DEPOSITION CHAMBERS FOR ENHANCED DEPOSITION UNIFORMITY

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The instant specification generally relates to electronic device fabrication. More specifically, the instant specification relates to electronic device manufacturing systems having paired deposition chambers for enhanced deposition uniformity.

BACKGROUND

[0002] An electronic device manufacturing system can include multiple chambers, such as process chambers and load lock chambers. Such an electronic device manufacturing system can employ a robot apparatus in the transfer chamber that is configured to transport substrates between the multiple chambers. In some instances, multiple substrates are transferred together.

SUMMARY

[0003] In accordance with an embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a first deposition chamber having a unidirectional crossflow design to provide a first process gas flow that proceeds in a first direction from a first section of the first deposition chamber located at a first end of the first deposition chamber to a second section of the first deposition chamber located at a second end of the first deposition chamber opposite the first end of the first deposition chamber. The system further includes a second deposition chamber having a mirrored unidirectional crossflow design relative to the first deposition chamber to provide a second process gas flow that proceeds in a second direction opposite the first direction from a first section of the second deposition chamber located at a first end of the second deposition chamber to a second section of the second deposition chamber located at a second end of the second deposition chamber opposite the first end of the second deposition chamber. The second end of the first deposition chamber is proximate to the second end of the second deposition chamber.

[0004] In accordance with another embodiment, an electronic device manufacturing system is provided. The electronic device manufacturing system includes a transfer chamber, a pair of process chambers interfacing with the transfer chamber, and a robot apparatus housed within the transfer chamber. The pair of process chambers includes a first deposition chamber having a unidirectional crossflow design to provide a first process gas flow that proceeds in a first direction from a first section of the first deposition chamber located at a first end of the first deposition chamber to a second section of the first deposition chamber located at a second end of the first deposition chamber opposite the first end of the first deposition chamber. The pair of process chambers further includes a second deposition chamber having a mirrored unidirectional crossflow design relative to the first deposition chamber to provide a second process gas flow that proceeds in a second direction opposite the first direction from a first section of the second deposition chamber located at a first end of the second deposition chamber to a second section of the second deposition chamber located at a second end of the second deposition chamber opposite the first end of the second deposition chamber. The second end of the first deposition chamber is proximate to the second end of the second deposition chamber. The robot apparatus is configured to place a substrate in the first deposition chamber, transfer the substrate from the first deposition chamber to the second deposition chamber after the substrate is processed in the first deposition chamber, and remove the substrate from the second deposition chamber after the substrate is processed in the second deposition chamber.

[0005] In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes placing a substrate in a first deposition chamber of an electronic device manufacturing system, processing the substrate in the first deposition chamber utilizing a first process gas flow that proceeds in a first direction from a first section of the first deposition chamber located at a first end of the first deposition chamber to a second section of the first deposition chamber located at a second end of the first deposition chamber opposite the first end of the first deposition chamber, after processing the substrate in the first deposition chamber, transferring the substrate to a second deposition chamber of the electronic device manufacturing system, and processing the substrate in the second deposition chamber utilizing a second process gas flow that proceeds in a second direction opposite the first direction from a first section of the second deposition chamber located at a first end of the second deposition chamber to a second section of the second deposition chamber located at a second end of the second deposition chamber opposite the first end of the second deposition chamber. The first deposition chamber has a unidirectional crossflow design, and the second deposition chamber has a mirrored unidirectional crossflow design relative to the first deposition chamber. The second end of the first deposition chamber is proximate to the second end of the second deposition chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Aspects and implementations of the present disclosure will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings, which are intended to illustrate aspects and implementations by way of example and not limitation.

