Heat management in wafer processing equipment using thermoelectric device
AssigneeWaferMasters, Inc.
InventorWoo Sik Yoo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor processing system and method, which uses heat energy typically wasted in most common semiconductor processing systems, to generate power. The present invention includes a heat management system, which uses the waste heat and/or the excess heat generated by a thermal-processing chamber, to generate a current from a first thermoelectric device. The current from the first thermoelectric device is then delivered to a second thermoelectric device. The second thermoelectric device, driven by the current from the first thermoelectric device, can be used to remove heat from a cooling chamber or else add heat to another processing chamber.
Claims19
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- a first processing chamber for conducting a process on a semiconductor substrate, said first processing chamber including a first thermoelectric module operative for generating a current;
- and
- a second processing chamber for conducting a process on a semiconductor substrate, said second processing chamber including a second thermoelectric module which receives said current and is operative for changing a temperature of said second process chamber.
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- a first processing chamber including a first thermoelectric module operative for generating a current;
- a second processing chamber including a second thermoelectric module which receives said current and is operative for changing a temperature of said second process chamber;
- and
- a third processing chamber including a third thermoelectric module operative for generating a current.
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- a first wafer processing chamber including a first thermoelectric module operative for heating said first wafer processing chamber in response to receiving a first current;
- and
- a second wafer processing chamber including a second thermoelectric module operative for cooling said second wafer processing chamber in response to receiving a second current.
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- a first wafer processing chamber providing a first source of thermal energy;
- a first thermoelectric module being operative for generating a first current in response to receiving said thermal energy;
- a second wafer processing chamber having a first temperature;
- and
- a second thermoelectric module being configured to receive said first current and being operative for changing said first temperature to a second temperature.
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- a first processing chamber providing a source of thermal energy;
- a first thermoelectric module being operative for generating a first current in response to receiving said thermal energy;
- a second processing chamber having a first temperature;
- a second thermoelectric module being configured to receive said first current and being operative for changing said first temperature to a second temperature;
- a third chamber providing a second source of thermal energy;
- and
- a third thermoelectric module being operative for generating a second current in response to receiving said thermal energy.
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising:
- generating a current with a first thermoelectric module using a heat source;
- and
- removing heat from a wafer processing chamber using a second thermoelectric module which is made operative by said current.
A semiconductor wafer processing system comprising:
- at least one thermal processing chamber providing a heat source;
- a heat sink;
- and
- at least one thermoelectric module operative for generating a current when intimately contacting said thermal processing chamber and said heat sink, said heat sink including a wafer transfer chamber and said thermal processing chamber including a rapid thermal processor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.