US 12,125,728 B2
Substrate carrier
Fred Eric Ruhland, Pleasanton, CA (US); Sumit S. Patankar, Fremont, CA (US); Vijay D. Parkhe, San Jose, CA (US); Daniel Lee Diehl, Chiba (JP); Mingwei Zhu, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Hiroyuki Takahama, Chiba-ken (JP); and Randy D. Schmieding, Saratoga, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 17, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/746,285.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/794,921, filed on Jan. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0234991 A1, Jul. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/677 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67754 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A substrate carrier, comprising:
a base plate, wherein the base plate is a thin, solid plate with no through holes or embedded components; and
a plurality of raised portions extending from the base plate, wherein the plurality of raised portions include first raised portions and second raised portions, the first raised portions disposed radially inward from the second raised portions, wherein the base plate and the plurality of raised portions define pockets configured to retain a plurality of substrates, wherein the plurality of raised portions, together, define sidewalls of the pockets that are configured to only partially surround the plurality of substrates, and wherein an upper surface of each second raised portion has a greater surface area than an upper surface of each first raised portion, wherein an upper surface of the base plate is substantially planar outside of regions corresponding with the plurality of raised portions; wherein a bottom surface of each of the pockets is planar and continuous, and wherein the sidewalls of each of the pockets extend at a constant diameter from the bottom surface to an uppermost surface of respective ones of the plurality of raised portions.