A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, comprising a processing chamber, a wafer boat and a plurality of wafer supports. The wafer boat is configured to accommodate a plurality of wafers and is receivable in the processing chamber for depositing a layer on each wafer. The wafer boat comprises at least two wafer boat posts, wherein each wafer boat post comprises a plurality of slots. Each wafer support comprises a support area configured to support at least a circumferential edge of a wafer, and a flange circumferentially surrounding the support area. The flange is receivable in and supported by the slots and has a width to create a distance between the circumferential edge of the wafer and the wafer boat posts. The distance is such that the wafer boat posts do substantially not influence a layer thickness of the layer which is deposited on the wafer during processing of the wafer.

An apparatus for semiconductor processing is provided. The apparatus includes a housing comprising a plurality of shelves configured to receive a plurality of substrates; a shelter plate disposed over an upper side of the housing and configured to reduce heat loss of an upper substrate of the plurality of substrates; and an airflow structure in the housing and configured to control an air circulation in the housing.

A cassette which receives a substrate, and a substrate receiving system including a chamber which receives a cassette in which a substrate is loaded are provided. The cassette which receives a substrate includes: a plurality of slot supports stacked in a first direction; and a frame connected to the plurality of slot supports and extending in the first direction, wherein the plurality of slot supports and the frame are opened in an outward direction to receive the substrate, and are closed in an inward direction after the substrate is received.

A substrate processing apparatus, comprising a substrate support (32) provided with a support surface (34) for supporting a substrate or a substrate carrier (24) thereon and a support heater (50) constructed and arranged to heat the support surface (34). The apparatus comprises a heat shield constructed and arranged to cover and shield the substrate support (32) when no substrate or substrate carrier (24) is on the support surface.

A substrate processing method includes: carrying out a substrate from a substrate transfer container by a substrate transfer device; placing the substrate in a first position of a substrate holder; moving the substrate holder into a reaction container and processing the substrate in the reaction chamber; obtaining a film thickness measurement result of the substrate processed in the reaction container; creating a model from the film thickness measurement result; determining a second position where the substrate is placed in the substrate holder and a transfer position setting value obtained from the model; adjusting the first position of the substrate to the second position; calculating an eccentricity state of the substrate from a newly obtained film thickness measurement result; calculating an optimization such that the eccentricity state is minimized; and determining a third position to which a new substrate is placed from the transfer position setting value.

Described herein is a technique capable of improving an operation rate of an apparatus using a plurality of detoxification apparatuses by removing by-products adhered thereto. According to one aspect of the technique, a processing apparatus includes a controller configured to perform a process recipe of forming a film on a substrate, The controller performs: (a) when an operation state of the first detoxification apparatus is an operation-in-progress state, checking an operation state of the second detoxification apparatus; (b) when the operation state of the second detoxification apparatus is not a maintenance-in-progress state, starting an operation of the second detoxification apparatus and switching the operation state of the first detoxification apparatus to the maintenance-in-progress state; and (c) when the operation state of the second detoxification apparatus is the maintenance-in-progress state, continuing an operation of the first detoxification apparatus.

A semiconductor processing station includes first and second chambers, and a cooling stage. The second chamber includes a cooling pipe disposed inside the second chamber, and an external pipe. The cooling pipe includes a first segment disposed along a sidewall of the second chamber, and a second segment disposed perpendicular to the first segment and located above a wafer carrier in the second chamber. An end of the second segment is connected to an end of the first segment. The external pipe is connected to the second segment distal from the end of the second segment to provide a fluid to flow through the cooling pipe from an exterior to an interior of the second chamber. The fluid discharges toward the wafer carrier through the first segment. The first chamber is surrounded by the second chamber and the cooling stage, and communicates between the cooling stage and the second chamber.

In a wafer storage container, a first ring and a second ring are stacked alternatively in a vertical direction. A wafer delivery device is provided with a first ring support and a second ring support. The first ring support includes a first support piece fixed at the vertical position and a first driving mechanism to drive the first support piece. The first driving mechanism is selectively switchable among a first state, a second state, and a third state. In the first state, the first support piece overlaps with the first position in a plan view. In the second state, the first support piece overlaps with the second position in a plan view. In the third state, the first support piece does not overlap with the first and the second positions in a plan view.

An apparatus, a system and a method are disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing a wafer process chamber and a plurality of radiant heat elements under the wafer process chamber, receiving a wafer holder configured to be used in the wafer process chamber, and processing a wafer located on the wafer holder in the wafer process chamber. The wafer holder includes: a wafer contact portion including an upper surface and a lower surface, an exterior portion including an upper surface and a lower surface, and a tapered region formed in the wafer contact portion.

A ring storage station used for delivering a consumable part to a substrate processing system includes a housing that includes a base plate and a rotating plate disposed over the base plate. An end-effector opening is disposed at a first side of the housing and a service window opening is disposed at a second side of the housing. A set of finger support structures is connected to the rotating plate. Each finger support structure includes a support column and support fingers disposed thereon. At least two of the set of columns have support fingers with index pins to radially align consumable parts when disposed in the ring storage station. In one configuration, consumable parts may be designed to match the rotation angle engagement to ensure catching the angle alignment between ring storage and process module.