公开(公告)号：EP1956112A2

公开(公告)日：2008-08-13

申请号：EP08006163.3

申请日：1999-06-30

申请人： ASM America, Inc.

发明人： Doley, Allan D. ,  Goodwin, Dennis L. ,  O'Neill, Kenneth ,  Vrijburg, Gerben ,  Rodriguez, David ,  Aggarwal, Ravinder

IPC分类号： C23C16/00 ,  C30B23/06 ,  C23C16/44 ,  C23C16/54

CPC分类号： C30B29/14 ,  C23C16/4401 ,  C23C16/4408 ,  C30B25/08 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： An apparatus and method for reducing particles in reactors. The apparatus (10) includes an enclosure for processing the semiconductor wafers. The enclosure has a wafer handling chamber (16) connected by an isolation gate valve (18) to a load lock chamber (14). Additionally, the apparatus includes: a reactor chamber (38) pipes (24,26) for delivering a purge gas into the wafer handling chamber (16); a pilot operated back pressure regulator (40) for regulating the delivery and removal of the purge gas from the enclosure for reducing disturbances from the purge gas entering into the enclosure; a flow regulated Bernoulli wand (36) for lifting and holding a single wafer; ionizers (21a-21d) in the purge gas lines entering the wafer handling chamber (16) and load locks chamber (14) for ionizing the purged gas molecules, the ionized gas discharges all the static inside the semiconductor equipment and prevents the wafer from attracting charged particles; and means for reducing gas flow turbulence when switching valves within the reactor.

摘要翻译： 一种减少反应器中颗粒的装置和方法。 该设备（10）包括用于处理半导体晶片的外壳。 外壳具有通过隔离闸阀（18）连接到加载锁定室（14）的晶片处理室（16）。 另外，该设备包括：用于将清除气体输送到晶片处理室（16）中的反应室（38）管道（24,26）; 先导式背压调节器（40），其用于调节来自外壳的清除气体的输送和去除，以减少来自进入外壳的清除气体的干扰; 用于提升和保持单个晶片的流量调节伯努利棒（36）; 进入晶片处理室（16）的净化气体管线中的离子发生器（21a-21d）和用于离子化净化气体分子的负载锁定室（14），离子化气体释放半导体设备内部的全部静电并防止晶片吸引 带电粒子; 以及用于在切换反应器内的阀时减少气流湍流的装置。

公开(公告)号：EP1608002A4

公开(公告)日：2008-08-06

申请号：EP04715563

申请日：2004-02-27

申请人： TOKYO ELECTRON LTD

发明人： HIROKI TSUTOMU

IPC分类号： B65G49/00 ,  B01J3/00 ,  B01J3/02 ,  F16K3/02 ,  F16K51/02 ,  H01L21/00 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/68

CPC分类号： H01L21/67126 ,  F16K3/029 ,  F16K51/02 ,  Y10S414/135 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： A gate valve (20) for a semiconductor treatment system, comprising a housing (21) forming a plurality of passages (22A to 22D) arranged parallel with each other along a first direction, the passages further comprising ports (23A to 23D) facing a first specified side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Valve seats (25A to 25D) are disposed on the ports at more backward positions in the second direction as the valve seats are positioned nearer the second specified side in the first direction. A plurality of valve plates (24A to 24D) opening and closing the ports are disposed parallel with each other in the second direction. The valve plates are slid by drive mechanisms (30A to 30D).

公开(公告)号：EP1165993B1

公开(公告)日：2007-09-12

申请号：EP00914757.0

申请日：2000-02-29

申请人： LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION

发明人： KROEKER, Tony, R. ,  MOORING, Benjamin, W. ,  BRIGHT, Nicolas, J.

IPC分类号： F16K51/02 ,  F16K3/18

CPC分类号： H01L21/67196 ,  F16K3/18 ,  F16K51/02 ,  H01L21/67126 ,  H01L21/67253 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： A dual sided slot valve is in a vacuum body between adjacent process and transport modules. Separate valves (222-1, 222-2) are provided for each of two valve body slots, one body slot being separately closed or opened independently of the other. The separate valves allow a vacuum in the transport module while an adjacent process module is open to the atmosphere for servicing. The valve allows access to an open valve for servicing the open valve in thatp one actuator motor (724) stops the valve in an open, but not vertically-spaced, position relative to the respective slot. The open valve is more easily reached by a gloved hand of a service worker. A separate actuator motor (736) moves the valve vertically down from the open position and away from the slot to expose the sealing surface around the slot for cleaning. The vertical distance of the vertically-moved valve from an access opening makes it difficult for the worker's glove to reach the valve for service. However, in the vertically-moved position the valve does not interfere with the ability to clean around the valve door. The dual sided slot valves are offset relative to each other to reduce the distance occupied by the valve body between the adjacent transport and process modules.

