公开(公告)号：US06183615B2

公开(公告)日：2001-02-06

申请号：US08390226

申请日：1995-02-17

申请人： Tugrul Yasar ,  Rodney Lee Robison ,  Daniel Deyo ,  Marian Zielinski

发明人： Tugrul Yasar ,  Rodney Lee Robison ,  Daniel Deyo ,  Marian Zielinski

IPC分类号： C23C1434

CPC分类号： H01L21/68764 ,  H01L21/67709 ,  H01L21/67712 ,  H01L21/6776 ,  H01L21/68771

摘要： A wafer processing system includes a plurality of evacuable housings connected in series to form a processing line, with a plurality isolation valves to separately isolate the housings. A track extends through the connected housings. At least one wafer carrier is moveable on the track, through the housings and along the processing line. The wafer carrier holds wafers in vertical orientation and also includes a plurality of magnets aligned along its bottom. Outside the housings, a plurality of magnetic drive units are aligned parallel with the track, with one drive unit per housing. Each drive unit includes a motor driven conveyor with a plurality of magnets mounted thereon which imposes magnetic fields inside the housing to magnetically couple with the magnets mounted on the carrier. When the motor driven conveyor moves the imposed magnetic fields, the magnetic coupling causes the wafer carrier to move. A controller operatively connected to the isolation valves and the drive units coordinates movement of wafer carriers along the processing line according to a predetermined sequence while maintaining vacuum conditions in the housings.

摘要翻译： 晶片处理系统包括串联连接以形成处理线的多个可抽出的壳体，多个隔离阀以隔离壳体。 轨道延伸穿过连接的外壳。 至少一个晶片载体可以在轨道上通过壳体和沿着处理线路移动。 晶片载体保持垂直取向的晶片，并且还包括沿其底部对准的多个磁体。 在壳体外部，多个磁驱动单元与轨道平行排列，每个壳体具有一个驱动单元。 每个驱动单元包括一个带有多个安装在其上的磁体的电动机驱动的输送机，其在壳体内部施加磁场，以与安装在载体上的磁体磁耦合。 当电机驱动输送机移动所施加的磁场时，磁耦合使晶片载体移动。 操作地连接到隔离阀和驱动单元的控制器根据预定顺序来协调晶片载体沿着处理线的运动，同时保持壳体中的真空条件。

公开(公告)号：US5944857A

公开(公告)日：1999-08-31

申请号：US853172

申请日：1997-05-08

申请人： Richard C. Edwards ,  Marian Zielinski

发明人： Richard C. Edwards ,  Marian Zielinski

IPC分类号： B65G49/07 ,  H01L21/00 ,  H01L21/677

CPC分类号： H01L21/67751 ,  H01L21/67201 ,  Y10S438/908 ,  Y10T29/41

摘要： Wafers from plural non-vacuum multiple wafer carriers are loaded and unloaded in an atmospheric front end of a wafer processing machine and transferred to and from the high vacuum chamber of a transfer module of a wafer manufacturing cluster tool through a plurality of single wafer loadlocks. Preferably, with the wafers oriented horizontally throughout, wafers are moved inbound to the high vacuum atmosphere through one loadlock and moved outbound through another loadlock, the outbound loadlock also actively cooling the wafer. In both the atmospheric and vacuum environments, transfer arms load and unload the loadlocks as often as possible when the other loadlock or loadlocks are sealed, and transfer wafers within the environments when all loadlocks are sealed. Preferably, the wafers are actively cooled in the outbound loadlock. Preferably also, wafers are passed through a wafer aligner after being removed from a carrier and before placed in a loadlock. When wafers from one of the carriers are being moved to and from loadlocks, another of the carriers of processed wafers is being exchanged with a carrier of unprocessed wafers.

摘要翻译： 来自多个非真空多晶片载体的晶片在晶片处理机的大气前端装载和卸载，并通过多个单个晶片装载块传送到晶片制造集群工具的转移模块的高真空室。 优选地，当晶片横向定向时，晶片通过一个负载锁移入到高真空气氛中，并通过另一个负载锁移出外部，出站负载锁定也主动冷却晶片。 在大气和真空环境中，当其他负载锁或负载锁密封时，传送臂可以尽可能多地负载和卸载负载锁，并在所有负载锁定时在环境中传输晶片。 优选地，晶片在出站负载锁中被主动冷却。 优选地，在从载体移除之后并且在放置在加载锁之前，晶片通过晶片对准器。 当来自其中一个载体的晶片被移动到负载锁定和来自负载锁定时，处理过的晶片的另一个载体被与未处理的晶片的载体交换。

公开(公告)号：US5795448A

公开(公告)日：1998-08-18

申请号：US570220

申请日：1995-12-08

申请人： Steven Hurwitt ,  Ira Reiss ,  Marian Zielinski ,  Swie-In Tan

发明人： Steven Hurwitt ,  Ira Reiss ,  Marian Zielinski ,  Swie-In Tan

IPC分类号： C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/50 ,  H01L21/00 ,  H01L21/203 ,  H01L21/285

CPC分类号： H01L21/6715 ,  C23C14/505

摘要： A device for rotating a substrate in a complex motion within a chamber which during a sputtering process. The device includes a first support element positioned within the chamber. The first support element includes a first rotating structure which is affixed between a platform for supporting the substrate and a first magnet positioned adjacent to the inner wall surface. Further, the first rotating structure is adapted to rotate about a first axis. The device further includes a second support element positioned outside of the chamber. The second support element includes a second rotating structure affixed between a planet gear adapted for engagement with a sun gear outside of the chamber and a second magnet positioned adjacent the outer wall surface and spaced apart from the first magnet. This causes the formation of a magnetic bond between the first and second magnets. Further, the second rotating structure is adapted to rotate about the first axis thereby enabling the first and second rotating structures to rotate in unison about the first axis. In addition, the device includes a drive element affixed to the first and second support elements, wherein rotation of the drive element causes a first rotation of the first and second rotating elements and thus the substrate about a center axis. This also causes a second rotation wherein the engagement of the sun gear and the planet gear causes simultaneous rotation of the substrate about the first axis.

摘要翻译： 一种用于在溅射过程中在腔室内以复杂运动旋转衬底的装置。 该装置包括位于腔室内的第一支撑元件。 第一支撑元件包括第一旋转结构，其被固定在用于支撑基板的平台和邻近内壁表面定位的第一磁体之间。 此外，第一旋转结构适于围绕第一轴线旋转。 该装置还包括位于腔室外部的第二支撑元件。 第二支撑元件包括固定在适于与室外的太阳轮啮合的行星齿轮之间的第二旋转结构，以及邻近外壁表面定位并与第一磁体隔开的第二磁体。 这导致在第一和第二磁体之间形成磁性结合。 此外，第二旋转结构适于围绕第一轴线旋转，从而使得第一和第二旋转结构能够围绕第一轴线一致地旋转。 此外，该装置包括固定到第一和第二支撑元件的驱动元件，其中驱动元件的旋转引起第一和第二旋转元件的第一旋转，从而使基板围绕中心轴线进行第一旋转。 这也导致第二旋转，其中太阳齿轮和行星齿轮的接合导致基板围绕第一轴线的同时旋转。