WO2016206728A1

WO2016206728A1 - Processing chamber having a cooling device and a method for cooling a substrate in a processing chamber

Info

Publication number: WO2016206728A1
Application number: PCT/EP2015/064135
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Schnappenberger
Original assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
Priority date: 2015-06-23
Filing date: 2015-06-23
Publication date: 2016-12-29

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a substrate carrier (110) configured to support a substrate (101) having a surface (101a) with a surface area (A), a deposition source (120), and a cooling device (130), wherein at least one of the substrate carrier (110) and the cooling device (130) is configured to be moveable to a cooling position.

Description

Processing chamber having a cooling device and a method for cooling a substrate in a processing chamber

FIELD [0001] Examples of the present disclosure relate to a processing chamber having a cooling device and a method for cooling a substrate in a processing chamber. Examples of the present disclosure particularly relate to processing chambers having a cooling device for cooling a substrate to be processed in a vacuum chamber, and related methods.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Several methods are known for depositing a material on a substrate. For instance, 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, etc. Typically, the process is performed in a process apparatus or process chamber in which the substrate to be coated is located. A deposition material is provided in the apparatus. A plurality of materials including oxides, nitrides or carbides thereof may be used for deposition on a substrate.

[0003] Coated materials may be used in several applications and in several technical fields. For instance, coated materials may be used in the field of microelectronics, such as for the manufacture of lithium batteries. Further applications include in general thin film batteries, electrochromic windows, insulating panels, organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, substrates with TFT, color filters or the like.

[0004] In coating processes or other deposition processes, substrates are usefully supported in a carrier. For instance, substrates can be loaded in the carrier and the carrier is transported through the substrate processing apparatus or deposition apparatus for depositing a layer or a stack of layers on the substrate. Carriers can be used for one or a plurality of substrates during deposition. [0005] In particular substrate processing applications, the energy set free by the deposition source heats up the substrate which may lead to a deterioration of the performance of a layer to be processed on the substrate. Specifically, for materials to be deposited having a low melting temperature, such as lithium, the layer performance may be deteriorated.

[0006] In view of the above, processing chambers having a cooling device particularly configured for a lithium deposition process and methods for cooling a substrate that overcome at least some of the problems in the art are beneficial. The present disclosure aims to provide cooling devices for cooling the substrate during a heat generating deposition process. Further, the present disclosure aims to deposit layers having a better layer performance.

SUMMARY

[0007] In light of the above, processing chambers and a method for cooling a substrate according to the independent claims are provided. Further aspects, advantages, and features of the present application are apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the accompanying drawings.

[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber is provided. The processing chamber includes a substrate carrier for supporting a substrate having a surface with an surface area, a deposition source, and a cooling device, wherein at least one of the substrate carrier and the cooling device is configured to be moveable or moved to a cooling position.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing chamber is provided. The processing chamber includes a substrate carrier configured to support a substrate having a surface with a surface area and transport the substrate along a transport direction through the processing chamber, a deposition source, a cooling device, a moving device configured to move the cooling device in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface of the substrate to a cooling position, wherein a distance between the cooling device and the substrate is provided in the cooling position, and an injection device configured to inject a heat transfer medium into the processing chamber.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for cooling a substrate having a surface with a surface area in a processing chamber is provided. The method includes moving at least one of the substrate and a cooling device to a cooling position, injecting a heat transfer medium into the processing chamber, cooling the substrate, and removing the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber.

[0011] Examples are also directed at apparatuses for carrying out the disclosed methods and include apparatus parts for performing described method blocks. These method blocks may be performed by way of hardware components, a computer programmed by appropriate software, by any combination of the two or in any other manner. Furthermore, examples according to the application are also directed at methods to operate the described apparatus. It includes method bocks for carrying out the functions of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to examples. The accompanying drawings relate to examples of the disclosure and are described in the following: Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a processing chamber having a cooling device according to examples described herein;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a processing chamber having a cooling device provided in a cooling position according to examples described herein;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged schematic view of a section I of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows an enlarged schematic view of a section I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of another processing chamber having a cooling device according to examples described herein; Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of another processing chamber having a cooling device according to examples described herein;

Fig. 7 shows a schematic view of another processing chamber having a cooling device according to examples described herein; Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of a part of another processing chamber having a cooling device according to examples described herein; and

Fig. 9 shows a flow chart of a method for cooling a substrate in a processing chamber according to examples described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES

[0013] Reference will now be made in detail to the various examples of the disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Within the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to same components. Generally, the differences with respect to individual examples are described. The examples are provided by way of explanation of the disclosure and are not meant as a limitation of the disclosure. Further, features illustrated or described as part of one example can be used on or in conjunction with other examples to yield a further example. It is intended that the description includes such modifications and variations.

