A load port connected to a transport part includes: a base constituting a portion of a wall of the transport part; a stage on which a storage container is mounted; a stage driving mechanism configured to move the stage in a direction toward or away from the base; a door configured to be capable of opening/closing an opening of the base at a position facing a lid of the storage container mounted on the stage and to be capable of holding the lid disposed to face the opening in a state of closing the opening; a door driving mechanism configured to move the door between an opening position and a closing position; and a movement restricting part configured to restrict a movement of the stage in the direction away from the base by abutting against the stage.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding portion, an immersion bath, a first supplying portion, and a moving mechanism. The substrate holding portion holds and rotates a substrate. The immersion bath stores a processing liquid, accommodates the substrate, and immerses the substrate in the processing liquid. The first supplying portion supplies the processing liquid to the immersion bath. The moving mechanism relatively moves the substrate holding portion and the immersion bath. The moving mechanism switches a state of the substrate between a non-immersion state in which the substrate is located outside the immersion bath and an immersion state in which the substrate is located inside the immersion bath and immersed in the processing liquid by moving the substrate holding portion or the immersion bath.

A transport case is configured to hold a plurality of wafers for transport of the wafers. The transport case includes a sensor system configured to generate sensor data indicative of conditions within the transport case while the transport case is docked at a load/unload system of a semiconductor process tool. The transport case includes a communication system configured to transmit the sensor data from the sensor system to an external control system.

A load port control unit performs an opening operation of a sealable container according to a first operation procedure when a sensor has detected a normal placement of the sealable container, and retries the opening operation according to a second operation procedure for being able to more reliably perform the opening operation of the sealable container, to prevent a transfer device from stopping, when the sensor has detected a placement abnormality of the sealable container.

A substrate carrier includes a base and a cassette, where the cassette is fixed to the base. The cassette can formed integrally with the base, attached to the base using fasteners, attached to the base through a mechanical interface or otherwise attached. The base includes features configured to receive alignment features on automation for handling the substrate carrier. The features configured to receive the alignment features can be three channels. The substrate carrier can be included in a substrate container having a pod dome configured to receive the base to enclose an open end, the base being a pod door of the substrate container.

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.

A measurement station for measuring particle contamination in a transport enclosure for the atmospheric transport and storage of semiconductor wafers includes a particle counter and an interface designed to be coupled to the shell of a transport enclosure in place of the door. The interface includes a sampling orifice fluidly connected to the particle counter. The measurement station also includes a clean-gas injection device having at least one injection line including at least one injection nozzle to be fluidly connected to a ventilation port of the transport enclosure coupled to the interface for injecting clean gas into the transport enclosure, from outside the transport enclosure, through the at least one ventilation port of the transport enclosure.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing supercritical substrate comprising: a chamber having a processing space; a substrate supporting unit for supporting a substrate; an opening/closing unit for opening or closing the processing space; a loading/unloading unit for loading a substrate into or unloading the substrate from the substrate supporting unit; a detection unit for detecting the loading/unloading unit or the substrate; and a control unit for controlling the opening/closing unit, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the opening/closing unit in response to the detection unit detecting the loading/unloading unit or the substrate.

A load port includes a placing portion, a storage portion disposed below the placing portion, a port door, a bolts plate including an opening portion, and a lifting mechanism configured to move the port door up and down with respect to the opening portion. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting portion stored in the storage portion, a coupling member couples the lifting portion and the port door through a slit in the bolts plate, and a driving mechanism moves the lifting portion up and down between a first position and a second position. The lifting portion includes a space portion into which a driving source of the driving mechanism enters at the second position. The second position is a position at which the lifting portion overlaps the driving source in a side view, and at which the space portion overlaps the driving source in a plan view.

A closed gas circulation system may include a sealed plenum, circulation fans, and a fan filter unit (FFU) inlet to contain, filter, condition, and re-circulate a gas through a chamber of an interface tool. The gas provided to the chamber is maintained in a conditioned environment in the closed gas circulation system as opposed to introducing external air into the chamber through the FFU inlet. This enables precise control over the relative humidity and oxygen concentration of the gas used in the chamber, which reduces the oxidation of semiconductor wafers that are transferred through the chamber. The closed gas circulation system may also include an air-flow rectifier, a return vent, and one or more vacuum pumps to form a downflow of collimated gas in the chamber and to automatically control the feed-forward pressure and flow of gas through the chamber and the sealed plenum.