JP2018501654A - Detection of wafer dropping from the spin chuck - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for detecting that a microelectronic substrate is no longer properly secured or has fallen from a rotating chuck. A macroelectronic substrate can be secured to a rotating chuck that rotates the substrate when the substrate is exposed to chemicals during processing in a process chamber. The rotating chuck can include one or more detectors that can detect the position of a gripping mechanism that secures the microelectronic substrate. The detector can generate an electrical signal related to the position of the microelectronic substrate. When the electrical signal exceeds the threshold, the system can stop the chuck from rotating to avoid further damage to the process chamber. [Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing a surface of a microelectronic substrate, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for determining whether a microelectronic substrate is fixed in place during processing.

  Integrated circuits (ICs) can be formed on microelectronic substrates, such as semiconductor substrates, with an increasing density of active devices. ICs can be formed through a continuous process that forms structures that perform electrical functions as needed. The processing of the microelectronic substrate can be automated to secure and process the microelectronic substrate in a controlled manner. One aspect can include rotating the microelectronic substrate during processing or processes. This rotation can allow for more uniform processing of the entire microelectronic substrate. However, the rotational speed may be relatively fast, so that if the microelectronic substrate is not secured, the substrate can break and process equipment can be damaged. Accordingly, determining when the microelectronic substrate will not be secured to reduce the possibility of substrate breakage and prevent or minimize damage to the resulting equipment by the unsecured microelectronic substrate; and It may be desirable to disable the rotation mechanism.

  In the microelectronic device manufacturing industry, devices are manufactured on microelectronic substrates (eg, semiconductor wafers) that are transported, handled, and processed by semiconductor process equipment between semiconductor process equipment. The diameter of the microelectronic substrate can be larger than 150 mm and can be subject to several mechanical handling by the process equipment. One aspect of mechanical handling includes, but is not limited to, rotating the microelectronic substrate during processing. Mechanical handling can include securing the microelectronic substrate to a rotating mechanism that can rotate at a speed of at least 50 rpm. In most cases, the fixed microelectronic substrate is successfully processed and removed from the process equipment. However, in some examples, the microelectronic substrate may become unsecured from the rotating mechanism. This results in substrate failure and processing chamber damage that can increase as the rotating mechanism continues to rotate and releases a portion of the damaged microelectronic substrate into the entire chamber.

  One aspect for preventing and minimizing damage to process equipment includes a microelectronic substrate detection system that determines whether the microelectronic substrate is fixed before and during rotation of the microelectronic substrate. Can do. In one embodiment, the microelectronic substrate is used with any mechanical means (eg, clamp) that secures the microelectronic substrate in a desired position for subsequent processing, which may include rotating the microelectronic substrate. Can be gripped. The positioning of the gripping mechanism can be monitored by the detection system so that the detection system can stop rotating and minimize damage to the process chamber even if the mechanism changes position in an undesirable manner.

  In one embodiment, the rotation mechanism can include at least two gripping components that can secure the microelectronic substrate to the rotation mechanism. The gripping component can be mechanically driven to contact and apply pressure to the microelectronic substrate so that the microelectronic substrate does not move horizontally or vertically during rotation. However, when the microelectronic substrate is not secured, the mechanical stress applied by the gripping component can also change position or orientation. Accordingly, the detection system may monitor the position of the gripping component and may stop the rotation mechanism based at least in part on the position of the gripping component when the change in position exceeds a threshold amount. The detection system can include a magnet and a magnetic detector that are used in combination to determine the position of the gripping component and whether the microelectronic substrate is fixed.

  In one embodiment, the detection system can include one or more magnets coupled to a rotating portion of the rotating mechanism and a detection sensor coupled to a relatively stationary portion of the process equipment. Detection sensors (eg, Hall effect sensors) can monitor the strength of the magnet field each time they rotate around the detection sensor during microelectronic substrate processing. A detection system can be taught to identify an indication of a particular field intensity to indicate that the microelectronic substrate is properly secured. Similarly, a detection system can be taught to interpret a particular field intensity indication to indicate that the microelectronic substrate may not be properly secured. For example, a trigger value or threshold can be set, and when the field strength is above or below that trigger value, the rotation mechanism stops rotating regardless of whether the process or process is complete.

