Universal backplane assembly and methods

A substrate processing system for processing substrates of different configurations and/or dimensions on a sequential basis, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having a ventable processing space and an access port;
• a substrate holder positioned within the vacuum chamber, said substrate holder supporting the substrate in a position suitable for processing;
• and
• a backplane assembly comprising:
• a backplane base mounted in said vacuum chamber, said backplane base including an inlet passageway for heat transfer gas;
• a first faceplate sided to be insertable through the access port and removably mountable to said backplane base, said first faceplate having a first contact surface dimensioned and configured to provide an efficient thermal contact with a correspondingly dimensioned and/or configured first type of substrate, said first faceplate including a first inlet port coupled with the inlet passageway for directing heat transfer gas to the first contact surface when the corresponding said first faceplate is mounted to said backplane base to form the mated configuration;
• a second faceplate sized to be insertable through the access port and removably mountable to said backplane base, said second faceplate having a second contact surface dimensioned and configured differently than said first contact surface to provide an efficient thermal contact with a correspondingly dimensioned and/or configured second type of substrate, said second faceplate including a second inlet port coupled with the inlet passageway for directing heat transfer gas to the second contact surface when said second faceplate is mounted to said backplane base to form the mated configuration, wherein said first and said second faceplates are alternatively mountable to said backplane base to form a mated configuration therewith for alternatively processing the first and second types of substrates, respectively, in said vacuum chamber;
• and
• a vented mounting bolt threadingly received within the inlet passageway and one of the first and second inlet ports for mounting the corresponding one of said first and second face plates to the backplane base to form the mated configuration, said vented mounting bolt having a bore permitting heat transfer gas to flow from each of the first and second inlet ports to the corresponding one of the first and second contact surfaces.