Integrated vacuum and plating cluster system
US6017820A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 17, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jan 25, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 17, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/6723
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An apparatus and method for providing an integrated processing system allowing for the isolation of non-compatible processes used to deposit a material onto a semiconductor wafer and/or remove material from a wafer is described. The integrated processing system of the present invention is comprised of a first processing chamber for processing a substrate in a first environment coupled to a second processing chamber for processing a substrate in a second environment. A connecting interface coupled to the first and second processing chambers allows the first and second processing chambers to be isolated from each other as needed. Further, the connecting interface allows a wafer to be transferred from the first processing chamber to the second processing chamber within a controlled environment. The first and second processing chambers may be or may include cluster tools.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.