Storage apparatus for storing cassettes for substrates and processing apparatus equipped therewith

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11139191-B2
Application number	US-201816637134-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2017
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

A storage apparatus to store cassettes for substrates comprising a moveable base plate constructed and arranged to hold cassettes, an outer wall provided with an opening to receive and remove the cassettes from the base plate, and a moving device constructed and arranged to move the base plate with respect to the opening is disclosed. The storage apparatus is provided with a stationary sensor near the opening for detecting at least one of a presence and a correct orientation of a substrate cassette on the base plate at the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A storage apparatus to store cassettes for substrates comprising:
a moveable base plate constructed and arranged to hold cassettes;
a bar provided on the moveable base plate to position a cassette;
a movable element coupled to the bar and positioned to be contacted and moveable by the cassette when said cassette is present in the correct orientation on said base plate;
an indicator moveable by the moveable element and indicating that said cassette is present in said correct orientation;
an outer wall provided with an opening to receive and remove cassettes from the base plate; and,
a moving device constructed and arranged to move the base plate with respect to the opening, wherein the storage apparatus is provided with a stationary sensor near the opening to detect at least one of a presence and a correct orientation of the cassettes on the base plate at the opening,
wherein the sensor is an optical sensor to optically detect the presence and the correct orientation of the cassettes on the base plate,
wherein the indicator is within a viewing angle of the optical sensor to indicate the presence and correct orientation of the cassette on the base plate to the optical sensor,
wherein said bar is provided with a hole therein,
wherein said hole opens in a first direction and said movable element comprises a pin to cooperate with the cassette and moveably configured in said hole,
wherein said moveable element moves in a first direction, and
wherein the hole opens in the first direction and the pin moves within the hole in the first direction.

2. Processing apparatus for processing substrates comprising:
a storage apparatus to store cassettes according to claim 1 ;
a processing device to process substrates; and,
a substrate handler constructed and arranged to move substrates from the cassettes to the processing device and to move the substrates from the processing device to the cassettes after processing.

3. The processing apparatus for processing substrates according to claim 2 , wherein the processing device comprises a reactor with a reaction chamber for processing a plurality of substrates.

4. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movable element comprises a pivotable arm and the bar is provided with a pivot to pivotably mount said pivotable arm to the base plate.

5. The storage apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the pivotable arm comprises the indicator, said indicator being moveable upon pivoting of said arm indicating that said cassette is in said correct orientation.

6. The storage apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the pivotable arm comprises a counterweight to push the moveable element against the cassette.

7. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the baseplate has a horizontal plane for receiving the cassettes and the apparatus is constructed and arranged with the baseplate moveable in a horizontal direction.

8. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said moveable element comprises a stop, said stop limiting the movement of said moveable element.

9. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the moveable element is provided at a lower side of the base plate.

10. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the indicator comprises a reflector and the optical sensor comprises a radiation source to direct a beam of radiation towards the reflector and a sensor to detect a reflection of the radiation beam.

11. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the baseplate comprises a hole and the pin is moveable through the hole.

12. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein walls are provided to the base plate extending upward from the baseplate leaving one side open for access to the base plate.

13. The storage apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a wall opposite the open side is provided with holes to purge the cassettes.

14. The storage apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the walls define an isosceles trapezoid shape on the base plate.

15. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the baseplate comprises a plurality of areas to hold the cassettes.

16. The storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical sensor is a camera constructed and arranged to have the cassettes on the base plate near the opening within a viewing angle of the camera to detect at least one of the presence and the correct orientation of the cassettes on the base plate.

17. The storage apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the apparatus is provided with a computer operably connected with the camera and provided with a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is provided with machine vision software for determining at least one of the presence and the correct orientation of the cassettes on the base plate.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• Garssen Adriaan
• Den Hartog-Besselink Edwin

Classifications

• H10P72/3408

  Docking arrangements · CPC title

• H10P72/3402

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/3218

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H10P72/0606 Primary

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title

• H10P72/53

  using optical controlling means · CPC title