TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The subject-matter described herein relates to substrate carrying systems and, more particularly, to substrate carriers and systems for carrying substrates during material deposition processes. In particular, the subject-matter described herein relates to a carrier for carrying substrates in a vacuum deposition process and to a method for carrying a substrate in a vacuum deposition process.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, substrate carriers are used for supporting or holding substrates to be processed and for transporting the substrates in or through processing facilities. For instance, substrate carriers are used in the display or photovoltaic industry for transporting substrates including glass, silicon or other materials in or through processing facilities. Such substrate supports or substrate carriers may be vital, in particular, if the substrates are particularly thin or made of a sensitive material, such that direct transport of the substrates, i.e. transport without using auxiliary transport devices, is not possible due to the risk of damage.

[0003] For example, in physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes such as sputtering, the substrate carriers generally provide relatively planar surfaces, which keep substrates leveled during the material deposition processes.

[0004] One of the drawbacks associated with substrate carriers or holders is the proneness to warping during high temperature processing. Minute deformations of the carrier due to, for instance, thermal expansion may result in an uneven deposition of the material on the substrate. The inhomogeneous material deposition may substantially impact the deposition quality. Hence, during high temperature processing, substrate carriers may be used that include materials such as graphite, which are more temperature stable. However, these materials are typically very expensive, resulting in the total cost of ownership (TCO) of such substrate handling systems, e.g. for thin film battery manufacturing, display manufacturing, or other applications, being relatively high.

[0005] In view of the above, it is an object to provide a substrate carrier and a method for carrying a substrate that overcome at least some of the problems in the art.

SUMMARY [0006] In light of the above, a carrier for carrying a substrate and a method for carrying a substrate according to the independent claims are provided. Further aspects, advantages, and features are apparent from the dependent claims, the description, and the accompanying drawings.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a carrier for one or more substrates to be processed in a vacuum processing installation is provided. The carrier includes a substrate supporting portion for supporting one or more substrates to be processed, the substrate supporting portion including at least one corner. The carrier further includes a frame provided substantially around the substrate supporting portion and including an outer edge. The frame includes a slit extending from the at least one corner of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame, wherein the slit is inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame

[0008] According to another embodiment, a vacuum deposition installation is provided. The vacuum deposition installation includes a vacuum deposition chamber and a deposition source including a material to be deposited on a substrate in the vacuum deposition chamber. The vacuum deposition installation further includes a carrier according to embodiments described herein. In particular, the vacuum deposition installation includes a carrier for one or more substrates to be processed in a vacuum processing installation. The carrier includes a substrate supporting portion for supporting one or more substrates to be processed, the substrate supporting portion including at least one corner. The carrier further includes a frame provided substantially around the substrate supporting portion and including an outer edge. The frame includes a slit extending from the at least one corner of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame, wherein the slit is inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame

[0009] According to a further embodiment, a method for carrying one or more substrates in a vacuum deposition process is provided. The method includes providing a carrier. The carrier includes a substrate supporting portion with at least one corner and a frame provided substantially around the substrate supporting portion. The frame of the carrier includes an outer edge and a slit extending from the at least one corner of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame. The slit is inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame. The method further includes coupling at least one substrate or a sub-carrier with at least one substrate to the carrier

[0010] Embodiments are also directed at apparatuses for carrying out the disclosed methods and include apparatus parts for performing each described method feature. These method features may be performed by way of hardware components, a computer programmed by appropriate software, by any combination of the two or in any other manner. Furthermore, embodiments described herein are also directed at methods for operating the described apparatus. Embodiments include method features for carrying out every function of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] So that the manner in which the above recited features can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments and are described in the following:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a carrier according to embodiments described herein; Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, partial view of a carrier according to embodiments described herein;

Fig. 3 shows a schematic drawing of a carrier according to embodiments described herein; Fig. 4 shows a schematic drawing of a carrier according to embodiments described herein,

Fig. 5 shows a schematic drawing of a carrier according to embodiments described herein;

Fig. 6a shows a schematic drawing of a carrier with sub-carriers according to embodiments described herein;

Fig. 6b shows a schematic drawing of a sectional view along line A- A of the carrier shown in Fig. 6a;

