Carousel wafer transfer system

• US 6,287,386 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Gantvarg, Eugene, Perlov, Ilya, Goder, Alexey
• Primary Examiner(s): LUND, JEFFRIE ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US09/332,207
• Time in Patent Office: 822 Days
• Field of Search: 118/719, 118/724, 204/298.25, 204/298.35, 414/217, 414/222, 414/223, 414/225, 414/331, 414/332, 414/403, 414/564, 414/749, 414/800, 414/805, 414/806, 414/935, 414/937, 414/938, 414/939, 414/941
• US Class Current: 118/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67196 characterized by the construction of the transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67745 characterized by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68792 characterised by the construction of the shaft
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/135 Associated with semiconductor wafer handling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/141 includes means for gripping wafer

Abstract

The present invention generally provides a rotary wafer carousel and related wafer handler for moving wafers or other workpieces through a processing system, i.e., a semiconductor fabrication tool. Generally, the present invention includes a rotary wafer carousel having a plurality of wafer seats disposed thereon to support one or more wafers. The rotary carousel is preferably disposed through the lid in a transfer chamber opposite the robot which is preferably disposed through the bottom of the transfer chamber. The rotary carousel and the robot cooperate to locate wafers adjacent to process chambers and move wafers into and out of various chambers of the system. The invention improves the throughput of the system by positioning wafers adjacent to the appropriate chamber to reduce the amount of movement required of the robot for transporting wafers between chambers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying wafers to a wafer handler, comprising:

a rotatable substrate storage member having a pair of opposing substrate seats adapted to support a substrate; and

a rotatable substrate handler having a substrate supporting blade, the rotatable substrate handler being operatively coupled to the rotatable substrate storage member, such that when the pair of opposing substrate seats are positioned in a vertical line with the substrate supporting blade, relative vertical motion between the substrate storage member and the substrate handler results in the transfer of a substrate between the substrate seats and the substrate supporting blade.

2. A transfer chamber comprising:

an enclosure having a plurality of slits therein and a ceiling;

a rotatable substrate handler having a substrate supporting blade adapted to selectively extend through the plurality of slits;

a rotatable substrate storage mechanism positioned above the rotatable substrate handler, the substrate storage mechanism having a seat adapted to support a substrate; and

a temperature adjustment mechanism coupled to the ceiling of the enclosure adapted to alter the temperature of the ceiling and to thereby alter the temperature of a substrate supported by the storage mechanism, the storage mechanism being sufficiently close to the ceiling to be in thermal communication therewith.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the substrate handler and the substrate storage mechanism are operatively coupled such that when the seat of the substrate storage mechanism and the substrate supporting blade are positioned in a vertical line, relative vertical motion between the substrate storage mechanism and the substrate handler results in the transfer of a substrate between the storage mechanism and the substrate handler.

4. A method for handling wafers within a transfer chamber and through a plurality of slit valves, comprising:

(a) extending a wafer handling member through a slit valve to receive a wafer thereon;

(b) rotating a wafer carousel having a plurality of wafer seats, to align a wafer seat with the slit valve;

(c) lowering the wafer carousel to position the wafer seat below the slit valve;

(d) retracting the wafer handling member to position the wafer directly above the wafer seat; and

(e) raising the wafer carousel to lift the wafer from the wafer handling member.

5. A method for handling wafers within a transfer chamber and through a plurality of slit valves, comprising:

(a) rotating a wafer carousel having a plurality of wafer seats to align a wafer seat with a slit valve, wherein a wafer is disposed on the wafer seat;

(b) rotating a wafer handling member into alignment with the slit valve;

(c) lowering the wafer carousel to position the wafer seat below the slit valve;

(d) receiving a wafer on the wafer handling member; and

(e) extending the wafer handling member through the slit valve.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

adjusting the temperature of the wafer disposed on the wafer seat.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein adjusting the temperature of the wafer comprises adjusting the temperature of a mechanism coupled to the ceiling of the transfer chamber, and thereby adjusting the temperature of the wafer.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein adjusting the temperature of the wafer comprises adjusting the temperature of the ceiling of the transfer chamber and thereby adjusting the temperature of the wafer.

9. A method for handling wafers within a transfer chamber and through a plurality of slit valves, comprising:

(a) rotating a wafer carousel having a plurality of wafer seats to align a wafer seat with a slit valve, wherein a wafer is disposed on the wafer seat;

(b) rotating a wafer handling member into alignment with the slit valve; and

(c) changing the relative vertical position between the wafer carousel and the wafer handling member, so as to transfer a wafer therebetween.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

adjusting the temperature of the wafer disposed on the wafer seat.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein adjusting the temperature of the wafer comprises adjusting the temperature of a mechanism coupled to the ceiling of the transfer chamber, and thereby adjusting the temperature of the wafer.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein adjusting the temperature of the wafer comprises adjusting the temperature of the ceiling of the transfer chamber and thereby adjusting the temperature of the wafer.

13. A method of transferring substrates between various processing chambers via a substrate handler contained in a transfer chamber, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of substrates in single substrate stacks, above the substrate handler; and

extracting the substrates from storage via the wafer handler.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

heating one or more of the plurality of substrates while in storage.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein heating one or more of the plurality of substrates comprises thermally coupling the one or more substrates to a heated portion of the transfer chamber ceiling.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

cooling one or more of the plurality of substrates while in storage.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein cooling the one or more of the plurality of substrates comprises thermally coupling the one or more substrates to a cooled portion of the transfer chamber ceiling.

18. A transfer chamber comprising a substrate handler, a plurality of slit valves, and further comprising:

a rotatable storage mechanism for storing substrates to be transferred via the substrate handler through a plurality of the slit valves,

the rotatable storage mechanism having a plurality of storage locations for storing individual substrates.

19. A substrate handling method, comprising:

positioning a substrate supported on a rotatable substrate storage mechanism in line with a transfer chamber slit valve and vertically offset from the transfer chamber slit valve;

positioning a rotatable substrate handler such that a substrate supporting portion of the substrate handler is in line with both the transfer chamber slit valve and the substrate supported by the rotatable substrate support, and is vertically offset from the substrate;

changing the relative vertical positions of the substrate and the rotatable substrate handler so as to transfer the substrate to the rotatable substrate handler; and

extending the substrate handler so as to transport the substrate through the slit valve.