Apparatus and methods for reducing substrate cool down time
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsThomas Ackermann, Christian Höpfner
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing cool-down times within a cool-down chamber are described herein. The method and apparatus include a process chamber, a transfer chamber, a dual-handled transfer robot within the transfer chamber, and a cool-down chamber. The dual-handled transfer robot it utilized to transfer a substrate between the process chamber and the cool-down chamber. The amount of time the substrate is disposed on the dual-handled transfer robot before being moved into the cool-down chamber is multiplied by a correction factor and subtracted from an original cool down time to achieve an adjusted cool down time. The adjusted cool down time is determined separately for each substrate being cooled within the cool-down chamber.
Claims20
A method of processing a substrate, suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing, comprising:
- removing a substrate from a processing chamber using a transfer robot with two or more arms;
- moving the substrate into a transfer chamber;
- moving the substrate into a cool-down chamber;
- determining a wait time of the substrate within the transfer chamber;
- determining a cool down factor based on the wait time;
- determining an adjusted cool down time by adjusting an original cool down time based on the cool down factor;
- and
- cooling the substrate in the cool-down chamber using the adjusted cool down time.
A method of processing a substrate, suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing, comprising:
- (a) removing a first substrate from a processing chamber using a first arm of a transfer robot;
- (b) moving the first substrate into a transfer chamber;
- (c) moving a second substrate on a second arm of the transfer robot into the processing chamber;
- (d) moving the first substrate into a cool-down chamber;
- (e) determining a wait time of the first substrate on the first arm within the transfer chamber;
- (f) determining a cool down factor based on the wait time;
- (g) determining an adjusted cool down time by adjusting an original cool down time based on the cool down factor;
- and
- (h) cooling the first substrate in the cool-down chamber using the adjusted cool down time.
A processing system, suitable for use during semiconductor processing, comprising:
- a transfer chamber comprising a transfer robot having a first arm and a second arm;
- a plurality of processing chambers coupled to the transfer chamber;
- one or more cool-down chambers;
- and
- a controller storing instructions to enable process operations of:
- removing a substrate from one of the plurality of processing chambers using a first arm of the transfer robot;
- moving the substrate into the transfer chamber;
- moving the substrate into the one or more cool-down chambers;
- determining a wait time of the substrate within the transfer chamber;
- determining a cool down factor based on the wait time;
- determining an adjusted cool down time by adjusting an original cool down time based on the cool down factor;
- and
- cooling the substrate in the one or more cool-down chambers using the adjusted cool down time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.