Multi-Station Semiconductor Chamber With Isolated Processing Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor multi-station processing chambers face contamination issues during substrate transfer and interference between stations, particularly during plasma and heating processes, which affect product yield and productivity.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor multi-station processing chamber design featuring isolated stations with a covering assembly, showerhead plate, and an isolating member that can encircle the processing region to prevent contamination, along with a transferring layer allowing arms to pass through stations, and a load lock chamber with preheating and cooling mechanisms for efficient substrate handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple processing chambers are connected to a common transfer chamber to enable substrate transfer under vacuum conditions, then productivity is improved by processing batches of substrates simultaneously, but contamination occurs during substrate transfer between stations
Solution Approach 1:
The processing chamber is divided into multiple isolated processing stations (first processing station, second processing station, etc.), each capable of performing different processes simultaneously. The transfer chamber is segmented into separate transfer regions (first transfer region, second transfer region) that connect to different processing stations, preventing cross-contamination while enabling batch processing.
Solution Approach 2:
A common transfer chamber serves as an intermediary region between multiple processing stations, allowing substrates to be transferred under vacuum conditions without direct exposure between processing regions. The transfer chamber acts as a buffer that maintains vacuum integrity while enabling substrate movement between isolated processing environments.
2Productivity
If stations are arranged in a multi-station processing chamber to increase productivity, then processing efficiency is improved, but interference between stations occurs during plasma and heating processes
Solution Approach 1:
The processing chamber is divided into multiple isolated processing stations with physical separation. Each station has its own processing region, exhaust system, and control mechanisms, allowing plasma and heating processes to occur simultaneously without interference. The isolation structures prevent plasma discharge and thermal fields from one station from affecting adjacent stations.
Solution Approach 2:
Each processing station is designed with localized exhaust systems and process control mechanisms tailored to its specific process requirements. The first processing station can be optimized for plasma processes while the second station is optimized for heating processes, with each having appropriate local exhaust and atmospheric control to prevent cross-interference.
3Device complexity
If a common exhaust system is used for multiple processing chambers to simplify the structure, then device complexity is reduced, but vacuum condition control becomes difficult during substrate transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust system is segmented into separate exhaust channels for each processing station and transfer region. Each processing station has its own exhaust system that can be independently controlled, allowing vacuum conditions to be maintained in each region independently. This enables substrate transfer between stations while maintaining vacuum integrity in processing regions that are not currently being accessed.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention discloses a semiconductor multi-station processing chamber. Each of the multiple station includes a downward concave accommodation defined by walls and receives a pedestal therein. The pedestal and the walls define a first gap. A showerhead plate mounted on an upper lid above the pedestal to define a processing region. A second gap for supply swiping gas is defined between the showerhead plate and the upper lid. An isolation member is liftable between the downward concave accommodation and the showerhead plate to optionally encircle a processing region defined by the pedestal and the showerhead plate or to retract back into the downward concave accommodation. Such that, when the isolation member surrounds and encircles the processing region, the station is able to be structurally isolated from its neighboring one station.