[0014] Furthermore, in the following description a carrier or substrate carrier can be understood as a carrier which is able to support a substrate. Particularly, a carrier as referred herein may be understood as a carrier having a frame shape or including a frame. In some examples, the carrier may also be referred to as a carrier frame. According to some examples, the substrate carrier may include fixation elements for holding the substrate. A fixation element as referred to herein may be understood as a fixation element for providing a contact to the substrate. Particularly, a fixation element as referred to herein may be understood as a fixation element for providing a contact to more than one surface of the substrate. In some examples, the substrate carrier is adapted for being moved through a processing chamber or a processing apparatus, such as by including movement devices allowing the substrate carrier to be transported through a processing chamber, such as guiding rails, connection devices for connecting the substrate carrier to a transport system in the processing chamber, a sliding surface, rolls, and the like.

[0015] The examples described herein can be utilized for deposition on large area substrates, e.g. for lithium battery manufacturing or electrochromic windows. As an example, a plurality of thin film batteries can be formed on a large area substrate using the cooling device for processing a layer including a material having a low melting temperature. According to some examples, a large area substrate can be GEN 4.5, which corresponds to about 0.67 m² substrates (0.73x0.92m), GEN 5, which corresponds to about 1.4 m² substrates (1.1 m x 1.3 m), GEN 7.5, which corresponds to about 4.29 m² substrates (1.95 m x 2.2 m), GEN 8.5, which corresponds to about 5.7m² substrates (2.2 m x 2.5 m), or even GEN 10, which corresponds to about 8.7 m² substrates (2.85 m x 3.05 m). Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding substrate areas can similarly be implemented. [0016] The term "substrate" as used herein shall particularly embrace inflexible substrates, e.g., glass plates. The present disclosure is not limited thereto and the term "substrate" may also embrace flexible substrates such as a web or a foil.

[0017] As mentioned above, substrates may be transported through or in a processing system for performing a process, such as a deposition process. For instance, the deposition process may be a static PVD sputter process. For several processes, the process chamber, or other components involved in the process to be performed, may experience heat input, e.g. by heating the process chamber, or by using materials with an elevated temperature compared to the temperature outside of the process chamber. The substrates to be processed may also be subjected to an elevated temperature, e.g. by the temperature in the process chamber, or by a deposition material being deposited on the substrate and having an elevated temperature. When a substrate is subjected to an elevated temperature, the characteristics of the substrate may change, such as the surface adhesiveness. Further, if a material having a low melting point is deposited on a substrate with a temperature near to the melting point, the material to be deposited may not stick to the substrate in a satisfactory way, e.g. the viscosity of the material to be deposited becomes too low on the substrate with elevated temperature. Examples described herein refer to a cooling device which allows for keeping the substrate temperature within a certain range during processing.

[0018] According to examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a processing chamber, particularly for a vacuum processing apparatus, is provided. The processing chamber includes a substrate carrier for supporting a substrate having a surface with a surface area, a deposition source, and a cooling device. Further, at least one of the substrate carrier and the cooling device is configured to be moveable to a cooling position. Specifically, at least one of the substrate carrier and the cooling device may be configured to be moveable from a processing position to a cooling position. According to examples described herein, a distance d between the cooling device and the substrate is provided in the cooling position. Specifically, the distance d may be greater than 0.0 mm in the cooling position. According to examples described herein, in the cooling position, a ratio of a distance between the cooling device and the substrate to the surface area of the substrate is equal to or smaller than 0.015 1/m, preferably equal to or smaller than 0.01 1/m, specifically equal to or smaller than 0.005 1/m. According to examples described herein, the cooling device is configured to be moveable, specifically in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, to a cooling position.