  In one embodiment, more than two magnets can be placed adjacent to the gripping component, so that the movement or orientation of the gripping component changes the position and / or orientation of the magnet relative to the detection sensor. The detection system can determine the position or orientation of the magnet based at least in part on the magnitude of the field strength and / or the change in field strength. In this embodiment, the position of the gripping component can be correlated to the strength of the field indicating that the microelectronic substrate is fixed. However, this indicates that when the field strength is above or below the threshold value of the trigger value, the microelectronic substrate is no longer fixed to the rotating mechanism. Thus, the rotation mechanism may begin to slow down or stop to minimize further damage to the process chamber caused by the unsecured microelectronic substrate.

In other embodiments, the magnets can include different polarities, so that field strength signatures are polarized and dual signature capabilities (dual
signature capability) can be provided and can be monitored by the detection system. The difference in polarity between the magnets can result in different field strength characteristics that can be used to determine whether the microelectronic substrate is properly secured to the rotating mechanism. Thus, there can be two types of signals that can be monitored to determine whether the microelectronic substrate is properly secured to the rotating mechanism. Two signals can be used alone or in combination to stop the rotation mechanism. Thus, the detection system can use the threshold for each signal to trigger the rotation mechanism to stop.

  In other embodiments, the process equipment can include a controller that can include a computer processor and memory components that can store and execute computer-executable instructions for executing the detection system described above. For example, the memory can include process components that manage or control the processing process within the process chamber. The detection component can also be stored in memory (but need not be) to determine if the microelectronic substrate is properly secured during the processing process. In one method embodiment, the controller instructs the process equipment to couple the microelectronic substrate to the rotating chuck in the process chamber. The microelectronic substrate can be mechanically fixed by a gripping mechanism that drives between an open position and a closed position. The rotary chuck can rotate when the controller determines that the gripping mechanism is in the closed position. The detection component can determine that the gripping mechanism is in the closed position based at least in part on the strength of the field from the magnet detected by a detection sensor (eg, a Hall effect sensor) proximate to the magnet. The controller can then initiate rotation of the microelectronic substrate so that the detection sensor detects the strength of the magnet field as the magnet passes the detection sensor. As described above, the field strength can vary depending on the position of the gripping mechanism. The detection component can compare the field intensity signal to a threshold value to determine whether the gripping mechanism is in the same or similar position. In one embodiment, the microelectronic substrate may be considered fixed by the gripping mechanism when the field intensity signal falls below a threshold value. However, when the field intensity signal crosses the threshold, the microelectronic substrate can be considered as missing or not secured by the gripping mechanism. Therefore, the controller can stop rotating the rotary chuck.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description of the invention given above and the following detailed description, Play a role in explaining. Further, the leftmost digit of the reference sign identifies the drawing in which the reference sign first appears.
It is a figure which shows the outline of the process system containing a rotation mechanism and a microelectronic substrate position detection system. It is a figure which shows the bottom face of one Embodiment of the rotation mechanism containing a holding | grip component, a magnet, and a detection sensor. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of detection sensors and magnetic components used by a process system to detect the position of a microelectronic substrate. Fig. 6 shows a graph illustrating one embodiment of a method for determining when a rotating mechanism is disconnected. 6 shows a flowchart for a method of detecting whether a microelectronic substrate is fixed to a rotating mechanism.

  A method for selectively removing material from a substrate is described in various embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other substitutions and / or additional methods, materials, or components. Will. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments of the invention. Similarly, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Nevertheless, the present invention can be practiced without specific details. Further, it is understood that the various embodiments shown in the drawings are illustrative and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

  Throughout this specification "an embodiment" or "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Although meant, they are not intended to be present in every embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may include and / or be described in various additional layers or structures that may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Certain features may be omitted in other embodiments.

  “Generally used microelectronic substrate” means an object to be processed according to the present invention. A microelectronic substrate can include any material portion or structure of a device, particularly a semiconductor device or other electronic device, for example, a base substrate structure, such as a semiconductor substrate, or on a base substrate structure. Or a thin film-like layer covering the base substrate structure. Thus, the substrate is not intended to be limited to any particular base structure, underlayer or overlay layer, patterned or unpatterned, and any such layer or base structure, and , And / or any combination of layers and / or base structures. The following description can refer to a particular type of substrate, but this is for illustrative purposes only and is not limiting. In addition to microelectronic substrates, the techniques described herein can also be used to clean reticle substrates that can be used to pattern microelectronic substrates using photolithography techniques.

  Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system 100 that can be used to process a microelectronic substrate (not shown), and the microelectronic substrate during processing in process chamber 106. FIG. 10 provides a cross-sectional view 102 of one embodiment of a rotating chuck 104 used to secure the. In one embodiment, process chamber 106 processing can include rotating the microelectronic substrate to enable or improve processing of the microelectronic substrate. The processing can include, but is not limited to, gases and / or chemicals to which the microelectronic substrate in the process chamber 106 is exposed. In order to enable processing, the system 100 may include, but is not limited to, the following configuration. One or more fluid delivery that supplies various chemical fluids (eg, gas phase, liquid phase, or combinations thereof) to which the microelectronic substrate is exposed under various conditions (eg, temperature, pressure, time, etc.). System 108. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the chemical processing arts, the fluid delivery system 108 may include various control mechanisms and piping that can control the flow rate, concentration and / or temperature of the chemical fluid supplied to the process chamber 106. it can. The system 100 can also include an exhaust system 110 that can remove chemical fluids or process by-products from the process chamber 106. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the evacuation system can include various techniques for removing gas and / or liquid using a pressure differential system that allows gas or liquid to flow in one direction. The evacuation system 110 can control the rate of chemical removal from the process chamber 106 using known techniques.

  The system 100 can also include a controller 112 that operates or controls the operation of moving the microelectronic substrate into and out of the processing chamber 106 and the supply and removal of chemicals used in the processing. One aspect of the controller 112 may monitor the movement of the microelectronic substrate before, during and / or after processing. For example, one processing condition can include rotating the microelectronic substrate when chemicals are in the process chamber 106. However, it may be desirable to confirm that the microelectronic substrate is secured to the rotating chuck 104 before, during, and / or after processing. The controller 112 can interact with a detection system incorporated in the rotating chuck 104 and can provide an electrical signal to a detection component 114 that can be stored in the memory 116. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 112 can be in electrical communication with the system 100 components on the communication network 120 (eg, dashed lines).

  In this embodiment, the detection component 114 is executed on the computer processor 118 to determine whether the electrical signal indicates that the microelectronic substrate is properly secured to the rotating chuck 104. Possible instructions can be included. Similarly, the process component 120 can include computer-executable instructions that control or scan the fluid delivery system 108 and the discharge system 110.

  An electrical signal (not shown) provided to the detection component 114 may be provided by a detection sensor 122 that can monitor some aspect of the rotating chuck 104 indicating that the microelectronic substrate is properly secured. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the microelectronic substrate can be driven by a mechanical device 126 (eg, a spring) using a pivot joint 128 to apply pressure to secure the microelectronic substrate to the rotating chuck 104. A gripping mechanism 124 can be included. In this example, the gripping mechanism 124 can move sideways as indicated by the double arrow. One indication that the microelectronic substrate appears to be properly secured is the position of the gripping mechanism 124. The position can be monitored by using a position indicator 128 (eg, a magnet) that can move in conjunction with the gripping mechanism 124. For example, when the microelectronic substrate is dropped or removed from the rotating chuck 104, the gripping mechanism 124 can move due to a decrease in resistance to the mechanical device 126. The detection sensor 122 can detect movement and determine an electrical signal that can be interpreted by the detection component 114 to determine that the microelectronic substrate is not properly secured. Thus, the controller 112 can instruct the rotating chuck 104 to stop rotating to prevent additional damage to the process chamber 102 caused by an unsecured microelectronic substrate.

  The position indicator 128 includes any component that can be observed by the detection sensor 122 and that can provide an indication that the gripping mechanism 124 has moved or that the microelectronic substrate is no longer secured to the rotating chuck 104. Can be included. In one embodiment, the position indicator 128 may be a magnet that generates a magnetic field, which may vary in magnitude across or away from the magnet. The detection sensor 122 can detect a change in the magnetic field strength and can generate an electric signal representing the magnetic field strength. In one example, the detection sensor 122 can include a Hall effect sensor that can generate a voltage in response to detection of a magnetic field. The magnitude of the voltage can vary depending on the magnitude of the magnetic field strength. For example, depending on the magnet type, higher field strengths can generate higher voltages and lower field strengths can generate lower voltages. Thus, the position of the position indicator 128 can be approximated or correlated to the field strength detected by the Hall effect sensor. At a minimum, a change in magnetic field strength may indicate that the position indicator 128 has moved, indicating that the gripping mechanism 124 has moved. The movement may be due to the microelectronic substrate no longer being properly secured to the rotating chuck 104.

