KR102245762B1 - Holder, carrier having the same, and method for fixing a substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

A carrier for supporting a substrate in a substrate processing chamber for vacuum processing is described. The carrier comprises at least two holders, wherein each holder is a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position relative to the carrier body, along at least one direction, to the fixed portion A floating portion movable in relation to the floating portion, and a fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position relative to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the holder. Moreover, the floating portion is movable along at least one direction, from a first end position to a second end position, wherein the floating portion pulls or centers the substrate, in at least one direction, in the carrier. It further includes a force arrangement configured to be.

Description

A holder, a carrier having a holder, and a method for fixing a substrate {HOLDER, CARRIER HAVING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR FIXING A SUBSTRATE}

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to carriers for substrate processing, such as for layer deposition. Embodiments of the present invention particularly relate to carriers for supporting a large area substrate having a thin thickness in a substrate processing machine, and apparatuses for processing a large area substrate.

[0002] Several methods are known for depositing material on a substrate. For example, substrates may be coated by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, or the like. Typically, the process is carried out in a process apparatus or process chamber in which the substrate to be coated is located. A vapor deposition material is provided within the device. A plurality of materials as well as their oxides, nitrides or carbides may be used for deposition on a substrate. In addition, other processing operations such as etching, structuring, annealing, etc. may be performed in the processing chambers.

[0003] Coated materials can be used in several applications and several fields of technology. For example, the application is in the field of microelectronics, such as creating semiconductor devices. In addition, substrates for displays are often coated by a PVD process. Further applications include insulating panels, organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, substrates with TFTs, color filters, and the like.

[0004] In particular for areas such as display production, manufacturing of thin film solar cells and similar applications, large area glass substrates are processed. In the past, there has been a continuous increase in substrate size, and this increase is still continuing. As the size of the glass substrates increases, the handling, support, and processing of glass substrates becomes increasingly challenging without sacrificing throughput by glass breakage.

Typically, glass substrates can be supported on carriers during its processing. The carrier drives the glass or substrate through the processing machine. The carriers typically form a frame or plate, the frame or plate supporting the surface of the substrate along its periphery, or in the latter case likewise supporting the surface. In particular, the framed carrier can also be used to mask the glass substrate, wherein the aperture in the carrier surrounded by the frame is by means of an aperture or aperture for coating the material to be deposited on the exposed substrate portion. It provides an aperture for other processing operations acting on the exposed portion of the substrate.

[0006] The tendency for larger and thinner substrates can lead to bulging of the substrates due to the stress applied to the substrate, especially during the deposition of the layers, which in turn causes problems due to an increased likelihood of breakage. can do. In addition, bulging can reduce the quality, for example uniformity, of the deposited material layers. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce bulging, enable the carrier to transport larger and thinner substrates without breakage, and improve the quality of the coated material layers.

In view of the above, it is advantageous to provide a carrier that overcomes at least some of the problems in the art, in particular, a carrier having at least two holders, and a holder for the carrier.

Considering the above, a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body to hold a substrate is provided. According to another embodiment, there is provided a carrier and a carrier comprising at least two holders. Additional aspects, advantages, and features will become apparent from the dependent claims, description, and accompanying drawings.

According to one embodiment, a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body for holding a substrate in a substrate processing chamber is provided. The holder includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body; A floating portion movable with respect to the fixed portion along at least one direction; And a fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position with respect to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the holder.

According to a further embodiment, a method for fixing a substrate to a carrier is provided. The method comprises the steps of loading a substrate on a carrier, moving at least the holder relative to the carrier body, in at least one direction, from an intermediate position toward a first end position or a second end position, the holder being a carrier Attached to the body, and clamping the substrate using at least two holders, wherein at least one of the at least two holders is positioned away from an intermediate position of the at least one holder.

[0011] According to another aspect, an apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate is provided, the apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber adapted for deposition of a layer therein, a transportation system adapted for transport of a carrier. Wherein the carrier comprises at least two holders. The holder configured to be attached to the carrier body for holding the substrate includes: a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body; A floating portion movable with respect to the fixed portion along at least one direction; And a fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position with respect to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the holder. The apparatus further includes a deposition source for depositing a material forming the layer.

[0012] In such a way that the features listed above of embodiments of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more specific description briefly summarized above may be made with reference to the embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present invention, and are described below.
1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D illustrate carriers according to embodiments described herein, each having holders and provided with a substrate in the substrate area of the carrier.
2A, 2B and 2C show an example of a holder attachable to a carrier and according to embodiments described herein.
3 shows another example of a holder attachable to the carrier body and according to embodiments described herein.
4 shows a diagram of an apparatus for depositing a layer of material on a substrate utilizing a carrier according to embodiments described herein.

