Back to results
US 9,177,843 B2Granted
Preventing contamination in integrated circuit manufacturing lines
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChien-Ming Sung, Simon Wang, Jia-Ren Chen, Henry Lo, Chen-Hua Yu, Jean Wang, Kewei Zuo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A semiconductor manufacturing line includes an inert environment selected from the group consisting essentially of an inert airtight wafer holder, an inert wafer transport channel, an inert production tool, an inert clean room, and combinations thereof.
Claims20
A semiconductor manufacturing line comprising:
- an inert clean room containing an inert environment;
- a first production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the first production tool containing a first tool environment, the first production tool including a first load lock, the first load lock containing a first load lock environment separate from the first tool environment, the first load lock environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the first tool environment;
- a second production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the second production tool containing a second tool environment, the second production tool including a second load lock, the second load lock containing a second load lock environment separate from the second tool environment, the second load lock environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the second tool environment;
- and
- an interface environment unit between the inert environment in the inert clean room and an external environment, wherein the interface environment unit includes a first inert gas having an inner pressure greater than an external pressure of the external environment.
2 more elements
A semiconductor manufacturing line comprising:
- an inert clean room containing an inert environment;
- a first production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the first production tool containing a first tool environment, the first production tool including a first load lock, the first load lock containing a first load lock environment separate from the first tool environment, the first load lock environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the first tool environment;
- a second production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the second production tool containing a second tool environment, the second production tool including a second load lock, the second load lock containing a second load lock environment separate from the second tool environment, the second load lock environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the second tool environment;
- a holder contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, each of the first load lock and the second load lock being configured to receive a wafer from the holder;
- and
- an interface environment unit between the inert environment in the inert clean room and an external environment, wherein the interface environment unit includes a first inert gas having an inner pressure greater than an external pressure of the external environment.
3 more elements
A semiconductor manufacturing line comprising:
- an inert clean room containing an inert environment;
- a first production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the first production tool containing a first tool environment, the first production tool including a first load lock, the first load lock containing a first load lock inert environment separate from the first tool environment, the first load lock inert environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the first tool environment;
- a second production tool contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the second production tool containing a second tool environment, the second production tool including a second load lock, the second load lock containing a second load lock inert environment separate from the second tool environment, the second load lock environment being between the inert environment in the inert clean room and the second tool environment;
- a holder configured to hold a wafer, the holder containing a holder inert environment in which the holder is configured to hold the wafer, the first load lock and the second load lock being configured to interface with the holder to pass the wafer to and from the holder;
- a wafer transport channel configured to transport the holder between the first production tool and the second production tool, the wafer transport channel being contained in the inert clean room and the inert environment, the wafer transport channel containing a channel inert environment in which the wafer transport channel is configured to transport the holder;
- and
- an interface environment unit between the inert environment in the inert clean room and an external environment, wherein the interface environment unit includes a first inert gas having an inner pressure greater than an external pressure of the external environment.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.