[0007] FIG. 1 is cross-sectional view of an example deposition chamber, in accordance with some embodiments. [0008] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of an example section of a deposition chamber, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 2B is a close-up view of the section of FIG. 2A, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 3 is top-down view of an example electronic device manufacturing system having paired deposition chambers for enhanced deposition uniformity, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for implementing an electronic device manufacturing system having paired deposition chambers for enhanced deposition uniformity, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] One example of a process chamber is a deposition chamber, such as a thin film deposition chamber, in which a material is deposited over a substrate resting on a platform in the deposition chamber. For example, the substrate can be a glass substrate. In some implementations, a process chamber is as an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber. Within an ALD chamber, material can be deposited by employing a unidirectional cross flow. The substrate can be secured by a reactor frame. The reactor frame is designed to secure a substrate disposed on a susceptor upon loading of the substrate within the reactor, and provide the material deposition (e.g., film deposition) boundary for the deposition process. A susceptor includes a material that can either heat or cool the substrate disposed thereon to a temperature within a certain range. Susceptor design (e.g., material choice) can depend on the reactor operating temperature(s). In some embodiments, the reactor frame is a mask frame or a shadow frame. A mask frame or a shadow frame is designed to hold a substrate in place during the deposition process and can function as a stencil to define the film deposition boundary area on the substrate. For example, a mask frame can be used for smaller electronic devices, such as mobile phones, while a shadow frame can be used for larger electronic devices, such as televisions. A flow guide can be used to direct process gas flow either into, or out of, the reactor.

[0013] Deposition is typically performed in a process chamber by flowing a process gas over the substrate from a first side of the process chamber to a second side of the process chamber opposite the first side. The process gas can include chemical precursors that react at the surface of the substrate to deposit material layers on the substrate. The reaction of the chemical precursors at the substrate surface can result in a change in gas composition due to the depletion of the chemical precursors in the direction of gas flow. This can lead to reduced uniformity (e.g., a deposition gradient) as a function of distance from the first side of the deposition chamber. Accordingly, this depletion phenomenon can negatively affect material quality.

[0014] One technique to improve uniformity due at least to the depletion phenomenon described above is substrate rotation. More specifically, a process gas can flow from a first side of a substrate to a second side of the substrate for a certain number of deposition cycles (e.g., half of the total number of deposition cycles). Then, the substrate can be rotated so that the process gas flows from the second side of the substrate to the first side of the substrate for the remaining number of deposition cycles. That is, the rotation of the substrate can have the effect of averaging out the reach on/depleti on rate to support process uniformity (e.g., deposition uniformity or etch uniformity) along the entire surface of the substrate. However, having to perform such a rotation external to the process chamber can increase Takt time, which corresponds to reduced throughput. Moreover, having the robot apparatus housed within the transfer chamber of the electronic device processing system perform the rotation can necessitate an increase in the size or footprint of the transfer chamber to enable suitable substrate rotation clearance, especially for larger substrates.

[0015] Aspects and implementations of the present disclosure address these and other shortcomings of existing technologies by providing for electronic device manufacturing systems having paired deposition chamber systems for enhanced deposition uniformity. An electronic device processing system can include a number of process chambers. The process chambers can include at least one pair of deposition chambers having mirrored process gas flows for depositing a material onto a substrate. The process gas flows can be unidirectional crossflows. In some embodiments, the pair of deposition chambers can be a pair of ALD chambers.

[0016] More specifically, a first deposition chamber of the pair can be configured to have a first process gas flow in a first direction from a first section of the first deposition chamber located at a first end of the first deposition chamber to a second section of the first deposition chamber located at a second end of the first deposition chamber opposite the first end of the first deposition chamber, while a second deposition chamber of the pair can be configured to have a second process gas flow in a second direction opposite the first direction from a first section of the second deposition chamber located at a first end of the second deposition chamber to a second section of the second deposition chamber located at a second end of the second deposition chamber opposite the first end of the second deposition chamber. The second end of the first deposition chamber is proximate to the second end of the second deposition chamber. The first process gas flow and the second process gas flow can each correspond to respective unidirectional crossflows. [0017] The electronic device processing system can further include a transfer chamber housing a robot apparatus, and at least one load lock chamber. The robot apparatus is configured to transfer substrates between chambers (e.g., from one process chamber to another process chamber, from a process chamber to a load lock chamber, or from a load lock chamber to a process chamber). For example, the robot apparatus can place a substrate into the first deposition chamber to perform a first pass of a material deposition process. The first pass can include a first number of deposition cycles with respect to the process gas flowing in the first direction. For example, the first number of deposition cycles can be half of the total number of deposition cycles. After performing the first pass, the robot apparatus can remove the substrate from the first deposition chamber, and place the substrate into the second deposition chamber to perform a second pass of the material deposition process. The second pass can include a second number of deposition cycles with respect to the process gas flowing in the second direction. For example, the second number of deposition cycles can be half of the total number of deposition cycles.

