Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
  • C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
  • C23C14/50—Substrate holders
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
  • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
  • H01L21/67712—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations the substrate being handled substantially vertically
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C17/00—Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by coating
  • C03C17/001—General methods for coating; Devices therefor
  • C03C17/002—General methods for coating; Devices therefor for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
  • C23C16/44—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
  • C23C16/458—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
  • C23C16/44—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating
  • C23C16/458—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes characterised by the method of coating characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
  • C23C16/4582—Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs
  • C23C16/4587—Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs the substrate being supported substantially vertically
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/673—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere using specially adapted carriers or holders; Fixing the workpieces on such carriers or holders
  • H01L21/6734—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere using specially adapted carriers or holders; Fixing the workpieces on such carriers or holders specially adapted for supporting large square shaped substrates
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C03—GLASS; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL
  • C03C—CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS
  • C03C2218/00—Methods for coating glass
  • C03C2218/10—Deposition methods
  • C03C2218/15—Deposition methods from the vapour phase

Definitions

• Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to holders configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate, two carriers comprising at least two holders and two methods, particularly for substrate processing, e.g., for layer deposition, of processing a substrate held in a carrier as well as two methods of unloading a substrate from a carrier, and two apparatuses for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate.
• Embodiments of the present disclosure particularly relate to holders and carriers for supporting a large area substrate with a thin thickness in a substrate processing machine and apparatuses for processing a large area substrate.
• 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.
• PVD physical vapor deposition
• CVD chemical vapor deposition
• PECVD plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition
• the process is performed in a process apparatus or process chamber, where the substrate to be coated is located.
• a deposition material is provided in the apparatus.
• a plurality of materials including also oxides, nitrides or carbides thereof, may be used for deposition on a substrate.
• other processing actions like etching, structuring, annealing, or the like can be conducted in processing chambers.
• Coated materials may be used in several applications and in several technical fields.
• an application lies in the field of microelectronics, such as generating semiconductor devices.
• substrates for displays are often coated by a PVD process.
• Further applications include insulating panels, organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, substrates with TFT, color filters or the like.
• OLED organic light emitting diode
• substrates with TFT color filters or the like.
• large area glass substrates are processed. In the past, there has been a continuous increase in substrate sizes which is still continuing. The increasing size of glass substrates makes the handling, supporting and processing thereof, without sacrificing the throughput by glass breakage, increasingly challenging.
• glass substrates can be supported on carriers during processing thereof.
• a carrier drives the glass or the substrate through the processing machine.
• the carriers typically form a frame or a plate, which supports a surface of the substrate along the periphery thereof or, in the latter case, supports the surface as such.
• a frame shaped carrier can also be used to mask a glass substrate, wherein the aperture in the carrier, which is surrounded by the frame, provides an aperture for coating material to be deposited on the exposed substrate portion or an aperture for other processing actions acting on the substrate portion, which is exposed by the aperture.
• bulging can reduce quality, e.g., uniformity, of the material layers deposited. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce bulging and to enable a carrier to transport bigger and thinner substrates without breakage, and to improve the quality of the coated material layers.
• a carrier particularly a carrier having at least two holders, that overcomes at least some of the problems in the art and a holder for a carrier are beneficially provided.
• a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate according to independent claim 1 is provided.
• a carrier according to claims 8 is provided.
• a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to independent claim 11 is provided.
• a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to independent claim 12 is provided.
• an apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate according to claims 15 is provided.
• a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate.
• the holder includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body, and a floating portion configured to be moveable with respect to the fixed portion along a direction and including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate.
• a carrier including at least two holders.
• Each of the at least two holders includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body, and a floating portion configured to be moveable with respect to the fixed portion along a direction and including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate.
• a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached includes loading a substrate on the carrier, processing the substrate at an elevated temperature, and moving a floating portion of the least one holder by a thermal expansion due to the processing at an elevated temperature.
• a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached includes moving the carrier from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation, unloading the substrate from the carrier, and moving a floating portion of the at least one holder to a center position.
• an apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate includes a vacuum chamber adapted for layer deposition therein, a transport system adapted for transportation of a carrier.
• the carrier includes at least two holders. Each of the at least two holders includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body, and floating portion configured to be moveable with respect to the fixed portion along a direction and including a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate.
• the apparatus further includes a deposition source for depositing material forming the layer.
• FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D illustrate carriers according to embodiments described herein, each having holders, and each with a substrate provided in a substrate area of the carrier;
• FIGS. 2A to 2E show an example of a holder attachable to a carrier and according to embodiments described herein;
• FIG. 3 shows a view of an apparatus for depositing a layer of material on a substrate utilizing a carrier according to embodiments described herein;
• FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to embodiments described herein;
• FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to embodiments described herein.
• a carrier including at least two holders can be provided.
• the at least two holders can be configured to reduce bending or bulging of the substrate due to stress, particularly stress introduced by depositing layers on the substrate, or stress introduced by thermal expansions of the substrate or the carrier; or stress introduced by the weight of the substrate.
• the holder can provide a two-part body having a fixed portion and a moveable or floating portion.
• a carrier or substrate carrier can be understood as a carrier which is able to support a substrate.
• a carrier as referred to herein may be understood as a carrier having a frame shape or including a frame.
• the carrier may also be referred to as a carrier frame.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• the carrier can include at least two holders.
• the at least two holders can be distributed around the perimeter of the substrate to effectively avoid or reduce bending or bulging of the substrate.
• Each holder can include a fixed portion, which can be configured to be attached to a carrier body specifically having a fixed position with respect to the carrier body, and a floating portion, which can be movable relative to the fixed portion along at least one direction.
• the floating portion can include a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate.
• the relative movement of the floating portion with respect to the fixed portion can provide one aspect to be considered for reducing the bending of the substrate.
• a force arrangement e.g. at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder, or the like, can be provided and can be configured to pull or push the substrate in the carrier in the at least one direction.
• the substrate may undergo thermal expansion during processing.
• the floating portion may be moved by a length increase generated by the thermal expansion. Accordingly, a stress in the substrate may be reduced.
• the substrate thickness can be from 0.1 to 1.8 mm and the holders can be adapted for such substrate thicknesses. Particularly beneficial may be if the substrate thickness is about 0.9 mm or below, such as 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm or 0.3 mm and the holders are adapted for such substrate thicknesses.
• large area substrates may have a size of at least 0.174 m 2 .
• the size can be about 1.4 m 2 to about 8 m 2 , more typically about 2 m to about 9 m 2 or even up to 12 m 2 .
• the rectangular substrates, for which the mask structures, apparatuses, and methods according to embodiments described herein are provided, are large area substrates as described herein.
• a large area substrate can be GEN 5, which corresponds to about 1.4 m of substrate (1.1 m x 1.3 m), GEN 7.5, which corresponds to about 4.39 m of substrate(l.95 m x 2.25 m), GEN 8.5, which corresponds to about 5.5 m 2 of substrate (2.2 m x 2.5 m), or even GEN 10, which corresponds to about 8.7 m of substrate (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.
• Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly beneficial with a substrate thickness of about 0.3 mm, and a large area substrate of GEN 8.5.
• FIG. 1 A shows a carrier 100.
• the carrier 100 can be configured for supporting a large and thin area substrate 101.
• the substrate 101 can be provided in a position within the carrier 100, particularly when processed in a processing chamber.
• the carrier 100 can include a frame or carrier body 160 defining a window or aperture.
• the frame can provide a substrate receiving surface.
• the substrate receiving surface can be configured to be in contact with a perimeter portion of the substrate during operation, i.e. when the substrate is loaded.
• the substrate 101 may be made from any material suitable for material deposition.
• the substrate may be made from a material selected from the group consisting of glass (for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials or any other material or combination of materials which can be coated by a deposition process.
• glass for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.
• metal for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.
• metal for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.
• metal for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.
• polymer for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.
• ceramic compound materials
• any other material or combination of materials which can be coated by a deposition process.
• the bulging which might also affect the processing of the substrate, can be reduced by the carriers according to embodiments described herein.
• the carriers can also significantly reduce substrate breakage, which reduces the productivity of the production process due to the
• the frame 160 can be made of aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, alloys thereof, stainless steel or the like.
• the frame 160 can be manufactured from a single piece, i.e. the frame can be integrally formed.
• the frame 160 can include two or more elements such as a top bar, sidebars and/or a bottom bar.
• the carrier or carrier body can be manufactured having several portions. These portions of the carrier body can be assembled to provide the frame 160 for supporting the substrate 101.
• the frame 160 can be particularly configured for receiving the substrate 101 in the substrate area.
