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3M employee and church chorister Art Fry needed something to temporarily mark pages in his hymnal. He was in luck because his colleague, Spencer Silver, accidentally developed a glue that was too weak for other purposes. After initially discouraging consumer response, Post-it Notes became a hit in 1979.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8186927 | Contained object transfer system A transfer chamber is partitioned into a second chamber in which a transfer robot moving through an opening portion which can be opened/closed by a door is arranged, and a minute first chamber which serves as a FIMS system and includes a door capable of retaining a ... | 05/29/2012 |
| 7927058 | Pod clamping unit load port equipped with pod clamping unit and mini environment system including pod and load port The invention is directed to a pod clamping unit for fixing a pod to a support table in a load port, the pod including a pod body capable of storing a wafer in the interior thereof and a lid, the load port having a pod opener that opens/closes the lid. The pod clamp... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7887278 | Overhead travelling carriage system An article is conveyed from a load port 26a for a processing device 16 to a load port 26b for a processing device 20. An overhead buffer 28 is provided for each load port 26. An overhead travelling carriage ... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7841820 | Universal modular wafer transport system The present invention is a wafer transfer system that transports individual wafers between chambers within an isolated environment. In one embodiment, a wafer is transported by a wafer shuttle that travel within a transport enclosure. The interior of the transport e... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7806642 | Receiver for component feed plates and component feeder In a receiver for component feed plates for housing, in multi-stage stacks, a plurality of component feed plates with a plurality of components placed thereon, identification mark portions are formed so as to be placed at end portions or their proximities of support... | 10/05/2010 |
| 7771151 | Interface between conveyor and semiconductor process tool load port The present invention generally comprises a tool load device for transferring a container between a container transport system and a processing tool. The tool load device may service a single load port or multiple load ports. Regardless, the tool load device is pref... | 08/10/2010 |
| 7740437 | Processing system with increased cassette storage capacity A system for processing semiconductor substrates includes a front-end with at least two vertical levels of input/output ports for transferring substrate cassettes into or out of the housing of the processing system. The front-end also includes at least one level of ... | 06/22/2010 |
| 7674083 | Clean device with clean box-opening/closing device In a load port portion of a conventional clean device, it can happen that cleanliness is reduced by dust caused by wear of bellows and a lid is not separated by its weight from a main body. In order to solve such problems, a clean device is structured as follows: a ... | 03/09/2010 |
| 7670095 | Wafer processing apparatus having dust proof function The wafer processing apparatus includes a chamber that is pressurized to a pressure that is higher than the pressure of the exterior thereof, an opening portion through which the interior and the exterior of the chamber are in communication with each other, and a do... | 03/02/2010 |
| 7651307 | Direct tool loading The present invention comprises a container transport and loading system. The system generally comprises a load port for presenting articles to a tool and a container transport system. In one embodiment, the load port includes a vertically movable FOUP advance plate... | 01/26/2010 |
| 7614840 | Wafer processing apparatus having dust proof function The wafer processing apparatus includes a chamber that is pressurized to a pressure that is higher than the pressure of the exterior thereof, an opening portion through which the interior and the exterior of the chamber are in communication with each other, and a do... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7611318 | Overhead transfer flange and support for suspending a substrate carrier In a first aspect, a first apparatus is provided for use in supporting a substrate carrier. The first apparatus includes an overhead transfer flange adapted to couple to a substrate carrier body and an overhead carrier support. The overhead transfer flange has a fir... | 11/03/2009 |
| 7607880 | Wafer processing apparatus having dust proof function The wafer processing apparatus includes a chamber that is pressurized to a pressure that is higher than the pressure of the exterior thereof, an opening portion through which the interior and the exterior of the chamber are in communication with each other, and a do... | 10/27/2009 |
| 7594789 | Overhead transfer flange and support for suspending a substrate carrier In a first aspect, a first apparatus is provided for use in supporting a substrate carrier. The first apparatus includes an overhead transfer flange adapted to couple to a substrate carrier body and an overhead carrier support. The overhead transfer flange has a fir... | 09/29/2009 |
| 7537425 | Wafer processing apparatus having dust proof function The wafer processing apparatus includes a chamber that is pressurized to a pressure that is higher than the pressure of the exterior thereof, an opening portion through which the interior and the exterior of the chamber are in communication with each other, and a do... | 05/26/2009 |
| 7445415 | Direct tool loading The present invention comprises a load port for providing access to an article that is stored in a container having a container door removably coupled to a container shell. The load port preferably loads/unloads a container directly from a container transport system... | 11/04/2008 |
| 7441999 | Overhead travelling carriage system An overhead buffer 24 is provided on a side of a running rail 4 for an overhead travelling carriage 8. The height level of an article on the overhead buffer 24 is slightly lower than that on the running overhead travelling carriage 8 | 10/28/2008 |
| 7410340 | Direct tool loading The present invention comprises a container transport and loading system. The system generally comprises a load port for presenting articles to a tool and a container transport system. In one embodiment, the load port includes a vertically movable FOUP advance plate... | 08/12/2008 |
| 7398801 | Apparatus and method for processing wafers An apparatus and method for manufacturing semiconductor devices are disclosed. In accordance with the invention, a wafer transfer device for transferring wafers from wafer storage containers to wafer processing equipment includes a flow chamber designed to reduce th... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7393172 | Untreated body transfer device and semiconductor manufacturing device with the untreated body transfer device In a wafer transfer system wherein a wafer transfer robot linearly reciprocates by a linear motor, dust is prevented from adhering to a wafer. A fixed base 9, on which the secondary side 11 of a linear motor M for linearly reciprocating a wafer ... | 07/01/2008 |
