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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
First Claim
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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.

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