CN113166938A

CN113166938A - Method of operating a spatial deposition tool

Info

Publication number: CN113166938A
Application number: CN201980077606.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 约瑟夫·奥布赫恩; 桑吉夫·巴鲁贾; 迈克尔·赖斯; 阿卡普拉瓦·丹; 陈汉鸿
Original assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Current assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Priority date: 2018-10-29
Filing date: 2019-10-28
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Also published as: KR20240121354A; SG11202104098RA; KR102691905B1; JP2022505601A; JP2023113690A; JP7538794B2; TW202033819A; WO2020092184A1; TWI780369B; KR20210070383A

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for processing one or more wafers are described. The spatial deposition tool includes a plurality of substrate support surfaces on a substrate support assembly and a plurality of spatially separated and isolated processing stations. Spatially separated isolated processing stations have independently controlled temperatures, process gas types, and gas flows. In some embodiments, a plasma source is used to excite a process gas at one or more of the processing stations. The operation of the spatial tool includes: rotating the substrate assembly in a first direction; and rotating the substrate assembly in a second direction; and repeating the rotating in the first direction and the second direction until a predetermined thickness is deposited on the substrate surface.

Description

Method of operating a spatial deposition tool

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus for depositing a thin film and a method for processing a wafer. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a plurality of movable heated wafer supports and spatially separated processing stations, and process chambers having spatially separated, isolated processing stations.

Background

Current Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) processes have many potential problems and difficulties. Many ALD chemistries (e.g., precursors and reactants) are "incompatible," meaning that the chemistries cannot be mixed together. If incompatible chemistries are mixed, a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process may occur instead of an ALD process. CVD processes typically have less thickness control than ALD processes and/or can result in the generation of gas phase particles, which can lead to defects in the resulting device. For a conventional time-domain ALD process in which one reactive gas is flowed into the process chamber at a time, long purge/pump-out times occur so that the chemicals do not mix in the gas phase. Spatial ALD chambers may move one or more wafers from one environment to a second environment faster than time-domain ALD chambers may pump/purge, resulting in higher throughput.

The semiconductor industry needs high quality films that can be deposited at lower temperatures (e.g., less than 350 ℃). In order to deposit high quality films at temperatures below that at which the film would be deposited by a thermal process alone, an alternative energy source is required. A plasma scheme may be used to provide additional energy to the ALD film in the form of ions and radicals. The difficulty is to obtain sufficient energy on the vertical sidewall ALD film. The ions are generally accelerated in a direction perpendicular to the wafer surface through a sheath layer above the wafer surface. Thus, ions provide energy to the horizontal ALD film surface, but insufficient energy to the vertical surface because the ions move parallel to the vertical surface.

Some process chambers include Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP). CCP is generated between the top electrode and the wafer, which is commonly referred to as CCP parallel plate plasma. CCP parallel plate plasma generates very high ion energy across the two plates and therefore has poor effect on the vertical sidewall surfaces. By spatially moving the wafer to an environment optimized for generating high radical and ion fluxes at lower energies and wider angular distributions relative to the wafer surface, better vertical ALD film properties can be achieved. Such plasma sources include microwaves, Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) or higher frequency CCP schemes with a third electrode (i.e., plasma is generated between two electrodes above the wafer instead of using the wafer as the primary electrode).

Current spatial ALD processing chambers rotate a plurality of wafers at a constant speed on a heated circular stage, which moves the wafers from one processing environment to an adjacent environment. The different processing environments result in the separation of incompatible gases. However, current spatial ALD processing chambers do not enable the plasma environment to be optimized for plasma exposure, resulting in non-uniformity, plasma damage, and/or process flexibility issues.

For example, process gases flow across the wafer surface. The leading and trailing edges of the wafer have different streamlines as the wafer rotates about the offset axis. In addition, there is also a flow difference between the inner and outer diameter edges of the wafer due to the slower velocity at the inner edge and the faster velocity at the outer edge. These flow non-uniformities can be optimized but not eliminated. Exposing the wafer to a non-uniform plasma can cause plasma damage. The constant speed rotation of these spatial processing chambers requires that the wafers be moved in and out of the plasma, so that some wafers are exposed to the plasma while other areas are outside the plasma. Furthermore, due to the constant rotation rate, it may be difficult to vary the exposure time in the spatial processing chamber. For example, one process uses a 0.5 second exposure to gas a followed by a 1.5 second plasma process. Since the tool is running at a constant rotational speed, the only way is to make the plasma environment 3 times larger than the gas a dosing (posing) environment. If another process is to be performed with gas a and plasma time equal, hardware changes are required. Current spatial ALD chambers can only slow or speed up the rotation speed and cannot adjust for the time difference between steps without changing the chamber hardware for smaller or larger regions.

In current spatial ALD deposition tools (or other spatial processing chambers), where the main deposition step occurs while the wafer is stationary in a processing station simulating a single wafer chamber, the method of operation typically involves moving the wafer to multiple types of processing stations, resulting in leading and trailing edge differences on the wafer due to different parts of the wafer being exposed to different environments. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved deposition apparatus and methods.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method comprises: providing a process chamber comprising x number of spatially separated, isolated process stations, the process chamber having a process chamber temperature and each process station independently having a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different from the process station temperature; rotating a substrate support assembly (rx-1) times, the substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated, isolated processing stations such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface, r being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and rotating (rx-1) the substrate support assembly a number of times such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees in a second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface.

In one or more embodiments, a method comprises: providing a process chamber having at least two different processing stations, a substrate support assembly comprising a first substrate support surface, a second substrate support surface, a third substrate support surface and a fourth substrate support surface, each substrate support surface being in an initial position aligned with a processing station; exposing a first wafer on a first substrate support surface to a first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support surface in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the third substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the fourth substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the third substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the first substrate support surface; and exposing the first wafer to a first process condition.

Additional embodiments of the disclosure relate to a method of forming a film. In one or more embodiments, a method of forming a film, comprising: loading at least one wafer onto x number of substrate support surfaces in a substrate support assembly, each of the substrate support surfaces being aligned with x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations; rotating (rx-1) the substrate support assembly in a first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface, r being an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating (rx-1) the substrate support assembly in a second direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface; and exposing, at each processing station, a top surface of at least one wafer to process conditions to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method comprises: providing a process chamber comprising x number of spatially separated, isolated process stations, the process chamber having a process chamber temperature and each process station independently having a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different from the process station temperature; rotating a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations rx times such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface, r being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in the second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method, comprises: providing a process chamber comprising x number of spatially separated, isolated process stations, the process chamber having a process chamber temperature and each process station independently having a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different from the process station temperature; rotating (360/x) a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface; rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in a second direction to an adjacent substrate surface, wherein the rotation in the first direction and the rotation in the second direction are repeated n times, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly twice in a first direction; rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in a first direction by an angle and then rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in a second direction by an angle, wherein the rotation in the first and second directions is repeated m times, wherein m is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in a second direction.