[0018] The substrate can be placed into the second deposition chamber without reversing the orientation of the ends of the substrate (e.g., without rotation) prior to placement in the second deposition chamber. For example, the robot apparatus can extend at least one arm into the first deposition chamber to obtain the substrate, retract the at least one arm to remove the substrate while maintaining the orientation of the substrate, rotate the at least one arm to align with the second deposition chamber, and extend the at least one arm into the second deposition chamber to place the substrate within the second deposition chamber.

[0019] Aspects and implementations of the present disclosure result in technological advantages over other approaches. For example, the use of paired deposition chambers having mirrored process gas flows can enable improved gas flow distribution and uniformity without sacrificing Takt time and/or increased system footprint, as compared to other techniques (e.g., substrate rotation).

[0020] FIG. 1 is cross-sectional view of an example deposition chamber 100, in accordance with some embodiments. As will be described in further detail, the deposition chamber 100 can have a crossflow design that provides for unidirectional crossflow of process gases. In some embodiments, and as shown, the deposition chamber 100 is an ALD chamber. However, the deposition chamber 100 can include any suitable process chamber in accordance with the embodiments described herein.

[0021] As shown, the deposition chamber 100 includes a susceptor 110, a cathode 120, and a reactor area 130 between the susceptor 110 and the cathode 120. The susceptor 110 is configured to receive a substrate 115, raise the substrate into the reactor area 130 to perform a deposition process, and maintain the substrate within the reactor area 130 during processing. The susceptor 110 can be made of a suitable material that can heat and/or cool the substrate to a desired processing temperature. Examples of suitable materials for the susceptor 110 include aluminum (Al), stainless steel, and ceramic. In some embodiments, the susceptor 110 includes a ceramic material. For example, the susceptor 110 can include a silicon carbide (SiC) material. The susceptor 110 can be provided with a protective coating to protect the susceptor 110 during processing. In some embodiments, the protective coating is a plasma-resistant coating. For example, the protective coating can include Y2O3 or other similar material. Other examples of plasma-resistant coatings that may be used include EnOs, Y3AI5O12 (YAG), E^AEOu (EAG), a composition comprising Y2O3 and ZrO2 (e.g., a Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution), a composition comprising Y2O3, A12O3 and ZrO2 (e.g., a composition comprising Y4AI2O9 and a solidsolution of Y2O3-ZrO2), Y-O-F (e.g., Y5O4F7), YF3, and so on. The coatings may have been deposited by line-of sight or non-line-of-sight deposition processes, such as ALD, CVD, physical vapor deposition (PVD), ion-assisted deposition (IAD), and so on.

[0022] The cathode 120 can include any suitable conductive material in accordance with the embodiments described herein. For example, the cathode 120 can include aluminum (Al). The cathode 120 can be provided with a protective coating to protect the cathode 120 during processing. In some embodiments, the protective coating is a plasma-resistant coating. For example, the protective coating can include Y2O3 or other similar material. Any of the other plasma-resistant coatings discussed herein may also be used to coat the cathode 120.

[0023] As shown, the deposition chamber 100 further includes a first section 140 and a second section 150. Although the first section 140 is shown on the left side of the deposition chamber 100 and the second section 150 is shown in the right side of the deposition chamber 100, such an arrangement should not be considered limiting.

