초록 ▼

Disclosed is a wafer handling device for a sputtering system where wafers, used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, are placed in a loading chamber, removed from the loading chamber and conveyed by a conveying device through a transportation chamber where they are individually picked from the

Disclosed is a wafer handling device for a sputtering system where wafers, used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, are placed in a loading chamber, removed from the loading chamber and conveyed by a conveying device through a transportation chamber where they are individually picked from the conveying device by the wafer handling device and placed on a rotating table within the system sputtering chamber to be sputter processed. Concurrently within the placing of one unprocessed wafer on the rotating table, a processed wafer is picked from the rotating table and placed on a second conveying device or the same conveying device which brought unprocessed wafers to the wafer handling device for return to the loading chamber to be removed from the sputtering system for further handling and processing. While some edge contact of the wafer may sometimes occur when the wafer is off center of the claws of the wafer handling device, it is the bottom surfaces of the processed and unprocessed wafers which are the principal points of contact by the conveying device(s) and wafer handling device to avoid damage of the top surface of the wafer.

대표청구항 ▼

In a system for processing wafers to be used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, a wafer handling system comprising, a first chamber from which the wafers are removed for processing and where the wafers are returned after processing, transporting means in a second chamber for transporting waf

In a system for processing wafers to be used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, a wafer handling system comprising, a first chamber from which the wafers are removed for processing and where the wafers are returned after processing, transporting means in a second chamber for transporting wafers removed from said first chamber toward a third chamber for processing, and means in said second chamber for lifting said wafers from said transporting means and placing said wafers in said third chamber, said means in said second chamber also capable of lifting said wafers from said third chamber and placing said wafers onto said transportation means for return to said first chamber, said means for lifting said wafers from said transporting means comprises a wafer handling device including claw means capable of engaging a wafer only on one side, lifting said wafer by engaging said one side, transporting said wafer into said third chamber while in engagement with said one side, and releasing said wafer for processing in said third chamber, said third chamber having a rotating table and said wafer handling device being indexed to perform said engaging, lifting, transporting and releasing function in timed relationship with said rotating table.