Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an apparatus and method for storing a substrate. A buffer unit for storing a substrate includes a housing having an entrance formed at one side and a buffer space inside, a substrate support unit that supports one or more substrates in the buffer space, a pressure adjustment unit that adjusts pressure in the buffer space, and a controller that controls the pressure adjustment unit. The pressure adjustment unit includes a gas supply line that supplies a gas for pressurizing the buffer space and a gas exhaust line that reduces the pressure in the buffer space. At least one of the gas supply line and the gas exhaust line includes a plurality of lines.

Techniques and mechanisms for bonding a first wafer to a second wafer in the presence of a fluid, the viscosity of which is greater than a viscosity of air at standard ambient temperature and pressure. In an embodiment, a first surface of the first wafer is brought into close proximity to a second surface of the second wafer. The fluid is provided between the first surface and the second surface when a first region of the first surface is made to contact a second region of the second surface to form a bond. The viscosity of the fluid mitigates a rate of propagation of the bond along a wafer surface, which in turn mitigates wafer deformation and/or stress between wafers. In another embodiment, the viscosity of the fluid is changed dynamically while the bond propagates between the first surface and the second surface.

A method of purging a substrate carrier at a load port includes: opening a door of a substrate carrier that is delivered to a load port; spraying the substrate carrier with a gas flow responsive to the opening the door; mapping substrates within the substrate carrier to generate a substrate map; determining a process purge state based on the substrate map; and activating one or more inter-substrate nozzle arrays and one or more curtain nozzle arrays using a predefined spray status configuration for the process purge state.

A front opening unified pod (FOUP) includes a container, a plurality of wafer slots, at least one inlet pipe, and at least one outlet pipe. The wafer slots, the inlet pipe, and the outlet pipe are disposed in the container. The inlet pipe has a plurality of exhale openings arranged along the inlet pipe. The outlet pipe has a plurality of inhale openings arranged along the outlet pipe.

A stocker includes a wall that separates inside and outside of the stocker, a storage area on an inner side of the wall to store articles, a duct on a wall side of the storage area and extending in a vertical direction, an inlet at an upper end of the duct to introduce air flowing downward into the duct, a flow regulator to regulate an airflow between an upper side and a lower side of the duct, blowout openings on a storage area side of the duct to blow out air to the storage area, and a fan on a lower side of the flow regulator of the duct to draw in outside air and introduce the outside air into the duct.

Provided is a substrate storage container including a valve(s) capable of controlling flow of gas without using a metallic member. The valve(s) are attached to a substrate storage container and include: a cylindrical body having an open edge and an interior space; a stopcock portion partitioning the interior space into a first space and a second space and extending to the open edge; and an elastic body covering the open edge and the stopcock portion. The first space has a first communication hole communicating with an outside of the container body. The second space has a second communication hole communicating with an inside of the container body. The elastic body controls flow of gas relative to the container body by closely contacting the stopcock portion or separating from the stopcock portion.

A storage apparatus includes a storage shelf that stores a container, a purge device that is provided to the storage shelf and is able to perform a purge process on the container, and a purge determiner that determines at least one of a necessity of the purge process and a condition of the purge process in accordance with at least one of a transport source of the container to the storage shelf and a transport destination of the container from the storage shelf.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for monitoring an environment of a front opening universal pod (FOUP). The systems and methods may include an environmental sensor disposed within the FOUP and configured to measure one or more environmental parameters of an interior environment of the FOUP; and a wireless transmitter disposed within the FOUP and in communication with the environmental sensor, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to wirelessly transmit the one or more environmental parameters from the environmental sensor to a controller disposed outside of the FOUP to decide whether the one or more environmental parameters are within threshold limits and receive a message according to a decision of whether the one or more environmental parameters are within the threshold limits from the controller.

A system includes a filter purge apparatus configured to supply a flushing gas to a portion of a factory interface chamber located upstream of a chamber filter to minimize moisture contamination of the chamber filter by ambient air. The filter purge apparatus is configured to supply the flushing gas in association with breach of the factory interface chamber which compromises controlled environment of the factory interface chamber.

In an embodiment, the present invention discloses cleaned storage processes and systems for high level cleanliness articles, such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle carriers. A decontamination chamber can be used to clean the stored workpieces. A purge gas system can be used to prevent contamination of the articles stored within the workpieces. A robot can be used to detect the condition of the storage compartment before delivering the workpiece. A monitor device can be used to monitor the conditions of the stocker.