Back to results
US 2020/0373181 A1Published application
Systems and methods for wafer pod alignment
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manafacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorChao-Hsiang LIU
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an embodiment, a wafer pod includes: a cavity configured to receive and store a wafer; an alignment fiducial within the cavity, wherein: the alignment fiducial comprises two lines orthogonal to each other, and the alignment fiducial is configured to be detected by a robotic arm alignment sensor disposed on a robotic arm, wherein the alignment fiducial defines an alignment orientation for a robotic arm gripper hand to enter into the cavity.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- collecting alignment sensor data that characterizes alignment of a gripper hand with an alignment fiducial within a cavity of a wafer pod;
- determining an alignment orientation for the gripper hand for entry into the cavity based on the alignment sensor data;
- and
- moving the gripper hand in the alignment orientation into the cavity.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- storing a wafer in a cavity of a container;
- providing an alignment fiducial within the cavity, wherein the alignment fiducial comprises a first line extending along a central vertical axis of a rear wall of the cavity and a second line extending along a central horizontal axis of a ceiling or floor of the cavity, wherein the first and second lines are orthogonal to each other;
- and
- detecting the alignment fiducial by a robotic arm alignment sensor disposed on a robotic arm configured to retrieve the wafer from the container, wherein the alignment fiducial defines an alignment orientation for a robotic arm gripper hand to enter into the cavity.
1 more element
A method, comprising:
- securing a wafer contained within a cavity of a wafer pod with a gripper hand of a robotic arm;
- detecting an alignment of the gripper hand to an alignment fiducial within the cavity of the wafer pod, wherein the fiducial comprises a first line extending along a central vertical axis of a rear wall of the cavity and a second line extending along a central horizontal axis of a ceiling or floor of the cavity, wherein the first and second lines are orthogonal to each other;
- and
- moving the gripper hand based on the detected alignment within the cavity.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.