Fig. 7 shows a schematic horizontal cut view of an apparatus for sputter deposition utilizing a carrier according to embodiments described herein; and Fig. 8 shows a flow chart of a method for carrying a substrate according to embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Within the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to same components. Generally, only the differences with respect to individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation. Further, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is intended that the description includes such modifications and variations. [0013] The term "carrier" as used herein may be understood as a device being able to carry one or more substrates in or through a processing installation, e.g. a processing chamber, a processing line, or a processing area. The carrier may provide a sufficient strength to hold and support a substrate. In particular, the carrier may be adapted for holding and supporting a substrate during a deposition process, especially a vacuum deposition process. For instance, the carrier may be adapted to vacuum conditions by being made from a suitable material having e.g. low outgassing rates, a stable design for withstanding the pressure changes and the like. The carrier may provide equipment for fixing the substrate, or fixing the substrate to a defined extent, e.g. at some sides of the substrates, such as clamping means, bolts, fixing holes or bores, hooks, magnetic devices and the like. According to some embodiments, the carrier may be adapted for carrying a thin film substrate and/or the equipment for fixing the substrate may be adapted for a thin film substrate. In some embodiments, the carrier may be adapted for carrying one or more substrate(s) including a foil, glass, metal, an insulating material, Mica, polymers, and the like. In some examples, the carrier may be used for PVD deposition processes, CVD deposition process, substrate structuring edging, heating (e.g. annealing) or any kind of substrate processing. Embodiments of the carrier as described herein are particularly useful for non-stationary, i.e. continuous substrate processing of the vertically oriented substrates. The skilled person will understand that the carrier may also be used in a stationary process and/or in a process with horizontally oriented substrates.

[0014] According to embodiments described herein, a substrate supporting portion of a carrier may be understood as a portion of the carrier adapted for supporting the substrate. In contrast thereto, some portions of the carrier may be adapted for guiding the carrier in a processing region, for stabilizing the carrier, for heating the carrier, for driving the carrier and the like. In some embodiments, the substrate supporting portion is a portion of the carrier including the coupling or fixing means for the one or more substrates. The carrier may include a frame surrounding the substrate supporting portion. According to some embodiments, the frame may include guiding means for guiding the carrier in a processing region, such as rolls, tracks, bars, and the like. [0015] According to embodiments described herein, a carrier for one or more substrates to be processed in a vacuum processing installation is provided. The carrier includes a substrate supporting portion for supporting one or more substrates to be processed. Typically, the substrate supporting portion includes at least one corner. The carrier further includes a frame provided substantially around the substrate supporting portion and comprising an outer edge. According to embodiments described herein, the frame includes a slit extending from one of the at least one corner of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame. The slit is inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame. According to some embodiments described herein, the slit divides the frame in at least two frame parts. Each frame part may have an outer edge. The outer edge of the frame may be composed of the single outer edges of the frame parts. In the case that the frame includes two or more frame parts having each an outer edge, the slit may be inclined to each one of the outer edges.

[0016] Fig. 1 shows a carrier 100 for carrying one or more substrates in a material deposition installation. The substrate supporting portion 110 is surrounded by a frame 120. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the substrate supporting portion 110 includes four corners 111 being formed by the geometry of the substrate supporting portion. The corners 111 are located at a side of the substrate supporting portion facing the frame 120. Typically, the corners 111 are adjacent to or border on the frame 120. The corners of the substrate supporting portion may be understood as being a part of the border between the frame and the substrate supporting portion of the carrier.

[0017] In some embodiments, the carrier is a monolithic carrier, e.g. being made from one piece of material. According to some embodiments, the frame of the carrier may have a greater thickness than the substrate supporting portion. Typically, the thickness of the frame may be between about 1.2 times and 2.5 times, more typically between about 1.4 and about 2.5 times, and even more typically between about 1.5 and about 2 times greater than the thickness of the substrate supporting portion. According to some embodiments, the thickness of the substrate supporting portion may typically be between about 2 mm and about 20 mm, more typically between about 4 mm and about 18 mm and even more typically between about 4 mm and about 12 mm. The thickness of the frame of the carrier may typically be between about 5 mm and about 30 mm, more typically between about 8 mm and about 20 mm, and even more typically between about 10 mm and about 20 mm. In one embodiment, the thickness of the substrate supporting portion may be about 6 mm and/or the thickness of the frame may be about 12 mm. [0018] According to some embodiments described herein, the frame may include one or several slits, such as two, three, four or more than four slits. In some embodiments, the frame may include up to ten slits. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the frame includes four slits 130. The slits may be described as dividing the frame into two or more frame parts, such as four frame parts 126, 127, 128, and 129. The slits 130 may extend from each corner 111 of the substrate supporting portion 110 to an outer edge of the frame 120 or to an outer edge of a frame part. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the slits 130 are inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame 120. In particular, the slits 130 are inclined with respect to each of the outer edges 121, 122, 123, and 124 of the frame 120.

