| CPC H01L 21/3065 (2013.01) [H01J 37/3244 (2013.01); H01J 37/32449 (2013.01); H01J 37/32743 (2013.01); H01J 37/32788 (2013.01); H01L 21/31116 (2013.01); H01L 21/67126 (2013.01); H01L 21/0262 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |

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1. An apparatus, comprising:
a processing chamber;
a slit valve configured to provide access to the processing chamber;
a chuck disposed in the processing chamber and configured to hold as substrate; and
a gas curtain device disposed between the chuck and the slit valve and configured to form a directional inert gas stream flowing towards the slit valve, wherein a ratio of a distance between the slit valve and the gas curtain device and a distance between the slit valve and a rear sidewall of the processing chamber is between about 0.02 and about 1.
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