• the carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A can further include holders.
• two holders 120 are provided at the bottom side of the frame or carrier body 160.
• the floating portions of said two holders 120 at the bottom side of the frame 160 can be movable relative to the fixed position in one direction, wherein said direction can be parallel to the edge of the substrate as indicated by the arrows.
• the two holders could also be provided at the middle of the left and right sides of the carrier.
• the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 with respect to the fixed portion 122 could alternatively or additionally also be perpendicular to the edge of the substrate and/or in a plane essentially parallel of the substrate 101.
• one holder 120 can be provided at a left side of the bottom side and one holder 120 can be provided at a right side of the bottom side.
• two holders 120 at the bottom side of the frame 160 are shown in FIG. 1A, the present application is not limited thereto. More than two holders 120 could be provided at the bottom side of the frame 160. Furthermore, more than one holder 120 could be provided on one or more sides of the substrate 101, as described in more detail with respect to FIG. 1B. Moreover, further holding arrangements can be provided in addition to the at least two holders, such as between the at least two holders 120.
• the carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A provides the floating portions of the two holders movable along said first direction. Expansion or other movements of the substrate can be compensated for by one or more of the holders having the floating portion, which is movable relative to the fixed portion, e.g. in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the carrier body and/or substrate. A position of the substrate 101 within the substrate area defined by the frame 160 can be precisely adjusted and centered. Furthermore, the floating portion may follow a dimensional change due to thermal expansion of the substrate. Accordingly, a stress of the substrate or movement of the substrate relative to the holder can be reduced.
• the holders according to embodiments described herein, enable expansion of the substrate at the respective sides and/or to the bottom.
• the carriers described herein and the apparatuses for utilizing the carriers described herein are for vertical substrate processing.
• the holder 120 can be configured for being attached to a substrate in a substantially vertical orientation.
• the term“vertical direction” or“vertical orientation” can be understood to distinguish over“horizontal direction” or“horizontal orientation”. That is, the“vertical direction” or“vertical orientation” can relate to a substantially vertical orientation e.g. of the carrier and the substrate, wherein a deviation of a few degrees, e.g. up to +/-10 0 or even up to +/-15 0 , from an exact vertical direction or vertical orientation can still be considered as a“substantially vertical direction” or a“substantially vertical orientation”.
• the vertical direction can be substantially parallel to the force of gravity.
• substantially vertically can be understood particularly when referring to the substrate orientation, to allow for a deviation from the vertical direction of +/-20 0 or below, e.g. of +/-10 0 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.
• the substrate orientation during deposition of the material, specifically metal and/or oxide can be considered to be substantially vertical, which can be considered to be different from the horizontal substrate orientation.
• substantially perpendicular can relate to a substantially perpendicular orientation e.g. of the rotation axis and the support surface or substrate surface, wherein a deviation of a few degrees, e.g. up to +/-10 0 or even up to +/-15 0 , from an exact perpendicular orientation can still be considered to be“ substantially perpendicular”.
• the holder can permit a relative movement in at least one direction to reduce bending of the substrate in the perimeter region thereof. Additionally, the holder can provide holding or supporting forces for supporting the substrate stably in the carrier. The relative movement of the holder can be provided by the relative movement of the floating portion with respect to the fixed portion. When practicing embodiments, a beneficial stress reduction in terms of bending or bulging of the substrate can be provided.
• FIG. 1B shows another example of a carrier 100 according to some embodiments.
• the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A.
• the carrier 100 of FIG. 1B can include two holders 120, wherein each holder can be positioned at a comer of the bottom side of the carrier or carrier body.
• the two holders or additional holders could also be provided at the middle of each side of the carrier or carrier body.
• the holders can be provided only at specific sides of the carrier or carrier body, such as the bottom side and/or the left side.
• Fig. 1B shows further holding arrangements 140, 145, 170.
• the holding arrangements 140, 145, 170 can be similar to the holder 120 but may not include the floating portion 123.
• holding arrangements 140 may be provided on a right side of the carrier or carrier body.
• the holding arrangements 140 may be moveable in a direction perpendicular to the right side of the carrier or carrier body. That is, the holding arrangements 140 may be moveable away from and/or to the right side of the carrier or carrier body.
• holding arrangements 145 may be provided on a left side of the carrier or carrier body.
• the holding arrangements 145 may be fixed with respect to the left side of the carrier or carrier body.
