SEMI-CONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEM

摘要

A semiconductor processing system which includes: a first semiconductor wafer cassette for housing semiconductor wafers; a first transfer pod for enclosing the first cassette airtightly, the first pod having a box-like pod body with an open bottom and a bottom plate detachably attached to the pod body for closing the bottom of the pod body; a wafer processing equipment having a loading for receiving the cassette and a canopy covering the loading port, the processing equipment processing the wafer in the first cassette when the cassette is received in the loading port; and a first mechanism for transferring the first cassette between the loading port of the processing equipment and the first pod without exposing the cassette and the wafers therein to outside contamination. The first transferring mechanism includes: an inlet port, provided on the canopy of the processing equipment at the position directly above the loading port, for placing the first pod on the inlet port, the inlet port including a port assembly for attaching and detaching the bottom plate of the first pod to and from the pod body when the first pod is placed on the inlet port; and a first lift mechanism, arranged mainly between the loading and inlet ports, for conveying the bottom plate of the first pod between the loading and inlet ports when the bottom plate of the pod is detached from the body.