Abstract:
A method and apparatus for processing multiple substrates simultaneously is provided. In one embodiment, a carrier plate for supporting a plurality of substrates is provided. The carrier plate comprises a disk-shaped body having a first side and a substantially planar second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of depressions formed in the first side of the disk-shaped body. Each of the plurality of depressions comprise a sidewall tapering from a surface of the first side and a bottom surface of the depression, and a support structure disposed above the bottom surface of, and geometrically centered in, the depression.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/604,419 (Attorney Docket No. 016835USL) filed on Feb. 28, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    Embodiments described herein relate to a substrate carrier plate for supporting a plurality of substrates during transfer and/or processing in an automated system. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to a substrate carrier plate utilized in batch processing of substrates, such as substrates utilized in the production of magnetic media devices. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Magnetic media devices are used in various electronic products such as hard disk drives and magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) devices. Hard-disk drives are the storage medium of choice for computers and related devices. Hard-disk drives are found in most desktop and laptop computers, and may also be found in a number of consumer electronic devices, such as media recorders and players, and instruments for collecting and recording data. Hard-disk drives are also utilized in arrays for network storage. MRAM devices are used in various non-volatile memory devices, such as flash drives and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. 
         [0006]    Magnetic media devices store and retrieve information using magnetic fields disposed on a disk. The disk in a hard-disk drive is configured with magnetic domains that are separately addressable by a magnetic head. The magnetic head moves into proximity with a magnetic domain formed on the disk and alters the magnetic properties of the domain to record (i.e., “write”) information. To recover the recorded information, the magnetic head moves into proximity with the domain to detect (i.e., “read”) the magnetic properties of the domain. The magnetic properties of the domain are generally interpreted as corresponding to one of two possible states, the “0” state and the “1” state. In this way, digital information may be recorded on the magnetic medium and recovered thereafter. 
         [0007]    Disks utilized for magnetic storage media generally comprise a disk-shaped, annular substrate having a central aperture formed therethrough. The substrate may be made of a glass, a composite glass/ceramic, or a metal, which is generally non-magnetic, with a magnetically susceptible material disposed thereon. To increase storage capacity of the disk, the magnetically susceptible material may be deposited on both sides of the substrate. The magnetically susceptible material may be further processed to form patterns on the magnetically susceptible material. Protective coatings may also be deposited on the magnetically susceptible material. 
         [0008]    Conventional processing systems typically perform these deposition processes one substrate at a time In one conventional process, a single substrate is disposed in a chamber between deposition devices that face opposing sides of the substrate, which enables deposition on both sides of the substrate. However, the single substrate process is time consuming, and the one substrate per chamber system requires a large footprint to achieve high throughput. These factors make batch processing more desirable. Further, some conventional systems support the substrate by an outer edge during deposition, which decreases the surface area available for deposition. This creates an edge exclusion zone on the periphery of the substrate, which may decrease the area available for deposition and thus, the memory capacity of the disk. 
         [0009]    While batch processing systems increase production, challenges persist in handling of the substrates, and particularly, prevention of damage to sides of the substrate that have been previously processed. Such damage may adversely affect storage capacity or the ability of the magnetically susceptible material to be read or written. The damage may result in an unusable or severely impaired storage device. Additionally, challenges arise in the support of the substrate during deposition, making it difficult to perform deposition without any edge exclusion on the periphery of the substrate. 
         [0010]    Therefore, what is needed is a substrate support plate that may be utilized in a batch system that prevents or minimizes damage to sides of the substrate that has been previously processed, and increases available surface area for deposition. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0011]    A method and apparatus for simultaneously processing multiple substrates is provided. In one embodiment, a carrier plate for supporting a plurality of substrates is provided. The carrier plate comprises a disk-shaped body having a first side and a substantially planar second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of depressions formed in the first side of the disk-shaped body. Each of the plurality of depressions comprise a sidewall tapering from a surface of the first side and a bottom surface of the depression, and a support structure disposed above the bottom surface of, and geometrically centered in, the depression. The profile of the depression may be configured to match the profile of the substrate, such as the circular profile of a storage disk substrate. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, a carrier plate for supporting a plurality of substrates is provided. The carrier plate comprises a disk-shaped body having a first side and a substantially planar second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of pockets formed in the first side of the disk-shaped body. Each of the pockets comprise a sidewall disposed between a surface of the first side and a bottom surface of the pocket, and a support structure disposed above the bottom surface, the support structure comprising one or more substantially semicircular support surfaces. 