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, and one or more examples of such embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. Within the following description of the drawings, like reference numbers refer to like components. In general, only differences for individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided as a description of the invention and is not intended as a limitation of the invention. Additionally, features described or illustrated as part of one embodiment may also be used in conjunction with or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield additional embodiments. The description is intended to include such modifications and variations.

According to embodiments described herein, a carrier comprising at least two holders is provided. The at least two holders are capable of bending of the substrate due to stress, in particular stress introduced by depositing layers on the substrate, or stress introduced by thermal expansions of the substrate or carrier, or stress introduced by the weight of the substrate. bending) or bulging. The holder provides a two-part body with a fixed portion and a floating portion. The two-part body provides for reduced bending of the substrate, eg by sufficient tension per unit length of the edge of the substrate.

According to embodiments described herein, the carrier includes at least two holders. At least two holders may be dispensed around the perimeter of the substrate to effectively prevent or reduce bending or bulging of the substrate. Each holder includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body; A floating portion movable with respect to the fixed portion along at least one direction; And a fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position with respect to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the carrier body or to the holder. The relative movement of the floating portion relative to the fixed portion provides one aspect to be considered for reducing the bending of the substrate. Additionally, a force arrangement such as at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder or the like is provided and is configured to pull the substrate away from the carrier in at least one direction. The force arrangement and the relative movement of the floating portion relative to the fixed portion, in combination, provide tension to the substrate to prevent bending or bulging of the substrate.

According to typical embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate thickness can be 0.1 to 1.8 mm, and the holders can be adapted for such substrate thicknesses. However, it is particularly beneficial if the substrate thickness is about 0.9 mm or less, such as 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm, and the holders are adapted for such substrate thicknesses.

According to some embodiments, the large area substrates may have a size ^{of at least 0.174 m 2.} Typically, the size may be about 1.4 m ² to about 8 m ² , more typically about 2 m ² to about 9 m ² , or even up to 12 m ² . Typically, rectangular substrates provided with mask structures, devices, and methods according to embodiments described herein are large area substrates, as described herein. For example, a large area substrate is ^{GEN 5 corresponding to about 1.4 m 2} substrates (1.1 mx 1.3 m), ^{GEN 7.5 corresponding to about 4.39 m 2} substrates (1.95 mx 2.25 m), about 5.5 m ² substrates ( 2.2 mx 2.5 m) corresponding to GEN 8.5, or even ^{GEN 10 corresponding to about 8.7 m 2} substrates (2.85 mx 3.05 m). Even larger generations, such as GEN 11 and GEN 12, and corresponding substrate areas can be similarly implemented. Embodiments of the present invention are particularly beneficial for a large area substrate GEN 8.5 and a substrate thickness of about 0.3 mm.

1A shows a carrier 100. The carrier 100 is configured to support a large and thin substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 1A, the substrate 101 is provided at a location within the carrier 100, particularly when processed in a processing chamber. The carrier 100 includes a frame or carrier body 160 that defines a window or aperture. According to typical implementations, the frame provides a substrate receiving surface. Typically, the substrate receiving surface is configured to contact a peripheral portion of the substrate during operation, ie when the substrate is loaded.

Typically, the substrate 101 may be made of any material suitable for material deposition. For example, the substrate is a group consisting of glass (e.g., soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials, or any other material or combination of materials that can be coated by a deposition process. It can be made of a material selected from. Bulging, which may also affect the processing of the substrate, can be reduced by carriers according to embodiments described herein. In particular, in the case of glass substrates or ceramic substrates where breakage is more of a concern, the carriers can also significantly reduce substrate breakage, which reduces the productivity of the production process due to the increased loss.

According to some embodiments, the frame 160 may be made of aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, alloys thereof, stainless steel, or the like. In the case of similarly small large area substrates such as eg GEN 5 or less, the frame 160 may be manufactured from a single piece, ie the frame is integrally formed. However, according to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, frame 160 may include two or more elements such as a top bar, side bars, and a bottom bar. In particular, in the case of very large area substrates, the carrier or carrier body can be manufactured with several parts. These parts of the carrier body are assembled to provide a frame 160 for supporting the substrate 101. The frame 160 is specifically configured to receive the substrate 101 in the substrate area.

