Silicon Valley Group, Inc.

Johann Tam

Don Roy Sauer

Alexander H Slocum

Matthew J Van Doren

Jalal Ashjaee

Larry Gerszewski

Nobuo B Kuwaki

Susan W Kung

David Pap Rocki

Tuan M Ngo

A wafer gripper assembly comprises first and second gripping members movably supported relative to each other. A motor propels the gripping members linearly towards and away from each other. Preferably both gripping members are movably supported, and a rotary-to-linear translator produces equal and opposite linear movement of the gripping members. Typically, at least six contactor elements are defined on the pair of gripping members. The contactor elements include a vertically extending portion having an inwardly facing convex surface for contacting an edge of a wafer, and an inwardly extending flange for supporting a lower surface of the wafer.

Wafer gripper

A wafer handling method and apparatus insures proper centering of a wafer at a work station and controls the heat transferred to the wafer in a baking operation. The amount of heat transferred and the rate at which the heat is transferred to the wafer are regulated by controlling the distance between the wafer and a hot plate. The hot plate is maintained at a constant temperature higher than the bake out or equilibrium temperature to which the wafer is to be heated.

Wafer handling apparatus and method

A method and apparatus for drying a wafer at a drying station includes a wafer holder which grips the wafer on its edge so that there is no contact with a face of the wafer. This eliminates contact areas which could cause stains on the face. A carriage mechanism brings a wet wafer into the drying station at one level and takes the dry wafer out of the drying station at a different level to prevent any contact between the dry wafer and residual moisture at the incoming level.

Method and apparatus for drying wafers

A drive mechanism for a wafer processing machine of the kind which holds a silicon wafer on a vacuum chuck and rotates the wafer for processing operations on the wafer periphery or upper surface incorporates a low-speed motor, a high-speed motor and an overrunning clutch. The low-speed motor is connected to a drive shaft for the chuck through the overrunning clutch and rotates the chuck and wafer at a relatively low and precisely-controlled speed while the edge of the wafer is contoured by a grinding wheel or while the upper surface is mechanically cleaned by a brush engaged with the upper surface of the wafer. The high-speed motor is directly connected to the drive shaft and, when energized for a rinsing and drying operation, rotates the chuck and wafer in the same direction of rotation as the low-speed motor but at high speed while the wafer is being rinsed and dried after the grinding or cleaning operation. During the grinding or cleaning operation the high-speed motor is energized toward rotation in a direction opposed to the direction of rotation produced by the low-speed motor. The biasing torque so produced insures against any slack or rebounding through the overrunning clutch which could result in skipping or chattering of the engagement of the grinding wheel with the periphery of the wafer during the contouring of the periphery of the wafer or which could result in loss of clamping contact between the chuck and the wafer.

Two motor drive for a wafer processing machine

A conveyor system for conveying a relatively fragile work piece, such as a silicon wafer, to and from a work station where one or more processing operations are performed on the work piece comprises two parallel conveyor belts. Each conveyor belt is mounted on a separate carriage, and the carriages are moveable laterally toward and away from each other during different periods of operation of the conveyor system and also to enable different size work pieces to be carried by the conveyor belts. The conveyor belts are driven by a drive belt system which comprises a fixed length, closed loop drive belt and a pulley arrangement operatively associated with the drive belt for accommodating lateral motion of the carriages while permitting drive of the conveyor belts at all lateral positions of the carriages and without any change in the length of the drive belt. The conveyor system also provides positive handling of the work piece during all conveying and processing operations to minimize breakage of the work piece. The conveyor system incorporates a vertically moveable spindle and chuck at the work station for lowering the work piece to a processing position below the conveyor belt. Centering and sensing apparatus are located at the work station to center the work piece above the chuck and to coordinate the vertical movement of the chuck with the lateral movement of the carriages and to provide the positive handling of the work piece at each stage of transport and processing of the work piece.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Johann Tam