• holding arrangements 170 may be provided on a top side or upper of the carrier or carrier body.
• the holding arrangements 170 may be moveable in a direction perpendicular to the top side of the carrier or carrier body. That is, the holding arrangements 140 may be moveable away from and/or to the top side of the carrier or carrier body.
• At least a holder is provided on at least two sides of the frame 160, such as the bottom side and the left side, and optionally even on each side of the frame 160. Further, holding arrangements 140, 145, 170 can be on at least one side of the frame. [0034] According to further embodiments, which can additionally or alternatively be implemented, the positions at which the holders can be fixed to the substrate are distributed around the perimeter of the substrate for example uniformly distributed at one or more sides. For example, a holder can be provided every 200 mm to every 1000 mm, such as every 300 to 800 mm around the edge of the substrate at one or more sides of the substrate. Further, the holders can also be provided in pairs of positions.
• FIG. 1C shows another example of a carrier 100.
• the carrier 100 can include first holding arrangements 151 and/or second holding arrangements 152 for holding the substrate 101 in the substrate area.
• the first holding arrangements 151 may be fixedly attached to the frame 160.
• the first holding arrangements 151 may be moveable.
• One or more first holding arrangements 151 may be provided.
• the second holding arrangements 152 may be movable.
• the first holding arrangements 151 and/or the second holding arrangements 152 may be moveable orthogonal to a respective edge of the substrate 101, as indicated by the arrows.
• At least one holding arrangement such as the first holding arrangement 151 and/or second holding arrangement 152, can be connected to a side of the carrier body 160.
• the at least one holding arrangement can be moveable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal extension of the side of the carrier body the holding arrangement is connected to.
• the first and second holding arrangements 151, 152 may include clamps or guiding elements.
• holding arrangements 151, 152 as exemplarily shown on FIG. 1C, e.g. at the side or top, may be designed such that the positioning elements may contribute to the compensation of forces resulting from bending or bulging of the substrate.
• the positioning elements can be adapted to avoid free movement of the substrate 101 and/or are provided to hold more than 50% of the weight of the substrate in the substrate receiving surface of the frame 160 and/or compensate for thermal expansion.
• the first and second holding arrangements 151, 152 can be moveable with respect to the carrier or carrier body, e.g. along at least one, specifically two, directions. In the context of the present application, moveable along at least one direction, such as the floating portion of the holder and/or the positioning elements, can be understood as a bidirectional movement along a direction, e.g. from left to the right and vice versa.
• the carrier 100 further includes at least two holders 120, e.g. on a bottom side of the frame 160.
• Two holders 120 for reducing bending of the substrate are illustrated in FIG. 1C.
• the number of holders and corresponding fixation positions can be adapted according to the embodiments described herein. According to embodiments, two or more holders 120 can be provided.
• FIG. 1D shows a further carrier 100.
• the carrier 100 can be configured for supporting a large area substrate.
• the carrier of FIG. 1D can include first holding arrangements 151 for holding the substrate 101 in the substrate area and/or can be configured to provide for a predetermined substrate position.
• the first holding arrangements 151 may be attached moveably to the frame 160.
• one or more first holding arrangements 151 are provided.
• three first holding arrangements 151 can be provided. For example, two first holding arrangements can be provided at the top portion of the frame and/or one first holding arrangements 151 can be provided at one side portion of the frame.
• the first holding arrangements can have a gap for substrate insertion or other elements for arranging the substrate on the first holding arrangements.
• the contact position can define the predetermined substrate position in the carrier.
• the first holding arrangements 151 may be movable. Specifically, the first holding arrangements 151 may be moveable orthogonal to a respective edge of the substrate 101, as indicated by the arrows.
• second holding arrangements 145 may be provided on a left side of the carrier or carrier body. The holding arrangements 145 may be fixed with respect to the left side of the carrier or carrier body.
• holding arrangements 140, 145, 151, 152, 170 can prevent the substrate 101 from falling out of the frame 160 and/or can follow the substrate edge during thermal expansion of the substrate and/or carrier.
• the carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1D can further include holders 120, parts of which are movable with respect to the perimeter of the carrier frame or carrier body, i.e. parallel to the surface of a substrate received in the carrier. These holders are described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 2A to 2C.
• the holders can be provided and/or distributed along the sides of the frame 160, specifically at a bottom side of the frame 160.
• a holder 120 can include a fixed portion 122 and/or a floating portion 123.