[0024] The first section 140 is designed to support and flow a process gas flow into the reactor of the deposition chamber 100 for the deposition process. For example, the process gas flow can include gases that are introduced into the reactor to perform the particular process. The process gas flow can be combined with a plasma (e.g., a plasma-enhanced deposition process). For example, the process gas can be used to form a plasma in the reactor, or a remote plasma may be formed and delivered into the reactor with the process gas. The second section 150 is designed to remove or evacuate remnants of the process from the reactor, which can include residual gases (e.g., unreacted gases) and/or byproducts. A flow guide of the first section 140 (not shown) can provide a path for the process gas flow to be introduced into the reactor area 130, and a flow guide of the second section 150 (not shown) can provide a path for the remnants to flow out of the reactor area 130. Further details regarding the first section 150 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2B.

[0025] FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of an example section 200 of a deposition chamber, in accordance with some embodiments. The deposition chamber has a crossflow design that provides for unidirectional crossflow of process gases. In some embodiments, the deposition chamber is an ALD chamber. The section 200 can be the first section 140 described above with reference to FIG. 1. Although a first section is being described, a second section of a deposition chamber system (e.g., the second section 150 described above with reference to FIG. 1) can have a similar arrangement of components.

[0026] As shown, the section 200 includes a portion of the susceptor 110, a portion of the cathode 120, and a portion of the reactor area 130 of FIG. 1. The section 200 further includes a flow guide 210, a first insulator 220, a second insulator 230, a reactor interface (e.g., reactor lid) 240, a reactor frame 250, and a seal 260. A second section (e.g., second section 150 of FIG. 1) can also include a similar flow guide, first insulator, second insulator, reactor interface, the reactor frame 250, and a seal 260.

[0027] The flow guide 210 and the reactor interface 240 collectively provide a path 215 for the remnants of the deposition process (e.g., residual process gases and byproducts) to escape out of the reactor area 130. The seal 260 forms a process gas containment seal that prevents the remnants from leaking or escaping, which can protect other components of the deposition chamber system from potential damage.

[0028] The first insulator 220 and the second insulator 230 are disposed in contact with the cathode 120 and the reactor interface 240 to prevent arcing from the cathode 120. The first insulator 220 and the second insulator 230 can include different materials that have different properties. For example, the second insulator 230 can include a material that is less susceptible to melting by virtue of its location. In some embodiments, the first insulator 220 includes a nonstick material. For example, the nonstick material can be, e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or other suitable nonstick material. In some embodiments, the second insulator 240 includes a ceramic material.

[0029] The reactor frame 250 is designed to secure the substrate 115 disposed on the susceptor 110 upon loading of the substrate 115 within the reactor area 130. The reactor frame 250 can be any suitable reactor frame in accordance with the embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the reactor frame 250 is a mask frame or shadow frame. The substrate 115 may have a square or rectangular shape, or may have other shapes such as a disc shape or other polygonal shape. The substrate 115 may be composed of, for example, a semiconductor body (e.g., a semiconductor wafer), a glass or ceramic body (e.g., a glass or ceramic coupon), a metal body, or some other type of material. The section 200 can further include openings 270 and 280. [0030] In some embodiments, the seal 260 can be formed from an elastic object. In this illustrative example, the seal 260 is a seal having a first end corresponding to a base 262 of the seal 260, and a second end corresponding to a compressive body 264 of the seal 260. The seal 260 is designed to form the process gas containment seal upon compression of the seal 260 between the reactor interface 240 and the reactor frame 250. As shown, the base 262 is mated with (e.g., inserted into) the reactor interface 240, such that the compressive body 264 is configured to contact the reactor frame 250 to form the process gas containment seal.

