Asyst Technologies, Inc.

Other

Frederick T Rosenquist

Anthony C Bonora

Sudhir Jain

Mihir Parikh

Gilles Guerre

Mark R Davis

William John Fosnight

Perry Alan Peterson

Michael Ng

Bruce A Richardson

A SMIF load port assembly is disclosed including a port door position compensation assembly capable of dynamically adjusting a relative spacing between a front surface of a port door and a front surface of a pod door loaded onto the load port assembly so as to compensate for any improper positioning of the front surface of the pod. The position compensation assembly includes a plunger translationally mounted in the port door, and a sensor for detecting a position of the plunger. As a pod is loaded onto the load port assembly is advanced toward the port door, the front surface of the pod door contacts the plunger at which point the position compensation assembly in combination with an overall controller can identify the exact position of the pod door. From this identification, the position of the port and/or pod doors may be adjusted to compensate for any improper positioning of the front surface of the pod door on the load port assembly.

SMIF load port interface including smart port door

A system is disclosed for ensuring that the pod door is firmly and securely retained on the port door of a process tool as the pod door is removed from the pod and stowed in the process tool during workpiece transfer between the pod and process tool. The system includes a latch key protruding outwardly from the outer surface of the port door. The latch key is provided to mate within a slot of a door latch assembly within the pod door. Once the latch key is properly seated within the slot, the latch key is rotated by mechanisms within the port door to decouple the pod door from the pod shell. Such rotation at the same time couples the pod door to the port door. According to the present invention, while the latch key rotates, it simultaneously moves in the rearward direction (i.e., back toward the port door) to thereby pull the pod door into a tight engagement with the port door.

Pod door to port door retention system

A system is disclosed for ensuring a properly aligned position of a pod door within the opening in a pod shell upon location of the pod at a tool load port. The door positioning assembly according to the present invention includes a cam affixed to rotating latch hubs of a pod door latching assembly, and a cam follower mounted around each of the cams, which followers include arm portions that extend out toward an edge of the pod door. When the pod door and shell are separated, the arm portions are held in a retracted position completely contained within the footprint of the pod door. However, upon rejoining the pod door to the pod shell, mechanisms in the port door rotate the latch hub cams. Cam rotation causes translation of the arm portions of the cam followers so that the ends of the arm portions extend out beyond an edge of the pod door and against a surface of the pod shell. In their extended positions, the arm portions maintain a desired vertical positioning of the pod door within the pod shell opening. Moreover, as the arm portions remain in their extended positions after the pod door is coupled to the pod, the positioning assemblies prevent the door from sagging downward in the pod shell opening as a result of its own weight or as a result of a shock or jolt to the pod.

Pod door alignment device

A front opening interface mechanical standard, or &ldquo;FIMS&rdquo;, 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 pins on the port door. In a preferred embodiment, the load port assembly includes kinematic pins provided to mate within slots on the bottom of a FOUP to provide a fixed and repeatable position of the FOUP on the load port assembly. The load port assembly further includes a pair of latch keys protruding outwardly from the outer surface of the port door for mating within slots of a door latch assembly within the pod door. The load port assembly may further include vacuum seals on the port door, or magnetic assemblies, to further facilitate support of the pod door on the port door. In one embodiment, with the above constraints, the load port assembly may initially include removable alignment pins. The alignment pins operate in conjunction with a calibration fixture to set the respective and collective heights of the kinematic pins on the load port assembly. Once the kinematic pins are adjusted so that the vertical plate is parallel to the port door and the openings in the vertical plate mate cleanly over the removable alignment pins, the calibration fixture may be removed and the alignment pins may be removed from or retracted back into the port door. Thereafter, a FOUP may be placed on the pod advance plate and advanced to the port door.

FIMS interface without alignment pins

A wafer mapping system is disclosed mounted to the port door of a process tool. As the port door is lowered away from the access port of the process tool in order to allow wafer transfer through the port, the wafer mapping system according to the present invention detects the presence and position of the various wafers in the pod shell, which information may then be stored in memory for later use. As such, wafer mapping according to this system occurs without additional processing steps or time. The port door is lowered by a servo drive which allows the precise position of the port door to be identified at any given time. As such, the position of a wafer within the pod shell may be precisely identified by the wafer mapping system mounted on the port door as the door is lowered.

