# US 2014/0151344 A1 · Movable microchamber system with gas curtain

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- Number: US 2014/0151344 A1
- Document ID: US20140151344A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/690,132
- Filed: 2012-11-30
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30
- Assignees: Ultratech, Inc.
- Inventors: Digby PUN; Ali SHAJII; Andrew B. COWE; Raymond ELLIS; James T. McWHIRTER
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151344A1

## CPC

- B23K 26/127: {in an enclosure}
- B23K 26/12: in a special environment or atmosphere, e.g. in an enclosure
- H10F 71/128: {Annealing}
- H10P 34/42: with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20)
- H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering
- Y10T 137/0318: Processes
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A movable microchamber system with a gas curtain is disclosed. The microchamber system has a top member with a light-access feature and a stage assembly that supports a substrate to be processed. The stage assembly is disposed relative to the top member to define a microchamber and a peripheral microchamber gap. An inert gas is flowed into the peripheral microchamber gap to form the gas curtain just outside of the microchamber. The gas curtain substantially prevents reactive gas in the ambient environment from entering the microchamber when the stage assembly moves relative to the top member.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A microchamber system for processing a substrate without exposure to a reactive gas from an ambient environment, comprising:
a stationary top member having at least one light-access feature;
a stage assembly supporting the substrate, the stage assembly having an outer periphery and being disposed relative to the stationary top member to define a microchamber and a peripheral microchamber gap and being movable relative to the stationary top member, wherein the microchamber contains a gas having either a select amount of the reactive gas or no substantial amount of the reactive gas; and
at least one gas supply system pneumatically connected to the stage assembly, which is configured to support the flow of the gas from the at least one gas supply system into the peripheral microchamber gap to form a gas curtain adjacent the stage assembly outer periphery when the stage assembly moves relative to the stationary top member, wherein the gas curtain substantially prevents the reactive gas of the ambient environment from entering the microchamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light-access feature includes at least one of a through opening and a window.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light-access feature is configured to allow at least one laser beam to pass through the stationary top member and on to the substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the gas is one selected from the group of gases comprising: nitrogen, argon, helium and neon.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the reactive gas is oxygen.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the at least one gas supply system supplies the gas to the microchamber.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the stage assembly includes a cooled chuck assembly.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The microchamber system of claim 7, wherein the stationary top member is cooled.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the stage assembly includes a ring member that in part defines the microchamber peripheral gap and that includes an array of openings that support the flow of the gas from the at least one gas supply system into the microchamber peripheral gap.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral gap has a width in the range from 0.01 mm to 2 mm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The microchamber system of claim 10, wherein the peripheral gap has a width in the range from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The microchamber system of claim 1, wherein the stage assembly has a maximum velocity VM relative to the stationary top member, and wherein the gas entering the peripheral microchamber gap has a gas velocity VG, wherein VG<VM.

### Claim 13

A method of processing a substrate without exposing the substrate to a reactive gas present in an ambient environment outside of a microchamber, comprising:
supporting the substrate on a movable stage assembly in the microchamber, wherein the microchamber is defined by a stationary top member and the movable stage assembly, the moveable stage assembly having an outer periphery and a ring member that defines, in combination with the stationary top member, a peripheral microchamber gap;
introducing a first gas into the microchamber, wherein the first gas has either no substantial amount of the reactive gas or has a select amount of the reactive gas;
introducing a second gas into a peripheral microchamber gap through the ring member and;
moving the movable stage assembly relative to the stationary top member to cause the second gas to form a gas curtain adjacent the outer periphery of the stage assembly; and
wherein the gas curtain substantially prevents the reactive gas in the ambient environment from entering the microchamber during the moving of the movable stage assembly.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second gases are the same gas.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising processing the substrate with at least one laser beam that passes from the ambient environment into the microchamber via at least one light-access feature of the stationary top member.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one laser beam includes at least one annealing laser beam.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one laser beam reacts with the select amount of reactive gas in the microchamber to modify the substrate.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one light-access feature includes at least one of a through opening and a window.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the stage assembly has a maximum velocity VM relative to the stationary top member, further providing the gas entering the peripheral microchamber gap with a gas velocity VG such that VG<VM.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.01 mm to 2 mm.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second gases are at least one gas selected from the group of gases comprising: nitrogen, argon, helium and neon.

### Claim 23 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the stage assembly includes a heated chuck, further comprising heating the substrate using the heated chuck.

### Claim 24 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising cooling the stage assembly and the stationary top member.

### Claim 25

A method of processing a substrate without exposing the substrate to a first gas present in an ambient environment, comprising:
supporting the substrate on a movable stage assembly in a microchamber, wherein the microchamber is defined by a stationary top member and the movable stage assembly, the moveable stage assembly having an outer periphery and a ring member that defines, in combination with the stationary top member, a peripheral microchamber gap;
forming a vacuum in the microchamber;
introducing a second gas into the peripheral microchamber gap through the ring member;
introducing a third gas into the microchamber, wherein the third gas includes at least one reactive gas;
moving the movable stage relative to the stationary top member to cause the second gas to form a gas curtain adjacent the outer periphery, wherein the gas curtain substantially prevents the first gas in the ambient environment from entering the microchamber; and
passing a first laser beam through a light-access feature in the stationary top member and into the microchamber to irradiate the substrate and the at least reactive gas of the third gas in the microchamber to modify the substrate.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one third reactive gas includes oxygen.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the first gas includes oxygen and the least one third reactive gas includes oxygen.

### Claim 28 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the second gas consists of one or more of nitrogen, argon, helium and neon.

### Claim 29 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.01 mm to 2 mm.

### Claim 30 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

### Claim 31 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, further comprising passing a second laser beam through either the light-access feature or another light-access feature in the stationary top member and into the microchamber to irradiate the substrate and the at least one third reactive gas in the microchamber so that the second laser beam reacts with the at least one third reactive gas in the microchamber to modify the substrate.

### Claim 32

A method of processing a substrate in a microchamber without altering a select amount of a reactive first gas present in microchamber, wherein the microchamber resides in an ambient environment that includes the reactive first gas, comprising:
supporting the substrate on a movable stage assembly in the microchamber, wherein the microchamber is defined by a stationary top member and the movable stage assembly, the moveable stage assembly having an outer periphery and a ring member that defines, in combination with the stationary top member, a peripheral microchamber gap;
introducing the select amount of the reactive first gas into the microchamber;
introducing a second gas into a peripheral microchamber gap through the ring member;
moving the movable stage relative to the stationary top member, thereby causing the second gas to form a gas curtain adjacent the outer periphery of the stage assembly, wherein the gas curtain substantially prevents the reactive first gas in the ambient environment from entering the microchamber and changing the select amount of the reactive first gas introduced into the microchamber.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the first reactive gas comprises oxygen.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the first reactive gas consists of oxygen.

### Claim 35 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the second gas comprises at least one inert gas.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the second gas consists of one or more inert gases.

### Claim 37 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.01 mm to 2 mm.

### Claim 38 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the peripheral microchamber gap has a width in the range from 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

### Claim 39 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, further comprising directing at least one laser beam into the microchamber through at least one light-access feature in the stationary top member to irradiate the substrate and the at least one reactive first gas in the microchamber to modify the substrate.

### Claim 40 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the movable stage assembly has a maximum velocity VM relative to the stationary top member, and wherein introducing the second gas into the peripheral microchamber gap includes providing the second gas with a gas velocity VG such that VG<VM.