Process kit enclosure system

US12165905B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Helder Lee · San Jose, US
• Nicholas Michael Kopec · Santa Clara, US
• Leon Volfovski · Mountain View, US
• Douglas R. McAllister · Pleasanton, US
• Andreas Schmid · Duisburg, DE
• Jeffrey C. Hudgens · San Francisco, US
• Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath · Bengaluru, IN
• Steven E. Babayan · Los Altos, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 20, 2019
• Grant date: Dec 10, 2024
• Expiry date: Jun 23, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/68764
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A process kit enclosure system includes surfaces to enclose an interior volume, a first support structure including first fins, a second support structure including second fins, and a front interface to interface the process kit enclosure system with a load port of a wafer processing system. The first and second fins are sized and spaced to hold process kit ring carriers and process kit rings in the interior volume. Each of the process kit rings is secured to one of the process kit ring carriers. The process kit enclosure system enables first automated transfer of a first process kit ring carrier securing a first process kit ring from the process kit enclosure system into the wafer processing system and second automated transfer of a second process kit ring carrier securing a second process kit ring from the wafer processing system into the process kit enclosure system.