  The interaction between the magnet and the magnetic sensor is described in more detail in the description of FIG. One embodiment describing the operation of the detection component 114 and the detection sensor 122 is described in more detail in the description of FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows a general view 200 as viewed from the bottom of one embodiment of the rotating chuck 104 that may include a combination of a detection sensor 122 and a position indicator 128. Although there are three pairs of detection sensors 122 and position indicators 128, the total number of pairs can vary and the pair between detection sensors 122 and position indicators 128 is not essential. For example, multiple position indicators 128 can be used with a single position detector 122. And vice versa.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the rotating chuck 104 includes three gripping mechanisms (not shown) coupled to respective operating mechanisms 202 that can apply pressure to secure a microelectronic substrate (not shown). it can. The actuating mechanism 202 may be secured to each mounting arm 204 that can provide support or leverage so that the position indicator 128 can move relative to the mounting arm in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, or a combination of both. For example, the mounting arm 202 can be positioned to secure the microelectronic substrate so that the position indicator 128 can be positioned within a known distance of the detection sensor 122. In this manner, the detection sensor 122 can detect and generate an electrical signal that can be used to identify the location using the detection component 114. As the position detectors 128 rotate about the central assembly 206, the stationary detection sensors 128 can generate an electrical signal for each position indicator 128 each time they pass by, indicating their position. An observable signal can be provided. In the magnet embodiment, the observable signal may be a magnetic field that can be detected by a Hall effect sensor (eg, detection sensor 122). However, in other examples, the observable signal can include light, voltage, force, current, heat, or combinations thereof. The detection sensor 122 and the position indicator 128 can be suitably configured to generate and / or detect an observable signal that can be provided to the controller 112.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a detection sensor 122 (eg, a Hall effect sensor) and a position indicator 128 (eg, a magnet) used by the process system 100, and a rotating chuck 104 ( (Not shown).

  In this embodiment, the magnet 302 can emit a magnetic field 304 that can be detected by the Hall effect sensor 306. The field strength of the field 304 can vary with distance, and the relative position 308 between the magnet 302 and the Hall effect sensor 306 can be correlated with the magnitude of the field strength. Hall effect sensor 306 can generate a voltage or electrical signal that can represent relative position 308. Although the relative position 308 is illustrated as a horizontal distance, the relative position may be changed in the x, y, and z directions. The position can be changed in any way that allows the Hall effect sensor 306 to detect a magnetic field emitted from the magnet 302 (eg, an observable signal). The detection component 114 may be configured to correlate any portion of the magnetic field with a magnitude that indicates that the microelectronic substrate is securely held by the rotating chuck 104.

  In one embodiment, the magnet 302 can change polarity so that the magnetic field detected by the Hall effect sensor 306 generates two different types of electrical signals and provides them to the detection component 114. An example of this embodiment is described in the description of FIG.

  In other embodiments, the observable signal may not be a magnetic field. For example, the position indicator 128 can emit light or pressure can be detected by a suitable detection sensor 122. For example, the light intensity can be detected by a light sensor (not shown) and a pressure transducer (not shown) can be used to detect a change in pressure. However, the detection component 114 can be configured to correlate the observable signal with the position of the gripping mechanism 124 and whether the microelectronic substrate is properly secured by the rotating chuck 104.

  FIG. 4 includes a graph 400 illustrating one embodiment of a method for determining when the rotating chuck 104 stops rotating based at least in part on a signal from the detection sensor 122 received by the detection component 114. . In general, the detection component 122 can monitor signals from the detection sensor 122 and compare them to one or more threshold levels (eg, S-pole threshold 402, N-pole threshold 404).

  Different thresholds may be associated with different magnet polarities. In one embodiment, the rotating chuck 104 can include a plurality of position indicators 128 that can include different observable characteristics. For example, the position indicator 128 can include magnets with different polarities and can provide different electrical signals relative to the same position of the gripping mechanism 124, but is not limited to such. The electrical signal may be used alone or in combination by the detection component 114 to determine whether to stop the rotating chuck 104.

