TW201936949A - A substrate support for supporting a substrate having a front surface to be processed and an opposing back surface, a method for processing a substrate, a vacuum processing apparatus and a substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate support for supporting a substrate having a front surface to be processed and an opposing back surface is described. The substrate support includes a support body and a dry adhesive assembly attached to the support body, the dry adhesive assembly having one or more dry adhesive elements, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements support the substrate at the back surface in at least a center region and an outer region.

Description

Substrate support for supporting a substrate having a front side surface to be treated and an opposite back side surface, a method for processing a substrate, a vacuum processing apparatus, and a vacuum processing system

Embodiments relate to a substrate support for vacuum processing. Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly directed to a substrate support for processing a substrate and a support body and a dry adhesive member attached to the support body, a vacuum processing system including a vacuum chamber, and a vacuum chamber A substrate support member and a processing station and a substrate processing system. Embodiments of the present disclosure are more related to a method for processing a substrate by holding a substrate in a non-vertical position.

Known techniques for depositing layers on a substrate include, for example, thermal evaporation, chemical vapor, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and physical vapor deposition (Physical Vapor Deposition). PVD) (for example, sputter deposition). A sputter deposition process can be used to deposit a layer of material, such as a layer of insulating material, onto the substrate. During the sputter deposition process, the target having the target material to be deposited on the substrate is bombarded by ions generated in the plasma region to move the atoms of the target material from the surface of the target (dislodge) ). The moving atoms can form a layer of material on the substrate. In an active sputter deposition process, moving atoms can react with gases in the plasma zone, such as nitrogen or oxygen, to form oxides, nitrides, or oxynitrides of the target material on the substrate.

The coated material can be used in some applications and in some technical fields. For example, the coated material can be used in the field of microelectronics, for example, in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. Similarly, the substrate for display can be coated using a physical vapor deposition process. Also, applications include an insulating panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, a substrate having a thin film transistor, a color filter, or the like.

In current developments, such as in the field of mobile devices and television screens or the like, high resolution displays are beneficial. In the current development of high resolution mobile devices and large 4k / 8k televisions (TV-sets), it is beneficial for very low levels of particles to reach the substrate, for example during PVD processing. Due to cost and efficiency, the industry tends to handle larger and larger substrates. Large substrates, especially large glass disks, are difficult to handle during processing. Prior to handling operations, the substrate is particularly susceptible to surface damage, breakage or scratching during shipping or alignment. During substrate processing, a jig is provided to hold the substrate on the edge of the substrate. The glass fixing system is clamped to the edge of the glass. Holding the substrate with a clamp results in particulate impurities and uniformity problems due to glass mask alignment (shadow effect), the increased glass mask gap affects particle impurity levels and layer uniformity, and ultimately lateral deposition on the fixture.

In view of the above, a substrate support for supporting a substrate, a vacuum processing apparatus, a plurality of methods for processing a substrate, and a vacuum processing system are provided.

According to an embodiment, a substrate support is provided for supporting a substrate having a front side surface to be treated and a back side surface, the substrate support comprising a support body and a dry adhesive attached to the support body The assembly, dry adhesive assembly has one or more dry adhesive elements, wherein one or more dry adhesive elements support the substrate in at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface.

According to another embodiment, a method for processing a substrate is provided, the method comprising: holding a substrate in a non-vertical position, a back side surface of the substrate being attached to the plurality of dry adhesive members, and a front side surface of the substrate facing downward Above a processing station.

According to another embodiment, a method for processing a substrate is provided, the method comprising attaching a back side surface of the substrate to a support body using a plurality of dry adhesive elements, a front side surface of the substrate to be processed facing upward And the support body is inverted upside down so that a front side surface of the substrate to be processed faces downward.

According to another embodiment, a vacuum processing apparatus is provided, the vacuum processing apparatus comprising a substrate support having a support body and a dry adhesive arrangement, the dry adhesive arrangement being located on the support body and having one or more dry adhesive elements, Or a plurality of dry adhesive elements are disposed to support the substrate at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface, and a processing station at least partially below the substrate support.

