A process comprises the following steps: a) provision of a chamber suitable for receiving a plurality of structures, b) circulation of a gas stream in the chamber so that the chamber has a non-oxidizing atmosphere, c) heat treatment of the plurality of structures at a temperature above a threshold value above which the oxygen present in an oxide of a dielectric diffuses through an active layer reacts with semiconductor material of the active layer and produces a volatile material, the process being noteworthy in that the step b) is carried out so that the gas stream has a rate of circulation between the plurality of structures greater than the rate of diffusion of the volatile material into the gas stream.

A vertical wafer boat includes a plurality of struts formed with a shelf plate portion configured to mount a silicon wafer, and a top plate and a bottom plate which fix upper and lower ends of the struts. The shelf plate portion is inclined downward toward the center of the boat, and a wafer support portion which protrudes upward and abuts on an edge portion of the silicon wafer is formed at a distal end of the shelf plate portion. To obtain the vertical wafer boat which supports a silicon wafer to be processed by a shelf plate portion provided in multiple stages, the vertical wafer boat being capable of reducing a risk of contact between a warped outer peripheral portion of a wafer and the shelf plate portion and suppressing deflection of the silicon wafer even when the silicon wafer has a large diameter.

The present disclosure is directed to a stocker utilizing one or more storage carriers to optimize the utilization of a storage compartment within the stocker. The stocker includes one or more storage towers each including one or more shelves that may be moved from a closed position to an opened position by being pulled outward by a hook of a forking structure. This forking structure is configured to lift up a corresponding storage carrier off the shelf to be transported to a storage carrier load port to position one or more workpieces or toolpieces within the storage carrier, which is then transported back to the corresponding shelf for storage. The utilization of the forking structure along with the pull out shelves allows for a large number of storage carriers to be stored within the storage compartment of the stocker.

The present disclosure provides a wafer cleaning apparatus and a wafer transfer device. The wafer transfer device includes a machine bracket, a drive mechanism, a retractable bracket, and a plurality of wafer support brackets. The drive mechanism and the retractable bracket are arranged at the machine bracket. An end of the retractable bracket is fixedly connected to the machine bracket. The second end of the retractable bracket is movably arranged at the machine bracket and arranged along the movement direction of the second end. The drive mechanism is connected to the retractable bracket and is configured to drive the second end to move to cause the retractable bracket to retract. The plurality of wafer support brackets are arranged at the retractable bracket. The distance between any two neighboring wafer support brackets changes as the retractable bracket extends and retracts.

A substrate container with enhanced flow field therein includes a box, at least one offset inflation mechanism and at least one gas diffusion mechanism. The offset inflation mechanism is disposed outside internal receiving space of the box. The offset inflation mechanism has a gaseous chamber extending in the same direction as a bottom panel. The gas diffusion mechanism includes a base, a partition wall and at least one diffusion member. The base masks an outlet of the gaseous chamber to form an auxiliary gaseous chamber. The partition wall extends perpendicularly to the bottom panel to form a vertical first gas channel in communication with the auxiliary gaseous chamber. The diffusion member and the partition wall together define a second gas channel. The partition wall has at least one gap whereby the first gas channel and the second gas channel are in communication with each other.

A container for receiving a semiconductor device is provided. In one embodiment, the wafer holder assembly includes a first wafer holder with a plurality of first fingers arranged in a first common horizontal plane and a second wafer holder with a plurality of second fingers arranged in a second common horizontal plane. The first wafer holder and the second holder are configured to move relative to each other in a vertical direction, and the first wafer holder and the second holder are configured to rotate relative to each other around a vertical axis.

A wafer boat system comprises a carrier and a plurality of holder rings configured to support a wafer in the carrier. Each of the holder rings has an annular body and ring projections projecting from said annular body for contact with the wafer. At the ring projections, a local surface area of the annular body is small compared to a circumferential average or median of the local surface area of the annular body, in particular so as to at least partly compensate for a surface area of the respective ring projection, thereby promoting evenness of vapor deposition on wafers supported on the holder rings in the carrier. The reduced local surface area is preferably realized by a relatively large inner radius of the annular body at the ring projection. The carrier may provide a reference structure for automated wafer positioning.

The present disclosure relates to a holding apparatus for holding substrates, comprising: a case, and a first support rod and a second support rod, the first support rod is provided with first support sub-rods, and the second support rod is provided with second support sub-rods, the holding apparatus further comprising: a first adjusting mechanism configured to control the first support sub-rods at a first position to move in a direction perpendicular to the first support rod, so as to adjust gaps between the first support sub-rods and the second support sub-rods at a second position corresponding to the first position, and/or a second adjusting mechanism configured to control the second support sub-rods at the second position to move in a direction perpendicular to the second support rod, so as to adjust gaps between the second support sub-rods and the first support sub-rods at the first position.

Systems and methods for transferring solar cells while maintaining a controlled micro-environment are provided. In particular, such systems provide automated loading and unloading of solar cells by use of a conveyor and elevator within a tank receptacle sealingly connected with a solar cell carrying pods and a flow tube of solar cell components in a solar cell fabrication process. The tank receptacle can include one or more ports for sealingly and operably coupling with a cover of a solar cell carrying pod, each port having an elevator for withdrawing a removable base of the pod along with a solar cell carrying cassette into the tank and a conveyor to facilitate loading and/or unloading of solar cells with the cassette by coordinated movement of the elevator and conveyor. Such systems can further include a robotic arm having a gripper and nozzle to maintain a micro-environment within the pod during transport.

Devices and methods for transferring solar cells while maintaining a controlled environment are provided. Such devices include a solar cell carrying cassette adapted to support a stack of solar cells within a solar cell carrying pod that maintains a sealed micro-environment of inert gas and allows for automated transfer of solar cells between the pod and a fabrication line. The solar cell carrying cassette includes a pair of end plates and a plurality of rods extending therebetween that are configured to support a stack of solar cells. An identifier, such as an RFID chip, is included in each of the pair of end plates so as to allow for ready identification of the cassette from a single location relative the pod, while the cassette is coupled within the pod, regardless of the orientation of the cassette within the pod.