Stocker system
AssigneeBrooks Automation (Germany) GmbH
InventorsLutz REBSTOCK, Michael Alexander SCHWETZ
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Stocker system for storage of a plurality of reticles, especially EUV reticles, including a plurality of storage pods each adapted to hold one of the reticles in their interior, and to be stacked vertically one above the other to provide a stack, each of the storage pods including a passageway with an inlet, an outlet and a first opening, wherein inlets and outlets of adjacent passageways are arranged such that a duct extending through the stack is provided, through which a purge gas can be blown, and the purge gas blown through the duct can enter the interior of each storage pod through its respective first opening.
Claims19
A stocker system for storage of a plurality of reticles, especially EUV reticles, comprising a plurality of storage pods each adapted to hold one of said reticles in their interior, and to be stacked vertically one above the other to provide a stack, each of the storage pods comprising a passageway with an inlet, an outlet and a first opening, wherein inlets and outlets of adjacent passageways are arranged such that a duct extending through the stack is provided, through which a purge gas can be transported, and the purge gas transported through the duct can enter the interior of each storage pod through its respective first opening, wherein the first opening of the passageway is provided with a particle filter.
A method of handling a reticle, especially an EUV reticle, comprising the following steps:
- transporting the reticle between a place of use and a place of storage, or vice versa, in a transportation pod, transferring the reticle from the transportation pod to a storage pod, or vice versa, and storing the reticle at the place of storage in the storage pod.
A device for retrieving a first reticle pod from a stack of reticle pods 100, comprising a first handling element for handling the first reticle pod, and a second handling element adapted to handle a second reticle pod, the second reticle pod being arranged adjacent and vertically above the first reticle pod within the stack of reticle pods 100, wherein the first handling element and the second element are adapted to be individually displaceable in a horizontal direction and displaceable in a vertical direction such that the second reticle pod can be lifted off the first reticle pod and the first reticle pod can be lifted off a third reticle pod the third reticle pod being arranged adjacent and vertically under the first reticle pod within the stack of reticle pods100, the first reticle pod can be retrieved form the stack of reticle pods and the second reticle pod can be placed on the third reticle pod.
A storage pod configured and adapted to store a reticle within a stocker, comprising a base plate and a cover, wherein a latch mechanism is provided for holding together base plate and cover in a releasable manner, the storage pod being provided with alignment features configured and adapted to enable mechanical alignment with an adjacent storage pod in a stacked configuration of storage pods, further comprising a passageway with an inlet, an outlet and a first opening, wherein inlets and outlets are configured and adapted such that inlets and outlets of adjacent passageways of adjacent storage pods in a stacked configuration are arranged such that a duct extending through the stacked configuration is provided, through which a purge gas can be transported, and wherein the first opening is configured and adapted such that purge gas transported through the duct can enter an interior of the storage pod through its first opening, wherein the first opening of the passageway is provided with a particle filter, wherein the first opening of the passageway is provided with a particle filter.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.