Brief description of the drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional isometric view of a process chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a process chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a bottom parallel projection view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a top parallel projection view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a top parallel projection view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10A is a top isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional side view of the support plate of FIG. 10A taken along line 10B-10B';

FIG. 11A is a bottom isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional side view of the support plate of FIG. 11A taken along line 11B-11B';

FIG. 12A is a bottom isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional side view of the support plate of FIG. 12A taken along line 12B-12B';

figure 13 is a cross-sectional isometric view of a top plate of a process chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a process station according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a top plate of a process chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a process station in a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a processing platform according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

18A-18I illustrate schematic views of process station configurations in a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

19A and 19B show schematic diagrams of processes according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 20 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 depicts a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 22 shows a schematic view of a process chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 depicts a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 24 shows a schematic view of a process chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 25 depicts a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein; and

fig. 26 shows a schematic view of a process chamber and process flow in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed description of the invention

Before describing several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following description. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

As used herein, "substrate" refers to any substrate or material surface formed on a substrate on which film processing is performed during a manufacturing process. For example, the substrate surface (on which the fabrication process may be performed) includes materials such as silicon, silicon oxide, strained silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), carbon-doped silicon oxide, amorphous silicon, doped silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, glass, sapphire, and any other material, such as metals, metal nitrides, metal alloys, and other conductive materials, depending on the application. Substrates include, but are not limited to, semiconductor wafers. The substrate may be exposed to a preprocessing process to polish, etch, reduce, oxidize, hydroxylate, anneal, and/or bake the substrate surface. In addition to performing film processing directly on the surface of the substrate itself, in the present disclosure, any of the film processing steps disclosed may also be performed on an underlying layer formed on the substrate, as disclosed in more detail below, and the term "substrate surface" is intended to include the underlying layer as the context dictates. Thus, for example, in the case where a film/layer or a portion of a film/layer has been deposited onto a substrate surface, the exposed surface of the newly deposited film/layer becomes the substrate surface.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "precursor," "reactant gas," and the like may be used interchangeably to refer to any gaseous species that may react with a substrate surface or with a film formed on a substrate surface.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure use spatial separation between two or more processing environments. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods for maintaining separation of incompatible gases. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods that include plasma processing that can be optimized. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods that allow for differentiated thermal dosing environments, differentiated plasma processing environments, and other environments.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a process chamber having four spatially separated processing environments (also referred to as processing stations). Some embodiments have more than four spatially separated processing environments, and some embodiments have less than four spatially separated processing environments. The process environment may be mounted coplanar with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The process environment is placed in a circular arrangement. A rotatable structure having one to four (or more) individual wafer heaters mounted thereon moves the wafer in a circular path having a diameter similar to the process environment. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric zones. To load the wafers, the rotatable structure may be lowered so that the vacuum robot can pick up the finished wafers and place the unprocessed wafers on the lift pins above each wafer heater (in the lower Z position). In operation, each wafer may be in a separate environment until the process is complete, and then the rotatable structure may be rotated (90 for four stations and 120 for three stations) to move the wafer on the heater to the next environment for processing.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide spatial separation of ALD with incompatible gases. Some embodiments allow for higher throughput and tool resource utilization than conventional time or spatial process chambers. Each process environment may operate at a different pressure. The heater rotation has a Z-direction motion so that each heater can be sealed into one chamber.

Some embodiments advantageously provide a plasma environment that may include one or more of microwave, ICP, parallel plate CCP, or three electrode CCP. The entire wafer may be immersed in the plasma; plasma damage due to non-uniform plasma across the wafer is eliminated.

In some embodiments, a small gap between the showerhead and the wafer may be used to increase the dosing gas utilization and cycle time speed. Precise showerhead temperature control and high operating range (up to 230 ℃). Without being bound by theory, it is believed that the closer the showerhead temperature is to the wafer temperature, the better the wafer temperature uniformity.

The showerhead may include small gas holes (<200 μm), a large number of gas holes (thousands to over ten million), and a small distribution space to distribute the gas fed recursively within the showerhead to increase velocity. Small size and large amount of air holes can be created by laser drilling or dry etching. When the wafer is close to the showerhead, the gas flowing through the vertical holes toward the wafer creates turbulence. Some embodiments allow a large number of closely spaced holes to be used together to pass gas through the showerhead at a lower velocity to achieve uniform distribution to the wafer surface.

Some embodiments relate to an integrated processing platform that uses a plurality of spatially separated processing stations (chambers) on a single tool. The processing platform may have various chambers that may perform different processes.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for moving a wafer attached to a wafer heater from one environment to another. The rapid movement may be achieved by electrostatically attracting (or clamping) the wafer to the heater. The movement of the wafer may be a linear or circular motion.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of processing one or more substrates. Examples include, but are not limited to: running a wafer on a heater to a plurality of different, spatially separated, continuous environments; running two wafers on two wafer heaters to three environments (two environments are the same, one different environment is between two similar environments); wafer one is subjected to environment a then to ring environment B and repeated, while wafer two is subjected to environment B then to environment a and repeated; one environment remains idle (no wafer); running two wafers in two first environments and two second environments, wherein both wafers are subjected to the same environment at the same time (i.e., both wafers are in a, then both are turned to B); four wafers with two A environments and two B environments; and two wafers processed in a and two wafers processed in B. In some embodiments, the wafer is repeatedly exposed to ambient a and ambient B, and then to a third ambient located in the same chamber.

In some embodiments, a wafer is processed through a plurality of chambers, wherein at least one chamber is sequentially processed with a plurality of spatially separated environments within the same chamber.

Some embodiments are directed to devices having spatially separated processing environments within the same chamber, where the environments are at significantly different pressures (e.g., one pressure at <100mT, the other at > 3T). In some embodiments, the heater rotation robot moves in the z-axis to seal each wafer/heater into a spatially separated environment.

Some embodiments include a structure built above the chamber with a vertical structural member that applies an upward force to the center of the chamber lid to eliminate deflection caused by atmospheric pressure on the top side and vacuum on the other side. The force of the upper structure can be mechanically adjusted in magnitude in response to the deflection of the top plate. The force adjustment may be done automatically using a feedback circuit and force transducer (force transducer), or manually using a screw that may be turned by an operator, for example.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to process chambers, also referred to as processing stations, having at least two spatially separated processing environments. Some embodiments have more than two processing stations, and some embodiments have more than four processing stations. The processing environment may be mounted coplanar with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The process environment is placed in a circular arrangement. The rotatable structure (which has one to four (or more) individual wafer heaters mounted on the rotatable structure) moves the wafer in a circular path having a diameter similar to the process environment. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric zones. To load the wafers, the rotatable structure may be lowered so that the vacuum robot can pick up the finished wafers and place the unprocessed wafers on the lift pins located above each wafer heater (in the lower Z position). In operation, each wafer may be in a separate environment until the process is complete, and then the rotatable structure may be rotated (90 for four stations and 120 for three stations) to move the wafer on the heater to the next environment for processing. In one or more embodiments, the main deposition step occurs while the wafer is stationary in the processing station simulating a single wafer chamber.

In a spatial ALD deposition tool (or other spatial processing chamber), a wafer is moved into a first processing station and then to a second processing station. In some cases, the first and second processing stations are the same (i.e., identical), resulting in a lack of uniformity in film thickness, and in a lack of uniformity in the deposition characteristics of the film (e.g., refractive index, wet etch rate, in-plane displacement, etc.). In addition, the sequence of moving from one processing station to the next results in leading and trailing edge differences on the wafer due to the different portions of the wafer being exposed to different processing environments at the stations.