公开(公告)号：EP0904597A4

公开(公告)日：2007-07-04

申请号：EP97927597

申请日：1997-04-23

申请人： BROOKS AUTOMATION INC

发明人： MUKA RICHARD S

IPC分类号： H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/00 ,  H01L21/677

CPC分类号： H01L21/67742 ,  H01L21/67178 ,  H01L21/67745 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： A substrate processing apparatus (22, 100, 200) comprising a substrate transport (24, 106, 202) and substrate processing chambers (26, 102). The substrate transport (24) has a transport chamber (32) and a transport mechanism (34, 106, 202). The transport mechanism has a rotatable drive (48, 112, 204), an arm (50, 208) pivotably connected to the drive to pivot in vertical directions, and a substrate holder (52, 210) pivotably connected to an end of the arm by an articulating wrist (64). The arm (50, 208) can vertically move the substrate holder (52, 210) up and down. The substrate processing chambers (26, 102) are stationarily connected to the transport chamber (32) at two different vertical levels.

公开(公告)号：EP1079418B1

公开(公告)日：2007-04-04

申请号：EP00121401.4

申请日：1991-08-19

申请人： Hitachi, Ltd.

发明人： Kato, Shigekazu ,  Tsubone, Tsunehiko ,  Nishihata, Kouji ,  Itou, Atsushi

IPC分类号： H01L21/00

CPC分类号： H01L21/67748 ,  B01J3/006 ,  B41J2/36 ,  B41J2/365 ,  C23C14/564 ,  H01L21/67028 ,  H01L21/67167 ,  H01L21/67253 ,  H01L21/67736 ,  Y10S134/902 ,  Y10S414/137 ,  Y10S414/139 ,  Y10S414/14

公开(公告)号：EP1048059B1

公开(公告)日：2007-01-03

申请号：EP99904070.2

申请日：1999-01-12

申请人： TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

发明人： EDWARDS, Richard, C.

IPC分类号： H01L21/00

CPC分类号： H01L21/67751 ,  H01L21/67757 ,  Y10S414/137 ,  Y10S414/139 ,  Y10S438/908 ,  Y10T29/41

摘要： Wafers (28) from plural non-vacuum multiple wafer carriers (25) are loaded and unloaded in an atmospheric front end (32) of a wafer processing machine (10) and transferred to and from a high vacuum chamber (31) of a transfer module of a wafer processing cluster tool, or back end, through a single two-wafer loadlock (45). Preferably, with the wafers (28) oriented horizontally throughout, two wafers (28) are sequentially loaded into and simultaneously moved inbound to the high vacuum back end of the system, through one loadlock (45) and sequentially moved into and simultaneously moved outbound through the same loadlock (45), the loadlock (45) having a pair of water cooled supports (48) for simultaneously actively cooling the two wafers (28). In both the atmospheric front end (32) and vacuum back end environments, transfer arms (35, 42) load and unload the loadlock (45), and transfer wafers (28) within the environments when all loadlocks are sealed. Preferably, two wafers (28) are actively cooled in the loadlock (45). Preferably also, wafers (28) are passed through a wafer aligner after being removed from a carrier and before placed in the loadlock (45). When two wafers (28) are removed from the loadlock (45) into the vacuum back end, one or two wafers (28) may be temporarily held in a buffer position (69) within the back end vacuum chamber (31).

公开(公告)号：EP1684951A2

公开(公告)日：2006-08-02

申请号：EP04818697.7

申请日：2004-11-10

申请人： Blueshift Technologies, Inc.

