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:
Aug. 18, 1998
Filed:
Dec. 24, 1996
J Christopher Moran, Saratoga, CA (US);
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
An integrated wafer loader is provided for use with a vacuum process chamber. At least one semipermeable membrane provided in the separator between upper and lower chambers of a load lock permits air flow while preventing particulate matter transfer. A micro-environment container is sealed within the upper chamber and a vacuum simultaneously produced in both upper and lower chambers. A movable carrier plate opens the micro-environment container and removes a cassette of wafers from therein and into the lower chamber. The micro-environment container remains supported by the separator and forms an impermeable barrier between the chambers. Wafers are transferred from the cassette to the process environment, and returned to the cassette after processing has been completed. The carrier plate returns the cassette containing the processed wafers to the micro-environment container for removal from the load lock chamber.