Single reticle transfer system

• US 20050013684A1
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortrend Engineering Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fortrend Engineering Corporation
• Inventors: Wu, Kung Chris
• Granted Patent: US 7,695,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/783
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0028 with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 including wafer orienting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/138 Wafers positioned vertically within cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/141 includes means for gripping wafer

Abstract

The present invention is a pod opener having an end effector which: a. grips and releases a reticle supported above the base of a pod; and b. while transferring the reticle between the base of the pod and an adjacent IC photolithography tool, reorients the reticle. In one embodiment, the pod opener reorients the reticle by rotating it about a single axis disposed substantially perpendicular to its patterned surface. In another embodiment, the present invention is a pod opener which while transferring the reticle between the base of the pod and an adjacent IC photolithography tool, in addition to effecting rotation substantially perpendicular to a reticle'"'"'s patterned surface, also turns the reticle over so a patterned surface of the reticle is oriented for proper focus within the IC photolithography tool.

Claims

1. An end effector adapted for attachment to a distal end of an arm that is included in a pod opener, the pod opener being adapted for receiving, opening and closing a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof, the pod opener'"'"'s arm being moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener, the end effector comprising:

a gripper-support bar which is securable to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of gripper arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar; and

a pair of reticle-side grippers, each of the reticle-side grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the gripper arms, movement of the gripper arms inward toward the gripper-support bar effecting engagement between the reticle-side grippers and opposite sides of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener, and movement of the gripper arms outward from the gripper-support bar effecting disengagement of a reticle from the reticle-side grippers;

whereby the end effector adapts the pod opener for;

a. gripping with the reticle-side grippers a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener;

b. transferring a reticle gripped by the reticle-side grippers between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent integrated circuit (“

IC”

) photolithography tool; and

c. reorienting a reticle gripped by the reticle-side grippers with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool.

2. The end effector of claim 1 wherein said reticle-side grippers are U-shaped whereby the end effector is adapted for gripping a reticle near an edge thereof for further increasing, by rotating the gripper-support bar, displacement of a reticle to exceed that provided solely by movement of the pod opener'"'"'s arm.

3. A pod opener adapted for:

a. receiving, opening and closing a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof; and

b. transferring the reticle between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool, the pod opener comprising;

an arm that is moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener; and

an end effector attached to a distal end of the arm, the end effector including;

a gripper-support bar secured to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of gripper arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar; and

a pair of reticle-side grippers, each of the reticle-side grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the gripper arms, movement of the gripper arms inward toward the gripper-support bar effecting engagement between the reticle-side grippers and opposite sides of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener, and movement of the gripper arms outward from the gripper-support bar effecting disengagement of a reticle from the reticle-side grippers;

whereby the pod opener is adapted for;

a. gripping with the reticle-side grippers a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener;

b. transferring a reticle gripped by the reticle-side grippers between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool; and

c. reorienting a reticle gripped by the reticle-side grippers with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool.

4. The pod opener of claim 3 wherein said reticle-side grippers are U-shaped whereby the end effector is adapted for, gripping a reticle near an edge thereof for further increasing, by rotating the gripper-support bar, displacement of a reticle to exceed that provided solely by movement of the pod opener'"'"'s arm.

5. A method for using an IC photolithography tool for establishing patterned photo-resist material on surfaces of silicon wafers, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof into a pod opener that is located adjacent to the IC photolithography tool and opening the pod, the pod opener including;

i. an arm that is moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener; and

ii. an end effector attached to a distal end of the arm, the end effector including;

a gripper-support bar secured to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of gripper arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar;

a pair of reticle-side grippers, each of the reticle-side grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the gripper arms;

b. moving the pod opener'"'"'s arm to dispose the end effector'"'"'s gripper-support bar over the reticle that is located on the pod'"'"'s base;

c. moving the gripper arms inward toward the gripper-support bar to grip with the reticle-side grippers opposite sides of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener; and

d. transferring the reticle between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool wherein the reticle is used in establishing patterned photo-resist material on surfaces of silicon wafers,

while transferring the reticle, the reticle being reorientable with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said reticle-side grippers are U-shaped, and wherein the pod opener'"'"'s arm are disposed so that moving the gripper arms inward toward the gripper-support bar grips a reticle near an edge thereof whereby rotating the gripper-support bar effects displacement of a reticle to exceed that provided solely by movement of the pod opener'"'"'s arm.