  The graph 400 includes a combination of information regarding signal strength (eg, signal axis 406), number of revolutions per minute of the rotating chuck 104 (eg, rpm axis 408), and time (eg, time axis 410). Time increases from left to right along the time axis 410 and the graph 400 begins during the intermediate process with the rotating chuck 104 rotating at 1000 rpm by the rotation speed plot 412. The signal strength for the S magnet 414 (eg, the detection sensor 122) starts at exactly 180 or less, and the signal strength 416 for the N magnet (eg, the detection sensor 122) starts at about 80. As described above, the signal strength may be generated by a Hall effect sensor 306 that generates a voltage that correlates with an observable signal from the magnet 302 (eg, magnetic field 304). The magnitudes shown in graph 400 are for illustrative purposes and do not limit the claims to values on signal axis 406, rpm axis 408, or time axis 410.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the detection component 114 can monitor the S magnet 416 signal and the N magnet 414 signal. The detection component 114 can compare the signal to a respective threshold value. For example, when the S magnet signal rises to about 240 and crosses the S pole threshold 402, the detection component 114 determines that the microelectronic substrate is not fixed and instructs the rotary chuck 104 to stop rotating. The transition to ramp down is indicated by a ramp down point 412 that ends at zero rpms. In other embodiments, the detection component 114 can use the N magnet 416 signal to determine that the microelectronic substrate is not secured. As shown in FIG. 4, in yet another embodiment, the N magnet 416 signal can cross the N pole threshold level 404 and the detection component 114 can instruct the rotating chuck 104 to stop rotating. Can use a combination of both the S magnet 414 signal and the N magnet 416 signal to determine that the microelectronic substrate is not properly secured. In this case, both the S magnet signal 414 and the N magnet signal 416 must cross the respective threshold levels before the detection component 114 stops the rotating chuck 104.

  The threshold level (eg, S pole threshold 402, etc.) can be determined through experimentation or teaching of the gripping mechanism 124. In this way, the threshold level can be determined by gripping the microelectronic substrate with the rotating chuck 104 and setting the gripping set point of the detection component. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the microelectronic substrate is slowly released until it leaves, and the voltage from the Hall effect sensor 306 of the sensing component 114 is set as a threshold level that triggers the rotation chuck 104 to stop during processing.

  In another embodiment, the threshold level may be based on a set deviation amount, such as the rate of change of the input magnet signal. For example, if the magnitude of the signal deviates by 10% or 20% or more, the detection component 114 determines that the microelectronic substrate is not properly fixed and stops the rotating chuck 104. In other embodiments, the signal can be normalized to better control the rotating chuck 104 by reducing the effects of outlier events (eg, unexpected signal peaks) and preventing false shutdowns. .

  FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart 500 for a method of determining whether a microelectronic substrate is secured to the rotating chuck 104 and stopping rotation when it is determined that the microelectronic substrate is either missing or not secured. Illustrate. As described above, the controller 112 can be used to control the rotating chuck 104 and its gripping mechanism 124. The controller 112 can also determine whether the microelectronic substrate is properly secured to the rotating chuck 104. A flowchart 500 illustrates an example of implementing this embodiment.

  At block 502, the system 100 can include a handling mechanism that can transfer the microelectronic substrate from the transport cassette to the process chamber. The handling mechanism can place the microelectronic substrate on the rotating chuck 104 and the controller 112 can actuate the gripping mechanism 124 before processing the microelectronic substrate.

  In one embodiment, the rotating chuck 104 can include a position indicator 128 that can be coupled to the gripping mechanism 124. The position indicator 128 can be positioned in a specific manner that indicates that the microelectronic substrate is secured to the rotating chuck 104. For example, the gripping mechanism 124 can move from the open position to the closed position. Movement between the open position and the closed position can also move the position indicator 128 relative to the detection sensor 122. The controller 112 can receive a signal from a detection sensor that can be interpreted to indicate whether the microelectronic substrate is properly secured.

  In block 504, the controller 112 can direct the rotating chuck to rotate when the detection component 114 determines that the microelectronic substrate is properly secured by the gripping mechanism 124. As described above, the detection component 114 can compare the signal from the detection sensor 122 with a value or signature stored in the memory 116.

  At block 506, the detection sensor 122 may continue to detect the signal from the position indicator 128 or the position of the position indicator 128 as the rotating chuck 124 is rotating during processing of the microelectronic substrate.

