Apparatus and method for self-centering a wafer in a sputter chamber
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorChung-En Kao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wafer lifter for self-centering a wafer onto a wafer pedestal situated in a physical vapor deposition chamber and a method for self-centering a wafer onto the wafer pedestal are described. The wafer lifter is constructed by a lifter body of annular shape, at least four support fingers emanating upwardly from the wafer lifter body and are spaced-apart from each other, and a platform on a tip portion of each of the at least four support fingers defined by a slanted surface from a vertical plane of an outside surface of the support finger. The platform, when supporting a wafer thereon, leaves substantially no gap between the slanted surface and an outer periphery of the wafer.
Claims12
A wafer lifter for self-centering a wafer on a pedestal comprising:
- a lifter body of annular shape having a center cavity with a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the wafer pedestal, said lifter body is fabricated of a material that has a rigidity of at least that of aluminum;
- at least four support fingers emanating upwardly from said lifter body and are spaced-apart from each other;
- and
- a platform on a tip portion of each of said at least four support fingers defined by a slanted surface from a vertical plane of an outside surface of said support finger, said platform when supporting a wafer thereon leaves substantially no gap between said slanted surface and an outer periphery of the wafer.
A method for self-centering a wafer on a wafer pedestal comprising the steps of:
- fabricating a lifter body for a wafer lifter with a material that has a rigidity of at least that of aluminum, said lifter body having an annular shape and a center cavity with a diameter that is larger than a diameter of said wafer pedestal, said wafer lifter further having at least four support fingers emanating upwardly from said lifter body and are spaced-apart from each other, and a platform on a tip portion of each of said at least four support fingers defined by a slanted surface from a vertical plane of an outside surface of said support finger, said platform when supporting a wafer thereon leaves substantially no gap between said slanted surface and an outer periphery of the wafer;
- positioning a wafer on said wafer lifter supported by said platform on said tip portion of the at least four support fingers;
- and
- lifting said wafer lifter to pedestal and depositing said wafer onto a position over said wafer onto said pedestal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.