Patent ID: 8118535

Claim:
A method of swapping pods within a processing tool in an automated material handling system comprising: providing a dirty sealed pod carrying a substrate in need of processing; receiving said dirty sealed pod at a first loading port of a processing tool for semiconductor fabrication; transferring said substrate in need of processing from said dirty sealed pod at said first loading port into a chamber of said processing tool; processing said substrate in said chamber by subjecting said substrate to a semiconductor fabrication process; removing said dirty sealed pod from said first loading port; providing a clean sealed pod prior to completion of processing said substrate; and upon completion of processing said substrate, transferring said processed substrate from said chamber into said clean sealed pod such that said dirty and clean sealed pods are integrated within said semiconductor fabrication processing tool for performing said steps within the processing tool run time and eliminating the use of an external tool for swapping said substrate from said dirty sealed pod to said clean sealed pod.