Loadport bridge for semiconductor fabrication tools

#The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor manufacturing foundries or facilities, and more particularly to a loadport bridge for transporting wafers between semiconductor fabrication tools.

#Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHS) have been widely used in semiconductor fabrication facilities (“FABS”) to automatically handle and transport groups or lots of wafers between various processing machines (“tools”) used in chip manufacturing. A typical FAB generally includes one or more floors having a plurality of process bays including processing, metrology, and inspection tools and wafer staging equipment such as stockers which are interconnected by the AMHS. The AMHS is computer controlled for handling the staging of wafers for processing and flow of wafer traffic in the FAB.

#Multiple wafers are typically stored and transported together in wafer carriers by the AMHS between the loadports of different wafer processing or other tools during the semiconductor fabrication process. The wafer carriers include standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pods which can hold a plurality of wafers (e.g. 200 mm or 8 inch), or front opening unified pods (FOUPs) which can hold larger 300 mm (12 inch) or 450 mm (18 inch) wafers. Typically, each wafer carrier holds on the order of approximately 25 wafers.

#The features of the embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawings where like elements are labeled similarly, and in which:

#FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective drawing of an exemplary embodiment of a portion of a semiconductor FAB and AMHS including semiconductor tools, an OHT rail system for wafer carrier transport, and loadport bridge mechanism according to the present disclosure;

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view thereof;

#All drawings are schematic and are not drawn to scale.

#This description of illustrative embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Moreover, the features and benefits of the disclosure are illustrated by reference to the embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure expressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that can exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the disclosure being defined by the claims appended hereto. The terms “chip” and “die” are used interchangeably herein.

#FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective diagrams of one possible embodiment of an automated material handling system (AMHS) 10 for a semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB) with an apparatus for transporting wafers between loadports of semiconductor tools. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a semiconductor tool loadport bridge mechanism 100 having a motor-driven wafer transport robot and track system as further described herein.