Aplex, Inc.

Semiconductor Systems, Inc.

Vertical Solutions, Inc.

H Alexander Anderson

Michael R Biche

David L Chen

David E Weldon

Garry K Kwong

Tsungnan Cheng

Linh X Can

Ethan C Wilson

Gregory A Appel

Albert Hu

Michael L Parodi

Alexander Lurye

James G Sackett

Shu-Wong S Lee

John Weiguo Zhang

A buffer apparatus includes a vertically moving mechanism containing a plurality of horizontally moving mechanisms to store carriers and transfer carriers to and from a load port, and one or more buffer load ports adjacent to the buffer apparatus to charge and uncharge the buffer apparatus by means of a guided vehicle, an overhead vehicle, or a human. A buffer system includes a buffer apparatus and a processing system load port to transfer carriers from the buffer apparatus to a processing system load port. An arrayed buffer system includes a plurality of buffer systems where each buffer system interacts with an individual set of load ports or a pair of buffer systems interacts with a shared set of load ports. A combination of arrayed buffer systems includes a plurality of adjacent arrayed buffer systems capable of sharing a single, environmental front-end mechanism maintenance space and capable of being serviced from the front.

Local store for a wafer processing station

A linear pad conditioning mechanism provides a linear in situ or ex situ conditioning for a polishing pad mounted on a polishing belt of a CMP apparatus. The linear pad conditioning mechanism includes a linear oscillation mechanism for driving a conditioning pad in a direction orthogonal to the polishing belt's direction of travel. In one example, multiple conditioning assemblies are provided to each provide a trapezoidal conditioning pad, and the conditioning assemblies are positioned such that a constant-width area in the polishing belt's direction of travel is provided. In that example, a rotational mechanism is provided to position the conditioning pad between a conditioning position against the polishing pad, and a cleaning position in a bath of cleaning fluid. Further, each conditioning assembly is provided a fluid delivery system to a conditioner block, so that a conditioner fluid can be delivered at the point of use.

Linear pad conditioning apparatus

A wafer polishing apparatus includes a module frame; a continuous belt rotatable with respect to the frame, the belt having at least one vertically-oriented belt transverse portion including a polishing pad assembly; and at least one pivotable wafer-holding head drive within the frame and having a distal end portion movable to a vertical first position parallel and juxtaposed to the belt transverse portion. The head drive includes a wafer carrier for holding a wafer on the distal end portion of the head drive, while a drive moves the distal end portion and a held wafer into a vertical polishing position abutting the belt transverse portion and pressure is applied to the held-wafer against the polishing pad assembly while the wafer-holding distal end portion is rotated and swept side-by-side. After polishing the drive is reversed and the head drive is pivoted away from the belt transverse portion to a horizontal or other orientation and the then polished wafer removed. Multiple modules may be placed end-to-end or side-by-side with a robot pathway therebetween to load unpolished wafers and to unload polished wafers to a buffing station, to a cassette or other processing station.

Modular wafer polishing apparatus and method

A shuttle system for transferring a semiconductor wafer from a receiving station to a horizontal-oriented head drive of a wafer polishing machine includes a linear horizontal rail extending from a first position to a second position; a wafer transfer assembly adjacent to the first position; a wafer conveying assembly movable along the rail from adjacent the first position to adjacent the second position; and wherein the wafer conveying assembly includes a vertically movable and radially movable gripper for gripping peripheral edges of a wafer to be transferred and conveyed from the transfer assembly to the head drive. The transfer assembly includes a transfer receiver for receiving an unpolished wafer from a cassette which receiver is movable to the second position where the gripper is movable to edge-grip the received unpolished wafer. The gripper includes a series of radially movable segments having edge-contacting fingers depending therefrom for gripping the wafer edges. A polished wafer is conveyed by the gripper along the rail to a rinsing bath including an unloading ring movable up and down in the bath.

Wafer shuttle system

An apparatus and a method for baking and cooling silicon substrates are disclosed. Both baking and cooling of silicon substrates are done in a single integrated thermal process module. Each thermal process module includes two hot plate assemblies, a cool plate assembly, two local linear transfer arms and a micro-processor based module controller. Both transfer arms are capable of transferring substrates among the cool and hot plate assemblies. The module controller ensures that there are no conflicts in use of the transfer arms or in use of the hot and cool plate assemblies and so that a transfer arm is always available when a substrate is finished baking. A central substrate handling robot transports substrates only from and to the cool plate assembly of the thermal process module. Also, the vacuum tubing is routed via a unique pulley arrangement to achieve compact mounting and eliminate loose tubing.

Method of processing a substrate in a photolithography system utilizing

A substrate photolithography system includes a substrate handling robot which pivots about a fixed point and transfers substrates between photoresist coater, a developer, and a heating/cooling unit, all of which are clustered about the robot. The end effector of the robot is capable of both vertical and lateral movement so that individual modules of the heating/cooling unit may be stacked. An apparatus and a method for baking and cooling silicon substrates are disclosed. Both baking and cooling of silicon substrates are done in a single integrated thermal process module. Each thermal process module includes two hot plate assemblies, a cool plate assembly, two local linear transfer arms and a micro-processor based module controller. Both transfer arms are capable of transferring substrates among the cool and hot plate assemblies. A cassette input/output unit handles cassettes which contain semiconductor wafers or other substrates that are to be delivered to or withdrawn from a semiconductor processing system. The input/output unit includes a drawer front which rotates 90.degree. about a horizontal axis as it is opened.

Clustered photolithography system

In a photolithography system, baking and cooling of semiconductor substrates is done in a thermal process module that uses a unique mechanism including pulleys to route vacuum tubing to a transfer arm. Specifically, the mechanism includes a pair of pulleys and a vacuum tube wrapped around the pulleys. The vacuum tube has a movable portion connected to the transfer arm which is reciprocable between the pair of pulleys. The vacuum tube also has a stationary portion that is connected to the movable portion to form an endless loop. The stationary portion of the vacuum tube is rigidly connected to a vacuum supply line in the housing of the thermal process module.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

H Alexander Anderson