (230) of individual magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the Y direction when the carrier (130) is being moved in the Y direction. When the carrier (130) moves in the Y direction, the magnetic levitation elements (240) extending in the X direction move out of alignment with the corresponding magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the X direction. The magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the Y direction can maintain levitation when the carrier (130) is moved in the Y direction.The carrier (130) can be transferred in the Y direction to another station (e.g., from the fourth station (114) to the fifth station (115)) until the magnetic levitation elements (240) extending in the X direction are aligned with the corresponding magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) extending in the X direction, and when aligned, the carrier (130) can then be transferred again in the X direction.

[0034] The process station (205) may include a controller (150). The controller (150) may be connected to a set of electromagnets of linear stators (230) to control the current in the electromagnets. The current may be increased to raise the carrier (130) by increasing the attractive force of the set of electromagnets, or the current may be decreased to lower the carrier (130) by decreasing the attractive force of the set of electromagnets.

[0035] The controller (150) as described herein may be a single centralized controller or a distributed controller comprising a plurality of individual control units. The controller (150) may include a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and, for example, support circuits. To facilitate the control of the carrier (130), the CPU may be any type of general-purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial setting to control various components and sub-processors. Memory may be coupled to the CPU. The memory or computer-readable medium may be one or more readily available memory devices, such as random access memory, read-only memory, floppy disks, hard disks, or any other form of local or remote digital storage. Support circuits may be coupled to the CPU to support the processor in a conventional manner. Such circuits include caches, power supplies, clock circuits, input / output circuits, and related subsystems, etc.

[0036] One or more linear stators (230) including electromagnets, together with magnetic levitation elements (240), may form a linear reluctance motor to provide both contactless levitation and contactless driving of the carrier (130). The linear reluctance motor is configured to provide linear motion or translational motion of the carrier (130). A linear motor is distinguished from a rotary motor that provides rotational motion. The linear reluctance motor of the device according to the embodiments described herein provides linear motion of the carrier (130) along the magnetic levitation assembly (120).

[0037] The process station (205) may include one or more sensors (270) for measuring or detecting the position of the carrier (130) during non-contact levitation and / or transport. For example, the sensors (270) may be provided on opposite ends of each linear stator (230). Each sensor (270) may be configured to detect the presence of the carrier (130). Each sensor (270) may also be configured to measure the position of the carrier (130), which may include the vertical position and / or horizontal position of the carrier (130), e.g., the horizontal position relative to the transport direction. The sensors (270) may be Hall effect-based sensors, optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, capacitive sensors, eddy current sensors, etc. Each sensor (270) may be connected to a controller (150). The sensors (270) may also be configured to determine the presence and / or size of an object (140) (Fig. 3a) being transported by the carrier (130). The sensors (270) may be high-precision sensors having a sensor resolution of 100 μm or less, particularly 10 μm or less. Accordingly, the carrier (130) may be positioned vertically and / or horizontally at a target location with high precision. In some embodiments, the sensors (270) are included in magnetic levitation assemblies (120).

[0038] The process station (205) according to the embodiments described herein may include one or more sensors (270) for detecting the position of the carrier (130) with respect to the transport direction of the carrier (130). The controller (150) may be configured to control a magnetoresistance-based driving force in response to a signal provided by one or more sensors (270) to position the carrier (130) at a target position with respect to the transport direction. The magnetoresistance-based driving force may be configured to align the carrier (130) along the magnetic levitation element (240) or the transport direction. By controlling the amplitude and phase angle of the AC signal provided to the coils coupled to the stator poles (232), dynamic motion characteristics of the magnetic levitation elements (240) and the carrier (130) accordingly, such as the amount of jerk, acceleration, speed, and finally the horizontal position, may be adjusted and achieved.

[0039] In some embodiments, the substrate processing system (100) may include processing areas (e.g., areas not conditioned to vacuum) at the factory interface (124), and the carrier (130) may be configured to be transported through the processing areas. For example, the carrier (130) may be loaded onto the magnetic levitation assembly (120) to enter the substrate processing system (100) and may be inspected in a processing area (not shown) conditioned to normal atmosphere before entering the load lock station (e.g., the first station (111)). In this way, the magnetic levitation assembly (120) may be ahead of the processing area and outside the substrate processing system (100).

[0040] Examples of carrier configurations

[0041] FIG. 3a illustrates an exemplary carrier (300A) comprising the base (310) and magnetic levitation elements (240) of FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the carrier (130) described above may be implemented as the carrier (300A). The carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a may be similar to the carrier (130) of FIG. 2a through FIG. 2b, and everything discussed herein in relation to the carrier (130) may also apply to the carrier (300A).

