Entegris, Inc.

Fluoroware, Inc.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

David L Halbmaier

Anthony Mathius Tieben

John Lystad

Barry Lee Gregerson

Matthew Kusz

Steven P Kolbow

Kevin McMullen

Brian Wiseman

Huaping Wang

Michael L Johnson

Michael A Cisewski

Justin Strike

Christian Andersen

Stephen Sumner

Oleg P Kishkovich

William M Goodwin

Anthony Simpson

Frank Manganiello

Thomas B Kielbaso

Tom Kielbaso

Frank Manganielo

A dual containment pod having an outer pod and an inner pod that provides support structure and environmental control means. The inner pod includes a base having a flat, polished surface with protrusions upon which the reticle seats and providing a gap between the reticle and the polished surface. The gap separates the reticle from the flat, polished surface of the base and is dimensioned to inhibit migration of particles into the gap, thereby preventing contamination of sensitive surfaces of the wafer or reticle. The top cover of the inner pod seats on the polished surface proximate a periphery of the base. Moveable reticle engaging pins on the top cover of the inner pod are engaged by the top cover of the outer container when the inner pod is assembled inside the outer pod providing reticle restraint.

Reticle pod

A substrate container includes an enclosure and an access structure formed in the enclosure and providing fluid access through the enclosure to an interior of the substrate container. The access structure includes an opening and an inner surface. A grommet is situated against the inner surface of the access structure.

Substrate container with fluid-sealing flow passageway

A container that provides support structure and environmental control means including, for example, minimal contact with a wafer or reticle contained therein that cooperates with wafer or reticle to provide a diffusion barrier mitigates against particles settling on a face of the wafer or reticle. The container includes a base having a flat, polished surface with protrusions upon which the wafer or reticle rests. The protrusions are of a geometry, such as a sphere, that imparts minimum contact with the wafer or reticle and suspends the wafer or reticle over the base, providing a gap therebetween. The gap isolates the wafer or reticle from the flat, polished surface of the base, but is dimensioned to inhibit migration of particles into the gap, thereby preventing contamination of sensitive surfaces of the wafer or reticle. Diffusion filters provide pressure equalization without filter media. Moveable reticle pins on the top cover provide reticle restraint. Dual containment pod embodiment provides further isolation and protection.

The present invention provides a reticle container that is equipped with a secondary container which houses the reticle and is housed in the primary container. The secondary container is held within the primary container with shock and vibration isolation members so that the secondary container has multiple degrees of freedom of motion within the primary container. The reticle is secured inside the secondary container such that shock and vibration transmission from the reticle container to the reticle is substantially attenuated.

Reticle pod with isolation system

The present invention is a pod for containing a particulate sensitive substrate and for providing pressure equalization between the exterior and an interior environment of the pod and for minimizing gaseous fluid flow inside adjacent to the particulate sensitive substrate. The pod comprises a primary pod, a diaphragm positioned in a cover, the diaphragm having a normal undeflected position, the diaphragm deflectable from the normal undeflected position. Preferably, the pod comprises a secondary pod disposed in the primary pod defining a second enclosure for containing the particulate sensitive substrate. The pod may comprise a filter attached to the pod and providing gaseous fluid communication between the exterior of the pod and the interior of the pod. The diaphragm is responsive to rapid pressure changes and the filter is responsive to slower pressure changes and allows the diaphragm to return to its normal undeflected position.

Substrate container with pressure equalization

The present invention provides a standardized mechanical interface (SMIF) reticle pod that is configured to provide a controlled environment for supporting a reticle wherein the controlled environment is maintained substantially free of crystal growth causing contaminants. Accordingly, there is provided a layered filter with filter elements capable of filtering particulates and adsorbing gaseous contaminants. The filter has an inwardly facing face generally planar shaped with a surface area that is substantially half or more of the area of the reticle face. The inwardly facing face is placed in close proximity to the reticle patterned surface and has an area that is a significant fraction of the reticle patterned surface area. The SMIF pod is also provided with a purge system configured to inject a very dry gas within the controlled environment to flush the controlled environment of contaminants as well as to regenerate the filter.

Environmental control in a reticle SMIF pod

A substrate container having an enclosure with an access opening for inserting and removing substrates into an interior of the enclosure and a door chassis that is configured to selectively enclose the opening, the door chassis comprising a first wall having a peripheral wall extending therefrom. The substrate container includes a latch mechanism that is operably coupled with the chassis, the latch mechanism configured to operably secure the chassis to the opening. The door of the substrate container includes a textured particle capture region wherein particles generated by the latch mechanism and elsewhere are captured by the particle capture region.

Wafer container door with particulate collecting structure

A semi-conductor handling equipment cleaning method and apparatus are configured for use with wafer carriers. The cleaning apparatus comprises a base portion having first and second apertures and configured to support the wafer carrier in sealing contact about the first aperture. A first fluidic circuit introduces a first cleaning fluid to the inner surface of the carrier and a second fluidic circuit introduces a second cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the carrier. The carrier forms a barrier with the base so that the cleaning media is isolated so as to substantially prevent the second fluid from communicating with the first fluid. An optional door cleaning assembly comprises a rotational housing, a shaft disposed in the housing and a door receiving assembly rotatably disposed on the shaft and within the housing and securably receives the door and forms a fluid-tight seal between the door and the door receiving assembly.

Wafer container washing apparatus

The present invention is directed to a semi-conductor handling equipment cleaning apparatus configured for use with wafer carriers. The base of the cleaning apparatus is configured to support the wafer carrier in sealing contact about a first aperture. A first fluidic circuit is provided for introducing a first cleaning fluid to the inner surface of the carrier. A second fluidic circuit is provided for introducing a second cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the carrier. The carrier forms a barrier with the base so that the cleaning media is isolated so as to substantially prevent the second fluid used to clean the exterior from communicating with the first fluid used to clean the interior of the carrier.

A method of cleaning a wafer carrier utilizes two isolated fluidic circuits. The wafer carrier having an interior and an exterior. The carrier is sealingly attached to a cleaning apparatus having separate isolated areas, one isolated area including the interior and the other the exterior. Fluid of the first fluidic circuit is sprayed on the interior and fluid from the second circuit is sprayed on the exterior reducing cross contamination.

Growing community of inventors

Shorewood, MN, United States of America

David L Halbmaier