Flexible equipment front end module interfaces, environmentally-controlled equipment front end modules, and assembly methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10159169-B2
Application number	US-201615336279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2016
Priority date	Oct 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

An equipment front end module interface of an equipment front end module including environmental controls. The equipment front end module interface includes a first mounting member configured to couple to a load lock assembly, and a flexible seal coupled to the first mounting member. The flexible seal provides sealing between the equipment front end module and the load lock assembly and also accommodates axial and other misalignment between the load lock assembly and the equipment front end module during assembly. Equipment front end modules including the equipment front end module interface and methods of assembling a load lock assembly to the equipment front end module using the equipment front end module interface are provided, as are other aspects.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An equipment front end module interface, comprising:
a first mounting member configured to couple to a load lock assembly; and
a flexible seal coupled to the first mounting member, the flexible seal including a sealing flange configured to seal around an interface opening in an equipment front end module.

2. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 wherein the sealing flange comprises an outer gasket portion including a plurality of mounting holes.

3. The equipment front end module interface of claim 2 wherein at least some of the plurality of mounting holes are elongated.

4. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 wherein the sealing flange comprises a plurality of ridges surrounding the first mounting member.

5. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 wherein the first mounting member comprises a rectangular plate including a substrate opening, the first mounting member configured to receive and couple the load lock assembly about the substrate opening.

6. The equipment front end module interface of claim 5 , wherein the substrate opening is located on an upper half of the rectangular plate.

7. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 , wherein a first plane of a sealing surface of the first mounting member and a second plane of a sealing surface of the flexible seal are offset axially from one another when the flexible seal in an unflexed condition.

8. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 , wherein the flexible seal is configured to flex from an unflexed condition and allow axial misalignment of greater than +/−10 mm.

9. The equipment front end module interface of claim 1 , wherein the flexible seal is configured to flex from an unflexed condition and allow one or more of lateral misalignment, vertical misalignment, or tilting misalignment.

10. An equipment front end module, comprising:
a cabinet including an equipment front end module chamber subject to environmental controls, the cabinet including a wall with an interface opening; and
an equipment front end module interface coupled to the wall, the equipment front end module interface comprising:
a first mounting member configured to couple to a load lock assembly, and
a flexible seal coupled to the first mounting member, the flexible seal including a sealing flange that is sealed around the interface opening.

11. The equipment front end module of claim 10 , wherein the wall includes an interface panel including the interface opening, wherein the equipment front end module interface is mounted in the interface opening.

12. The equipment front end module of claim 11 , comprising at least two interface openings formed in the interface panel, wherein the equipment front end module interface is mounted in a first one of the at least two interface openings, and a second equipment front end module is mounted in a second one of the at least two interface openings.

13. The equipment front end module of claim 11 , wherein the sealing flange that is sealed around the interface opening in the wall is compressed onto a sealing surface of the wall by a clamp.

14. The equipment front end module of claim 13 , wherein the clamp comprises a plurality of clamping strips wherein each one of the plurality of clamping strips is secured along one side of the interface opening.

15. The equipment front end module of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of clamping strips are secured to an interface panel by fasteners received through apertures formed in the sealing flange.

16. The equipment front end module of claim 10 , wherein the first mounting member is coupled to a first slit valve assembly of the load lock assembly.

17. The equipment front end module of claim 10 , wherein the first mounting member comprises a plate including a substrate opening and including a slit valve sealing surface wherein a slit valve assembly is sealed to the slit valve sealing surface.

18. The equipment front end module of claim 17 , wherein the substrate opening is offset on the first mounting member and an actuator of the slit valve assembly is received in a recess formed by an axial offset of the flexible seal.

19. An electronic device processing apparatus, comprising:
a mainframe;
the load lock assembly coupled to the mainframe; and
the equipment front end module of claim 10 comprising the flexible seal coupled to the load lock assembly.

20. A method of assembling a load lock assembly to an equipment front end module, comprising:
providing a load lock assembly;
providing an equipment front end module including a cabinet with an equipment front end module chamber subject to environmental controls, the cabinet including a wall and an interface opening in the wall;
providing an equipment front end module interface including a first mounting member and a flexible seal coupled to the first mounting member, the flexible seal including a sealing flange;
coupling and sealing the sealing flange around the interface opening and coupling the first mounting member to the load lock assembly to seal between the load lock assembly and the wall of the cabinet; and
accommodating any misalignment present between the load lock assembly and the equipment front end module with the flexible seal.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Vincent Joseph
• Kuchar Michael
• Hruzek Dean C
• Soundarrajan Vijayabaskar
• Maddherla Pandu
• Wyatt Adam J
• Mcandrew Robert M

Classifications

• H10P72/0466

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0441 Primary

  Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like · CPC title

• H05K13/021 Primary

  Loading or unloading of containers (H05K13/028 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01L21/67201

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K7/20209

  Thermal management, e.g. fan control · CPC title