Method and apparatus for alignment of carriers, carrier handlers and semiconductor handling equipment
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsAlan Rick Lappen, Ronald Vern Schauer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A carrier alignment tool system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a tool and method of using the tool, which emulates the door of a substrate carrier having a removable door. The tool permits the alignment between a door opener mechanism and the load-port or other handler, on which a carrier is to be supported to be tested and corrected, until proper alignment is achieved prior to beginning substrate processing.
Claims43
A metrology tool for aligning a robot having an engagement member for engaging a semiconductor substrate carrier disposed on a tool load-port, comprising:
- a frame having an opening;
- and
- a removable alignment gauge member slidably received in said frame opening, said alignment gauge member having an opening to receive said robot engagement member when inserted in said frame opening.
A metrology tool for aligning a door-opening robot having a pair of registration pins and a pair of latch keys for engaging a pair of registration pin holes and a pair of latch key holes, respectively of a plastic door of a plastic Front-Opening Universal Pod (FOUP) having three plastic receptacles, each receptacle adapted to be disposed on an alignment and support coupling pin of a tool load-port of a factory interface, said metrology tool comprising:
- a metal frame having a metal base plate having three metal receptacles, each receptacle configured and positioned to emulate one of said FOUP receptacles, said frame further having a metal front plate carried by said base plate, and a pair of metal side brace members, each adapted to brace said front plate with respect to said base plate, said front plate defining at least four cylindrical openings;
- first and second cylindrical metal removable registration pin alignment members, each registration pin alignment member being slidably received in a front plate opening and having a cylindrical opening sized and shaped to emulate a FOUP registration pin hole and to receive a robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment member opening is aligned with respect to a robot registration pin, each registration pin alignment member further having a front face positioned to be engaged by a robot registration pin when a robot registration pin is misaligned with respect to the associated registration pin alignment member opening, said registration pin alignment member being adapted to slide when said registration pin alignment member front face is engaged by a robot registration pin;
- and
- first and second cylindrical metal removable latch key alignment members, each latch key alignment member being slidably received in a front plate opening and having a rectagular opening sized and shaped to emulate a FOUP latch key hole and to receive a robot latch key when said latch key alignment member opening is aligned with respect to a robot latch key, each latch key alignment member further having a front face positioned to be engaged by a robot latch key when a robot latch key is misaligned with respect to the associated latch key alignment member opening, said latch key alignment member being adapted to slide when said latch key alignment member front face is engaged by a robot latch key.
A metrology tool kit for aligning a robot having an engagement member for engaging a semiconductor substrate carrier disposed on a load port tool, comprising
- a frame having an opening;
- and
- a plurality of removable alignment gauge members, each alignment gauge member being adapted to be selectably inserted and removed from said frame opening one at a time, each member having an opening to receive said robot engagement member when inserted in said frame opening wherein said member openings differ in size.
A metrology tool for aligning a robot having a pair of registration pins and a pair of latch keys for engaging a door of a substrate carrier disposed on a tool load-port, comprising:
- a frame adapted to be disposed in said tool-load port and having at least four openings;
- first and second removable registration pin alignment members, each registration pin alignment member being slidably received in a frame opening and having an opening sized and shaped to receive a robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment member opening is aligned with respect to a robot registration pin, each registration pin alignment member further having a front face positioned to be engaged by a robot registration pin when a robot registration pin is misaligned with respect to the associated registration pin alignment member opening, said registration pin alignment member being adapted to slide when said registration pin alignment member front face is engaged by a robot registration pin;
- and
- first and second removable latch key alignment members, each latch key alignment member being slidably received in a frame opening and having an opening sized and shaped to receive a robot latch key when said latch key alignment member opening is aligned with respect to a robot latch key, each latch key alignment member further having a front face positioned to be engaged by a robot latch key when a robot latch key is misaligned with respect to the associated latch key alignment member opening, said latch key alignment member being adapted to slide when said latch key alignment member front face is engaged by a robot latch key.
