The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 21, 2025
Filed:
Feb. 23, 2022
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu, TW;
Ren-Hau Wu, New Taipei, TW;
Cheng-Kang Hu, Kaohsiung, TW;
Yi-Fam Shiu, Toufen, TW;
Cheng-Lung Wu, Zhunan Township, TW;
Hsu-Shui Liu, Pingjhen, TW;
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu, TW;
Abstract
A load port receives a wafer carrier. An equipment front end module (EFEM) transfers semiconductor wafers to and from the wafer carrier via an access opening of a housing of the EFEM, and also transfers wafers to and from a semiconductor processing or characterization tool. A gas flow device disposed inside the housing of the EFEM is connected to receive a low humidity gas having relative humidity of 10% or less, and is positioned to flow the received low humidity gas across the access opening. A saturated pressure layer of the gas flow device has a permeability for the low humidity gas that increases with increasing distance from a gas inlet edge of the saturated pressure layer, for example due to holes of varying diameter and/or density passing through the saturated pressure layer. A filter layer of the gas flow device uniformizes the gas exiting the saturated pressure layer.