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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7905700 | Vertical-type heat processing apparatus and method of controlling transfer mechanism in vertical-type heat processing apparatus The present invention is a vertical-type heat processing apparatus comprising: a heat processing furnace; a holder capable of being loaded into the heat processing furnace and unloaded therefrom, with holding therein a plurality of objects to be processed at predete... | 03/15/2011 |
| 7824146 | Automated systems and methods for adapting semiconductor fabrication tools to process wafers of different diameters Automated systems and methods for adapting semiconductor fabrication tools to process wafers of different diameters are described. In one embodiment, a method comprises providing a semiconductor fabrication tool, placing an adapter ring on a plurality of ring holder... | 11/02/2010 |
| 7597529 | Method for filling a vertical tube with catalyst particles A method of charging a vertical tube having an internal diameter of 50 mm or less with catalyst particles, which comprises introducing a filling aid into the vertical tube, where the filling aid comprises a flexible elongated body and the ratio of the cross section ... | 10/06/2009 |
| 7359031 | Lithographic projection assembly, load lock and method for transferring objects Lithographic projection assembly, including at least one load lock for transferring objects, in particular substrates, between a first environment and a second environment, the second environment preferably having a lower pressure than the first environment; an obje... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7309201 | Providing automated delivery of catalyst and/or particulate to any filling system device used to fill tubes Automation of the delivery of a particulate to a tube contained in a reformer type heater with vertical tubes is disclosed and includes a hopper having an opening at the lower end. A slide gate is mounted on the hopper and selectively projects over the opening in th... | 12/18/2007 |
| 7229240 | Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method When the processing temperature in a heater should be changed between lots, for example, a foremost substrate in a subsequent lot is transported to a position close to the heater such as a substrate holding part, and is held in standby thereat until adjustment of a ... | 06/12/2007 |
| 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 |
| 7168911 | Semiconductor handling robot with improved paddle-type end effector A robotic semiconductor handling system includes two robot arms for transferring substrates between processing, cooling, and storage stations. The first robot arm has a paddle-type end effector adapted such that it can support one substrate at a primary location as ... | 01/30/2007 |
| 7077173 | Wafer carrier, wafer conveying system, stocker, and method of replacing gas When atmosphere inside a wafer carrier is replaced by introducing a gas into the wafer carrier from a gas inlet provided to the wafer carrier that can accommodate wafers. At the same time, the atmosphere inside the wafer carrier is sucked to make an inside pressure ... | 07/18/2006 |
| 7066703 | Chuck transport method and system A method and system for transporting a plurality of substrates between a transfer chamber and at least one processing chamber. The system includes a chuck assembly with a plurality of chucks configured to receive wafer substrates, where the chuck assembly is movably... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6971835 | Vapor-phase epitaxial growth method A single opening is formed in a central portion of a susceptor of a vapor phase epitaxial growth system. Consequently, any dopant diffused off outwardly from the back surface of a wafer during an epitaxial growth process can be exhausted through the opening to the b... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6935466 | Lift pin alignment and operation methods and apparatus A lifting mechanism includes a plurality of lift pins which may be driven separately and independently upward to engage an alignment surface of the chamber using ambient atmospheric pressure as the chamber is evacuated by a pump. In the illustrated embodiment, each ... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6930050 | Multi-chamber system having compact installation set-up for an etching facility for semiconductor device manufacturing A multi-chamber system of an etching facility for manufacturing semiconductor devices occupies a minimum amount of floor space in a cleanroom by installing a plurality of processing chambers in multi-layers and in parallel along a transfer path situated between the ... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6672864 | Method and apparatus for processing substrates in a system having high and low pressure areas A positive pressure gradient is maintained across an open access port of an interface chamber such as a load lock chamber which provides an interface between a low pressure chamber such as a transfer or buffer chamber, and a high pressure area such as a s... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6585478 | Semiconductor handling robot with improved paddle-type end effector A robotic semiconductor handling system includes two robot arms for transferring substrates between processing, cooling, and storage stations. The first robot arm has a paddle-type end effector adapted such that it can support one substrate at a primary l... | 07/01/2003 |
| 6537010 | Wafer boat support and method for twin tower wafer boat loader An apparatus for automatically and simultaneously loading/unloading a plurality of wafer boats (24) onto/from a cantilever paddle includes a cantilever paddle (47-1) and a carriage (42-1) supporting the cantilever paddle First and second vertical translat... | 03/25/2003 |
| 6435797 | Method and device for loading a susceptor A method is provided for loading a heated susceptor or a susceptor segment of a deposition reactor with a substrate wafer which is resting on a holding means. Before making contact between the substrate wafer and the susceptor or susceptor segment, a hold... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6352399 | Twin tower wafer boat loading system and method An apparatus for automatically and simultaneously loading a single long wafer boat or a plurality of wafer boats onto a cantilever paddle includes a stationary first track aligned with a first opening of a diffusion furnace and a first carriage moveable o... | 03/05/2002 |
| 6293749 | Substrate transfer system for semiconductor processing equipment A system for facilitating wafer transfer comprises a susceptor unit consisting of an inner susceptor section which rests within an outer susceptor section. A vertically movable and rotatable support spider located beneath the susceptor unit can rotate int... | 09/25/2001 |