         [0013]    In another embodiment, a carrier plate for supporting a plurality of substrates is provided. The carrier plate comprises a disk-shaped body having a first side and a substantially planar second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of pockets formed in the first side of the disk-shaped body. Each of the pockets comprise a sidewall tapering from a surface of the first side and a bottom surface of the pocket, and a support structure comprising one or more substantially semicircular support surfaces disposed above the bottom surface of, and geometrically centered in, the pocket. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a substrate carrier plate according to one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a portion of the substrate carrier plate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3A  is a side cross-sectional view of the body of the substrate carrier plate along section lines  3 A- 3 A of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 3B  is a side cross-sectional view of the body of the substrate carrier plate along section lines  3 B- 3 B of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a system for batch processing of magnetic media utilizing the substrate carrier plate of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a portion of the stage, a portion of the substrate carrier plate, and a portion of the flipper robot shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
       [0021]    To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    Embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus and methods for deposition of materials onto substrates and/or treatment of materials previously deposited on substrates. The substrates may be annular disks having two major surfaces, such as substrates utilized in the production of magnetic media. The substrates as described herein may be made of glass, a composite glass/ceramic, a metal, or other suitable substrate for forming magnetic media. Embodiments of the invention may be utilized for deposition, treatment, and/or patterning of material on a plurality (i.e., a “batch”) of substrates. Embodiments described herein provide for deposition, treatment, and/or patterning of material on both of the major surfaces of the substrate but may also be applicable for deposition, treatment, and/or patterning of material on only one surface of the substrate. Additionally, embodiments of the invention may be utilized in processes such as metal or semiconducting material deposition, as well as other processes, such as etch processes, implant, lithography, and other processes where two major surfaces of the substrate are to be processed. 
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one embodiment of a substrate carrier plate  100 . The substrate carrier plate  100  comprises a body  105  which may be substantially disk-shaped. The body  105  includes a plurality of pockets  110  formed thereon. Each of the pockets  110  may be substantially circular depressions that are utilized for receiving a substrate (not shown) and holding the substrate during transfer and processing. The body  105  may be made of a semiconductor material, such as group IV elements or compounds, for example silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium (Ga), or combinations thereof and derivatives thereof. The semiconductor material may include a monocrystalline or polycrystalline structure. The body  105  may also be fabricated from a high-purity plastic material, such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). 
         [0024]    In one embodiment, each of the pockets  110  are formed in the body  105  of the substrate carrier plate  100 . Each of the pockets  110  may also include recessed wall  115  and a support feature  120  formed in or near a center of the pocket  110 . In one embodiment, the body  105  of the substrate carrier plate  100  is sized to be utilized in conjunction with standard semiconductor processing equipment. For example, the body  105  includes a diameter that is similar to a standard semiconductor wafer. Thus, the substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred using standard transfer equipment (e.g., robotic equipment) and may be utilized for processing substrates in standard semiconductor processing chambers. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the body  105  of the substrate carrier plate  100  includes a peripheral edge  125  having a diameter of about 300 millimeters (mm) to about 450 mm, or larger. The pockets  110  are nested within the body  105  to maximize the number of pockets  110  formed therein. In one example, the substrate carrier plate  100  may include fourteen (14) pockets  110  utilizing a body  105  having a diameter of about 300 mm. However, the number of pockets  110  may be greater than fourteen utilizing a body  105  having a diameter greater than 300 mm, or lesser than fourteen utilizing a body  105  having a diameter less than 300 mm. The peripheral edge  125  may also include one or more notches  130  formed therein. The notches  130  are utilized as indexing features for interfacing with an end effector or robotic equipment (not shown) that are used to transfer the substrate carrier plate  100  into, out of, or within a processing tool or tool interface (both not shown). In one aspect, the peripheral edge includes 3 notches  130 , wherein at least two of the notches  130  are disposed one-hundred eighty degrees (180°) from each other. The third notch  130  may be positioned less than ninety degrees (90°) from one of the opposing notches  130 . The recessed wall  115 , the support features  120 , and/or the notches  130  may be formed in the body  105  by etching, machining (i.e., milling) or a laminating process. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a portion of the substrate carrier plate  100  of  FIG. 1 . The body  105  of the substrate carrier plate  100  includes a first side  200 A disposed in a first plane and a second side  200 B opposing the first side  200 A. The first side  200 A and the second side  200 B may be substantially planar and parallel. The pocket  110  includes a lower surface  205  disposed in a second plane that is offset from the first plane of the first side  200 A. The lower surface  205  may be parallel with the plane of the first side  200 A and/or the second side  200 B. The recessed wall  115  of the substrate carrier plate  100  of  FIG. 1  connects the surface of the first side  200 A and the lower surface  205 , which in this aspect is a tapered sidewall  210  that extends from the first side  200 A to the lower surface  205 . The tapered sidewall  210  may be utilized to center and/or support a peripheral edge of a substrate (not shown) that may be positioned in the pocket  110 . The tapered sidewall  210  may include a planar surface disposed at an angle of about thirty degrees (30°) to about fifty five degrees (55°) from the plane of the first side  200 A and/or the lower surface  205 , such as about forty five degrees (45°). 
