Method and apparatus for inline deposition of materials on a non-planar surface

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device on a substrate comprising:

• providing a first chamber, the first chamber defining a first volume, the first chamber having a first opening to a first environment, the first opening operable to allow passage of at least a first substrate;
• providing a first sealing member operable to establish an environmental seal on the first opening between the first chamber and the first environment;
• providing a semiconductor process chamber, the semiconductor process chamber defining a second volume having substantially a processing environment, the semiconductor process chamber coupled to the first chamber through a second opening, the second opening operable to allow passage of at least the first substrate;
• providing a second sealing member operable to establish an environmental seal on the second opening between the first chamber and the semiconductor process chamber;
• performing a semiconductor processing step on at least the first substrate within the semiconductor processing chamber;
• at a first time, environmentally isolating the first volume from the first environment;
• at a second time, opening the first volume to the second volume;
• at a third time, moving at least the first substrate from the second volume to the first volume;
• at a fourth time, environmentally isolating the first volume from the second volume;
• at a fifth time, opening the first volume to the first environment;
• concurrently with the step of performing the semiconductor processing step on at least the first substrate:
• rotating at least the first substrate along a longitudinal axis such that more than half of the total surface area of the first substrate is exposed to the semiconductor process;
• translating at least the first substrate through the processing chamber.

An apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a first chamber operable to accept a first substrate from among at least one substrate;
• a first aperture, associated with the first chamber, that environmentally couples the first chamber to a first environment outside the first chamber;
• a first sealing member operable to reside in at least an open position and a closed position, the first sealing member closing the first aperture and isolating the first chamber environment from the first environment when in the closed position, the first sealing member allowing the first environment into the first chamber when in the open position;
• a processing chamber, operable to perform a semiconductor processing step on at least one substrate under a processing environment, the processing chamber comprising:
• a first motion mechanism operable to move the at least one substrate in a translational manner through the processing chamber;
• a second motion mechanism operable to provide a rotation along a longitudinal axis to the at least one substrate;
• the first motion mechanism operable to operate concurrently with second motion mechanism;
• a second aperture that couples the first chamber and the processing chamber;
• a second sealing member operable to reside in at least an open position and a closed position, the second sealing member shutting the second aperture and isolating the first chamber environment from the processing environment when in the closed position, the second sealing member allowing the first chamber environment into the processing chamber when in the open position.

An apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, the apparatus comprising:

• a first chamber operable to accept at least a first substrate, the first substrate having an upper surface portion that has an associated first normal direction emanating out of the substrate and a lower surface portion having an associated second normal direction emanating out of the substrate, the first normal direction being anti-parallel to the second normal direction;
• a first aperture, associated with the first chamber, that environmentally couples the first chamber to a first environment outside the first chamber;
• a first sealing member operable to reside in at least an open position and a closed position, the first sealing member closing the first aperture and isolating a first chamber environment from the first environment when in the closed position, the first sealing member allowing the first environment into the first chamber when in the open position;
• a processing chamber, operable to perform a semiconductor processing step on the first substrate under a processing environment, the processing chamber comprising:
• a semiconductor material source, operable to dispense a first material into the processing environment;
• a first motion mechanism operable to move the at least one substrate in a translational manner through the processing chamber;
• a second motion mechanism operable to provide a rotation along a longitudinal axis to the first substrate, the rotation exposing both the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate to the processing environment;
• a second aperture that couples the first chamber and the processing chamber;
• a second sealing member operable to reside in at least an open position and a closed position, the second sealing member shutting the second aperture and isolating the first chamber environment from the processing environment when in the closed position, the second sealing member allowing the first chamber environment into the processing chamber when in the open position.