Automated Load Lock System

Buhler Inc., Business Area Leybold Optics

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Leybold Optics has added a fully automated load lock system as an option to its portfolio of evaporation tools for the lift-off process. The lift-off system incorporates an electron beam source with a multipocket hearth for metal evaporation.

The process and chamber geometry are optimized for evaporation of metals such as titanium, platinum, gold and others. The plasma source can be used for pre-cleaning of substrates as well as for ion-assisted deposition, and can be operated with pure argon or pure oxygen as well as with any mixes thereof.

The measurement of the film thickness is done through a quartz monitor with shuttered single quartzes. The oil-free vacuum is generated with a cryo pump and a dry fore pump stand. The substrate holder consists of a variable number of tilting segments for the lift-off process. The vacuum coating chamber is controlled by a programmable logic controller and optimized for evaporation.

The chamber can be loaded from a cleanroom through a load lock mechanism. The cleaning, maintenance and loading of the evaporation material is done through a door that opens into the gray room. The substrate holders can be loaded with substrates of up to 200 mm in diameter and can be rotated at speeds of up to 40 rpm. Substrates smaller than 200 mm also can be processed.

The load lock system consists of a handling chamber and a loading station with a cassette elevator that can be pumped down independently from the rest of the system. The central handling chamber remains always under vacuum. The company’s lift-off systems are available in five sizes.

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Published: December 2010