US 2010/0143081 A1 · Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and method

Abstract

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a load port supporting a FOUP holding a plurality of wafers, a process module performing a semiconductor manufacturing process on the plurality of wafers, an equipment front end module disposed between the load port and the process module, providing a clean area, and including an opener for opening and closing a door of the FOUP, a transfer module sequentially transferring the plurality of wafers between the FOUP and the process module, and a purge module spraying a purge gas toward the plurality of wafers in the FOUP when the door is open to connect the equipment front end module and the FOUP, so as to make gases released from the plurality of wafers be recovered into the equipment front end module.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

at least one load port configured to receive a front opening unified pod(FOUP) holding a plurality of wafers;
at least one process module configured to perform a semiconductor manufacturing process on the plurality of wafers when the FOUP is loaded on the at least one load port;
an equipment front end module (EFEM) disposed between the at least one load port and the process module, the EFEM having a clean environment therein and being in fluid communication with the FOUP when a door of the FOUP is open;
an opener in the EFEM for opening and closing the door of the FOUP;
a transfer module configured to transfer the plurality of wafers between the FOUP and the process module;
and
a purge module configured to spray a purge gas toward the plurality of wafers in the FOUP when the door of the FOUP is open and to remove the purge gas with contaminants from the FOUP to the EFEM.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15