[0031] The compressive body 264 can be comprised of a compressive material having material properties (e.g., bulk modulus, Young’s modulus, compressive strength, Poisson’s ratio, hardness) suitable for forming a process gas containment seal without damaging the reactor frame and/or the reactor interface. More specifically, the compressive body 264 can be comprised of a compressive material having material properties that provide for a suitably low compression force that is below a force threshold and that will not cause damage to components of the deposition chamber system (e.g., the susceptor 110 and/or the reactor frame 250). Moreover, to prevent breakage of the compressive body 264, the compression distance of the compressive body 264 should be within a suitable range upon contact with the reactor frame 250 during formation of the process gas containment seal. In some embodiments, the compression distance is less than about 4 millimeters (mm). For example, the compression distance can be between about 2 mm and about 3 mm. The compressive body may have a material and/or geometry that enable the compressive body to form a seal while maintaining a force that is less than the force threshold for a range of distances (e.g., over a range of +/-2 mm) between the reactor frame and the reactor interface. Thus, the compressive body may maintain a force of between A and B within the range of distances between the reactor frame and the reactor interface.

[0032] Since environmental conditions (e.g., high temperature and/or high pressure) can affect material properties, the compressive material can be selected to maintain its properties and integrity in various environments. For example, the seal 260 can illustratively be formed from an elastic polymer (elastomer) or other material with elastic or rubber-like properties. More specifically, the seal 260 can include a saturated elastomer due to greater stability against potentially extreme environmental conditions. In some embodiments, friction between the compressive body 264 and the reactor frame 250 and/or the reactor lid 240 can result in an approximately horizontal force that can further secure the compressive body 264 against the reactor frame 250 and/or the reactor lid 240, thereby improving the process containment seal. Examples of saturated elastomers include, but are not limited to, silicones (SI, Q, VMQ), fluorosilicones (FVMQ), fluoroelastomers (e.g., FKM and tetrafluoroethylene propylene (TFE/P)), and perfluoroelastomers (FFKM). In one embodiment, the compressive material comprises a perfluoropolymer (PFP) and/or a polyimide, which may retain its material properties at high temperature, and which may have resistance to erosion or corrosion caused by exposure to a plasma environment. In some embodiments, the base 262 and the compressive body 264 are formed from a same material, such that the seal 260 is a monolithic structure. However, the base 262 and the compressive body 264 can each be formed from different materials.

[0033] Regarding geometry, as shown, the base 262 may have a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape that secures the seal 260 to the reactor interface 240, and the compressive body 264 can include an annular cross-sectional shape (e.g., having a cross-section of a hollow circle). For example, the compressive body 264 can be an elastic O-ring (“O-ring”). As another example, the compressive body 264 can include an elastic washer (“washer”). However, the seal 260 can include any suitable geometry that can form a process gas containment seal.

[0034] FIG. 3 is top-down view of an electronic device manufacturing system 300, in accordance with some embodiments. The system 300 includes a number of deposition chambers 310-1 through 310-6. For example, each deposition chamber 310-1 through 310-6 can be similar to the deposition chamber shown in FIGS. 1-2. Although six deposition chambers are shown in this illustrative example, the system 300 can include any suitable number of process chambers. In some embodiments, the deposition chambers 310-1 through 310-6 include ALD chambers. As further shown, the system 300 includes a load lock chamber 320. Although one load lock chamber is shown in this illustrative example, the system 300 can include any suitable number of load lock chambers.

[0035] The deposition chambers 310-1 through 310-6 and 320 have ends corresponding to chamber openings that interface with a transfer chamber 330. The transfer chamber 330 houses a robot apparatus 332, also referred to as a transfer robot. The robot apparatus 332 can include one or more arms configured to transfer substrates between the deposition chambers 310-1 through 310-6 and 320. In some embodiments, the robot apparatus 332 is a SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) robot.

[0036] In some embodiments, as further shown, the system 300 can further include a factory chamber 340 housing a robot apparatus 342, also referred to as a factory interface robot. A second end of the load lock chamber 320 interfaces with the factory chamber 340 to enable the robot apparatus 342 to access a substrate from the load lock chamber 320 after processing. This can allow for safe removal of the substrate from the system 300.

