A load port apparatus connects a main opening of a wafer transportation container to a frame opening. The apparatus includes an installation unit, a frame unit, a flange clamp unit, and a detection unit. The installation unit includes an installation table configured to install the container and relatively move to the frame opening. The frame unit is upright upward from the installation unit and includes the frame opening. The flange clamp unit includes an engagement section and a drive section. The engagement section is engageable with a flange surrounding an outer circumference of the main opening. The drive section drives the engagement section to carry out an engagement operation and a separation operation. The detection unit detects the engagement operation by the flange clamp unit with classification into a normal engagement operation and an abnormal engagement operation.

A multiple transport carrier docking device may be capable of storing and/or staging a plurality of transport carriers in a chamber of the multiple transport carrier docking device, and may be capable of forming an air-tight seal around a transport carrier in the chamber. Semiconductor wafers in the transport carrier may be accessed by a wafer transport tool while the air-tight seal around the transport carrier prevents and/or reduces the likelihood that contaminants in the semiconductor fabrication facility will reach the semiconductor wafers. The air-tight seal around the transport carrier may reduce defects of the semiconductor wafers that might otherwise be caused by the contaminants, may increase manufacturing yield and quality in the semiconductor fabrication facility, and/or may permit the continued reduction in device and/or feature sizes of integrated circuits and/or semiconductor devices that are to be formed on semiconductor wafers.

A wafer stocker capable of further improving an environment around wafers is provided. The wafer stocker includes a housing, a loading device provided on a front surface of the housing, a wafer cassette shelf arranged in the housing, a wafer transfer robot configured to move the wafers from a transfer container mounted on the loading device to a wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf, a wafer cassette delivery device configured to move the wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf to a stage having a different height, and a fan filter unit configured to generate a laminar flow in a wafer transfer space and in a wafer cassette transfer space.

The present invention provides an apparatus for treating a substrate. The apparatus for treating a substrate comprises: a first module; and a treating module configured to treat the substrate, and the first module includes: a load port on which a container having the substrate accommodated therein is placed; a transfer unit having a hand that transfers the substrate between the load port and the treating module; and an observation unit mounted in the transfer unit and configured to observe a state of the substrate accommodated in the container.

Provided are a flow supply apparatus and supply method. The flow supply apparatus, comprising: a rail; a transport unit disposed on the rail, where an object is loaded; and a gas treatment unit provided on the transport unit and configured to purge the object. The object includes a FOUP with a substrate accommodated therein, and fume is removed from the substrate through the purging.

The present invention is directed to an assembling device used for semiconductor equipment. The assembling device includes a chamber lid, a ceiling, a suspension part, a driving part and receptacles. The ceiling is disposed below the chamber lid. The suspension part is inserted through the chamber lid, and to be hooked to the ceiling. The driving part is disposed above the chamber lid and connected to the suspension part, and configured to drive the suspension part to join or separate the ceiling and the chamber lid. The receptacles are disposed in the ceiling and configured to be correspondingly attached to the suspension part, each of the receptacles defines a rotating groove that is open at top and closed at bottom.

A substrate transfer module, which provides clean environment to prevent particles from moving to a substrate, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment including the same. The substrate transfer module of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment includes a transfer chamber providing a transfer space of the substrate, having a chamber groove lowered by a predetermined height from a bottom surface to form a gap with respect to the bottom surface, a guide member provided in an inside portion of the transfer chamber, and a substrate transfer robot configured to move along the guide member and to transfer the substrate.

This invention provides a method and a system for cleaning a container for storing wafers or masks. A contained with lid is washed directly after the container is loaded with lid opened in the cleaning system. Gas exchange rate in the washing station can be increased such that particles or AMC inside the container or attached to the lid can be carried out more easily. Then, contamination-free gas is purged to the container as well as lid in a high temperature environment. A vacuum station can be optionally adapted between the washing station and the contamination-free gas purging station to enhance the cleanliness of the container.

One or more embodiments described herein generally relate to drying environments within semiconductor processing systems. In these embodiments, substrates are cleaned and dried within a drying environment before returning to the factory interface. However, due to an opening between the factory interface and the drying environment, air flows from the factory interface into the drying environment, often reducing the effectiveness of the drying processes. In embodiments described herein, the air flow is blocked by a sliding door that raises up to the closed position when a substrate enters the drying portion of the dryer located within the drying environment. After the substrate exits the dryer and before the substrate enters the factory interface, the sliding door lowers to the opened position such that the substrate can enter the factory interface. As such, these processes allow for multiple substrates to dry quickly and consistently within the system, improving throughput.

Semiconductor processing tools are provided that include an upper support framework, a plurality of semiconductor processing chambers arranged along a first axis, a linear guide system fixedly supported by the upper support framework and extending along a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, and a carriage. Each chamber has a base portion fixedly mounted relative to the upper support framework and a removable top cover with one or more hoisting features. The carriage includes a hoist arm configured to pivot about a vertical axis that is substantially perpendicular to the second axis, the carriage is configured to movably engage with the linear guide system and translate along the second axis relative to the linear guide system. The carriage and hoist arm are movable such that a hoist feature engagement interface of the hoist arm can be moved engage with hoisting features of any of the removable top covers.