System and method for depositing plural thin film layers on a substrate
US4663009A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 8, 1985 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 8, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67751
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A sealed substrate processing path has plural selectably isolatable vacuum deposition chambers along the path. A transporter carries substrates along the path and an independently controllable sputter deposition is performed in each deposition chamber on substrates therein. Substrates are loaded from a load chamber to a first deposition chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the first and load chambers. Substrates are transferred from a last deposition chamber to an unload chamber while a vacuum is maintained in the last and load chambers. Substrates are placed in the load chamber while the load and first chambers are isolated and are removed from the unload chamber while the last and unload chambers are isolated. In one embodiment, substrates travel succesively from the load chamber to first through fourth deposition chambers and then to the unload chamber. In another embodiment, substrates travel from the load chamber to first to second to first and to third deposition chambers and then to the unload chamber. First and second alternating load chambers are provided in another embodiment with substrates being loaded into the second load chamber while substrates are transferred fro…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.