[0037] The deposition chambers 310-1 through 310-6 can be arranged into respective pairs of deposition chambers. For example, as shown, deposition chambers 310-1 and 310-2 form a first pair of deposition chambers 315-1, deposition chambers 310-3 and 310-4 form a second pair of deposition chambers 315-2, and deposition chambers 310-5 and 310-6 form a third pair of deposition chambers 315-3. Deposition chambers within each pair have mirrored designs relative to one another, such that the deposition chambers within each pair are configured to provide process gas flows that proceed in opposite directions (as noted by the arrows shown in FIG. 3). The process gas flows can be unidirectional crossflows.

[0038] More specifically, the deposition chamber 310-1 can utilize a first process gas flow that proceeds in a first direction from a first section of the deposition chamber 310-1 located at a first end of the deposition chamber 310-1 to a second section of the deposition chamber 310-1 located at a second end of the deposition chamber 310-1 opposite the first end of the deposition chamber 310-1, and the deposition chamber 310-2 can utilize a second process gas flow that proceeds in a second direction opposite the first direction from a first section of the deposition chamber 310-2 located at a first end of the deposition chamber 310-2 to a second section of the deposition chamber 310-2 located at a second end of the deposition chamber 310-2 opposite the first end of the deposition chamber 310-2. For example, as shown, the first direction can be from right to left relative to the first and second sections of the process chamber 310-1, and the second direction can be from left to right relative to the first and second sections of the process chamber 310-2. The first and second sections of the deposition chamber 310-1 and the deposition chamber 310-2 are similar to the first and second sections 140 and 150, respectively, described above with reference to FIGS. 1-2.

[0039] For example, assume that a substrate is to be processed using the first pair of deposition chambers 315-1. The robot apparatus 332 can place the substrate into the deposition chamber 310-1 or the deposition chamber 310-2, referred to as the first deposition chamber. The substrate can then be processed in the first deposition chamber utilizing the corresponding process gas flow in the first direction (e.g., from right to left). The processing performed in the first deposition chamber can be performed for a first pass having a first number of deposition cycles. In some embodiments, the first number of deposition cycles is equal to half of a total number of deposition cycles for processing the substrate.

[0040] After the processing is completed in the first deposition chamber, the robot apparatus 332 can then transfer the substrate to the other one of the deposition chamber 310-1 or the deposition chamber 310-2, referred to as the second deposition chamber. The substrate can be placed within the second deposition chamber without reversing the orientation of the ends of the substrate (e.g., without rotation) prior to placement in the second deposition chamber. For example, the robot apparatus 332 can extend at least one arm into the first deposition chamber to obtain the substrate, retract the at least one arm to remove the substrate while maintaining the orientation of the substrate, rotate the at least one arm to align with the second deposition chamber, and extend the at least one arm into the second deposition chamber to place the substrate within the second deposition chamber.

[0041] The substrate can then be processed in the second deposition chamber utilizing the corresponding process gas flow in the second direction opposite the first direction (e.g., from left to right). The processing performed in the second deposition chamber can be performed for a second pass having a second number of deposition cycles to complete the processing of the substrate. In some embodiments, the first number of deposition cycles is equal to half of the total number of deposition cycles for processing the substrate.

[0042] Once the processing performed in the second deposition chamber is completed, the robot apparatus 332 can remove the substrate from the second deposition chamber. For example, the robot apparatus 332 can extend the at least one arm into the second deposition chamber to obtain the substrate, and retract the at least one arm to remove the substrate while maintaining the orientation of the substrate. The robot apparatus 332 can then place the substrate into another chamber. For example, the robot apparatus 332 can place the substrate into the load lock chamber 320 by rotating the at least one arm to align with the load lock chamber 320. The substrate can then be retrieved from the load lock chamber 320 by the robot apparatus 342 for removal from the system 300. Alternatively, the robot apparatus 332 can place the substrate in another process chamber for additional processing.

