Methods of operating vacuum processing equipment and methods of processing wafers
US6920369B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 5, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jul 19, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67769
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of operating vacuum processing equipment that includes multiple sets of apparatus for performing a succession of different processes on individual wafers, an apparatus for transporting said wafers, and an apparatus for controlling said processing apparatus sets and said transport apparatus, and has at least two sets of wafer processing routes including multiple sets of said processing apparatus; wherein it is possible to judge whether each set of said processing apparatus for performing various processes is in a valid or invalid status for operation, to electrically disconnect only the processing apparatus whose operational status has been judged to be invalid, to reconstruct said processing routes by using the processing apparatus whose operational status has been judged to be valid, and to process said wafers by using only said processing apparatus which is valid for operation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.