[0019] According to some embodiments described herein, a slit being inclined or having an inclination with respect to an edge may be understood in a way that the slit provides an angle to the edge. For instance, a center line of the slit may provide an angle to an edge of the frame.

[0020] Fig. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of a section 140 shown in Fig. 1. An angle 141 is formed between the center line 143 of the slit 130 to the outer edge 122 of the frame part 127 as well as an angle 142 between the center line 143 of the slit 130 and the outer edge 123 of the frame part 128. According to some embodiments, the angle may typically be between about 1° and about 89°, more typically between about 5° and about 85°, and even more typically between about 10° and about 70°. In one example, the angle of the slit to an edge of the frame may be about 41° or 45°. The center line of the slit may be understood as a geometrical center line of the slit. According to some embodiments described herein, the slit may be inclined with respect to each outer edge of the carrier, such as outer edges 121, 122, 123, and 124 of the frame parts 126, 127, 128, and 129 as exemplarily shown in Fig. 1. According to some embodiments, the one or several slits of the frame may be described as having an orientation that is different from the orientation of any of the outer edges of the frame. [0021] According to some embodiments described herein, the outer edge of the frame of the carrier may be understood as an edge of the frame being on the exterior side of the frame. In particular, the exterior side of the frame is a side not facing the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. The outer edge of the frame of the carrier may be understood as the edge of the frame limiting the carrier. As used herein, the term "slit" is intended to be representative of a cut-out, which includes a portion that has an opening towards the outer edge of the carrier.

[0022] As can be seen in Fig. 2, the slit 130 may extend through the whole thickness of the frame 120 of the carrier 100. According to some embodiments described herein, the slit extending from a corner of the substrate supporting portion to an edge of the frame and reaching through the whole thickness of the frame of the carrier, may divide the frame of the carrier in two or more parts. The skilled person may understand that the outer edge of the frame is quasi interrupted by the slits. The outer edges of the frame parts may be understood as being divided by the slits. [0023] According to some embodiments described herein, the process, to which the substrate carried by the carrier may be subjected, may result in a heating of the substrate. For instance, some deposition processes may transfer heat to the substrate to be coated and to the carrier, e.g. by the temperature of the material to be deposited. In some examples, the temperature of the material to be deposited on the substrate may be increased up to 600°C, in particular increased to 600°C when the material leaves the material source. In some embodiments, an (additional) heater for the substrates and substrate carrier may be set to above 600°C. The material to be deposited may reach a high temperature e.g. by evaporation, by plasma processing, by an increased temperature within the process chamber and the like. The increased temperature of the material to be deposited and/or the surroundings of the substrate to be processed may result in an increased temperature of the carrier. Due to the increased temperature, the carrier may bend and change the original shape. Bending of the carrier may result in unreliable and non-predictable process results since the substrate is also affected by the bending of the carrier. A bent carrier may also have an influence on the quality and uniformity of the coated material on the substrate. A non-uniform coating decreases the quality of the end product (e.g. displays or thin film batteries) or may entail cost and time intensive quality checks of the end product. It is known to use materials for carriers which are not prone to bending under changing temperature conditions. Materials, which do not bend under process conditions are expensive and increase the cost of ownership. [0024] As described above, the carrier according to embodiments described herein includes one or several slits, which divide the frame of the carrier into single frame parts. All frame parts of the frame of the carrier according to embodiments described herein stand in contact or are connected to the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. According to some embodiments described above, the single frame parts may be independent from each other, and may - in some examples - only be connected or linked to each other via the substrate supporting portion. The slits may be described as stress-relief cuts in the frame of the carrier according to embodiments described herein. In particular, the slits may act as an expansion joint for avoiding bending of the carrier. In some examples, the slits may allow for a longitudinal expansion of the frame of the carrier, especially in view of a different expansion behavior of the frame of the carrier and the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. In one example, the carrier may be a monolithic carrier, wherein the frame has a thickness greater than the thickness of the substrate supporting portion. The different thicknesses throughout the carrier may result in a different expansion behavior. The slits in the carrier according to embodiments described herein help in avoiding a bending due to stress introduced into the carrier in different parts of the carrier.

