Silicon carbide carrier for wafer processing and method for making same

A process for making a silicon carbide carrier for holding semiconductor wafers, which comprises the steps of:

• a) placing a suitable cylindrical substrate in a chemical vapor deposition reactor, said cylindrical substrate having a longitudinal surface and first and second ends and having at least two of the desired shapes of said carrier formed into the longitudinal surface of the cylindrical substrate along its longitudinal axis;
• b) chemical vapor depositing silicon carbide onto each of said shapes formed into the longitudinal surface;
• c) cutting the cylindrical substrate apart along its longitudinal axis;
• d) removing the cylindrical substrate material from the silicon carbide;
• and
• e) recovering the resulting closed end silicon carbide carriers, having the shape of a generally cylindrical shell having an average radius greater than the radius of the wafers to be held and the inner concave surface of said shell having at least two convex longitudinal segments extending inwardly;
• and
• f) machining orthogonal slots into the convex segments.

A process for making a carrier capable of holding multiple semiconductor wafers which comprises the steps of:

• a) machining a substrate material suitable for receiving a chemical vapor deposit of silicon carbide, into a form having the desired shape of the carrier, including at least two concave longitudinal segments;
• b) placing said form in a chemical vapor deposition reactor;
• c) chemical vapor depositing at least one layer of silicon carbide onto the form;
• d) separating the form from the silicon carbide layer, to recover a silicon carbide carrier having the shape of a generally cylindrical shell with an average radius greater than the radius of the wafers to be held, and having an inner concave surface including at least two convex longitudinal segments extending inwardly;
• and
• e) machining orthogonal slots into the convex segments, to produce a final carrier having slots extending inward to a point within the diameter of the wafer to be held and such that the distance from the inward point to the center of the wafer is less than the radius of the wafer.