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US 2009/0155028 A1Published application
Wafer carrier with hub
AssigneeVeeco Instruments Inc.
InventorsVadim Boguslavskiy, Alexander I. Gurary
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wafer carrier for a rotating disc CVD reactor includes a unitary plate of a ceramic such as silicon carbide defining wafer-holding features such as pockets on its upstream surface and also includes a hub removably mounted to the plate in a central region of the plate. The hub provides a secure connection to the spindle of the reactor without imposing concentrated stresses on the ceramic plate. The hub can be removed during cleaning of the plate.
Claims22
A wafer carrier for a CVD reactor comprising:
- (a) a plate of a non-metallic refractory material having oppositely-facing upstream and downstream surfaces, the plate having a central region and a peripheral region, the plate having wafer-holding features adapted to hold a plurality of wafers exposed at the upstream surface of the plate in the peripheral region;
- and
- (b) a hub formed separately from the plate, the hub being attached to the plate in the central region, the hub having a spindle connection adapted to engage a spindle of a CVD reactor so as to mechanically connect the plate with the spindle.
A method of processing wafers comprising the steps of:
- (a) processing a plurality of wafer carriers, each including a hub and a plate removably attached to the hub, by engaging the hub of each wafer carrier with a spindle of a processing apparatus and rotating the spindle and wafer carrier while treating wafers carried on the plate;
- (b) removing wafers from each wafer carrier after that wafer carrier has been processed;
- (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) with each wafer carrier using new wafers;
- and
- (d) renewing each wafer carrier by removing the hub from the plate, then cleaning the plate, and then reassembling the plate with the same or a different hub.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.