Wafer feeding apparatus
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsTadahiro Ohmi, Hiromi Kumagai, Yoshiaki Yanagi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer feeding apparatus comprises a horizontally movable arm section, an electrostatic chuck mechanism having a vertically movable support member attached to the arm section and moving mechanism for moving the support member, and an electrostatic chuck attached to the support member and having two semi-circular electrodes located in a manner to be electrically isolated from each other and each having a wafer attraction section and an insulating film formed on the wafer attraction section. A direct-current voltage is across the electrodes to electrostatically attract a semiconductor wafer to the wafer attraction sections of the electrodes through the insulating film.
Claims8
A wafer feeding apparatus comprising:
- a movable arm section;
- an electrostatic chuck transporting mechanism having a movable support member attached to said arm section and movable in a direction different from that in which the arm is movable and moving mechanism for moving the support member;
- an electrostatic chuck attached to said support member of said electrostatic chuck transporting mechanism and having a plurality of electrodes located in a manner to be electrically isolated from each other and each having a wafer attraction section and an insulating film formed on the wafer attraction section;
- and
- means for applying a direct-current voltage across the electrodes to electrostatically attract a semiconductor wafer to the wafer attraction sections of the electrodes through the insulating film.
A wafer feeding apparatus adapted to feed a semiconductor wafer onto a susceptor located within a preparatory chamber and feed it from there to another location, which comprises:
- an arm section movable in a horizontal direction and having a portion movable into and out of the preparatory chamber;
- an electrostatic chuck transporting mechanism having a support member attached to said portion of said arm section and vertically movable toward and away from said susceptor and movable mechanism or moving said support member;
- an electrostatic chuck attached to said support member of said electrostatic chuck transporting mechanism, including wafer attraction sections opposite to said susceptor and having a plurality of plate-like electrodes electrically isolating from each other and an insulating layer attached to the electrode and providing said wafer attraction section;
- and
- means for applying a direct-current voltage between the electrodes to allow the semiconductor wafer to be attracted to the electrodes through said insulating film.
A wafer feeding apparatus comprising:
- an electrostatic chuck having electrode means comprised of a plurality of semicircular electroconductive plates each having a flat portion and a curved marginal portion, and an insulating layer formed on at least one surface of the curved marginal portion, the curved marginal portions being arranged on a circular line to form a wafer attraction section;
- and
- means for moving said electrostatic chuck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.