         [0027]    Each pocket  110  is utilized to hold a disk-shaped substrate (not shown) having a central aperture formed therethrough. The inner diameter surface of the central aperture of the substrate is configured to align with the support feature  120 . The support feature  120  includes a split protrusion having a first portion  225 A and a second portion  225 B separated by a gap  230 . Each of the first portion  225 A and the second portion  225 B may be substantially similar in construction and size. Each of the first portion  225 A and the second portion  225 B include a first semicircular structure  235  having an outer wall formed along a radius, extending from the center of the pocket  110  that is larger than the radius of the inner diameter surface of a substrate to be received therein. Each of the first portion  225 A and the second portion  225 B also include a second semicircular structure  240  having an outer wall formed along a radius, centered at the center of the pocket  110 , that is slightly less than the inner diameter surface of an annular substrate, such that a support surface  245  extending generally parallel with the plane of the first side  200 A is defined therebetween. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3A  is a side cross-sectional view of the body  105  along section lines  3 A- 3 A of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 3B  is a side cross-sectional view of the body  105  along section lines  3 B- 3 B of  FIG. 2 . A substrate  300  is shown disposed in the pocket  110  shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . The substrate  300  has a first major surface  305 A and a second major surface  305 B. One or both of the first major surface  305 A and the second major surface  305 B of the substrate  300  may need to be processed. The substrate  300  also includes a peripheral portion  310 A and a central portion  310 B. Both of the central portion  310 B and the peripheral portion  310 A may be a circular surface having a diameter, wherein the central portion  310 B includes a diameter that is less than a diameter of the peripheral portion  310 A. 
         [0029]    When the substrate  300  is disposed in the pocket  110 , the central portion  310 B of the second major surface  305 B of the substrate  300  rests on the support surface  245  of the support feature  120  and the peripheral portion  310 A of the second major surface  305 B of the substrate  300  may at least partially contact and be supported by the tapered sidewall  210 . An upper surface  315  of the second semicircular structure  240  of the support feature  120  may be rounded, tapered or beveled, as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , to facilitate centering of the substrate  300  in the pocket  110 . In one embodiment, at least a portion of the upper surface  315  is coplanar with the first side  200 A of the body  105  of the substrate carrier plate  100 . 