[0025] It is known to decouple different carrier parts by using separate carrier parts assembled together. For instance, loosely connected carrier parts of different materials (such as frame parts being screwed together) do not face the problem of bending. By using a carrier according to embodiments described herein, it becomes e.g. possible to use a monolithic carrier without the drawbacks of bending.

[0026] In the following, some embodiments of carriers are described. Fig. 3 shows an example of a carrier according to embodiments described herein. The carrier includes a substrate supporting portion 110 and a frame 120. Slits 130 are provided in the frame 120 of the carrier 100. The substrate supporting portion 110 of the example shown in Fig. 3 has a substantially rectangular shape. The frame has a substantially rectangular outer shape providing four frame parts 126, 127, 128, and 129 and four outer edges 121, 122, 123, and 124 of the frame. The four slits 130 diagonally run from a respective corner 111 of the substrate supporting portion 110 to an edge of the frame 120. The slits 130 in the frame 120 are inclined with respect to the outer edges 121, 122, 123, and 124 of the frame 120. Compared to the slits shown in Fig. 1, the slits shown in Fig. 3 have a smaller angle to the substantially vertical outer edges 122, 124 of the frame parts 127 and 129 and a greater angle to the substantially horizontal outer edges 121, 123 of the frame parts 126 and 128.

[0027] The term "substantially" as used herein may mean that there may be a certain deviation from the characteristic denoted with "substantially." For instance, the term "substantially rectangular" may refer to a shape which may have certain deviations from the exact rectangular shape, such as a deviation of about 1 to 10% of the right angles of the rectangle. According to a further example, the term "substantially vertical" may refer to a vertical arrangement, which may deviate from the strict meaning of the term "vertical", e.g. a deviation of about 1° to about 15° from the vertical arrangement. The same may be applied to the term "substantially horizontal". In some embodiments, the frame of the carrier is described as "substantially surrounding" the substrate supporting portion. The skilled person may understand that the frame may surround the substrate supporting portion not by 100% of the circumference of the substrate supporting portion. For instance, the slits in the frame may form an interruption of the surrounding frame. The skilled person may understand that the frame having slits substantially surrounds the substrate supporting portion. According to some embodiments, the frame may be described as surrounding the substrate supporting portion, if the frame surrounds at least 85% of the circumference of the substrate supporting portion. [0028] Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of a carrier 100. The carrier 100 may have features as described with respect to the figures 1 to 3. For the sake of conciseness, the detailed description of respective features is omitted. The skilled person may understand that features described with respect to figures 1 to 3 may also be applied to the embodiment of Fig. 4, as long as the features do not contradict each other. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the slits 130 of the frame 120 of the carrier 100 reach from a corner 111 of the substrate supporting portion 110 to a corner 125 of the frame 120 of the carrier 100. A corner of the frame (or more particularly of a frame part) may be understood as a portion of the frame, where two frame parts face each other at the outer edge of the frame. A corner of the frame may be understood as being part of an outer edge of the frame, in particular part of a virtual outer edge of the frame, which virtual outer edge forms a closed line limiting the frame without being interrupted by slits. The difference in size of the substrate supporting portion and the surrounding frame yields an inclined slit. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the slit may have an angle of about 45° to an outer edge of the frame 120.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the slit may be described as running diagonally from a corner of the substrate supporting portion to an outer edge of the frame.

