A substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate includes a substrate receptacle placing unit configured to place thereon a substrate receptacle accommodating therein the substrate to be processed; and a storage zone provided adjacent to the substrate receptacle placing unit to store therein the substrate receptacle. The storage zone includes multiple storages which are vertically arranged in multiple levels and configured to place and store thereon the multiple substrate receptacles horizontally. The substrate receptacle is transferred between a first storage of the multiple storages at an uppermost position and a ceiling travelling vehicle configured to be moved above the substrate processing apparatus. A second storage of the multiple storages under the first storage is configured to place and store the substrate receptacle thereon such that a direction of the substrate receptacle on the second storage is different from a direction of the substrate receptacle on the first storage.

An integrated metrology system for evaluating semiconductor wafers, the metrology system comprises a main body that has a rear side and a front side; the front side defines a front border of the main body; one or more detachable supporting units that are detachably coupled to the main body and support the main body while extending outside the front border; and at least one auxiliary supporting unit that is configured to support the main body at an absence of the one or more detachable supporting units

Apparatus and methods for automatically handling die carriers are disclosed. In one example, a disclosed apparatus includes: at least one load port each configured for loading a die carrier operable to hold a plurality of dies; and an interface tool coupled to the at least one load port and a semiconductor processing unit. The interface tool comprises: a first robotic arm configured for transporting the die carrier from the at least one load port to the interface tool, and a second robotic arm configured for transporting the die carrier from the interface tool to the semiconductor processing unit for processing at least one die in the die carrier.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and provide a carrier device. The carrier device includes a carrier 11 and a carrying plate 12 rotatably provided on the carrier 11, where in a non-working state, the carrying plate 12 is in an inclined position; in a working state, the carrying plate 12 is in a horizontal position. The present disclosure makes it hard for impurities such as dust to accumulate on the carrier, so as to prevent a photomask from being contaminated and improve the product yield.

A semiconductor processing system includes a first component and a second component. The first component forms a first chamber with a first sealed environment at a first state within the first chamber. The second component is coupled to the first component. The second component forms a second chamber with a second sealed environment at a second state within the second chamber. A third component is to change the first state of the first sealed environment within the first chamber to cause the first state to be substantially similar to the second state of the second sealed environment within the second chamber. The second sealed environment is at the second state prior to changing of the first state of the first sealed environment to be substantially similar to the second state.

Methods and systems for improving the efficiency of an automated material handling system (AMHS) include providing an apparatus operatively coupled to a load port of a processing apparatus, where the apparatus is configured to remove a first work-in-process from the load port and to move the first work-in-process along a first direction to displace the first work-in-progress from the load port while a second work-in-progress is transferred to the load port from an AMHS vehicle along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and transferring the first work-in-progress to an AMHS vehicle along the second direction. The methods and systems may be used for loading and unloading wafer storage containers, such as front opening unified pods (FOUPs), in a semiconductor fabrication facility.

A method of diagnosing a load port includes identifying a plurality of entities for a plurality of substrate storage containers by a plurality of load ports capable of transferring a substrate into and out of the plurality of substrate storage containers; detecting directly or indirectly a plurality of states of the plurality of substrate storage containers by a plurality of sensors provided at the plurality of load ports; associating the plurality of load ports, the plurality of entities and a plurality of sensor values, with each other; accumulating, in a database, data associated in the act of associating the plurality of load ports, the plurality of entities, and the plurality of sensor values; and analyzing the data in the database and determining a state of each of the plurality of load ports.

The application discloses a placement system for a door of a wafer pod, including a loadport. A docking interface is formed in the loadport, a placement mechanism is arranged on one side surface of the loadport, and includes a swing component, a follower component, and a docking plate. The swing component and the follower component are respectively connected to the docking plate, and the swing component can drive the docking plate to place the docking plate obliquely above the docking interface. By utilizing the space at the top of the loadport, the structural layout of the loadport is more reasonable; and the docking plate is placed nearly horizontally after the door is placed at a designated position, and provides a supporting force to the door, so that dependence on the vacuum suction is decreased, thereby avoiding the influences due to fluctuations of air pressure.

A load port adapter is a load port adapter fixable on a mounting table of a load port. The load port adapter includes a holder capable of holding a cassette capable of accommodating a plurality of circuit boards. The holder is fixable on the mounting table of the load port. The holder includes a position adjustment mechanism configured to position the cassette at a reference position. In the cassette clamped on the load port adapter, the reference position is a reference position on a load port adapter side when the circuit board is taken out from the cassette.

A substrate transport system includes a carrier having a housing forming an interior environment having an opening for holding at least one substrate and a door for sealing the opening from an outside atmosphere where when sealed the interior environment is configured to maintain an interior atmosphere therein, the housing including a fluid reservoir exterior to the interior environment and configured to contain a fluid, forming a different atmosphere in the fluid reservoir than the interior atmosphere, to form a fluidic barrier seal that seals the interior environment from an environment exterior to the carrier.