| 7370764 | Transport module A front-opening wafer transport module has a container portion with transparent shell and a central support structure which includes a machine interface exposed at the bottom of the module and integral wafer support columns extending upwardly in the container portio... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7363107 | Substrate transfer system A substrate transfer system is used in fabricating a liquid crystal display (LCD) device. The system includes a cassette having a bar code, a cassette stocker to store the cassette; an auto guided vehicle that is able to transfer the cassette; a moving path unit to ... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7360985 | Wafer processing apparatus including clean box stopping mechanism The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus includes a clean box having an opening, a lid for closing the opening, a door to be in contact with the lid and to detach the lid from the clean box, a first stopper adapted to move in conjunction with movement of the cle... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7350544 | Station for controlling and purging a mini-environment A SMIF type mini-environment (1) can be connected onto a purge station (2). The purge station comprises a leaktight purge compartment (2b) whose top face includes a closable transfer passage (2c) facing the bottom face (1... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7347656 | Vacuum processing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing line using the same A vacuum processing apparatus is composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block. The cassette block has a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes containing a sample and an atmospheric transfer means. The vacuum processing block has a plural... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7328836 | Smart tag holder and cover housing A smart-tag housing and method for securing a dedicated data card affixed to a SMIF-pod. A molded housing package for holding a data card for communication with a two-way receiver/transmitter mounted on a workstation, the smart-tag is a small battery operated microc... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7329079 | Semiconductor wafer processing machine A semiconductor wafer processing machine comprising a cassette-placing mechanism having a cassette-placing table for placing a cassette storing a semiconductor wafer, a workpiece take-in/take-out mechanism for taking out the semiconductor wafer stored in the cassett... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7328727 | Substrate container with fluid-sealing flow passageway A substrate container includes an enclosure and an access structure formed in the enclosure and providing fluid access through the enclosure to an interior of the substrate container. The access structure includes an opening and an inner surface. A grommet is situat... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7314345 | Semiconductor container opening/closing apparatus and semiconductor device manufacturing method When a conventional semiconductor container opening/closing apparatus opens a lid of a semiconductor container, foreign particles enter into the container from outside through a gap between the container and a wall surface of the container opening/closing apparatus ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7311488 | System and method for conveying flat panel display A panel conveying system includes a panel cassette for receiving a plurality of panels, and a conveying vehicle for conveying the panel cassette. The conveying vehicle includes a loading/unloading unit installed on the main body to load and/or unload the panel casse... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7293950 | Universal modular wafer transport system The present invention is a wafer transfer system that transports individual wafers between chambers within an isolated environment. In one embodiment, a wafer is transported by a wafer shuttle that travel within a transport enclosure. The interior of the transport e... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7275905 | Method and device for controlling position of cassette in semiconductor manufacturing equipment A cassette position control device controls the position of a cassette in which wafers are stored, when the wafer cassette is loaded on a cassette support. In addition to the cassette support, the device has a cassette moving section and a control section. The contr... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7261508 | Method for aligning a loadport to an overhead hoist transport system A method for aligning a loadport of a process machine to an overhead hoist transport (OHT) system which can be carried out by first providing an OHT rail overhanging a cleanroom floor; setting a reference point in the cleanroom in proximity to the OHT rail; marking ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7258520 | Methods and apparatus for using substrate carrier movement to actuate substrate carrier door opening/closing A system for opening a substrate carrier includes a substrate carrier having an openable portion. The substrate carrier also has an opening mechanism coupled to the openable portion. A substrate transfer location has a support adapted to support a substrate carrier.... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7255524 | Substrate cassette mapper A mechanism for mapping the contents of a cassette which is used for delivering substrates to a system for processing semiconductor and similar materials which is independent of load port or loading robot movement. The mapping mechanism includes a U-shaped probe hav... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7217076 | Semiconductor material handling system The semiconductor material handling system is an EFEM that may either mount to the front end of a processing tool or be integrated into the processing tool. The EFEM is built from a unified frame that the EFEM components, such as a wafer engine and a SMIF pod advanc... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7204669 | Semiconductor substrate damage protection system A method and apparatus for preventing substrate damage in a factory interface. In one embodiment, a method for preventing substrate damage in a factory interface includes the steps of receiving an indicia of potential substrate damage, and automatically preventing s... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7201551 | Vacuum processing apparatus and semiconductor manufacturing line using the same A vacuum processing apparatus is composed of a cassette block and a vacuum processing block. The cassette block has a cassette table for mounting a plurality of cassettes containing a sample and an atmospheric transfer means. The vacuum processing block has a plural... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7198447 | Semiconductor device producing apparatus and producing method of semiconductor device A semiconductor device producing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a carrier-holding stage for placing a carrier; first, second and third stages each for holding first and second boats one at a time, each boat holding one or more substrates; a boat tran... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7187994 | Method of interfacing ancillary equipment to FIMS processing stations This invention includes a method of integrating into a semiconductor specimen fabrication station a process diagnostic module that performs on the semiconductor specimen a processing operation that otherwise would not be performed by the processing components to the... | 03/06/2007 |