The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A further includes holders. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, two holders 120 are provided on the upper side of the frame or carrier body 160. According to some embodiments, the floating portions of the two holders 120 on the upper side of the frame 160 are movable with respect to a fixed position, in one direction, wherein the direction is the arrows As indicated by, it is parallel to the edge of the substrate. According to some embodiments, two holders may also be provided in the middle of the left and right sides of the carrier. According to some embodiments, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 relative to the fixed portion 122 may alternatively or additionally also be perpendicular to the edge of the substrate, and relative to the substrate 101. It can be in a plane that is essentially parallel to

Although two holders 120 at the top side of the frame 160 are shown in FIG. 1A, the present invention is not limited thereto. More than two holders 120 may be provided on the top side of the frame 160. Additionally, as described in more detail with respect to FIG. 1B, more than one holder 120 may be provided on one or more sides of the substrate 101.

[0023] The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A provides floating portions of two holders, movable along the first direction, and a force arrangement configured to pull the substrate in that direction. Expansion or other movements of the substrate may be compensated for, for example, by one or more of the holders having a floating portion movable relative to the fixed portion, in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the carrier body and/or the substrate. I can. The position of the substrate 101 within the substrate area defined by the frame 160 can be precisely adjusted and centered. Holders according to embodiments described herein enable expansion of the substrate on each side and/or to the bottom. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the carriers described herein, and an apparatus for utilizing the carriers described herein, is for vertical substrate processing. The term vertical substrate processing is understood to be distinct compared to horizontal substrate processing. That is, vertical substrate processing relates to the essentially vertical orientation of the substrate and carrier during substrate processing, where the deviation from the correct vertical orientation, e.g. up to 10° or even up to 15° by a few degrees, is still vertical. It is considered as substrate processing. Vertical substrate orientation with a small slope can lead to, for example, a reduced risk of particles contaminating the deposited layer, or more stable substrate handling.

[0024] According to embodiments described herein, and as described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3, the holder is in at least one direction, in order to reduce bending of the substrate in the circumferential region of the substrate. Provide tension. Additionally, the holder may provide holding or holding forces to stably support the substrate in the carrier. The tension of the holder is provided by the relative movement of the floating portion relative to the fixed portion, and by a force arrangement configured to pull the substrate in at least one direction. This provides a beneficial tension that reduces bending or bulging of the substrate.

1B shows another example of a carrier 100 according to some embodiments. The embodiment shown in Fig. 1B is similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1A. The carrier 100 of FIG. 1B comprises four holders 120, where each holder is located at a respective corner of the carrier or carrier body. According to some embodiments, four holders may also be provided in the middle of each side of the carrier or carrier body. According to some embodiments, one or more of the floating portions of the at least four holders 120 are also movable along a second direction, wherein this second direction is indicated by arrows. As such, it is perpendicular to the first direction in a plane essentially parallel to the substrate.

According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, at least a holder is provided on at least two sides of the frame 160 and, optionally, even of the frame 160. It is provided on each side.

According to additional embodiments that may additionally or alternatively be implemented, the positions at which the holders are fixed to the substrate are distributed around the circumference of the substrate, eg, evenly distributed. For example, the holder may be provided around the edge of the substrate every 300 mm to 1000 mm, for example every 300 to 800 mm. Typically, holders may also be provided in pairs of positions. For example, a GEN8.5 substrate can have reduced bending, with holders at 24 positions or 12 pairs of positions, respectively.

1C shows another example of the carrier 100. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the carrier 100 includes first positioning elements 151 and a second positioning, in order to position the substrate 101 in the substrate region. It includes elements 152. The first positioning elements 151 may be fixedly attached to the frame 160. One or more first positioning elements 151 may be provided. The second positioning elements 152 are, as indicated by arrows, parallel to each edge of the substrate 101 and substantially parallel to the substrate area, i.e., substantially parallel to the surfaces of the substrate. It may be movable in parallel.

For example, the first and second positioning elements 151 and 152 may include clamps or guiding means. According to some embodiments, positioning elements 151, 152, as illustratively shown on FIG. 1C, such as on the side or bottom, are essentially compensating for forces resulting from bulging or bending of the substrate. It can be designed not to contribute. Rather, the positioning elements are adapted to prevent free movement of the substrate 101 and/or are provided to hold more than 50% of the weight of the substrate at the substrate receiving surface of the frame 160.