[0019] In the context of the present application, a "directional component" of a direction may be understood as the component or part of the direction that is parallel to or runs along the thereafter referenced direction or orientation. For instance, "a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface of the substrate" may be understood as a direction having at least one component that is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate whereas the thus defined direction may also include further directional components such as a directional component parallel to the surface of the substrate, i.e. the direction having a directional component perpendicular to the surface of the substrate may be, e.g., transverse to the surface of the substrate.

[0020] Fig. 1 shows a processing chamber 100 according to examples described herein. The processing chamber 100 includes a substrate carrier 110 configured to support a substrate 101, and a deposition source 120. The substrate 101 has a surface 101a with a surface area A. The surface area A may be understood as the quantity that expresses the extent of the two-dimensional surface 101a of the substrate lying in a plane with the substrate carrier 110. Typically, the surface area A may be the quantity that expresses the extent of the two-dimensional surface 101a of the substrate 101 which faces the deposition source 120. For instance, the surface 101a is the surface to be processed by using the deposition source 120. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the substrate carrier 110 is configured to support the substrate 101 during a deposition process. The processing chamber 100 further includes a cooling device 130. At least one of the substrate carrier 110 and the cooling device 130 is configured to be moveable to a cooling position. [0021] For instance, the cooling device 130 may be configured to be movable to the cooling position, specifically in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101, in particular in a direction perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. By the movement of the cooling device 130 as described above, a distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 (see Fig. 3) may be changed. Specifically, if the cooling device 130 is moved to a position proximal from the substrate 101, the distance d may be smaller than in the case where the cooling device 130 is moved to a position distal to the substrate 101. Further, the cooling device 130 may include a plate shape.

[0022] Although a movement of the cooling device 130 is described herein, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that whenever a movement of the cooling device 130 is described, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the substrate 101 and/or the substrate carrier 110 may be moved in addition to or instead of the movement of the cooling device. Specifically, a relative position of the substrate and the cooling device with respect to each other may be changed. Further, the distance d may express a distance between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130 in a direction perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the distance d between the cooling device and the substrate in the cooling position is greater than 0.0 mm, specifically greater than 0.1 mm.

[0023] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a moving device configured to move at least one of the substrate carrier 110 and the cooling device 130, specifically in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101 is provided. Specifically, at least one of the substrate carrier 110 and the cooling device 130 may be moved to the cooling position, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. A cooling position of the cooling device 130 may be understood as a position in which the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 is small enough that a heat transfer between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 occurs. Specifically, the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 in the cooling position may be equal to or smaller than 20 mm, particularly equal to or smaller than 10 mm, specifically equal to or smaller than 6 mm, typically equal to or smaller than 4 mm. [0024] Fig. 1 shows a processing chamber 100 that may have a vertical orientation. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, substrate carrier 110 may be configured to support the substrate in a vertical direction or vertical orientation. Although a processing chamber 100 having a vertical orientation is shown in Fig. 1, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the processing chamber 100 may have any other orientation such as a horizontal orientation.

[0025] Further, the term "vertical direction" or "vertical orientation" is understood to distinguish over "horizontal direction" or "horizontal orientation". That is, the "vertical direction" or "vertical orientation" relates to a substantially vertical orientation e.g. of the substrate carrier and the substrate, wherein a deviation of a few degrees, e.g. up to 10° or even up to 15°, from an exact vertical direction or vertical orientation is still considered as a "vertical direction" or a "vertical orientation". The vertical direction can be substantially parallel to the force of gravity.

[0026] According to examples described herein, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, vertically is understood particularly when referring to the substrate orientation, to allow for a deviation from the exact vertical direction of 20° or below, e.g. of 10° or below. This deviation can be provided for example because a substrate support with some deviation from the vertical orientation might result in a more stable substrate position. Yet, the substrate orientation during a deposition process is considered substantially vertical, which is considered different from the horizontal substrate orientation. [0027] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the substrate carrier 110 includes at least one fixation element (not shown) configured to provide a mechanical connection between the substrate carrier 110 and the substrate 101. Specifically, the at least one fixation element may be configured to hold the substrate 101. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the at least one fixation element provides a holding or supporting force for supporting the substrate stably in the substrate carrier. The momentum of the at least one fixation element may be provided by at least two surfaces configured to be provided on opposing sides of the substrate. Specifically, the at least two surfaces may provide a lever arm and may be pressed together for stably holding the substrate.

