发明名称 Sealed substrate carriers and systems and methods for transporting substrates
摘要 An electronic device manufacturing system is disclosed. The system includes a processing tool having one or more processing chambers each adapted to perform an electronic device manufacturing process on one or more substrates; a substrate carrier adapted to couple to the system and carry one or more substrates; and a component adapted to create a sealed environment relative to at least a portion of the substrate carrier and to substantially equalize the sealed environment with an environment within the substrate carrier. Methods of the invention are described as are numerous other aspects.
申请公布号 US8870512(B2) 申请公布日期 2014.10.28
申请号 US200812257376 申请日期 2008.10.23
申请人 Applied Materials, Inc. 发明人 Rice Michael Robert;Hudgens Jeffrey C.
分类号 H01L21/677;H01L21/673 主分类号 H01L21/677
代理机构 Dugan & Dugan, PC 代理人 Dugan & Dugan, PC
主权项 1. An electronic device manufacturing system, comprising: a processing tool having one or more processing chambers each adapted to perform an electronic device manufacturing process on one or more substrates; a substrate carrier comprising a main body including a front face, a door set within the front face, and a flange which extends outward from the main body and is set back rearwardly from the front face, the substrate carrier configured to have a first interior sealed environment, the substrate carrier adapted to couple to the system and carry one or more substrates, the substrate carrier including a sealing surface on the flange surrounding the door; one or more ports integral with the substrate carrier and coupled to the first sealed environment, the one or more ports adapted for evacuating and/or filling the first sealed environment of the substrate carrier with one of an inert gas and a non-reactive gas; and one of a load port and a load lock chamber adapted to dock with the substrate carrier, and wherein a surface feature of one of the load port and the load lock chamber contacts the sealing surface of the substrate carrier situated on the substrate carrier flange to create a second sealed environment surrounding the door of the substrate carrier to substantially equalize the sealed environment within one of the load port and the load lock chamber with the first sealed environment within the substrate carrier via the one or more ports before the door of the substrate carrier is opened and wherein the sealing surface of the flange is capable of sustaining a vacuum seal between the substrate carrier and either the load port or the load lock chamber; wherein in a state that the one of the load port and the load lock chamber is docked with the substrate carrier, the one or more substrate carrier ports are within the second sealed environment.
地址 Santa Clara CA US