Substrate transport apparatus, pod and method
US6758876B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 4, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jul 6, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 2, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67775
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of using a substrate transport pod is provided, which is suitable for manufacturing semiconductor devices with copper wiring and low dielectric insulating film having dielectric constants of less than 3. The method is based on loading the substrates into a pod from an atmosphere of a first process, and circulating a gaseous atmosphere through interior of the pod in such a way to selectively remove at least one contaminant including moisture, particulate substances or chemical substances, and to expose the substrates to a controlled atmosphere intermittently or continually while the substrates are held in the pod before they are unloaded from the pod and introduced into a second process. For a pod that is used to house the substrates for the purpose of retaining or transporting, the pod has a pod main body and a door that provides a hermetic sealing seal, and the pod is made primarily of a materiel that has moisture absorption factor of less than 0.1%, a the pod can contact the substrates directly or indirectly and has a conductive area so as to enable static charges to be guided out of the pod.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.