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US 6,149,498 AGranted
Semiconductor wafer handling system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsTheodore G. van Kessel, Chris R. Whitaker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unidirectional gate disposed between interconnecting fluid transport regions in a manufacturing process. The gate allows workpieces to pass from a first transport region to a second transport region but prevents them from returning to the first region after having passed into the second region. The gate may specifically be used in semiconductor wafer manufacturing, especially where wafers exit a water track into a cassette.
Claims14
A semiconductor wafer handling system comprising:
- a polisher having a wafer holder;
- a fluid nozzle connected to said polisher, said nozzle adapted to direct a fluid jet at a wafer to remove the wafer from said wafer holder after said polisher finishes polishing said wafer;
- a fluid transport system having a first portion for transporting said wafer away from said polisher in a path and a second portion;
- an unload cassette in the second portion of the fluid transport system for receiving said wafer leaving said first portion of the fluid transport system;
- and
- a flexible gate located between said first portion and said second portion of said fluid transport system, said gate having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is fixed and the second end is disposed in the path of wafer transport without disrupting fluid flow, and said gate is adapted to allow said wafer to pass from said first portion of the fluid transport system into said second portion of the fluid transport system and also adapted to prevent said wafer from returning to said first portion after having passed into said second portion.
3 more elements
A semiconductor wafer handling system comprising:
- a polisher having a wafer holder;
- a water nozzle connected to said polisher, said nozzle adapted to direct a water jet at a wafer to remove the wafer from said wafer holder after said polisher finishes polishing said wafer;
- a water track defining a substantially horizontal direction for transporting said wafer away from said polisher in a path;
- an unload cassette for receiving said wafer leaving said water track;
- and
- a gate comprising a plurality of lengths of monofilament line, said gate located between said water track and said unload cassette, each of said lengths having a first end fixed above said water track and a second end suspended vertically from said first end such that each length is disposed substantially perpendicular to said horizontal direction in the path of wafer transport without disrupting water flow, said gate adapted to allow said wafer to pass from said water track into said unload cassette and also adapted to prevent said wafer from returning to said water track after having passed into said unload cassette.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.