SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER PROCESSING SYSTEM EQUIPPED WITH VERTICALLY-STACKED PROCESSING CHAMBER AND SINGLE-SHAFT DOUBLE-WAFER CARRIER SYSTEM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor wafer processing system configured in a way that one unprocessed wafer and one processed wafer can be carried together. SOLUTION: This semiconductor wafer processing system consists of a multi-chamber module equipped with vertically stacked semiconductor wafer processing chambers and a dedicated load lock chamber for each semiconductor wafer processing chamber. Each processing chamber contains a chuck for holding a wafer during wafer processing. The multi-chamber module may be oriented in a linear array. This system also contains equipment with a single-axis double-wafer transportation arm including a monolithic arm attached in a way that it can turn around the single pivot axis within the above load lock chamber. This equipment is configured in a way that two wafers, one unprocessed wafer and one processed wafer, can be carried together between the load lock chamber and processing chamber. A method for using the disclosed system is also provided. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI