Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8167522 | Substrate transport apparatus with active edge gripper A substrate transport apparatus comprising a drive mechanism, a movable arm assembly, and an end effector with an active edge gripper. The apparatus is configured to avoid the need to provide cables to the end effector for power or communication. In one aspect, the ... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8162584 | Method and apparatus for semiconductor wafer alignment The invention provides, in some aspects, a wafer alignment system comprising an image acquisition device, an illumination source, a rotatable wafer platform, and an image processor that includes functionality for mapping coordinates in an image of an article (such a... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8132996 | Gate valve and substrate-treating apparatus including the same A substrate-treating apparatus includes: a plurality of modules disposed along a first direction, each of the plurality of modules having an inner space for containing a substrate; a transfer unit transferring the substrate among the plurality of modules, the transf... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8118530 | Substrate storage facility and substrate processing facility, and method for operating substrate storage Substrate storage facility includes a container that holds a plurality of the substrates with the substrates lined up vertically with space therebetween and that is tubular having a generally quadrangular cross section, the container including a first opening provid... | 02/21/2012 |
| 8113757 | Intermediate transfer chamber, substrate processing system, and exhaust method for the intermediate transfer chamber An intermediate transfer chamber that can prevent formation of defects in substrates. The intermediate transfer chamber is provided between a loader module being in a first environment where the interior thereof is at a first pressure and contains moisture, and a ch... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8100620 | Vacuum processing apparatus A vacuum processing apparatus includes vacuum processing vessels each having a processing chamber with a pressure-reduced interior space, a vacuum transfer vessel which is coupled to the vacuum vessels disposed therearound and which has a low-pressure interior space... | 01/24/2012 |
| 8096744 | Wafer processing system, wafer processing method, and ion implantation system Two load lock chambers having a load lock pedestal are provided adjacent to a vacuum process chamber through a vacuum intermediate chamber. A passage opening is provided between the vacuum process chamber and the vacuum intermediate chamber. Two wafer retaining arms... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8092139 | Inline-type wafer conveyance device There are comprised a load chamber (51) for carrying in a wafer from outside, an unload chamber (53) for carrying out a wafer to outside, and a plurality of conveyance chambers (54a, 54b, 54c) and a plurality o... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8092138 | Large area substrate processing system with between chamber platform Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a vacuum processing system for processing large area substrates, such as flat panel displays (i.e., LCD, OLED, and other types of flat panel displays), solar panels, and the like. In one embodiment, a vacuum processin... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8092137 | Substrate transfer apparatus and method for controlling down flow The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring a substrate through a gate for loading and unloading is provided, and includes a transfer chamber having the gate for loading and unloading the substrate, a transfer system, which is able to move up and ... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8083456 | Contained object transfer system A so-called transfer chamber in a semiconductor processing apparatus in which an FIMS system is secured is separated into a second chamber in which a transfer robot is disposed and a first chamber that is minute and includes a door capable of holding a cap of a pod ... | 12/27/2011 |
| RE43023 | Dual loading port semiconductor processing equipment A substrate processing equipment comprises two pod supporting stages and two independently operable pod door openers. Each pod supporting stage is capable of placing thereon a pod for containing substrates therein. Each pod door openers having means for permitting a... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8070408 | Load lock chamber for large area substrate processing system The present invention generally includes a load lock chamber for transferring large area substrates into a vacuum processing chamber. The load lock chamber may have one or more separate, environmentally isolated environments. Each processing environment may have a p... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8066466 | Substrate processing sequence in a Cartesian robot cluster tool A method and apparatus for processing substrates using a multi-chamber processing system, or cluster tool, is provided. In one embodiment of the invention, a robot assembly is provided. The robot assembly includes a first motion assembly movable in a first direction... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8061949 | Multiple slot load lock chamber and method of operation Embodiments of the invention include a load lock chamber, a processing system having a load lock chamber and a method for transferring substrates between atmospheric and vacuum environments. In one embodiment, the method includes maintaining a processed substrate wi... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8043039 | Substrate treatment apparatus A substrate treatment apparatus is disclosed. The substrate treatment apparatus includes: a cassette loading portion on which a cassette for containing a substrate is loaded when the cassette is carried to/from outside of the substrate treatment apparatus; a substra... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8033769 | Loadlock designs and methods for using same Provided are apparatuses and methods disclosed for wafer processing. Specific embodiments include dual wafer handling systems that transfer wafers from storage cassettes to processing modules and back and aspects thereof. Stacked independent loadlocks that allow ven... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8033770 | Vacuum processing apparatus A vacuum processing apparatus includes vacuum processing chambers for subjecting a sample to vacuum processing, a vacuum carriage, a switchable chamber, a cassette support for supporting a plurality of cassettes capable of housing samples, and a waiting cassette sup... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8033771 | Minimum contact area wafer clamping with gas flow for rapid wafer cooling Apparatuses and methods for cooling and transferring wafers from low pressure environment to high pressure environment are provided. An apparatus may include a cooling pedestal and a set of supports for holding the wafer above the cooling pedestal. The average gap b... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8029226 | Semiconductor manufacturing systems Linear semiconductor handling systems provide more balanced processing capacity using various techniques to provide increased processing capacity to relatively slow processes. This may include use of hexagonal vacuum chambers to provide additional facets for slow pr... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8029224 | Substrate transfer apparatus, substrate transfer method, and storage medium A substrate transfer apparatus 100 includes a substrate transport means 4 having a transport base 5 and a plurality of retention arms 41a-41e for retaining substrates W, an optical sensor 62 that is used to def... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8029225 | Stacked process modules for a semiconductor handling system Methods and systems are provided for a vacuum-based semiconductor handling system. The system may be a linear system with a four-link robotic SCARA arm for moving materials in the system. The system may include one or more vertically stacked load locks or vertically... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8016537 | Inline-type wafer conveyance device A structure is provided in which a load lock chamber (51) for carrying in an unprocessed wafer from outside and carrying out a processed wafer to outside, a first end conveyance chamber (54a) to be connected to the load lock chamber, at least on... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8007218 | Unit and method for transferring substrates and apparatus and method for treating substrates with the unit The present invention is related to a method for transferring substrates. The method comprise simultaneously transferring two substrates, by means of a transfer unit, between first support plates disposed to be vertically spaced apart from each other and second supp... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7988399 | Mid-entry load lock for semiconductor handling system In a system having a number of semiconductor processing modules sharing a common vacuum environment, a mid-entry load lock is provided to permit insertion and removal of wafers into the vacuum environment at a point between various other robotic handlers, process mo... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7988398 | Linear substrate transport apparatus Substrate processing apparatus having a chamber, a generally linear array of process modules, a substrate transport, and a drive system. The chamber is capable of being isolated from the outside atmosphere. Each process module of the array is communicably connected ... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7963736 | Wafer processing apparatus with wafer alignment device A semiconductor-processing apparatus includes: a wafer handling chamber; a wafer processing chamber; a wafer handling device; a first photosensor disposed in the wafer handling chamber in front of the wafer processing chamber at a position where the wafer partially ... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7959395 | Substrate processing apparatus Substrate processing apparatus having a transport chamber, a linear array of substrate holding modules alongside the transport chamber, and a substrate transport located in the chamber. The chamber can hold an isolated atmosphere, and defines more than one substanti... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7955041 | Quick changeover apparatus and methods for wafer handling Quick changeover apparatus for wafer handlers capable of handling at least two sizes of wafer frames and methods of using such apparatus are disclosed. ... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7950890 | Vacuum robot, vacuum motor for vacuum robot, and production method of said vacuum motor A vacuum robot includes an arm portion on which a work is to be disposed under a reduced pressure environment and a motor portion for rotatably driving the arm portion, the vacuum robot being configured to transfer the work by causing a rotational movement of the ar... | 05/31/2011 |
| 7942619 | Carrier unit of substrate transfer apparatus In the present invention, a base 43 of a robot 27 is fixed to a fixing portion 53 of a frame divided body 50. The base 43 allows force exerted from a robot main body 27A to be transmitted to the fixing portion 53 of t... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7887277 | Reticle storage pod (RSP) transport system utilizing FOUP adapter plate A combination of a FOUP (front opening unified pod) system and a reticle system utilized for the transport of wafers and a reticle system, the latter of which are used for transporting reticles from a first fabrication site to a further site at another location, and... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7887276 | Load port device A mount base is adapted to be fixed to a partition wall which is disposed between a stockyard for temporarily storing a wafer carrier which houses a wafer and a wafer processing device for processing the wafer. A wafer transfer window is provided on the mount base. ... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7874782 | Wafer transfer apparatus and substrate transfer apparatus A wafer transfer apparatus is provided. In a minimum transformed state where a robot arm is transformed such that a distance defined from a pivot axis to an arm portion, which is farthest in a radial direction relative to the pivot axis, is minimum, a minimum rotati... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7874781 | Substrate processing apparatus A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of process chambers (20) for applying a process to substrate accommodated therein and a conveyance case (24) that conveys the accommodated substrates to the process chambers (20) and a transf... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7874783 | Multi-chamber vacuum processing and transfer system An apparatus for processing a work piece in a vacuum environment includes a master process chamber that can be exhausted to a sub-atmospheric air pressure or to be filled with a desirable gas, a transfer chamber configured to receive the work piece from outside of t... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7857570 | Method and apparatus for supplying substrates to a processing tool In one aspect, a substrate loading station for a processing tool includes plural load ports. Each load port is operatively coupled to the processing tool and has a mechanism for opening a substrate carrier. A carrier handler transports substrate carriers from a fact... | 12/28/2010 |
| 7857569 | Semiconductor processing system A supporting mechanism (12A) is used for transfer-ring a target substrate (W) in cooperation with a transfer arm (32), in a semiconductor processing system. The supporting mechanism includes first and second holding portions (38A to 38C, ... | 12/28/2010 |
| 7845892 | Movable transfer chamber and substrate-treating apparatus including the same A substrate-treating apparatus including: a plurality of modules disposed along a first direction, each of the plurality of modules having an inner space for containing a substrate; and a transfer unit transferring the substrate among the plurality of modules, the t... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7845891 | Decoupled chamber body Embodiments of the invention include a chamber body having at least one of a top or bottom decoupled from the sidewalls of the chamber body. The invention is suitable for use as a load lock chamber, substrate transfer chamber and vacuum processing chambers, among ot... | 12/07/2010 |