In accordance with another embodiment, a substrate processing system is provided that includes a load module, a vacuum transfer chamber, and a vacuum processing device.

Various embodiments will now be described in detail, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same element symbols mean the same elements. In general, only the differences of the individual embodiments are described. The provision of each example is provided as a means of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. Furthermore, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used in other embodiments or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield a further embodiment. Modifications and variations of the invention are intended to be included in the description.

In the following description of the drawings, the same element symbols mean the same or similar elements. In general, only the differences of the individual embodiments are described. The description of a part or aspect applies to a corresponding part or aspect in another embodiment unless otherwise stated.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate support is provided for supporting a substrate having a front side surface and a back side surface to be processed, the substrate support including a support body and a attached to the support body The dry adhesive assembly has one or more dry adhesive elements, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements support the substrate in at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface.

A substrate support having a dry adhesive, such as a gecko adhesive, can perform substrate processing in a non-vertical substrate orientation, particularly with the substrate facing down, i.e., the substrate is at least partially disposed below the substrate carrier. The dry adhesive assembly not only holds the glass edge (eg, using a fixture system), but also additionally holds a central or intermediate region of the substrate (eg, glass).

In view of the above, according to another aspect of an embodiment, a vacuum processing apparatus is provided. The vacuum processing apparatus includes a substrate support having a support body and a dry adhesive configuration. The dry adhesive configuration is located on the support body and has one or more dry adhesive elements. One or more dry adhesive elements are disposed in the processing station to support the substrate at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface. The apparatus can include a processing station that is at least partially lower than the substrate support.

In the present disclosure, a substrate support member is provided for supporting a substrate having a front side surface and a back side surface to be processed, the substrate support comprising a support body and a dry adhesive component attached to the support body The dry adhesive assembly has one or more dry adhesive elements, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements support the substrate in at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface.

According to some embodiments, a "substrate support" is understood to be arranged to hold a substrate, particularly a large area substrate as described herein. Typically, the terms "substrate support", "carrier" and "support" are used synonymously. The substrate held or supported by the substrate support as described herein includes a front side surface and a back side surface, wherein the front side surface is the surface of the substrate to be processed. For example, the front side surface is the surface on which the layer of material is to be deposited. Typically, the substrate support is arranged such that the backside surface of the substrate can be attached to a carrier, particularly a dry adhesive of the substrate support described herein.

The term "substrate" as used herein may include an inflexible substrate such as a glass plate, a metal plate, a wafer, a transparent crystalline slice, a glass substrate, or a ceramic plate. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the term "substrate" may also include a flexible substrate such as a web or a foil such as a metal foil or a plastic foil. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with any of the other embodiments described herein, the substrate may be comprised of any material suitable for deposition of materials. For example, the substrate may be composed of a material selected from the group consisting of glass (eg, soda lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, composite, carbon fiber material, mica, or may be deposited by a deposition process. A group of any other material or combination of materials coated. For example, the one-sided substrate perpendicular to the major surface of the substrate may have a thickness of 0.1 mm to 1.8 mm, such as 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness of the substrate is 50 microns or greater and/or 700 microns or less.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with any of the other embodiments described herein, the substrate may be a large area substrate. The large area substrate may have a surface area of 0.5 m 2 or more. Typically, large area substrates are used in display fabrication and can be glass or plastic sheets. For example, the substrates described herein should include substrates for liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and the like. For example, a large area substrate may have a major surface with an area of 1 m 2 or more. In some embodiments, the large-area substrate may be a 4.5th generation substrate corresponding to an area of 0.67 m 2 (0.73 x 0.92 m), and a 5th generation substrate corresponding to an area of 1.4 m 2 (1.1 m x 1.3 m). The large-area substrate may be a 7.5th generation substrate corresponding to an area of 4.29 m 2 (1.95 mx 2.2 m), an 8.5th generation substrate corresponding to an area of 5.7 m 2 (2.2 mx 2.5 m), or even corresponding to 8.7 m 2 (2.85 m). ×105 m) The 10th generation substrate of the area. It can even be similarly implemented in higher generations (eg, 11th and 12th generation substrates) and corresponding substrate areas.

A top plan view of an exemplary rectangular substrate support in accordance with one of the Figures is illustrated in FIG. The substrate support 100 includes a dry adhesive assembly 105 having dry adhesive elements. The dry adhesive assembly 105 is formed by the center holder 120 and the outer holder 130. The center holder 120 is disposed on or near the center 145 of the substrate support 100. The outer holder 130 is disposed in an outer region, particularly a corner edge 118 of the substrate support 100. The outer holder 130 can form a gap region 114 on the surface 110 of the substrate support 100 between the outer holder 130 and the outer edge 116 of the substrate support 100.

As shown in Figures 1 through 3, the substrate support can be provided by a full area dry adhesive, such as a full area gecko chuck, or a pattern of smaller dry adhesive elements. For example, a dry adhesive configuration of a gecko suction cup can have a pattern or any other grid dry adhesive elements. This allows the treatment or coating zone that hangs a substrate (e.g., glass) to face down with the active side (i.e., the front side surface). The resulting particulate impurities will follow gravity and fall from the front side surface (ie, the active glass side). Further, a dry adhesive such as a gecko material is used to avoid particulate impurities generated by glass clamping.

Another exemplary embodiment of the substrate support 100 is shown in FIG. 2; the dry adhesive assembly 105 is shown to include two outer holders 130 and disposed on opposite sides of the surface 110 of the substrate support 100 . The outer holder 130 may have a strip-like design.

Referring to FIG. 3, a top view of another exemplary embodiment of the substrate support 100 is shown; the dry adhesive assembly 105 shows one of the outer holders 130 having a ring-like design in the outer region and The center holder 120 is near or near a center point or a center 145. For example, the outer retainer can surround or partially surround the center retainer.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other described embodiments, the support body can be understood as a configuration that is configured to hold a substrate. For example, the support body can be a rigid body, such as a frame or a plate. In particular, the support body can be configured to support a surface of the substrate, such as a back side surface of the substrate. The support body can have a polygonal shaped design that forms a flat surface, particularly a uniform flat surface, to support the backside surface of the substrate. For example, the support body can have a rectangular or square design. The perimeter of the support body can have substantially the same perimeter as compared to the supported substrate.

The dry adhesive element can comprise a plurality of dry adhesive structures. The dry adhesive structure can include a first adhesive structure that protrudes from the surface, wherein the first adhesive structure has an anisotropic flexibility parallel to the surface. For example, a plurality of adhesive structures can have an anisotropic flexibility parallel to the surface. The dry adhesive structure can have a second dry adhesive structure that protrudes from the surface. When bent in the same direction with the same force, the first adhesive structure is bent differently.

According to some embodiments, supporting the substrate at the backside surface of the central region is understood to be such that the substrate is supported in a region adjacent the center point of the substrate. The center point can be the geometric center of the back side surface of the substrate. For example, when supporting a substrate having a rectangular or square shape, the center point may be the intersection of two diagonal lines of the back side surface of the substrate. Supporting the substrate in the central region or adjacent to the central region may be advantageous to prevent substrate bending or deformation due to the self weight of the substrate.

According to an embodiment, the support substrate in the outer region can be understood such that the substrate is supported on the edge region of the substrate. The outer region of the substrate can be an area adjacent to or along the circumference of the substrate. The support substrate is also understood in the outer region such that the substrate is supported in a region closer to the edge of the substrate than to the center of the substrate.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments, the substrate support is configured to hold a substrate in a non-vertical position, wherein the backside surface of the substrate is attached to the dry adhesive component and the front side surface of the substrate is facing down . The substrate can be suspended below the substrate support. Particularly when referring to a substrate orientation, a non-vertical position can be understood as allowing a horizontal direction or orientation that deviates by +/- 20 or less, for example +/- 10 or less. Deviation of the horizontal position of the substrate can facilitate facilitating transmission and/or alignment of the substrate.