[0028] Further, with respect to force of gravity as introduced above, the at least one fixation element may be provided in an upper edge of the substrate carrier 110. For instance, a lower edge of substrate 101 may be supported on a lower edge of the substrate carrier 110 by being positioned or arranged on the lower edge of the substrate carrier 110 whereas the upper edge of the substrate 101 is hold in the substrate carrier 110 by the at least one fixation element.

[0029] Further, the term "perpendicular" may relate to a substantially perpendicular orientation e.g. of substrate surface, wherein a deviation of a few degrees, e.g. up to 10° or even up to 15°, from an exact perpendicular orientation is still considered as "perpendicular".

[0030] As described above, the present disclosure particularly relates to a processing chamber and a method for cooling large area substrates. Substrates having a large area are typically supported by a large-sized substrate carrier. According to examples, the substrate carrier 110 supports the substrate 101 in an edge region of the substrate 101, i.e. in a circumferential portion of the substrate 101. During processing, e.g. by heat input as described above, the substrate carrier 110 may undergo thermal deformation and thus the substrate 101 may be deformed, for example, twisted or warped. Specifically, the substrate 101 may be deformed such that it will be brought out of plane, i.e. that it is not totally planar. Accordingly, the distance d between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130 may vary over the surface area A of the substrate 101. Specifically, the distance d may vary from point to point by a few hundreds of micrometers to a few millimeters. Specifically, this effect may increase with an increasing size or area of the substrate, i.e. the larger a substrate is the large the deviations from a plane of the substrate may be.

[0031] Further, the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 may be understood as a minimum distance between cooling device 130 and the substrate 101, i.e. the distance between the cooling device 130 and the point or part of the substrate 101 that is most proximate to the cooling device 130. Alternatively, the distance d may be understood as an average distance between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101, i.e. an average value of the distances between the cooling device 130 and the individual points or parts of the substrate 101. [0032] Furthermore, depending on the configuration of the substrate carrier 110, the substrate carrier 110 may include at least one portion that is arranged between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. In this context, the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 may be understood as a distance between the cooling device 130 and the part(s) of the substrate carrier 110 arranged between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. The considerations brought forward with respect to the deviations of the substrate and the value and/or evaluation of the distance apply for the substrate carrier and/or at least those parts of the substrate carrier 110 that are arranged between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. Further, as the person skilled in the art may appreciate, the considerations made above or below with respect to an interaction between an arrangement of the cooling device 130 and substrate 101 may in this case apply for the cooling device 130 and those parts of the substrate carrier 110 that are arranged between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130.

[0033] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, at least one of the substrate carrier 110 and the cooling device 130 is configured to be moveable in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101 to a cooling position, wherein, in the cooling position, a ratio of a distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 to the surface area A of the substrate 101 is equal to or smaller than 0.015 1/m, preferably equal to or smaller than 0.01 1/m, specifically equal to or smaller than 0.005 1/m. For instance, the cooling device 130 may be moved towards the substrate 101 until the cooling position is reached, in which the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 is small enough to ensure that a heat transfer between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 occurs, while the distance d is large enough such that the cooling device 130 may not come into contact with the substrate 101 in order to prevent the substrate 101 becoming deformed and/or moved and/or brought out of position by the cooling device 130. As described above, the deviations from the plane of the substrate 101 may increase with increasing substrate size, the distance d in the cooling position may be adapted from substrate size to substrate size.

[0034] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the deposition source 120 is configured and/or adapted to deposit at least one material having a low melting point, such as lithium (181 °C), or sodium (97,72 °C) or magnesium, on the substrate 101. Specifically, the deposition source 120 may be configured and/or adapted for a lithium deposition process. For instance, the deposition source 120 may be a sputter cathode, specifically a rotatable sputter cathode. In the context of the present invention, a "material having a low melting point" may be understood as a material that has a melting point which is lower than the temperature generated by the deposition source 120 at the location of the substrate 101 taking into account the environmental conditions of the processing chamber 100.

