Deposition apparatus including an off-axis lift-and-rotation unit and methods for operating the same
AssigneeSanDisk Technologies LLC
InventorsShoichi Murakami, Shigeru Nakatsuka, Syo Fukata, Yusuke Osawa, Shigehiro Fujino, Masaaki Higashitani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deposition chamber includes a vacuum enclosure, an electrostatic chuck having a flat top surface located within a vacuum enclosure, a lift-and-rotation unit extending through or laterally surrounding the electrostatic chuck at a position that is laterally offset from a vertical axis passing through a geometrical center of the electrostatic chuck, a gas supply manifold configured to provide influx of gas into the vacuum enclosure, and a pumping port connected to the vacuum enclosure.
Claims13
A deposition chamber comprising:
- a vacuum enclosure;
- an electrostatic chuck having a flat top surface located within the vacuum enclosure;
- a lift-and-rotation unit extending through or laterally surrounding the electrostatic chuck at a position that is laterally offset from a vertical axis passing through a geometrical center of the electrostatic chuck;
- a gas supply manifold configured to provide influx of gas into the vacuum enclosure;
- and
- a pumping port connected to the vacuum enclosure;
- wherein:
- the lift-and-rotation unit comprises a plurality of lift pins;
- the electrostatic chuck has plurality of arc-shaped holes therethrough;
- and
- the plurality of lift pins are located within a respective arc-shaped hole of the plurality of arc-shaped holes and configured to protrude above a horizontal plane including the flat top surface of the electrostatic chuck in a raised position and to be retracted below the horizontal plane including the flat top surface of the electrostatic chuck in a retracted position.
A deposition chamber comprising:
- a vacuum enclosure;
- an electrostatic chuck having a flat top surface located within the vacuum enclosure;
- a lift-and-rotation unit extending through or laterally surrounding the electrostatic chuck at a position that is laterally offset from a vertical axis passing through a geometrical center of the electrostatic chuck;
- a gas supply manifold configured to provide influx of gas into the vacuum enclosure;
- and
- a pumping port connected to the vacuum enclosure;
- wherein the electrostatic chuck is stationary and not configured to rotate with respect to the vacuum enclosure.
A method of depositing a film in a deposition chamber, comprising:
- providing a deposition chamber, wherein the deposition chamber comprises an electrostatic chuck having a flat top surface and located within a vacuum enclosure, and a lift-and-rotation unit extending through or laterally surrounding the electrostatic chuck at a position that is laterally offset from a vertical axis passing through a geometrical center of the electrostatic chuck;
- disposing a substrate on top of the electrostatic chuck;
- depositing a first film portion on the substrate;
- lifting the substrate from the electrostatic chuck employing the lift-and-rotation unit;
- rotating the lifted substrate relative to the electrostatic chuck by rotating the lift-and-rotation unit while the substrate is supported by the lift-and-rotation unit;
- placing the substrate on the electrostatic chuck after the substrate is rotated;
- and
- depositing a second film portion on the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.