Patent ID: 11965241
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 6:
7. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
positioning the substrate in a factory interface of a cluster tool;
transferring the substrate from the factory interface to a first processing volume of a cleaning chamber;
conducting a cleaning operation on the substrate in the cleaning chamber while maintaining the first processing volume at a first pressure to remove a native oxide from the substrate, the first pressure less than 700 Torr;
maintaining a pressure of a pressure stabilization chamber at the first pressure;
transferring the substrate from the cleaning chamber to the pressure stabilization chamber through a first door of the pressure stabilization chamber;
closing the first door;
increasing the pressure of the pressure stabilization chamber to an atmospheric pressure within a range of 700 Torr to 800 Torr;
opening a second door of the pressure stabilization chamber;
transferring the substrate from the pressure stabilization chamber to a second processing volume of an epitaxial deposition chamber; and
conducting an epitaxial deposition operation on the substrate while maintaining the second processing volume at the atmospheric pressure;
wherein the cluster tool comprises:
a first mainframe including a first transfer chamber;
one or more process chambers mounted to the first mainframe, the one or more process chambers including the cleaning chamber;
a second mainframe including a second transfer chamber and the epitaxial deposition chamber, the second mainframe coupled to the first mainframe;
the pressure stabilization chamber; and
a controller.