Simply moving back and forth between two different processing stations is the clearest way to operate a spatial deposition tool. However, moving between more than two processing stations can present challenges such as rotational connections for electricity, water, and gas, and alignment of each wafer/substrate support surface with each processing station (tolerances for aligning the wafer/substrate support surface with each processing station from any position are tighter than if only two processing stations had to be aligned with each pedestal).

It has also been observed that during normal operation, when a wafer is loaded onto a substrate support and moved from a first processing station to a second processing station and then back to the first processing station, not all of the portions of the wafer on the substrate support will be in the same environment at the same time, resulting in leading and trailing edge differences.

In one or more embodiments, the wafer is loaded onto the substrate support and moved from the first processing station to the second processing station to the first processing station in a first direction, then moved back to the second processing station and then to the first processing station in a second direction to average the time spent between the two types of processing stations. During such movement, it is observed that the average of two of the wafers is different from the average of the other two wafers (e.g., if there is a high/low temperature, two wafers will be edge high and center low, while the other two wafers will be edge low and center high). In one or more embodiments, it has been surprisingly found that averaging between only (at least) four processing stations achieves a reasonable averaging with a similar distribution across all wafers. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the sequence of movement between processing stations is advantageously optimized to minimize the effect that not all portions of the wafer are in the same environment (e.g., temperature, pressure, reactant gases, etc.) at the same time during movement between processing stations.

Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate a process chamber 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional isometric view of a process chamber 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a processing chamber 100 incorporating a support assembly 200 and a top plate 300.

The process chamber 100 has a housing 102 with walls 104 and a bottom 106. The housing 102, together with the top plate 300, defines an interior space 109, also referred to as a process space.

The processing chamber 100 includes a plurality of processing stations 110. The processing stations 110 are located in the interior space 109 of the housing 102 and are positioned in a circular arrangement about the axis of rotation 211 of the support assembly 200. Each processing station 110 includes a gas injector 112 having a front face 114. In some embodiments, the front face 114 of each gas injector 112 is substantially coplanar. The processing stations 110 are defined as areas in which processing can occur. For example, the processing station 110 may be defined by a substrate support surface 231 of the heater 230 and a front surface 114 of the gas injector 112 as described below.

The processing station 110 may be configured to perform any suitable process and provide any suitable process conditions. The type of gas injector 112 used, for example, will depend on the type of process being performed and the type of showerhead or gas injector. For example, a processing station 110 configured to function as an atomic layer deposition apparatus may have a showerhead or a vortex-type gas injector. However, a processing station 110 configured to function as a plasma station may have one or more electrodes and/or a grounded plate configuration to generate a plasma while allowing plasma gases to flow toward the wafer. The embodiment illustrated in fig. 2 has different types of processing stations 110 on the left side of the figure (processing station 110a) and on the right side of the figure (processing station 110 b). Suitable processing stations 110 include, but are not limited to, thermal processing stations, microwave plasma, three-electrode CCP, ICP, parallel plate CCP, UV exposure, laser processing, pumping chambers, annealing stations, and metrology stations.

Fig. 3-6 illustrate a support assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The support assembly 200 includes a rotatable center base 210. The rotatable center base 210 may have a symmetrical or asymmetrical shape and defines an axis of rotation 211. As can be seen in fig. 6, the rotational axis 211 extends in a first direction. The first direction may be referred to as the vertical direction or along the z-axis; it should be understood, however, that the term "vertical" used in this manner is not limited to a direction perpendicular to gravity traction.

The support assembly 200 includes at least two support arms 220 connected to the central base 210 and extending from the central base 210. The support arm 220 has an inner end 221 and an outer end 222. The inner end 221 is in contact with the center base 210 so that when the center base 210 rotates about the rotation axis 211, the support arm 220 also rotates. The support arm 220 may be connected to the central base 210 at the inner end 221 by a fastener (e.g., a bolt) or by being integrally formed with the central base 210.

In some embodiments, the support arm 220 extends orthogonal to the axis of rotation 211 such that one of the inner end 221 or the outer end 222 is farther from the axis of rotation 211 than the other of the inner end 221 and the outer end 222 on the same support arm 220. In some embodiments, the inner end 221 of a support arm 220 is closer to the axis of rotation 211 than the outer end 222 of the same support arm 220.

The number of support arms 220 in the support assembly 200 may vary. In some embodiments, there are at least two support arms 220, at least three support arms 220, at least four support arms 220, or at least five support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are three support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are four support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are five support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are six support arms 220.

The support arms 220 may be symmetrically arranged about the central base 210. For example, in a support assembly 200 having four support arms 220, each support arm 220 is positioned at 90 ° intervals around the central base 210. In a support assembly 200 having three support arms 220, the support arms 220 are positioned at 120 ° intervals around the central base 210. In other words, in embodiments having four support arms 220, the support arms are arranged to provide four-fold symmetry about the axis of rotation 211. In some embodiments, the support assembly 200 has n number of support arms 220, and the n number of support arms 220 are arranged to provide n-fold symmetry about the axis of rotation 211.

The heater 230 is located at the outer end 222 of the support arm 220. In some embodiments, each support arm 220 has a heater 230. The center of the heater 230 is located at a distance from the rotational axis 211 such that the heater 230 moves in a circular path when the central base 210 rotates.

The heater 230 has a support surface 231 that can support a wafer. In some embodiments, the heater 230 support surfaces 231 are substantially coplanar. As used in this manner, "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by each support surface 231 is within 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 of the plane formed by the other support surfaces 231.

In some embodiments, the heater 230 is positioned directly on the outer end 222 of the support arm 220. In some embodiments, as shown, the heater 230 is raised above the outer end 222 of the support arm 220 by a heater stand off 234. The heater support 234 may have any size and length to increase the height of the heater 230.

In some embodiments, a channel 236 is formed in one or more of the central base 210, support arm 220, and/or heater mount 234. The channels 236 may be used to route electrical connections or provide airflow.

The heater may be any suitable type of heater known to the skilled person. In some embodiments, the heater is a resistive heater with one or more heating elements within the heater body.

Some embodiments of the heater 230 include additional components. For example, the heater may comprise an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck may include various leads and electrodes so that a wafer positioned on the heater support surface 231 may be held in place while the heater is moved. This allows the wafer to be attracted to the heater at the start of the process and to remain in the same location on the same heater when moved to a different process zone. In some embodiments, the wires and electrodes are routed through channels 236 in the support arm 220. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the support assembly 200, showing the channel 236. A channel 236 extends along the support arm 220 and the heater mount 234. The first and

second electrodes

251a, 251b are in electrical communication with the heater 230 or with components (e.g., resistance wires) internal to the heater 230. The first wire 253a is connected to the first electrode 251a at the first connector 252 a. The second wire 253b is connected to the second electrode 251b at the second connector 252 b.

In some embodiments, a temperature measurement device (e.g., pyrometer, thermistor, thermocouple) is located within channel 236 to measure one or more of the temperature of heater 230 or the temperature of a substrate on heater 230. In some embodiments, control and/or measurement lines for the temperature measurement device are routed through channel 236. In some embodiments, one or more temperature measurement devices are positioned within the process chamber 100 to measure the temperature of the heater 230 and/or a wafer on the heater 230. Suitable temperature measurement devices are known to the skilled person and include, but are not limited to, optical pyrometers and contact thermocouples.

