US 11,942,319 B2
Pad carrier for horizontal pre-clean module
Edward Golubovsky, San Jose, CA (US); Jagan Rangarajan, San Jose, CA (US); and Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/511,437.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/127,543, filed on Dec. 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0199396 A1, Jun. 23, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/02 (2006.01); H01L 21/677 (2006.01); H01L 21/683 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/02057 (2013.01) [H01L 21/67766 (2013.01); H01L 21/6838 (2013.01); H01L 21/68764 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A horizontal pre-clean module, comprising:
a chamber comprising a basin and a lid which collectively define a processing area;
a rotatable vacuum table disposed in the processing area, the rotatable vacuum table comprising a substrate receiving surface;
a pad conditioning station disposed proximate to the rotatable vacuum table;
a pad carrier positioning arm having a first end and a second end distal from the first end;
a pad carrier assembly coupled to the first end of the pad carrier positioning arm; and
an actuator coupled to the second end of the pad carrier positioning arm and configured to swing the pad carrier assembly between a first position over the rotatable vacuum table and a second position over the pad conditioning station, wherein:
the pad carrier assembly comprises a gimbal base and a pad carrier coupled to the gimbal base, the gimbal base and the pad carrier are configured to support a buffing pad by a mechanical clamping mechanism and a suction clamping mechanism,
the gimbal base comprises a lip portion on a peripheral edge of the gimbal base,
the pad carrier comprises a tapered portion on a peripheral edge of the pad carrier, and
the lip portion and the pad carrier are configured to provide the mechanical clamping mechanism by mechanically clamping the buffing pad along a peripheral edge of the buffing pad.