  In one embodiment, the position indicator 128 may include one or more magnets that are moved or positioned when the gripping mechanism 124 is driven to secure the microelectronic substrate. The magnet can be made of a magnetized ferromagnetic material (eg, iron, nickel) and can have N and S polarities that indicate the direction of the magnetic field emitted from the magnet. The magnetic field has a distance or position dependent signature that can indicate the position of the magnet in relation to the detection sensor 122. For example, a magnetic field can be characterized based on how it affects the environment. In one embodiment, a magnetic field can be characterized as a force exerted on a moving charged particle, so that the magnetic field can induce electron movement and generate a current flow in another non-contact object. The magnitude of the current flow can indicate the strength of the magnetic field used to determine the distance from the non-contact object. In this way, the current flow is used to approximate the position of the magnet. For example, the position of the gripping mechanism 124 can be estimated based on a current generated in the detection sensor 122 by the near magnetic field.

  At block 508, the controller 112 can receive signals from the at least one detection component 122 that can be in proximity to the position indicator 128 while the rotating chuck 104 rotates. The signal can reflect the strength of the field from the magnet and thus can approximate the position of the gripping mechanism 124. The approximation is that the microelectronic substrate rotates at approximately the same speed as the rotating chuck 104 and / or maintains a stable xyz position relative to the fluid delivery system 108 port or inlet. It can be inferred whether it is securely connected to 104.

  In this embodiment, the signal can have a first signature that can be associated with a suitably fixed microelectronic substrate. Once this first signature signal is detected or analyzed by the detection component 114, the controller 112 can continue to rotate the rotating chuck 104. However, if the first signature signal is replaced with the second signature signal, the controller 112 can respond or take action.

  At block 510, the controller 112 may decrease the rotational speed of the rotating chuck 104 when the second signature signal is detected. In one embodiment, the second signature signal can be any value above or below a threshold indicating that the microelectronic substrate is no longer properly secured by the rotating chuck 104. The interaction between the threshold and the signal is as described above in the description of FIG.

  Although only specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made in the embodiments without substantially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the present invention. It will be easy to understand. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.

Claims (20)

A method for processing a microelectronic substrate, comprising:
Coupling a microelectronic substrate to a rotating chuck of a chemical processing system, the rotating chuck including at least one position indicator component and at least one detection component;
Rotating the microelectronic substrate using the rotating chuck;
Using the detection component to detect a position of the at least one position indicator component relative to the detection component;
Receiving a signal from the at least one detection component;
Reducing the rotational speed of the rotary chuck when the signal is above or below a threshold;
Including methods. The position indicator component includes a magnet;
The method of claim 1. The at least one detection component includes a magnetic field detection sensor;
The method of claim 2. The detection of the position is based at least in part on the magnetic field strength detected by the detection component;
The method of claim 2. Detecting the position is based at least in part on a magnetic field strength from the at least one position indicator component;
The method of claim 3. The position indicator component includes at least two magnets having different polarities;
The method of claim 1. The at least one position indicator component includes a light emitting component;
The method of claim 1. The at least one detection component includes a photosensor;
The method of claim 1. The position provides an indication of whether the microelectronic substrate is secured to the rotating chuck;
The method of claim 1. A process chamber for processing microelectronic substrates;
A rotating chuck in the process chamber comprising a position indicator component and a detection component;
A controller capable of receiving a signal from the detection component and capable of stopping the rotating chuck by the signal exceeding a threshold amount;
A system comprising: The position indicator component includes a magnet,
The system of claim 10. The detection component includes a magnetic detection component;
The system of claim 11. The magnetic sensing component includes a Hall effect sensor,
The system of claim 12. The rotary chuck includes a gripping mechanism that fixes the microelectronic substrate to the rotary chuck.
The system of claim 10. A fluid delivery system for supplying at least one chemical to the process chamber;
An exhaust system capable of exhausting the at least one chemical from the process chamber;
The system of claim 10, further comprising: One or more tangible, non-transitory computer readable media capable of storing computer-executable instructions capable of performing the methods when executed by the computer processor,
The method
Rotating the microelectronic substrate using a rotating chuck;
Using a detection component to detect the position of at least one position indicator component relative to the detection component;
Receiving a signal from the at least one detection component;
Reducing the rotational speed of the rotary chuck when the signal is above or below a threshold;
A computer readable medium comprising: The position indicator component includes a magnet,
The computer readable medium of claim 16. The at least one detection component includes a magnetic field detection sensor;
The computer readable medium of claim 17. The detection of the position is based at least in part on the magnetic field strength detected by the detection component;
The computer readable medium of claim 17. Detecting the position is based at least in part on a magnetic field strength from the at least one position indicating component;
The computer readable medium of claim 18.

Images