Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity

• US 7,740,437 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM International NV
• Inventors: De Ridder, Christianus Gerardus Maria, den Hartog, Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): KEENAN, JAMES W
• Application Number:
  US11/525,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20080075562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 414/940, 414/217.1
• US Class Current: 414/217.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67769 Storage means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A system for processing semiconductor substrates includes a front-end with at least two vertical levels of input/output ports for transferring substrate cassettes into or out of the housing of the processing system. The front-end also includes at least one level of storage positions, e.g., two levels of storage positions, which can be disposed between the two vertical levels of the input/output ports. The two vertical levels of storage positions can each be provided with two storage positions and each of two levels of input/output ports can be provided with accommodations for two cassettes, allowing for a total of eight cassettes to be accommodated at the front-end of the processing system. Inside the housing of the processing system, interior storage positions can be provided adjacent a wafer handling chamber and spaced apart from a cassette store having rotary platforms for housing cassettes. A single cassette handler can be used to access cassettes at each of the input/output ports and the interior storage positions.

Claims

1. A semiconductor substrate processing system, comprising:

a housing for separating the system from a surrounding clean room;

a reactor within the housing; and

a front-end for loading substrate cassettes into the housing, the front-end being disposed adjacent to and in front of the housing and comprising;

a partition disposed between an interior of the housing and the surrounding clean room;

at least one lower input/output port, each at least one lower input/output port having a lower openable closure in the partition, the lower openable closure allowing cassettes access from the clean room into the housing;

at least one upper input/output port disposed above the at least one lower input/output port, each at least one upper input/output port having an upper openable closure in the partition, the upper openable closure allowing cassettes access from the clean room into the housing; and

at least one cassette storage position disposed at a vertical level between the at least one lower input/output port and the at least one upper input/output port, the at least one storage position configured to receive cassettes transported into the housing,

wherein one of the at least one lower input/output port, one of the at least one upper input/output port, and one of the at least one cassette storage position are arranged in a column along a same side of the partition.

2. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, further comprising a cassette handler within the housing, the cassette handler configured to transfer cassettes within the housing, wherein cassette accommodation positions at each of the at least one lower input/output port and the at least one upper input/output port are accessible by the cassette handler.

3. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein cassette accommodation positions at the at least one storage position are accessible by the cassette handler.

4. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage position, the at least one lower input/output port, and the at least one upper input/output port are vertically fixed relative to each other.

5. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one cassette storage position consists of four cassette storage positions, the four cassette storage positions disposed on two vertical levels, with two cassette storage positions at each of the two vertical levels.

6. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 5, wherein the at least one lower input/output port consists of one input/output port and one storage position, the one storage position provided without an associated opening out of the housing at a same vertical level.

7. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one upper input/output port consists of two input/output ports at a same vertical level.

8. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein the four cassette storage positions are each provided without an associated opening out of the housing.

9. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage position comprises a platform for supporting a cassette.

10. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises at least one vertical furnace.

11. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the reactor comprises two vertical furnaces.

12. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cassette transfer region within the housing and adjacent to the front-end;

a wafer handling chamber within the housing and adjacent to the cassette transfer region, the wafer handling chamber provided with a boat handling robot for loading and unloading boats and separated from the cassette transfer region by a partition; and

a processing area within the housing and adjacent to the wafer handling chamber, the processing area separated from the wafer handling chamber by a partition, wherein the reactor is disposed in the processing area.

13. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 12, further comprising a cassette interface in the partition separating the wafer handling chamber and the cassette transfer region, the cassette interface having a closable opening sized and shaped to mate with the closure of a FOUP cassette and to open the closure of the FOUP cassette.

14. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 13, further comprising a wafer handling robot within the wafer handling chamber, the wafer handling robot configured to access substrates within cassettes through the opening of the interface.

15. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 14, further comprising a cassette store in the cassette transfer region.

16. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 15, wherein the store comprises a plurality of stacked rotary storage platforms, each platform divided into a plurality of storage compartments and defining cassette store positions.

17. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 15, further comprising a rotatable cassette transfer platform configured to provide the FOUP cassette to the cassette interface, further comprising at least one interior cassette storage position disposed apart from the cassette store and the cassette transfer platform.

18. The semiconductor substrate processing system of claim 17, wherein the at least one interior cassette storage position is disposed directly above the cassette transfer platform.

19. A loading station for a batch semiconductor fabrication system, comprising:

a partition disposed between an interior of the housing and the surrounding clean room;

a lower input/output port for holding a substrate cassette and having a lower openable closure in the partition, the lower openable closure allowing cassette access into the housing of the semiconductor fabrication system;

an upper input/output port for holding a substrate cassette, the upper input/output port disposed above the lower input/output port and having an upper openable closure in the partition, the upper openable closure allowing cassette access into the housing; and

at least one storage position for holding a substrate cassette, the at least one storage position disposed vertically between the lower input/output port and the upper input/output port,

wherein one of the lower input/output port, one of the upper input/output port, and one of the at least one cassette storage position are arranged in a column along a same side of the partition.

20. The loading station of claim 19, wherein the lower input/output port, the upper input/output port and the at least one storage position are configured for access by a same cassette handling robot.

21. The loading station of claim 19, wherein the upper input/output port is at a maximum height permitted by the SEMI E15.1 standard.

22. The loading station of claim 19, wherein the lower input/output port is at a minimum height specified by the SEMI E15.1 standard for an operator accessible input/output port.

23. The loading station of claim 19, wherein the at least one storage position comprises storage positions at two vertical levels between the lower input/output port and the upper input/output port.

24. The loading station of claim 23, further comprising an additional lower input/output port at a same vertical level as the lower input/output port and an additional upper input/output port at a same vertical level as the upper input/output port.

25. The loading station of claim 24, further comprising two storage positions at each of the two vertical levels having storage positions.

26. The loading station of claim 19, wherein the at least one storage position comprises a laterally-protruding platform configured to support a cassette on an upper surface of the platform.