The present invention relates to a packaging unit for a substrate, a package stack with such packaging units and a process for packaging a substrate. The packaging unit for a substrate comprises a first shell, a substrate and a second shell. The substrate is inserted into the first shell, and the second shell is mounted on the first shell so that a first side of the substrate is surrounded by the first shell and an opposite, second side of the substrate is covered by the second shell. A metal deposit is applied to the second side of the substrate and an adhesive point is arranged on the metal deposit. The second shell is supported on the first shell in such a way that the second shell is only in contact with the substrate outside the adhesive point.

Exemplary substrate processing system may include a chamber body that defines a processing region. The systems may include a liner positioned atop the chamber body. The liner may include first disconnect members. The systems may include a faceplate that is positioned atop the liner. The systems may include a support disposed within the chamber body. The support may include a plate comprising a heater. The plate may include second disconnect members. The support may include a shaft coupled with the plate. The support may include a dynamic plate disposed about the shaft below the plate. The support may include metallic straps that couple the plate with the dynamic plate. The dynamic plate may include inner disconnect members and outer disconnect members. Inner disconnect members may be engageable with second disconnect members in a transfer position. Outer disconnect members may be engageable with first disconnect members in a process position.

A method includes aligning and positioning a carrier in a predetermined orientation and location within a first front opening pod (FOUP) of a cluster tool, transferring the carrier to a charging station of the cluster tool, transferring a substrate from a second front opening pod (FOUP) of the cluster tool to the charging station and chucking the substrate onto the carrier, transferring the carrier having the substrate thereon from the charging station to a factory interface of the cluster tool, aligning the carrier having the substrate thereon in the factory interface of the cluster tool such that during substrate processing within a processing platform of the cluster tool the carrier is properly oriented and positioned relative to components of the processing platform, where the processing platform comprises one or more processing chambers, transferring the aligned carrier having the substrate thereon from the factory interface to the processing platform of the cluster tool for substrate processing, and transferring the aligned carrier having the processed substrate thereon from the processing platform to the factory interface.

A method of forming dice includes the following steps. First, a wafer structure is provides, which includes a substrate and a stack of semiconductor layers disposed in die regions and a scribe line region. Then, the substrate and the stack of the semiconductor layers in the scribe line region are removed to forma groove in the substrate. After the formation of the groove, the substrate is further thinned to obtain the substrate with a reduced thickness. Finally, a separation process is performed on the substrate with the reduced thickness.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a technique including: (a) stacking and accommodating substrates in a process chamber; (b) supplying a source gas to the plurality of substrates through a first nozzle provided in the process chamber along a stacking direction of the plurality of substrates and a second nozzle provided in the process chamber along the stacking direction of the plurality of substrates, wherein an amount of the source gas supplied through an upper portion of the first nozzle is greater than that of the source gas supplied through a lower portion of the first nozzle, and an amount of the source gas supplied through the lower portion of the second nozzle is greater than that of the source gas supplied through the upper portion of the second nozzle; and (c) supplying a reactive gas to the substrates.

A substrate processing system is disclosed which includes a processing chamber comprising a susceptor having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a groove formed in the first surface adjacent to a perimeter thereof, and a substrate support structure including a plurality of carrier lift pins, each of the plurality of carrier lift pins movably disposed in an opening formed from the second surface to the first surface, wherein the opening is recessed from the groove.

Methods and apparatus for supporting substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support for supporting a plurality of substrates includes: a plurality of substrate support elements having a ring shape configured to support a plurality of substrates in a vertically spaced apart relation; and a plurality of substrate lift elements interfacing with the plurality of substrate support elements and configured to simultaneously selectively raise or lower substrates off of or onto respective substrate support elements.

A transport apparatus includes a transport unit configured to transport a protection material in each operation of a packing operation and an unpacking operation; a protection material placement portion on which the protection material is stacked; a container placement portion on which a container main body portion is placed; a control unit configured to control the transport unit in an operation mode selected from a plurality of operation modes corresponding to types of the protection material; an attachment determination unit configured to determine attachment/detachment of components that are selected in correspondence with the type of the protection material and form the transport unit, the protection material placement portion, and the container placement portion; and a consistency determination unit configured to determine consistency between the selected operation mode and a determination result of the attachment determination unit.

A method for particle abatement in a wafer processing tool implements at least one cleaning-purposed mobile electrostatic carrier (MESC) including electrostatic field generating (EFG) circuits. Each EFG circuit is charged with the cleaning-purposed MESC. The cleaning-purposed MESC is then loaded into the wafer processing tool in a facedown orientation. A normal-purposed MESC is loaded into the wafer processing tool in a faceup orientation. Next, foreign materials are bonded to the cleaning-purposed MESC as the cleaning-purposed MESC is moved along a processing path through the wafer processing tool in the facedown orientation. The normal-purposed MESC travels the processing path during normal operation of the wafer processing tool in the faceup orientation. The cleaning-purposed MESC is then unloaded from the wafer processing tool. Next, the foreign materials are debonded from the cleaning-purposed MESC by discharging each EFG circuit with the cleaning-purposed MESC. Finally, the foreign materials are removed off the cleaning-purposed MESC.

A robot gripper for moving wafer carriers and packing materials and a method of operating the same are provided. The gripper mechanism has two clamp assemblies, each with a support pin at the bottom. The clamps are configured to move towards or away from each other, and the support pins are configured to move relative to the clamp assemblies. The first clamp assembly has a main clamp and a secondary clamp with a protrusion, while the second clamp assembly has a similar configuration.