Applied Materials, Inc.

Applied Materials Israel Limited

Paul Benjamin Reuter

Douglas Brian Baumgarten

Jared Ahmad Lee

Martin Jeffrey Salinas

Dean C Hruzek

Nir Merry

Imad Yousif

Aniruddha Pal

Michael Robert Rice

Andrew Nguyen

David T Blahnik

Sushant Suresh Koshti

Travis Morey

Luke W Bonecutter

Devendra Channappa Holeyannavar

John C Menk

James Christopher Hansen

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Jacob Newman

Andrew J Constant

Shay Assaf

Steven Trey Tindel

Arunkumar Ramachandraiah

Srinivas Poshatrahalli Gopalakrishna

Ganesh Balasubramanian

Yoram Uziel

Michael C Kuchar

Murali K Narasimhan

Izya Kremerman

Amitabh Puri

Igor Krivts (Krayvitz)

Israel Avneri

Patrick Pannese

Natan Schlimoff

Robert Irwin Decottignies

Erez Admoni

Eran Weiss

Narayanan Ramachandran

Mitchell DiSanto

Angela Rose Sico

Russell Kaplan

Nagendra V Madiwal

William (Ty) Weaver

JuanCarlos Rocha-Alvarez

Eric Andrew Englhardt

Xinglong Chen

Dale Robert Du Bois

Martin Jeff Salinas

Paul Dennis Connors

Steve S Hongkham

Shivaraj Manjunath Nara

David Phillips

Amulya Ligorio Athayde

Maureen Frances Breiling

Jeffrey B Robinson

Michael Minh Phan

Robin C Armstrong

Lakshmikantha K Shirahatti

Babu Chinnasamy

An equipment front end module (EFEM) having walls, a first wall including one or more load ports and an EFEM chamber formed between the walls. The EFEM further includes an upper plenum at a top of the EFEM and including an opening into the EFEM chamber. Ducts provide a return gas flow path enabling recirculation of gas from the EFEM chamber to the upper plenum, the ducts proximate the one or more load ports. The one or more ducts includes flow elements configured to cause a low pressure condition at a location of the one or more load ports.

Equipment front end modules with induced gas mixing, and methods of use thereof

The disclosure describes devices and systems for a seal, and methods for using said seal. A seal includes a base portion configured to couple to a groove formed by a first surface of a first component. The base portion includes a notch in a bottom side of the base portion configured to cause the base portion to laterally flex responsive to an installation force. The seal further includes a sealing portion extending from the base portion. The sealing portion is configured to create an airtight seal between the first component and a sealing surface of a second component responsive to an application of a threshold sealing force against the sealing portion.

Seal mechanism for load port doors

The disclosure describes devices, systems, and methods for integrating load locks into a factory interface footprint space. A factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system can include a load port for receiving a substrate carrier. The load port can include a frame adapted for connecting the load port to a factory interface, the frame comprising a transport opening through which one or more substrates are capable of being transported between the substrate carrier and the factory interface. The load port can also include an actuator coupled to the frame, and a load port door coupled to the actuator and configured to seal the transport opening. The frame height can be greater than the height of the load port door, and less than 2.5 times the height of the load port door.

Shortened load port for factory interface

Devices, systems, and methods for integrating load locks into a factory interface footprint space. A factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system can include an interior volume defined by a bottom, a top and a plurality of sides, a load lock disposed within the interior volume of the factory interface, and a factory interface robot disposed within the interior volume of the factory interface, wherein the factory interface robot is configured to transfer substrates between a set of substrate carriers and the load lock.

Systems and methods for integrating load locks into a factory interface footprint space

A factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system can include a load lock disposed within the interior volume of a factory interface and a factory interface robot disposed within the interior volume of the factory interface. The factory interface robot can be configured to transfer substrates between a first set of substrate carriers and the first load lock. The factory interface robot can comprise a vertical tower, a plurality of links, and an end effector.

Factory interface robots usable with integrated load locks

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for reducing startup time of an equipment front end module (EFEM). The EFEM may include an EFEM chamber formed between a plurality of walls, an upper plenum above the EFEM chamber, the upper plenum in fluid communication with the EFEM chamber, a plurality of ducts that provide a return gas flow path enabling recirculation of gas from the EFEM chamber to the upper plenum, one or more filters that separate the upper plenum from the EFEM chamber, an isolation gate configured to block the return gas flow path responsive to the isolation gate being actuated to a closed position to isolate the one or more filters from an ambient environment responsive to a gas being flowed through the upper plenum when the EFEM chamber is opened to the ambient environment.

