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Semiconductor manufacturing systems

  • US 10,086,511 B2
  • Filed: 08/30/2013
  • Issued: 10/02/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A apparatus comprising:

  • an equipment front end module that forms an ambient atmospheric portion of the apparatus;

    a substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber that forms, at least in part, a vacuum portion of the apparatus and has four facets of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber connecting a top plane and a bottom plane of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber, each facet having a substrate transport opening configured for sealed communication with substrate holding modules, each transport opening having a sealable valve;

    a robotic transport arm disposed within the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber, the robotic transport arm having a common substrate holder effecting each substrate transfer of the robotic transfer arm on a common substrate transfer plane through the substrate transport opening on each facet of the four facets of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber;

    a load lock connected to a facet of the four facets of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber for connecting the equipment front end module to the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber; and

    a second sealed transport chamber that forms, at least in part, the vacuum portion of the apparatus and has more than four facets and being communicably connected to one other facet of three remaining facets of the four facets of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber through the sealable valve of the other facet of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber, wherein the robotic transport arm is configured to extend through the sealable valve on each facet of the four facets of the substantially hexahedron shaped sealed transport chamber, each facet of the second sealed transport chamber having a substrate transport opening configured for sealed communication with other substrate holding modules.

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