[0042] In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation element (240) of the carrier (300A) may be coupled to the base (310). The carrier (300A) may include an array of legs (320) disposed below the base (310) or the magnetic levitation element (240) and / or coupled thereto. The carrier (300A) may also include an opening (330) in the base (310). The carrier (300A) may further include one or more substrate support members (e.g., support members (342 and 344) (not shown in FIG. 3a)) coupled to the base (310). Although the object (140) is illustrated as a substrate in FIG. 3a, FIG. 3b, FIG. 4, FIG. 6a, FIG. 6b, FIG. 7a, FIG. 7b, the carrier (300A) may also be configured to carry other objects. For example, the carrier may be configured to carry masks, shutters, process kit components, or other objects used in semiconductor processing, as described above. The carrier (130) may also be configured to carry shutters or process kit components.

[0043] The magnetic levitation elements (240) of the carrier (300A) may be configured to be associated with an eigenfrequency of at least 200 Hertz (Hz) associated with an inductance associated with the interaction of magnetic fields generated by the coils within the magnetic levitation elements (240) and the linear stators (230). An eigenfrequency of at least 200 Hz may enable the controller (150) of the process station (205) to more easily control the levitation and transport of the carrier (300A) and the object (140). For example, the thickness of at least a portion of the magnetic levitation elements (240) together with the base (310) at the center of the carrier (300A) may be at least 15-20 mm to enable the carrier (300A) to have an eigenfrequency of at least 200 Hz. In some embodiments, the carrier (300A) may be made of high-strength, low-mass materials (e.g., titanium, Inconel), which may enable the thickness of at least a portion of the magnetic levitation element (240) together with the base (310) at the center of the carrier (300A) to be less than 15-20 mm. The mass of the carrier (300A) will affect the natural frequency of the carrier (300A).

[0044] In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation element (240) may be implemented as or include one or more rails (e.g., rails (242, 244, 246, 248)). Each of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be aligned in a specific direction with respect to the base (310). In some cases, the magnetic levitation element (240) of the carrier (300A) may include a first rail (242) aligned in a first direction (e.g., X direction). The magnetic levitation element (240) may also include a second rail (244) aligned in a second direction (e.g., Y direction). The magnetic levitation element (240) may also include a third rail (246) aligned in the Y direction and aligned parallel to the second rail (244). The magnetic levitation element (240) may also include a fourth rail (248) aligned in the X direction and parallel to the first rail (242). However, while the carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a is illustrated as having four rails (242, 244, 246, 248), any number of rails may be used in the carrier (300A). In some cases, the carrier (300A) may include only the first rail (242) aligned in the X direction and the second rail (244) aligned in the Y direction. In some embodiments, the second rail (244) and the third rail (246) may be considered and / or implemented as a single rail.

[0045] The dimensions of the carrier (300A) (including the base (310) and rails (242, 244, 246, 248)) may be based on at least one of the size of the stations (111-118), the location of the sensors (270) in the stations (111-118), or the size of the objects (e.g., objects (140)) being transported by the carrier (300A). The dimensions of the carrier (300A) may also be selected to facilitate the stability of the carrier (300A) during the transport of the objects (140), as well as to ensure the stability of the carrier (300A) when nothing is being transported. The carrier (300A) may also be configured to be sufficiently large to support an object (140) (or a plurality of objects (140) as described below) as described above, and sufficiently small to be delivered into, through, and out of the stations (e.g., stations (111-118)) of a substrate processing system (e.g., substrate processing system (100)). In some cases, the ratio of the length of the carrier (300A) to the length of the object (e.g., object (140)) may be 1:1 to 2:1. In some cases, the ratio of the length of the carrier (300A) to the length of the object (140) may be 3:2. For example, the ratio of the length of the first rail (242) or the fourth rail (248) to the length of the object (140) may be 1:1 to 2:1.

[0046] The following measurements are examples of dimensions of the carrier (300A), and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although measurements are exemplified only in FIG. 4, measurements may be applicable to any of the drawings of the present application and may be dimensions of any carrier (e.g., carriers (130, 300A, 300B, 700A, 700B)). For instance, the width (A) (e.g., shortest side) of one or more of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248), which is transverse to the carrier (130) motion direction—in which the magnetic levitation elements (240) are aligned—may be at least 40 millimeters (mm). In some configurations, the magnetic levitation elements (240) are spaced apart by a distance (B) of about 300 mm to about 500 mm in a direction transverse to the carrier (130) motion direction. The outer edge of the second rail (244) may be at a distance (C) of about 150 mm to about 600 mm from the outer edge of the third rail (246). The outer edge of the second rail (244) may be at a distance (D) of about 0 mm to about 225 mm from the end of the first rail (242) and the end of the fourth rail (248). The middle of the carrier (e.g., the middle of the opening (330)) may be at a distance (E) of about 150 mm to about 300 mm from the end of the first rail (242) and the end of the fourth rail (248). The mass of the carrier may be about 7 kilograms (kg) when not transporting an object (140) and about 13 kg when transporting an object (140). The carrier (300A) may have a height of less than 45 mm (Z direction), a width of less than 600 mm (Y direction), and a length of less than 600 mm (X direction).

