Multiple-processing and contamination-free plasma etching system

A multiple-processing and contamination-free substrate processing system providing both single-step and multiple-step processing of substrates selectively comprising:

• plural, single-substrate substrates receiving and surface processing vessels each having an ingress and egress defining port that are arrayed about a predetermined spacial locus in such a way that the several ports thereof are accessible from a single location spaced from the several ports;
• a process gas injection system coupled to said plural, single substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels and selectively operable both both to provide substrate surface processing gases that are the same gases in at least two processing vessels during single-step processing and that are different gases in at least two vessels during one of single-step and multiple-step processing;
• a dual-function substrate queuing station defining a multiple substrate queue spaced with the plural vessels along the same predetermined spacial locus having a substrate access port accessible from said single location, said substrate queuing station both being the source from which all substrates held in the multiple substrate queue are individually released through said access port thereof to said vessels and being the return to which all substrates are received through said access port thereof from said vessels;
• plural valve means individually coupled to corresponding ones of said plural, single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessel ingress and egress ports and to said substrate queuing station substrate access port;
• single-substrate substrate transfer means disposed at said single location and cooperative with corresponding ones of said plural valve means for moving substrates individually from and to said substrate access port of said queuing station from and to selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of said ingress and egress ports thereof, whereby each said substrate can proceed from or to said queuing station from or to any one of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels via said transfer means further thereby to transfer each said substrate between any one of said station and processing vessels without passing through any other thereof, and for moving substrates between selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of said ingress and egress ports thereof;
• and
• a vacuum system directly connected to each of said substrate receiving and surface processing vessels, to said substrate queuing station, and to said single-substrate transfer means for providing a vacuum condition at each of said plural, single-substrate substrate receiving and processing vessels, and a vacuum condition at said substrate transfer means, where at least some of the vacuum conditions at said substrate queuing station and at each of said plural substrate receiving and surface processing vessels are severally independent of the vacuum condition at said transfer means, and vice versa, to allow said means for moving to move substrates from and to said substrate access port of said queuing station from and to selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels and to allow said means for moving to move substrates between said selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of the ingress and egress ports thereof in vacuum thereby preventing contamination thereof.

A multiple-processing and contamination-free substrate processing system providing multiple-step processing of substrates, comprising:

• plural single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels each having an ingress and egress defining port that are arrayed about a predetermined spacial locus in such a way that the several ports thereof are accessible from a single location spaced from the several ports;
• a dual-function substrate queuing station defining a multiple substrate queue spaced with the plural vessels along the same predetermined spacial locus having a substrate access port accessible from said single location, said substrate queuing station both being the source from which all substrates held in the multiple substrate queue are individually released through said access port thereof to said vessels and being the return to which all substrates are individually received through said access port thereof from said vessels;
• plural valve means individually coupled to corresponding ones of said plural, single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessel ingress and egress ports and to said substrate queuing station substrate access port;
• single-substrate transfer means disposed at said single location and cooperative with corresponding ones of said plural valve means for moving substrates individually from and to said substrate access port of said queuing station from and to selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of said ingress and egress ports thereof, whereby each of said substrates can proceed from or to said queuing station from or to any one of said single substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels via said transfer means further thereby to transfer said substrate between any one of said station and processing vessels without passing through any other thereof, and for moving substrates between any selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of said ingress and egress ports thereof;
• means coupled to said substrate receiving and surface processing vessels, to said substrate queuing station, and to said single-substrate transfer means for maintaining said plural, single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels, said substrate queuing station, and said single-substrate transfer means simultaneously in a vacuum condition so that said substrates moving from and to said substrate access port of said queuing station from and to selected ones of said single-substrate substrate receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated ones of the ingress and egress ports thereof are always subjected to said vacuum condition thereby preventing contamination thereof;
• said predetermined spacial locus is a closed locus, and wherein said single location coincides with the geometric center of said closed locus;
• wherein said substrate transfer means includes an R, TT movable substrate receiving arm having means for picking-up single-substrates disposed on said arm by contacting their periphery and in such a way that no contact is made of a front surface of the substrates;
• wherein said R, TT movable wafer receiving arm assembly includes a base member platform and means for rotating said base member platform in TT about an axis;
• a paddle;
• a means for mounting said paddle for sliding motion relative to said base member platform;
• said paddle includes a substrate supporting first portion, a substrate edge engaging second portion, and means for mounting said second portion for sliding motion relative to said first portion.