• the fixed portion can have a fixed position with respect to the carrier body 160.
• the floating portion 123 can be movable with respect to the fixed portion 122 along one direction.
• the floating portion 123 can have a substantially flat or planar first surface for contacting a first surface 102 of the substrate 101.
• the floating portion 123 can include a tilting member 127 configured to tilt the substrate 101, specifically and edge 104 of the substrate.
• the tilting member 127 can be configured to be tilted with respect to the fixed portion and/or being configured for supporting a main surface, e.g. the first surface 102, of the substrate 101.
• the tilting member 127 can be arranged on the first surface of the floating portion 123 for contacting the substrate 101, specifically the first surface 102 of the substrate 101.
• the tilting member 127 can be a ball bearing or any other kind of suitable bearing.
• the floating portion 123 can be movable along the direction from a first end position to a second end position. Additionally or alternatively, the floating portion 123 can further include a force arrangement 130.
• the force arrangement 130 can be configured to center the floating portion 123 with respect to the fixed portion 122 in the at least one direction.
• a force arrangement 130 may be selected differently depending on at least one of a type of substrate (material, thickness, area size, etc.), a number of layers to be deposited on the substrate 101, a kind of material(s) to be deposited, thickness of the layer(s) to be deposited, kind of process chamber, process time, etc.
• the force arrangement 130 can be selected from the group consisting of at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder.
• the floating portion 123 can include a groove 126.
• the groove 126 can be configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate 101. Specifically, the groove 126 can be configured to contact a first surface 102 of the substrate 101, a second surface 103 of the substrate 101 opposite to the first surface 102 and/or an edge 104 of the substrate 101 spanning from the first surface 102 to the second surface 103.
• the groove 126 can include a first surface l26a and/or a second surface l26b.
• the first surface l26a of the groove 126 can face the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 and/or the second surface l26b of the groove 126 can face the second surface 103 of the substrate 101 when the substrate 101 is loaded into the groove 126. That is, the first surface l26a of the groove 126 can be configured to face the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 and/or the second surface l26b of the groove 126 can be configured to face the second surface 103 of the substrate 101.
• the groove 126 can have a third surface l26c extending from the first surface l26a of the groove 126 to the second surface l26b of the groove 126.
• the third surface l26c of the groove 126 can face the edge 104 of the substrate 101 when the substrate 101 is loaded into the groove 126. That is, the third surface l26c of the groove 126 can be configured to face the edge 104 of the substrate 101.
• the first surface and the second surface of the groove 126 can be essentially parallel to each other.
• the substrate 101 can be arranged between the first surface l26a and the second surface l26b of the groove 126.
• the substrate 101 may not contact the first surface l26a and/or the second surface l26b of the groove 126 during operation.
• the edge 104, e.g. the lateral side, of the substrate 101 can contact the groove 126, specifically to third surface l26c of the groove 126.
• the substrate 101 can stand on the holder 120, specifically in the groove 126, further specifically on the third surface l26c of the groove 126.
• the substrate 101 can be heated, leading to thermal expansion.
• the substrate 101 can slide over the holder 120 or the floating portion 123 of the holder 120 can slide along with the substrate 101.
• the force arrangement 130 can return the floating portion 123 to an initial position of the floating portion 123 when the substrate 101 is unloaded. When practicing embodiments, breakage or deterioration of the substrate can be prevented.
• the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 can be parallel to said first direction. According to embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 can be within a plane substantially parallel to the substrate, specifically substantially parallel to the first surface 102 and/or the second surface 103 of the substrate 101.
• a holder 120 including a floating portion which is movable relative to the fixed portion along one direction as shown e.g. in FIGs. 2A to 2C
• the present application is not limited thereto.
• a holder 120 could also include a floating portion which is movable relative to the fixed portion along at least two directions.
• Fig. 2E shows the frame 160 being equipped with two holders 120 at a bottom side.
• the carrier shown in Fig. 2E further includes holding arrangements 140 on the right side, holding arrangements 145 on the left side, and/or holding arrangements 170 on the upper side.
• Fig. 2E further shows an upper guiding element 162 and/or a lower guiding element 164.
• the upper guiding element 162 and/or the lower guiding element 164 can be configured for guiding the frame 160.
• the upper guiding element 162 can be magnetic guiding element and/or the lower guiding element 164 can be a mechanical guiding element, such as a rod.