[0047] Features (250) may be arranged on rails (242, 244, 246, 248). In some embodiments, as described above, a pitch and / or spacing may be provided between adjacent features (250). Features (250) may also be arranged side by side. As illustrated in FIG. 3a, an array of features (250) of the first rail (242) may be aligned in the X direction along the surface of the first rail (242), an array of features (250) of the second rail (244) may be aligned in the Y direction along the surface of the second rail (244), an array of features (250) of the third rail (246) may be aligned in the Y direction along the surface of the third rail (246), and an array of features (250) of the fourth rail (248) may be aligned in the X direction along the surface of the fourth rail (248). In some embodiments, the features (250) may be arranged linearly. The gap between each feature may vary between the features (250) or may be the same along the rails (242, 244, 246, 248).

[0048] In some embodiments, the features (250) of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may cover a portion of the top of the carrier (130). Other featureless portions (260) of the magnetic levitation elements (240) may not include the features (250). In other words, the featureless portion (260) of the top of the carrier may not include the features (250) and, accordingly, may be located adjacent to the portion of the magnetic levitation elements (240) that includes the features (250). As described above, the featureless portion (260) may be substantially flat (e.g., a flat surface) and may be configured to enable sensors (270) to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (130) during contactless levitation and / or transport. In some embodiments, sensors (270) may be positioned on the carrier (130) to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (130) during contactless levitation and / or transport, as illustrated in FIG. 8a and FIG. 8b described below. The featureless portion (260) may be included on the top of one or more of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) of the carrier (300A) and may be implemented as a featureless track aligned with an array of features (250). In some embodiments, the magnetic levitation elements (240) may each include an outer portion and an inner portion. In these embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 3a, the features (250) may be positioned on one or more outer portions of the magnetic levitation elements (240), and the featureless portion (260) may be positioned on one or more inner portions of the magnetic levitation elements (240). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the base (310) may be feature-free and substantially flat, and may be configured to enable sensors (270) to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (130) during non-contact buoyancy and / or transport (e.g., FIG. 3b).That is, at least a portion of the base (310) can function as a feature-free portion (260).

[0049] During transport, in order to help enable the sensors (270) to detect the presence and / or location of the object (140), parts of the object (140) (e.g., the leading and trailing edges of the object (140)) may not be covered by the carrier (130) (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 4). Furthermore, the exposed leading and trailing edges of the object (140) may enable the sensors (270) to determine the dimensions of the object (140). In some embodiments, one or more of the sensors (270) may be driving sensors, and the carrier (130) may include a leading edge trigger (not illustrated) configured to interact with the driving sensor to warn the substrate processing system (100) of the incoming carrier. For example, the leading edge trigger may be a permanent magnet configured to trigger a driving sensor of the sensors (270) so that the substrate processing system (100) detects the leading edge of the carrier (130). The permanent magnet may be located on one or more of the legs (320) of the carrier (130).

[0050] As briefly discussed above, the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be spaced apart from each other as illustrated in FIG. 3a. In some cases, the first rail (242) may be spaced apart from the fourth rail (248) in the Y direction. In some cases, the second rail (244) may be spaced apart from the third rail (246) in the X direction. In some embodiments, the carrier (130) may have a substantially symmetrical shape. That is, the distance (E) from the first end of the first rail (242) to the center of the carrier (130) (illustrated in FIG. 4) may be substantially the same as the distance (E) from the second end of the first rail (242) (e.g., the second end facing the first end) to the center of the carrier (130). For example, the carrier (300A) may include a first rail (242) aligned in the X direction, a second rail (244) aligned in the Y direction, and a fourth rail (248) aligned in the X direction, and the second rail (244) may have a center line extending in the Y direction. In this example, the distance between the first ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) and the center line is substantially the same as the distance between the second ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) (e.g., the second ends are opposite the first ends) and the center line. The stations (111-118) of the substrate processing system (100) may be configured to allow the symmetric carrier (e.g., carrier (300A)) to remain at the processing station (205) during processing without affecting processing at the processing station. For example, the processing station (205) may be large enough to accommodate a carrier (130) located on the end of the processing station (205) while the object (140) undergoes processing, so that the carrier (130) does not affect the processing.

