US5810935A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for transferring a wafer
Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
•
Filing: 1995-11-29
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Granted: 1998-09-22
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Expires: 2015-11-29
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for transferring a wafer in a semiconductor manufacturing process, and for carrying a wafer between a cassette and a wafer chuck without an additional tool such as a tripod. The apparatus includes: a holder capable of holding the side of the wafer; a wafer transfer assembly including an actuator of the holder and a detector that detects a malfunction of the holder; and a process reactor having a vacuum exhaust port installed under a wafer chuck so as to guide gas in an axially-symmetric flow pattern. The holder grasps the rounded side of a wafer. Removal of additional tools makes the structure of an overall system more simple and an exhaust port can be installed under the reactor so as to cause processing gas to be guided in an axially-symmetric flow, resulting in an enhancement of the process uniformity.
Inventors
- 👤 Jong-Hyun Lee
- 👤 Hyung-Joun Yoo
- 👤 Boo-Yeon Choi
- 👤 Won-Ick Jang
- 👤 Ki-Ho Jang
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:55
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/50; H10P72/70; H10P72/76; H10P72/7602; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/135; Y10S414/136; Y10S414/137; Y10S414/139; Y10S414/141
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
An apparatus for transferring a wafer, having rounded edges, said apparatus comprising: a gripping and transferring means for gripping and transferring a wafer to and from a wafer chuck without additional tools further comprising: holding means for holding the rounded edges of the wafer; means for actuating said holding means; and means for detecting a malfunction of said holding means; and a process reactor having a vacuum exhaust port installed under said wafer chuck so as to establish an axis-symmetrical flow.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
81 words
An apparatus for transferring a wafer, having rounded edges, said apparatus comprising: a gripping and transferring means for gripping and transferring a wafer to and from a wafer chuck without additional tools further comprising: holding means for holding the rounded edges of the wafer; means for actuating said holding means; and means for detecting a malfunction of said holding means; and a process reactor having a vacuum exhaust port installed under said wafer chuck so as to establish an axis-symmetrical flow.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said holding means comprises forefingers opened and closed by means of said actuating means, and wafer contact tips formed on free ends of said forefingers and on a center tip support.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of said forefingers is fixed and a further of said forefingers is movable.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a roller bearing for said holding means is attached to said further forefinger.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said wafer contact tips include rounded recesses for holding the rounded edges of the wafer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said rounded recesses are provided in lower portions of said contact tips.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein contact tips are disposed such that said rounded recesses initially make contact with a lower portion of the rounded edges of the wafer so as to provide a slight lifting of the wafer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, where said wafer contact tips include a holding projection for engaging an outer bottom surface of the wafer adjacent to a rounded edge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said wafer contact tips have rectangular shapes so that the wafer is caught by said forefingers simultaneously with a flat orientation of the wafer in alignment with an adaptable position for processing.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an opening width of said forefingers is less than that of the inside of a cassette for storing wafers and a thickness of said wafer contact tip is less than the pitch between wafers stacked in the cassette.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said center tip support includes a wafer loading stopper and release stopper to prevent said forefingers from being opened and closed an excessive amount.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
56 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of said forefingers includes an operating lever movable to an operative position when a wafer is held by said forefingers and said detecting means comprises a photodetector for receiving an amount of light determined by whether said operating lever of said one forefinger is in said operative position.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said actuating means comprises a holder driver, a holder driving mover operable in a rectilinear motion by a load of said holder driver, a compression spring inserted into said load, and a tension spring connected to an operating lever of said forefingers.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said holder driver comprises a solenoid.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum exhaust port and a vacuum pump are disposed under said wafer chuck and said wafer chuck is located in the reactor.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-09-21 | 2002-03-23 | 2002-09-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-09-21 | 2006-03-23 | 2006-09-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-09-21 | 2010-03-23 | 2010-09-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |