# US 10,870,922 B2 · Moment cancelling pad raising mechanism in wafer positioning pedestal for semiconductor processing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,922 B2 - Document ID: US10870922B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/782,963 - Filed: 2020-02-05 - Published: 2020-06-04 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-02 - Assignees: Lam Research Corporation - Applicants: Lam Research Corporation - Inventors: Paul Konkola; Karl F. Leeser; Easwar Srinivasan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870922B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/458: characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber - C23C 16/45544: {characterized by the apparatus} - C23C 16/4584: {the substrate being rotated} - C23C 16/4586: {Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices} - C23C 16/50: using electric discharges {(generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34)} - H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD} - H10P 72/0432: {mainly by conduction} - H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection} - H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins} - H10P 72/7624: {characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support} - H10P 72/7626: {characterised by the construction of the shaft} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract An assembly used in a process chamber for depositing a film on a wafer including a pedestal assembly having a pedestal movably mounted to a main frame. A lift pad rests upon the pedestal and moves with the pedestal. A raising mechanism separates the pad from the pedestal, and includes a hard stop fixed to the main frame, a roller attached to the pedestal assembly, a slide moveably attached to the pedestal assembly, a lift pad bracket interconnected to the slide and a pad shaft extending from the lift pad, a lever rotatably attached to lift pad bracket, a ferroseal assembly surrounding the pad shaft, and a yoke assembly offsetting a moment to the ferroseal assembly when the lever rotates. When the pedestal assembly moves upwards, the lever rotates when engaging with the upper hard stop and roller, and separates the pad from the pedestal by a process rotation displacement. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An assembly, comprising: a pedestal having a pedestal top surface; a lift pad configured to sit in a recess at a center region of the pedestal; an actuator coupled to the lift pad and configured to provide vertical movement of the lift pad in and out of the recess of the pedestal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the pedestal and lift pad are mechanically coupled to raise the lift pad with respect to the pedestal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad is separated from the pedestal top surface when the actuator moves the pedestal towards a bottommost downwards position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The assembly of claim 3, wherein the pedestal moves downwards and in an opposite direction of movement of the lift pad when the lift pad is separated from the pedestal top surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad is configured to support a substrate, wherein the lift pad rises to a level above the pedestal top surface when the actuator moves the pedestal towards a bottommost downwards position for delivery of the substrate to or from the pedestal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The assembly of claim 5, wherein the level is sufficient to allow for entry of an end-effector arm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad is configured to move with the pedestal when the lift pad sits in the recess. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad includes an upper portion including an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a central shaft extending between the actuator and a bottom of the pedestal, the central shaft to move the pedestal along a central axis; and a pad shaft extending between the actuator and the lift pad, the pad shaft to move the lift pad along the central axis, the pad shaft extending through a travel space that extends through the central shaft and the pedestal along the central axis. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein a pad top surface of the lift pad and the pedestal top surface are coplanar when the lift pad sits in the recess. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad includes a flat top surface that is configured to support a substrate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The assembly of claim 11, wherein the lift pad has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the substrate. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the lift pad is disk shaped.