[0051] In some embodiments, the carrier (300A) may have an asymmetrical shape. That is, the distance (E) from the first end of the first rail (242) to the center of the carrier (130) (shown in FIG. 4) may be different from the distance (E) from the second end of the first rail (242) (e.g., the second end facing the first end) to the center of the carrier (130). For example, the carrier (300A) may include a first rail (242) aligned in the X direction, a second rail (244) aligned in the Y direction, and a fourth rail (248) aligned in the X direction, and the second rail (244) may have a center line extending in the Y direction. In this example, the distance between the first ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) and the center line is different from the distance between the second ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) (e.g., the second ends are opposite to the first ends) and the center line. When the carrier is asymmetric, the stations (111-118) of the substrate processing system (100) may be smaller than when the carrier is symmetric, because the asymmetric carrier can more easily remain in the processing station (205) during processing without affecting the processing.

[0052] The base (310) of the carrier (300A) may be formed of a non-magnetic and vacuum-compatible material, such as a metal (e.g., aluminum (Al), non-magnetic stainless steel (e.g., 316 SST), or titanium (Ti)). In some embodiments, it is advantageous to select a material from which the carrier (300A) is made that can also withstand high processing temperatures. In one example, the substrate carrier (300A) is made of a ceramic material (e.g., alumina, quartz, zirconia, etc.). In some cases, the substrate carrier (300A) may be coated with an electrically conductive coating to solve any charge accumulation problems in the substrate carrier (300A) during processing in the process station (205). In some embodiments, the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may include a magnetic material, and the base (310) may not include a magnetic material. By using a different material for the base (310) than for the rails (242, 244, 246, 248), the carrier (300A) can be configured to be lighter and / or manufactured at a lower cost. In some embodiments, the base (310) of the carrier (300A) can be formed of the same magnetic material as the rails (242, 244, 246, and 248) (e.g., each can be formed of SS430).

[0053] The carrier (300A) may be configured such that the center of gravity of the carrier (300A) is within 5 mm of the geometric center of the carrier (300A), regardless of whether the carrier (300A) is currently transporting an object (140). This helps ensure the stability of the carrier (300A). In some embodiments, the base (310) may include at least one extension feature (e.g., extension features (312, 314)) as illustrated in FIG. 3a, FIG. 4, FIG. 6a, FIG. 7a, and FIG. 7b. In some cases, the extension features (312, 314) may be configured to ensure that the center of gravity of the carrier (300A) is within 5 mm of the geometric center of the carrier (300A), regardless of whether the carrier (300A) is currently transporting an object (140). The extension features (312, 314) may be made of metal or ceramic or may include the same.

[0054] An array of legs (320) (e.g., pegs) may be included in a carrier (300A) and configured to support the carrier (300A). The legs (320) may be coupled to or placed beneath the base (310) of the carrier (300A). The array of legs (320) may include any number of legs (320), such as an even number of legs (320). The legs (320) may be electrically coupled to one or more of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) and configured to electrically ground the carrier (130). One or more of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be positioned above the array of legs (320). In some embodiments, each rail (242, 244, 246, 248) may include at least four legs (320). In other embodiments, an array of legs (320) may be placed only under the rails (242, 248) or only under the rails (244 and 246). In some embodiments, the legs (320) placed under one or more of the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be implemented as a continuous solid bar or structure. For example, when an array of legs is placed only under the rails (242, 248), the array of legs (320) under each of the rails (242, 248) may be implemented as a continuous solid bar or structure instead of discrete legs.

[0055] The carrier (300A) may also include an opening (330) in the base (310). The opening (330) may be configured to enable a sensor (e.g., sensors (270)) to detect the presence and / or location of an object (140).

[0056] Support members (342, 344) of the carrier (300A) may extend into the area (510) below the carrier (300A) (Fig. 5a). The support members (342, 344) may be configured to support an object (140), as illustrated in Fig. 6b. In some embodiments, the support members (342, 344) may be made of ceramic or a material different from the material of the base (310). The support member (342) may form a gap (F) (Fig. 6b) of at least 230 mm between the support member (342) and the support member (344), and the gap is configured to be small enough so that the object (140) can be seated on a portion of the support members (342, 344), as illustrated in Fig. 6b. As illustrated in FIG. 3a, the object (140) may be supported under the carrier (300A). In some embodiments, the support members (342, 344) may be implemented by a single blade coupled to one side of the base (310) extending into the zone (510) and configured to support the object (140).

[0057] In some embodiments, the carrier (300A) may include additional support members (not shown) configured to support more than one object. For example, the carrier (300A) may be configured to carry two or more objects (140) simultaneously. In this example, the carrier (300A) may include a third support member and a fourth support member, both of which are configured to support the object (140).

