Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Including control responsive to sensed condition – Optical characteristic sensed
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-28
2003-10-14
Pert, Evan (Department: 2829)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Including control responsive to sensed condition
Optical characteristic sensed
C356S433000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06632685
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining various processes of wafer fabrication, and more particularly to an apparatus for determining various processes of wafer fabrication in the semiconductor device manufacturing technology.
2. Background
The processes employed during the fabrication of semiconductor devices have become increasingly automated. Until recently, however, the transfer of semiconductor wafer cassettes among pieces of processing equipment has been a manual process involving a human operator. The processes of film deposition, diffusion and ion implantation, as well as lithography and etching are repeated for the semiconductor wafer manufacturing process. The continuous fabrication is usually adopted for mass production, that is, carrier belts are used to transfer semi-product into subsequent processing areas. In various processes of wafer fabrication, temperature, atmosphere, and pH are controlled to match certain conditions of each process. Wafers of various processes are put into wafer cassettes of different materials, such as anti-heat, anti-acid, anti-alkali, and anti-erosion types, according to individual requirements.
Sensors are usually set in the loading end of individual processing areas. The sensors are used to detect whether a wafer cassette is loaded, and then the wafer cassette is transferred to processing equipment via a manipulator or a human operator. Sensors in common use are interdicting types, detecting only whether a wafer cassette is loaded.
Occasionally, however, wafers are not located in the correct wafer cassettes due to human error. Consequently, wafers and equipment involved in the error are contaminated and the wafer cassettes are damaged. For example, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) anti-heat wafer cassettes are used in the diffusion process, and need to be exchanged for perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) anti-acid wafer cassettes for subsequent cleaning, but the wafer cassettes are sometimes not changed due to human error, thus causing numerous problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an apparatus and a method for determining various processes of wafer fabrication suitable for a plurality of various processes of wafer fabrication. Wafer cassettes of different materials have distinct transparencies. A sensor-set is added into the loading end of the individual processing area to determine the type of wafer cassettes, thereby preventing inappropriate wafer cassettes from entering unsuitable processing areas, and eliminating processing errors.
According to the present invention, an apparatus for determining various processes of wafer fabrication suitable for a plurality of various processes of wafer fabrication, comprising: a plurality of wafer cassettes, each having a distinct transparency, used in the various processes of wafer fabrication; a sensor-set, used to detect the distinct transparency of each of the wafer cassettes, and outputting a signal corresponding to the distinct transparency; and an amplifier, connected to the sensor-set for receiving the signal, thus obtaining the distinct transparency, so as to identify one of the wafer cassettes.
Furthermore, the invention proposes a method for determining various processes of wafer fabrication suitable for a plurality of various processes of wafer fabrication comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of wafer cassettes, each having a distinct transparency, using in the various processes of wafer fabrication; getting the distinct transparency of each of the wafer cassettes; and determining one of the wafer cassettes according to the distinct transparency.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4658960 (1987-04-01), Iwasa
patent: 5979756 (1999-11-01), Ahn et al.
patent: 6303398 (2001-10-01), Goerigk
patent: 63229810 (1988-09-01), None
patent: 6-13453 (1994-01-01), None
Web page product specifications for Keyence FU-77 and FS-V11, http://world.keyence.com/sensors/fiber_optics/fs_v10/fs_v1013spec.html (2 pages) and http://world.keyence.com/sensors/fiber_optics/fs_v10/fs_v10.html (6 pages).
Chiu Cheng-Tsung
Fang Jr-Ming
Lin Peter
Peng Peng-Chen
Mosel Vitelic Inc.
Pert Evan
LandOfFree
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