Patent ID: 7422406
Filing Date: 2008-09-09
Classification: B25J,H01L,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of handling a wafer in a semiconductor manufacturing system that includes a plurality of vertically stacked loading stations coupled to a shared vacuum environment and a plurality of process modules arranged in a linear system having a loading end and an exit end at opposite ends of the linear system, and at least one vertically stacked mid-entry station between the loading end and the exit end, the plurality of process modules sharing the shared vacuum environment and the plurality of process modules including a plurality of vertically stacked process modules, the method comprising: adding the wafer to the shared vacuum environment at one of the plurality of vertically stacked loading stations at the loading end of the linear system; moving the wafer to a top process module of a first one of the plurality of vertically stacked process modules relatively proximal to the loading end of the linear system; processing the wafer in the top process module; moving the wafer to a bottom process module of a second one of the plurality of vertically stacked process modules relatively proximal to the exit end of the linear system; processing the wafer in the bottom process module; and removing the wafer from the shared vacuum environment at the exit end of the linear system.