Multi-single wafer processing apparatus

A wafer process module, comprising up to four semi-independent process zones arranged in quadrants of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the process module, said process zones being configured for wafer processing such that reactant leakage deposition rate from a subject one of the process zones to adjacent process zones thereof is less than 5×10−2 times a reactant deposition rate in the subject process zone.

A wafer process module, comprising up to four semi-independent process zones arranged along axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, one axis of said coordinate system being parallel to a wafer input plane of the process module, said process zones being configured for wafer processing such that reactant leakage deposition rate from a subject one of the process zones to adjacent process zones is less than 5×10−2 times a reactant deposition rate in the subject process zone.

A wafer process module, comprising a stack of electrical controls and gas source modules with said gas source modules being coupled to a reactor lid, the stack being capable of vertical motion and guided separation from a reactor chamber thereunder, thereby providing for removal of the lid, the electrical controls and the gas source modules collectively, or individually.

A method for wafer handling, comprising moving single wafers into/out of multi-single wafer reaction chamber zones using individual wafer end effectors of a multi-wafer indexer mechanism of a process module housing each of said multi-single wafer reaction chamber zones to

• (i) sequentially accept wafers from/provide wafers to a central vacuum robotic wafer handler, and
• (ii) to place on/pick up said wafers substantially simultaneously on/from reactor susceptors within each reaction chamber zone.