| 摘要 |
<p>A process module which can be integrated with a reduced pressure cluster tool system for semiconductor wafer processing to perform ambient or near ambient pressure reactions without requiring an intermediate buffer chamber. The process module includes: a housing defining an evacuatable containment chamber; an evacuation system for evacuating the containment chamber to a pressure below ambient pressure; a process chamber in the interior of the housing adapted for performing a process operation on a substrate, at an operating pressure substantially above that of the pressure of the containment chamber, and including a substrate access port openable to the containment chamber, the substrate access port, when closed, isolating said process chamber from said containment chamber so that said containment chamber may be maintained at a lower pressure than the process chamber pressure during performance of said process operation, and the substrate access port, when opened to the containment chamber, permitting said evacuation means to evacuate the process chamber and the containment chamber to the same pressure. A control system is provided which is operable to cause said access port to open and close, to operate said evacuation means and to perform said process operation according to a predetermined processing sequence.</p> |
