Apparatus and method for handling wafer carrier doors
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsTsung-Sheng KUO, Yang-Ann CHU, Alan YANG, Vic HUANG, Hsu-Shui LIU, Jiun-Rong PAI
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Abstract
An apparatus for handling wafer carriers in a semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB) is disclosed. In one example, the apparatus includes: a table configured to receive a wafer carrier having a first door and operable to hold a plurality of wafers; an opening mechanism configured to open the first door of the wafer carrier; and a door storage space configured to store the first door. The apparatus may be either located on a floor of the FAB or physically coupled to a ceiling of the FAB.
Claims20
An apparatus for handling wafer carriers in a semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB), comprising:
- a table configured to receive a wafer carrier having a first door and operable to hold a plurality of wafers;
- an opening mechanism configured to open the first door of the wafer carrier;
- a door storage space configured to store the first door;
- a housing comprising an input gateway configured for the wafer carrier to pass through;
- a controller configured to control the table to move the wafer carrier through the input gateway and into a buffering space, wherein the buffering space is configured for a processing tool to process at least one wafer contained in the wafer carrier;
- and
- a light shutter located over the table and configured to capture light information of a wafer transport path between the light shutter and the table.
The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a sensor to detect an object located on a transport path of the wafer carrier.
A method for handling wafer carriers by a device located on a floor of a FAB, comprising:
- receiving a wafer carrier having a first door and operable to hold a plurality of wafers, wherein the wafer carrier is transported by a transport tool;
- opening the first door of the wafer carrier along a first direction;
- storing the first door in a door storage space of the device;
- loading the wafer carrier whose door has been stored in the door storage space, into a processing tool to process at least one wafer in the wafer carrier;
- capturing light information of a wafer transport path through which the wafer carrier is received;
- determining whether there is an obstacle on the wafer transport path based on the light information;
- and
- informing the transport tool when there is an obstacle on the wafer transport path, to stop the transport tool from transporting wafer carriers to the device.
A method for handling wafer carriers by a device in a FAB, comprising:
- receiving a wafer carrier having a first door and operable to hold a plurality of wafers;
- opening the first door of the wafer carrier;
- and
- moving the wafer carrier through an input gateway of the device into a buffering space of the device, wherein the buffering space is configured for a processing tool to process at least one wafer contained in the wafer carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.