Substrate carrier system with protective covering
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsZuoqian Wang, John M. White
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a substrate carrier system suitable for clamping a substrate and optionally a mask, the substrate carrier system having a stack of removable protective layers. In one embodiment, substrate carrier system is provide that includes a substrate carrier body having a protective layer stack disposed an outer mounting surface of the substrate carrier body. The substrate carrier body is configured to be transported into and out of a processing chamber. The protective layer stack has a plurality of removable protective layers which can be removed as needed to expose a “new” surface for chucking a substrate thereon.
Claims20
A substrate carrier system comprising:
- a substrate carrier body configured to be transported into and out of a processing chamber, the substrate carrier body having an outer mounting surface and an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly comprising a plurality of laterally spaced apart sets of electrodes;
- and
- a protective layer stack disposed on the outer mounting surface of the substrate carrier body, the protective layer stack comprising a plurality of removable protective layers, each removable protective layer adhered to at least one other removable protective layer in the stack, an outermost layer of the plurality of removable protective layers defining a substrate supporting surface of the substrate carrier for chucking a substrate thereon.
A vacuum processing system comprising:
- a vacuum processing chamber;
- a substrate carrier system comprising:
- a substrate carrier body having an outer mounting surface and an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly operable to secure a substrate to the substrate carrier system when energized;
- and
- a protective layer stack coupled to the outer mounting surface, the protective layer stack defining a substrate supporting surface of the substrate carrier system, the protective layer stack having a plurality of removable protective layers;
- and
- a transport mechanism operable to move the substrate carrier system into and out of the vacuum processing chamber while maintaining a substantially vertical orientation of the outer mounting surface.
A method for transferring a substrate comprising:
- removing a substrate carrier system from a vacuum processing chamber;
- removing an outer protective layer of a plurality of protective layers comprising a protective layer stack disposed on an outer mounting surface of the substrate carrier system to expose an underlying protective layer of the plurality of protective layers to define a virgin substrate supporting surface;
- loading a substrate on the virgin substrate supporting surface;
- and
- transporting the substrate disposed on the virgin substrate supporting surface into the vacuum processing chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.