[0035] Further, the cooling device 130 may be configured and/or adapted to cool the substrate 101 to a temperature below the melting point of the material to be deposited on the substrate 101. According to examples described herein, a layer performance of the deposited layer may be increased. For example, an adhesion of the deposited layer on the substrate may be increased. In an example, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 may be configured and/or adapted to cool the substrate 101 to ambient temperature or room temperature. [0036] As shown in Fig. 4, according to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a heat transfer medium is let in or injected into the processing chamber 100, specifically in a space formed by the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 in the cooling position. The heat transfer medium may include an inert gas such as helium, argon, nitrogen, or combinations thereof. Specifically, the heat transfer medium may be any suitable gas that has heat transfer ability, i.e. supports the heat transfer between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101, while it may be inert with respect to the process environment in the processing chamber. In examples, the heat transfer medium is helium. By providing a heat transfer medium in the space between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101, a heat transfer performance between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 may be increased. [0037] For instance, the heat transfer medium may be introduced into the processing chamber by an injection device (not shown), thus providing or injecting heat transfer medium into the processing chamber, specifically in the space formed by the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101. Further, the injection device may be configured and/or adapted to introduce or inject the heat transfer medium directly into the space formed by the distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101.

[0038] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 includes materials having a high heat conductivity. Typically, the cooling device 130 includes materials such as copper, silver, aluminum or alloys thereof. Further, the substrate 101 may be, for example, glass, ceramic, metal, silicon, mica, a rigid material, a flexible material, plastic, polymer, or any combination thereof.

[0039] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 is cooled by a coolant. Specifically, the cooling device 130 may be water cooled. However, any other suitable coolant may be used to achieve temperatures below the melting point. As shown in Fig. 5, an integrated cooling system 132 may be provided. The integrated cooling system 132 may be understood as a system that cools the cooling device or transports heat from the cooling device. Specifically, the integrated cooling system 132 may be configured and/or adapted to decrease or control a temperature of the cooling device 130 by, e.g., conducting a coolant through the cooling device. Although an integrated cooling system is shown, it should be understood that any other type of cooling system for cooling the cooling device is encompassed by the present application as would be appreciated by a skilled person. For example, the cooling device 130 may be connected to an external cooling device by one or more heat transfer surfaces.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6, according to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a deposition cooling device 122 for cooling the deposition source 120 is provided. For instance, the temperature of the deposition source 120 may be controlled or decreased during a deposition process, thus reducing the heat or energy that is emitted from the deposition source.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 7, according to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a carrier moving device 112 configured to move the substrate carrier 110 along a transport direction is provided. Specifically, the transport direction includes a principal direction, wherein the principal direction of the transport direction is parallel to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. That is, the substrate 101 may be moveable along a transport direction that is substantially parallel to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. In the example depicted in Fig. 6, the substrate 101 and the substrate carrier 110 may be movable perpendicular to the plane of projection. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the transport direction is parallel to the surface 101a of the substrate 101.

[0042] In the context of the present application, the term "principal direction of a direction" may be understood as the directional component of the direction that is larger than the other directional components of the respective direction.

[0043] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 and the deposition source 120 are arranged in a processing region, wherein the cooling device 130 and the deposition source 120 are arranged opposite to another with respect to the substrate carrier 110 and/or the substrate 101. Specifically, the processing region may be understood as a region in which the layer to be processed is formed. Typically, the processing region is the region of the processing chamber in which the deposition source 120 is arranged. For instance, the substrate carrier 110 may be moved through the processing chamber to the processing region. If the substrate carrier 110 is loaded with a substrate 101, a layer may be deposited on the substrate 101 when arranged in the processing region by using the deposition source.

[0044] Further, the deposition source 120 may be arranged on one side of the substrate 101 while the cooling device 130 may be arranged on the other side of the substrate 101. That is, one of the deposition source 120 and the cooling device 130 may be arranged facing the surface 101a of the substrate 101 while the other one of the deposition source 120 and the cooling device 130 may be arranged facing a surface of the substrate 101 opposite to the surface 101a.