7. An end effector adapted for attachment to a distal end of an arm that is included in a pod opener, the pod opener being adapted for receiving, opening and closing a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof, the pod opener'"'"'s arm being moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener, the end effector comprising:

a gripper-support bar which is securable to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of reticle-rotating arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar; and

a pair of C-shaped reticle-corner grippers, each of the reticle-corner grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the reticle-rotating arms, movement of the reticle-rotating arms inward toward the gripper-support bar effecting engagement between the reticle-corner grippers and opposite corners of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener, and movement of the reticle-rotating arms outward from the gripper-support bar effecting disengagement of a reticle from the reticle-corner grippers, the reticle-corner grippers being rotatable about an axis which is substantially colinear with the reticle-corner grippers;

whereby the end effector adapts the pod opener for;

a. gripping with the reticle-corner grippers a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener;

b. transferring a reticle gripped by the reticle-corner grippers between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool;

c. reorienting a reticle gripped by the reticle-corner grippers with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool; and

d. turning over a reticle gripped by the reticle-corner grippers while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool so a patterned surface of the reticle is oriented within the adjacent IC photolithography tool for proper focus.

8. A pod opener adapted for:

a. receiving, opening and closing a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof; and

b. transferring the reticle between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool, the pod opener comprising;

an arm that is moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener; and

an end effector attached to a distal end of the arm, the end effector including;

a gripper-support bar secured to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of reticle-rotating arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar; and

a pair of C-shaped reticle-corner grippers, each of the reticle-corner grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the reticle-rotating arms, movement of the reticle-rotating arms inward toward the gripper-support bar effecting engagement between the reticle-corner grippers and opposite corners of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener, and movement of the reticle-rotating arms outward from the gripper-support bar effecting disengagement of a reticle from the reticle-corner grippers, the reticle-corner grippers being rotatable about an axis which is substantially colinear with the reticle-corner grippers;

whereby the pod opener is adapted for;

a. gripping with the reticle-side grippers a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener;

b. transferring a reticle gripped by the reticie-side grippers between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool;

c. reorienting a reticle gripped by the reticle-corner grippers with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool; and

d. turning over a reticle gripped by the reticle-corner grippers while transferring the reticle between the base of a pod and the adjacent IC photolithography tool so a patterned surface of the reticle is oriented within the adjacent IC photolithography tool for proper focus.

9. A method for using an IC photolithography tool for establishing patterned photo-resist material on surfaces of silicon wafers, the method comprising the steps of:

a. receiving a pod which carries a reticle on a base thereof into a pod opener that is located adjacent to the IC photolithography tool and opening the pod, the pod opener including;

i. an arm that is moveable with respect to the pod'"'"'s base when the base is received by the pod opener; and

ii. an end effector attached to a distal end of the arm, the end effector including;

a gripper-support bar secured to the distal end of the pod opener'"'"'s arm for rotation with respect to the arm about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the gripper-support bar;

a pair of reticle-rotating arms which respectively depend from opposite ends of the gripper-support bar and are moveable inward toward and outward from the gripper-support bar; and

a pair of C-shaped reticle-corner grippers, each of the reticle-corner grippers being located at nadirs respectively of each of the reticle-rotating arms, the reticle-corner grippers being rotatable about an axis which is substantially colinear with the reticle-corner grippers;

b. moving the pod opener'"'"'s arm to dispose the end effector'"'"'s gripper-support bar over the reticle that is located on the pod'"'"'s base;

c. moving the reticle-rotating arms inward toward the gripper-support bar to grip with the reticle-corner grippers opposite corners of a reticle supported above a base of a pod received into the pod opener; and

d. transferring the reticle between;

i. the base of the pod; and

ii. an adjacent IC photolithography tool wherein the reticle is used in establishing patterned photo-resist material on surfaces of silicon wafers,

while transferring the reticle, the reticle being;

i. reorientable with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm by rotating the gripper-support bar with respect to the pod opener'"'"'s arm; and

ii. turnable so a patterned surface of the reticle is oriented within the adjacent IC photolithography tool for proper focus.