AVS 47th International Symposium
    Vacuum Technology Wednesday Sessions
       Session VT-WeP

Paper VT-WeP7
Surface Cleanness of Substrates Transported with Levitation Transfer System Installed in an Extreme High Vacuum Integrated System

Wednesday, October 4, 2000, 11:00 am, Room Exhibit Hall C & D

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: M. Tosa, National Research Institute for Metals, Japan
Authors: M. Tosa, National Research Institute for Metals, Japan
A. Kasahara, National Research Institute for Metals, Japan
M. Goto, National Research Institute for Metals, Japan
K. Yoshihara, National Research Institute for Metals, Japan
Y.S.K. Kim, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
K.S.L. Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
Correspondent: Click to Email
The extreme high vacuum (XHV) integrated process with magnetic levitation transports has been developed in order to transfer substrates among vacuum chambers without any contamination on the ultraclean surface. The XHV integrated process has five main lin e chambers, six sidetrack line chambers, connector chambers and six vacuum instrument chambers for surface analyses and film preparation. Levitation transports using superconducting magnet system and electromagnet system are installed into the line chamb ers because they have no sliding part to generate dust particles as well as outgassing which may damage the ultraclean substrate surfaces and environment. The levitation transports can transfer substrates among connected six chambers in the pressure change of less than 10@super -10@ Pa. Cleanness of transported substrates surfaces was observed by a scanning auger electron microprobe with submicron analysis area. Substrates surfaces of a copper sheet and a stainless steel sheet that were argon ion sputter-cleaned in the auger analysis chamber were kept clean without any adsorption of oxygen nor carbonate during the levitation transportation among the auger analysis chamber and the film preparation chamber. Surfaces of copper film and stainless steel film on steel substrates prepared in the film preparation chamber were also kept clean after the transportation from the film preparation chamber to the auger analysis chamber.