Michael J Mcgraw

US Patent:

49497839, Aug 21, 1990

Filed:

May 18, 1988

Appl. No.:

7/195707

Inventors:

Emmanuel N. Lakios - Port Jefferson Station NY
Michael F. McGraw - East Setauket NY

Assignee:

Veeco Instruments, Inc. - Melville NY

International Classification:

F28F 1302
C23C 1450

US Classification:

165 801

Abstract:

A loading station receives a substrate into a load-lock volume pressure isolated from a loading station chamber which is open to a processing chamber. The volume is evacuated and the substrate lowered into the loading chamber. A transport arm moves the substrate from the loading station to a substrate carrier of a cooling fixture within the processing chamber. The carrier is connected to a clamp which together move vertically downward to lower the wafer onto a substrate seat of the fixture. During substrate processing the fixture is tiltable and rotatable and provides substrate cooling by solid-to-solid conduction, forced convection and free convection. Solid-to-solid conduction is provided by the clamp. The substrate is pressed to the fixture by the cooling clamp having a circulating cooling fluid. Forced convection is provided by a gas flowing into the microscopic areas between the substrate and the fixture at a pressure high enough to cause bowing or lifting of the substrate and thus to create a gas region between the substrate and the fixture.