Transfer Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Michael A Ackeret

Andrew P Lunday

Catherine B Vartuli

Charles E Bryson, Iii

Larry E Plew

Xiao-Zhong Wu

Jeffry B Bindell

A wafer load lock and linear delivery system including within a load lock vacuum chamber a paddle cantilevered from a trolley traveling on a single rail extending on a lateral side of the wafer end of the paddle while it is retracted into the load lock chamber. The trolley is magnetically coupled to an external mechanical drive through a vacuum wall of the vacuum chamber which drives the wafer on the paddle into an attached processing chamber. A single wafer may be loaded onto the paddle through a door in the vacuum wall. Alternatively, a cassette of wafers may be loaded into a cassette station opposite the processing chamber. One end of the paddle removes a wafer from the cassette, and a hand off station moves the wafer to a second end of the paddle, which then moves it into the processing chamber.

Magnetically coupled linear delivery system transferring wafers between a cassette and a processing reactor

A wafer load lock and linear delivery system including within a load lock vacuum chamber a paddle cantilevered from a trolley traveling on a single rail extending on a lateral side of the wafer end of the paddle while it is retracted into the load lock chamber. The trolley is magnetically coupled to an external mechanical, drive through a vacuum wall of the vacuum chamber which drives the wafer on the paddle into an attached processing chamber. A single wafer may be loaded onto the paddle through a door in the vacuum wall. Alternatively, a cassette of wafers may be loaded into a cassette station opposite the processing chamber. One end of the paddle removes a wafer from the cassette, and a hand off station moves the wafer to a second end of the paddle, which then moves it into the processing chamber.

Wafer load lock and magnetically coupled linear delivery system

Apparatus for holding and aligning a sample to be examined by a scanning electron microscope or the like includes an alignment device having base structure installable in the scanning electron microscope in a predetermined orientation. The alignment device also includes a holder for the sample which is mounted to the base structure for rotative movement about a rotation axis relative to the base structure. An adjuster is mounted on the base structure and can be manipulated to rotate the sample holder about the rotation axis. This alignment device is installed in a base holder and a video camera captures an image of the sample held by the sample holder. The image is displayed on a video monitor and the adjuster is then manipulated to rotatively align the sample to a desired orientation. The alignment device, including the sample, may then be removed from the base holder and installed in the scanning electron microscope with the sample being properly aligned.

Apparatus for holding and aligning a scanning electron microscope sample

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Michael A Ackeret