A metrology tool for aligning a robot having a carrier door key for unlatching a carrier door of a substrate carrier disposed on a tool load-port, comprising:
- carrier frame emulation means for resting on said tool load-port and for emulating a substrate carrier frame;
- and
- door emulation means carried by said carrier frame emulation means for emulating a door of said substrate carrier, said door emulation means having an opening and a removable alignment gauge means slidably carried in said door emulation means opening for gauging alignment of a robot door key, said alignment gauge means including opening means for emulating a door key opening, wherein said alignment gauge opening means receives said robot carrier door key when said alignment gauge opening means is carried in alignment with said robot carrier door key and wherein said alignment gauge means slides in response to being engaged by said robot door carrier door key when said alignment gauge means opening is carried in misalignment with said robot carrier door key.
A method of aligning a robot engagement member to a door opening of a carrier door of a substrate carrier disposed on a tool load-port, comprising:
- disposing a frame emulating a carrier frame on said tool load-port;
- placing a first alignment gauge insert into an opening in said frame;
- and
- driving said robot engagement member toward said alignment gauge insert wherein an opening in said alignment gauge receives said robot engagement member when said alignment gauge opening is in alignment with said robot engagement member and wherein said alignment gauge insert slides in response to being engaged by said robot engagement member when said alignment gauge opening is misaligned with said robot engagement member.
The method further comprising rotating said alignment gauge member in a second rotational direction opposite that of said first rotational direction until said engagement member engages an internal surface of said alignment gauge member opening and noting the indicated rotational position when said engagement member engages an internal surface of said alignment gauge member opening.
A method of aligning a robot registration pin and a robot latch key to a carrier door of a semiconductor substrate carrier disposed on a tool load-port, comprising:
- disposing a frame emulating a carrier frame on said tool load-port;
- placing a registration pin alignment gauge insert into an opening in said frame, wherein said registration pin alignment gauge insert has an opening sized and shaped to receive said robot registration pin when registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is aligned with respect to said robot registration pin;
- driving said robot registration pin toward said registration pin alignment gauge insert wherein said registration pin alignment gauge opening receives said robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is in alignment with said robot registration pin and wherein said registration pin alignment gauge insert slides in response to being engaged by said robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is misaligned with said robot engagement member;
- placing a latch key alignment gauge insert into an opening in said frame, wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert has an opening sized and shaped to receive said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge insert opening is aligned with respect to said robot latch key.;
- and
- driving said robot latch key toward said latch key alignment gauge insert wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert opening receives said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge insert opening is in alignment with said robot a latch key and wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert slides in response to being engaged by said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge opening is misaligned with said robot engagement member.
A method of aligning a door-opening robot having a pair of registration pins and a pair of latch keys for engaging a pair of registration pin holes and a pair of latch key holes, respectively of a plastic door of a plastic Front-Opening Universal Pod (FOUP) having three plastic receptacles, each receptacle adapted to be disposed on an alignment and support coupling pin of a tool load-port of a factory interface, comprising:
- disposing a metal frame having three metal receptacles on a plurality of alignment and support coupling pins of a tool load-port of a factory interface, each receptacle configured and positioned to emulate one of said FOUP receptacles on said tool load-port;
- placing a metal registration pin alignment gauge insert into an opening in said frame, wherein said registration pin alignment gauge insert has an opening sized and shaped to emulate a FOUP registration pin hole and to receive said robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is aligned with respect to said robot registration pin;
- driving said robot registration pin toward said registration pin alignment gauge insert wherein said registration pin alignment gauge opening receives said robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is in alignment with said robot registration pin and wherein said registration pin alignment gauge insert slides in response to being engaged by said robot registration pin when said registration pin alignment gauge insert opening is misaligned with said robot engagement member;
- placing a metal latch key alignment gauge insert into an opening in said frame, wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert has an opening sized and shaped to emulate a FOUP latch key hole and to receive said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge insert opening is aligned with respect to said robot latch key;
- and
- driving said robot latch key toward said latch key alignment gauge insert wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert opening receives said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge insert opening is in alignment with said robot a latch key and wherein said latch key alignment gauge insert slides in response to being engaged by said robot latch key when said latch key alignment gauge opening is misaligned with said robot engagement member.
A metrology tool kit for aligning a robot having an engagement member for engaging a substrate carrier disposed on a load port tool, comprising
- a frame having an opening;
- and
- a plurality of removable alignment gauge members, each alignment gauge member being adapted to be selectably inserted and removed from said frame opening one at a time, each member having an opening to receive said robot engagement member when inserted in said frame opening wherein said member openings differ in size.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.