[0058] FIG. 3b illustrates an exemplary carrier (300B) comprising the magnetic levitation elements (240) of FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the carrier (130) described above may be implemented as the carrier (300B). The carrier (300B) of FIG. 3b may be similar to the carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a, and everything discussed herein in relation to the carrier (300A) may also apply to the carrier (300B). However, in the carrier (300B), the base (310) and the magnetic levitation elements (240) (including rails (242, 244, 246, 248)) each comprise a magnetic material and are implemented together as a single element. For example, the base (310) and the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be implemented with the same ferromagnetic material. In these cases, rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be coupled to support members (342, 344), openings (330) may be in the rails (242, 244, 246, 248), and extension features (312, 314) may be included in the rails (242, 244, 246, 248) and may be part of them. Although FIG. 3b does not show legs (320), the carrier (300B) of these embodiments may include legs (320) configured to support the carrier (300B).

[0059] FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the process station (205) may include a pedestal (410) as illustrated in FIG. 4. The carrier (130) (e.g., may be implemented as a carrier (300A, 300B)) may be configured to transport an object (140) to the pedestal (410) to enable the process station (205) to perform processing on the object (140). Specifically, the carrier (130) may be configured to move to a carrier transport position of the process station (205). The pedestal (410) may be configured to move to a pedestal transport position of the process station (205) in the Z direction before, during, or after the carrier (130) is moved to the carrier transport position. At the carrier transfer position, the carrier (130) may be configured to transfer an object (140) to the pedestal (410) while the pedestal (410) is in the pedestal transfer position. Once the object (140) is transferred to the pedestal (410), the carrier (130) may be moved to a carrier park position (e.g., carrier park positions illustrated in FIGS. 7a and 7b). Subsequently, the pedestal (410) may be raised to a process position to move the object (140) from the transport area of ​​the process station (205) into the process area. After the process is completed, the pedestal (410) may be lowered to the pedestal transfer position, and the carrier (130) may be configured to move to the carrier transfer position to enable the transfer of the object (140) back onto the carrier (130). Subsequently, the pedestal (410) can be moved back to a lowered position to enable the carrier (130) to easily exit the process station (205).

[0060] The rails (242, 244, 246, 248) may be arranged to accommodate the raising and / or lowering of the pedestal (410) through the carrier (130), in addition to being arranged to raise the carrier (130).

[0061] FIG. 5a illustrates a side view of an exemplary carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As described above, the support members (342, 344) of the carrier (300A) may extend into a region (510) below the carrier (300A) and may be configured to support an object (140).

[0062] FIG. 5b illustrates a side view of an exemplary carrier (300B) of FIG. 3b according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As described above, the support members (342, 344) of the carrier (300B) may extend further into the area (510) below the carrier (300B) and may be configured to support an object (140). In the carrier (300B), the distance between the bottom of the magnetic levitation element (240) and the support members (342, 344) may be greater than the distance between the bottom of the base (310) of the carrier (300A) and the support members (342, 344). As a result, there may be more space for a larger object (140) to be positioned in the carrier (300B).

[0063] FIG. 6a illustrates a drawing of an exemplary carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a interacting with landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) arranged within a process station (205) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) may be included in a station (e.g., stations (111-118)). The landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) may be arranged in the X direction and / or the Y direction to enable transport of the carrier (300A) in one or both of the X direction and the Y direction. An array of legs (320) may be configured to contact the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) and to support the carrier (300A) when the carrier is not lifted. For example, when the lift of the carrier (300A) fails (e.g., when power is lost), the carrier (300A) may fall, and the legs (320) of the carrier (300A) may land on the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650). In some embodiments, the legs (320) may be configured to keep the carrier (300A) upright. For example, the legs (320) may have rounded bottoms as illustrated in FIG. 3a, configured to keep the carrier (300A) upright. The legs (320) can be electrically coupled to one or more rails (242, 244, 246, 248) and configured to electrically ground the carrier (300A) through the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) as described above. For example, in the case of electrostatic charge accumulation in the carrier (300A), the carrier (300A) can be positioned on the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) by adjusting the power provided to the stators (230) to ground the carrier (300A), thereby allowing the legs (320) to come into contact with the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650).The design of the legs (320) is configured to enable the carrier (300A) to remain upright after landing on the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650), but also not to allow the carrier (300A) to be positioned too far vertically from or separated from the stators (230), thereby allowing the carrier (300A) to be lifted (e.g., picked up) and transported again by the stators (230) in the magnetic levitation assembly (120). In some embodiments, one or more of the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) may be implemented as discontinuous landing points instead of continuous rails.

[0064] FIG. 6b illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line (6B) of FIG. 6a according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) may include a landing profile (630) as illustrated in FIG. 6b. The landing profile (630) of the landing rails (610, 620) is configured to accommodate the legs (320) of the carrier (300A) and to enable the carrier (300A) to resume flight. For example, the landing profile may allow the legs (320) to be shifted vertically by up to about 2 mm after landing on the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650). In addition, the landing profile (630) may allow the legs (320) to be shifted horizontally (along the Y-axis) by up to about ±2.5 mm after landing on the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650).

