Suspension system for semiconductor reactors
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJoseph C. Moore, Paul L. Deaton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suspension system for hanging a susceptor inside a reactor for processing semiconductor wafers. A hanger is provided with a flange at its lower end for supporting the susceptor. A collar has an internal flange which engages with another flange at the upper end of the hanger. The collar flange and the hanger flange each have a trucated, conical contact surface which are in substanitally continuous contact with each other. The mating flanges permit the susceptor to self-center and provide for different rates of thermal expansion of the collar and hanger.
Claims15
A suspension system for hanging a susceptor within a reactor chamber of a semiconductor processing machine comprising:
- an elongated hanger having a lower end adapted to be coupled to the top of a susceptor and an upper end provided with a hanger flange;
- and
- a support collar configured to receive said upper end of said hanger and provided with an internal collar flange adapted to engage with said hanger flange, said support collar being adapted to attach to a support mechanism of said semiconductor processing machine.
A semiconductor processing machine comprising:
- a reaction chamber;
- a susceptor which is operationally disposed within said reaction chamber, said susceptor being adapted to support at least one semiconductor wafer;
- a susceptor support mechanism located over the reaction chamber;
- and
- a susceptor suspension system coupling said susceptor support mechanism to said susceptor, said susceptor suspension system comprising:
- (a) an elongated hanger coupled at a lower end to said susceptor, said hanger having an upper end provided with an external flange;
- and
- (b) a collar coupled to said susceptor support mechanism, said collar having an internal flange which engages said external flange of said hanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.