Reduced capacity carrier and method of use

• US 9,881,825 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilchrist, Ulysses, Bufano, Michael L., Fosnight, William, Hofmeister, Christopher, Friedman, Gerarld M.
• Primary Examiner(s): KEENAN, JAMES W
• Application Number:
  US14/541,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20150155192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67326 Horizontal carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are vertically supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67353 specially adapted for a single substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67369 characterised by shock absorbing elements, e.g. retainers or cushions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67373 characterised by locking systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67376 characterised by sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67383 characterised by substrate supports
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67389 characterised by atmosphere control
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67393 characterised by the presence of atmosphere modifying elements inside or attached to the closed carrierl
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67763 the wafers being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading H01L21/6779 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67772 involving removal of lid, door, cover
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67778 involving loading and unloading of wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6779 the workpieces being stored in a carrier, involving loading and unloading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus is provided. The apparatus has a casing and a door. The casing is adapted to form a controlled environment therein. The casing has supports therein for holding at least one substrate in the casing. The casing defines a substrate transfer opening through which a substrate transport system accesses the substrate in the casing. The door is connected to the casing for closing the substrate transfer opening in the casing. The casing has structure forming a fast swap element allowing replacement of the substrate from the apparatus with another substrate without retraction of the substrate transport system and independent of substrate loading in the casing.

Claims

1. A method of transporting a substrate comprising:

providing a casing adapted to form a controlled environment therein, the casing being sized to hold more than one substrate therein and defining a sealable substrate transfer opening through which substrates are moved in and out of the casing, the casing having holding stations located in the casing so that the casing defines a predetermined substrate transport lot of a predetermined number of substrates, each of the holding stations is capable of holding a substrate where at least one of the holding stations is a substrate holding station holding the substrate when the casing is in a loaded condition where at least one substrate is loaded in the casing so that the casing is loaded with each substrate of the predetermined number of substrates of the predetermined substrate transport lot defined by the casing, and at least another of the holding stations provides a discretionary holding station that is discretionary with respect to the predetermined number of substrates, of the predetermined transport lot defined by the casing;

optionally holding another substrate with the discretionary holding station when the casing is in the loaded condition loaded with each substrate of the predetermined number of substrates of the predetermined transport lot defined by the casing; and

selectably switching each of the at least one holding stations and the at least another holding station between being the substrate holding station and being the discretionary holding station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching between the states of being the discretionary holding station and the substrate holding station with a controller in communication with at least one of the holding stations.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising effecting, with a controller, substrate replacement such that the substrate can be placed in each one of the holding stations regardless of original placement of the substrate when removed from the casing for processing.

4. A method for processing substrates with a substrate transport apparatus, the method comprising:

providing the transport apparatus with a casing that forms a controlled environment therein, the casing being sized to hold more than one substrate therein, the casing including a load port interface defining a substrate transfer opening that is closable and through which substrates are moved in and out of the casing;

providing holding stations in the casing so that the casing defines a predetermined substrate transport lot of a predetermined number of substrates and each of the holding stations is capable of holding a substrate;

selecting, with a controller, at least one of the holding stations as a substrate holding station holding the substrate when the transport apparatus is in a loaded condition where at least one substrate is loaded in the transport apparatus so that the casing is loaded with each substrate of the predetermined number of substrates of the predetermined substrate transport lot defined by the casing;

selecting, with the controller, at least another of the holding stations as a discretionary holding station that is discretionary with respect to the predetermined number of substrates of the predetermined transport lot defined by the casing and that changes states between a first state and a second state wherein the discretionary holding station in the first state forms an empty spare holding station upon mating of the casing to a load port and holds another substrate when the transport apparatus is loaded at the load port, wherein the discretionary holding station in the second state is not capable of holding another substrate when the transport apparatus is in a loaded condition loaded with each substrate of the predetermined number of substrates of the predetermined transport lot defined by the casing, and wherein each of the at least one holding station is selectably switchable between being the substrate holding station and the discretionary holding station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selectably switching the at least one holding station to effect changing a substrate processing lot size.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the substrate processing lot size is increased by selectably switching the at least one holding station.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising selectably switching the at least one holding station to effect generation of a virtual substrate processing lot when the transport apparatus is loaded with substrates.

8. The method claim 7, wherein the virtual substrate processing lot is formed by the substrate in the substrate holding station and the other substrate in the discretionary holding station, the substrate and the other substrate being from different processing lots.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising defining a substrate buffer in the transport apparatus with the discretionary holding station.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising effecting, with the controller, substrate replacement such that the substrate can be placed in each one of the holding stations regardless of original placement of the substrate when removed from the casing for processing.

11. The method of claim 4, further comprising switching between being the discretionary holding station and the substrate holding station with a controller in communication with each of the at least one holding station.