Wafer mapping system

A load port opener for separating a pod top from a pod door so that a wafer-carrying cassette may be accessed and/or transferred from the pod into a semiconductor processing station, to which the load port opener is attached. The load port opener comprises a base, an inner support plate seated on the base, an outer support plate surrounding the inner support plate, and mechanisms for raising the outer support plate away from the inner support plate. Initially, a sealed SMIF pod having a wafer-carrying cassette therein is located on top of the load port opener, such that the pod door is supported on the inner support plate, and the pod top is supported on the outer support plate. Once located on the load port opener, the pod top is decoupled from the pod door by mechanisms within the inner support plate, and thereafter the outer support plate is raised upward with the top supported thereon. The cassette remains stationary on the inner support plate, and once the top has been sufficiently raised, a pick and place robot from within the processing station may transfer wafers and/or the cassette between the load port opener and the processing station.

Load port opener

A transportable, sealable container, for example a SMIF pod, including a box and box door. The box has a first sealing surface and the box door has a second sealing surface. The two sealing surfaces form a seal when the box door is moved in a sealing position with respect to the box. A latch mechanism is provided in the box door for holding the box door in the sealing position. The container further includes a breather assembly having an aperture, with a filter, that allows gas to flow between the interior of the container and an environment external to the container. A valve, which is actuated by the latch, opens and closes the aperture. When the latch unlocks the box door, the valve opens the aperture. When the door is locked, the valve closes the aperture.

Sealable, transportable container having a breather assembly

A method and apparatus for transferring articles from a transportable container, for example, a SMIF pod, to a second container, for example, a processing station having a port which provides access to the interior region of the processing station. A non-contact seal or an isolation cover or skirt seals the port so that the interior region of the container can be purged of contaminants prior to exposing the interior environment of the processing station to the environment within the container. The purging of the container may be a multi-step process in which the container door is moved between several intermediate positions so that the container door itself is purged prior to the purging of the environment within the container.

Method and apparatus for transferring articles between two controlled

A transportable, sealable container, which has an improved pod liner. The container includes a box, a box door, and a gasket which forms a seal between the box and the box door. The box door has a conductive liner and a conductive path from the conductive liner to ground potential for electrostatic discharge protection. A membrane for isolating the gasket from the interior region of the container is bonded to the gasket and the conductive liner. The membrane may be impervious to gasses to prevent outgassing of the gasket or impervious to particles but not gasses to prevent particulate matter generated by the gasket from entering the interior region of the container.

Sealable transportable container having improved liner

A method and apparatus for transferring articles from a transportable container, for example, a SMIF pod, to a second container, for example, a processing station having a port which provides access to the interior region of the processing station. A non-contact seal or an isolation cover or skirt seals the port so that the interior region of the container can be purged of contaminants prior to exposing the interior environment of the processing station to the environment within the container. The purging of the container may be a multi-step process in which the container door is moved between several intermediate positions so that the container door iself is purged prior to the purging of the environment within the container.

A transportable, sealable container, for example a SMIF pod, has a box and a box door. The box has a first sealing surface and the box door has a second sealing surface which forms a seal with the first sealing surface when the box door is moved in a sealing direction with respect to the box. A latch mechanism provided in the box door is operable in two stages. The first stage of operation moves latch members from a retracted position to an extended position, in the retracted position the latch members are contained in the box door to allow movement of the box door with respect to the box, and in the extended position the latch members are adjacent to latch surfaces of the box. Movement from the retracted to the extended position is performed without contact between the latch members and the latch surfaces to avoid any scraping or rubbing action which would create particles in the 'clean' interior region of the box. The second stage of operation engages latch members with the latch surfaces to move the box door in the sealing direction; this second stage of the operation is also performed without scraping or rubbing of the latch members and the latch surfaces.

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Frederick T Rosenquist