Multiple loadlock system

Patent 6450750 Issued on September 17, 2002. Estimated Expiration Date:

October 28, 2019. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Application

No. 429175 filed on 10/28/1999

US Classes:

414/217, APPARATUS FOR MOVING MATERIAL BETWEEN ZONES HAVING DIFFERENT PRESSURES AND INHIBITING CHANGE IN PRESSURE GRADIENT THEREBETWEEN414/416.03, Horizontal movement of receptacle contents414/937, Including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette414/939Including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Examiners

Primary: Lillis, Eileen D.
Assistant: Chin, Paul T.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Konrad, Raynes, Victor & Mann

Foreign Patent References

1028933 JP. 01/21/1989
4098848 JP. 03/21/1992
5013551 JP. 01/21/1993
6104326 JP. 04/21/1994
6156624 JP. 06/21/1994
8707309 WO. 12/21/1987

International Classes

H01L 021/00
B65H 005/00

Abstract

A semiconductor processing system having a holding chamber coupled to a mainframe processing system and at least one loadlock chamber coupled to the holding chamber in which unprocessed wafers are transferred from the loadlock chamber to the holding chamber for subsequent processing by the mainframe system. In one embodiment, the holding chamber has a transfer robot which holds a stack of wafers for subsequent transfer to the processing chambers of the mainframe processing system.