• the holding arrangements 140 can be configured for opening a loading aperture. That is, the holding arrangements 140 can be moveable relative to the right side of the frame 160. Further, the holding arrangements 140 can be configured to compensate for a thermal expansion of the substrate 101 and/or the carrier. Further, the holding arrangements 140, 145, 170 can be identical or similar to the respective holding arrangements 140, 145, 170 described herein.
• FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a deposition chamber 600 according to embodiments.
• the deposition chamber 600 is adapted for a deposition process, such as a PVD or CVD process.
• a substrate 101 is shown being located within or at a carrier on a substrate transport device 620.
• a deposition material source 630 can be provided in chamber 612 facing the side of the substrate to be coated. The deposition material source 630 can provide deposition material 635 to be deposited on the substrate.
• the material source 630 may be a target with deposition material thereon or any other arrangement allowing material to be released for deposition on substrate 101.
• the material source 630 may be a rotatable target.
• the material source 630 may be movable in order to position and/or replace the source.
• the material source may be a planar target.
• the deposition material 635 may be chosen according to the deposition process and the later application of the coated substrate.
• the deposition material of the source may be a material selected from the group consisting of a metal, such as aluminum, molybdenum, titanium, copper, or the like, silicon, indium tin oxide, and other transparent conductive oxides.
• oxide-, nitride- or carbide-layers which can include such materials, can be deposited by providing the material from the source or by reactive deposition, i.e. the material from the source reacts with elements like oxygen, nitride, or carbon from a processing gas.
• the substrate 101 can be provided within or at the carrier 100, which can also serve as an edge exclusion mask, particularly for non- stationary deposition processes.
• Dashed lines 665 show exemplarily the path of the deposition material 635 during operation of the chamber 600.
• the masking can be provided by a separate edge exclusion mask, which is provided in the chamber 612.
• a carrier according to embodiments described herein can be beneficial for stationary processes and also for non- stationary processes.
• a fixation assembly can firmly hold edges of a substrate particularly during a deposition process.
• Embodiments can provide a decrease in substrate breakage, particularly in light of the fact that the substrates are getting bigger in length and height, the thickness of the substrates may decrease.
• the bulging which might also affect the processing of the substrate, can be reduced by the carriers according to embodiments described herein.
• FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to embodiments described herein.
• the method 200 of processing a substrate 101 held in a carrier can be carried out using the holders 120 described herein.
• a substrate 101 can be loaded on or in the carrier.
• the substrate 101 can be in a horizontal direction during loading.
• the substrate 101 can then be rotated to a vertical or substantially vertical orientation for transport and/or processing.
• the substrate 101 can be processed at an elevated temperature.
• the temperature can be elevated for several reasons such as due to a heating process before processing and/or a process energy during a process, e.g. during sputtering.
• An elevated temperature can be understood as a temperature that is above ambient temperature.
• the temperature elevation can lead to an elongation of the substrate due to thermal expansion.
• the floating portion 123 of the at least one holder 120 can be moved by the thermal expansion due to the processing at an elevated temperature.
• FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to embodiments described herein.
• the method 300 of unloading a substrate 101 from a carrier can be carried out using the holders 120 described herein. Further, the method 300 can be performed after the method 200.
• the carrier can be moved from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation.
• the substrate 101 can be unloaded from the carrier.
• a floating portion 123 of the at least one holder 120 can be moved to a center position. For instance, the floating portion 123 can be moved out of the center position during processing at an elevated temperature and might not have been returned to the center position yet. Accordingly, after unloading the substrate 101 from the holders 120, the floating portion 123 may return to the center position.
• a force arrangement 130 can pull or push the at least one holder to the center position.
• unloading the substrate 101 can include moving at least one holding arrangement away from the substrate 101, while the substrate 101 remains loaded in the at least on holder 120.
• the holder 120 can be arranged at the bottom side of the carrier.
• Holding arrangements such as the first holding arrangements 151 and second holding arrangements 152 can be arranged at the top side and the other lateral side, e.g. the right side, of the carrier.
• the holding arrangements can be moved away from the substrate 101 first and the substrate 101 can then be removed from the holders 120. For loading the substrate 101 into the carrier, this operation can be reversed.

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• 2018
  • 2018-05-29 WO PCT/EP2018/064054 patent/WO2019228610A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2018-05-29 CN CN201880093907.3A patent/CN112204723A/zh active Pending
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