Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for supporting a semiconductor wafer in a vacuum and transferring heat by gas conduction between the wafer and a wafer chuck to facilitate wafer processing. The wafer substrate is loaded onto a seat plate, and then a clamp ring is lowered against the force of compression springs that bias the seat plate upward on guides extending upward from the body of the chuck. The clamp ring touches the wafer on the front or top side with an inner O-ring that is attached to the bottom of the clamp ring, and forces the wafer and the seat plate down to a lower position parallel to a heat transfer surface of the chuck, spaced therefrom by a narrow gap. In the lower position, an outer O-ring that is also attached to the bottom of the clamp contacts an outer sealing surface that surrounds the heat transfer surface, thereby enclosing a cavity that includes an annular chamber around the outside of the chuck and the narrow gap. Gas is supplied to the passage and thus to the gap.

Abstract: A wafer transport module interconnects a horizontal wafer handler with a vertical wafer processor and includes an evacuatable housing with a first port in communication with the horizontal wafer handler and sized to permit passage of a wafer therethrough in horizontal orientation and a second port in communication with a load/unload station of the vertical wafer processor and sized to permit passage of wafers therethrough in vertical orientation. The transport module includes a wafer holder which supports a wafer on a pedestal and rotates the pedestal and wafer about an inclined axis between horizontal orientation adjacent the first port and vertical orientation adjacent and in alignment with the second port. The wafer holder horizontally extends the vertically oriented platen and wafer from the second position through the second port to the load/unload station of the vertical processor. After wafer processing, the sequence is reversed to return the wafer to the horizontal wafer handler.

Abstract: A sputtering module incorporated into a wafer processing system includes an evacuatable housing connectable to one or more other evacuatable housings and a wafer handling turret adapted to receive a wafer in horizontal orientation at a load/unload position and rotate the wafer 180.degree. about an inclined axis into vertical orientation at a sputtering position across from a sputtering target. After sputter coating, the wafer handling turret again rotates 180.degree. about the inclined axis to rotatably return the wafer to the horizontal load/unload position, whereupon the wafer is lowered to a horizontal receiving position for subsequent retrieval by an arm extendible into the module from an adjacently situated housing. The wafer handling turret includes three wafer holding rings and a disc-shaped shutter that is rotatably located in front of the target during precleaning.