Apparatus for, and method of, providing controlled depositions on

Abstract

An end effector in a robotic arm assembly receives a substrate in a cassette module and moves the substrate into a process module. A turntable rotatable on a fixed axis rotates a stator and a planet in the process chamber to a position of the planet in axial alignment with the end effector in the process chamber. A lifter assembly axially aligned with, and initially axially displaced from, the axially aligned planet is moved axially to lift the substrate from the end effector. The end effector is then withdrawn by the robotic arm assembly from the process chamber and the substrate is deposited by the lifter assembly on the axially aligned planet. When successive substrates have been sequentially deposited on a plurality of planets in the process chamber in the manner described above, the planets are individually rotated by the turntable relative to the stator on a second axis displaced from the first axis. The stator has peripheral teeth which mesh with teeth on the planets, the teeth being constructed (e.g. by individual peripheral cuts) to prevent slippage in the planet rotations. A resilient member on the stator engages each planet to instantaneously brake the planets when the turntable is de-energized. A gun provides a deposition on the substrates during the rotation of the planets. In this way, each deposition on each substrate is provided with a substantially uniform thickness at the different positions on the substrate.