Multi-function chamber for a substrate processing system
US6435868B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 7, 2000 |
| Grant date | Aug 20, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 7, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67248
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A load lock chamber includes a chamber body having an aperture to allow a substrate to be transferred into or out of the chamber. The load lock chamber is configurable in several configurations, including a base configuration for providing a transition between two different pressures, a heating configuration for heating the substrate and providing a transition between two different pressures, and a cooling configuration for cooling the substrate and providing a transition between two different pressures. Various features of the chamber configurations help increase the throughput of the system by enabling rapid heating and cooling of substrates and simultaneous evacuation and venting of the chamber, and help compensate for thermal losses near the substrate edges, thereby providing a more uniform temperature across the substrate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.