WAFER HANDLING SYSTEM FOR A LOADLOCK

• US 20080107508A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Incorporated (Mamoura Diversified Global Holding PJSC)
• Original Assignee: Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Incorporated (Mamoura Diversified Global Holding PJSC)
• Inventors: Chan, Soon Chye
• Granted Patent: US 8,920,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/217.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67781 Batch transfer of wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 including wafer orienting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/141 includes means for gripping wafer

Abstract

A wafer handling system includes providing a loadlock tray assembly having a plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays; and mounting nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers, each of the nipples having a flat top.

Claims

1. A wafer handling system comprising:

providing a loadlock tray assembly having a plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays; and

mounting nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers, each of the nipples having a flat top.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

providing a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

attaching an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

mounting the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays includes providing each of the nipples with a flat top with a pattern of grooves provided therein; and

further comprising;

providing a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

attaching an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays, the auto-centering robot blade having a fine metallic finish and front and back shoes with internal chamfers of about 35 degrees for carrying the wafers.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising attaching an umbrella over the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising attaching an umbrella over the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly, the umbrella having a plan view configuration like the plan view configuration of the top loadlock tray.

6. A wafer handling system comprising:

providing a loadlock tray assembly having a plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays; and

mounting nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers, each of the nipples having a flat top with grooves 0.75 mm plus or minus 0.05 mm in depth provided therein.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:

mounting nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers around the perimeters thereof,

providing a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

attaching an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein:

mounting the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays includes providing each of the nipples with a flat top with a grid pattern of grooves provided therein; and

further comprising;

providing a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

attaching an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays, the auto-centering robot blade having a fine metallic finish and front and back shoes with internal chamfers of 35 degrees plus or minus 2 degrees for carrying the wafers.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising attaching an umbrella on the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising attaching an umbrella on the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly, the umbrella having a plan view configuration like the plan view configuration of the top loadlock tray.

11. A wafer handling system comprising:

a loadlock tray assembly having a plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays; and

nipples mounted around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers, each of the nipples having a flat top.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein:

the nipples mounted around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays includes each of the nipples provided with a flat top with a pattern of grooves provided therein; and

further comprising;

a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

an auto-centering robot blade on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays, the auto-centering robot blade having a fine metallic finish and front and back shoes with internal chamfers of about 35 degrees for carrying the wafers.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising an umbrella attached over the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising an umbrella attached over the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly, the umbrella having a plan view configuration like the plan view configuration of the top loadlock tray.

16. A wafer handling system comprising:

a loadlock tray assembly having a plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays; and

nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays for supporting a plurality of wafers, each of the nipples having a flat top with grooves 0.75 mm plus or minus 0.05 mm in depth provided therein.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

an auto-centering robot blade attached on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein:

the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays includes providing each of the nipples with a flat top with a grid pattern of grooves provided therein; and

further comprising;

a vacuum robot for transferring wafers to and from the loadlock tray assembly; and

an auto-centering robot blade attached on the vacuum robot for automatically centering wafers on the nipples around each of the plurality of vertically-stacked loadlock trays, the auto-centering robot blade having a fine metallic finish and front and back shoes with internal chamfers of 35 degrees plus or minus 2 degrees for carrying the wafers.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising an umbrella attached on the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly.

20. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising an umbrella attached on the top loadlock tray of the plurality of loadlock tray assembly, the umbrella having a plan view configuration like the plan view configuration of the top loadlock tray.