Patent ID: 6328815
Filing Date: 2001-12-11
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of processing a wafer made of semiconductor material requiring alignment within a concatenated integrated modular multiple chamber vacuum processing system having two wafer transfer means comprising the steps:providing a first transfer chamber having a plurality of ports for attachment of a first plurality of vacuum chambers and having a first transfer means for transferring the wafer between any one of the first plurality of attached vacuum chambers, comprising a dual ported entrance chamber, a degas chamber, a cleaning chamber and a first dual ported pass through chamber;providing a second transfer chamber having a plurality of ports for attachment of a second plurality of vacuum chambers and having a second transfer means for transferring the wafer between any one of the second plurality of attached vacuum chambers comprising at least one process chamber and the first dual ported pass through chamber;providing an alignment means located within one of the second plurality of attached vacuum chambers; and sequentiallyentering the wafer into the first transfer chamber via the dual ported entrance chamber;transferring the wafer by action of the first transfer means into the degas chamber wherein the wafer is degassed;transferring the wafer by action of the first transfer means into the cleaning chamber wherein the wafer is cleaned;transferring the wafer by action of the first transfer means into the dual ported pass though chamber;transferring the wafer by action of the second transfer means from the dual ported pass through chamber to the alignment means chamber, wherein the wafer in aligned to a reference for a subsequent process;transferring the wafer by action of the second transfer means from the alignment means chamber to the process chamber, wherein the wafer is processed.