Semiconductor wafer handling and transport
View Patent ↗Modular wafer transport and handling facilities are combined in a variety of ways deliver greater levels of flexibility, utility, efficiency, and functionality in a vacuum semiconductor processing system. Various processing and other modules may be interconnected with tunnel-and-cart transportation systems to extend the distance and versatility of the vacuum environment. Other improvements such as bypass thermal adjusters, buffering aligners, batch processing, multifunction modules, low particle vents, cluster processing cells, and the like are incorporated to expand functionality and improve processing efficiency.
1. A method for moving a wafer in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the method comprising:
retrieving a wafer with a first robotic arm substantially along a processing plane of the semiconductor manufacturing process, where the semiconductor manufacturing process includes a tunnel capable of being sealed for holding a sealed environment, a plurality of ports, and a track for guiding cart motion within the tunnel, each one of the plurality of ports having an isolation valve that opens and closes the port and a second robotic arm operable to reach through the port from outside the tunnel;
transferring the wafer from the first robotic arm to the second robotic arm;
positioning the wafer outside the port of the tunnel;
positioning a cart inside the port of the tunnel, where the cart includes at least a portion of a drive system for propelling the cart through the tunnel;
opening the port;
inserting the second robotic arm into the tunnel and placing the wafer on the cart where the wafer is transferred to the cart substantially along the processing plane;
withdrawing the second robotic arm from the tunnel;
closing the port;
transferring the cart to a tunnel transfer plane for transfer of the wafer longitudinally along the tunnel, where the tunnel transfer plane is substantially parallel with the processing plane and disposed above or below the processing plane.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring the cart to the tunnel transfer plane includes moving the cart in a direction substantially perpendicular to the tunnel transfer plane and the processing plane.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the tunnel provides passage of the cart between two or more substantially independent semiconductor manufacturing process tools.