Wires may be routed through the support arm 220 and the support assembly 200 to connect with a power source (not shown). In some embodiments, the connection to the power source allows the support assembly 200 to rotate continuously without tangling or breaking the

wires

253a, 253 b. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7, first and

second wires

253a, 253b extend along channel 236 of support arm 220 to central base 210. In the center base 210, a first wire 253a is connected to a center first connector 254a, and a second wire 253b is connected to a center second connector 254 b. The

center connectors

254a, 254b may be part of a connection plate 258 such that power or electronic signals may pass through the

center connectors

254a, 254 b. In the illustrated embodiment, the support assembly 200 can be continuously rotated without twisting or breaking the wires because the wires terminate in the central base 210. The second connection is on the opposite side of the connection plate 258 (outside the process chamber).

In some embodiments, the leads are directly connected to a power source or electrical components external to the process chamber through the passage 236. In such embodiments, the wires have sufficient slack to allow the support assembly 200 to rotate a limited amount without twisting or breaking the wires. In some embodiments, prior to reversal of the direction of rotation, the support assembly 200 is rotated less than or equal to about 1080 °, 990 °, 720 °, 630 °, 360 °, or 270 °. This allows the heater to rotate through each station without breaking the wire.

Referring again to fig. 3-6, the heater 230 and the support surface 231 may include one or more gas outlets to provide for the flow of backside gas. This may assist in removing the wafer from the support surface 231. As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the support surface 231 includes a plurality of openings 237 and gas channels 238. The opening 237 and/or the gas channel 238 may be in fluid communication with one or more of a vacuum source or a gas source (e.g., a purge gas). In such embodiments, a hollow tube may be included to allow a gas source to be in fluid communication with the opening 237 and/or the gas channel 238.

In some embodiments, heater 230 and/or support surface 231 is configured as an electrostatic chuck. In such an embodiment, the

electrodes

251a, 251b (see fig. 7) may comprise control lines for an electrostatic chuck.

Some embodiments of the support assembly 200 include a sealing platform 240. The sealing platform has a top surface 241, a bottom surface and a thickness. A sealing platform 240 may be positioned around the heater 230 to help provide a seal or barrier to minimize gas flow to the area below the support assembly 200.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the sealing land 240 is annular and positioned around each heater 230. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing platform 240 is located below the heater 230 such that a top surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 is below the support surface 231 of the heater.

The sealing platform 240 may serve multiple purposes. For example, the sealing platform 240 may be used to increase the temperature uniformity of the heater 230 by increasing the thermal mass. In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 is integrally formed with the heater 230 (see, e.g., fig. 6). In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 is separate from the heater 230. For example, the embodiment shown in fig. 8 has the sealing platform 240 as a separate component connected to the heater supporter 234 such that the top surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 is lower than the height of the supporting surface 231 of the heater 230.

In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 serves as a retainer for the support plate 245. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the support plate 245 is a single component with a plurality of openings 242 surrounding all of the heaters 230 to allow access to the support surfaces 231 of the heaters 230. The opening 242 may allow the heater 230 to pass through the support plate 245. In some embodiments, the support plate 245 is fixed such that the support plate 245 moves vertically and rotates with the heater 230.

In one or more embodiments, the support assembly 200 is a drum (drum) shaped member; as shown, for example, in fig. 20, the cylindrical body has a top surface 246 configured to support a plurality of wafers. The top surface 246 of the support assembly 200a has a plurality of recesses (cavities 257) that are sized to support one or more wafers during processing. In some embodiments, the depth of the pocket 257 is approximately equal to the thickness of the wafer to be processed, such that the top surface of the wafer is substantially coplanar with the top surface 246 of the cylindrical body. An example of such a support assembly 200 can be envisaged as a variation of fig. 5, without the support arm 220. Fig. 20 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a support assembly 200 using a cylindrical body. The support assembly 200 includes a plurality of cavities 257 sized to support wafers for processing. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom of the pocket 257 is the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The power connections for the heater 230 may be routed through the support posts 227 and the support plate 245. The heaters 230 may be independently powered to control the temperature of the individual pockets 257 and the wafer.

Referring to fig. 9, in some embodiments, the support plate 245 has a top surface 246 forming a major plane 248, the major plane 248 being substantially parallel to the major plane 247 formed by the support surface 231 of the heater 230. In some embodiments, the support plate 245 has a top surface 246 forming a major plane 248, the major plane 248 being a distance D above the major plane 247 of the support surface 231. In some embodiments, the distance D is substantially equal to the thickness of the wafer 260 to be processed such that a surface 261 of the wafer 260 is coplanar with the top surface 246 of the support plate 245, as shown in fig. 6. The term "substantially coplanar" as used in this manner means that the coplanarity of the major planes formed by surface 261 of wafer 260 is within + -1 mm, + -0.5 mm, + -0.4 mm, + -0.3 mm, + -0.2 mm, or + -0.1 mm.

Referring to fig. 9, some embodiments of the present disclosure have individual components that constitute a support surface for processing. Here, the sealing platform 240 is a separate component from the heater 230, and is positioned such that the top surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 is below the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The distance between the top surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 and the support surface 231 of the heater 230 is sufficient to allow the support plate 245 to be positioned on the sealing platform 240. The thickness of the support plate 245 and/or the position of the sealing platform 240 may be controlled such that the distance D between the top surface 246 of the support plate 245 is sufficient to cause the top surface 261 (see fig. 6) of the wafer 260 to be substantially coplanar with the top surface 246 of the support plate 245.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, the support plate 245 is supported by support posts 227. The support column 227 may be used to prevent the center of the support plate 245 from sagging when a single-piece platform is used. In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 is not present, and the support column 227 is the primary support for the support plate 245.

The support plate 245 may have a variety of configurations to interact with a variety of configurations of the heater 230 and the sealing platform 240. Fig. 10A shows a top isometric view of a support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the support plate 245 of FIG. 10A taken along line 10B-10B'. In this embodiment, the support plate 245 is a planar member in which the top surface 246 and the bottom surface 249 are substantially planar and/or substantially coplanar. The illustrated embodiment may be particularly useful where the sealing platform 240 is used to support a support plate 245, as shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 11A shows a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of a support plate 245 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the support plate 245 of FIG. 11A taken along line 11B-11B'. In this embodiment, each opening 242 has a protruding ring 270 on the bottom surface 249 of the support plate 245 around the outer periphery of the opening 242.

Fig. 12A shows a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of a support plate 245 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the support plate 245 of FIG. 12A taken along line 12B-12B'. In this embodiment, each opening 242 has a recessed ring 272 in the bottom surface 249 of the support plate 245 around the outer periphery of the opening 242. The recessed ring 272 forms a recessed bottom surface 273. Such an embodiment may be useful in the case where either the sealing land 240 is not present or the sealing land 240 is coplanar with the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The recessed bottom surface 273 may be positioned on the support surface 231 of the heater 230 such that the bottom of the support plate 245 extends around the sides of the heater 230 below the support surface 231 of the heater 230.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a ceiling 300 for a multi-station processing chamber. Referring to fig. 1 and 13, the top plate 300 has a top surface 301 and a bottom surface 302 defining the thickness of the lid, and one or more edges 303. The top plate 300 includes at least one opening 310 extending through the thickness of the top plate 300. The opening 310 is sized to allow the addition of a gas injector 112 that may form the process station 110.

