초록 ▼

The present invention includes plural plasma etching vessels and a wafer queuing station arrayed with a wafer transfer arm in a controlled environment. Wafers are movable within the controlled environment one at a time selectably between the several plasma vessels and the wafer queuing station witho

The present invention includes plural plasma etching vessels and a wafer queuing station arrayed with a wafer transfer arm in a controlled environment. Wafers are movable within the controlled environment one at a time selectably between the several plasma vessels and the wafer queuing station without atmospheric or other exposure to that possible contamination of the moved wafers is prevented. The system is selectively operative in either single-step or multiple-step processing modes, and in either of the modes, the several plasma etching vessels are operable to provide a desirably high system throughput. In the preferred embodiment, the several plasma vessels and the queuing station are arrayed about a closed pentagonal locus with the wafer transfer arm disposed within the closed locus. Wafer processing in each vessel is regulated by a state controller for processing a plurality of wafers from a single cassette, contained within the vacuum environment of the plural plasma etching vessels and wafer queuing station, to provide an orderly and efficient throughput of wafers for diverse or similar processing in the plural vessels. In this manner a wafer can be processed as soon as a vessel becomes available.

대표청구항 ▼

A multiple-processing and contamination-free wafer handling and processing system, comprising: plural, wafer receiving and surface processing vessels each having an ingress and egress defining port that are arrayed about a predetermined spacial locus in such a way that the several ports thereof are

A multiple-processing and contamination-free wafer handling and processing system, comprising: plural, wafer receiving and surface processing vessels each having an ingress and egress defining port that are arrayed about a predetermined spacial locus in such a way that the several ports thereof are accessible from a single location spaced from the several ports; a wafer queuing station spaced with the plural vessels along the same predetermined spacial locus defining a wafer access port accessible from said single location; plural valve means individually coupled to corresponding ones of said plural, vessel ingress and egress ports and to said wafer queuing station wafer access port; transfer means disposed at said single location and cooperative with corresponding ones of said plural valve means for moving wafers from and to said wafer access port of said queuing station from and to selected ones of said wafer receiving and surface processing vessels through the associated one of said ingress and egress ports thereof; and processor means for controlling said vessels, said transfer means and said valve means to provide selectable single or multistep processing of wafers in said queuing station in one or more of said vessels.