| 6132157 | Catalytic reactor charging system and method for operation thereof A catalyst loading system for utilizing catalyst from a bulk supply located adjacent but not on the upper tube sheet of a catalytic reactor and for mechanized measuring of multiple identical quantities of catalyst and for mechanized loading of catalyst pe... | 10/17/2000 |
| 6092980 | Substrate treatment equipment and method with testing feature An exclusive carrier (EQMC) housing therein equipment testing wafers (EQMW) is housed in a carrier housing rack (32) of a treatment equipment. An equipment testing parameter setting section (62) is provided for setting a cycle, in which the equipment test... | 07/25/2000 |
| 6068441 | Substrate transfer system for semiconductor processing equipment A system for facilitating wafer transfer comprises a susceptor unit consisting of an inner susceptor section which rests within an outer susceptor section. A vertically movable and rotatable support spider located beneath the susceptor unit can rotate int... | 05/30/2000 |
| 6042372 | Heat treatment apparatus A vertical heat treatment apparatus for semiconductor wafers (W) including a heat treating furnace (19) which is heated to 600° C. or higher. In the heat treating furnace (19), the wafers (W) are subjected to batch treatment while they are placed on a bo... | 03/28/2000 |
| 5915957 | Method of transferring target substrates in semiconductor processing system Semiconductor wafers are transferred from a closed type cassette into a wafer boat. First, the lowermost five wafers of 13 wafers held in the cassette are simultaneously transferred by five arms from the cassette into the uppermost part of the wafer boat.... | 06/29/1999 |
| 5888048 | Automatic wafer boat loading A system for automatic loading of wafer boats onto a cantilever paddle for insertion of the wafer boats into a furnace tube includes an end effector carriage moving on a track and supporting an end effector having spaced, parallel pads to engage opposed o... | 03/30/1999 |
| 5628603 | Automated chute system The inlet of a coke chute is pushed upwards by a plurality of actuators until it encompasses the bottom outlet of a coking vessel. The inlet is preferably surrounded by a skirt which tapers inwardly from top to bottom, and the entire chute is preferably r... | 05/13/1997 |
| 5609458 | Method of charging coal into chamber furnace-type coke oven and apparatus therefor A method of charging coal into a chamber furnace-type coke oven. The coal is fed from a table feeder from a coal hopper so as to be dropped and charged into a carbonization chamber of the coke oven, through a charging cylinder. The coal fed from the table... | 03/11/1997 |
| 5149353 | Method for intermittently storing pairs of glass sheets in a windshield production line The invention relates to an intermediate storage system mounted adjacent to a bending furnace in a windshield production line, said system comprising a first intermediate storage (1) for pairs of flat glass sheets and a second intermediate storage (2) for... | 09/22/1992 |
| 4881869 | Furnace charging throat construction In a throat stopper for shaft furnaces, in particular blast furnaces with two hoppers of which an upper hopper is rotatable through a drive device, the upper hopper is designed, by a stationary hood equipped with charging flap valves, as a sluice chamber ... | 11/21/1989 |
| 4878797 | Method and apparatus for correcting the falling path in a loading installation of a shaft furnace The process is intended to compensate for the random movements and inclinations of a loading installation of a shaft furnace having a storage lock chamber which is carried by a framework independent of the shaft furnace and which is connected to the shaft... | 11/07/1989 |
| 4836732 | Method and apparatus for continuously charging a steelmaking furnace An apparatus and method for charging a melting furnace having a charging opening in its sidewall, in which a closed housing contains a vibrating pan having an intergal discharge chute adapted to extend into the charging opening in the furnace sidewall; an... | 06/06/1989 |
| 4770590 | Method and apparatus for transferring wafers between cassettes and a boat A wafer transfer mechanism used for transferring wafers between cassettes and a boat uses sensors to detect and to measure any offset of the actual center of each wafer being transferred with respect to the expected or precalibrated center of that wafer. ... | 09/13/1988 |
| 4767258 | Process and apparatus for charging a shaft furnace A process and apparatus for charging a shaft furnace is presented which ensures the vertical and symmetrical fall of charging material from a hopper onto a distribution spout. The discharge valve of the hopper and the valve of a chamber feeding material t... | 08/30/1988 |
| 4708571 | Method of and apparatus for the introduction of radiocative metallic wastes into a melting furnace A method of and apparatus for melting radioactive waste contained in a metal transport vessel and in which the transport vessel is introduced into a container which is closed by a laterally retractable cover and then inverted by rotation through 180° abo... | 11/24/1987 |
| 4701101 | Modular multi-tube catalyst loading funnel A modular multi-tube catalyst loading funnel comprises a series of funnel modules, each equipped with a rotatable stirring rod, an opening at the bottom, and a variable-speed drive. With the apparatus, it is possible to control the drop rate of catalyst p... | 10/20/1987 |
| 4636140 | Method of loading and unloading a furnace A soft landing cantilever boat loader for loading semiconductor wafer carrying boats into a furnace process tube includes a loading station having one or more loading assemblies, an automatically controlled door associated with each loading assembly for s... | 01/13/1987 |
| 4632623 | Workpiece manipulator for a hot environment A manipulator for a workpiece, useful in conjuction with a robot, is especially designed for handling forging preforms in a hot furnace. A fluidic type sensor is used to position the structure above a furnace surface on which the preform rests. Air contin... | 12/30/1986 |
| 4620832 | Furnace loading system A furnace loading system is provided for loading and unloading wafer boats or other receptacles from a furnace tube of the type used in semiconductor processing. The system includes a carrier for supporting the receptacles in a cantilevered manner out of ... | 11/04/1986 |
| 4557657 | Article handling apparatus and method An article handling device which is particularly well suited for loading articles into a reactor furnace for processing and subsequently unloading the processed articles. The article handling device is supported and vertically movable into alignment with ... | 12/10/1985 |
| 4555209 | Semi-automatic pusher machine leveler bar control and method A leveler bar for a coke oven is controlled in its travel toward and away from the coke side of the oven by semi-automatic means to move the leveler bar during a "cycle" mode through half strokes and during the "finish" mode it performs four "full" stroke... | 11/26/1985 |
