Single-and dual-chamber module-attachable wafer-handling chamber
AssigneeASM IP Holding B.V.
InventorIzumi Arai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A single- and dual-chamber module-attachable wafer-handling chamber includes: a wafer-handling main chamber equipped with a wafer-handling robot therein, and adaptors for connecting process modules to the wafer-handling main chamber. The adaptors are detachably attached to the sides of the wafer-handling main chamber, respectively, and the process modules are detachably attached to the adaptors, respectively, so that the process modules can be attached to the wafer-handling main chamber, regardless of whether the process modules are of a single-chamber type or dual-chamber type.
Claims20
A single- and dual-chamber module-attachable wafer-handling chamber, comprising:
- a wafer-handling main chamber having a polygonal shape having multiple sides for connecting process modules thereto, respectively, and one additional side for a load lock chamber, wherein each process module has a single reaction chamber or dual reaction chambers, and each of the multiple sides has a single opening for communicating with the process module connected thereto and has a width sufficient to accommodate two reaction chambers;
- a wafer-handling robot installed inside the wafer-handling main chamber for transferring wafers between chambers connected to the wafer-handling main chamber, said wafer-handling robot being accessible to each of the chambers connected to the wafer-handling main chamber;
- and
- adaptors for connecting the respective process modules to the wafer-handling main chamber, each adaptor having an inner face and an outer face, wherein the inner faces are detachably attached to the multiple sides of the wafer-handling main chamber, respectively, and the outer faces are adapted to detachably attach the process modules thereto, respectively, and each adaptor has a single opening for the process module having a single reaction chamber or two openings for the process module having dual reaction chambers so that wafers can be transferred using the wafer-handling robot between the wafer-handling main chamber and the process modules through the openings of the adaptors and the openings of the multiple sides of the wafer-handling main chamber when the process modules are connected to the multiple sides of the wafer-handling main chamber, respectively, via the respective adaptors.
A single- and multiple-chamber module-attachable wafer-handling chamber comprising:
- a polygonal wafer-handling main chamber equipped with a wafer-handling robot therein, and adaptors for connecting process modules to the wafer-handling main chamber, wherein the adaptors are detachably attached to sides of the wafer-handling main chamber, respectively, and the process modules are detachably attached to the adaptors, respectively, so that the process modules can be attached to the wafer-handling main chamber, regardless of whether the process modules are of a single-chamber type or dual-chamber type.
An adaptor for connecting a process module having a single reaction chamber or dual reaction chambers, to a wafer-handling main chamber having multiple sides, to one of which the process module is connected, and said one of which has a single opening for communicating with the process module connected thereto and has a width sufficient to accommodate two reaction chambers, wherein the adaptor has an inner face and an outer face, wherein the inner face is detachably attachable to the one side of the wafer-handling main chamber, and the outer face is detachably attachable to the process module, said adaptor having a single opening for the process module having a single reaction chamber or two openings for the process module having dual reaction chambers so that a wafer can be transferred between the wafer-handling main chamber and the process module through the opening of the adaptor and the opening of the one side of the wafer-handling main chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.