A storage system includes shelves each with a nozzle to supply clean gas into containers, flow amount controllers to control a supply amount of clean gas to a nozzle, a transport apparatus to transfer the containers to and from the shelves, and a controller to control the transport apparatus and the flow amount controllers. The controller makes an assignment of at least one shelf in preparation to store an incoming container and before the occurrence of the incoming container, and controls a flow amount controlling device to supply clean gas to the nozzle in the at least one shelf, based upon the assignment.

Electronic device processing assemblies including an equipment front end module (EFEM) with at least one side storage pod attached thereto are described. The side storage pod has a side storage container. In some embodiments, an exhaust conduit extends between the chamber and a pod plenum that can contain a chemical filter proximate thereto. A supplemental fan may draw purge gas from the pod plenum through the chemical filter and route the gas through a return duct to an upper plenum of the EFEM. Methods and side storage pods in accordance with these and other embodiments are also disclosed.

Embodiments of substrate supports for use in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments a substrate support for use in a process chamber includes a pedestal having an upper surface for supporting a substrate and an opposite lower surface, a first heater disposed within the pedestal between the upper surface and the lower surface, and thermal baffles having a plurality of voids that are fluidly isolated from each other disposed between the first heater and the lower surface to reduce heat transfer from the first heater to the lower surface of the pedestal.

After the start of supply of a purge gas to a storage container, a supply rate control unit performs supply rate increase control to gradually increase the supply rate such that the supply rate reaches a first flow rate, and after the supply rate reaches the first flow rate, the supply rate control unit performs supply rate maintenance control to maintain the supply rate at the first flow rate or larger. A discharge rate control unit keeps a discharge rate at zero while the supply rate increase control is being executed, and when the supply rate reaches the first flow rate, the discharge rate control unit performs discharge rate maintenance control to maintain the discharge rate at or below a second flow rate smaller than the first flow rate.

A load port of a factory interface of an electronic device manufacturing system can include a purge apparats, a docking tray configured to receive a substrate carrier including a substrate carrier door and a substrate carrier housing, a backplane located adjacent to the docking tray, and a carrier door configured to seal an opening in the backplane when the carrier door opener is closed. The carrier door opener can include an inlet gas line therethrough that is coupled to one or more components of the purge apparatus. The load port can also include a controller that is configured to detect that the substrate carrier is placed in a docking position on the docking tray. The substrate carrier placed in the docking position on the docking tray can form a gap between the substrate carrier housing and the backplane. The controller can also purge a space between the carrier door and the carrier housing and/or an area between the carrier door and the carrier door opener via the inlet gas line and the gap between the substrate carrier housing and the backplane. The controller can cause the purge apparatus to stop the purge and close the gap between the substrate carrier housing and the backplane.

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.

A substrate storage container includes: an opening on a front surface side; and a gas supply mechanism on a bottom surface. The gas supply mechanism has: an introduction path configured to receive a gas from a bottom surface side; a check valve disposed at a position that does not overlap with the introduction path in a horizontal plane along the bottom surface; and a flow path configured to supply the gas from the introduction path to the check valve.

A wafer transport carrier includes various components to provide improved air sealing to reduce air leakage into the wafer transport carrier. The wafer transport carrier may include a housing having a hollow shell that contains a vacuum or an inert gas to minimize and/or prevent humidity and oxygen ingress into the wafer transport carrier, a wafer rack that is integrated into the shell of the housing to minimize and/or prevent air leakage around the wafer rack, and/or an enhanced magnet-based door latch to provide air sealing around the full perimeter of the opening of the housing. These components and/or additional components described herein may reduce and/or prevent debris, moisture, and/or other types of contamination from the semiconductor fabrication facility from entering the wafer transport carrier and causing wafer defects and/or device failures.

A storage shelf includes second shelf modules each including a second shelf board, a supply nozzle, an MFC configured to adjust a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the supply nozzle, and a third pipe connecting between the MFC and a main pipe connected to a supply source of the fluid, and suspension frames each including additional shelf supporting portions supporting the second shelf modules from below and a pair of suspending portions and a pair of additional suspending portions suspending and supporting the additional shelf supporting portions. The suspension frames are disposed at regular intervals along one direction. Each second shelf module is laid over between additional shelf supporting portions of suspension frames adjacent to each other in the one direction, and a pipe connector being connectable to the main pipe is provided with an end of the third pipe.

An EFEM includes a housing having a substantially closed substrate transfer space in the housing and a control part configured to perform a control of supplying an inert gas into at least the housing. The control part includes an inert gas total supply amount setting part configured to set a total supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing; a door open/purge determination part configured to determine whether a container door of a substrate storage container is in an open state and whether a purge device is performing a purge process; and an in-housing inert gas supply amount calculation part configured to calculate a supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing. The supply amount of the inert gas to be supplied into the housing is determined according to an inert gas supply amount command value determined based on a calculation result.