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Cassette loader having compound translational motion
| Details |
Inventors: Freerks, Frederik W.; Ames, Kenneth D.;
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)
Primary Examiner: Keenan; James W.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Glenn; Michael A.
A cassette loading mechanism for semiconductor processing equipment reduces the possibility of repetitive stress injury that may occur as a result of repeatedly loading and unloading a cassette of substrates by eliminating manual cassette rotation. The loader receives a cassette and, by compound translational movement, rotates the cassette about 90.degree. from a horizontal loading position, in which the substrates contained therein are positioned in a vertical orientation, to a position in which the substrates contained therein are positioned in a horizontal orientation, such that the cassette is aligned to the other components of the substrate handling system for substrate transfer. The cassette motions are interlocked with the cassette clamping mechanism and the cassette loader door and a cassette shuttle by pneumatic or electronic logic. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention reduces the possibility of repetitive stress injury to a worker, especially to the worker's wrists, during the process of loading and unloading a cassette containing semiconductor substrates to and from semiconductor processing equipment.
In the invention, an operator places a cassette on a carriage having a horizontal base, with the substrates in the cassette positioned in a vertical orientation.
The carriage is coupled to an actuator and linkage mechanism that provides compound translational motion of the cassette through about 90.
degree.
of rotation, such that the cassette is oriented in a vertical position, with the substrates contained therein oriented in a horizontal position.
Thereafter, the cassette is clamped into position and the substrates may be transferred into the process environment by a robot arm.
The invention includes a stable platform that reduces the overhung load of the cassette.
The cassette holder extends partially into a system door, where it cradles the base of the cassette.
The door is opened to receive wafers from the cassette, and is otherwise closed to prevent contamination of the system.
When placed, the cassette initially sits at a slight inclined angle that is less than half of the normal ulnar deviation of the operator's wrist and that meets the ergonomic requirements of the loader mechanism.
The invention also assures minimum substrate jarring, while securely retaining the cassette as it is rotated to the vertical position.
Once the cassette is rotated to the vertical position, the cassette rests on a platform and the rotator mechanism is moved clear of the cassette, such that the cassette may be automatically aligned to the other components of the substrate handling system.
The cassette motions are interlocked with the cassette clamping mechanism and the cassette loader door.
All interlocks and motions are accomplished with pneumatic or electronic logic, thereby obviating the need for system software.
Thus, the invention is readily retrofittable to existing process equipment
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Control Computers 