The carrier 100 further includes at least two holders 120 on the upper side or the upper side of the frame 160, for example. Two holders 120 for reducing the bending of the substrate are illustrated in FIG. 1C. However, the number of holders and the corresponding fixing positions can be adapted according to the embodiments described herein. According to some embodiments, two or more holders 120 are provided. In particular, two or more holders 120 may be provided on one or more sides of the substrate, for example as shown in FIG. 1B.

1D shows an additional carrier 100. The carrier 100 is configured to support a large area substrate. The carrier of FIG. 1D includes first positioning elements 151 for positioning the substrate 101 in the substrate area, and is configured to provide a predetermined substrate position. The first positioning elements 151 may be fixedly attached to the frame 160. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more first positioning elements 151 are provided that are fixedly attached to the frame. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, three first positioning elements 151 are provided. For example, two fixedly connected first positioning elements are provided in the bottom portion of the frame, and one first positioning element is provided in one side portion of the frame. The first positioning element may have a gap for substrate insertion, or other means for arranging the substrate to the first positioning element, wherein an edge contact surface configured to contact the edge of the substrate and define a contact location is provided. . The contact position defines a predetermined position of the substrate in the carrier.

[0032] The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1D further includes holders 120 movable about the perimeter of the carrier frame or carrier body, that is, parallel to the surface of the substrate accommodated in the carrier. These holders are described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. According to exemplary embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, holders are provided and/or dispensed along the sides of frame 160.

According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, additional holders 120 may be provided on the frame. These holders are similar to those described with respect to Figs. 2 and 3, with the difference that the holders do not have protrusions configured to contact the edge of the substrate. That is, the protrusions 121 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively displaced or omitted toward the frame (away from the substrate receiving area) so that contact with the edge of the substrate is not provided. According to exemplary embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, additional holders 120 are provided, and/or distributed along the sides of the frame 160, such sides being a first These are the same sides as the sides on which the positioning element is provided. Omission of the protrusion for the additional holders 120 results in a predetermined position of the substrate defined by the first positioning elements 151.

2A, 2B, and 2C, according to embodiments described herein, the holder 120 includes a fixed portion 122 and a floating portion 123, wherein In, the fixed part has a fixed position with respect to the carrier body, wherein the floating part is movable relative to the fixed part, along one direction. The floating portion 123 has a first substantially planar or planar surface 124 for contacting the first substrate surface 102 of the substrate 101. The securing mechanism 150 has a lever arm 153, wherein the lever arm is substantially flat or for contact with the second substrate surface 103 of the substrate 101 opposite the first substrate surface 102 And a second surface 125 that is planar. According to some embodiments, the first surface 124 and the second surface 125 are essentially parallel to each other. The second surface 125 may also be the surface of a rubber-like part 125a secured to a lever arm, for example as shown in FIG. 2C. According to the embodiment described herein, the fixing mechanism is an actuator, a clamp, a lever arm, a knee lever system, a clamp with one or more springs, or other element for clamping the substrate against the floating portion 123. Can be According to some embodiments, the securing mechanism may include a knee lever system including a lever arm.

During operation, ie when the substrate is carried by a carrier, the substrate 101 is sandwiched or sandwiched between the first surface 124 and the second surface 125. An edge of the substrate 101, such as a side side, may contact the protrusion 121 of the floating portion 123, wherein the protrusion extends in a first direction parallel to the substrate edge. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 is parallel to the first direction in which the protrusion extends. The protrusion may also be the surface of a stopper element provided on the holder. According to some embodiments, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 relative to the fixed portion 122 may alternatively or additionally be perpendicular to the direction in which the protrusion 121 extends, It may be in a plane essentially parallel to the substrate 101.

The force arrangement 130 provides tension 140 to the substrate in at least one direction. The tension 140 is for holding the substrate 101 rigidly to reduce or even prevent bulging of the substrate 101, particularly during the deposition process.

The force arrangement 130 is configured to provide sufficient tension to reduce bending in the substrate due to, for example, deposition of a layer, with the relative movement of the floating portion 123 relative to the fixed portion 122 . Thus, the force arrangement 130 is configured to maintain the substrate orientation, in particular in a region around the outer substrate parallel to the carrier body. That is, stresses that tend to produce substrate bending cannot cause bending or bulging because the holder can move parallel to the edge of the substrate, for example to compensate for the expansion of the substrate. Prior to clamping the substrate, in the case where the force arrangement is pre-loaded, the substrate may be further tensioned.

