Nested Process Chamber With Movable Interior Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional closed process chambers for semiconductor wafers pose safety risks and damage to tools due to the release of hazardous substances like process gas, chemical fumes, and hot vapor during loading and unloading, as they must be opened to accommodate wafer handling.
Innovation Solution
A closed process chamber design featuring an inner chamber within an outer chamber, with a rotary chuck and an interior cover that moves axially to create a gas-tight enclosure, incorporating independently controlled exhaust ports and splash guards to contain and manage process fluids, and a magnetic bearing for contactless chuck operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the process chamber is opened for loading and unloading wafers, then wafer handling is enabled, but hazardous substances (process gas, chemical fumes, hot vapor) are released to the tool environment causing safety risks and damage to surrounding components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested chamber structure where an inner process chamber is placed within an outer process chamber. The inner chamber houses the wafer processing area and can be sealed independently, allowing wafer loading/unloading through a port in the inner chamber wall without opening the outer chamber. This nested configuration enables hazardous substance containment while maintaining operational access.
Solution Approach 2:
The process chamber is segmented into two independent sealed chambers (inner and outer), each with its own sealing and exhaust systems. The inner chamber is divided from the outer chamber by a chamber wall, allowing independent operation and sealing of each section. This segmentation enables safe wafer handling without compromising the overall containment integrity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a single sealed chamber is used to contain hazardous substances, then safety is improved, but wafer loading and unloading becomes difficult without breaking the seal
Solution Approach 1:
The nested chamber design allows the inner chamber to be sealed independently within the outer chamber. Wafer loading and unloading can occur through a dedicated port in the inner chamber wall without compromising the seal of either chamber. This maintains hazardous substance containment while enabling easy operational access.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner chamber acts as an intermediary between the wafer handling operation and the outer sealed environment. It provides a transition zone where wafers can be loaded/unloaded through a port while the outer chamber remains sealed, thus mediating between operational needs and containment requirements.
3Device complexity
If treatment fluids are discharged without recovery, then process simplicity is maintained, but hazardous substance release and environmental damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a fluid recovery system where treatment fluids discharged from the inner chamber are captured through a collector and conduit system, then transferred to the outer chamber for controlled discharge. This recovery approach prevents hazardous substance release while managing the complexity of fluid handling through integrated collection and transfer mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances safety by isolating processing gases and liquids from the exterior environment, reducing the risk of substance release and allowing for better containment and recycling of process fluids, while maintaining a gas-tight seal during wafer processing.
Implementation Method 1
a chuck in the form of a ring rotor adapted to support a wafer may be located within a closed process chamber and driven without physical contact through an active magnetic bearing
Implementation Method 2
Treatment fluids which are driven outwardly from the edge of a rotating wafer due to centrifugal action are delivered to a common drain for disposal
Data Source
AI summary
A device for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a closed process chamber. The closed process chamber comprises a housing providing a gas-tight enclosure, a rotary chuck located within the closed process chamber and adapted to hold a wafer shaped article thereon, and an interior cover disposed within said closed process chamber. The interior cover is movable between a first position in which the rotary chuck communicates with an outer wall of the closed process chamber, and a second position in which the interior cover seals against an inner surface of the closed process chamber adjacent the rotary chuck to define a gas-tight inner process chamber.