An apparatus for molding a physical body comprising at least two mold materials, wherein the apparatus comprises a first mold tool and a second mold tool configured for defining a mold volume in between in which the physical body is moldable by supplying the at least two mold materials, and a supply unit configured for separately supplying the at least two mold materials to the mold volume, wherein at least part of at least one of the first mold tool and the second mold tool is movable to thereby increase the dimension of the mold volume after having supplied the first mold material to the mold volume and before and/or during supplying the second mold material to the mold volume.

A dispensing system for depositing material on an electronic substrate includes a frame, a dispensing unit gantry movably coupled to the frame, a dispensing unit coupled to the dispensing unit gantry, a vision system gantry coupled to the frame, and a vision system coupled to the vision system gantry. A controller is configured to manipulate the vision system with the vision gantry system to move to the position defined by a feature, to acquire an image of at least a portion of a feature, to search for an edge of interest along a center of the image, and to return a value indicating an offset of zero (0), which is interpreted as the location that is exactly as expected, and an offset that reflects where the edge of interest intersected that axis location.

A transfer chamber includes a monolithic chamber body, a transfer robot configured to pass substrates between a factory interface and a processing module in a substrate processing system, a load lock chamber station, a shutter station, a pre-clean chamber station, and a process chamber station integrated within the monolithic chamber body, and a plurality of slit valves integrated within the monolithic chamber body. The plurality of slit valves are configured to open and close the load lock chamber station, the pre-clean chamber station, and the process chamber station each from the shutter station such that the load lock chamber station, the pre-clean chamber station, and the process chamber station maintain respective vacuum pressures.

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to a method of cleaning a substrate and a substrate processing apparatus that is configured to perform the method of cleaning the substrate. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of cleaning a substrate in a manner that reduces or eliminates the negative effects of line stiction between semiconductor device features. Other embodiments of the present invention relate to a substrate processing apparatus that allows for cleaning of the substrate in a manner that reduces or eliminates line stiction between semiconductor device features formed on the substrate.

Disclosed are a wafer carrier that keeps wafers under a constant pressure, at any preset value below or above the atmospheric pressure, to prevent wafer contaminations arising from atmospheric exposure in conventional wafer carriers, and also, a wafer transport system and method utilizing the same wafer carrier. The wafer carrier charged with a preset carrier pressure is transported and docked with an airlock of a wafer processing tool comprising the airlock, a vacuum transfer module, and a process chamber. The airlock adjusts, by a gas pump, inner pressure to equate successively with, first, the carrier pressure before opening the carrier door, and next, the vacuum transfer module pressure before opening the latter's door. The wafers are then transferred into the process chamber. After processing, the wafers are transferred back into the wafer carrier and charged with the preset carrier pressure before undocked and transported to the next wafer processing tool.

Systems and methods are described for integrated decomposition and scanning of a semiconducting wafer, where a single chamber is utilized for decomposition and scanning of the wafer of interest.

An improved particle beam inspection apparatus, and more particularly, a particle beam inspection apparatus including an improved load lock unit is disclosed. An improved load lock system may comprise a plurality of supporting structures configured to support a wafer and a conditioning plate including a heat transfer element configured to adjust a temperature of the wafer. The load lock system may further comprise a gas vent configured to provide a gas between the conditioning plate and the wafer and a controller configured to assist with the control of the heat transfer element.

A method and apparatus for removing volatile residues from a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, a method for volatile residues from a substrate includes providing a processing system having a load lock chamber and at least one processing chamber coupled to a transfer chamber, treating a substrate in the processing chamber with a chemistry comprising halogen, and removing volatile residues from the treated substrate in the load lock chamber.

Provided is a transfer detection method for use in a substrate processing apparatus including a transfer arm, which has a plurality of substrate holders and is configured to transfer a plurality of substrates to a plurality of stages between a first chamber and a second chamber adjacent to the first chamber by using the plurality of substrate holders, and an optical sensor provided in a vicinity of an opening via which the first and second chambers are in communication with each other, the method including: projecting a light beam having a horizontal optical axis parallel to the opening to a position through which the substrates held by the plurality of substrate holders pass; and determining at least one of a state of the substrates on the substrate holders and a state of the transfer arm, in response to a detection result of the light beam projected from the optical sensor.

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including at least one load module including a load port on which a substrate container is located, a plurality of substrates being mountable on the substrate container; at least one loadlock module including a loadlock chamber directly connected to the substrate container, the loadlock chamber interchangeably having atmospheric pressure and vacuum pressure, a first transfer robot within the loadlock chamber, and a substrate stage within the loadlock chamber, the plurality of substrates being mountable on the substrate stage; a transfer module including a transfer chamber connected to the loadlock chamber, a second transfer robot within the transfer chamber, and a substrate aligner within the transfer chamber; and at least one process module including at least one process chamber connected to the transfer module.