[0043] FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of an example method 400 for implementing an electronic device manufacturing system having paired deposition chambers for enhanced deposition uniformity, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0044] At block 402, a substrate is placed in in a first deposition chamber of an electronic device manufacturing system. More specifically, the substrate can be placed in the first deposition chamber by a robot apparatus housed in a transfer chamber that interfaces with the pair of deposition chambers (e.g., a transfer robot). In some embodiments, the first deposition chamber is an ALD chamber.

[0045] At block 404, the substrate is processed in the first deposition chamber utilizing a first process gas flow that proceeds in a first direction. The first process gas flow can correspond

-l i to a unidirectional crossflow. More specifically, the first process gas flow proceeds from a first section of the first deposition chamber located at a first end of the first deposition chamber to a second section of the first deposition chamber located at a second end of the first deposition chamber opposite the first end of the first deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the first direction is right to left. In some embodiments, the first direction is left to right. The substrate is processed in the first deposition chamber for a first pass having a first number of deposition cycles. In some embodiments, the first number of deposition cycles is equal to half of a total number of deposition cycles for processing the substrate.

[0046] After the substrate is processed in the first deposition chamber, at block 406, the substrate is transferred to a second deposition chamber of the electronic device manufacturing system. The first and second deposition chambers collectively form a pair of deposition chambers, where the second deposition chamber has a mirrored design relative to the first deposition chamber, and the second end of the first deposition chamber is proximate to the second end of the second deposition chamber. The substrate can be transferred to the second deposition chamber without reversing the orientation of the ends of the substrate (e.g., without rotation) prior to placement in the second deposition chamber. For example, the robot apparatus can extend at least one arm into the first deposition chamber to obtain the substrate, retract the at least one arm to remove the substrate while maintaining the orientation of the substrate, rotate the at least one arm to align with the second deposition chamber, and extend the at least one arm into the second deposition chamber to place the substrate within the second deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the second deposition chamber is an ALD chamber.

[0047] At block 408, the substrate is processed in the second deposition chamber utilizing a second process gas flow that proceeds in a second direction opposite the first direction. The second process gas flow can correspond to a unidirectional crossflow. More specifically, due to the mirrored design of the second deposition chamber, the second process gas flow proceeds from a first section of the second deposition chamber located at a first end of the second deposition chamber to a second section of the second deposition chamber located at a second end of the second deposition chamber opposite the first end of the second deposition chamber. For example, if the first direction is from right to left, then the second direction is from left to right (and vice versa). The substrate is processed in the second deposition chamber for a second pass having a second number of deposition cycles. In some embodiments, the second number of deposition cycles is equal to half of the total number of deposition cycles for processing the substrate.

[0048] After the substrate is processed in the second deposition chamber, the current deposition process is completed. Thus, at block 410, the substrate can be removed from the second deposition chamber. More specifically, the robot apparatus can remove the substrate from the second deposition chamber. In some embodiments, the robot apparatus can then place the substrate in a load lock chamber that interfaces with the transfer chamber. The load lock chamber can further interface with a factory chamber to enable safe removal of the substrate from the electronic device manufacturing system (e.g., using a second robot apparatus housed within the factory chamber). In some embodiments, the robot apparatus can place the substrate in another process chamber for further processing (e.g., deposition chamber, etch chamber). The method 400 can be repeated to process the same substrate or a different substrate. Further details regarding blocks 402-410 are described above with reference to FIGs. 1-3.

[0049] The preceding description sets forth numerous specific details such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, and so forth, in order to provide a good understanding of several embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that at least some embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are presented in simple block diagram format in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. Particular implementations may vary from these exemplary details and still be contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.

[0050] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” When the term “about” or “approximately” is used herein, this is intended to mean that the nominal value presented is precise within ±10%. [0051] Although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operation may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or suboperations of distinct operations may be in an intermittent and/or alternating manner.

[0052] It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other implementation examples will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading and understanding the above description. Although the present disclosure describes specific examples, it will be recognized that the systems and methods of the present disclosure are not limited to the examples described herein, but may be practiced with modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present disclosure should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.