Multi-region processing system and heads
The various embodiments of the invention provide for relative movement of the substrate and a process head to access the entire wafer in a minimal space to conduct combinatorial processing on various regions of the substrate. The heads enable site isolated processing within the chamber described and method of using the same are described.
1. A method for processing a site isolated region of a substrate, comprising:
modifying a volume of an enclosed processing region defined between a stationary sidewall aligned with a periphery of the site isolated region, a deposition head moveably attached to an inner surface of the stationary sidewall, and the site isolated region of the substrate, wherein the stationary sidewall and the deposition head are components of a deposition head assembly;
performing a dry process on the site isolated region of the substrate; and
evacuating the enclosed processing region through an area surrounding an outer surface of the stationary sidewall contemporaneously with the performing.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dry process is a one of an atomic layer deposition (ALD), a physical vapor deposition (PVD), or a cold plasma deposition.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a uniform film is deposited on the site isolated region within the processing region through a vacuum deposition process.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition head includes a target for a physical vapor deposition operation.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition head assembly includes a stationary outer sidewall surrounding the stationary sidewall, a bottom surface of the stationary outer sidewall extending below a bottom surface of the stationary sidewall and the modifying moves the deposition head while both the stationary sidewall and the stationary outer sidewall remain stationary.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the evacuating includes applying a vacuum to the area surrounding the outer surface of the stationary sidewall.
7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
sealing the bottom surface of the stationary outer sidewall against a surface of the substrate.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
flowing a gas into the processing region through the stationary sidewall; and
striking a plasma within the processing region to initiate the dry vacuum deposition process.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein multiple site isolated regions of the substrate are contemporaneously processed similarly with different spacing between the deposition head and the substrate for each of the multiple site isolated regions and wherein a uniform film is deposited on each of the multiple site isolated regions.