Methods and apparatus for enhanced operation of substrate carrier handlers
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsMichael Teferra, Amitabh Puri, Eric Englhardt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, tools, and methods are provided in which a first signal is transmitted from a tool to a Fab indicating that all substrates to be processed have been removed from a specific carrier and that the specific carrier may be temporarily unloaded from a loadport of the tool. A second signal is transmitted from the tool to the Fab indicating that the specific carrier may be returned to the tool. While the carrier is unloaded from the tool, other carriers may be loaded on the vacated loadport. Numerous other features and aspects of the invention are disclosed.
Claims19
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- providing a substrate loading station;
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport of the substrate loading station associated with the process tool;
- removing all the unprocessed substrates from the first carrier to provide an empty first carrier;
- temporarily unloading the empty first carrier from the first load port and transferring the empty first carrier to a storage location of the substrate loading station;
- loading a second carrier containing unprocessed substrates on the first loadport vacated by the empty first carrier;
- and
- loading an empty carrier to a second loadport of the substrate loading station associated with the process tool, where the empty carrier is one of the empty first carrier and a different empty carrier than the empty first carrier.
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport associated with the process tool;
- removing all the unprocessed substrates from the first carrier to provide an empty first carrier;
- temporarily unloading the first carrier from the first load port and transferring the first carrier to a storage location;
- loading a second carrier containing unprocessed substrates on the first loadport vacated by the first carrier;
- loading an empty carrier to a second loadport associated with the process tool;
- and
- determining a proximity of the storage location based upon an estimate of when the empty first carrier will be needed for loading to a loadport of the process tool.
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport associated with the process tool;
- removing all the unprocessed substrates from the first carrier to provide an empty first carrier;
- temporarily unloading the first carrier from the first load port and transferring the first carrier to a storage location;
- loading a second carrier containing unprocessed substrates on the first loadport vacated by the first carrier;
- loading an empty carrier to a second loadport associated with the process tool;
- and
- estimating a reload time to load the empty carrier to the second loadport.
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport associated with the process tool;
- removing all the unprocessed substrates from the first carrier to provide an empty first carrier;
- temporarily unloading the first carrier from the first load port and transferring the first carrier to a storage location;
- loading a second carrier containing unprocessed substrates on the first loadport vacated by the first carrier;
- loading an empty carrier to a second loadport associated with the process tool;
- and
- pre-positioning the empty carrier at an intermediate location closer to the second loadport prior to an actual reload request.
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- providing a substrate loading station;
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport of the substrate loading station associated with the process tool;
- removing unprocessed substrates from the first carrier, to provide an empty first carrier;
- temporarily unloading the empty first carrier from the first loadport and transferring the empty first carrier to a storage location of the substrate loading station;
- and thereafter
- loading the empty first carrier to a loadport of the substrate loading station associated with the process tool other than the first loadport.
A method of transferring substrates within a process tool, comprising:
- loading a first carrier containing unprocessed substrates to a first loadport associated with the process tool;
- removing unprocessed substrates from the first carrier, making the first carrier empty;
- temporarily unloading the first carrier from the first loadport and transferring the first carrier to a storage location;
- and thereafter
- loading the empty first carrier to a loadport associated with the process tool other than the first loadport;
- and
- determining a proximity of the storage location based upon an estimate of when the empty first carrier will be needed for loading to a loadport of the process tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.