High-throughput semiconductor-processing apparatus equipped with multiple dual-chamber modules

A wafer-processing apparatus, comprising:

• multiple discrete units of reactors disposed on the same plane, each unit having two reactors arranged with their fronts aligned in a line;
• a wafer-handling chamber including two wafer-handling robot arms, each having at least two end-effectors accessible to the two reactors of each unit simultaneously, said wafer-handling chamber having a polygonal shape having multiple sides corresponding to and being attached to the multiple discrete units, respectively, and one additional side for a load lock chamber, all the sides being disposed on the same plane;
• a load lock chamber for loading or unloading two wafers simultaneously, said load lock chamber being attached to the one additional side of the wafer-handling chamber, wherein each wafer-handling robot arm is accessible to the load lock chamber;
• multiple discrete gas boxes for controlling gases corresponding to and being connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively, said multiple discrete gas boxes being disposed under the corresponding multiple discrete units;
• and
• multiple discrete electric boxes for controlling electric systems corresponding to and being detachably connected to the multiple discrete units, respectively, said multiple discrete electric boxes being disposed under the corresponding multiple discrete units and next to the corresponding multiple discrete gas boxes, wherein the electric boxes have casters at their bottoms and are movable,
• wherein the gas boxes and the electric boxes are arranged alternately, respectively, about the perimeter of the wafer-handling chamber as viewed from above, such that one gas box and one electric box pair are disposed under each discrete unit,
• wherein, for each pair, a side face of the gas box faces away from a side face of the electric box, and respective lines extending along these side faces intersect at the center of the polygonal shape as viewed from above,
• said wafer-processing apparatus having a standard position and a maintenance position wherein:
• at the standard position, the multiple discrete units, the multiple discrete gas boxes, and the multiple discrete electric boxes are compactly and closely disposed, without pulling out the gas boxes from their respective positions occupied in the standard position, in a manner being insufficient to conduct maintenance of the multiple discrete units, and
• at the maintenance position, the electric boxes are pulled out outwardly using the casters in directions roughly orthogonally to front sides of the electric boxes, respectively, without pulling out the gas boxes from their respective positions occupied in the standard position, without being electrically disconnected from the corresponding units, in a manner making sides of the gas boxes accessible for performing maintenance of the gas boxes at their respective positions occupied in the standard position, while making sides of the electric boxes accessible for performing maintenance of the electric boxes at the pulled out position.