[0038] The relative movement of the floating part 123 with respect to the fixed part 122 is combined with the force arrangement 130, so that the direction of movement of the floating part 123 with respect to the fixed part 122 is at least Accordingly provides tension to the substrate.

That is, when a moment 141 occurs due to a stress (eg, forces) applied to the substrate 101, by the relative movement of the floating portion 123 with respect to the fixed portion 122, and The tension defined by the force arrangement 130 lowers the bending. The force arrangement 130 may include the type of substrate (material, thickness, area size, etc.), the number of layers to be deposited on the substrate 101, the type of material(s) to be deposited, the thickness of the layer(s) to be deposited, It may be selected differently according to at least one of rectification of the process chamber, process time, and the like.

Although the holder 120 includes a floating portion that is movable with respect to a fixed portion, along one direction, as shown in FIG. 2A, for example, the present invention is not limited thereto. The holder 120 may also comprise a floating portion that is movable with respect to the fixed portion, along at least two directions, for example as will be explained in more detail with respect to FIG. 3.

3 shows another example of a holder 120 according to some embodiments. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2. The floating portion of the holder 120 of FIG. 3 is also movable along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and is in a plane essentially parallel to the substrate. Moreover, an additional force arrangement 130a provides tension 140a in the second direction relative to the substrate. The tension 140a is for holding the substrate 101 rigidly in the second direction to reduce or even prevent bulging of the substrate 101, particularly during the deposition process.

[0042] According to some embodiments, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, one or more holders 120 may be, for example, 0.1 per substrate edge unit length [1 m]. Tension is provided from N to 10 N or more. The edge length unit may be the length of the edge of the substrate, eg, on the side of the substrate that is substantially rectangular. Thus, a normalization of the tension versus the length around the substrate can be carried out, so that the values of the tension can be normalized for one meter of the length around the substrate. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the number of holders 120 for each side of the substrate 101 is based on the total tension to be applied to the substrate 101 (or the tension per unit of substrate edge length). It can be determined on the basis of. Moreover, according to some embodiments, the distribution of holders 120 across the substrate sides may be selected to improve the reduction of bulging of the substrate 101.

According to some embodiments, at least the floating portions of the two holders are movable with respect to the fixed portions, along one direction and in the plane of the substrate. The force arrangement 130 is configured to provide a tension 140 against the substrate 101 with relative movement of the floating portion 123 in this direction relative to the fixed portion 122.

According to some embodiments described herein, one or more force arrangements 130 provide a tension 140 to the movable floating portion 123 to tension the substrate 101. do.

Alternatively, the floating portion 123 is movable relative to the fixed portion, in two directions. In such a case, one or more force arrangements 130, 130a may, in at least two directions, provide tension 140, 140a to the substrate.

According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the force arrangement 130 includes at least one spring element. However, the invention is not limited to spring elements, and other elements suitable for creating tension may be used. Examples include, but are not limited to, levers, compression springs, piezoelectric devices, and pneumatic devices.

According to different embodiments, the carrier 100 is for PVD deposition processes, CVD deposition processes, substrate structuring edging, heating (eg, annealing), or any kind of substrate processing. Can be utilized. Carriers as described herein, and embodiments of methods for utilizing such carriers, are particularly useful for non-stationary, ie continuous substrate processing. Typically, carriers are provided for processing vertically oriented large area glass substrates. Non-stop processing typically requires the carrier to also provide masking elements for the process.

4 shows a schematic diagram of a deposition chamber 600 according to embodiments. The deposition chamber 600 is adapted for a deposition process such as a PVD or CVD process. The substrate 101 is shown positioned in or within a carrier on the substrate transport device 620. A deposition material source 630 is provided in the chamber 612, facing the side of the substrate to be coated. A deposition material source 630 provides a deposition material 635 to be deposited on a substrate.

In FIG. 4, the source 630 may be a target having a deposition material thereon, or may be any other arrangement that allows the material to be released for deposition on the substrate 101. Typically, the material source 630 may be a rotatable target. According to some embodiments, the material source 630 may be movable to replace and/or position the source. According to other embodiments, the material source may be a planar target.

According to some embodiments, the deposition material 635 may be selected, depending on the deposition process and the future application of the coated substrate. For example, the deposition material of the source may be a material selected from the group consisting of metals such as aluminum, molybdenum, titanium, copper, etc., silicon, indium tin oxide, and other transparent conductive oxides. Typically, oxide-, nitride-, or carbide-layers that may include such materials are subjected to reactive deposition, i.e., the material from the source reacts with elements such as oxygen, nitride, or carbon from the processing gas. By, or by providing material from a source.

