Retrofitting Cleanroom Fabricators into Cleanspace Fabricators

1 . A method of producing cleanspace fabricators, said method comprising the steps of:

removing at least a first portion of processing tools from a first cleanroom fabricator;

isolating a portion of a first cleanroom fabricator with at least a first cleanspace wall, wherein the isolated portion comprises an area occupied by the first portion of processing tools that has been removed from the first cleanroom fabricator;

configuring flooring levels consistent with a cleanspace fabricator;

fixing multiple substrate processing tools in a first matrix comprising at least two of the processing tools oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a fabricator cleanspace comprising a first boundary and a second boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools.

2 . The method of claim 1 additionally comprising:

storing at least a first substrate in a carrier while the substrate is transported between two or more of the processing tools;

receiving the substrate carrier into a first processing tool port, wherein each tool is sealed to a respective opening in at least one of the first boundary and the second boundary;

removing the substrate from the cleanspace comprising the substrate carrier into a cleanspace comprising the first tool port; performing a first process on the substrate in the first tool;

containing the substrate in the substrate carrier subsequent to the performance of the first process; transporting the substrate carrier to a second tool port;

removing the substrate from the cleanspace comprising the substrate carrier into a cleanspace comprising the second tool port; and

performing a second process on the substrate in the second tool.

3 . The method of claim 2 additionally comprising:

fixing a second set of multiple substrate processing tools in a second matrix comprising at least two of the second processing tools oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a second fabricator cleanspace comprising a third boundary and a fourth boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools;

removing the substrate carrier from the first fabricator cleanspace;

placing the substrate carrier into the second fabricator cleanspace.

4 . A method of forming a cleanspace fabricator, said method comprising:

Removing processing tools from a first cleanroom fabricator;

configuring flooring levels consistent with a cleanspace fabricator;

fixing multiple substrate processing tools in a first matrix comprising at least two of the processing tools being oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a fabricator cleanspace comprising a first boundary and a second boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools;

5 . The method of claim 4 additionally comprising:

storing at least a first substrate in a carrier while a substrate is transported between two or more of the processing tools;

receiving the substrate carrier into a first processing tool port, wherein each tool is sealed to a respective opening in at least one of the first boundary and the second boundary;

removing the substrate from the substrate carrier into a first tool port;

performing a first process on the substrate in the first tool;

containing the substrate in the substrate carrier subsequent to the performance of the first process; transporting the substrate carrier to a second tool port;

removing the substrate from the substrate carrier into a second tool port; and

performing a second process on the substrate in the second tool.

6 . The method of claim 5 additionally comprising:

fixing a second set of multiple substrate processing tools in a second matrix comprising at least two of the second processing tools oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a second fabricator cleanspace comprising a third boundary and a fourth boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools;

removing the substrate carrier from the first fabricator cleanspace;

placing the substrate carrier into the second fabricator cleanspace.

7 . A method of producing cleanspace fabricators ; said method comprising:

removing at least a first portion of processing tools from a first cleanroom fabricator;

isolating the portion of a first cleanroom fabricator where the first portion of processing tools has been removed from the rest of the first cleanroom fabricator with at least a first cleanspace wall;

configuring tooling support levels consistent with a cleanspace fabricator within the cleanroom fabricator;

fixing multiple substrate processing tools in a first matrix comprising at least two of the processing tools oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a fabricator cleanspace comprising a first boundary and a second boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools.

8 . The method of claim 7 additionally comprising:

storing at least a first substrate in a carrier while a substrate is transported between two or more of the processing tools;

receiving the substrate carrier into a first processing tool port, wherein each tool is sealed to a respective opening in at least one of the first boundary and the second boundary;

removing the substrate from the substrate carrier into a cleanspace comprising the first tool port; performing a first process on the substrate in the first tool;

containing the substrate in the substrate carrier subsequent to the performance of the first process; transporting the substrate carrier to a second tool port;

removing the substrate from the substrate carrier into a second tool port; and

performing a second process on the substrate in the second tool.

9 . The method of claim 8 additionally comprising:

fixing a second set of multiple substrate processing tools in a second matrix comprising at least two of the second processing tools being oriented in a vertical dimension in relation to each other wherein said multiple processing tools are at least partially located in a second fabricator cleanspace comprising a third boundary and a fourth boundary and each of the processing tools is capable of independent operation and removable in a discrete fashion relative to other processing tools;

removing the substrate carrier from the first fabricator cleanspace;

placing the substrate carrier into the second fabricator cleanspace.