Nonproductive wafer buffer module for substrate processing apparatus
US8292563B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 28, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 23, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 13, 2027 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/67276
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A sorter for handling and sorting semiconductor wafers is provided. The sorter has a housing, a handling and transport device and at least one nonproduction wafer buffer module. The housing has at least one holding area for interfacing one or more semiconductor wafer carriers to the housing. The housing defines an access path along which semiconductor wafers are transported between the housing and the one or more semiconductor wafer carriers. The handling and transport device is connected to the housing for transporting semiconductor wafers along the access path. The at least one nonproduction wafer buffer module is connected to the housing. The at least one nonproduction wafer buffer module buffers nonproduction wafers sorted by the sorter to one or more semiconductor wafer carriers. The at least one nonproduction wafer buffer module is located so that nonproduction wafers are transported by the handling and transport device, when being sorted to one or more of the semiconductor wafer carriers, along a different path than the access path.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.