Load port
AssigneeSinfonia Technology Co., Ltd.
InventorsMitsuo Natsume, Shin Kawahisa, Takumi Mizokawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A load port is disclosed which allows a wafer to be transferred between the inside of a FOUP and the inside of a semiconductor fabrication apparatus even during a purge operation. The load port is provided adjacent the semiconductor fabrication apparatus in a clean room and includes a purge stage having a purge port through which a gas atmosphere in the FOUP is replaced into nitrogen gas or dry air, an opener stage provided in a juxtaposed relationship with the purge stage and having an opening communicating with the inside of the semiconductor fabrication apparatus and a door section capable of opening and closing the opening, and a moving mechanism for moving the FOUP between the purge stage and the opener stage.
Claims20
A load port system to receive and process sealable pods, comprising:
- a purge stage including a purge portion that discharges a first gas from an inside of a sealable pod and introduces a second gas to the inside of the sealable pod;
- an opener stage including a closeable opening communicating an inside of a fabrication apparatus with the inside of the sealable pod;
- and
- a moving mechanism to move the sealable pod between the purge stage and the opener stage.
A method of loading a semiconductor fabrication apparatus, the method comprising:
- replacing a gas atmosphere inside a first sealable pod with another gas while the sealable pod is located in a first position;
- moving the first sealable pod to a second position;
- and
- opening the first sealable pod in the second position;
- opening the semiconductor fabrication apparatus to allow communication between the inside of the semiconductor fabrication apparatus and the inside of the first sealable pod;
- and
- transferring one or more wafers between the inside of the first sealable pod and the inside of the semiconductor fabricator apparatus.
A load port system provided adjacent a semiconductor fabrication apparatus in a clean room to receive a FOUP and to transfer wafers accommodated in the FOUP between the inside of the semiconductor fabrication apparatus and the inside of the FOUP, comprising:
- a purge stage including a purge portion through which a gas atmosphere in the FOUP is replaced with nitrogen gas or dry air;
- an opener stage provided in a juxtaposed relationship with the purge stage and including an opening communicating with the inside of the semiconductor fabrication apparatus and a door section to open and close the opening;
- and
- a moving mechanism to move the FOUP between the purge stage and the opener stage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.