Fig. 14 illustrates an exploded view of a processing station 110 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The illustrated processing station 110 includes three main components: a top plate 300 (also referred to as a lid), a pump/purge insert (insert)330, and a gas injector 112. The gas injector 112 shown in fig. 14 is a showerhead type gas injector. In some embodiments, the insert is connected to or in fluid communication with a vacuum (exhaust). In some embodiments, the insert is connected to or in fluid communication with a purge gas source.

The openings 310 in the top plate 300 may be of uniform size or of different sizes. Different sizes/shapes of gas injectors 112 may be used with the pump/purge insert 330, the pump/purge insert 330 being suitably shaped to transition from the opening 310 to the gas injector 112. For example, as shown, the pump/purge insert 330 includes a top 331 and a bottom 333 and a sidewall 335. When inserted into the opening 310 in the top plate 300, the protruding portion 334 adjacent the bottom 333 may rest on the partition 315 formed in the opening 310. In some embodiments, there is no bulkhead 315 in the opening, and the flange portion 337 of the pump/purge insert 330 rests on top of the top plate 300. In the embodiment shown, the ledge 334 rests on the septum 315 with the O-ring 314 positioned between the ledge 334 and the septum 315 to help form an air-tight seal.

In some embodiments, there are one or more purge rings 309 in the top plate 300 (see fig. 13). The purge ring 309 may be in fluid communication with a purge plenum (not shown) or a purge gas source (not shown) to provide a positive flow of purge gas to prevent leakage of process gas from the process chamber.

The pump/purge insert 330 of some embodiments includes a plenum 336 having at least one opening 338 in the bottom 333 of the pump/purge insert 330. The plenum 336 has an inlet (not shown) generally near the top 331 or sidewall 335 of the pump/purge insert 330.

In some embodiments, the plenum 336 may be filled with a purge or inert gas that may pass through openings 338 in the bottom 333 of the pump/purge insert 330. The flow of gas through the opening 338 may help form a gas curtain type barrier to prevent leakage of process gases from the interior of the processing chamber.

In some embodiments, the plenum 336 is connected to or in fluid communication with a vacuum source. In such embodiments, the gas flows through an opening 338 in the bottom 333 of the pump/purge insert 330 into the plenum 336. The gas may be exhausted from the plenum for discharge. Such an arrangement may be used to vent gases from the process station 110 during use.

The pump/purge insert 330 includes an opening 339, and the gas injector 112 may be inserted into the opening 339. The gas injector 112 is shown with a flange 342, and the flange 342 may be in contact with the ledge 332 adjacent the top 331 of the pump/purge insert 330. The diameter or width of the gas injector 112 may be any suitable size that may fit within the opening 339 of the pump/purge insert 330. This allows for the use of various types of gas injectors 112 within the same opening 310 in the top plate 300.

Referring to fig. 2 and 15, some embodiments of the top plate 300 include a rod 360 passing over a central portion of the top plate 300. The stem 360 may be connected to the top plate 300 near the center using a connector 367. The connector 367 may be used to apply a force normal to the top 331 or bottom 333 of the top plate 300 to compensate for bending in the top plate 300 due to pressure differences or due to the weight of the top plate 300. In some embodiments, the post 360 and connector 367 are capable of compensating for deflection at the center of the top plate up to or equal to about 1.5mm, the width of the top plate is about 1.5m, and the thickness of the top plate is up to or equal to about 100 mm. In some embodiments, the motor 365 or actuator is connected to the connector 367 and can cause a change in the directional force applied to the top plate 300. The motor 365 or actuator can be supported on the rod 360. The rod 360 is shown in contact with the edge of the top plate 300 at two locations. However, the skilled person will appreciate that there may be one connection location or more than two connection locations.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the support assembly 200 includes at least one motor 250. At least one motor 250 is connected to the central base 210 and is configured to rotate the support assembly 200 about a rotational axis 211. In some embodiments, at least one motor is configured to move the central base 210 in a direction along the axis of rotation 211. For example, in fig. 2, motor 255 is connected to motor 250 and can move support assembly 200 along rotational axis 211. In other words, the illustrated motor 255 may move the support assembly 200 along the z-axis, vertically, or orthogonal to the movement caused by the motor 250. In some embodiments, as shown, there is a first motor 250 that rotates support assembly 200 about rotational axis 211 and a second motor 255 that moves support assembly 200 along rotational axis 211 (i.e., along the z-axis or vertically).

Referring to fig. 2 and 16, one or more vacuum streams and/or purge gas streams may be used to help isolate one process station 110a from an adjacent process station 110 b. The purge plenum 370 may be in fluid communication with a purge gas port 371 at an outer boundary of the process station 110. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the purge plenum 370 and purge gas port 371 are located in the top plate 300. A plenum 336, shown as part of the pump/purge insert 330, is in fluid communication with an opening 338 that serves as a pump/purge gas port. The purge gas port 371 and purge plenum 370 (as shown in fig. 13) and vacuum port (opening 338) may extend around the perimeter of the process station 110 to form a gas curtain. The gas curtain can help minimize or eliminate leakage of the process gas into the interior 109 of the processing chamber.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 16, differential pumping (differential pumping) may be used to help isolate the process stations 110. The pump/purge insert 330 is shown in contact with the heater 230 and the support plate 245 with the O-ring 329. O-rings 329 are positioned on either side of an opening 338, the opening 338 being in fluid communication with the plenum 336. One O-ring 329 is located within the circumference of the opening 338 and the other O-ring 329 is located outside the circumference of the opening 338. The combination of the O-ring 329 and the pump/purge plenum 336 with the opening 338 can provide a sufficient pressure differential to maintain a hermetic seal of the process station 110 to the interior volume 109 of the processing chamber 100. In some embodiments, an O-ring 329 is positioned inside or outside the circumference of the opening 338. In some embodiments, there are two O-rings 329, one O-ring located inside the circumference of the purge gas port 371 in fluid communication with the plenum 370 and one O-ring located outside the circumference of the purge gas port 371 in fluid communication with the plenum 370. In some embodiments, there is an O-ring 329 located inside or outside the circumference of the purge gas port 371 in fluid communication with the plenum 370.

The boundary of the process station 110 may be considered to be the area in which the process gas is isolated by the pump/purge insert 330. In some embodiments, the outer boundary of the process station 110 is the outermost edge 381 of the opening 338, the opening 338 being in fluid communication with the plenum 336 of the pump/purge insert 330, as shown in fig. 14 and 16.

The number of process stations 110 may vary with the number of heaters 230 and support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are an equal number of heaters 230, support arms 220, and process stations 110. In some embodiments, the heater 230, the support arm 220, and the process stations 110 are configured such that each support surface 231 of the heater 230 may be positioned adjacent to the front face 214 of a different process station 110 at the same time. In other words, each heater is located in one process station at the same time.

The spacing of the processing stations 110 around the processing chamber 100 may vary. In some embodiments, the processing stations 110 are close enough together to minimize the space between the stations so that the substrate can be moved quickly between the stations with a minimum amount of time and transport distance spent outside one of the stations. In some embodiments, the process stations 110 are positioned close enough so that a wafer transported on the support surface 231 of the heater 230 is always within one of the process stations 110.

