At present, automated sputtering machines are utilized to manufacture substrates for numerous devices, from integrated circuits to disk storage devices. With respect to substrates for disk storage devices, some sputtering machines are configured to produce disk substrates at rates of 1300 parts-per hour (PPH) or higher. In order to do so, some such sputtering machines (e.g., Canon® Anelva® C3040 & C3050 machines) use a disk substrate holder (sometimes referred to as an “insert holder”) to transfer a disk substrate from chamber to chamber within the sputtering machine.
FIG. 1 illustrates example conventional disk substrate holders 103 installed in an example loading chamber mechanism 106. As illustrated, the disk substrate holders 103 receives a disk 104 from the direction shown in the Figure, typically from what is called a pick and place system. Once received, the holders typically hold their respective disk payload (e.g., disk 104) using spring-like plates (i.e., resilient elements) known as grippers. Conventional disk substrate holders comprise removable gripper assemblies (also referred to as “insert blocks”) that provide the grippers. One of the objectives of a disk substrate holder is to make sure the grippers have a fixed distance relative to the center of holder such that even after many cleaning cycles chances of disk droppage remains low. More with respect to the fixed distances and cleaning processes will be described later below.
In FIG. 1, each of the illustrated holders 103 comprise top grippers 105 designed to be substantially static and rigid, and a bottom gripper 107 having an amount of flexibility sufficient to allow for acceptance and release of a disk payload. In order to facilitate control of the bottom gripper 107, mechanism 106 is configured with a motor 109, a sensor plate 110, and pins 111 that, when used in concert, enable simultaneous control of the bottom gripper 107 of the holders 103. In order to facilitate the movement of the disk substrate holders 103 and their disk payload (e.g., disk 104) from chamber to chamber, the loading chamber mechanism 106 is also configured with a magnetic shaft 112, and a carrier base 115 into which the substrate holders 103 are inserted.
FIG. 2 provides a detailed illustration of an example conventional disk substrate holder 203 configured for 65 mm disk substrates. View 227 provides a perspective view of the same holder 203. The holder 203, as illustrated, comprises top gripper assemblies 209, and a bottom gripper assembly 221. Though all of the illustrated gripper assemblies are attached to the holder 203 by way of two cap screws 215 and a nut plate 212, the top gripper assemblies comprise top grippers 206 that are shorter in length and, therefore, less flexible than the bottom gripper 218 of the bottom gripper assembly 221. For the illustrated holder 203, the top grippers function have sufficient resilience to retain and hold a disk substrate (e.g., disk 104), but not enough flexibility to accept or release a disk substrate. That role is given to the bottom gripper 218, which has sufficient flexibility (due in part to its length and it composition) to be forcibly bent from its static, un-sprung position as shown in FIG. 2, to its displaced position (not shown). When displaced from it static position, the bottom gripper 218 allows the holder 203 to freely receive or release a disk substrate. In order to allow this displacement to take place, the holder 203 is additionally configured with an opening 224 having sufficient clearance to enable the displacement.
Typically, after a few days of use (e.g., 5 days) within the sputtering machine, a conventional holder (e.g., holders 103, 203) is considered to be a dirty (i.e., a “dirty holder”) from the accumulation of sputtered material, which must be replaced with a clean holder to continue proper manufacturing of disk substrates. In order to reuse the dirty holders, the gripper assemblies are usually removed from the dirty holder, and the dirty holder is then subjected to a cleaning, usually by chemical edging or sandblasting.
Unfortunately, use of the cleaning process limits usefulness of a conventional disk substrate holder to a low number of clean and use cycles (e.g., 3). This is because conventional holders comprise of critical dimensions that allow its grippers to receive and consistently hold a disk substrate of specific dimensions (e.g., 65 mm or 95 mm). When these critical dimensions are altered by multiple iterations clean and use cycles, the orientation and hold consistency of the grippers are effected, resulting in increased occurrences of disk drops by disk substrate holders. Accordingly, after a number of cycles, a dirty holder is no longer useful even after cleaning.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example conventional disk substrate holder 303 without gripper assemblies installed and before being subjected to a cleaning process. FIG. 3 also illustrates and highlights the critical dimensions 306, 309, and 312, which, if altered by a cleaning process, would have an adverse affect on distances X1 and X2 and, therefore, the distances and orientation of the grippers as well (once they are installed after the holder is cleaned).