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US 10,518,418 B2Granted
Wafer swapper
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsDale R. Du Bois, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Karthik Janakiraman, Hari K. Ponnekanti, Sanjeev Baluja, Prajeeth Wilton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor process equipment used to transfer semiconductor substrates between process chambers. More specifically, embodiments described herein are related to systems and methods used to transfer, or swap, semiconductor substrates between process chambers using a transport device that employs at least two blades for the concurrent transfer of substrates between processing chambers.
Claims19
A system for processing a substrate, comprising:
- at least two processing chambers each having a slit valve and a substrate support configured to receive a substrate;
- and
- a transfer chamber operatively connecting the at least two processing chambers and having a maximum width less than a surface dimension of the substrate support, the transfer chamber comprising:
- a slide assembly disposed within the transfer chamber;
- a stepper motor operatively connected with the slide assembly;
- and
- two robot blades coupled to the slide assembly.
4 more elements
A system for processing a substrate, comprising:
- a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber;
- a substrate transfer chamber having a first side coupled to the first processing chamber and a second side opposite the first side, the second side coupled to the second processing chamber;
- a linear slide operatively connected with the substrate transfer chamber;
- a first robot blade and a second robot blade operatively connected with the slide and disposed within the substrate transfer chamber, wherein the first robot blade extends between a first position proximate to a first substrate support and a second position proximate to a second substrate support, and the second robot blade extends between the second position proximate to the second substrate support and the first position proximate to the first substrate support;
- and
- a servo motor operatively connected to move the slide.
3 more elements
A system for processing a substrate, comprising:
- a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber;
- a substrate transfer chamber having a first side coupled to the first processing chamber and a second side opposite the first side, the second side coupled to the second processing chamber;
- a slide operatively connected with the substrate transfer chamber;
- a first robot blade and a second robot blade operatively connected with the slide and disposed within the substrate transfer chamber, wherein the first robot blade extends between a first position proximate to a first substrate support and a second position proximate to a second substrate support, and the second robot blade extends between the second position proximate to the second substrate support and the first position proximate to the first substrate support, wherein the substrate transfer chamber has a maximum width that is less than a surface dimension of the first substrate support and the second substrate support, and
- a servo motor operatively connected to move the slide.
2 more elements
A method for swapping a substrate between a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, comprising:
- raising a first substrate in the first processing chamber from a first position on a first substrate support to a second position above the first substrate support;
- raising a second substrate in the second processing chamber from a third position on a second substrate support to a fourth position above the second substrate support;
- securing the first substrate with a first robot blade at the second position;
- securing the second substrate with a second robot blade at the fourth position;
- operating the first robot blade to move the first substrate from the second position in the first processing chamber to the fourth position in the second processing chamber;
- operating the second robot blade to move the second substrate from the fourth position in the second processing chamber to the second position in the first processing chamber, wherein the operating of the second robot blade occurs concurrently with the operating of the first robot blade, and wherein the second robot blade moves the second substrate below the first robot blade;
- removing the first substrate from the first robot blade inside the second processing chamber and removing the second substrate from the second robot blade inside the first processing chamber;
- and
- retracting the first robot blade and the second robot blade into a transfer chamber, wherein the transfer chamber has a maximum width that is less than a surface dimension of the first substrate support and the second substrate support.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.