Wafer retaining platen having peripheral clamp and wafer lifting means
AssigneeVarian Associates, Inc.
InventorsAvrum Freytsis, Richard J. Hertel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for releasably holding a workpiece in semiconductor process systems such as a batch ion implanter which comprises a linkage mechanism mounted onto the backside of the platen for clamping the wafer against the fence of the supporting means and pusher means mounted on wafer lift means for engagement with the lever mechanism for locking and unlocking the device, and sensing any misclamp of the workpiece.
Claims11
An apparatus for retaining a wafer on a disc, said wafer having first and second opposed edges and fiat surfaces in front and back, comprising:
- a platen for supporting the wafer, said platen having a fence for contacting the first edge of said wafer;
- clamp means mounted on said platen for reciprocating motion with respect to said fence;
- lever means pivotally attached to said clamp means;
- spring means attached to said lever means for urging said clamp means to contact the second edge of said wafer to press said first edge against said fence of said platen;
- pusher means, mounted for reciprocal motion, said pusher means moving in one direction into engagement with said lever means to move said clamp means away from said fence to release said wafer, and in the other direction out of engagement with said lever means so that said clamp means holds the wafer against said fence of said platen;
- lifting means coupled to said pusher means for lifting said wafer from said platen after said clamp means has released the wafer.
An apparatus for retaining a wafer on a disk comprising:
- a platen, said platen disposed on the disk and having a raised circular portion wherein said raised circular portion is oriented toward the outside of said disk and forming a wafer mounting surface, said mounting surface having a plurality of holes projecting therethrough;
- means for adjusting the position of said wafer to said circular portion of said platen;
- lever means pivoted to said adjusting means, said lever means in operation transferring the required force to move said wafer toward said circular portion;
- a finger, said finger applied to said lever means for regulating the force applied to said adjusting means by said lever means;
- wafer lift means, said wafer lift means having a plate, with a plurality of lift pins placed on said plate so that in operation said lift pins protrude through said holes of said wafer mounting surface for receiving and loading said wafer onto said mounting surface;
- pusher means, said pusher means mounted onto said plate of said wafer lift means outwardly and opposite to said finger, wherein in operation said pusher means engages said finger until said wafer is locked against said mounting surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.