Typically, a substrate 101 is provided in or in a carrier 100 which can also serve as an edge exclusion mask, particularly for non-stationary deposition processes. The broken lines 665 exemplarily show the path of the deposition material 635 during operation of the chamber 600. According to other embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, masking may be provided by a separate edge exclusion mask provided in chamber 612. A carrier according to embodiments described herein may be beneficial for stationary processes and also for non-stop processes.

[0052] According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the fixing assembly rigidly holds the edges of the substrate, particularly during the deposition process. Embodiments can provide a reduction in substrate breakage, particularly taking into account the fact that the length and height of the substrates become larger and the thickness of the substrates decreases. Bulging, which may also affect the processing of the substrate, can be reduced by carriers according to embodiments described herein.

[0053] Although the foregoing relates to embodiments of the present invention, other and additional embodiments of the present invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the following claims. Is determined.

Claims (15)

As a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body to hold a substrate,
A fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body;
A floating portion movable with respect to the fixed portion along at least one direction parallel to the substrate edge of the substrate from a first end position to a second end position; And
A fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position with respect to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the holder,
The floating portion is a force arrangement configured to be positioned on one or a plurality of sides of the fixed portion in the at least one direction so as to center the floating portion in the at least one direction with respect to the fixed portion ( force arrangement),
holder. The method of claim 1,
The force arrangement is selected from the group consisting of at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder,
holder. The method of claim 1,
The floating portion has a protrusion configured to contact the edge of the substrate,
The protrusion extends in a first direction parallel to the edge of the substrate,
At least one direction of movement of the floating portion is parallel to the first direction,
holder. The method of claim 1,
The fixing mechanism comprises a lever arm,
The lever arm is configured to fix the substrate to the floating portion,
holder. The method of claim 4,
The fixing mechanism further comprises a rubber-like part fixed to the lever arm,
The rubber-like part is configured to contact the substrate,
holder. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The floating portion is movable along at least a second direction,
The second direction is perpendicular to the at least one direction, in a plane essentially parallel to the substrate,
holder. The method of claim 6,
The floating portion is movable along the second direction, from a first end position to a second end position,
The floating portion comprises an additional force arrangement configured to pull the substrate in the second direction,
holder. The method of claim 7,
The additional force arrangement is selected from the group consisting of at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder,
holder. As a carrier,
Comprising at least two holders according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
carrier. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising at least a clamp attached to the carrier body, having a fixed position relative to the carrier body, and configured to hold more than 50% of the weight of the substrate,
carrier. The method of claim 10,
The carrier body is rectangular,
Configurations of the at least two holders with respect to the carrier body,
A configuration of at least two holders, each holder being positioned on the upper side of the carrier body;
A configuration of at least two holders, each holder being located in the middle of left and right sides of the carrier body;
The at least two holders being at least four holders, each holder being located at a respective corner of the carrier body;
A configuration of at least four holders, each holder being located in the middle of each side of the carrier body; or
A combination of at least two of the above configurations,
carrier. As a method for fixing a substrate to a carrier having a carrier body,
Loading a substrate onto the carrier;
Moving the holder from the intermediate position toward the first end position or the second end position, at least with respect to the carrier body, in at least one direction parallel to the substrate edge of the substrate, wherein the holder is attached to the carrier body. Yes ―; And
Clamping the substrate using at least two holders
Including,
At least one of the at least two holders is positioned away from an intermediate position of the at least one holder, and the at least one holder is configured to center the floating portion with respect to the fixed portion in the at least one direction. Pulled to an intermediate position of the holder by a force arrangement, configured to be positioned on one or a plurality of sides of the fixed portion in at least one direction,
Way. As a carrier,
Carrier body;
At least a clamp attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body; And
At least 2 holders
Including,
Each holder,
A fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body while having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body;
A floating portion movable with respect to the fixed portion, along at least one direction parallel to the substrate edge of the substrate, the floating portion having a projection configured to contact the substrate edge, the projection being parallel to the substrate edge. Extending in a first direction, wherein at least one direction of movement of the floating portion is parallel to the first direction; And
A fixing mechanism provided in a fixed position relative to the floating portion and configured to clamp the substrate to the holder
Including,
The floating portion is movable along the at least one direction, from a first end position to a second end position,
The floating portion further comprises a force arrangement configured to be positioned on one or a plurality of sides of the fixed portion in the at least one direction to center the substrate on the fixed portion in the at least one direction,
carrier.
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