Screwless shield assembly for vacuum processing chambers

A configuration for attaching a shield to a substrate processing chamber comprising:

• a substrate processing chamber assembly having one or more walls surrounding a substrate processing location, a top surface of the one or more walls forming an opening of said chamber,
• a chamber opening cover member being configured to cover the opening of said chamber generally supported from and sealed to said top surface of said one or more walls;
• an insulating ring to electrically isolate the one or more walls of the processing chamber from the chamber opening cover member, the insulating ring is generally configured to be disposed between said top surface of the walls of said chamber and said chamber opening cover member, generally vacuum tight seals being formed between the insulating ring and the top surface of the one or more walls of said chamber and between the insulating ring and said chamber opening cover member;
• a first process chamber shield disposed to act as an internal liner for said one or more walls generally adjacent said substrate processing location, a portion of said shield in use generally acting as a barrier to prevent particles emitted from the processing location from reaching at least a portion of the processing chamber walls, said first process chamber shield including a flange portion;
• a compliant spacer ring located within the processing chamber, said compliant spacer ring being configured to contact said flange portion and together with the flange portion form at least part of a shield clamping assembly, said shield clamping assembly being configured to clamp said flange portion at a spacer location located between said insulating ring and a clamping portion of said one or more walls of said processing chamber assembly, said compliant spacer ring in use providing contact pressure between adjacent members in the shield clamping assembly to assure electrical continuity between the flange portion of said shield and the one or more walls of the processing chamber assembly when a generally vacuum tight seal is formed to permit evacuation of gas molecules present in the processing chamber.

A method of attaching a shield to a substrate processing chamber comprising the steps of:

• providing a process chamber wall assembly surrounding a substrate processing location of the processing location;
• placing a flange of an overspray shield in a spacer sandwich with a compliant spacer ring at a spacer location internal to said processing chamber wall, said compliant spacer ring having an elastic member which when compressed by an adjacent member urges the adjacent member away from said compliant spacer ring;
• positioning a chamber opening cover member opposite said substrate processing location,
• creating a gas tight seal between an outer portion of said wall assembly and said chamber opening cover member,
• wherein a portion of said chamber opening cover member includes a surface internal to a seal location of said cover member, said surface facing said spacer location such that the spacer sandwich is compressed between said wall assembly and said surface when a gas tight seal is created at said seal location between an outer portion of said wall assembly and said chamber opening cover member and said processing chamber is at least partially evacuated.

A configuration for attaching a shield to a substrate processing chamber comprising:

• a substrate processing chamber assembly having one or more walls surrounding a substrate processing location, a top surface of the one or more walls forming an opening of said chamber,
• a chamber opening cover member being configured to cover the opening of said chamber generally supported from and sealed to said top surface of said one or more walls;
• an insulating ring to electrically isolate the one or more walls of the processing chamber from the chamber opening cover member, the insulating ring is generally configured to be disposed between said top surface of the walls of said chamber and said chamber opening cover member, generally vacuum tight seals being formed between the insulating ring and the top surface of the one or more walls of said chamber and between the insulating ring and said chamber opening cover member;
• a first process chamber shield disposed to act as an internal liner for said one or more walls generally adjacent said substrate processing location, a portion of said shield in use generally acting as a barrier to prevent particles emitted from the processing location from reaching at least a portion of the processing chamber walls, said first process chamber shield including a flange portion;
• a spacer ring located within the processing chamber, said spacer ring being configured to contact said flange portion and together with the flange portion form at least part of a shield clamping assembly, said shield clamping assembly being configured to clamp said flange portion at a spacer location located between said insulating ring and a clamping portion of said one or more walls of said processing chamber assembly, said spacer ring in use providing contact pressure between adjacent members in the shield clamping assembly to assure electrical continuity between the flange portion of said shield and the one or more walls of the processing chamber assembly when a generally vacuum tight seal is formed to permit evacuation of gas molecules present in the processing chamber,
• wherein said spacer ring includes a generally rigid ring with a cavity therein, said cavity receiving a generally compressible elastic member which in an uncompressed state protrudes beyond a mouth of said cavity and which in use is at least partially compressed and exerts a force on adjacent members in the shield clamping assembly so long as the elastic member is displaced from its uncompressed state.

A configuration for attaching a shield to a substrate processing chamber comprising:

• a substrate processing chamber assembly having one or more walls surrounding a substrate processing location, a top surface of the one or more walls forming an opening of said chamber,
• a chamber opening cover member being configured to cover the opening of said chamber generally supported from and sealed to said top surface of said one or more walls;
• an insulating ring to electrically isolate the one or more walls of the processing chamber from the chamber opening cover member, the insulating ring is generally configured to be disposed between said top surface of the walls of said chamber and said chamber opening cover member, generally vacuum tight seals being formed between the insulating ring and the top surface of the one or more walls of said chamber and between the insulating ring and said chamber opening cover member;
• a first process chamber shield disposed to act as an internal liner for said one or more walls generally adjacent said substrate processing location, a portion of said shield in use generally acting as a barrier to prevent particles emitted from the processing location from reaching at least a portion of the processing chamber walls, said first process chamber shield including a flange portion;
• a spacer ring located within the processing chamber, said spacer ring being configured to contact said flange portion and together with the flange portion form at least part of a shield clamping assembly, said shield clamping assembly being configured to clamp said flange portion at a spacer location located between said insulating ring and a clamping portion of said one or more walls of said processing chamber assembly, said spacer ring in use providing contact pressure between adjacent members in the shield clamping assembly to assure electrical continuity between the flange portion of said shield and the one or more walls of the processing chamber assembly when a generally vacuum tight seal is formed to permit evacuation of gas molecules present in the processing chamber,
• wherein said shield clamping assembly further includes a clamping ring disposed between said spacer ring and said insulating ring,
• wherein said clamping ring includes at least one gas passage there through to provide for gas flow from a first side to a second side of said clamping ring without the need for there to be a gas flow path across the surface of the clamping ring between said first and second sides.