[0065] FIG. 6c illustrates an enlarged top-side view taken from FIG. 6a. Depending on the direction in which the carrier (300A) is moving, landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) may be positioned to support the carrier (300A). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6c, to enable the transport of the carrier (300A) in one or both of the X direction and the Y direction, a set of landing rails (610, 620) may be positioned in the X direction and a set of landing rails (640, 650) may be positioned in the Y direction.

[0066] FIG. 7a illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier (700A) at a process location according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the carrier (130) described above may be implemented as the carrier (700A). The carrier (700A) of FIG. 7a may be similar to the carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a and / or the carrier (300B) of FIG. 3b, and all that has been discussed herein with respect to the carrier (300A) and the carrier (300B) may also apply to the carrier (700A). However, the carrier (700A) may be asymmetric in one or more directions (e.g., the X direction), as described herein and illustrated in FIG. 7a. The carrier (700A) may be configured so that the carrier (700A) is positioned away from one side of the process station (205) (e.g., at a carrier waiting position), and thus may remain at the process station (205) during processing without negatively affecting the processing of the object (140). For example, the carrier (700A) may include a first rail (242) aligned in the X direction, a second rail (244) aligned in the Y direction, a third rail (246) aligned in the Y direction, and a fourth rail (248) aligned in the X direction, and the second rail (244) may have a center line extending in the Y direction. In this example, the distance between the first ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) and the center line is different from the distance between the second ends of the first rail (242) and the fourth rail (248) (e.g., the second ends are opposite the first ends) and the center line.

[0067] As a result of the asymmetric shape of the carrier (700A), the center of gravity (G) of the carrier (700A) may differ from the geometric center (H) of the carrier (700A) (Fig. 7a), which may affect the levitation and transport of the carrier (700A). Therefore, magnetic levitation elements (240) in asymmetric carriers (including rails (242, 244, 246, 248)) may be configured to compensate for the instability introduced by the differences between the center of gravity (G) and the geometric center (H) of the asymmetric carriers. For example, when the difference between the center of gravity and the geometric center is greater, the pitch / spacing provided between the features (250) may be smaller. In some cases, when the carrier (700A) is transporting an object (140), the center of gravity (G) may be offset from the geometric center (H) of the carrier (700A) as a result of the weight of the object (140), as illustrated in FIG. 7a.

[0068] FIG. 7b illustrates a plan view of an exemplary carrier (700B) configured to be separated at a process location according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the carrier (130) described above may be implemented as the carrier (700B). The carrier (700B) of FIG. 7b may be similar to the carrier (300A) of FIG. 3a and / or the carrier (300B) of FIG. 3b, and all that has been discussed herein with respect to the carrier (300A) and the carrier (300B) may also apply to the carrier (700B). However, when the carrier (700B) is in a carrier standby location, the first portion (710) of the carrier (700B) may be configured to be separated from the second portion (720) of the carrier (700B). Therefore, the first part (710) and the second part (720) of the carrier (700A) can each be positioned apart from the carrier waiting positions on opposite sides of the station (e.g., process station (205)) by using linear stators (230) in two separate parts of the chamber, thereby enabling both parts of the carrier (700B) to remain at the process station (205) during processing without negatively affecting the processing of the object (140). FIG. 7b illustrates the first part (710) and the second part (720) of the carrier (700B) beginning to move apart. In some embodiments, the first part (710) and the second part (720) of the carrier (700B) may be able to move in the same direction and be positioned on the same side of the station at the carrier waiting positions. In order to keep two separate parts together so that an object can be reliably transported by the carrier (700B), the front part of the carrier (700B) can be pressed in the transport direction due to the contact force generated by the rear part of the carrier (700B) that pushes against the surface of the front part.The adjustment of movement and separation of the front and rear portions of the carrier (700B) is performed by the use of a controller (150) that adjusts the movement and forces applied to each portion by the stators (230).

[0069] FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate partial cross-sectional views of enlarged portions (800A, 800B) of the carrier (300A) of FIG. 6a. In some embodiments, one or more magnetic levitation actuator assemblies (120A) may further include a magnetic actuator (806) configured to interact with a material contained in the carrier (300A) and to adjust the position of the carrier (300A) in the Y direction. For example, the magnetic actuator (806) may be configured to interact with a magnetic levitation element (240) and / or its features (250), and the magnetic actuator (806) may be used to move the carrier (300A) to align the center of the object (140) (and carrier (300A)) with the center of the process station (e.g., process station (205)).

