Patent ID: 9698042
Date: 2017-07-04
CPC Classifications: C23C,H01L

Claim:
1. A method of reducing wafer slippage during deposition of a film on the wafer, the method comprising: supporting the wafer on lift pins or on a carrier ring such that the wafer is above wafer supports on a wafer-facing surface of a chuck-less pedestal in a processing chamber with a gap between an outer edge of the wafer and a wall of a pocket; while supporting the wafer on the lift pins or carrier ring with the wafer above the wafer supports, pumping out the processing chamber to a reduced pressure effective to reduce slippage of the wafer when placed on wafer supports extending from the wafer-facing surface of the pedestal; lowering the lift pins or carrier ring such that the wafer is lowered onto the wafer supports while the processing chamber is at the reduced pressure and supporting the wafer a sufficient distance above the wafer-facing surface of the chuck-less pedestal to reduce lateral slippage in the pocket during film deposition on the wafer; depositing a film on the wafer while supported on the wafer supports, wherein slippage of the wafer off center from its initial position is less than 400 microns after the film is deposited.