[0030] Fig. 5 shows a carrier 100 according to embodiments described herein. The carrier 100 includes a frame 120 surrounding a substrate supporting portion 110. In the example shown in Fig. 5, (closed) cut-outs 150 are provided in the substrate supporting portion 110 or between the substrate supporting portion 110 and the frame 120 for compensating thermal expansion of the carrier 100. The slits 130 may be stress-relief cuts compensating the stress within the carrier, especially within a monolithic carrier. In contrast to the slits 130 (the effect of the slits is described in detail above), the cut-outs 150 allow for controlling the expansion of the carrier or at least the substrate supporting portion due to temperature changes, which may appear during processing of the substrate or carrying of the substrate within a processing line. According to some embodiments, the cut-outs 150 may be provided in a closed shape, such as a substantially rectangular shape cut into the substrate supporting portion, as can exemplarily be seen in Fig. 5. In some embodiments, the cut-outs for temperature compensation may have any suitable shape and number. For instance, the number of cut-outs may typically be between 2 and 60, more typically between 5 and 50 and even more typically between 10 and 50.

[0031] According to some embodiments, heat may be introduced to the substrate and the carrier by deposition processes, especially by the temperature in the process chamber and/or by the temperature of the material to be deposited. The carrier, providing cut-outs in the carrier for compensating the temperature changes and slits for preventing a bending of the carrier, separates the task of temperature induced expansion compensation and temperature induced bending of the carrier. Separating the tasks of temperature compensation and bending prevention may have the benefit that both aspects are considered in a sufficient way, that each of the both aspects are sufficiently effective for the respective task to be performed, that both features (the slits and the cutouts) may be individually optimized for the respective task, that both features may be used independently from one another (e.g. if only a slit for preventing a bending is desired, the cut-outs can be omitted for saving manufacturing costs) and the like.

[0032] The skilled person may understand that the slits as described in detail above may additionally (to preventing a bending of the carrier) have the effect of thermally decoupling the single frame parts from each other. For instance, the carrier according to embodiments described herein helps in preventing heat energy from the frame to be conducted to the substrates located or attached to the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. In some embodiments, the single frame parts may be described as being allowed to expand substantially independently from one another in any direction except for the direction towards the substrate supporting portion.

[0033] Fig. 6a shows a carrier 100 according to embodiments described herein. The carrier 100 includes a substrate supporting portion 110 and a frame 120 surrounding the substrate supporting portion 110. The frame and the substrate supporting portion shown in Fig. 6a may include features of the carriers described with respect to figures 1 to 5. For the sake of conciseness, the repetition of the features is omitted.

[0034] Fig. 6b shows a sectional view of the carrier 100 shown in Fig. 6a along line A-A. The carrier includes several sub-carriers 160 for carrying substrates. In the example shown in Fig. 6a, 36 sub-carriers 160 are provided. The number of sub-carriers may vary depending on the intended application. For instance, the number of sub- carriers may typically be between 2 and 100, more typically between 10 and 80, and even more typically between 20 and 80. In one example, the carrier may be adapted to hold about 50, e.g. 48 sub-carriers. The substrate supporting portion may include respective coupling devices for holding the sub-carriers on the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. For instance, the substrate supporting portion may include respective clamps, fixing devices, hooks, recesses, magnetic devices, and the like for holding the sub-carriers to the carrier.

[0035] According to some embodiments, each sub-carrier may be adapted for holding more than one, such as several, substrates to be processed. For instance, one sub-carrier may be adapted to holding typically between 2 and 50 substrates, more typically between 5 and 40 substrates and even more typically between 10 and 30 substrates. In one example, one sub-carrier may be adapted to holding 15 substrates.

[0036] The embodiment of Fig. 6b also shows the different thicknesses of the substrate supporting portion 110 and the frame 120 surrounding the substrate supporting portion 110 of a monolithic carrier.

[0037] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate supporting portion of the carrier may include at least one opening. In particular, the substrate supporting portion may include an opening at the position, where a substrate is located, when the substrate is coupled to the carrier. The opening at a position, where a sub-carrier or a substrate is placed during processing, helps in diverting the heat away from the substrates.

[0038] In some embodiments, the carrier according to embodiments described herein may be used in a slow deposition process, e.g. a deposition process lasting several hours. For instance, a slow deposition process may be understood as a process, in which the substrate is subjected to the process or the material to be deposited for several hours, such as typically between about 6 to 15 hours, more typically between about 7 to 14 hours, and even more typically between about 8 to 12 hours. In one example, a slow deposition process is a process, in which the substrate drives for 10 hours in the processing installation. The processing installation may include different stages, such as a deposition stage, a pretreatment stage, a heating stage, a cooling stage, a cleaning stage, a posttreatment stage, an annealing stage and the like.