[0070] In some embodiments, a portion (800B) of the carrier (300A) may include one or more magnetic elements (802). One or more magnetic elements (802) may be configured to be measured and / or detected by a plurality of sensors (270). In some cases, one or more magnetic elements (802) may be located on the underside of the carrier (300A), as illustrated in FIG. 8a. In other cases, one or more magnetic elements (802) may be located on the bottom of one or more of the legs (320) of the carrier (300A), as illustrated in FIG. 8b. In some cases, one or more magnetic elements (802) may be located on both the underside of the carrier (300A) and at least one leg (320) of the carrier (300A).

[0071] As described above, the sensors (270) may be configured to measure and / or detect the position of the carrier (300A). For example, the sensors (270) may be positioned as illustrated in FIGS. 8a and 8b and may be configured to measure the position of the carrier (300A) in the Z direction. The plurality of sensors (270) may include one or more position sensors (804) configured to interact with one or more magnetic elements (802) to facilitate the measurement and / or detection of the position of the carrier (300A) in the Y direction. In some cases, one or more position sensors (804) may be positioned on the side of the process chamber (205), as illustrated in FIG. 8a. In other cases, one or more position sensors (804) may be included in the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650) or located below the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650), as illustrated in FIG. 8b. In some cases, one or more position sensors (804) may consist of both being located on the side of the processing chamber (205) and being included in or below the landing rails (610, 620, 640, 650).

[0072] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic plan view of an exemplary substrate processing system (900) having additional stations (902, 904, 906, 908) in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The substrate processing system (900) may be similar to the substrate processing system (100) but includes additional stations (902, 904, 906, 908). Although four additional stations are shown coupled to process stations (115, 118), additional stations may be coupled to any of the stations (111-118), and any number of additional stations may be utilized.

[0073] Additional stations (902, 904, 906, 908) may be implemented as processing stations, routing stations, load lock stations, degassing stations, or any combination thereof. In some cases, one or more of the additional stations (902, 904, 906, 908) may enable the insertion of additional carriers (130) into the substrate processing system (900). For example, stations (902 and 904) may be load lock stations and stations (904, 908) may be degassing stations, thereby allowing a carrier (130) carrying an object (140) to enter the substrate processing system (900) from the processing stations (114, 118) while minimizing interruption of the flow of existing carriers (130) in the substrate processing system (900).

[0074] Additional stations (902, 904, 906, 908) may also be implemented as access stations configured to allow the removal of a carrier (130) from one or more processing lines (102). For example, when it is determined that an object (140) has a defect, the carrier (130) carrying the object (140) may be routed to an access station (e.g., stations (906, 908) implemented as access stations) without being returned to the FOUPs (126) in order to minimize the impact of the defect on the operation of the substrate processing system (900). In another example, when the carrier (130) is malfunctioning, the carrier (130) may be routed to an access station (e.g., stations (906, 908) implemented as access stations) without being returned to the FOUPs (126) in order to minimize the impact of the malfunction on the operation of the substrate processing system (900).

[0075] In some embodiments, the carriers described herein may include one or more carrier identification features (not exemplified). A sensor (e.g., sensor (270)) may be able to use the carrier identification features to detect and identify the configuration, type, and / or performance of the carrier. For example, some carriers may behave differently as a result of slight variations in the mechanical or magnetic performance of the carrier, and a substrate processing system (e.g., substrate processing system (100)) may need to operate differently to ensure the desired carrier performance. One or more carrier identification features may be implemented as magnetic elements, RFID tags, marks, or any other identifiable features.

[0076] Additional considerations

[0077] In the foregoing description, details are provided by way of example to facilitate understanding of the subject matter disclosed. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments are exemplary and do not encompass all possible embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that reference to the described examples is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Any changes and further modifications to the described devices, mechanisms, methods, and any additional applications of the principles of the present disclosure are entirely conceivable to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure relates. In particular, features, components, and / or steps described in relation to one embodiment are entirely conceivable to be combined with features, components, and / or steps described in relation to other embodiments of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term “about” may refer to a variation of + / - 10% from a nominal value. It should be understood that such variation may be included in any value provided herein.

[0078] As used herein, the phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination of multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0079] As used herein, the term “combination” is used to refer to a direct or indirect combination between two objects. For example, if object A physically touches object B and object B touches object C, objects A and C may still be considered combined with each other even if objects A and C do not physically touch each other directly. For example, even if the first object never physically comes into direct contact with the second object, the first object may be combined with the second object.

[0080] Although the foregoing relates to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and additional embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the subsequent claims.