Fig. 17 illustrates a processing platform 400 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment shown in fig. 17 represents only one possible configuration and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the processing platform 400 has a different number of one or more processing chambers 100, buffer stations 420, and/or robot 430 configurations than the illustrated embodiment.

The exemplary processing platform 400 includes a central transfer station 410, the central transfer station 410 having a plurality of

sides

411, 412, 413, 414. The illustrated transfer station 410 has a first side 411, a second side 412, a third side 413, and a fourth side 414. Although four sides are shown, those skilled in the art will appreciate that transfer station 410 may have any suitable number of sides depending, for example, on the overall configuration of processing platform 400. In some embodiments, transfer station 410 has three sides, four sides, five sides, six sides, seven sides, or eight sides.

The transfer station 410 has a robot 430 disposed in the transfer station 410. Robot 430 may be any suitable robot capable of moving a wafer during processing. In some embodiments, the robot 430 has a first arm 431 and a second arm 432. The first arm 431 and the second arm 432 are movable independently of each other. The first and

second arms

431, 432 may be movable in the x-y plane and/or along the z-axis. In some embodiments, the robot 430 includes a third arm (not shown) or a fourth arm (not shown). Each arm can move independently of the other arms.

The illustrated embodiment includes six process chambers 100, with two process chambers 100 connected to each of the second side 412, third side 413, and fourth side 414 of the central transfer station 410. Each processing chamber 100 may be configured to perform a different process.

The processing platform 400 may also include one or more buffer stations 420, the buffer stations 420 being connected to a first side 411 of the central transfer station 410. Buffer station 420 may perform the same or different functions. For example, the buffer stations may house wafer cassettes, the wafers being processed and returned to the original cassette, or one of the buffer stations may house unprocessed wafers that are moved to another buffer station after processing. In some embodiments, one or more buffer stations are configured to pre-process, pre-heat, or clean the wafers before and/or after processing.

The processing platform 400 may also include one or more slit valves 418 between the central transfer station 410 and any of the process chambers 100. The slit valve 418 may open and close to isolate the interior space within the processing chamber 100 from the environment within the central transfer station 410. For example, if a processing chamber is to generate plasma during processing, it may be desirable to close the slit valve of such a processing chamber to prevent stray plasma from damaging the robot in the transfer station.

Processing platform 400 may be connected to a factory interface 450 to allow wafers or wafer cassettes to be loaded into processing platform 400. A robot 455 within the factory interface 450 may be used to move wafers or cassettes into and out of the buffer station. The wafers or cassettes may be moved within the processing platform 400 by a robot 430 in a central transfer station 410. In some embodiments, factory interface 450 is a transfer station for another cluster tool (i.e., another multi-chamber processing platform).

A controller 495 may be provided and coupled to the various components of the processing platform 400 to control the operation of the components. The controller 495 may be a single controller that controls the entire processing platform 400, or may be multiple controllers that control separate portions of the processing platform 400. For example, the processing platform 400 may include separate controllers for each of the various process chambers 100, the central transfer station 410, the factory interface 450, and the robot 430.

In some embodiments, the controller 495 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU)496, a memory 497, and support circuits 498. The controller 495 may control the processing platform 400 directly (or via a computer (or controller) associated with a particular process chamber and/or support system component).

The controller 495 may be one of any form of general purpose computer processor that may be used in an industrial setting to control various chambers and sub-processors. The memory 497 or computer readable medium of the controller 495 may be one or more of readily available memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), magnetic disk, hard disk, optical storage medium (e.g., compact disk or digital video disk), flash drive, or any other form of digital storage, local or remote. Memory 497 may retain a set of instructions operable by processor (CPU496) to control parameters and components of processing platform 400.

Support circuits 498 are coupled to CPU496 to support the processor in a conventional manner. These circuits include cache, power supplies, clock circuits, input-output circuits and subsystems, and the like. One or more processes may be stored in the memory 498 as software routines that, when executed or invoked by a processor, cause the processor to control the operation of the processing platform 400 or various processing chambers in the manner described herein. The software routines may also be stored and/or executed by a second CPU (not shown) that is remotely located from the hardware being controlled by CPU 496.

Some or all of the processes and methods of the present disclosure may also be performed in hardware. As such, the processes may be implemented in software and may be performed using a computer system, may be performed in hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit or other type of hardware implementation), or a combination of software and hardware. When executed by the processor, the software routines transform the general-purpose computer into a specific-purpose computer (controller) that controls the operation of the chamber to perform the process.

In some embodiments, the controller 495 has one or more configurations to perform individual processes or sub-processes to perform the methods. The controller 495 may be connected to the intermediate components and configured to operate the intermediate components to perform the functions of the method. For example, the controller 495 may be connected to and configured to control one or more of a gas valve, an actuator, a motor, a slit valve, a vacuum control, or other components.

Fig. 18A-18I illustrate various configurations of a processing chamber 100 having different process stations 110. The lettered circles represent different process stations 110 and process conditions. For example, in FIG. 18A, there are four process stations 110, each having a different letter. This represents four process stations 110, each having different conditions than the others. The process may be performed by moving the heater with the wafer from station a to station D as indicated by the arrow. After exposure to D, the cycle may continue or reverse.

In fig. 18B, two or four wafers may be processed simultaneously, with the wafers moving back and forth between the a and B positions on the heater. Two wafers may start in the a position and two wafers may start in the B position. The independent process stations 110 allow two of the stations to be shut down during the first cycle so that each wafer starts out with an a exposure. The heater and wafer may be continuously rotated, either clockwise or counterclockwise. In some embodiments, the heater and wafer are rotated 90 ° in a first direction (e.g., from a to B) and then rotated 90 ° in a second direction (e.g., from B back to a). This rotation may be repeated so that four wafers/heaters are processed and the support assembly is rotated no more than 90 °.

The embodiment illustrated in fig. 18B may also be used to process two wafers in four process stations 110. This may be particularly useful if one of the processes is at a very different pressure, or if the a and B process times are very different.

In fig. 18C, three wafers may be processed in an ABC process in a single process chamber 100. A station may either shut down or perform other functions (e.g., preheating).

In fig. 18D, two wafers may be processed in an AB-process. For example, the wafer may be placed on the B heater only. A quarter turn clockwise will place one wafer in the a station and a second wafer in the T station. The turn would move both wafers to station B and a further quarter turn counter clockwise would place the second wafer in station a and the first wafer in station B.

In fig. 18E, up to four wafers may be processed simultaneously. For example, if station a is configured to perform a CVD or ALD process, four wafers may be processed simultaneously.

Fig. 18F-18I illustrate a similar type of configuration for a processing chamber 100 having three process stations 110. Briefly, in FIG. 18F, a single wafer (or more than one wafer) may be subjected to an ABC process. In fig. 18G, two wafers may be subjected to an AB process by placing one wafer in the a position and the other wafer in one of the B positions. The wafer may then be moved back and forth so that the wafer starting in the B position moves to the a position in a first movement and then returns to the same B position. In fig. 18H, the wafer may be subjected to an AB-processing process. In fig. 18I, three wafers may be processed simultaneously.

