Removable compartments for workpiece stocker
First Claim
1. A workpiece stocker comprisinga chamber for storing a plurality of workpieces, the chamber being compartmentalized into a plurality of compartments;
- a robotic mechanism to transfer the workpieces from the chamber to an IO station; and
a plurality of emergency access ports for accessing the workpieces in the event of the robotic failure, the emergency access ports accessing individual compartments to prevent contamination to other compartments.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention discloses apparatuses and method for configuring a compartmentable equipment to accommodate emergency responses. An exemplary equipment comprises a plurality of removable compartments for storing workpieces so that in emergency events, such as power failure or equipment failure, the workpieces can be removed from the equipment for continuing processing without disrupting the flow of the fabrication facility. The compartmentable equipment can comprise emergency access ports, including mating interface to a portable workpiece removal equipment to allow accessing the individual compartments without compromising the quality, defects and yield of the workpieces stored in the stocker.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A workpiece stocker comprising
a chamber for storing a plurality of workpieces, the chamber being compartmentalized into a plurality of compartments; -
a robotic mechanism to transfer the workpieces from the chamber to an IO station; and a plurality of emergency access ports for accessing the workpieces in the event of the robotic failure, the emergency access ports accessing individual compartments to prevent contamination to other compartments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A workpiece stocker comprising
a chamber for storing a plurality of workpieces, the chamber being compartmentalized into a plurality of compartments, wherein the compartments are normally sealed within the chamber; -
a robotic mechanism to transfer the workpieces from the chamber to an IO station, wherein the robotic mechanism unseals the individual compartment containing the workpieces to be transferred before accessing the workpieces; and a plurality of emergency access ports for accessing the workpieces in the event of the robotic failure, wherein the workpieces are prevented from contamination by being sealed within the compartments when the chamber is exposed to the outside ambient during an emergency access. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A workpiece stocker comprising
a chamber for storing a plurality of workpieces; -
a robotic mechanism to transfer the workpieces from the chamber to an IO station; and an emergency access port for accessing the workpieces in the event of the robotic failure, the emergency access port comprising a mating interface to a portable workpiece removal equipment, wherein the mating interface allows the removal of the workpieces without exposing to outside ambient. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification