Cassette input/output unit for semiconductor processing system
US5443348A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 16, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 22, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 16, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53191
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A cassette input/output unit handles cassettes which contain semiconductor wafers or other substrates that are to be delivered to or withdrawn from a semiconductor processing system. The input/output unit includes a drawer front which rotates 90.degree. about a horizontal axis as it is opened. Thus a cassette containing wafers can easily be placed on the drawer front with the wafers oriented vertically, as they are normally carried, and the cassette will be rotated 90.degree. as the drawer is closed, thereby orienting the wafers horizontally for access by a robot inside the photolithography system. The cassette may also be rotated about a vertical axis within the unit, so that several input/output units may be used with a robot which rotates about a fixed axis. A clamping mechanism grips the cassette firmly when it is placed in the unit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.