In the present disclosure, a dry adhesive arrangement is understood to be a holding configuration that is provided to provide an adhesion for attaching the substrate to the text. In particular, the dry adhesive configuration can be disposed on or attached to the support body such that the substrate described herein can be held by the support body through a dry adhesive configuration. More specifically, the dry adhesive configuration described herein can include a dry adhesive element as described herein. The dry adhesive element can be configured to provide adhesion by van der Waals force. The dry bonding arrangement is configured to form a bond between the substrate surface and the substrate support. The bond between the substrate and the dry adhesive configuration can be slip resistant, nonskid or the like. Advantageously, the bond between the substrate and the dry bond configuration can be residue-free disconnected, such as after substrate processing, particularly after the deposition process.

According to some embodiments, the dry adhesive element may be a synthetic setae material. In particular, the adhesion of dry adhesives to synthetic bristle materials can be 100% inorganic. According to some embodiments, the dry adhesive element may be substantially 100% inorganic.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other described embodiments, the adhesion provided by the dry adhesive assembly can be used to hold or carry the substrate described herein. In particular, the dry adhesive assembly can be arranged to provide an adhesion of about 2 N/cm ² or more, in particular 3 N/cm ² or more, more particularly 4 N/cm ² or more, for example at least 5 N /cm ² or more.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other described embodiments, the dry adhesive assembly is configured to form one or more retaining members on the support body. A holder is understood to be an enclosed or self-contained area on the surface of the substrate support, including a dry adhesive element for attachment to the back side surface of the substrate. The holder can form a plurality of patterns of dry adhesive elements on the support body.

Referring to Fig. 4, a top plan view of a substrate support including one of the four exemplary embodiments of the four movable holders 225a, 225b, 225c, 225d is shown. The four holders 225 may have substantially the same size and are disposed at a central area and an outer area of the substrate support 100. The holders are arranged to be movable in a radially outwards direction 255, in particular towards the edge of the substrate support 100, more particularly toward the corner edges 265 of the substrate support 100. The holder 225 can be moved by a mandrel 235 or the like. In particular, the mandrel 235 can press the holder outwardly along a radial path 245 depicted by a dashed line.

According to some embodiments described herein, a mobile holder or dry adhesive element is used to release the substrate from the substrate support. In particular, the movement of the two or more dry adhesive elements provides tension to the substrate components which may facilitate substrate release. For example, the movement may cause the first dry adhesive element or the holder to move relative to the surface of the substrate, the second dry adhesive element or the holder move relative to the surface of the substrate, and the corresponding forces cancel each other out to provide a stable or substantial Stable substrate position.

Referring to Fig. 5, a top plan view of a substrate support including one of the four movable center holders 335a, 335b, 335c, 335d and the four movable outer holders 345a, 345b, 345c, 345d is shown in an exemplary embodiment. The central holder is configured to be movable in a radially outwards direction. The outer retainer is configured to be movable in a radially outwards direction and/or a radially inward direction.

According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more holders are movably disposed on the support body. The phrase "movably" is understood to mean that the retaining member is configured to move or be moved along the surface of the support body. Movement of the holder along the surface of the support body can be performed, for example, along a channel or groove formed on the surface of the substrate support for setting the direction of movement of the holder on the substrate support. The holder may be configured to have a first state, wherein the holder is movable or movable, and has a second state, wherein the holder may define a support body to be fixed on the support body. In particular, the holder can be arranged to move radially outwards and radially inwards relative to the center point of the substrate support. The holder may also be arranged to move along a circular line around the center point of the substrate support.