[0039] According to some embodiments, the carrier described herein may be used for one or several substrates, e.g. for sputter deposition on large area substrates, such as for lithium battery manufacturing or electrochromic windows. As an example, one or more thin film batteries can be formed on a large area substrate supported by the carrier according to the embodiments described herein. According to some embodiments, a large area substrate can be GEN 4.5, which corresponds to about 0.67 m ² substrates (0.73x0.92m), GEN 5, which corresponds to about 1.4 m ² substrates (1.1 m x 1.3 m), GEN 7.5, which corresponds to about 4.29 m ² substrates (1.95 m x 2.2 m), GEN 8.5, which corresponds to about 5.7m ² substrates (2.2 m x 2.5 m), or even GEN 10, which corresponds to about 8.7 m ² substrates (2.85 m x 3.05 m). Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding substrate areas can similarly be implemented. [0040] According to some implementations, as described in detail above, the carriers are configured for supporting two or more substrates. As an example, an array of substrates positioned on an inlay portion or sub-carriers (e.g., DIN A5, A4, or A3) on large carriers (e.g. with a deposition window of Gen 4.5) can be used.

[0041] The carrier according to embodiments described herein may have a size suitable for carrying and supporting the substrate(s) to be processed. For instance, the area of the substrate supporting portion may substantially be covered by one or several substrates, when substrates are mounted to the carrier. The size and area of the frame may be adapted to the respective process area, such as a deposition chamber used for the process, process parameter, process techniques and the like. According to some embodiments, the carrier may have a width of typically between about 500 mm and about 2000 mm, more typically between about 800 mm and about 1800 mm, and even more typically between about 1000 mm and about 1500 mm. The height of the carrier according to embodiments described herein may typically be between 800 mm and about 2500 mm, more typically between about 1000 mm and about 2200 mm, and even more typically between about 1200 mm and about 2000 mm. In one embodiment, the width of the carrier may be about 1300 mm and/or the height of the carrier may be about 1600 mm. According to some embodiments, the substrate supporting portion of the carrier may have a width and/or a height of typically between about 300 mm and about 1500 mm, more typically between about 500 mm and about 1200 mm, and even more typically between about 800 mm and about 1200 mm. The distance of the outer edge of the frame of the carrier to the substrate supporting may typically be between about 50 mm and about 500 mm, more typically between about 100 mm and about 500 mm, and even more typically between about 100 mm and about 400 mm. According to some embodiments, the slit, which may be understood as a stress-relief cut in the frame may have a length of typically between about 50 mm and about 200 mm, more typically between about 70 mm and about 180 mm, and even more typically between about 90 mm and about 150 mm. According to some embodiments, the width of the slit of the frame of the carrier may typically be between about 1 mm and about 50 mm, more typically between about 5 mm and about 30 mm, and even more typically between about 5 mm and about 20 mm. In one example, the slit may have a length of about 130mm and/or a width of about 10 mm. The depth of the slit may correspond to the depth of the frame, so that the slit extends through the whole thickness of the frame.

[0042] The present embodiments can be used in the manufacture of, for example, thin film batteries, electrochromic windows and displays, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCD), PDPs (Plasma Display Panel), organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, and the like.

[0043] The term "substrate" as used herein shall particularly embrace inflexible substrates, e.g., glass plates and metal plates. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and the term "substrate" can also embrace flexible substrates such as a web or a foil. According to some embodiments, the substrate can be made from any material suitable for material deposition. For instance, the substrate can be made from a material selected from the group consisting of glass (for instance soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials, carbon fiber materials, mica or any other material or combination of materials which can be coated by a deposition process. [0044] Fig. 7 shows a schematic horizontal cut view through a vertical system of an apparatus 300 or part of an (vacuum) installation for sputter deposition on a substrate.

[0045] According to some embodiments described herein, the apparatus 300 includes a vacuum chamber 302 (also referred to as "deposition chamber" or "vacuum processing chamber"), one or more sputter deposition sources, such as a first sputter deposition source 360a and a second sputter deposition source 360b in the vacuum chamber 302, and a carrier 320 for supporting at least one substrate during a sputter deposition. The carrier 320 can be configured according to any one of the embodiments described herein. The first sputter deposition source 360a and the second sputter deposition source 360b can, for example, be rotatable cathodes having targets of the material to be deposited on the substrate(s).

