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6419438 FIMS interface without alignment pins  
A front opening interface mechanical standard, or “FIMS”, system is disclosed for ensuring proper registration of a pod door against a port door on a load port assembly without the use of guide...
6417014 Method and apparatus for reducing wafer to wafer deposition variation  
A processing line includes a processing tool and an automatic process controller. The processing tool is adapted to deposit a layer of material on a semiconductor wafer based on an operating...
6410455 Wafer processing system  
A wafer processing system occupies minimal floor space by using vertically mounted modules such as reactors, load locks, and cooling stations. Further saving in floor space is achieved by using a...
6409448 Ergonomic load port  
A load port module is mounted adjacent a process tool for loading semiconductor wafers to the process tool and unloading them from the process tool. The module includes a mounting frame having a...
6406245 Processing system and device manufacturing method using the same  
A processing system is disclosed which includes first and second chambers, each for accommodating a processing apparatus therein, each chamber being able to be kept gas tight, a coupling member for...
6398475 Container  
A container for receiving and transporting dust free articles which is opened and closed by inserting a positioning pin and a key in an opener mechanism into a positioning hole and a key hole...
6395094 Process system with transfer unit for object to be processed  
A process system comprises cassette housing chambers 33 A and 33 B, each of which houses therein a cassette C having housed an object W to be processed, and process chambers 26 A through 26 D...
6394733 Substrate body transfer apparatus  
A substrate body transfer apparatus which is capable of isolating the atmospheres of an external processing apparatus and an air conveyance apparatus and preventing the mutual contamination...
6390754 Wafer processing apparatus, method of operating the same and wafer detecting system  
A closed-type cassette is mounted on a cassette stand disposed in a working region at a position corresponding to an opening formed in a wall separating the working region from a loading region....
6390448 Single shaft dual cradle vacuum slot valve  
A single slot valve shaft is in a vacuum body between adjacent vacuum chambers, such as a process module and a transport module. Separate valves are provided on the single shaft actuator for each...
6385503 Reactor for the processing of wafers, with a protection device  
The invention relates to a reactor ( 1 ) for processing wafers ( 7 ) comprising at least one process chamber ( 5 ), at least one transport chamber ( 2 ) with a transport robot ( 3 ) for the wafers...
6382902 Method for controlling handling robot  
A handling robot control method is disclosed for a handling robot disposed in a transfer chamber ( 1 ) having a plurality of process chamber stations ( 2 e ) arranged around it in communication...
6382896 Front-opening unified pod closing/opening control structure  
A front-opening unified pod closing/opening control structure includes a transmission motor controlled to rotate a transmission shaft, causing the transmission shaft to rotate two worm gear sets...
6382895 Substrate processing apparatus  
Four load lock chambers 2, 2′, 2″, 2 ′″ and eight process chambers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 and 108 are hermetically connected around the outside of a central separation...
6371712 Support frame for substrates  
The present invention generally provides a system and method for supporting a substrate having a support frame that minimizes deflection encountered during thermal expansion in a processing...
6371711 Valveless continuous atmospherically isolated container feeding assembly  
An apparatus for feeding containers of feed material into a process chamber is disclosed. The apparatus is designed to maintain the atmosphere within the process chamber as separate from the...
6368411 Molecular contamination control system  
The system and method for molecular contamination control permits purging a SMIF pod to desired levels of relative humidity, oxygen, or particulates. The SMIF pod includes an inlet port including a...
6366830 Self-teaching robot arm position method to compensate for support structure component alignment offset  
A self-teaching robot arm positioning method that compensates for support structure component alignment offset entails the use of a component emulating fixture preferably having mounting features...
6364593 Material transport system  
A system for loading and unloading semiconductor wafers includes a frame having a charging opening, a platform mounted on the frame and movable between a deployed position and a retracted position,...
6364592 Small footprint carrier front end loader  
An apparatus for moving substrates between a loading section and a working chamber includes at least two loading locations at which the substrates may be supplied or received in stacked form...
6358377 Apparatus for sputter-coating glass and corresponding method  
A sputter coating apparatus includes at least a first sputter coating line and a second sputter coating line. The first and second sputter coating lines may be operated in parallel with one another...
6356808 Method for cell alignment and identification and calibration of robot tool  
A method for cell alignment, identification and calibration of part of a robot tool, preferably a part of the robot tool, is positioned close to a detector, whereupon it is moved repeatedly past...
6354781 Semiconductor manufacturing system  
An improved manufacturing system for processing semiconductor wafers which includes a (1) plurality of processing stations, (2) a sealed transport tunnel located directly over the processing...
6354445 Rack holding device  
A rack-holding device with an attachment surface ( 1 ), which device has as least two side guides ( 2 ) and at least one stop ( 3 ), the stop ( 3 ) being arranged in each case in front of the at...
6352403 Controlled environment enclosure and mechanical interface  
A system for vacuum-processing objects such as electronic integrated circuit wafers comprises (a) a carrier for transporting the wafers under vacuum in a cassette, the cassette being supported on a...
6350097 Method and apparatus for processing wafers  
An apparatus for processing wafers one at a time. The apparatus has a vacuum chamber 1 into which wafers are loaded through a pair of loadlocks 3, 4 which are spaced one above the other. A...