The phrase "movably" is also understood to mean that the holder is arranged to be stretchably and/or retractably arranged on the support body. The extension and/or retraction retainer may, for example, protrude from some extension of the support surface of the support body to facilitate attachment and separation of the substrate onto the holder, particularly to the substrate support. Having a holder movably disposed on the substrate support can facilitate separation of the substrate from the support body, particularly for separating dry adhesive elements from the backside surface of the substrate.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments, the dry adhesive assembly is configured to have an attachment zone corresponding to at least 75 percent (%) of the backside surface of the substrate, in particular the dry adhesive component may be configured to have An attachment zone, the attachment zone corresponding to at least 80 percent (%) of the backside surface of the substrate, more particularly at least 90 percent (%) of the backside surface of the substrate.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments, the dry adhesive element comprises a first adhesive structure on a first region of the support body and a second adhesive on a second region of the support body structure. The first adhesive structure can have an anisotropic flexibility and is not the same as the anisotropic flexibility of the second adhesive structure. For example, the first adhesive structure can have anisotropic flexibility parallel to the surface. The dry adhesive structure can include a first adhesive structure that protrudes from the surface, wherein the first adhesive structure has an anisotropic flexibility parallel to the surface. For example, a plurality of adhesive structures can have anisotropic flexibility parallel to the surface. The dry adhesive structure can have a second dry adhesive structure that protrudes from the surface. When bent in the same direction with the same force, the first adhesive structure is bent differently.

According to some embodiments that may be combined with other described embodiments, with reference to FIG. 6 exemplarily, the dry adhesive element 240 may be attached to the backside surface 115 of the substrate 101. The dry adhesive element 240 can be configured to provide an adhesion to hold the substrate 101. Typically, the backside surface 115 of the substrate is not processed. The dorsal surface is opposite the front side surface or the active surface. The dry adhesive element 240 can include a plurality of filaments 121, particularly a plurality of filaments 121 for attaching the backside surface 115 of the substrate 101. The term filament can be used synonymously with the term adhesive structure.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with any of the embodiments described, the dry adhesive element comprises a Gecko adhesive. The ability of the dry adhesive component of the dry adhesive component to adhere, in particular, to the adhesion characteristics of the gecko foot. The adhesion of the gecko's feet is provided by a number of hair-shaped extensions of the gecko's feet called bristles. It is worth noting that the term "synthetic bristle material" can be understood as a synthetic material that mimics the natural adhesion of the gecko's feet and includes adhesions similar to the gecko's feet. Furthermore, the term "synthetic bristle material" may be used synonymously with the term "synthetic gecko bristle material" or "gecko tape material". For example, a support body having a gecko adhesion material can also be referred to as a gecko suction seat (G-chuck). However, the disclosure is not limited thereto, and other dry adhesive members suitable for holding the substrate may be used.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a vacuum processing apparatus 200 of a cross-sectional view of an embodiment. The substrate 101 is supported by the substrate support 100 in a non-vertical position, such as a horizontal position or a substantially horizontal position. The substrate system is supported above a processing station 220. The substrate 101 is supported by a dry adhesive configuration. Processing station 220 may include a rotating target 215 for sputtering deposition. The substrate 101 can be held substantially parallel to the rotating target 215.

The mask 230 may be disposed on the front side of the substrate 101, particularly on the front side of the edge 103 of the front side surface 102 of the substrate 101. The material 222a of the rotating target 215 is ejected from the surface of the rotating target 215 to be deposited onto the front side surface 102 of the substrate 101. The material 222a emerging from the surface 217 of the target 215 passes through a distance 250 between the surface 217 of the target 215 and the front side surface 102 of the substrate 101 for subsequent deposition on the front side surface 102. Particulate impurities 222c fall into the bottom 280 of the vacuum processing chamber where the particulate matter will degrade device quality when attached to the substrate surface. By way of example, the distance 250 can be less than 300 mm, in particular less than 260 mm, or in particular between 240 mm and 260 mm.

According to some embodiments, which may be combined with any of the embodiments described, the mask is disposed on a front side of the substrate and the mask covers an edge region of the substrate. For example, the mask can be an edge exclusion mask or a shadow mask or the like. The edge exclusion mask is a mask disposed to shield one or more edge regions of the substrate such that no material is deposited on the one or more edge regions during substrate coating and/or during processing.

