초록 ▼

A flexible, modular thin film deposition machine comprises a number of batch process stations which define a batch process path. At least one of the batch process stations is a thin film deposition station including a serial deposition chamber and an inter-chamber disk transfer mechanism. The disks

A flexible, modular thin film deposition machine comprises a number of batch process stations which define a batch process path. At least one of the batch process stations is a thin film deposition station including a serial deposition chamber and an inter-chamber disk transfer mechanism. The disks move in batches along the process path, being individually processed only at the deposition station. Within the serial sputtering chambers of at least one deposition station there is at most partial environmental separation, whereas between different deposition stations the separation is complete. The resulting simplification of the transport mechanism provides for a high throughput rate while simultaneously minimizing contamination of individual thin film layers.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A thin film deposition system comprising:a plurality of deposition stations comprising at least a first and a second deposition station each deposition station including walls defining a batch chamber and a deposition chamber and a mechanism to transfer individual subst

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. A thin film deposition system comprising:a plurality of deposition stations comprising at least a first and a second deposition station each deposition station including walls defining a batch chamber and a deposition chamber and a mechanism to transfer individual substrates between the batch chamber and the deposition chamber, the walls being couplable to at least one adjacent deposition station so as to sealingly surround a batch path;a batch drive system to advance batches of the substrates along the batch path through each deposition station;a plurality of valves to pass the batches of substrates, the valves disposed at a beginning of the batch path, at an end of the batch path, and between the deposition stations so that the batch path is isolatable from the surrounding environment, and so that the first and second deposition stations are isolatable from each other.