An apparatus for the wafer level packaging (WLP) of micro-bolometer vacuum package assemblies (VPAs), in one embodiment, includes a wafer alignment and bonding chamber, a bolometer wafer chuck and a lid wafer chuck disposed within the chamber in vertically facing opposition to each other, means for creating a first ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environment within the chamber, means for heating and cooling the bolometer wafer chuck and the lid wafer chuck independently of each other, means for moving the lid wafer chuck in the vertical direction and relative to the bolometer wafer chuck, means for moving the bolometer wafer chuck translationally in two orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane and rotationally about a vertical axis normal to the horizontal plane, and means for aligning a fiducial on a bolometer wafer held by the bolometer wafer chuck with a fiducial on a lid wafer held by the lid wafer chuck.

A method for forming a fully self-aligned via is provided. A workpiece having a pattern of features in a dielectric layer is received into a common manufacturing platform. Metal caps are deposited on the metal features, and a barrier layer is deposited on the metal caps. A first dielectric layer is added to exposed dielectric material. The barrier layer is removed and an etch stop layer is added on the exposed surfaces of the first dielectric layer and the metal caps. Additional dielectric material is added on top of the etch stop layer, then both the additional dielectric material and a portion of the etch stop layer are etched to form a feature to be filled with metal material. An integrated sequence of processing steps is executed within one or more common manufacturing platforms to provide controlled environments. Transfer modules transfer the workpiece between processing modules within and between controlled environments.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes: a primary process of supplying a process gas to a substrate having a depression formed therein to form a third layer and filling the depression with the third layer, the substrate including a first layer whose surface is exposed as an upper surface of the substrate and a second layer formed in at least a sidewall of the depression having the sidewall and a floor surface; performing an etching process of etching the third layer to expose the upper surface, and halting the etching of the third layer while remaining the third layer formed within the depression; and performing a secondary process of supplying the process gas to the substrate to form the third layer so that the depression is filled with the third layer with no clearance.

An EFEM useful for transferring wafers to and from wafer processing modules comprises an enclosure having a controlled environment therein bounded by a front wall, a back wall, first and second side walls, a top wall, and a bottom wall. The first side wall and the second side wall include two or more wafer load ports wherein each wafer load port is adapted to receive a FOUP. The front wall includes wafer ports configured to attach to respective load locks operable to allow a wafer to be transferred to a front wall cluster processing tool. The back wall includes a wafer port adapted to be in operational relationship with a back wall cluster processing tool. A robot in the EFEM enclosure is operable to transfer wafers through the wafer load ports, the first front wall wafer port, the second front wall wafer port, and the back wall wafer port.

A substrate processing system comprising a polishing part, a pre-cleaning region, and a cleaning part. The polishing part performs a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process on a substrate. The pre-cleaning region is prepared in the polishing part and allows pre-cleaning performed on the substrate having undergone the polishing process. The cleaning part cleans the substrate pre-cleaned in the pre-cleaning region.

Provided is a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method. The substrate processing system includes a polishing part for performing a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process on a substrate, a cleaning part for cleaning the substrate on which the polishing process is performed, and a substrate transferring part for transferring the substrate to the cleaning part before polishing the substrate in the polishing part. The substrate may be preparatorily cleaned in the cleaning part before the polishing process, and then enters the polishing part.

A substrate treating apparatus, a carrier transporting method, and a carrier buffer device. A carrier transport mechanism transports a carrier between platforms of two openers and carrier storage shelves. The carrier storage shelves and the carrier transport mechanism are each mounted on a first treating block. Accordingly, the carrier storage shelves and the carrier transport mechanism are not extended horizontally from the indexer block, achieving a compact footprint of a substrate treating apparatus.

A transfer path is provided which is extended so as to be passed on a lateral side of a processing portion that processes a substrate. The substrate transferred between a container held by a holding unit and the processing portion passes through the transfer path. A first transfer robot carries the substrate into and out of the container held by the holding unit, and accesses a reception/delivery region arranged within the transfer path. A second transfer robot receives and delivers the substrate from and to the first transfer robot in the reception/delivery region, and carries the substrate into and out of the processing portion. A second transfer robot raising/lowering unit which raises and lowers the second transfer robot is arranged within the transfer path. The reception/delivery region and the second transfer robot raising/lowering unit are located between the first transfer robot and the second transfer robot.

Apparatus and methods for handling die carriers are disclosed. In one example, a disclosed apparatus includes: a load port configured to load a die carrier operable to hold a plurality of dies into a processing tool; and a lane changer coupled to the load port and configured to move at least one die in the die carrier to an input of the processing tool and transfer the at least one die into the processing tool for processing the at least one die.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing unit, a transit unit, a processing unit transfer device, an inspector and an inspector transfer device. The processing unit is configured to process a peripheral portion of a substrate. The substrate is transferred into/from the transit unit. The processing unit transfer device is configured to perform a carry-in/carry-out of the substrate between the transit unit and the processing unit. The inspector is configured to inspect a processed state of the peripheral portion of the substrate. The inspector transfer device is configured to take out the substrate from the inspector and carry the taken substrate into the transit unit.