Pod swapping internal to tool run time
View Patent ↗Methods, systems and apparatus for swapping pods within a semiconductor processing tool during a substrate processing cycle. A dirty pod carrying a substrate in need of processing is provided within the processing tool, and the substrate is transferred into a processing chamber thereof. At least one clean pod is also provided within the processing tool. Upon substrate processing completion, the processed substrate is transferred from the chamber directly into a clean pod within the processing tool. Wherein a plurality of substrates are processed within the chamber, a plurality of clean pods may be provided within the tool whereby the plurality of substrates are transferred into a single clean pod or split into subsets that are transferred into different clean pods within the processing tool. The clean pod(s) carrying the processed substrate(s) are then transferred to other tool(s) for continued semiconductor fabrication processing.
1. A method of swapping pods within a processing tool in an automated material handling system comprising:
providing a dirty sealed pod carrying a substrate in need of processing;
receiving said dirty sealed pod at a first loading port of a processing tool for semiconductor fabrication;
transferring said substrate in need of processing from said dirty sealed pod at said first loading port into a chamber of said processing tool;
processing said substrate in said chamber by subjecting said substrate to a semiconductor fabrication process;
removing said dirty sealed pod from said first loading port;
providing a clean sealed pod prior to completion of processing said substrate; and
upon completion of processing said substrate, transferring said processed substrate from said chamber into said clean sealed pod such that said dirty and clean sealed pods are integrated within said semiconductor fabrication processing tool for performing said steps within the processing tool run time and eliminating the use of an external tool for swapping said substrate from said dirty sealed pod to said clean sealed pod.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said dirty sealed pod and said clean sealed pod each comprise front opening unified pods.
3. The method of claim 1 further including transporting said clean sealed pod carrying said processed substrate to another processing tool for continued substrate processing.
4. The method of claim 1 further including a second loading port, wherein said dirty sealed pod is received at said first loading port of said processing tool and said clean sealed pod is received at said second loading port of said processing tool.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said dirty and clean sealed pods are simultaneously received at said processing tool.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein said dirty and clean sealed pods are concurrently received at said processing tool, said clean sealed pod being received at said processing tool prior to processing completion of said substrate.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps:
receiving said dirty sealed pod at said first loading port of said processing tool;
transferring said substrate in need of processing from said dirty sealed pod into said chamber;
removing said dirty sealed pod from said first loading port;
receiving said clean sealed pod at said first loading port prior to processing completion of said substrate; and
transferring said processed substrate directly into said clean sealed pod within said first loading port.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said processed substrate comprises a first processed substrate, said method steps further comprising:
removing said dirty sealed pod from said processing tool;
providing a second dirty sealed pod carrying a second substrate in need of processing within said processing tool;
transferring said first processed substrate from said chamber directly into said clean sealed pod within said processing tool;
transferring said second substrate from said second dirty sealed pod into said chamber of said processing tool; and
providing a second clean sealed pod within said processing tool prior to processing completion of said second substrate.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said second substrate is transferred into said chamber simultaneously as said first substrate is transferred into said clean sealed pod.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein said second substrate is transferred into said chamber after said first substrate has been transferred into said clean sealed pod.
11. The method of claim 8 further including repeating said processing steps until all desired substrates have been processed within said processing tool.
12. The method of claim 1 further including said dirty sealed pod carrying a plurality of substrates in need of processing, said plurality of substrates residing in a wafer cassette which is transferred from said dirty sealed pod into said processing tool for processing said substrates within said chamber of said processing tool.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said plurality of processed substrates are transferred from said chamber into said clean sealed pod at said processing tool.
14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
processing said plurality of substrates within said chamber;
providing a plurality of clean sealed pods within said processing tool prior to processing completion of said plurality of substrates;
separating said plurality of processed substrates into subsets of processed substrates; and
transferring said subsets of processed substrates from said chamber directly into said plurality of clean sealed pods within said processing tool.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of transferring said processed substrate from said chamber into said clean sealed pod within said processing tool significantly reduces contamination of said processed substrate.
16. A program storage device readable by a processor capable of executing instructions, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for swapping pods within a processing tool in an automated material handling system, said method steps comprising:
providing a dirty sealed pod carrying at least one substrate in need of processing;
receiving said dirty sealed pod at a first loading port of a processing tool for semiconductor fabrication;
transferring said at least one substrate in need of processing from said dirty sealed pod at said first loading port into a chamber of said processing tool;
processing said at least one substrate in said chamber by subjecting said substrate to a semiconductor fabrication process;
removing said dirty sealed pod from said first loading port;
providing at least one clean sealed pod prior to completion of processing said substrate; and
upon completion of processing said substrate, transferring said processed at least one substrate from said chamber into said at least one clean sealed pod such that said dirty and clean sealed pods are integrated within said semiconductor fabrication processing tool for performing said steps within the processing tool run time and eliminating the use of an external tool for swapping said substrate from said dirty sealed pod to said clean sealed pod.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate resides in a wafer cassette in each of said dirty and clean sealed pods, whereby said clean sealed pod transports said processed substrate residing in said wafer cassette to another processing tool for continued substrate processing.