Fig. 19A and 19B illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 19A shows a partial view of the heater 230 and support plate 245, the heater 230 and support plate 245 having been rotated to a position below the process station 110 such that the wafer 101 is adjacent to the gas injector 112. The O-ring 329 on the support plate 245 or on the outside of the heater 230 is in a relaxed state.

Fig. 19B shows the support plate 245 and the heater 230 after moving toward the process station 110 such that the support surface 231 of the heater 230 is in contact or nearly in contact with the front face 114 of the gas injector 112 in the process station 110. In this position, the O-ring 329 is compressed, forming a seal around the outer edge of the support plate 245 or the exterior of the heater 230. This allows the wafer 101 to be moved as close as possible to the gas injector 112 to minimize the volume of the reaction zone 219 so that the reaction zone 219 can be rapidly purged.

Gases that may flow from reaction zone 219 are exhausted into plenum 336 through opening 338 and to an exhaust or foreline (not shown). A curtain of purge gas outside the opening 338 can be created by the purge gas chamber 370 and the purge gas port 371. In addition, the gap 137 between the heater 230 and the support plate 245 may help to further shield the reaction region 219 and prevent the flow of the reaction gas into the interior volume 109 of the process chamber 100.

Returning to fig. 17, the controller 495 of some embodiments has one or more configurations selected from: an arrangement for moving a substrate on a robot between a plurality of processing chambers; a configuration to load and/or unload substrates from the system; an arrangement for opening/closing the slit valve; an arrangement for powering one or more heaters; an arrangement to measure heater temperature; an arrangement for measuring the temperature of a wafer on the heater; an arrangement for loading or unloading wafers from the heater; a configuration to provide feedback between temperature measurements and heater power control; an arrangement for rotating the support assembly about an axis of rotation; a configuration that moves the support assembly along the axis of rotation (i.e., along the z-axis); an arrangement for setting or changing the rotational speed of the support assembly; an arrangement for providing a flow of gas to a gas injector; an arrangement for supplying power to one or more electrodes to generate a plasma in the gas injector; controlling a configuration of a power source for a plasma source; a configuration to control the frequency and/or power of the plasma source power source; and/or a configuration that provides control for the thermal annealing processing station.

One or more embodiments relate to a method of operating a processing chamber 100. In one or more embodiments, a method includes providing a process chamber 100, the process chamber 100 including x number of spatially separated, isolated process stations 110. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations. In some embodiments, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is 4.

In some embodiments, x' refers to the number of different spatially separated isolated processing stations. Different spatially separated isolated processing stations involve different process conditions in the processing stations. For example, in a system having four processing stations containing two different process conditions, x' is equal to 2. Such embodiments have an equal number of stations under each type of process conditions. In one or more embodiments, the process chamber includes four processing stations, the four processing stations being divided into alternating first and second processing stations such that the first processing station has a first process condition and the second processing station has a second process condition, and the wafer rotating about all of the processing stations will be exposed to each process condition twice. For example, fig. 7 illustrates an embodiment in which there are two different types of process conditions (a and B) in four process stations. In this example, x ═ 4 and x' ═ 2.

In one or more embodiments, the process chamber 100 has a process chamber temperature and each process station 110 independently has a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different from the process station temperature. In one or more embodiments, the substrate support assembly 200 having the plurality of substrate support surfaces 231 aligned with the x number of spatially separated processing stations 110 is rotated (rx-1) times such that each substrate support surface 231 is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface 231. The term "(rx-1)" as used herein refers to the number of times (i.e., the number of rotations) the substrate support assembly is rotated. In one or more embodiments, r represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles) and is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In some embodiments, r is greater than 10, greater than 50, or greater than 100. In one or more embodiments, r is in the range of 1 to 10, or in the range of 1 to 8, or in the range of 1 to 6, or in the range of 1 to 4, or selected from 1, 2, 3, or 4. In other embodiments, r is 1. In other embodiments, r is 2, 3, or 4.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support assembly 200 is then rotated (rx-1) times to rotate (360/x) each substrate support surface 231 in the second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface 231.

In one or more embodiments, the first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other. In one or more embodiments, the first direction is selected from counterclockwise or clockwise. In one or more embodiments, the second direction is the other of counterclockwise or clockwise.

In one or more embodiments, the plurality of substrate support surfaces 231 are substantially coplanar. As used in this manner, "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by each support surface 231 is within 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 of the plane formed by the other support surfaces 231. In some embodiments, the term "substantially coplanar" refers to planes formed by the respective support surfaces that are within ± 50 μm, ± 40 μm, ± 30 μm, ± 20 μm or ± 10 μm.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surface includes a heater 230 that can support a wafer. In some embodiments, the substrate support surface or heater 230 comprises an electrostatic chuck.

In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises: controlling one or more of the process chamber temperature or the process station temperature.

In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises: the speed of rotation (rx-1) of the plurality of substrate support assemblies 200 is controlled.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber 100. In one or more embodiments, the method includes providing a process chamber 100 having at least two different processing stations 110, a substrate support assembly 200 including a first substrate support surface 231, a second substrate support surface 231, a third substrate support surface 231, and a fourth substrate support surface 231, each substrate support surface 231 being in an initial position aligned with a processing station 110. The first wafer on the first substrate support surface 231 is exposed to a first process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a second process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the third substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a third process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a fourth process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in the second direction to move the first wafer to the initial position of the third substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a third process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in the second direction to move the first wafer to the initial position of the second substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a second process condition. The substrate support assembly 200 is rotated in the second direction to move the first wafer to the initial position of the first substrate support surface 231 and the first wafer is exposed to the first process conditions. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like.

In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises: exposing the second wafer on the second substrate support surface 231 to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the second wafer to the initial position of the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the second wafer to the initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to move the second wafer to an initial position of the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the second wafer to the initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the second wafer to the initial position of the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the second wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface 231; and exposing the second wafer to second process conditions.

In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises: exposing the third wafer on the third substrate support surface 231 to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the third wafer to the initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to move the third wafer to an initial position at the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to move the third wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the third wafer to the initial position of the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the third wafer to the initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the third wafer to the initial position of the third substrate support surface 231; and exposing the third wafer to a third process condition.

In other embodiments, the method further comprises: exposing the fourth wafer on the fourth substrate support surface 231 to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to the first process conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to the first process conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to move the fourth wafer to the initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; and exposing the fourth wafer to a fourth process condition.

Fig. 21 depicts a flow diagram of a method 600 of depositing a film in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 22 illustrates a process chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 21 and 22, the method 600 begins at operation 620 where at least one wafer is loaded onto an x number of substrate support surfaces in operation 620. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations 110. In some embodiments, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is 4.

At operation 630, the substrate support assembly is rotated (rx-1) times in a first direction such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees to an adjacent processing station 110, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The number r indicates the number of process cycles (i.e., ALD cycles). The term "(rx-1)" or "(rx' -1)" as used herein refers to the number of times (i.e., the number of rotations) the substrate support assembly is rotated.

In some embodiments, there is more than one process cycle (r) to make a full rotation around the process chamber. For example, fig. 22 illustrates a process according to method 600, where there are x ═ 4 process stations 110 with x' ═ 2 different types of process conditions (a and B). In this embodiment, the substrate support assembly may be rotated an odd number of times in each direction to provide alternating exposures to both process conditions. In some embodiments, the number of rotations in each direction is equal to (rx' -1) times. In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 7, r is 2 and x' is 2, so that there are three

rotations

117a, 117b, 117c in the first direction.