[0046] As indicated in Fig. 7, further chambers can be provided adjacent to the vacuum chamber 302. The vacuum chamber as described herein may be a vacuum deposition chamber. The vacuum chamber 302 can be separated from adjacent chambers by a valve having a valve housing 304 and a valve unit 306. After the carrier 320 with the at least one substrate thereon is, as indicated by arrow 1, inserted into the vacuum chamber 302, the valve unit 306 can be closed. The atmosphere in the vacuum chambers 302 can be individually controlled by generating a technical vacuum, for example with vacuum pumps connected to the vacuum chamber, and/or by inserting process gases in a deposition region in the vacuum chamber 302. [0047] According to some embodiments, process gases can include inert gases such as argon and/or reactive gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia (NH3), Ozone (03), activated gases or the like. Within the vacuum chamber 302, rollers can be provided in order to transport the carrier 320, having one or several substrates to be processed thereon, into and out of the vacuum chamber 302. In some embodiments, heaters 310 for the substrate and the substrate carrier may be provided, e.g. behind the carrier. According to some embodiments, the heater 310 may be set to 600°C or above.

[0048] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with embodiments described herein, the carrier 320 in the deposition apparatus 300 includes a substrate supporting portion and a frame surrounding the substrate supporting portion. The frame provides stress-relief slits or cuts, which may go through the whole thickness of the frame of the carrier. The carrier 320 shown in Fig. 7 may substantially correspond to the carrier shown in Fig. 2. The slits 130 in the frame in Fig. 2 are shown in Fig. 7 as slits 330 (Fig. 7 shows a schematic top view of a deposition apparatus). The skilled person may understand that the carrier as shown in Fig. 7 may be a carrier according to any embodiments described herein, such as a carrier as shown in the Figs. 1 to 6. The carrier 320 of the apparatus 300 may include a combination of features described in different embodiments described herein.

[0049] The sputter deposition process can be an RF frequency (RF) sputter deposition process. As an example, the RF sputter deposition process can be used when the material to be deposited on the substrate is a dielectric material. Frequencies used for RF sputter processes can be about 13.56 MHZ or higher. According to some embodiments, the (sputter) deposition process may be an MF frequency deposition process. Frequencies used for MF deposition processes can be between about 20 kHz and about 100 kHz. [0050] According to some embodiments described herein, the apparatus 300 can have an AC power supply 340 connected to the one or more sputter deposition sources. As an example, the first sputter deposition source 360a and the second sputter deposition source 360b can be connected to the AC power supply 340 such that the first sputter deposition source 360a and the second sputter deposition source 360b can be biased in an alternating manner. The one or more sputter deposition sources can be connected to the same AC power supply. In other embodiments, each sputter deposition source can have its own AC power supply.

[0051] According to embodiments described herein, the sputter deposition process can be conducted as magnetron sputtering. As used herein, "magnetron sputtering" refers to sputtering performed using a magnet assembly, e.g., a unit capable of generating a magnetic field. Such a magnet assembly can consist of a permanent magnet. This permanent magnet can be arranged within a rotatable target or coupled to a planar target in a manner such that the free electrons are trapped within the generated magnetic field generated below the rotatable target surface. Such a magnet assembly can also be arranged coupled to a planar cathode. Magnetron sputtering can be realized by a double magnetron cathode, e.g. the first sputter deposition source 360a and the second sputter deposition source 360b, such as, but not limited to, a TwinMag™ cathode assembly.

[0052] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the apparatus 300 can be configured to deposit lithium or a lithium alloy on the at least one substrate. In some implementations, the apparatus 300 can be configured to deposit at least one of a metal oxide, such as AI ₂ O ₃ or S1O ₂ , and a target material. The target material can include one or more element(s) selected from the group consisting of lithium, tantalum, molybdenum, niobium, titanium, manganese, nickel, cobalt, indium, gallium, zinc, tin, silver, copper, and any combination thereof. In particular, the apparatus can be configured to deposit lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) on the at least one substrate. LiPON is an amorphous glassy material used as an electrolyte material in thin film batteries. Layers of LiPON can be deposited over a cathode material of a thin film battery by RF magnetron sputtering forming a solid electrolyte. [0053] The carriers and the apparatuses utilizing the carriers described herein can be used for vertical substrate processing. According to some implementations, the carrier of the present disclosure is configured for holding the at least one substrate in a substantially vertical orientation. The term "vertical substrate processing" is understood to distinguish over "horizontal substrate processing". For instance, vertical substrate processing relates to a substantially vertical orientation of the carrier and the substrate during substrate processing, wherein a deviation of a few degrees, e.g. up to 10° or even up to 15°, from an exact vertical orientation is still considered as vertical substrate processing. The vertical direction can be substantially parallel to the force of gravity. As an example, the apparatus 300 for sputter deposition on at least one substrate can be configured for sputter deposition on a vertically oriented substrate.

