Method for processing semiconductor wafer
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsMao-Lin Kao, Hsu-Shui Liu, Jiun-Rong Pai, Li-Jen Ko, Hsiang-Yin Shen, Tien-Chen Hu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A semiconductor processing station is provided. The semiconductor processing station includes a first platform, a second platform and a vacuum tunnel, wherein the first platform has a first load lock and a first plurality of chambers, and the second platform has a second load lock and a second plurality of chambers, and the vacuum tunnel connects the first and the second load locks.
Claims20
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer in a semiconductor wafer processing station including a first platform and a second platform, and a vacuum tunnel connecting the first platform and the second platform, comprising steps of:
- directly transferring, via a first single robot arm of a first platform robot in the first platform, a semiconductor wafer between two processing chambers in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via the first single robot arm, the semiconductor wafer between a first load lock in the first platform and at least one of the two processing chambers in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via a second single robot arm of a second platform robot in the second platform, the semiconductor wafer between a second load lock in the second platform and at least one of two processing chambers in the second platform;
- and
- directly transferring, via the second single robot arm, the semiconductor wafer between the two processing chambers in the second platform.
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer in a semiconductor wafer processing station including a first platform and a second platform, and a vacuum tunnel connecting the first platform and the second platform, wherein the vacuum tunnel includes a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, each end extending between the first and second platforms, comprising steps of:
- directly transferring, via a first single robot arm of a first platform robot in the first platform, a semiconductor wafer between two processing chambers in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via the first single robot arm, the semiconductor wafer between one of the two processing chambers in the first platform and a first load lock in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via a second single robot arm of a second platform robot in the second platform, the semiconductor wafer between a second load lock in the second platform and at least one of two processing chambers in the second platform;
- directly transferring, via the second single robot arm, the semiconductor wafer between the two processing chambers in the second platform;
- transferring, via a vacuum robot in the vacuum tunnel, the semiconductor wafer from the first or second platform to a buffer stage connected to the second end of the vacuum tunnel;
- and
- transferring, via a buffer robot in the buffer stage, the semiconductor wafer to a third platform including a plurality of processing chambers.
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer in a semiconductor wafer processing station including a first platform and a second platform, and a vacuum tunnel connecting the first platform and the second platform, wherein the vacuum tunnel includes a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, each end extending between the first and second platforms, comprising steps of:
- transferring, via an interface robot in an equipment front end module, a semiconductor wafer from a load port of the equipment front end module to a first load lock at the first end of the vacuum tunnel;
- transferring, via a first vacuum robot in the vacuum tunnel, the semiconductor wafer from the first load lock in the vacuum tunnel to a first load lock in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via a first single robot arm of a first platform robot in the first platform, the semiconductor wafer between the first load lock in the first platform and at least one of the two processing chambers in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via the first single robot arm of the first platform robot in the first platform, the semiconductor wafer between the two processing chambers in the first platform;
- directly transferring, via a second single robot arm of a second platform robot in the second platform, the semiconductor wafer between a second load lock in the second platform and at least one of two processing chambers in the second platform;
- and
- directly transferring, via the second single robot arm, the semiconductor wafer between the two processing chambers in the second platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.