A processing station can be understood to be a station that includes one or more devices to process a substrate. The means for treating may be, for example, a device that coats the front side surface of the substrate. For example, a sputtering source or a vapor deposition source can be used to coat the front side surface of the substrate. In particular, physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition apparatus and the like can be used as a processing apparatus.

As noted above, a coating source is provided after the substrate, such as glass, edge exclusion, edge exclusion mask, or mask, which may be a planar or rotating target. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other described embodiments, the distance between the glass and the mask may be reduced by a dry adhesive configuration. The distance between the glass masks can be as small as possible because the edges of the glass are straight and no fixture can interfere with edge exclusion (ie, masking).

The embodiments described herein provide a treatment or coating zone in which a substrate (e.g., glass) is suspended with the active side (and front side surface) facing down. Particulate impurities fall from the active side with gravity. In addition, particulate impurities of the glass jig are not produced.

According to an embodiment, a vacuum processing apparatus is provided. The processing apparatus includes a substrate support having a support body as described herein, and a dry adhesive configuration on the support body having one or more of the dry adhesive elements described herein. One or more dry adhesive elements are disposed to support the substrate as described herein in at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface in the processing station, wherein the processing station is at least partially below the substrate.

Referring to Fig. 8, an enlarged view of one of the masks 230 covering a section 102a of the substrate front side surface 102 is shown. The section 102a of the substrate front side surface 102 is a portion of the substrate front side substrate which should be kept free of particulate impurities, and is particularly untreated. The dashed line 104 separates the section of the front side surface 102 to be treated and the section 102a of the untreated surface. Element symbol 104a defines a boundary surface area 104a between section 102a and section 102b. Due to the horizontal processing, the particulate impurities 222c tend to move parallel to the process direction 272 and face the substrate front side surface 102. The dimension 104b between the deposition surface and the non-deposition surface of the boundary surface region 104a is substantially determined by the distance 305 between the mask 230 and the front side surface 102, the processing direction 272 of the particulate impurity 222c, and the size of the particulate impurity 222c. . The small distance 305 can result in a small dimension 104b of the boundary surface region 104a, particularly improved edge exclusion or shadowing of the edge.

Particle impurities generated in a processing device such as a target joining slit or an edge exclusion mask will be less accessible to the active surface of the substrate with gravity than a vertical or substantially vertical substrate configuration. In addition, particulate impurities generated by the jig can be avoided by a dry adhesive configuration such as a gecko suction cup. In addition, the dry adhesive configuration allows for a smaller mask-substrate-distance compared to the substrate supported by the clamp. This allows for an improved shadowing.

According to an embodiment, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method includes a substrate support according to embodiments herein, wherein the support main system holding substrate is attached to the dry adhesive element in a non-vertical position and the back side surface of the substrate is attached to the front side surface of the substrate facing down into the processing station. The phrase "facing downward" is understood to mean that the front side surface of the substrate faces the processing station as described herein such that the processing station is at least partially below the substrate support, particularly below the substrate. Supporting the substrate facing downward facing the processing station enables horizontal processing of the front side surface of the substrate.

Figure 9 shows a flow chart describing a method for processing a substrate in accordance with embodiments described herein. The method 400 includes the transfer substrate of block 410 with the front side surface of the substrate facing up, the back side of the attachment substrate of block 420 to the support body as described herein, and the block 430 reversing the substrate upside down with the front side surface facing to be treated facing Next, the moving substrate of block 440 is processed in the processing region, block 450, as described herein below.

FIG. 10 illustrates one flow diagram of another method 500 for processing a substrate in accordance with embodiments described herein. The method 500 includes the attachment of the back side of the substrate 510 to the support body with the front side of the substrate down, the moving substrate of the block 520 in a processing area, the processing of the block 530, the front side surface of the substrate facing down as described herein, the block The moving substrate of 540 exits the processing zone and wherein the front side surface of the substrate faces downward as described herein.

