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:
Feb. 11, 2003
Filed:
Mar. 09, 2001
Kiran Kumar, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Zhihai Wang, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Rudy Rios, San Jose, CA (US);
Wilbur G. Catabay, Saratoga, CA (US);
Richard D. Schinella, Saratoga, CA (US);
LSI Logic Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for performing contaminant sensitive processing on a substrate. A substrate load chamber receives the substrate from an ambient contaminant laden environment, and isolates the substrate from the ambient contaminant laden environment. The substrate load chamber further forms a first environment of intermediate cleanliness around the substrate. A substrate pass through chamber receives the substrate from the substrate load chamber, and isolates the substrate from the intermediate cleanliness of the first environment of the substrate load chamber. The substrate pass through chamber further forms a second environment of high cleanliness around the substrate. A substrate transfer chamber receives the substrate from the substrate pass through chamber, and isolates the substrate from the high cleanliness of the second environment of the substrate pass through chamber. The substrate transfer chamber maintains a third environment of high cleanliness around the substrate, and transfers the substrate into more than one substrate processing chambers, where the substrate is selectively transferred into and out of the more than one substrate processing chambers without leaving the high cleanliness of the third environment. The substrate transfer chamber also selectively passes the substrate to the substrate pass through chamber when the substrate pass through chamber has formed the high cleanliness of the second environment. The substrate pass through chamber also receives the substrate from the substrate transfer chamber, and selectively passes the substrate to the substrate load chamber when the substrate load chamber has formed the intermediate cleanliness of the first environment. The substrate load chamber receives the substrate from the substrate pass through chamber, and selectively passes the substrate out of the substrate load chamber and into the ambient contaminant laden environment when the substrate load chamber is not open to the substrate pass through chamber.