Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Work support
Patent
1998-02-18
2000-02-08
Breneman, Bruce
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Work support
156345, H01L 2168
Patent
active
060224177
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a carrier for disk-shaped articles, especially for silicon wafers during etching thereof, with an annular nozzle in the preferably round carrier surface facing the article, to which pressurized gas is supplied, and with at least one annular projection which is provided on the carrier surface facing the article and which is used as a support for the article and which is located within the annular nozzle.
A carrier of this type for disk-shaped articles of the initially mentioned type which holds in place the articles exclusively based on the negative pressure which arises due to the Bernoulli principle is known from EP 611 273 A.
One difficulty in these known carriers according to the Bernoulli principle consists in that the disk-shaped articles essentially float on the gas cushion and therefore are not always securely held in place to an adequate degree.
The object of the invention is to improve the known carrier proceeding from EP 611 273 A such that reliable holding of disk-shaped articles is possible while they are being treated with treatment liquid without the need of retaining cams which are to be placed against the edge of the disk-shaped article and such that the article, even without negative pressure being formed due to the Bernoulli principle, is held securely enough for the stipulated actions.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the fact that in the surface facing the article within the annular projection, there is at least one opening supplied with negative pressure.
In the carrier according to the invention, the disk-shaped article is drawn against the annular projection provided in the carrier surface facing the article. Since the projection in the invention engages the disk-shaped article off its center, the article is securely held during treatment (no danger of tilting) and the article can be rotated by turning the carrier since the projection engages the article off center and therefore torques can be transmitted from the carrier to the disk-shaped article. Because within the annular projection there is an opening supplied with negative pressure in the carrier surface facing the disk-shaped article, a sufficient contact pressure is reached between the projection and the article. In addition, an advantage arises which consists in that the treatment medium in the case of a fracture of the disk-shaped article is exhausted by the carrier and cannot reach downstream system parts.
One embodiment of the invention provides that the annular projection is an annular rib on the carrier surface facing the disk-shaped article. In this embodiment, the annular rib which forms at least one annular projection is formed preferably in one piece with the carrier part which lies inside the annular nozzle and projects above the carrier surface which faces the disk-shaped article.
The invention also extends to an embodiment in which it is provided that there are several annular projections concentric to one another. To guarantee that also between the annular projections negative pressure prevails which moves the disk-shaped article against the annular projections, it can be provided that within the innermost annular projection and between the annular projections there is at least one opening each supplied with negative pressure. In an alternative embodiment it can be provided that within the outermost annular projection there is at least one opening supplied with negative pressure and that each annular projection with the exception of the outermost projection is interrupted at least once. In this embodiment, the opening supplied with negative pressure can be located anywhere within the outermost annular projection, therefore also within the innermost annular projection or between annular projections that are adjacent to one another.
The annular projection need not be formed in one piece with the carrier, but it can also be a ring inserted into the carrier surface facing the article.
It can be advantageous if the annular projection is resil
REFERENCES:
patent: 4158987 (1979-06-01), Smith
patent: 4903717 (1990-02-01), Sumnitsch
patent: 5230741 (1993-07-01), Van De Ven et al.
patent: 5291739 (1994-03-01), Woods et al.
patent: 5421595 (1995-06-01), Cripe et al.
patent: 5738165 (1998-04-01), Imai
Breneman Bruce
Powell Alva C.
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