Patent ID: 7166187

Claim:
A method for cooling a substrate residing on a substrate holder in a thermal processing chamber, wherein the thermal processing chamber comprises a cold plate comprised of a plurality of radially-movable segments, the plurality of segments having an engaged position and a disengaged position, wherein a generally spatially-continuous surface of the cold plate is defined when the plurality of segments are in the engaged position, and wherein one or more gaps are defined between the plurality of segments when the plurality of segments are in the disengaged position, the method comprising: lowering the substrate holder from a first region of the process chamber above the cold plate to a second region of the process chamber proximate to the cold plate when the plurality of segments are in a disengaged position, wherein a first portion of the substrate holder passes through the one or more gaps between the plurality of segments, and wherein the substrate remains above the cold plate; moving the plurality of segments into the engaged position after the substrate holder is at a predetermined position, wherein the plurality of segments converge upon one another, thereby minimizing the one or more gaps between the plurality of segments, and wherein a second portion of the substrate holder extends above the cold plate through one or more holes in the plurality of segments; and cooling the substrate by thermal conduction of heat from the substrate to the cold plate.