6347990 Microelectronic fabrication system cleaning methods and systems that maintain higher air pressure in a process area than in a transfer area  
A microelectronic fabrication system that includes a service area, a process area in the service area where microelectronic devices are processed, and a transfer area in the service area where...
6347919 Wafer processing chamber having separable upper and lower halves  
A wafer processing apparatus includes a processing chamber having a top chamber portion and a bottom chamber portion, respectively. The apparatus further includes an annular ring valve associated...
6347918 Inflatable slit/gate valve  
A sealable door assembly including a frontplate which faces an opening to be sealed, a backplate operatively coupled to the frontplate, and at least one inflatable member located between the...
6338626 Load-lock mechanism and processing apparatus  
A load-lock mechanism according to the invention comprises a vacuum chamber 31 arranged between a vacuum first transferring chamber 20 and atmospheric second transferring chambers 40 . The...
6338604 Lid latch mechanism for clean box  
A latch mechanism for latching a lid of a clean box having a box body opening at one surface and a lid for closing the opening includes a latch member pivotal about a shaft mounted on the box body,...
6334751 Air lock  
Air lock for introducing and continuously passing a strip of a substrate into and through a vacuum chamber, including an enclosure containing at least three successive rollers in the direction of...
6332898 Substrate processing apparatus and maintenance method therefor  
A substrate processing apparatus comprises a semiconductor wafer processing chamber, a wafer transfer device, a wafer cassette holding unit, a wafer cassette transfer device and a wafer cassette...
6325856 Vacuum treatment equipment  
A vacuum treatment system has an outer housing which defines a substantially cylindrical inner wall around an axis. At least two openings are provided for treating or conveying-through a respective...
6319373 Substrate transfer apparatus of substrate processing system  
A substrate transfer system is used in an in-line film deposition system. The substrate transfer system is provided with an auxiliary vacuum chamber and a main vacuum chamber. The auxiliary vacuum...
6318953 SMIF-compatible open cassette enclosure  
An ergonomic loading assembly for an I/O port onto which a bare cassette may be easily loaded and unloaded. The loading assembly further provides isolation between the operator and the I/O port...
6318948 Substrate transfer apparatus and substrate processing apparatus  
This invention related to a substrate transfer apparatus having an arm holder moving into and out of a cassette while a substrate is mounted thereon, a forward and backward driving mechanism for...
6318945 Substrate processing apparatus with vertically stacked load lock and substrate transport robot  
A substrate processing apparatus substrate transport and load lock assembly comprising a first load lock, a first substrate elevator, and a transport robot. The substrate elevator has a first...
6318944 Semiconductor fabricating apparatus, method for modifying positional displacement of a wafer in a wafer cassette within the semiconductor fabricating apparatus and method for transferring the wafer cassette  
A semiconductor fabricating apparatus having a vertical reaction furnace, a boat for holding plural wafers in a multi-layered fashion and being loaded into the vertical reaction furnace, a storage...
6315879 Modular deposition system having batch processing and serial thin film deposition  
A flexible, modular thin film deposition machine comprises a number of batch process stations which define a batch process path. At least one of the batch process stations is a thin film deposition...
6315512 Systems and methods for robotic transfer of workpieces between a storage area and a processing chamber  
A workpiece handling system with dual load locks, a transport chamber and a process chamber. Workpieces may be retrieved from one load lock for processing at vacuum pressure, while workpieces are...
6305895 Transfer system for vacuum process equipment  
A transfer system 7 for carrying a wafer W into/out of a process chamber 4 is provided in a box 10 defining a load-lock chamber 3. The box 10 is divided into a first chamber 11 and a second chamber...
6302927 Method and apparatus for wafer processing  
A wafer treatment apparatus is divided into a working zone (S1) and a loading zone (S2) by a wall (2). A closed wafer cassette(3) has a cassette body 31 having a bottom wall provided witha normally...
6291801 Continual flow rapid thermal processing apparatus and method  
A rapid thermal processing apparatus and a method of using such apparatus for the continuous heat treatment of at least one workpiece, which apparatus includes a cavity of generally elongated...
6291252 Automatic method to eliminate first-wafer effect  
A method of manufacturing semiconductor wafers in a processing tool in which it is determined whether the tool has been on idle beyond a predetermined period of time. If the tool has not been on...
6290824 Magnetic film forming system  
A magnetic film forming system which can always apply a magnetic field to a substrate in a constant direction. The magnetic film forming system comprises a vacuum container, a substrate pallet for...
6287386 Carousel wafer transfer system  
The present invention generally provides a rotary wafer carousel and related wafer handler for moving wafers or other workpieces through a processing system, i.e., a semiconductor fabrication tool....
6286230 Method of controlling gas flow in a substrate processing system  
A method of transferring and processing a substrate in an evacuable chamber which is located adjacent a process chamber and back-to-back process chambers, and other combinations of evacuable...
6283692 Apparatus for storing and moving a cassette  
A cassette stocker includes a plurality of cassette storage shelves positioned adjacent a cleanroom wall above a cassette docking station, and a cassette mover to carry a cassette between the...
6282459 Structure and method for detection of physical interference during transport of an article  
A method for detecting physical interference with desired transport of an article. The method includes the step of detecting an operative acoustic signal representing the structure-borne sound...