Vacuum compatible water vapor and rinse process module
US5820692A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 16, 1996 |
| Grant date | Oct 13, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 16, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S414/139
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A process module which can be integrated with a reduced pressure cluster tool system for semiconductor wafer processing to perform ambient or near ambient pressure reactions without requiring an intermediate buffer chamber. The process module includes: PA1 a housing defining an evacuatable containment chamber; PA1 an evacuation system for evacuating the containment chamber to a pressure below ambient pressure; PA1 a process chamber in the interior of the housing adapted for performing a process operation on a substrate, at an operating pressure substantially above that of the pressure of the containment chamber, and including a substrate access port openable to the containment chamber, PA2 the substrate access port, when closed, isolating said process chamber from said containment chamber so that said containment chamber may be maintained at a lower pressure than the process chamber pressure during performance of said process operation, and PA2 the substrate access port, when opened to the containment chamber, permitting said evacuation means to evacuate the process chamber and the containment chamber to the same pressure. A control system is provided which is operable to cause sai…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.