Vertical wafer buffering system
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsNir Merry, Jacob Newman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wafer buffering system is provided herein. In some embodiments, a wafer buffering system may include a frame having a vertical shaft disposed therethrough; two storage platforms, coupled to the frame on either side thereof, each to receive a wafer carrier thereon; and a transfer mechanism coupled to the vertical shaft and capable of vertical movement therealong and lateral movement along an x-axis extending in either direction from the frame at least sufficient to move over the two storage platforms. The transfer mechanism may further include a telescoping fork arm capable of laterally extending in a first direction and in a second direction corresponding to lateral positions of the two storage platforms on either side of the frame.
Claims20
A wafer buffering system, comprising:
- a frame having a vertical shaft disposed therethrough;
- two storage platforms, coupled to the frame on opposing sides of the shaft, each to receive a wafer carrier thereon, wherein the position of the vertical shaft is fixed relative to each of the two storage platforms;
- and
- a transfer mechanism coupled to the vertical shaft and capable of vertical movement therealong and lateral movement along an x-axis extending in either direction from the frame at least sufficient to move linearly along the x-axis from one of the two storage platforms to the other.
An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer comprising:
- a semiconductor process apparatus having a first and a second load port;
- and
- a wafer buffering system to receive and to buffer wafer carriers, the wafer buffering system disposed between the first and second load ports, the wafer buffering system comprising:
- a frame having a vertical shaft disposed therethrough;
- two storage platforms, coupled to the frame on opposing sides of the shaft, each to receive a wafer carrier thereon, wherein the position of the vertical shaft is fixed relative to each of the two storage platforms;
- and
- a transfer mechanism coupled to the vertical shaft and capable of vertical movement therealong and lateral movement along an x-axis extending in either direction from the frame at least sufficient to move linearly along the x-axis from one of the two storage platforms to the other.
A wafer buffering system, comprising:
- a frame having a vertical shaft disposed therethrough;
- a plurality of storage platforms each to receive a wafer carrier thereon, wherein at least one storage platform is disposed on an opposite side of the shaft and at a same vertical height as one other storage platform, wherein all of the storage platforms are arranged along a vertical plane;
- and
- a transfer mechanism coupled to the vertical shaft and capable of movement along the vertical plane at least sufficient to transfer wafer carriers to and from each of the storage platforms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.