[0045] In some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 may have substantially the same size as or a comparable size to the substrate 101. "Substantially the same or a comparable size" may be understood in this context as meaning that the cooling device may have a surface facing the substrate which has substantially the same or a comparable surface area as the substrate, i.e. the surface of the cooling device facing the substrate may have the same surface area or surface area being a few percent larger or smaller than the surface area of the substrate. [0046] As shown in Fig. 8, according to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the cooling device 130 is configured to enclose the substrate carrier 110. For instance, the cooling device 130 may be arranged on the opposite side of the substrate 101 as the deposition source 120 while one or more parts of the cooling device 130 extend from the cooling device 130 towards the deposition source 120. Specifically, the extending parts may encompass or enclose at least parts of the substrate 101 and/or the substrate carrier 110.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 8, the cooling device 130 may include extending portions 134 which face the lateral side surface of the substrate 101 and/or the substrate carrier 110. Specifically, the lateral side surface of the substrate 101 may be a surface being perpendicular to the surface 101a. The extending portions 134 may include first extending portions 134a and second extending portions 134b. The first extending portions 134a may be provided facing a lateral side surface of the substrate 101 being perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 101. The second extending portions 134b may be provided facing a lateral side surface of the substrate 101 being orientated along the transport direction of the substrate 101.

[0048] For instance, the space formed between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 may be provided with side walls, e.g., to further facilitate the heat transfer between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. Specifically, the heat transfer medium described above may be injected into the space provided with the side walls at a higher concentration than in the remaining processing chamber. Further, the surfaces forming the space, i.e. the surfaces of the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130, particularly including the extending portions 134, may prevent at least parts of the heat transfer medium from exiting the space, particularly as long as the cooling device 130 is in the cooling position. Specifically, the higher a pressure of the heat transfer medium in the space between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 is, the better the cooling performance.

[0049] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the substrate carrier 110 includes a plurality of sub-carriers, wherein the individual sub-carriers are configured and/or adapted to support an individual substrate. For instance, the substrate carrier 110 may include a main carrier having sub-carrier coupling elements for coupling one or more sub-carriers to the main carrier. The main carrier may include a sub-carrier supporting portion having the shape of a grid with crossing grid bars, wherein the sub-carrier coupling elements are provided at the grid bars. Further, the substrate carrier 110 having the main carrier may include a sub-carrier for supporting at least one substrate to be processed. The sub-carrier may include at least one opening and substrate coupling elements for coupling the substrates. The substrate coupling elements may be configured to hold the substrate in a position overlapping partially with the openings of the sub-carrier. According to some examples, the substrate may be further cooled by the openings in the sub-carrier and/or the main carrier.

[0050] Fig. 9 shows a flow chart of a method 200 for cooling a substrate 101 having a surface 101a with a surface area A in a processing chamber according to examples described herein.

[0051] The method 200 includes in block 210 moving at least one of the substrate 101 and a cooling device 130 to a cooling position. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, at least one of the substrate 101 and a cooling device 130 may be moved in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. Specifically, the cooling device 130 may be moved towards the substrate 101 until the cooling position is reached. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, in the cooling position, a ratio of a distance d between the cooling device 130 and the substrate 101 to the surface area A of the substrate 101 is equal to or smaller than 0.015 1/m, preferably equal to or smaller than 0.01 1/m, specifically equal to or smaller than 0.005 1/m.

[0052] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, a relative position between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130 is changed by moving at least one of the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. Further, a distance d between the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130 may be changed by moving at least one of the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. The distance d may include a directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101. Specifically, the directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101 of the distance d may be changed by moving at least one of the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the distance d may be smaller in the cooling position than in a processing position for processing the substrate, such as depositing a layer on the substrate as described above. For instance, the directional component perpendicular to the surface 101a of the substrate 101 of the distance d may be smaller in the cooling position than in the processing position.

[0053] In block 220, a heat transfer medium is injected into the processing chamber according to examples described herein. In block 230, the substrate is cooled. The method 50 further includes in block 240 removing or evacuating the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber. Further, the heat transfer media may be injected before the cooling device 130 is moved to the cooling position.