         [0030]    The substrate  300  is disk-shaped (i.e., annular) and configured for use in hard disk drives. The central portion  310 B of the substrate  300  includes an inner diameter surface and the peripheral portion  310 A includes an outer diameter surface. A portion of the first major surface  305 A and the second major surface  305 B of the substrate  300  adjacent the central portion  310 B are not utilized for memory storage space to enable coupling to a spindle in a hard disk drive apparatus. Thus, an inner edge exclusion zone is intentionally created and/or formed on the first major surface  305 A and the second major surface  305 B of the substrate  300  adjacent the central portion  310 B. The support surface  245  is utilized to center and/or support the center surface the substrate  300  adjacent to, and radially outward of, the inner wall thereof, but within the span of the inner exclusion zone of the substrate  300 . Additionally, the tapered sidewall  210  of each pocket  110  may be utilized to center and/or support the peripheral portion  310 A of the substrate  300  that is positioned in the pocket  110 . As the substrate  300  is not gripped on the peripheral portion  310 A, more surface area of the substrate  300  is available for deposition. Thus, deposition on the upper surface of the substrate  300  (the first major surface  305 A in  FIGS. 3A and 3B ) may be performed without any exclusion on the peripheral edge of the substrate  300 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a system  400  for batch processing of magnetic media utilizing the substrate carrier plate  100  of  FIG. 1 . The system  400  comprises a substrate processing module  402  and a substrate handling module  404  coupled to the substrate processing module  402 . The substrate handling module  404  comprises a loader section  405 , a transfer section  406 , a flipper module  408 , and a tool interface  410 . The substrate processing module  402  has a one or more load-lock chambers  412 , a transfer chamber  414 , and a plurality of processing chambers  416 . 
         [0032]    The substrate handling module  404  is utilized to transfer substrates  300  between the loader section  405  where one or more substrates  300  may be loaded/unloaded for processing in the substrate processing module  402  on one or more substrate carrier plates  100 . The loader section  405  includes a tray  422 A located on an input side “A” of the system  400  and a tray  422 B located on an output side “B” of the system  400 . Each substrate carrier plate  100  is adapted to hold a plurality of substrates  300  for transfer within the transfer section  406  and processing in the substrate processing module  402 . The substrates  300  may be vertically oriented within the trays  422 A and  422 B. The loader section  405  includes a loader robot  407 A and an off-loader robot  407 B to transfer substrates  300  from the tray  422 A to the substrate carrier plate  100  and transfer substrates  300  from the substrate carrier plate  100  to the tray  422 B, respectively. Each of the loader robot  407 A and the off-loader robot  407 B include an arm  409  having a pick device  411  located at a distal end thereof. The pick device  411  is generally configured to grip the inner diameter of each substrate  300  during transfer. The pick device  411  may include articulatable jaws similar to the gripper devices  500 A and  500 B shown in  FIG. 5 . Each arm  406  is rotatable in axis C to transfer substrates  300  between the loader section  405  and the transfer section  406 . Each of the pick devices  411  are rotatable in axis D to rotate the substrates  300  from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. 
         [0033]    In operation, the tray  422 A is loaded with substrates  300  to be processed. The substrates  300  may be provided to the tray  422 A having one or more metal layers disposed thereon, as well as a magnetic film and optionally a patterned mask or resist, and the system  400  may be utilized to perform additional processing on each of the substrates  300 . 
         [0034]    The loader robot  407 A is configured to pick substrates  300  from the tray  422 A and place substrates  300  onto the substrate carrier plate  100  located at a first position  423 A within the system  400 . The loader robot  407 A transfers the substrates  300  one at a time from a vertical orientation in the tray  422 A to a horizontal orientation for placement in pockets  110  of the substrate carrier plate  100 . The substrate carrier plate  100 , having to be processed substrates  300  thereon, may be transferred along a rail  424  to a second position  423 B within the system  400 . The second position  423 B allows the substrate carrier plate  100  to be accessed and transferred by a carrier plate loader  426  disposed between the rail  424  and the tool interface  410 . The carrier plate loader  426  transfers the substrate carrier plate  100  to an input stage  428  of the tool interface  410  where the substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred to one of the load lock chambers  412 . A transfer robot  430  within the tool interface  410  may be utilized to transfer the substrate carrier plate  100  into the load lock chamber  412 . The load lock chamber  412  may be pumped down and the substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred to one or more of the processing chambers  416  of the substrate processing module  402  where a first side (i.e., a first major surface  305 A (shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B )) of each of the plurality of substrates  300  may be processed may be processed while disposed on the substrate carrier plate  100 . For example, the first side of each of the substrates  300  may undergo additional processing in the processing chambers  416 , where a cap layer may deposited on the first side, and other processes, such as etching, implant, and stripping may be performed on the substrates  300 . 
