Epsilon Technology Corporation

Advanced Semiconductor Materials America, Inc.

Armand P Ferro

Dennis L Goodwin

McDonald Robinson

Richard Crabb

Mark R Hawkins

Albert E Ozias

Wiebe B deBoer

This invention discloses a system for chemically depositing various materials carried by a reactant gas onto substrates for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The system includes special loading and unloading sub-systems for placement of substrates to be processed into the system and subsequent extraction without contamination of the system. A special substrate handling sub-system is provided for moving the substrates to and from at least one processing sub-system without physically contacting the planar surfaces of the substrates. The processing sub-system includes a horizontal gas flow reaction chamber having a rotatable susceptor therein for rotating the single substrate supportable thereon about an axis that is normal to the center of the substrate for averaging of the temperature and reactant gas concentration variables. The processing sub-system is separated from the handling sub-system by a special isolation valve and a gas injection device is used to inject the gas into the reaction chamber with a predetermined velocity profile. A special temperature sensing arrangement is provided in the processing sub-system for controlling a radiant heating sub-system which is provided above and below the reaction chamber.

Chemical vapor desposition system

An improved wafer handling system including a pair of robot arms each having a drive apparatus operatively coupled to its rear end portion for extending, retracting, and rotatably positioning the robot arms. The opposite end of the robot arms are operatively connected to a pick-up wand. The pick-up wand includes a top plate and a bottom plate. The lower surface of the top plate has a plurality of commonly-connected grooves ground therein and a reservoir for supplying gas to said grooves from the forward end portion of the robot arms. A plurality of gas outlets are provided in the bottom plate, and the bottom surface of the top plate is positioned securely over and flush against the top surface of the bottom plate such that at least one of the grooves are over each of the plurality of gas outlets for delivering gas thereto. The outlets are slanted for substantially radially outwardly directing a flow of gas away from the pattern and over the top surface of the water for creating an area of relatively low pressure between the bottom surface of the lower pick-up plate and the top surface of the wafer (with respect to the pressure existing beneath the wafer) for picking up or lifting the wafer without physical contact between the wafer and the wand in the actual pick-up by utilizing Bernoulli's Principle.

Wafer handling system with bernoulli pick-up

A method for loading a substrate into a receiving chamber upon a positionable platform, which platform is in sealed relationship with the receiving chamber, permits purging of the receiving chamber prior to transport of the loaded substrate(s) to a feed chamber. The platform is positioned from the receiving chamber into the feed chamber to off load the substrates. A cassette containing a plurality of stacked substrates may be loaded upon the platform to transport a plurality of substrates into the feed chamber.

Method for loading a substrate into a GVD apparatus

Each substrate is loaded into a receiving chamber upon a positionable platform, which platform is in sealed relationship with the receiving chamber to permit purging of the receiving chamber prior to transport of the loaded substrate(s) to a feed chamber. The platform is positioned from the receiving chamber into the feed chamber wherefrom the substrates are off loaded. A cassette containing a plurality of stacked substrates may be loaded upon the platform to transport a plurality of substrates into the feed chamber.

Substrate loading apparatus for a CVD process

Wafer handling apparatus operating under the Bernoulli principle to pick up, transport and deposit wafers, which apparatus includes a plate having a plurality of laterally oriented outlets and a central outlet for discharging gas in a pattern sufficient to develop a low pressure enviroment to pick up the wafer while bathing the wafer in radially outflowing gases to prevent intrusion and deposition on the wafer of particulate matter in suspension.

Wafer handling system with Bernoulli pick-up

A substrate loading subsystem receives substrates from an external source and delivers them to an input port. A substrate pickup transports the substrates serially from the input port to a delivery port of a processing subsystem wherein the substrates are subjected to a reactant gas in a reaction chamber. After completion of the chemical vapor deposition, the substrate pick up serially transports the substrates to an outlet port wherefrom they are off loaded.

Substrate handling and transporting apparatus

This invention discloses a system for chemically depositing various materials carried by a reactant gas onto substrates for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The system includes special loading and unloading sub-system for placement of substrates to be processed into the system and subsequent extraction without contamination of the system. A special substrate handling sub-system is provided for moving the substrates to and from at least one processing sub-system without physically contacting the planar surfaces of the substrates. The processing sub-system includes a horizontal gas flow reaction chamber having a rotatable susceptor therein for rotating the single substrate supportable thereon about an axis that is normal to the center of the substrate for averaging of the temperature and reactant gas concentration variables. The processing sub-system is separated from the handling sub-system by a special isolation valve and a gas injection device is used to inject the gas into the reaction chamber with a predetermined velocity profile. A special temperature sensing arrangement is provided in the processing sub-system for controlling a radiant heating sub-system which is provided above and below the reaction chamber.

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Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Armand P Ferro