Patent ID: 7297906
Filing Date: 2007-11-20
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. An integrated thermal unit for processing substrates, the integrated thermal unit comprising: a housing; a hot station comprising a bake plate configured to hold and heat a substrate; a chill station comprising a chill plate configured to hold and cool a substrate; a substrate transfer shuttle configured to transfer substrates from the bake plate to the chill plate along a horizontally linear path within the thermal unit and raise and lower substrates along a vertical path within the integrated thermal unit; a shuttle station at which substrates can be transferred into the thermal unit and picked up by the substrate transfer shuffle; and a particle shield positioned over the chill plate; wherein the bake plate, chill plate and shuttle station are enclosed within and arranged linearly along a length of the housing, wherein the chill plate is positioned between the bake plate and the shuttle station and wherein the substrate transfer shuttle travels between the shuffle station, the chill plate and the bake plate within the housing along the horizontally linear path above the particle shield.