At operation 640, at each processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

At operation 650, the substrate support assembly is rotated (rx-1) or (rx' -1) times in the second direction such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees to an adjacent processing station 110. As shown in fig. 22, there are three

rotations

118a, 118b, 118c in the second direction.

At decision point 660, the method stops if a film of a predetermined thickness has been formed on the substrate. If the predetermined thickness of the film has not been achieved on the substrate at decision point 660, the process cycle 625 is repeated until the predetermined thickness is achieved.

Fig. 23 depicts a flow diagram of a method 700 of depositing a film in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 24 illustrates a process chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 23 and 24, the method 700 begins at operation 720, and at operation 720, at least one wafer is loaded onto an x number of substrate support surfaces. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations 110. In some embodiments, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations 110 is the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is 4.

At operation 730, the substrate support assembly is rotated rx times in the first direction such that each substrate support surface is rotated to each adjacent processing station 110, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The term "(rx)" as used herein refers to the number of times (i.e., the number of rotations) the substrate support assembly is rotated. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 23-24, when there are four processing stations (i.e., when x is 4), the substrate support is rotated at least four times in the first direction and at least four times in the second direction.

In some embodiments, there is more than one process cycle to make a full rotation around the process chamber. For example, fig. 24 illustrates a process according to method 700, where there are x ═ 4 process stations 110, with x' ═ 2 different types of process conditions (a and B). In this embodiment, the substrate support assembly may be rotated in each direction to provide alternating exposures to both process conditions. In some embodiments, the number of rotations in each direction is equal to rx times. In the embodiment shown in fig. 24, four

rotations

117a, 117b, 117c, 117d in the first direction result in two complete ALD cycles, while the substrate is returned to the initial processing station 110.

At operation 740, at each processing station, a top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

At operation 750, the substrate support assembly is rotated (rx) times in the second direction such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees to an adjacent processing station 110. As shown in fig. 24, there are four

rotations

118a, 118b, 118c, 118d in the second direction.

At decision point 760, if a film of a predetermined thickness has been formed on the substrate, the method stops. If the predetermined thickness of the film has not been achieved on the substrate at decision point 760, the cycle 725 is repeated until the predetermined thickness is achieved.

Fig. 25 depicts a flow diagram of a method 800 of depositing a film in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 26 illustrates a process chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 25 and 26, the method 800 begins at operation 820 with loading at least one wafer onto an x number of substrate support surfaces in operation 820. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations 110. In some embodiments, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is 4.

At operation 830, the substrate support assembly is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction and then rotated (360/x) degrees in a second direction to rotate each substrate support surface to each adjacent processing station 120. The rotation in the first direction and the second direction may be repeated n times, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The number n indicates the number of process cycles (i.e., ALD cycles). In other words, each process of rotating in the first direction followed by processing and rotating in the second direction is one process cycle, thereby exposing the substrate to each of the first and second reactive gases in the first and second stations, respectively.

Fig. 26 illustrates a process according to method 800, where there are x 4 process stations 120 with x' 4 different types of process conditions (A, B, C and D). In this embodiment, the substrate support assembly 100 is rotated in a first direction 117 such that a substrate placed on the process station 120a is rotated 117a to process station 120b, and then the substrate support assembly 100 is rotated in a second direction 118 to rotate 118a the substrate (now located on process station 120 b) back to process station 120 a. This rotation may be repeated n times, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The number n indicates the number of process cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

At operation 840, at each processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

At operation 850, the substrate support assembly is then rotated (360/x) degrees in the first direction 117, followed by another (360/x) degree in the first direction 117. Referring to fig. 26, the substrate on process station 120a is rotated 117a to process station 120b, and then rotated 117b to process station 120 c. In operation 850 of some embodiments, the substrate support is rotated a sufficient number of times to move the substrate to the second set of processing stations. For example, the substrate support is rotated twice to move the substrate initially in station a into station C

In some embodiments (not shown), the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a thin film as the substrate support is rotated from station a to station B. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

In some embodiments (not shown), the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film as the substrate support is then rotated from station B to station C. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

At operation 860, the substrate support assembly 100 is rotated (360/x) degrees in the first direction 117 and then rotated (360/x) degrees in the second direction 118 to rotate each substrate support surface to each adjacent processing station 120. This rotation may be repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The number m represents the number of process cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

Referring to fig. 26, the substrate support assembly 100 is rotated in a first direction 117 such that the substrate now placed on process station 120c is rotated 117c to process station 120d, and then the substrate support assembly 100 is rotated in a second direction 118 such that the substrate (now located on process station 120 d) is rotated 118b back to process station 120 c. This rotation may be repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The number m represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

At operation 870, at each processing station, a top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactant gases, or the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film has a substantially uniform thickness. The term "substantially uniform" as used herein refers to a film thickness within 5nm, ± 4nm, ± 3nm, ± 2nm or ± 1nm of the formed film.

At operation 880, the substrate support assembly is then rotated (360/x) degrees in the second direction 118. Referring to fig. 26, the substrate on process station 120c is rotated 118c to process station 120 b.

At decision point 890, the method stops if a film of a predetermined thickness has been formed on the substrate. If the predetermined thickness of the film has not been achieved on the substrate at decision point 890, the cycle 725 is repeated until the predetermined thickness is achieved.

In one or more embodiments, at least one wafer is stationary while forming the membrane.

In one or more embodiments of the method, the substrate support surface includes a heater. In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surface or the heater comprises an electrostatic chuck.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "certain embodiments," "one or more embodiments," or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases such as "in one or more embodiments," "in certain embodiments," "in one embodiment," or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment of the disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Although the disclosure herein refers to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the methods and apparatus of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a process chamber comprising x number of spatially separated, isolated process stations, the process chamber having a process chamber temperature and each process station independently having a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different from the process station temperatures;

rotating a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations by rx times such that each substrate support surface is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface, r being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and

rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a second direction to the adjacent substrate support surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein r is in the range of from 1 to 10.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces are substantially coplanar.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces comprise heaters.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling one or more of the process chamber temperature or the process station temperature.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the rotational speed of the plurality of substrate support assemblies.

8. A method comprising the steps of:

rotating (360/x) a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations to an adjacent substrate support surface in a first direction;

rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in a second direction to the adjacent substrate support surface, wherein the rotation in the first direction is repeated n times with the rotation in the second direction, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly twice in a first direction;

rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in the first direction by an angle and then rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in the second direction by an angle, these rotations in the first and second directions being repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and

rotating (360/x) the substrate support assembly in the second direction.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces are substantially coplanar.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling one or more of the process chamber temperature or the process station temperature.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling the rotational speed of the plurality of substrate support assemblies.

13. A method of forming a film, the method comprising the steps of:

loading at least one wafer onto an x number of substrate support surfaces in a substrate support assembly, each of the substrate support surfaces being aligned with an x number of spatially separated isolated processing stations;

rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface, r being an integer greater than or equal to 1;

rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a second direction to the adjacent substrate support surface; and

at each processing station, the top surface of the at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one wafer is stationary while the film is formed.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein x is an integer in the range from 2 to 10, and wherein r is in the range from 1 to 10.