[0054] As an example, the period of time from the introduction of the heat transfer medium into the processing chamber to the removal of the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber is equal to or less than 60 s, specifically equal to or less than 45 s, typically about 20 s to about 30 s. That is, a cooling process including the cooling method 200 as described above may be performed between two subsequent processing blocks or before a specific deposition process is started. Further, depending on the amount of heat or energy that is generated during a deposition process, the deposition process may be interrupted one or more times by a cooling process as outlined above. Specifically, the number of cooling processes may depend on the thickness of the layer to be processed. For instance, the higher the thickness of the layer to be processed is the more cooling processes may be applied and/or the longer the cooling processes may be.

[0055] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the method 200 further includes stopping an evacuation process before injecting the heat transfer medium into the processing chamber. For instance, during a deposition process as described above, an evacuating device may be operated to keep the processing chamber at a vacuum level. This evacuation device may be stopped or turned off before the heat transfer medium is introduced or injected into the processing chamber. Specifically, the heat transfer medium may be injected in to the processing chamber to have a pressure in the processing chamber that is higher than a pressure of a processing gas being present in the processing chamber during a deposition process. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the heat transfer media may be a processing gas having a higher pressure in the processing chamber. That is, after stopping the evacuating device, the processing chamber may be further introduced into the processing chamber until the pressure of the processing gas in the processing chamber reaches a predetermined level. Specifically, the predetermined level may be several magnitudes higher than the pressure during the deposition process. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples the heat transfer medium may be evacuated or removed from the processing chamber to a certain amount, i.e. until the heat transfer medium has a predetermined pressure. For instance, in case that a processing gas used in a deposition process is used as heat transfer medium as, e.g., outlined below, the heat transfer medium may be evacuated or removed from the processing gas until a pressure of the heat transfer medium is reached that is used in a deposition process. [0056] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the method 200 further includes injecting a processing gas, such as argon, nitrogen, oxygen or combinations thereof, into the processing chamber after removing heat transfer medium from the processing chamber. Specifically, after evacuating the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber, the evacuation device may be turned on. Alternatively, the same evacuation device used during the deposition process may be used for evacuation or removal of the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber. [0057] Further, the heat transfer medium may be the same gas that is used as a processing gas, e.g., for a deposition process to follow. Specifically, the heat transfer medium may be argon and may remain in the processing gas for a deposition process to follow. Moreover, the heat transfer medium may be removed from the processing chamber together with a processing gas, e.g. of a following deposition process.

[0058] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the method 200 further includes moving at least one of the substrate 101 and the cooling device 130 from the cooling position to the processing position, specifically after cooling the substrate. According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the distance d between the substrate and the cooling device may be larger in the processing position than in the cooling position.

[0059] The one or more deposition sources 120 can for example be rotatable cathodes having targets of the material to be deposited on the substrate 101. The cathodes can be rotatable cathodes with a magnetron therein. Magnetron sputtering can be conducted for deposition of the lithium or lithium alloy on the substrate 101 to form, e.g., electrodes of thin film batteries. The deposition sources 120 may be connected to a DC power supply together with anode collecting electrons during sputtering. According to further examples, which can be combined with other examples described herein, at least one of the one or more cathodes can have its corresponding, individual DC power supply. [0060] As used herein, "magnetron sputtering" refers to sputtering performed using a magnet assembly, that is, a unit capable of generating a magnetic field. Such a magnet assembly can include a permanent magnet. This permanent magnet can be arranged within a rotatable target or coupled to a planar target in a manner such that the free electrons are trapped within the generated magnetic field generated below the rotatable target surface. Such a magnet assembly may also be arranged coupled to a planar cathode.

