Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-01
2002-09-24
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...
C414S940000, C414S939000, C118S719000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06454508
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a front end loading interface used in the loading of workpieces in semiconductor processing equipment.
Semiconductor processing equipment often has a plurality of chambers in which processing occurs. Arm assemblies or other robotic devices are generally used to move workpieces, generally wafers from a wafer queuing station to various chambers for processing. When the processing is finished the wafer is returned to the queuing station. For an example of prior art processing equipment, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,921 issued to Maher, et al. for a Quad Processor.
Semiconductor processing is typically done in a vacuum. Therefore, a wafer queuing station into which is placed a cassette of wafers to be processed must be pumped down before the wafers may be accessed. This significantly increases the time the semiconductor processing equipment is idle while waiting for a cassette of processed wafers to be exchanged for a cassette of unprocessed wafers and subsequent pumping down of the wafer queuing station.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a workpiece loading interface is presented for inclusion within a workpiece processing system. The workpiece loading interface includes two separate chambers. Each chamber may be separately pumped down. Thus, while a first cassette of workpieces, typically wafers, from a first chamber are being accessed, a second cassette of wafers may be loaded in the second chamber and the second chamber may then be pumped down. This can significantly increase throughput of wafers through the workpiece processing system.
In the preferred embodiment, each chamber is designed to minimize intrusion to a clean room. Thus a door to each chamber has a mechanism which, when opening the door, first moves the door slightly away from an opening in the chamber and then the door is moved down parallel to the chamber. After the door is opened, a cassette of wafers is lowered through the opening in a motion much like a drawbridge. The cassette of wafers is on a support with no side panels, facilitating the replacement of a cassette of processed wafers with a cassette of unprocessed wafers by an automated device. The cassette may be pivoted within the chamber when the position from which wafers are accessed from the cassette differs from the position from which the cassette is lowered out of the chamber.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2224479 (1940-12-01), Jones
patent: 3749383 (1973-07-01), Voight et al.
patent: 4448149 (1984-05-01), Brown, Jr. et al.
patent: 4640223 (1987-02-01), Dozier
patent: 4715921 (1987-12-01), Maher et al.
patent: 4851018 (1989-07-01), Lazzari et al.
patent: 4851101 (1989-07-01), Hutchinson
patent: 4891488 (1990-01-01), Davis et al.
patent: 4963069 (1990-10-01), Wurst et al.
patent: 4969790 (1990-11-01), Petz et al.
patent: 4990047 (1991-02-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 5064337 (1991-11-01), Asakawa et al.
patent: 5186594 (1993-02-01), Toshima et al.
patent: 5769588 (1998-06-01), Toshima et al.
patent: 0 343 530 (1989-05-01), None
patent: 282224 (1986-01-01), None
patent: 62-139340 (1987-06-01), None
patent: 62-154749 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 62-290616 (1987-12-01), None
patent: 1-166534 (1989-06-01), None
patent: 1-253237 (1989-10-01), None
patent: 8706561 (1987-01-01), None
Hall Leonard
Howard James
Murdoch Steven C.
Salzman Phil M.
Stenholm Mark A.
Applied Materials Inc.
Dugan & Dugan LLP
Werner Frank E.
LandOfFree
Dual cassette load lock does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Dual cassette load lock, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Dual cassette load lock will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2824258