Applied Materials, Inc.

Abbott Diabetes Care Inc.

Omnicell, Inc.

Lloyd M Berken

Jean-Pierre Giraud

Philip Bryer

Frederik W Freerks

Irving Lee

Stephen J Schoenberg

Gerardo Moreno

Vikram Mehta

Edith Wilson

Guillermo Trejo

Hatice Sahin

William H Jarvi

Michael Robert Rice

Bok Hoen Kim

Martin Jay Seamons

Mario Dave Silvetti

Herbert Lawson Fisher

John Stanley Booth

Richard Giljum

Lance S Reinke

Nam Le

Davood Khalili

Ameeta Madhava

Emanuele Cappello

M Uenia Crithfield

David Schott

Michael Holtzman

William Reams

Mechanisms for dispensing items such as medications and medical supplies. Different mechanisms may be tailored to dispensing different kinds of items, for example medications in single dose packages, vials, syringes, or other similarly-shaped items. The dispensers may be placed in a dispensing unit that includes a lockable restock drawer and a dispense drawer into which items are dispensed by the dispensing mechanisms. The various kinds of dispensing mechanisms may be installed in the restock drawer in any workable proportion and arrangement. The dispensing mechanisms include multiple sensing technologies for tracking and inventory of items and for accurate sensing of items as they are dispensed.

Unit dose dispensing mechanisms

Unit dose dispensing systems and methods

Analyte monitoring devices and methods therefore are provided. The devices integrate various functions of analyte monitoring, e.g., sample acquisition and testing.

Integrated meter for analyzing biological samples

Backside particle contamination of semiconductor wafers subjected to chemical vapor deposition is significantly reduced by optimizing various process parameters, alone or in combination. A high quality oxide seasoning layer is deposited to improve adhesion and trapping of contaminants remaining after a prior chamber cleaning step. Second, wafer pre-heating reduces thermal stress on the wafer during physical contact between the wafer and heater. Third, the duration of the gas stabilization flow of thermally reactive process gas species prior to CVD reaction is reduced, thereby preventing side products produced during this stabilization flow from affecting the wafer backside. Fourth, the wafer heater is redesigned to minimize physical contact between the heater surface and the wafer backside. Redesign of the wafer heater may include providing only a few, small projections from the top wafer surface, and also may include providing a continuous circumferential rim supporting the edge of the wafer to interfere with the flow of process gases to the wafer backside during processing.

Method and apparatus for reducing particle contamination on wafer backside during CVD process

A wafer position error detection and correction system determines the presence of a wafer on a wafer transport robot blade. The system also determines a wafer position error by monitoring the position of the wafer with respect to the blade with one sensor which is located proximate to each entrance of a process chamber. When a wafer position error is detected, the system determines the extent of the misalignment and corrects such misalignment if correctable by the wafer transport robot or alerts an operator for operator intervention. The system incorporates a transparent cover on the surface of the wafer handling chamber and four optical detection sensors disposed on the surface of the transparent cover, in which each sensor is placed proximate to the entrance of the process chamber. In addition, an I/O sensor is placed adjacent the I/O slit valve to detect and correct wafer position errors. The detection sensors direct light through the wafer handling chamber to reflectors on the floor of the transfer chamber which reflect the light back to the detector sensors. A detector within the detector sensor detects when the beam path from the position sensor to the reflector is uninterrupted. As a wafer is retracted out of a process chamber or a wafer cassette, the position of the wafer with respect to the blade is measured, thus determining whether the wafer is properly placed on the wafer.

Wafer position error detection and correction system

A wafer positioning system determines the position of a wafer during processing by monitoring the position of the wafer transport robot as the robot transports the wafer by one or more position sensors. The wafer positioning system incorporates a transparent cover on the surface of the wafer handling chamber and two optical position sensors disposed on the surface of the transparent cover. The position sensors direct light through the wafer handling chamber to reflectors near the floor of the chamber which reflect the light back to the position sensors. A detector within the position sensor detects when the beam path from the position sensor to the reflector is uninterrupted. As wafers are transported through the chamber, the edge of the transported wafer interrupts the position sensor beam path causing the output of the position sensor to switch states. When the position sensor output switches, the position of the wafer transport robot is measured. At least two data points are measured to establish the wafer position. If the wafer is not at its nominal position, the position of the wafer transport robot is adjusted to compensate for the wafer misalignment.

Wafer positioning system

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Lloyd M Berken