发明人： VAN DER MEULEN, Peter

IPC分类号： B25J18/02

CPC分类号： H01L21/67167 ,  B25J9/042 ,  H01L21/67126 ,  H01L21/67161 ,  H01L21/67173 ,  H01L21/67178 ,  H01L21/67184 ,  H01L21/6719 ,  H01L21/67196 ,  H01L21/67201 ,  H01L21/67207 ,  H01L21/67253 ,  H01L21/67259 ,  H01L21/67706 ,  H01L21/67727 ,  H01L21/67733 ,  H01L21/67736 ,  H01L21/67742 ,  H01L21/67745 ,  H01L21/67748 ,  H01L21/67754 ,  H01L21/67757 ,  H01L21/67781 ,  H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/68707 ,  H01L21/68735 ,  Y10S414/135 ,  Y10S414/137 ,  Y10S414/139 ,  Y10T74/20305

摘要： Methods and systems are provided for handling materials in a vacuum-based semiconductor handling system, including methods and systems for handling materials from arm to arm in order to traverse a linear handling system.

公开(公告)号：EP1132947A3

公开(公告)日：2006-06-21

申请号：EP01104509.3

申请日：2001-03-02

申请人： APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

发明人： Bachrach, Robert Z. ,  Moran, John Christopher

IPC分类号： H01L21/00

CPC分类号： H01L21/67271 ,  H01L21/67196 ,  H01L21/67727 ,  H01L21/67775 ,  Y10S414/139 ,  Y10S414/14

摘要： A fabrication system also referred to as a SuperFrame is provided which includes a storage apparatus (321) coupled perpendicularly to a branch transport aisle (315), and one or more environmentally controlled fabrication tools (319a, b) coupled parallel to the branch transport aisle. The fabrication tools (319a, b) can encompass single chamber units or larger cluster tools with sub mainframes. The storage apparatus (321) has one or more load ports (LP) which allow transfer of wafer carriers to or from a factory transport agent. A tool loading platform (323) is positioned to receive a wafer carrier from the storage apparatus (321) and to enable the fabrication tool to access a wafer carrier positioned thereon. A plurality of fabrication tools (319a, b) may be coupled beside each other within the equipment set (317a-h). Each of the plurality of fabrication tools is coupled to the storage apparatus (321) so that a wafer or wafer carrier may be received from or transferred to a factory transport agent and may travel along the storage apparatus (321) to any of the plurality of fabrication tools coupled thereto. A computer program allows input of the number of tools coupled to a storage apparatus, and adjusts wafer carrier delivery based thereon.

公开(公告)号：EP1540459A4

公开(公告)日：2006-03-01

申请号：EP03788279

申请日：2003-07-29

申请人： BROOKS AUTOMATION INC

发明人： BLATTNER JAKOB ,  FEDERICI RUDY ,  FOSNIGHT WILLIAM JOHN ,  HARIS CLINT

IPC分类号： G03F7/20 ,  B65G1/00 ,  B65G49/07 ,  G06F7/00 ,  H01L20060101

CPC分类号： G03F7/70925 ,  G03F7/70741 ,  H01L21/67359 ,  H01L21/67742 ,  H01L21/67769 ,  H01L21/68707 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： A reticle manipulating device with an at least substantially closed housing for maintaining clean-room conditions inside the housing, an input/output station for introducing and discharging reticles in and out of the housing, and at least one functional unit arranged in the housing for impressing a predetermined function on the reticles. The device has a manipulating device also arranged inside the housing, for manipulating the reticles in the housing.

摘要翻译： 一种具有至少基本上闭合的壳体（2）的光罩操纵装置（1），用于保持壳体内的洁净室条件，输入/输出站（7），用于将光罩导入和导出壳体，以及至少 一个功能单元（71）布置在壳体中，用于在掩模版上施加预定的功能。 该装置具有也布置在壳体内的操纵装置（18），用于操纵壳体中的掩模版。

公开(公告)号：EP1166333B1

公开(公告)日：2006-01-25

申请号：EP00916108.4

申请日：2000-03-06

申请人： ASM America, Inc.

发明人： STEVENS, Ronald, R. ,  AGGARWAL, Ravinder

IPC分类号： H01L21/00

CPC分类号： H01L21/67772 ,  Y10S414/137 ,  Y10S414/139

摘要： Two FOUPs are stacked and moved together towards an equipment wall by a horizontal actuator. FOUP doors are withdrawn as a unit by a horizontal actuator, and lowered as a unit by a vertical actuator to provide access to the interior of the FOUPs.