Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity

Details Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity

2006-09-22

2010-06-22

Keenan, James (Department: 3652)

Material or article handling

Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...

For carrying standarized mechanical interface type

C414S940000

Reexamination Certificate

active

07740437

ABSTRACT:
A system for processing semiconductor substrates includes a front-end with at least two vertical levels of input/output ports for transferring substrate cassettes into or out of the housing of the processing system. The front-end also includes at least one level of storage positions, e.g., two levels of storage positions, which can be disposed between the two vertical levels of the input/output ports. The two vertical levels of storage positions can each be provided with two storage positions and each of two levels of input/output ports can be provided with accommodations for two cassettes, allowing for a total of eight cassettes to be accommodated at the front-end of the processing system. Inside the housing of the processing system, interior storage positions can be provided adjacent a wafer handling chamber and spaced apart from a cassette store having rotary platforms for housing cassettes. A single cassette handler can be used to access cassettes at each of the input/output ports and the interior storage positions.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3260381 (1966-07-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 4002055 (1977-01-01), Kops
patent: 4590103 (1986-05-01), Ahne et al.
patent: 4676637 (1987-06-01), Uto et al.
patent: 4719125 (1988-01-01), Anello et al.
patent: 4775281 (1988-10-01), Prentakis
patent: 4804086 (1989-02-01), Gohrock
patent: 4815912 (1989-03-01), Maney et al.
patent: 4836905 (1989-06-01), Davis et al.
patent: 4886412 (1989-12-01), Wooding et al.
patent: 4886975 (1989-12-01), Murakami et al.
patent: 4995430 (1991-02-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 5003062 (1991-03-01), Yen
patent: 5024570 (1991-06-01), Kiriseko et al.
patent: 5178639 (1993-01-01), Nishi
patent: 5180273 (1993-01-01), Sakaya et al.
patent: 5321634 (1994-06-01), Obata et al.
patent: 5359407 (1994-10-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5407449 (1995-04-01), Zinger
patent: 5463459 (1995-10-01), Morioka et al.
patent: 5464313 (1995-11-01), Ohsawa
patent: 5539514 (1996-07-01), Shishido et al.
patent: 5547328 (1996-08-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 5570987 (1996-11-01), McKenna
patent: 5625170 (1997-04-01), Poris
patent: 5653565 (1997-08-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 5740845 (1998-04-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 5855681 (1999-01-01), Maydan et al.
patent: 5857827 (1999-01-01), Asakawa et al.
patent: 5872632 (1999-02-01), Moore
patent: 5897710 (1999-04-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5909276 (1999-06-01), Kinney et al.
patent: 5934856 (1999-08-01), Asakawa et al.
patent: 5940175 (1999-08-01), Sun
patent: 5943130 (1999-08-01), Bonin et al.
patent: 5944940 (1999-08-01), Toshima
patent: 5957648 (1999-09-01), Bachrach
patent: 5963315 (1999-10-01), Hiatt et al.
patent: 5965679 (1999-10-01), Godschalx et al.
patent: 6007675 (1999-12-01), Toshima
patent: 6042324 (2000-03-01), Aggarwal et al.
patent: 6053688 (2000-04-01), Cheng
patent: 6079927 (2000-06-01), Muka
patent: 6084664 (2000-07-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 6102647 (2000-08-01), Yap
patent: 6166801 (2000-12-01), Dishon et al.
patent: 6169935 (2001-01-01), Iwasaki et al.
patent: 6186723 (2001-02-01), Murata et al.
patent: 6194234 (2001-02-01), Huang et al.
patent: 6204917 (2001-03-01), Smedt
patent: 6244812 (2001-06-01), Patterson et al.
patent: 6261044 (2001-07-01), Fosnight et al.
patent: 6267853 (2001-07-01), Dordi et al.
patent: 6273261 (2001-08-01), Hosoi
patent: 6284986 (2001-09-01), Dietze et al.
patent: 6286685 (2001-09-01), Kononchuk et al.
patent: 6291252 (2001-09-01), Yu et al.
patent: 6309831 (2001-10-01), Goldberg et al.
patent: 6422247 (2002-07-01), Yoshikawa et al.
patent: 6439822 (2002-08-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 6447232 (2002-09-01), Davis et al.
patent: 6501070 (2002-12-01), Bacchi et al.
patent: 6519502 (2003-02-01), Chao
patent: 6540466 (2003-04-01), Bachrach
patent: 6544338 (2003-04-01), Batchelder et al.
patent: 6549825 (2003-04-01), Kurata
patent: 6582174 (2003-06-01), Hayashi
patent: 6592318 (2003-07-01), Aggarwal
patent: 6607602 (2003-08-01), Granneman et al.
patent: 6632068 (2003-10-01), Zinger et al.
patent: 6634116 (2003-10-01), Kato et al.
patent: 6663332 (2003-12-01), Sluijk et al.
patent: 6678583 (2004-01-01), Nasr et al.
patent: 6748293 (2004-06-01), Larsen
patent: 6753945 (2004-06-01), Heerens et al.
patent: 6897124 (2005-05-01), Tate et al.
patent: 6902647 (2005-06-01), Hasper
patent: 6979165 (2005-12-01), Larson et al.
patent: 6981832 (2006-01-01), Zinger et al.
patent: 7028565 (2006-04-01), Birkner et al.
patent: 7278813 (2007-10-01), Davis et al.
patent: 7591624 (2009-09-01), Campbell et al.
patent: 2002/0037645 (2002-03-01), Matsunaga et al.
patent: 2003/0091409 (2003-05-01), Danna et al.
patent: 2003/0192900 (2003-10-01), Petzitillo et al.
patent: 2003/0194297 (2003-10-01), Sackett et al.
patent: 2003/0235486 (2003-12-01), Doherty et al.
patent: 2005/0063797 (2005-03-01), Lero et al.
patent: 2005/0079042 (2005-04-01), Maeda
patent: 2005/0232727 (2005-10-01), Ferrera
patent: 2006/0045662 (2006-03-01), Aalund
patent: 2006/0045663 (2006-03-01), Aggarwal et al.
patent: 2006/0045664 (2006-03-01), Niewmierzycki et al.
patent: 63-102225 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 63-143105 (1988-06-01), None
patent: 5-047896 (1993-02-01), None
patent: WO 99/38199 (1999-07-01), None
patent: WO 01/80289 (2001-10-01), None
Slettehaugh et al., “Impact of Lot Buffering on Overall Equipment Effectiveness”,Semiconductor International; Jul. 1998; 5 pages.
Provisional Specification for 300-mm Front-Opening Interface Mechanical Standard (FIMS), SEMI E62-0997, SEMI 1997.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-4216839