Brooks Automation Gmbh

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Varian Associates, Inc.

Eaton Corporation

Other

Ibis Technology Corporation

Richard S Muka

Jonathan Gerald England

Julian G Blake

Christopher A Hofmeister

Carl J Russo

Paul J Murphy

Steven Raymond Walther

Mitchell A Drew

Reuel B Liebert

Michael W Pippins

Scott C Holden

James C Davis, Jr

Timothy J Miller

Vikram Singh

Richard John Hertel

D Jeffrey Lischer

David E Suuronen

Kyu-Ha Shim

Jeffrey E Krampert

Ziwei Fang

William Leavitt

Steven Richards

Edwin A Arevalo

Sandeep Mehta

John Robert Fairhurst

Richard M Cloutier

Ukyo Jeong

Jinning Liu

Ruth Ann Hendrickson

Albert Paul Laber

Robert B Bramhall, Jr

John M Chrisos

Bertram F Fowler, Jr

Peter R Younger

An electrostatic clamp includes a heating block for heating a substrate, the heating block having a first surface disposed toward the substrate and a second surface opposite the first surface. A base is arranged to adjoin at least a portion of the second surface of the heating block. The adjoined base and heating block may mutually define an inner gap between a first portion of the heating block and the base. An outer gap is arranged concentric with the inner gap between a second portion of the heating block and the base, the inner and outer gaps being isolated from one another by a first sealing surface formed between the second surface of the heating block and the base.

System and method for gas leak control in a substrate holder

A system and method are disclosed for removing horizontally oriented substrates from a cassette. A substrate lifter has an engagement end for engaging a substrate and an adjustment end for engaging an adjustment assembly. The engagement end includes a recess having first and second arcuate sidewalls configured to engage an OD of the substrate, and a circular protrusion positioned between the first and second arcuate sidewalls. The circular protrusion allows lateral movement of the substrate up to a predetermined amount and prevents lateral movement of the substrate in excess of the predetermined amount. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Method and apparatus for lifting a horizontally-oriented substrate from a cassette

Techniques for temperature-controlled ion implantation are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for temperature-controlled ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise a platen to hold a wafer in a single-wafer process chamber during ion implantation, the platen including: a wafer clamping mechanism to secure the wafer onto the platen and to provide a predetermined thermal contact between the wafer and the platen, and one or more heating elements to pre-heat and maintain the platen in a predetermined temperature range above room temperature. The apparatus may also comprise a post-cooling station to cool down the wafer after ion implantation. The apparatus may further comprise a wafer handling assembly to load the wafer onto the pre-heated platen and to remove the wafer from the platen to the post-cooling station.

Techniques for temperature-controlled ion implantation

A technique for low-temperature ion implantation is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as an apparatus for low-temperature ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise a pre-chill station located in proximity to an end station in an ion implanter; a cooling mechanism within the pre-chill station configured to cool a wafer from ambient temperature to a predetermined range less than ambient temperature; a loading assembly coupled to the pre-chill station and the end station; and a controller in communication with the loading assembly and the cooling mechanism to coordinate loading a wafer into the pre-chill station, cooling the wafer down to the predetermined temperature range before any ion implantation into the wafer, and loading the cooled wafer into the end station where the cooled wafer undergoes an ion implantation process.

Technique for low-temperature ion implantation

Techniques for temperature-controlled ion implantation are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for temperature-controlled ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise at least one thermal sensor adapted to measure a temperature of a wafer during an ion implantation process inside an end station of an ion implanter. The apparatus may also comprise a thermal conditioning unit coupled to the end station. The apparatus may further comprise a controller in communication with the thermal sensor and the thermal conditioning unit, wherein the controller compares the measured temperature to a desired wafer temperature and causes the thermal conditioning unit to adjust the temperature of the wafer based upon the comparison.

Techniques for temperature controlled ion implantation

A technique for low-temperature ion implantation is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as an apparatus for low-temperature ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise a pre-chill station located in proximity to an end station in an ion implanter. The apparatus may also comprise a cooling mechanism within the pre-chill station. The apparatus may further comprise a loading assembly coupled to the pre-chill station and the end station. The apparatus may additionally comprise a controller in communication with the loading assembly and the cooling mechanism to coordinate loading a wafer into the pre-chill station, cooling the wafer down to a predetermined temperature range, and loading the cooled wafer into the end station where the cooled wafer undergoes an ion implantation process.