         [0035]    After the first side of each of the substrates  300  is processed, the substrate carrier plate  100 , having the processed substrates  300  thereon, is transferred through another one of the load lock chambers  412  to an output stage  432  of the tool interface  410 . The substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred to the flipper module  408  that facilitates repositioning of the substrates  300  on the substrate carrier plate  100 . One or both of the transfer robot  430  and the carrier plate loader  426  may be utilized to position the substrate carrier plate  100  onto a stage  434  of the flipper module  408 . The flipper module  408  includes a flipper robot  435  having a plurality of first gripper devices and second gripper devices (both are shown in  FIG. 5 ) disposed on a support arm  437 . 
         [0036]    As will be explained in greater detail in  FIG. 5 , the first gripper devices of the flipper robot  435  remove each of the substrates  300  simultaneously from the substrate carrier plate  100  and transfer each of the substrates  300  simultaneously to the second gripper devices. The second gripper devices then transfer each of the substrates  300  onto the substrate carrier plate  100  with the first side (i.e., processed side) down and a second side (i.e., a second major surface  305 B (shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B )) up, where the second side may be processed. 
         [0037]    After the substrates  300  have been flipped on the substrate carrier plate  100 , the second side of the substrates  300  may be processed. The substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred to the input stage  428  of the tool interface  410  where the substrate carrier plate  100  is transferred to one of the load lock chambers  412  and into the substrate processing module  402  for processing the second side of the substrates  300 . When processing on the second side of the substrates  300  is complete, the substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred through another one of the load lock chambers  412  to the output stage  432  of the tool interface  410 . The substrate carrier plate  100  may then be transferred to a third position  439  in the system  400 . The third position  439  may be a portion of a rail  438  that is accessed by the carrier plate loader  426 . The substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred along the rail  438  to a fourth position  440  where the substrates  300  may be unloaded from the substrate carrier plate  100  utilizing the off-loader robot  407 B. The off-loader robot  407 B places the processed substrates  300  into the tray  422 B for transfer to other processing tools outside of the system  400 . When the substrate carrier plate  100  is empty, a carrier plate robot  442  may transfer the substrate carrier plate  100  from the fourth position  440  to the first position  423 A for reloading by the loader robot  407 A. 
         [0038]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of a portion of the stage  434 , a portion of the substrate carrier plate  100 , and a portion of the flipper robot  435  shown in  FIG. 4 . The flipper robot  435  includes a plurality of off-loading gripper devices and a plurality of re-loading gripper devices. Only one off-loading gripper device is shown as a first gripper device  500 A, and, only one re-loading gripper device is shown as a second gripper device  500 B, the flipper robot  435  shown in  FIG. 4  may have a number of off-loading gripper devices and a number of re-loading gripper devices equal to the number of pockets  110  in the substrate carrier plate  100  to enable simultaneous transfer of substrates  300  from/to the substrate carrier plate  100 . For example, if the substrate carrier plate  100  includes fourteen (14) pockets  110 , the flipper robot  435  would include fourteen (14) first gripper devices  500 A and fourteen (14) second gripper devices  500 B. 
         [0039]    The first gripper device  500 A is utilized to transfer a substrate  300  from a pocket  110  disposed on the substrate carrier plate  100  and hand-off the substrate  300  to the second gripper device  500 B. After transfer of the substrate  300  from the first gripper device  500 A to the second gripper device  500 B, the second gripper device  500 B is rotated about axis P and then transfers the substrate  300  into the pocket  110 . 
         [0040]    In one embodiment of a substrate flip sequence, the first gripper device  500 A may be coupled to a support arm  437  that is positioned above the stage  434  and the substrate carrier plate  100 . The support arm  437  may be fixed such that the support arm  437  does not move relative to the stage  434  and/or the substrate carrier plate  100 . The second gripper device  500 B is coupled to an arm  515  that is actuated to move to a first position to space the second gripper device  500 B away from the first gripper device  500 A and a second position that is intermediate of the first gripper device  500 A and the substrate carrier plate  100  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0041]    To remove a substrate  300  having a first side processed, the stage  434  is moved toward the first gripper device  500 A as the second gripper device  500 B is in the first position and spaced away from the first gripper device  500 A. The stage  434  is moved toward the first gripper device  500 A to bring the substrate carrier plate  100  into proximity with the first gripper device  500 A. 
