Universal backplane assembly and methods

A substrate processing system for processing substrates of different configurations and/or dimensions on a sequential basis, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having a ventable processing space and an access port;
• a substrate holder positioned within the vacuum chamber, said substrate holder supporting the substrate in a position suitable for processing;
• and
• a backplane assembly comprising:
• a backplane base mounted in said vacuum chamber;
• a first faceplate sized to be insertable through the access port and removably mountable to said backplane base, said first faceplate having a first contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a correspondingly dimensioned and/or configured first type of substrate;
• and
• a second faceplate sized to be insertable through the access port and removably mountable to said backplane base, said second faceplate having a second contact surface dimensioned and configured differently than said first contact surface to provide an efficient thermal contact with a correspondingly dimensioned and/or configured second type of substrate, wherein said first and said second faceplates are alternatively mountable to said backplane base to form a mated configuration therewith for alternatively processing the first and second types of substrates, respectively, in said vacuum chamber.

A method for processing substrates of different configurations and/or dimensions on a sequential basis in a substrate processing system incorporating a ventable vacuum chamber with an access port, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a backplane assembly having a backplane base mounted in the vacuum chamber with a position suitable for processing substrates, a first faceplate removably mounted to the backplane base, and a second faceplate removably mountable to the backplane base when the first faceplate is demounted therefrom, the first faceplate having a first contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a first type of substrate and the second faceplate having a second contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a second type of substrate which is configured and/or dimensioned differently than the first substrate;
• placing a first substrate on the first faceplate and processing the first substrate while the access port is closed and the vacuum chamber is under sub-atmospheric pressure;
• opening the access port in the vacuum chamber to provide access to the first faceplate;
• removing the first substrate;
• demounting the first faceplate from the backplane base without removing the backplane base from the vacuum chamber and removing the first faceplate through the open access port;
• inserting the second faceplate into the access port through the open access port and mounting the second faceplate to the backplane base without removing the backplane base from the vacuum chamber;
• and
• placing a second substrate on the second faceplate and processing the second substrate while the access port is closed and the vacuum chamber is under sub-atmospheric pressure.

A method for retrofitting a substrate processing chamber, the processing chamber having a backplane with a faceplate dimensioned and configured to be compatible with a correspondingly dimensioned and/or configured substrate so that the chamber can be adapted to process differently dimensioned and/or configured substrates, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a backplane assembly having a backplane base mounted in the processing chamber with a position suitable for processing substrates, a first faceplate removably mounted to the backplane base, and a second faceplate removably mountable to the backplane base when the first faceplate is demounted therefrom, the first faceplate having a first contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a first type of substrate and the second faceplate having a second contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a second type of substrate which is configured and/or dimensioned differently than the first substrate;
• demounting the first faceplate from the backplane base without removing the backplane base from the processing chamber;
• removing the demounted first faceplate from the processing chamber;
• and
• mounting the second faceplate to the backplane base without removing the backplane base from the processing chamber.

A method for retrofitting a substrate processing chamber by replacing an existing backplane with a backplane assembly adapted to establish an efficient thermal contact with differently dimensioned and/or configured substrates, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a backplane assembly having a backplane base, a first faceplate removably mounted to the backplane base and having a first contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a first type of substrate, and a second faceplate removably mountable to the backplane base and having a second contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a second type of substrate differently dimensioned and/or configured than the first substrate;
• demounting the existing backplane from the processing system;
• mounting the backplane base in the processing chamber in a position suitable for processing substrates attaching the backplane base of the new backplane assembly in the former position of the existing backplane;
• selecting one of the first and second faceplates according to the dimension and/or configuration of the substrates to be processed in the substrate processing chamber;
• and
• mounting the selected faceplate to the backplane base without removing the backplane base from the processing chamber.