Heating – Accessory means for holding – shielding or supporting work...
Patent
1996-06-10
1998-08-11
Jeffery, John A.
Heating
Accessory means for holding, shielding or supporting work...
432258, 34 92, 118503, 118729, F27D 500
Patent
active
057918953
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the thermal treatment of thin film wafers and more particularly to an improved apparatus for the thermal treatment of a thin film wafer, also referred to as a wafer or thin film, comprising a holding clamp for holding the wafer and pressing the edge of the wafer against a heater block, and a wafer supply and removal means for supplying and removing the thin film wafer.
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
Normally, an apparatus for the process of manufacturing a semiconductor requires development not only of a process to meet the highly dense integration and micronization of semiconductor devices but also of a cluster system having multi-vacuum chambers.
The transfer of a wafer in the above described cluster system results in a low manufacturing yield of highly dense integrated memory devices due to the poor quality of the manufactured wafers because of vibration during the wafer transfer and by contamination due to the presence of impure gas during the transfer.
Especially, a process for forming metal film to connect the wiring of each device in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor requires a new processing technique because of the highly dense integration. Currently a reflow process for the thermal treatment of the thin film wafer at a temperature below its melting point after forming a uniform thin film is being developed and applied. Since such process requires a continuous process performed by the cluster system, the transfer from the cluster system to each vacuum chamber and the supply and removal of wafer from each process chamber are very important steps.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a prior art apparatus for the thermal treatment of thin film in a cluster system or a single chamber system. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a cooling pipe 14 and a heater block 15, having a heater 15a, are positioned above the base plate 13 which is supported by an elevator member 12 within the vacuum chamber 11. The elevator section 16, having a support plate 16b, biased in an upward direction by a plurality of springs 16a, is positioned beneath the support plate 16b and includes a plurality of lift pins 16c with each secured to the edge of the base plate 13 and supported by the outer edge of the heater block. Although not shown in the drawing, a separate supply means is also proved for supplying the thin film to the elevator section 16.
In the thermal treatment of the thin film wafer utilizing the prior art apparatus as described above, the upper end of the lift pin 16c, supported by support plate 16b, is raised to a certain height from the upper surface of the heater block 15 by lowering the elevator member 12. In this condition, the wafer 200 is placed on the upper end of the lift pins 16c by the supplying means, such as a manipulator, so that the lower surface of the wafer 200 is supported by the lift pins 16c. Then the wafer 200, supported on the lift pins 16c, is seated on the heater block 15 by raising the elevator member 12 causing the lift pins 16c to recede. To remove the wafer from the heater block, the above operation is reversed.
However, the apparatus for thermal treatment of the wafer as described above has a problem in that the wafer cannot be stably positioned on or removed from the elevator section as the size of the wafer 200 is increased since the wafer 200 is raised by utilizing the elevator section 16 installed at the center or edge of the heater block 15 and is removed by utilizing the supplying means which is not shown. That is, removal of the wafer becomes difficult as the size of the wafer 200 is increased, since support by the lift pins 16c deteriorates so that when the wafer 200 is seated on the heater block 15 its seating position thereon is misaligned.
In addition, the wafer 200 cannot be properly balanced when supported by the lift pins 16c since the lift pins 16c become deformed due to heat generated by the heater block 15.
Especially, the prior art apparatus for thermal treatment has problems in that the wafer
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Choi Won-Song
Kyung Hyun-Su
Shin Jung-Ho
Jeffery John A.
Lu Jiping
Novellus Systems Inc.
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