Minimizing particle contamination of semiconductor wafers during pressure evacuation by selective orientation and shielding

Abstract

A method including placing a wafer active side down in a chamber and reducing the pressure in the chamber. An apparatus or system including a chamber having an interior volume suitable to accommodate a semiconductor wafer and capable of maintaining a vacuum; and a support to maintain a wafer in the volume of the chamber with minimum or no contact with an active side of the wafer, wherein an amount of particles that an active side of a wafer is exposed to during a pressure change in the chamber is minimized when the wafer is loaded in the chamber in an active side down configuration.

1 . A method comprising: 
 placing a wafer active side down in a chamber; and    reducing the pressure in the chamber.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein reducing the pressure comprises reducing the pressure from a first pressure to a vacuum.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber is a first chamber, the method further comprising: 
 after reducing the pressure in the first chamber, transferring the wafer to a second chamber.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising modifying the active side of the wafer in the second chamber.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein modifying comprises an extreme ultraviolet light patterning technique.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising, after modifying, transferring the wafer from the second chamber to the first chamber.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a chamber having an interior volume suitable to accommodate a semiconductor wafer and capable of maintaining a vacuum; and    a support to maintain a wafer in the volume of the chamber with minimum or no contact with an active side of the wafer,    wherein an amount of particles that an active side of a wafer is exposed to during a pressure change in the chamber is minimized when the wafer is loaded in the chamber in an active side down configuration.    
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising a plate disposed beneath an active side of a wafer when the wafer is loaded in the chamber in an active side down configuration.  
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the plate comprises the support.  
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the plate is disposed between the support and an active side of a wafer when a wafer is loaded in the chamber in an active side down configuration.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the plate has a dimension similar to a dimension of an active side of a wafer.  
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the chamber is a first chamber adapted to be coupled to a second chamber such that a pressure in the first chamber can be maintained on a transfer of a wafer from the first chamber to the second chamber.  
     
     
         13 . A system comprising: 
 a first chamber having an interior volume suitable to accommodate a semiconductor wafer and capable of maintaining a vacuum, the first chamber comprising: 
 a support to maintain a wafer in the volume of the chamber with minimum or no contact with an active side of the wafer;  
 a plate disposed between and a wall of the chamber and an active side of a wafer when the wafer is loaded in the chamber in an active side down configuration; and  
   a second chamber coupled to the first chamber and having an interior volume suitable to accommodate a semiconductor wafer and capable of maintaining a pressure established in the first chamber on transfer of a wafer from the first chamber to the second chamber, wherein the second chamber is capable of performing an operation to modify an active site of a wafer.    
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the plate comprises the support.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the plate has a dimension similar to a dimension of an active side of a wafer.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the plate has a diameter less than a diameter of a wafer within the volume of the first chamber.