Sensor methods and systems for semiconductor handling

1 . A robotic wafer manufacturing system comprising:

a robotic component;

a workpiece; and

a sensor for monitoring a process performed on the workpiece by the robotic component, wherein the sensor is placed outside the turn radius of the robotic component.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides real time sensing of the position of the workpiece.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses position in at least two dimensions.

4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses position in at least two co-planar dimensions.

5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses position in at least a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension relative to the movement of the robotic component.

6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a horizontal sensor.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is used to optimize a fabrication process.

8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is used to position a robotic component in a handling process.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a horizontal beam for detecting the vertical position of at least one of the robotic component and the workpiece.

10 . The system of claim 9 wherein the sensor includes a vertical beam for detecting the horizontal position of at least one of the robotic component and the workpiece.

11 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes at least one of a light sensor, a contact sensor, a proximity sensor, a sonic sensor, a capacitive sensor, and a magnetic sensor.

12 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a vertical proximity sensor.

13 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a horizontal proximity sensor.

14 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors diagonally arranged.

15 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of proximity sensors in a plurality of locations.

16 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a sensor for detecting movement of at least one of the workpiece, the robotic component, and an effector arm.

17 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors used to determine a position of the robotic component.

18 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of sensors positioned to detect a final position of the robotic component.

19 . The system of claim 18 wherein the final position is an extended position.

20 . The system of claim 18 wherein the final position is a retracted position.

21 . The system of claim 18 wherein the final position is an interim position between an extended position and a retracted position.

22 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides a signal used to verify a path of the workpiece.

23 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides a signal used to verify a path of the robotic component.

24 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor detects the workpiece shifting out of location.

25 . The system of claim 24 wherein the fabrication process is stopped in response to a signal from the sensor that the workpiece has shifted out of location.

26 . The system of claim 25 wherein the robotic arm moves the workpiece to a safe location.

27 . The system of claim 26 wherein the robotic arm moves the workpiece automatically.

28 . The system of claim 26 wherein the robotic arm moves the workpiece under user control.

29 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is used to prevent collision of at least one of the robotic arm or the workpiece with the robotic wafer fabrication system.

30 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor communicates to a transmitter.

31 . The system of claim 30 wherein the transmitter includes a wireless transmitter.

32 . The system of claim 31 wherein the wireless transmitter communicates a sensor signal from the sensor to a wireless receiver.

33 . The system of claim 32 wherein the wireless receiver is connected to a processor.

34 . The system of claim 33 wherein the processor indicates to a user a location of the sensor.

35 . The system of claim 32 wherein the sensor signal indicates a location of the sensor.

36 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a battery that supplies power to the sensor.

37 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a battery that supplies power to a transmitter coupled to the sensor.

38 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensors are used to train the robotic component.

39 . The system of claim 38 wherein the robotic component is trained in a vacuum.

40 . The system of claim 38 wherein the sensor is wirelessly coupled to an external receiver, thereby preventing a need to vent the vacuum to atmosphere and the need to bake moisture out of a processing module of the wafer fabrication system after exposure to atmospheric conditions.

41 . The system of claim 1 wherein sensor feedback provides a position of the sensor.

42 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is attached to the workpiece.

43 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is placed within a processing module of the wafer fabrication system.

44 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is used in a hazardous environment.

45 . The system of claim 1 wherein a user controls the robotic component based upon sensor feedback.

46 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is used for non-collision training of the robotic component.

47 . The system of claim 46 wherein the non-collision training prevents collision of at least one of the workpiece or the robotic component.

48 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides a location of the robotic component, the robotic component including one or more robotic arms.

49 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides a location of the workpiece, the workpiece including a semiconductor wafer.

50 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor provides an orientation of the workpiece, the workpiece including a semiconductor wafer.

51 . The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is positioned within a processing module of the wafer fabrication system.

52 . A method for instrumenting a robotic wafer manufacturing system comprising:

providing a robotic component;

providing a workpiece; and

positioning a sensor on at least one of the robotic component, the workpiece, and a chamber of a processing module surrounding the robotic component and the workpiece, the sensor monitoring a fabrication process performed on the workpiece by the robotic component, wherein the sensor is positioned outside the turn radius of the robotic component.

53 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor provide real time sensing of the position of the workpiece.

54 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor senses position in at least two dimensions.

55 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor senses position in at least two co-planar dimensions.

56 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor senses position in at least a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension relative to the movement of the robotic component.

57 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor is a horizontal sensor.

58 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor is used to optimize a fabrication process.

59 . The method of claim 52 wherein the sensor is used to position a robotic component in a handling process.

60 . A method comprising:

providing a robotic arm for a semiconductor manufacturing process; and

providing a plurality of sensors for detecting a position within a processing module of the manufacturing process, the position including a vertical position and a horizontal position.

61 . The method of claim 60 wherein the sensors detect a position of an end effector of the robotic arm.

62 . The method of claim 60 wherein the sensors detect a position of the robotic arm.

63 . The method of claim 60 wherein the sensors detect a position of a workpiece held by an end effector of the robotic arm.

64 . The method of claim 60 wherein the workpiece is a wafer, at least one of the sensors positioned to be covered by the wafer when the robotic arm is retracted.

65 . The method of claim 60 wherein the workpiece is a wafer, and wherein at least one of the sensors is placed outside a radius of the wafer so that the sensor detects a leading edge of the wafer and a trailing edge of the wafer during a movement of the wafer between an extended and a retracted position of the robotic arm.

66 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the sensor includes a horizontal beam for detecting the vertical position of at least one of the robotic component and the workpiece.

67 . The method of claim 66 wherein the sensor includes a vertical beam for detecting the horizontal position of at least one of the robotic component and the workpiece.

68 . The method of claim 66 wherein a detection of the leading edge and the trailing edge is used to determine whether the wafer is centered on an effector of the robotic arm.

69 . The method of claim 60 wherein the sensors include an optical beam breaking sensor.

70 . The method of claim 60 wherein at least two of the sensors are positioned across a vacuum chamber from each other.

71 . The method of claim 60 wherein the sensors are arranged along a diagonal of a vacuum chamber.

72 . The method of claim 60 further comprising providing a mirror to direct a beam from at least one of the sensors within a vacuum chamber.

73 . The method of claim 60 further comprising detecting a position of the robotic arm to train the robotic arm to perform a semiconductor handling action.

74 . A handling method, comprising:

providing a workpiece with a sensor for detecting a condition in proximity to the workpiece;

disposing the workpiece in a handling system; and

receiving data from the sensor in order to detect a condition related to handling of the workpiece by the handling system.

75 . The method of claim 74 wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer

76 . The method of claim 74 wherein the workpiece is configured in the shape of a semiconductor wafer.

77 . The method of claim 74 wherein the sensor is at least one of a proximity sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, a thermometer, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, a radiation detector, and a magnetic sensor.

78 . The method of claim 74 further comprising transmitting radio frequency data from the sensor.

79 . The method of claim 74 further comprising communicating data from the sensor to the handling system.

80 . The method of claim 74 further comprising detecting a proximity of the workpiece to a feature of the handling system.

81 . The method of claim 80 further comprising training the robotic arm in a semiconductor handling process using data from the sensor.

82 . The method of claim 74 wherein the handling system is a semiconductor handling system.

83 . A system comprising:

a handling system;

a workpiece disposed within the handling system; and

a sensor connected to the workpiece, the sensor detecting a condition in proximity to the workpiece, the sensor providing a signal related to the condition.

84 . The system of claim 83 wherein the workpiece is a semiconductor wafer

85 . The system of claim 83 wherein the workpiece is configured in the shape of a semiconductor wafer.

86 . The system of claim 83 wherein the sensor is at least one of a proximity sensor, a capacitive sensor, an optical sensor, a thermometer, a pressure sensor, a chemical sensor, a radiation detector, and a magnetic sensor.

87 . The system of claim 83 further comprising a transmitter for transmitting radio frequency data from the sensor.

88 . The system of claim 83 wherein the workpiece has a data connection to the handling system.

89 . The system of claim 83 wherein the sensor detects a proximity of the workpiece to a feature of the handling system.

90 . The system of claim 89 wherein the robotic arm is trained to perform a semiconductor handling process using data from the sensor.

91 . The system of claim 83 wherein the handling system is a semiconductor handling system.