Semiconductor cleaner systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9401270-B2
Application number	US-201514682059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2015
Priority date	Jun 23, 2011
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

In an embodiment, the present invention discloses a EUV cleaner system and process for cleaning a EUV carrier. The euv cleaner system comprises separate dirty and cleaned environments, separate cleaning chambers for different components of the double container carrier, gripper arms for picking and placing different components using a same robot handler, gripper arms for holding different components at different locations, horizontal spin cleaning and drying for outer container, hot water and hot air (70 C) cleaning process, vertical nozzles and rasterizing megasonic nozzles for cleaning inner container with hot air nozzles for drying, separate vacuum decontamination chambers for outgassing different components, for example, one for inner and one for outer container with high vacuum (e.g., <10 −6 Torr) with purge gas, heaters and RGA sensors inside the vacuum chamber, purge gas assembling station, and purge gas loading and unloading station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transferring a workpiece, wherein the workpiece comprises a first component and a second component, the method comprising:
adjusting a distance between two gripper arms of a handler for gripping the first component;
gripping the first component at a first portion on the gripper arms;
transferring the first component to a first destination;
adjusting the distance between two gripper arms for gripping the second component;
gripping the second component at a second portion on the gripper arms, wherein the second portion is at a different location on the handler than the first portion;
transferring the second component to a second destination,
wherein an insert is coupled to an arm, wherein the first portion comprises a middle portion of the insert; and
mating the first or second component with a locking mechanism.

2. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the second portion comprises a top or bottom portion of the insert.

3. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the first portion comprises a middle portion of an arm of the handler, and the second portion comprises a top or bottom portion of the arm of the handler, or
wherein the first portion comprises a top or bottom portion of an arm of the handler, and the second portion comprises a middle portion of the arm of the handler.

4. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the first and second destinations comprises different locations in a chamber.

5. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
coupling a mechanism to the two arms, wherein the mechanism is configured to adjust a distance between the two arms.

6. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the locking mechanism comprises a pin for mating with a recess on the first or second component.

7. A method as in claim 6 , further comprising:
wherein the first component surrounds the second component.

Assignees

• Brooks Ccs Gmbh
• Brooks Automation Inc

Inventors

• Rebstock Lutz

Classifications

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3304

  characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/1906

  specially adapted for containing masks, reticles or pellicles · CPC title

• H10P72/0468

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0456

  in-line arrangement · CPC title