Filter isolation for equipment front end module

Examples of the present invention include a method for removing halogen-containing residues from a substrate. The method includes transferring a substrate to a substrate processing system through a first chamber volume of a load lock chamber. The load lock chamber is coupled to a transfer chamber of the substrate processing system. The substrate is etched in one or more processing chambers coupled to the transfer chamber of the substrate processing system with chemistry from a showerhead disposed over a heated substrate support assembly. The chemistry includes halogen. Halogen-containing residues are removed from the etched substrate in a second chamber volume of the load lock chamber. Cooling the etched substrate in a cooled substrate support assembly of the load lock chamber after removing the halogen-containing residue.

Abatement and strip process chamber in a load lock configuration

A factory interface includes a housing, a front surface of the housing having multiple load ports, a robot having an arm and an end effector, and a track attached to a floor within the housing. The robot is adapted to move horizontally along the track to multiple positions from which the arm can reach the end effector of the robot into a front opening unified pod attached to any of the multiple load ports.

Increased number of load ports on factory interface with robot that moves on track

Disclosed are implementations for efficient purging of substrate carriers (and content held therein) and preventing external contaminants from entering a gas purge apparatus by coupling the gas purge apparatus to a substrate carrier, performing a first gas purging session of an environment of the substrate carrier, receiving a first signal of a first signal type, responsive to receiving the first signal, keeping the gas purge apparatus coupled to the substrate carrier, performing a second gas purging session of the environment of the substrate carrier, receiving a second signal of a second signal type, and, responsive to receiving the second signal, decoupling the purge apparatus from the substrate carrier.

Prevention of contamination of substrates during gas purging

The disclosure describes devices and systems for a seal, and methods for using said seal. A seal includes a base portion configured to couple to a groove formed by an edge surface of a first component. The seal further includes a sealing portion extending from the base portion. The sealing portion is configured to create an airtight seal between the first component and a sealing surface of a second component responsive to a threshold sealing force being applied against the sealing portion. The seal further includes a retaining portion substantially perpendicular to the base portion. A surface of the retaining portion is configured to push against the edge surface of the first component responsive to the threshold sealing force being applied against the sealing portion.

The disclosure describes devices and systems for a two-sided seal for a load port, and methods for using said seal. A factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system can include a load port for receiving a substrate carrier. The load port can include a frame adapted for connecting the load port to a factory interface, the frame comprising a transport opening. The load port can also include a seal coupled to the frame. The seal can include a first contact point configured to engage with a load port door when the load port door is in a first position, and configured to disengage with the load port door when the load port door is in a second position and a second contact point configured to engage with a front of a substrate carrier when the substrate carrier is docked on the load port.

Seal mechanisms for load ports

Electronic device processing systems including an equipment front end module (EFEM) with at least one side storage pod are described. The side storage pod has a chamber including a storage container. The storage container includes at least a top substrate holder and a bottom substrate holder. In some embodiments, an exhaust port is located at a midpoint between the top substrate holder and the bottom substrate holder. A gas flow component is configured to provide a gas flow between the EFEM body and the storage container. A gas flow temperature component is configured to modify the temperature of the gas flow to a particular temperature.

Side storage pods, electronic device processing systems, and methods for operating the same

Electronic device processing assemblies including an EFEM with at least one side storage pod attached thereto. The side storage pod has a side storage pod container. A supply conduit extends between an upper plenum of the EFEM to the side storage pod container. A fan causes purge gas to simultaneously flow into the EFEM chamber and into the side storage pod container. The fan also causes recirculation of the purge gas from the EFEM chamber. Methods of operating EFEMs and EFEMs are also disclosed.

Side storage pods, equipment front end modules, and methods for operating equipment front end modules

Electronic device processing systems including an equipment front end module (EFEM) with a side storage pod are described. The EFEM includes an EFEM chamber and a recirculation duct. The side storage pod is fluidly coupled to the recirculation duct. The side storage pod includes an interior chamber and a side storage container disposed within the interior chamber. The side storage container is configured to receive one or more substrates from the EFEM chamber. The electronic device processing system further includes an environmental control system. The environmental control system is configured to circulate a purge gas between the EFEM chamber and the side storage pod via the recirculation duct.

Side storage pods, equipment front end modules, and methods for operating EFEMs

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Paul Benjamin Reuter