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.

A control system for a wafer transport vehicle is provided. The control system includes a control apparatus, a database, an onboard interface of the wafer transport vehicle and an operation control center. The control apparatus is arranged in a container of the wafer transport vehicle and configured to detect a environmental parameters in a container of the wafer transport vehicle and regulate the internal environment of a container of the wafer transport vehicle. The database is in communication with the control apparatus and configured store the environmental parameters detected by the control apparatus. The onboard interface is in communication with the control apparatus and configured to remotely control the control apparatus. The operation control center is in communication with the control apparatus and the onboard interface of the wafer transport vehicle and configured to receive the environmental parameters detected by the control apparatus.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A control system includes a sensor unit capturing a set of data related to a gas pressure in the equipment, a sensor interface receiving the set of data and generating at least one input signal for a database server, and a control unit. The control unit includes a front end subsystem, a calculation subsystem, and a message and feedback subsystem. The front end subsystem performs a front end process to generate a data signal. The calculation subsystem performs an artificial intelligence analytical process to determine, according to the data signal, whether a malfunction related to the gas pressure has occurred and generate an output signal. The message and feedback subsystem generates an alert signal and a feedback signal according to the output signal and transmits the alert signal to a user.

A measurement carrier includes a housing having an internal space, and a flow-rate measuring device located within the internal space. A bottom surface of the housing includes a first inflow hole, a second inflow hole, and an outflow hole, which provide fluid communication between the internal space and an outer space. The flow-rate measuring device may include a first flow-rate measuring sensor in fluid communication with the first inflow hole, and a second flow-rate measuring sensor in fluid communication with the second inflow hole.

Embodiments of an enclosed coating system according to the present teachings can be useful for patterned area coating of substrates in the manufacture of a variety of apparatuses and devices in a wide range of technology areas, for example, but not limited by, OLED displays, OLED lighting, organic photovoltaics, Perovskite solar cells, and organic semiconductor circuits. Enclosed and environmentally controlled coating systems of the present teachings can provide several advantages, such as: 1) Elimination of a range of vacuum processing operations such coating-based fabrication can be performed at atmospheric pressure. 2) Controlled patterned coating eliminates material waste, as well as eliminating additional processing typically required to achieve patterning of an organic layer. 3) Various formulations used for patterned coating with various embodiments of an enclosed coating apparatus of the present teachings can have a wide range of physical properties, such as viscosity and surface tension. Various embodiments of an enclosed coating system can be integrated with various components that provide a gas circulation and filtration system, a particle control system, a gas purification system, and a thermal regulation system and the like to form various embodiments of an enclosed coating system that can sustain an inert gas environment that is substantially low-particle for various coating processes of the present teachings that require such an environment.

A connecting mechanism includes a mounting unit, a substrate transfer port, a door closing or opening the substrate transfer port, a coupling mechanism coupling a cover of the substrate container mounted on the mounting unit with the door, and a gas exhaust/purge unit. First, second and third seal members respectively seal a first space between a peripheral portion of the substrate transfer port and the door, a second space between the door and the cover of the substrate container, and a space between the peripheral portion of the substrate transfer port and the main body. The gas exhaust unit exhausts the first space and a second space. The purge gas, which has been supplied into the substrate container by the gas exhaust/purge unit, is supplied into the first and the second space by allowing the gas exhaust unit to exhaust the first and the second space.

The present invention relates to a method for measuring particle contamination of a transport carrier for conveying and storing semiconductor substrates at atmospheric pressure, implemented in a measuring station. The measuring method comprises: a step in which the measuring module (5) couples to the rigid casing (2), thereby defining a first measuring volume (V1) between the casing-measuring interface (16) and the coupled rigid casing (2) in order to measure contamination of the internal walls of the rigid casing (2); and a step in which the door (3) couples to the measuring module (5), thereby defining a second measuring volume (V2) between said measuring face (22) and the opposite door (3) in order to measure contamination of the door (3). The invention also relates to an associated measuring station.

The present invention relates to a station for measuring particle contamination of a transport carrier for conveying and storing semiconductor substrates at atmospheric pressure, said transport carrier comprising a rigid casing (2) containing an aperture and a removable door (3) allowing the aperture to be closed, the measuring station comprising: a controlled environment chamber (4) comprising at least one load port (8) capable of coupling, on the one hand, to the rigid casing (2), and on the other hand, to the door (3) of the transport carrier, in order to move the door (3) into the controlled environment chamber (4) and bring the interior of the rigid casing (2) into communication with the interior of the controlled environment chamber (4); and a measuring module (5) comprising a particle measuring unit (14) and a casing-measuring interface (16) configured to couple to the rigid transport carrier casing (2) coupled to the controlled environment chamber (4) in the place of the door (3), characterized in that said casing-measuring interface (16) comprises a measuring head protruding from a base of the casing-measuring interface, bearing a first sampling orifice (12) connected to the particle measuring unit (14), and at least two injecting nozzles (20) configured to direct a gas jet onto at least two separate locations on the rigid casing (2) coupled to the controlled environment chamber (4), the respective orientations of the injecting nozzles (20) being fixed relative to the coupled rigid casing (2). The invention also relates to a method for measuring particle contamination of a transport carrier for conveying and storing semiconductor substrates at atmospheric pressure.

An article relay apparatus is located on an outside wall separating an interior and an exterior of a stocker and relays an article between the interior and an operator. The article relay apparatus includes an opening that faces and is open to an operator passage outside the outside wall, a placement table in a rear side in a depth direction of the opening and on which the article is to be placed, a first cover above the opening and on a front side in the depth direction of the opening, the first cover defining a portion of the outside wall, and a second cover that is located between the first cover and the opening, defines a portion of the outside wall, and has a shape extending downwardly toward a rear side in the depth direction.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing fume which includes, a wafer cassette for stacking wafers; and an exhaust for exhausting the fume of the wafers stacked in the wafer cassette, wherein the wafer cassette includes stacking shelves provided at both sides for stacking wafers; and a front opening for incoming and outgoing of the wafers which are being stacked in the stacking shelf, wherein the stacking shelves include multiple inclined ramp portions which are slanted towards the wafers stacked in the stacking shelves as they travel towards the front opening, wherein a purge gas outlet is provided in the inclined ramp portion for supplying purge gas for the wafers stacked in the stacking shelves. According to the present invention, the residual process gases on wafers can be removed efficiently.