[0061] According to some examples described herein, which can be combined with other examples, the substrate 101 is static or dynamic during deposition of the deposition material. According to examples described herein a static deposition process can be provided, e.g., for thin film battery processing. It may be noted that "static deposition processes" which differ from dynamic deposition processes, do not exclude any movement of the substrate as would be appreciated by a skilled person. A static deposition process can include, for example, at least one of the following: a static substrate position during deposition; an oscillating substrate position during deposition; an average substrate position that is essentially constant during deposition; a dithering substrate position during deposition; a wobbling substrate position during deposition; a deposition process for which the cathodes are provided in one vacuum chamber, i.e. a predetermined set of cathodes are provided in the vacuum chamber; a substrate position wherein the vacuum chamber has a sealed atmosphere with respect to neighboring chambers, e.g. by closing valve units separating the vacuum chamber from an adjacent chamber during deposition of the layer; or a combination thereof. A static deposition process can be understood as a deposition process with a static position, a deposition process with an essentially static position, or a deposition process with a partially static position of the substrate. In view of this, a static deposition process, in which the substrate position can in some cases not be fully without any movement during deposition, can be distinguished from a dynamic deposition process. [0062] The cooling device according to examples described herein allow for decreasing the temperature of the substrate during processing. In particular, the cooling device according to examples described herein allow for decreasing the temperature of the substrate during processing by transferring heat from the substrate to the cooling device. Decreasing the temperature of the substrate may result in a higher quality of processing and to less rejection of the end product. Further, the cooling device according to examples described herein allow for keeping the substrate within a defined temperature range without increasing the costs of the processing, or without postponing the processing.

[0063] While the foregoing is directed to examples of the disclosure, other and further examples of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. Processing chamber, comprising: a substrate carrier (110) configured to support a substrate (101) having a surface (101a) with an surface area (A); a deposition source (120); and a cooling device (130), wherein at least one of the substrate carrier (110) and the cooling device (130) is configured to be moveable to a cooling position.

2. Processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein, in the cooling position, a ratio of a distance (d) between the cooling device (130) and the substrate (101) to the surface area (A) of the substrate (101) is equal to or smaller than 0.015 1/m, preferably equal to or smaller than 0.01 1/m, specifically equal to or smaller than 0.005 1/m.

3. Processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein a heat transfer medium is provided into the processing chamber, preferably in a space formed by a distance (d) between the cooling device (130) and the substrate (101) in the cooling position.

4. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the deposition source (120) is configured to deposit at least one material having a low melting point on the substrate (101).

5. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a moving device configured to move the cooling device (130) in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface (101a) of the substrate (101).

6. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cooling device (130) and the deposition source (130) are arranged in a processing region, and wherein the cooling device (130) and the deposition source (120) are arranged opposite to each another with respect to the substrate carrier (110).

7. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cooling device (130) is configured to enclose the substrate carrier (110).

8. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 7, comprising a carrier moving device (112) configured to move the substrate carrier (110) along a transport direction, wherein a principal direction of the transport direction is parallel to the surface (101a) of the substrate (110).

9. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the substrate carrier (110) comprises a plurality of sub-carriers, wherein individual sub-carriers of the plurality of sub-carriers are configured to support individual substrates.

10. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cooling device (130) comprises materials having high heat conductivity.

11. Processing chamber according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the cooling device (130) is water cooled.

12. Processing chamber, comprising: a substrate carrier (110) configured to support a substrate (101) having a surface (101a) with an surface area (A) and transport the substrate (101) along a transport direction through the processing chamber; a deposition source (120); a cooling device (130); a moving device configured to move the cooling device (130) in a direction including a directional component perpendicular to the surface (101a) of the substrate (101) to a cooling position, wherein a distance (d) between the cooling device (130) and the substrate (101) is provided in the cooling position; and an injection device configured to inject a heat transfer medium into the processing chamber.

13. Method for cooling a substrate (101) having a surface (101a) with a surface area (A) in a processing chamber, comprising: moving (210) at least one of the substrate (101) and a cooling device (130) to a cooling position; injecting (220) a heat transfer medium into the processing chamber; cooling (230) the substrate (101); and removing (240) the heat transfer medium from the processing chamber.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein, in the cooling position, a ratio of a distance (d) between the cooling device (130) and the substrate (101) to the surface area (A) of the substrate (101) is equal to or smaller than 0.015 1/m, preferably equal to or smaller than 0.01 1/m, specifically equal to or smaller than 0.005 1/m.

15. Method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising stopping an evacuation process before injecting the heat transfer medium into the processing chamber.