[0054] According to some embodiments, the carrier and the substrate are static or dynamic during sputtering of the deposition material. According to some embodiments described herein, a dynamic sputter deposition process can be provided, e.g., for thin film battery manufacturing. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be particularly beneficial for static or slow dynamic sputter deposition processes, since the carrier according to embodiments described helps in preventing a bending of the carrier during long stays in the processing chamber, such as a stay of several hours (e.g. about 10 hours).

[0055] In some embodiments, the carrier may be adapted for a process having temperatures above 160°C. For instance, the mean temperature within a deposition chamber may be about 160°C. According to some embodiments, the material of the carrier may be chosen so as to withstand the process temperatures and other process parameters, such as processing gases, plasma present in the processing chamber, fast temperature changes, and the like. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the carrier may contain a conducting material, such as an aluminum alloy. In other examples, the carrier may contain an electrically insulating material, such as a ceramic material, a glass-ceramic material, and any combination thereof. Generally, the carrier may contain one or more material(s) selected from the group consisting of aluminum (or aluminum alloy), titanium, stainless steel, pure ceramic (A1203) or ceramic coated metal (Al, Ti), glass ceramic, and carbon fabric.

[0056] Fig. 8 shows a flow chart of a method 200 for carrying one or several substrates in a vacuum deposition process. The carrier may for instance be used in a deposition apparatus as exemplarily described with respect to Fig. 7. The method 200 includes in box 210 providing a carrier including a substrate supporting portion with at least three corners and a frame provided substantially around the substrate supporting portion. The carrier further includes an outer edge, and at least one (one or several) slit extending from one of the at least three corners of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame. The slit running from the corner of the substrate supporting portion to the outer edge of the frame is inclined with respect to the outer edge of the frame.

[0057] According to some embodiments, the carrier as used in the method for carrying a substrate in a deposition process may be a carrier as exemplarily shown in the Figs. 1 to 6. In some embodiments, the carrier as used in the method for carrying a substrate may include some single features, or a combination of features described with respect to one or different embodiments herein. For instance, the carrier may be a monolithic carrier. According to some embodiments, the thickness of the frame of the carrier may be greater than the thickness of the substrate supporting portion. In some embodiments, an inclination angle of the slit to one or more of the outer edges of the frame may be between about 1° and about 89°, more typically between about 5° and about 85°, and even more typically between about 10° and about 70°. [0058] In box 220, the method 200 according to embodiments described herein may include coupling at least one substrate or a sub-carrier with at least one substrate to the carrier, in particular to the substrate supporting portion of the carrier. Coupling the one or several substrates to the carrier may include fixing the one or several substrates to the carrier, e.g. by fixing elements like clamps, magnetic devices, hooks, recesses or the like. In some embodiments, the sub-carriers may be fixed to the carrier, and in particular to the substrate supporting portion of the carrier, by fixing means as described above.

[0059] According to some embodiments, the method may include providing a stress- relief cut by the slits in the frame of the carrier. The stress-relief cuts may prevent a bending, or at least helps in reducing a bending, of the carrier. In some embodiments, cut-outs are provided in the carrier for compensating the heat introduced to the substrate and the carrier by process parameters.

[0060] The method according to embodiments described herein may further include driving the carrier in or through a processing region, or processing chamber, in particular past one or several processing sources, such as heating devices, cooling devices, cleaning devices, material sources, evaporation sources, sputter targets, and the like.

[0061] It is noted that the above described embodiments may be combined with each other in any way as long as the embodiments do not contradict each other. The description provides only examples of combinations of embodiments without limiting embodiments to the combinations shown in the detailed description.

[0062] While the foregoing is directed to some embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is determined by the claims that follow.