Claims

Claim 1 A carrier comprising: a base; a first magnetic levitation element and a second magnetic levitation element coupled to the base — wherein the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element are aligned in a first direction, the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second feature array, the first feature array and the second feature array each comprise a ferromagnetic material, and the first feature array and the second feature array are linear arrays of features aligned in the first direction —; a first support member coupled to the base; and a second support member coupled to the base — wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed below the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element, and the first support member and the second support member are configured to support an object —. Claim 2 A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first rail including the first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second rail including the second feature array. Claim 3 A carrier according to claim 2, further comprising a third rail disposed on the base and aligned in a second direction, wherein the third rail comprises a third feature array, the third feature array comprises a magnetic material, the third feature array is aligned in the second direction, and the first direction is oblique to the second direction. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the first rail is spaced apart from the second rail in the second direction, the first rail and the second rail each include a first end and a second end, the third rail has a center line extending in the second direction, and the distance between the first end of the first rail and the second rail and the center line is greater than the distance between the second end of the first rail and the second rail and the center line, a carrier. Claim 5 In paragraph 2, the first rail extends in the first direction between the first end and the second end, the second rail extends in the first direction between the first end and the second end, the first feature array is formed on the first portion of the first rail, the second feature array is formed on the first portion of the second rail, the first rail and the second rail each further include a second portion that does not include the feature arrays, and the second portions extend in the first direction between the first end and the second of the first rail and the second rail, a carrier. Claim 6 In paragraph 2, the first rail, the second rail, and the base are carriers comprising a ferromagnetic material. Claim 7 In paragraph 2, the first rail and the second rail comprise a ferromagnetic material, and the base comprises a carrier that does not comprise a ferromagnetic material. Claim 8 A carrier according to claim 1, further comprising an array of legs coupled to the base, wherein the array of legs is aligned in the first direction. Claim 9 A carrier according to claim 8, wherein the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first rail including the first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second rail including the second feature array, the array of legs is electrically coupled to at least one of the first rail or the second rail, and the array of legs is configured to electrically ground the carrier. Claim 10 In claim 9, a carrier in which at least one of the first rail or the second rail is positioned on an array of legs. Claim 11 In claim 1, the base is a carrier comprising a ceramic material or a metal. Claim 12 A carrier according to claim 2, wherein the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first rail including the first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second rail including the second feature array, wherein the first rail extends in the first direction between the first end and the second end, and the second rail extends in the first direction between the first end and the second end, and during the process of transporting the object, the ratio of the length of the first rail or the second rail in the first direction to the length of the object is 1:1 to 2:

1. Claim 13 A carrier according to claim 1, wherein the carrier further comprises a first part and a second part, and the first part is configured to be separated from the second part of the carrier. Claim 14 A carrier comprising: a base; a first magnetic levitation element and a second magnetic levitation element coupled to the base—the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element are aligned in a first direction, the first magnetic levitation element includes a first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element includes a second feature array, the first feature array and the second feature array each include a ferromagnetic material, and the first feature array and the second feature array are linear arrays of features aligned in the first direction—; and an array of legs coupled to the base and aligned in the first direction. Claim 15 In claim 14, the carrier further comprises a third magnetic levitation element disposed on the base and aligned in a second direction, wherein the third magnetic levitation element comprises a third feature array, wherein the third feature array comprises a ferromagnetic material, wherein the third feature array is aligned in the second direction, and the first direction is oblique to the second direction. Claim 16 A carrier according to claim 14, wherein the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first rail including the first feature array, and the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second rail including the second feature array. Claim 17 As a carrier, base; A carrier comprising a first magnetic levitation element, a second magnetic levitation element, a third magnetic levitation element, and a fourth magnetic levitation element, each of which is coupled to the base—the first magnetic levitation element and the second magnetic levitation element are aligned in a first direction, the third magnetic levitation element and the fourth magnetic levitation element are aligned in a second direction, the first direction is oblique to the second direction, the first magnetic levitation element includes a first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element includes a second feature array, the third magnetic levitation element includes a third feature array, and the fourth magnetic levitation element includes a fourth feature array, the first feature array, the second feature array, the third feature array, and the fourth feature array each include a ferromagnetic material, the first feature array and the second feature array are a first linear array of features aligned in the first direction, and the third feature array and the fourth feature array are a second linear array of features aligned in the second direction. Claim 18 A carrier according to claim 17, further comprising: a first support member coupled to the base; and a second support member coupled to the base — wherein the first support member and the second support member are disposed below the first magnetic levitation element, the second magnetic levitation element, the third magnetic levitation element, and the fourth magnetic levitation element, and wherein the first support member and the second support member are configured to support an object. Claim 19 A carrier according to claim 17, wherein the first magnetic levitation element comprises a first rail comprising the first feature array, the second magnetic levitation element comprises a second rail comprising the second feature array, the third magnetic levitation element comprises a third rail comprising the third feature array, and the fourth magnetic levitation element comprises a fourth rail comprising the fourth feature array. Claim 20 In claim 19, the first rail, the second rail, the third rail, and the fourth rail comprise a ferromagnetic material, and the base comprises a carrier that does not comprise a ferromagnetic material.

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