In accordance with an embodiment, a substrate processing system is provided that includes an attached module, a vacuum transfer chamber, and a vacuum processing apparatus as described herein. The processing system can include more than one or more load modules, transfer chambers, or vacuum processing equipment. The substrate processing system includes a vacuum transfer system in which more than one (particularly multiple) vacuum transfer chambers are provided. The substrate can be clamped from the top to the processing module, or the substrate can be clamped from the bottom and inverted upside down. An uncoated glass suspended from the gecko suction cup (ie, the substrate support) can be provided to the processing module, and the gecko suction cup (ie, the substrate support) is mounted on the transport system.

A load module can be understood as a module that can be used to feed or receive a substrate. The load module can be a chamber having an opening disposed on one side to receive the substrate. The load module can be coupled to a transmission device that is configured to transport the substrate to the load module. For example, a load module can be understood as an air brake for transferring a substrate to a chamber having a low pressure, in particular to a chamber having a vacuum pressure. According to an embodiment, the load module is coupled to the vacuum transfer chamber.

A vacuum transfer chamber can be understood as a chamber having a vacuum pressure that is coupled to other substrate processing modules, chambers or devices. The vacuum transfer chamber can be configured to move the substrate to other modules or devices coupled to the vacuum transfer chamber for substrate reprocessing. According to an embodiment, more than one vacuum processing apparatus may be disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber, particularly the outer wall of the vacuum transfer chamber. The vacuum transfer chamber can form a transport path between such vacuum processing equipment.

The vacuum transfer chamber can be understood as a transmission path setting in which a plurality of substrate processing modules (such as processing devices) are disposed in the side regions of the transmission path arrangement. Each substrate processing module or substrate processing system can be coupled to a transmission path setting, such as by an aperture or by an airlock.

According to an embodiment, a substrate processing system can include (at least in part) more than one substrate processing apparatus disposed adjacent to each other, wherein a substrate supported by the support body in the first processing apparatus is moved into a processing area of a processing station as described herein . For further processing, the carrier can be moved along a further processing device wherein the carrier is moved alongside the processing station of the processing device in a non-vertical position. Movement of the substrate support alongside the processing station can be performed at a fixed speed, or at a variable speed.

The present disclosure includes several advantages, including providing a substrate support for holding the substrate on the side without requiring additional retention of the front or lateral surface. The substrate support described herein enables a substrate to be processed in a non-vertical position without the need for other retention configurations that are laterally deposited on the edge of the contact glass. Non-vertical substrate processing enables thinner coating and finer coating by avoiding the deposition of larger particulate impurities on the substrate surface.

100‧‧‧Substrate support

101‧‧‧Substrate

102‧‧‧ front side surface

Section 102a‧‧‧

Section 102b‧‧‧

103‧‧‧ edge

104‧‧‧dotted line

104a‧‧‧Boundary surface area

104b‧‧‧Dimensions

105‧‧‧ Dry adhesive components

110‧‧‧ surface

114‧‧‧clear area

115‧‧‧ Back side surface

116‧‧‧External edge

118‧‧‧ corner edge

120‧‧‧Center Holder

121‧‧‧ filament

130‧‧‧External holding parts

145‧‧ Center

200‧‧‧ Vacuum processing equipment

215‧‧‧Rotating target

217‧‧‧ surface

220‧‧‧Processing station

222a‧‧‧Materials

222c‧‧‧Particle impurities

225a, 225b, 225c, 225d‧‧‧ movable retaining parts

230‧‧‧ mask

235‧‧‧ mandrel

240‧‧‧ Dry adhesive components

245‧‧‧ radial path

250‧‧‧ distance

255‧‧‧ radially outward

265‧‧‧ corner edge

272‧‧‧Processing direction

280‧‧‧ bottom

305‧‧‧ bottom

335a, 335b, 335c, 335d‧‧‧ movable center holding parts

345a, 345b, 345c, 345d‧‧‧ movable external holding parts

400, 500‧‧‧ method

410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 510, 520, 530, 540‧‧‧ blocks

