Applied Materials, Inc.

Douglas MacLeod

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Naveen Kumar

John Joseph Mazzocco

Ayan Majumdar

Edward Ng

Patrick Pannese

Dharma Ratnam Srichurnam

Subramaniam V Iyer

Devendrappa Holeyannavar

David Phillips

Kenneth Carpenter

Vivek R Rao

Jagan Rangarajan

Dhruv Gajaria

Methods, apparatus, and assemblies are provided for a substrate carrier adapter insert including an adapter frame including a support rail adapted to support one or more substrates in a substrate carrier, a frame extension coupled to, or integral with, the adapter frame, and a mapping feature formed on the frame extension and disposed to be detected by a sensor for determining whether an adapter insert is present or absent in a substrate carrier. Numerous additional features are disclosed.

Carrier adapter insert apparatus and carrier adapter insert detection methods

A method of purging a substrate carrier at a load port includes: opening a door of a substrate carrier that is delivered to a load port; spraying the substrate carrier with a gas flow responsive to the opening the door; mapping substrates within the substrate carrier to generate a substrate map; determining a process purge state based on the substrate map; and activating one or more inter-substrate nozzle arrays and one or more curtain nozzle arrays using a predefined spray status configuration for the process purge state.

Methods for purging a substrate carrier at a factory interface

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, apparatus, and methods for purging a substrate carrier. Embodiments include a frame configured to sit proximate to a load port door without interfering with operation of a factory interface or equipment front end module robot; one or more inter-substrate nozzle arrays supported by the frame and configured to spray gas into a substrate carrier; and one or more curtain nozzle arrays supported by the frame and configured to spray gas across an opening of the substrate carrier. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Systems, apparatus, and methods for purging a substrate carrier at a factory interface

Methods, apparatus, and assemblies are provided for an adapter insert including an adapter frame including a support rail adapted to support one or more substrates in a substrate carrier, a frame extension coupled to, or integral with, the adapter frame, and a mapping feature formed on the frame extension and disposed to be detected by a sensor for determining whether an adapter insert is present or absent in a substrate carrier. Numerous additional features are disclosed.

In a first aspect, a method of manufacturing a substrate is provided wherein an end effector mounted substrate is attempted to be placed, that is put, onto a substrate support, such as a pedestal or slotted support of a substrate carrier, and the effectiveness of the put is verified by a sensor associated with the end effector. In one embodiment, the verification takes place during the retraction motion of the end effector and is accomplished by sensing the presence, absence, or location of the substrate on the substrate support. The sensor may be a through beam sensor, and may be mounted on, coupled to or otherwise move with the end effector adapted to carry the substrate. Numerous other aspects are described.

Methods of verifying effectiveness of a put of a substrate onto a substrate support

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Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Douglas MacLeod