         [0042]    The first gripper device  500 A and the second gripper device  500 B have a first end effector  520 A and a second end effector  520 B. Each of the first end effectors  520 A include a single notched plate  525  centrally located on the end of the first end effector  520 A. Each of the second end effectors  520 B include two notched plates  530  peripherally located on the end of the second end effector  520 B. The two notched plates  530  of the second end effector  520 B form a slot into which the single notched plate  525  of the first end effector  520 A may fit therebetween. The first end effector  520 A is constructed similarly. Both of the two notched plates  530  and the single notched plate  525  on each of the first gripper device  500 A and the second gripper device  500 B are sized to fit within the gap  230  of the support feature  120 . Each gripper device  500 A,  500 B includes an actuator  535  (only one is shown on gripper device  500 A). The end effectors  520 A and  520 B of each gripper device  500 A,  500 B are actuated by the actuator  535  that retracts the end effectors  520 A and  520 B, bringing them closer together (as shown by the arrows) for insertion into the central opening  540  of the substrate  300 , and then extends the end effectors  520 A and  520 B apart until the single notched plate  525  and the two notched plates  530  contact an internal edge  545  of the substrate  300 . 
         [0043]    When the substrate carrier plate  100  is in proximity with the first gripper device  500 A, the end effectors  520 A and  520 B are inserted into the central opening  540  of the substrate  300 , the end effectors  520 A and  520 B being retracted relative to each other. After insertion, the end effectors  520 A and  520 B are actuated to extend/separate the end effectors  520 A and  520 B allowing the two notched plates  530  and the single notched plate  525  to engage the internal edge  545  of the substrate  300 . When the substrate  300  is supported by the end effectors  520 A and  520 B, the stage  434  may be actuated downward or away from the end effectors  520 A and  520 B to remove the substrate  300  from the substrate carrier plate  100 . The arm  515  of the second gripper device  500 B is then actuated to position the second gripper device  500 B in the second position where the second gripper device  500 B is intermediate of the first gripper device  500 A and the substrate carrier plate  100  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The second gripper device  500 B may be moved in proximity to the backside of the substrate  300 . 
         [0044]    The end effectors  520 A,  520 B facilitate transfer of substrates from one gripper device to another as follows. The end effectors  520 A and  520 B of the second gripper device  500 B may be retracted (i.e., brought together) such that the single notched plate  525  and the two notched plates  530  of the second gripper device  500 B may be inserted into the central opening  540  of the substrate  300 . The single notched plate  525  of the second gripper device  500 B is sized to be received between the two notched plates  530  of the first gripper device  500 A. Likewise, the single notched plate  525  of the first gripper device  500 A is sized to be received between the two notched plates  530  of the second gripper device  500 B. After insertion of the second gripper device  500 B into the central opening  540  of the substrate  300  and the single notched plate  525  of the first gripper device  500 A is intermediate of the two notched plates  530  of the first gripper device  500 A, the second gripper device  500 B is actuated to extend the end effectors  520 A and  520 B thereof to allow the two notched plates  530  and the single notched plate  525  to engage the internal edge  545  of the substrate  300 . The first gripper device  500 A may then disengage the substrate  300  by retracting the first end effector  520 A relative to the second end effector  520 B. The arm  515  and the second gripper device  500 B, which is now gripping the substrate  300 , may move downward and away from the first gripper device  500 A. The arm  515  may be rotated in axis P to reverse the orientation of the first side and the second side of the substrate  300 . The substrate  300  may then be positioned in the pocket  110  by one or a combination of movement of the arm  515  and the stage  434 . Once the substrate  300  is in at least partial contact with the support feature  120 , the first end effector  520 A and the second end effector  520 B of the second gripper device  500 B may be retracted relative to each other, which releases the substrate  300 . The arm  515  and the second gripper device  500 B may be moved upwards to clear the substrate  300  and the substrate carrier plate  100  may be transferred by robotic equipment in the system  400 . 
         [0045]    Embodiments described herein provide for deposition, treatment, and/or patterning of material on two opposing major surfaces of a substrate, while preventing damage to either of the surfaces that has been previously processed. The embodiments include a substrate carrier plate utilized to support and transfer a batch of substrates within a processing system for multiple processes. In one embodiment, the substrate carrier plate is sized to be utilized in conjunction with standard semiconductor transfer and processing equipment, such as robots, chambers, and the like, which allows the use of the substrate carrier plate with existing processing equipment. 
         [0046]    While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof.