Semiconductor manufacturing systems
View Patent ↗Linear semiconductor handling systems provide more balanced processing capacity using various techniques to provide increased processing capacity to relatively slow processes. This may include use of hexagonal vacuum chambers to provide additional facets for slow process modules, use of circulating process modules to provide more processing capacity at a single facet of a vacuum chamber, or the use of wide process modules having multiple processing sites. This approach may be used, for example, to balance processing capacity in a typical process that includes plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition steps and bevel etch steps.
1. An apparatus comprising:
an equipment front end module that physically handles workpieces in atmosphere;
a load lock coupled to the equipment front end module and positioned to receive workpieces therefrom, the load lock providing for transfer of workpieces between atmosphere and a vacuum environment;
a first vacuum chamber containing a robot, the first vacuum chamber having four facets, one of the four facets selectively coupled to the load lock by an isolation valve;
two process modules that provide a first process, the two process modules coupled in a vacuum-sealed engagement to two opposing ones of the four facets in a vacuum-sealed engagement;
two wide process modules, each having two entrances, and each providing a second process; and
a second vacuum chamber containing two robots and a transfer station, the second vacuum chamber coupled in a vacuum-sealed engagement to one of the four facets of the first vacuum chamber, the two wide process modules positioned on opposing sides of the second vacuum chamber with each of the robots of the second vacuum chamber positioned between an entrance of each of the two wide process modules, the robots further positioned to transfer workpieces between one another;
wherein workpieces can be transferred among the load lock, the two process modules, and the two wide process modules in vacuum by the robots of the first vacuum chamber and the second vacuum chamber, and wherein a processing speed of the two process modules is substantially balanced with the processing speed of the two wide process modules.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the load lock includes a preheat station.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transfer station is adapted to perform one or more of a heating, a cooling, an aligning, an inspection, a metrology, a testing or a cleaning.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first process is a bevel etch process.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second process is a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the two process modules are selectively coupled to two opposing ones of the four facets of the first vacuum chamber by isolation valves.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second vacuum chamber is coupled to one of the four facets of the first vacuum chamber by an isolation valve.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of isolation valves that selectively isolate the entrances of the two wide process modules from the second vacuum chamber.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a rear-exit handler coupled through a second load lock to the second vacuum chamber, thereby providing a second exit point for workpieces from a vacuum interior of the apparatus.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the rear-exit handler further provides a second entry point for workpieces into the vacuum interior of the apparatus.