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US 12,225,641 B2Granted
Bake devices for handling and uniform baking of substrates
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsHiram Cervera, Yongan Xu, Ludovic Godet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to bake apparatuses for handling and uniform baking of substrates and methods for the handling and the uniform baking of substrates. The bake apparatuses allow the substrates to be heated to a temperature greater than 50° C. without bowing of about 1 mm to about 2 mm from the edge of the substrates to the center of the substrates. The bake apparatuses heat the substrates uniformly or substantially uniformly to improve substrate quality.
Claims16
An apparatus, comprising:
- a base;
- two or more shafts contacting the base of the apparatus, each shaft of the two or more shafts having extensions disposed thereon, the extensions of each shaft of the two or more shafts operable to support one or more substrates disposed between the two or more shafts, each shaft of the two or more shafts having a first end and a second end;
- a lid, the lid including one or more heating elements disposed therein, wherein the lid includes one of:
- an actuator operable to move the lid from a raised position to a lowered position, the lid in the lowered position contacts the base to form a process volume between the lid and the base, and the second end of the two or more shafts contact the same base as contacted by the lid;
- and
- an actuated door coupled to the lid, the actuated door operable to move from an open position to a closed position, the actuated door in the closed position contacts the lid to form the process volume between the lid, the two or more shafts, and the base, the lid contacts the base and the two or more shafts.
3 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a base;
- a substrate support disposed on the base, the substrate support including:
- one or more heating elements;
- and
- lift pins operable to support a substrate;
- a lid, the lid including:
- an edge brace coupled thereon, the edge brace including a continuous ring extending between the lid and the substrate support, the ring having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, the outer diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the substrate;
- and
- an actuator operable to move the lid from a raised position to a lowered position to move the ring from a first position overlying the substrate at a first distance from the substrate to a second position overlying the substrate at a second distance from the substrate, wherein the second position is less than the first position;
- and
- a process volume formed between the lid and the base when this lid in the lowered position contacts the base.
8 more elements
A method, comprising:
- disposing one or more substrates on extensions of two shafts in a bake apparatus, the extensions of each shaft of the two shafts are operable to support the one or more substrates disposed between the two shafts, the two shafts contact a base of the bake apparatus, each of the two shafts having a first end and a second end;
- forming a process volume in the bake apparatus, wherein the forming the process volume includes one of:
- moving a lid of the bake apparatus via an actuator between a raised position and a lowered position, the lid in the lowered position contacts the base to form the process volume between the lid and the base, and the second end of the two or more shafts contact the same base as contacted by the lid;
- and
- moving an actuator door coupled to the lid from an open position to a closed position, the closed position contacts the lid to form the process volume between the lid, the two or more shafts, and the base, the lid contacts the base and the two or more shafts;
- and
- heating the process volume with one or more heating elements disposed in the lid of the bake apparatus, the heating elements heating the one or more substrates uniformly or substantially uniformly.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.