Patent ID: 9748125
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: C23C,H01L

Claim:
1. A processing chamber for processing a plurality of substrates, the processing chamber comprising: a chamber body having a top end and a bottom end with a first opening near the bottom end and a second opening near the top end; a plurality of substrate carriers between the first opening and the second opening, each of the plurality of substrate carriers having a plurality of spacer pins positioned on an outer circumference of each of the plurality of substrate carriers to provide a vertical stack of substrate carriers with a space between each substrate carrier; a gas delivery system; an exhaust system; a plurality of processing slots formed between the bottom end and the top end of the chamber body, wherein each of the plurality of processing slots is in fluid communication with a fluid delivery channel of the gas delivery system and a fluid outlet of the exhaust system to deliver a horizontal flow of gas across each of the plurality of processing slots; a substrate latch comprising at least three movable contacting latches positioned near the bottom end of the chamber body and above the first opening, the at least three movable contacting latches configured to support the vertical stack of substrate carriers; and a substrate support assembly to secure and support an additional substrate carrier and load the additional substrate carrier into the processing chamber from a bottom of the vertical stack of substrate carriers, wherein loading an additional substrate carrier comprises elevating the vertical stack of substrate carriers with the substrate support assembly to a position above the first opening, moving the contacting latches to a support position, the movable contacting latches in the support position circumferentially supporting the vertical stack of substrate carriers, lowering the substrate support assembly to a position to support the additional substrate carrier, adding the additional substrate carrier onto the substrate support assembly, moving the substrate support assembly upward with the additional substrate carrier to contact the bottom of the vertical stack of substrate carriers, moving the movable contacting latches from the support position to a non-supporting position so that the substrate support assembly with the additional substrate carrier supports the vertical stack of substrate carriers.