In order to understand the details of the above features, a more detailed description and a brief summary are provided in the above embodiments. The drawings are described with respect to the embodiments and are as follows: Figure 1 is a top plan view of an exemplary substrate support comprising a dry adhesive assembly having a central retaining member and a plurality of outer retaining members. FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing another example of a substrate support including a center holder and a plurality of external holders. FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing another example of a substrate support including a center holder and a plurality of external holders having a closed-ring-like design. FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing another example of a substrate support including four movable holders according to another embodiment of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing another example of a substrate support including four movable center holders and four movable external holders. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of an exemplary substrate support of one of the dry adhesive components included on its support body. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a vacuum processing apparatus of an embodiment in which a front side surface of a substrate is supported in a non-vertical position above a processing station. Figure 8 is an enlarged view showing a mask covering a portion of the front side surface of the substrate. Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing a substrate in accordance with an embodiment described herein. Figure 10 illustrates another flow diagram illustrating another method for processing a substrate in accordance with embodiments described herein.

no

Claims (20)

a substrate support member for supporting a substrate having a front side surface and a back side surface to be processed, the substrate support comprising: a support body; and a dry adhesive assembly attached to the support body, The dry adhesive assembly has one or more dry adhesive elements, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements support the substrate in at least a central region and an outer region of the backside surface. The substrate support of claim 1, wherein the substrate support is disposed to hold the substrate in a non-vertical position, the back side surface of the substrate being attached to the one or more dry adhesive elements and The front side surface of the substrate faces downward. The substrate support of claim 1, wherein the dry adhesive assembly is configured to form one or more holders on the support body. The substrate support of claim 2, wherein the dry adhesive assembly is configured to form one or more holders on the support body. The substrate support of claim 3, wherein the one or more holders are movably disposed on the support body. The substrate support of claim 5, wherein the substrate support further comprises four holders arranged to be movable in a radially outwards direction or a radially inward direction ( Budget inwards direction). The substrate support of claim 5, wherein the substrate support further comprises four holders arranged to be movable in a radially outwards direction and a radially inward direction ( Budget inwards direction). The substrate support of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the dry adhesive assembly is configured to have an attachment area corresponding to at least 75 percent of the back side surface of the substrate ( %). The substrate support according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements comprise a first adhesive structure on a first region of the support body and a support body A second adhesive structure on one of the second zones. The substrate support of claim 8, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements comprise a first adhesive structure on a first region of the support body and a second region in the support body A second adhesive structure on the top. The substrate support of any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements comprise a Gecko adhesive. The substrate support of claim 8, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements comprise a Gecko adhesive. The substrate support of claim 9, wherein the one or more dry adhesive elements comprise a Gecko adhesive. A method for processing a substrate, the method comprising: holding the substrate in a non-vertical position, a back side surface of the substrate is attached to the plurality of dry adhesive elements, and a front side surface of the substrate faces downward Above the processing station. A method for processing a substrate, the method comprising: attaching a back side surface of the substrate to a support body using a plurality of dry adhesive elements, a front side surface of the substrate to be treated facing upward; and The support body is inverted upside down such that a front side surface of the substrate to be processed faces downward. A vacuum processing apparatus comprising: a substrate support comprising: a support body; and a dry adhesive arrangement on the support body, the dry adhesive configuration having one or more dry adhesive elements, the one or more dry adhesive elements Providing at least one central region and an outer region supporting substrate for the back side surface; and a processing station at least partially lower than the substrate support. The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the substrate support is configured to move the substrate into and out of the processing station in a non-vertical position. The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein a mask is disposed in front of the substrate, the mask covering an edge region of the substrate. The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein a mask is disposed in front of the substrate, the mask covering an edge region of the substrate. A substrate processing system comprising: a load module; a vacuum transfer chamber; and a vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 19.