Lam Research Corporation

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Damon Tyrone Genetti

Derek Witkowicki

Alex Paterson

Austin Ngo

Jon McChesney

Shawn M Hamilton

Chris Gage

Marc Estoque

Richard Howard Gould

Scott Vernon Wong

Sheldon Templeton

Keith Freeman Wood

Rich Blank

Alexander Miller Paterson

William R Johanson

Craig Lyle Stevens

Benjamin W Mooring

Heinrich Von Bunau

Haoquan Yan

Steve Kleinke

Wayne Tang

Ali Sucipto Tan

Silvia Rocio Aguilar Amaya

Hui Ling Han

James Sheldon Templeton

Tarek Radwan

Karen Townsend

Mikhail Bojinov

Stephan Minard

Darryl Angelo

Roy Scott Powell

A ring storage station used for delivering a consumable part to a substrate processing system includes a housing that includes a base plate and a rotating plate disposed over the base plate. An end-effector opening is disposed at a first side of the housing and a service window opening is disposed at a second side of the housing. A set of finger support structures is connected to the rotating plate. Each finger support structure includes a support column and support fingers disposed thereon. At least two of the set of columns have support fingers with index pins to radially align consumable parts when disposed in the ring storage station. In one configuration, consumable parts may be designed to match the rotation angle engagement to ensure catching the angle alignment between ring storage and process module.

Automated transfer of edge ring requiring rotational alignment

Each sensor in an array of sensors detects and signals when an edge of a wafer passes by the sensor on a wafer handling component of a robot. A number (N) of detected wafer edge locations is determined. Each detected wafer edge location is a set of coordinates (x, y) in a coordinate system of the wafer handling component. For each unique set of (N&#x2212;1) of the number (N) of detected wafer edge locations, an estimated wafer offset is determined that substantially minimizes a performance index value. The estimated wafer offset is a vector extending from a center of the coordinate system of the wafer handling component to an estimated center location of the wafer. A final wafer offset is identified as the estimated wafer offset that has a smallest corresponding performance index value. The final wafer offset is used to center the wafer at a target station.

Fiducial-filtering automatic wafer centering process and associated system

A cluster tool assembly includes a vacuum transfer module, a process module having a first side connected to the vacuum transfer module. An isolation valve having a first side and a second side, the first side of the isolation valve coupled to a second side of the process module. A replacement station is coupled to the second side of the isolation valve. The replacement station includes an exchange handler and a part buffer. The part buffer includes a plurality of compartments to hold new or used consumable parts. The process module includes a lift mechanism to enable placement of a consumable part installed in the process module to a raised position. The raised position provides access to the exchange handler to enable removal of the consumable part from the process module and store in a compartment of the part buffer. The exchange handler of the replacement station is configured to provide a replacement for the consumable part from the part buffer back to the process module. The lift mechanism is configured to receive the consumable part provided for replacement by the exchange handler and lower the consumable part to an installed position. The replacement by the exchange handler and the process module is conducted while the process module and the replacement station are maintained in a vacuum state.

Automated replacement of consumable parts using interfacing chambers

A system for determining an alignment of an edge ring on a substrate support includes a robot control module configured to control a robot to place the edge ring onto the substrate support and retrieve the edge ring from the substrate support. An alignment module is configured to determine a plurality of first positions of the edge ring on the robot prior to being placed onto the substrate support and determine a plurality of second positions of the edge ring on the robot subsequent to being retrieved from the substrate support. An edge ring position module configured to determine a centered position of the edge ring relative to the substrate support based on offsets between the plurality of first positions and the plurality of second positions.

Edge ring centering method using ring dynamic alignment data

Automated replacement of consumable parts using end effectors interfacing with plasma processing system

Methods, kits, systems, and apparatuses, for measuring and/or verifying end effector flatness using electrical continuity are provided.

Verifying end effector flatness using electrical continuity

A pod for exchanging consumable parts with a process module includes a base plate having a front side, a back side, and first and second lateral sides. A first support column is disposed on the first lateral side proximal to the front side. A second support column is disposed on the second lateral side proximal to the front side. A third support column is disposed on the first lateral side proximal to back side and a fourth support column is disposed on the second lateral side proximal to the back side. Each of the support columns includes a plurality of support fingers distributed lengthwise and directed inward. A first hard stop column is disposed parallel to the third support column and a second hard stop column is disposed parallel to the fourth support column. A shell structure connected to the base plate is configured to enclose the first, second third and fourth support columns, top plate and first and second hard stop columns and includes a front opening disposed on the front side of the base plate. A door is mated to the front opening and includes retention assembly for securing consumable parts in the pod, when received in the pod.

Front opening ring pod

Methods and systems for positioning wafers using a dual side-by-side end effector robot are provided. The methods involve performing place moves using dual side-by-side end effector robots with active wafer position correction. According to various embodiments, the methods may be used for placement into a process module, loadlock or other destination by a dual wafer transfer robot. The methods provide nearly double the throughput of a single wafer transfer schemes by transferring two wafers with the same number of moves.

Wafer position correction with a dual, side-by-side wafer transfer robot

Provided are apparatuses and methods disclosed for wafer processing. Specific embodiments include dual wafer handling systems that transfer wafers from storage cassettes to processing modules and back and aspects thereof. Stacked independent loadlocks that allow venting and pumping operations to work in parallel and may be optimized for particle reduction are provided. Also provided are annular designs for radial top down flow during loadlock vent and pumpdown.

Loadlock designs and methods for using same

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Damon Tyrone Genetti