Techniques for temperature-controlled ion implantation are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for high-temperature ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise a platen to hold a wafer in a single-wafer process chamber during ion implantation, the platen having a wafer interface to provide a predetermined thermal contact between the wafer and the platen. The apparatus may also comprise an array of heating elements to heat the wafer while the wafer is held on the platen to achieve a predetermined temperature profile on the wafer during ion implantation, the heating elements being external to the platen. The apparatus may further comprise a post-implant cooling station to cool down the wafer after ion implantation of the wafer.

An apparatus is provided to improve clamping of a work piece to a support surface. The apparatus includes a support base, an insulator layer disposed on the support base, an electrode layer disposed on the insulator layer, and a clamping layer comprising aluminum oxynitride disposed on the electrode layer wherein the workpiece is clamped to the surface of the clamping layer. The apparatus provides a higher clamping force for the workpiece while reducing gas leakage and particle levels in addition to maintaining a declamping time suitable for high throughput processing. The apparatus may further provide a raised surface geometry or embossments on the dielectric or a dielectric comprising an outer ring a center cavity for reducing particle contamination to the backside of the workpiece. Also, a thin wall sleeve may be provided between the base and the insulator and alternating current may be applied to opposite ones of interdigitated electrode pairs to reduce particle contamination and improve the implantation uniformity.

Clamp for use in processing semiconductor workpieces

Techniques for low-temperature ion implantation are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as an apparatus for low-temperature ion implantation. The apparatus may comprise a wafer support mechanism to hold a wafer during ion implantation and to facilitate movement of the wafer in at least one dimension. The apparatus may also comprise a cooling mechanism coupled to the wafer support mechanism. The cooling mechanism may comprise a refrigeration unit, a closed loop of rigid pipes to circulate at least one coolant from the refrigeration unit to the wafer support mechanism, and one or more rotary bearings to couple the rigid pipes to accommodate the movement of the wafer in the at least one dimension.

Techniques for low-temperature ion implantation

The present invention provides a rotating shaft that can extend between two regions having different ambient pressures. The rotating shaft can include a rotatable hollow outer shell that is coupled to a proximal portion of an inner shaft with a limited number of contact points. A plurality of thermal breaks disposed between the inner shaft and the hollow outer shell impede heat transfer between these two components. A rotary seal coupled to the distal portion of the inner shaft preserves the pressure differential between the two regions. Further, a heat sink removes heat transferred to the seal to ensure that the temperature of the seal remains within a range suitable for its operation. The rotating shaft of the invention can be utilized, for example, in an ion implantation system by the coupling of the outer shell to a wafer holder to position and orient a wafer in a path of an ion beam.

Shaft cooling mechanisms

A substrate processing apparatus having a supply of substrates, a substrate transport module, and a substrate processing module. The transport module has a movable arm assembly and two substrate holders mounted to the movable arm assembly. The substrate holders each have two separate holding areas for simultaneously holding two substrates. The movable arm assembly has two pairs of driven arms. Each pair of driven arms is connected to a separate one of the holders for extending and retracting the holders along a radial path relative to a center of the movable arm assembly.

Substrate transport apparatus with double substrate holders

A substrate processing apparatus having a substrate transport and substrate processing chambers. The substrate transport has a transport chamber and a transport mechanism. The transport mechanism has a rotatable drive, an arm pivotably connected to the drive to pivot in vertical directions, and a substrate holder pivotably connected to an end of the arm by an articulating wrist. The arm can vertically move the substrate holder up and down. The substrate processing chambers are stationarily connected to the transport chamber at two different vertical levels.

Multi-level substrate processing apparatus

A substrate heater having a chamber, a heating element located in the chamber, and an elevator having a substrate holder. The holder can hold a plurality of planar substrates in a general spaced stacked configuration. The holder can be moved to allow substrates to be inserted and removed from various locations on the holder. In one embodiment the substrates are located very close to each other to accelerate the rate of heat transfer to newly inserted substrates. In another embodiment, the holder has an individual horizontal heater on the elevator for each substrate.

Apparatus and method for batch thermal conditioning of substrates

An automated wafer buffer is provided for use with a wafer processing system. The wafer buffer includes an I/O port for loading and unloading wafer containers, each holding a batch of wafers, a storage structure for storing up to a predetermined number of wafer containers and a container port for holding at least one wafer container during transfer of wafers to and between the wafer container and the processing system. A container transfer mechanism transfers the wafer containers to and between the I/O port, the storage structure and the container port. A wafer transfer mechanism transfers wafers to and between a wafer container at the container port and the processing system.

Growing community of inventors

Topsfield, MA, United States of America

Richard S Muka