International Business Machines Corporation

Javathu K Hassan

John A Paivanas

Carl V Rabstejnek

Alfred Mack

Anthony D Wutka

Robert L Judge

Michael R Wojtaszek

I Joseph DeRobertis

An aspirator jet suction pick-up device for moving green sheets or other flexible materials employs a source of gas under positive pressure into the head with exhaust via a network of slots disposed along the pick-up surface of the head. As the gas exhausts through the ends of the slots via a manifold or plenum, an open groove on the pick-up surface entrains aspirated air causing a localized suction force. The suction force due to aspiration uniformly and stably holds a flexible sheet on the pick-up surface.

Pick-up head utilizing aspirated air flow

A transport system is disclosed, including an air film shuttle conveyor for conveying semiconductor chips from a loading to an unloading station, the conveyor comprising a base plate and upstanding side guide walls extending longitudinally of the base plate, the guide walls being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the lateral dimension of said chips; further included are means providing a laminar air flow which surrounds the chips and forms an air film supporting them and propelling them downstream such that the slight spacing between the chips and the guide walls causes the flow resistance to be higher in the one region defined by said slight spacing than in the region defined by the spacing between the chips, whereby a continuous and flexible separation action occurs between the chips.

Chip shuttle track

A manufacturing processing system comprises a plurality of processing stations, preferably vacuum stations, interconnected by air track, preferably an axi-radial air track with novel sections rotatable about a transverse axis in the plane of the track and normal to the travel of the objects, hereafter referred to as swivelators. Certain of the swivelators are formed with axial movable portions capable of moving beyond the plane of the air track surface and returning to the plane, so that these swivelators can pick up and set down objects in predetermined positions in the manufacturing processing station with an air force so as to not make physical contact with the objects. A novel gas lock device is positioned in the air track between those processing stations, in which the gas pressure must be separated so as to essentially eliminate the possibility of gas contaminant passing from one station to the next. The gas lock comprises an air track compartment having closable sides or panels in the path of the travel of the object being transported along the air track.

Gas film wafer transportation system

A method and apparatus for obtaining a uniform gaseous molecular field under high vacuum conditions encountered in a dry etching process. In the method a source of a gas is provided and introduced into a manifold. The manifold feeds at least one nozzle and the gas is passed through the manifold and through the nozzle into a chamber maintained under vacuum conditions. The pressure of the gas and the configuration of the manifold and nozzle are such that the gas is caused to exit from the nozzle into the chamber under vacuum at sonic velocity.

Method and apparatus for gas feed control in a dry etching process

A contactless air film lift-up device constructed to utilize the pressure-velocity relationship expressed in the Bernoulli principle to provide a desired pick-up action, while at the same time generating a lateral restraining force through a further utilization of the Bernoulli principle.

Contactless air film lifting device

This specification deals with the stopping, positioning, orienting and redirecting a semiconductor wafer being transported along a track on an air film or bed of air. The stopping mechanism is an air jet located in a groove in the track, wafers passing over this air jet on an air film are sensed by a pneumatic sensor that turns on the air jet to set up an air stream under the transporting surface of the air film. This air stream sucks the fluid in the air film along with it in the groove causing a vacuum in the bed in the area of the nozzle of the air jet. The wafers are then stopped by the suction of the vacuum. Positioning, orienting and redirecting is done using the air jet and pneumatic sensor in combination with special air jet arrangements and operations.

Pneumatic control of the motion of objects suspended on an air film

The transportation of semiconductor wafers along a track on an air film. The supporting air film is controlled by the track configuration and fluid relationships to eliminate the need of a wafer guide on restraint to keep the wafers on the track.

Wafer air film transportation system

Disclosed is an X-Y table for positioning semiconductor workpieces in a vacuum environment with a high degree of speed and accuracy. The X and Y prime movers are mounted on adjacent external surfaces of the vacuum chamber. The first motor associated with the drive in the Y direction seals with an O-ring onto the front surface of the chamber. A second motor associated with the X drive is fixedly mounted to one of the sides of the chamber. The lower stage providing motion in the Y direction has a single degree of freedom relative to the vacuum chamber. The upper stage providing motion in the X direction is connected to the lower Y stage and has two degrees of freedom relative to the vacuum chamber. The entire X-Y table assembly is mounted on rails in parallel with the Y direction of motion such that by removing the front wall of the vacuum chamber, the entire assembly may be removed for repair and/or maintenance. By such modular replacement, the entire E-beam tool can resume operation.

Workpiece positioning apparatus

Apparatus for positioning a workpiece and tool in a precise location relative to each other by positioning in a predetermined site the workpiece, and then positioning the tool in a precise predetermined position relative to the site in minimum total time. The apparatus comprises a closed loop position and velocity sensitive servo system connected to the workpiece, the servo system including positioning apparatus for positioning the workpiece in a predetermined site. A position indicator determines the actual position to the workpiece relative to a fixed reference and emits a signal output which is compared, in an error generator, with the desired position of the workpiece relative to the reference. The difference signal, from the error generator, is applied to the positioner and is used to bring the workpiece into the site. The positioner is provided with velocity feedback which cooperates with the positioning signal from the error generator to drive the workpiece into the predetermined site. Thereafter the error between the actual position address and the desired position address, although very small, is fed to second apparatus for positioning the tool a very small amount to precisely position the tool relative to the workpiece.

Precision tool and workpiece positioning apparatus with ringout detection

Apparatus for positioning a workpiece and tool in a precise location relative to each other by positioning in a predetermined site the workpiece, and then positioning the tool in a precise predetermined positon relative to the site in minimum total time. The apparatus comprises a closed loop position and velocity sensitive servo system connected to the workpiece, the servo system including positioning apparatus for positioning the workpiece in a predetermined site. A position indicator determines the actual position of the workpiece relative to a fixed reference and emits a signal output which is compared, in an error generator, with the desired position of the workpiece relative to the reference. The difference signal, from the error generator, is applied to the positioner and is used to bring the workpiece into the site. The positioner is provided with velocity feedback which cooperates with the positioning signal from the error generator to drive the workpiece into the predetermined site. Thereafter the error between the actual position address and the desired position address, although very small, is fed to second apparatus for positioning the tool a very small amount to precisely position the tool relative to the workpiece.

Precision tool and workpiece positioning apparatus

A semiconductor wafer, which has chips formed thereon, is moved from a class 100 environment into a vacuum chamber in which pattern writing is performed on the chips by an electron beam without significantly affecting the vacuum level in the vacuum chamber. The wafer is initially disposed on an elevator, which is within the vacuum chamber, through an opening, which is vacuum sealed by the elevator at this time, in the top wall of the vacuum chamber. A lid is then placed over the opening from the exterior to cooperate with the elevator to form an ante chamber which the wafer disposed therein. The ante chamber, which is purged prior to the lid being placed over the opening, is then reduced to a vacuum of 5 .times. 10.sup..sup.-2 torr. The elevator then lowers the wafer into a horizonal plane in which a transfer mechanism is located to transfer the wafer from the elevator to an X-Y table on which the wafer is mounted for pattern writing of the chips. The transfer mechanism includes an arm, which is indexed 180.degree. during each antivation of an indexing means connected thereto, and gripping means at each end of the arm to simultaneously grasp and release wafers on the elevator and X-Y table to interchange the wafers between the elevator and the table.

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Hopewell Junction, NY, United States of America

Javathu K Hassan