Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.

An orientation chamber is provided. The orientation chamber includes a substrate holder, an orientation detector, and a purging system. The substrate holder is configured to hold a substrate. The orientation detector is configured to detect an orientation of the substrate. The purging system is configured to inject a cleaning gas into the orientation chamber and remove contaminants from the substrate. The purging system includes a gas regulator adjusting a volume of the cleaning gas supplied into the orientation chamber according to a detection signal output from a gas detector which indicates a content of a specific gas contaminant outgassed from the substrate.

There is provided a load port, including: a frame including an opening via which a transfer target object is capable of passing in a substantially horizontal posture; a load port door configured to engage with a container door capable of opening and closing a loading/unloading port of a storage container including slots capable of accommodating the transfer target object in a multi-stage manner, and to open and close the opening of the frame; and a mapping mechanism configured to map information on an accommodation state including presence or absence of the transfer target object in each of the slots in the storage container via the opening and the loading/unloading port.

With respect to an accommodation container that accommodates a substrate-shaped sensor, the accommodation container includes a container body that has an opening, a support that is disposed inside the container body and configured to support the substrate-shaped sensor, a contact pin that is disposed inside the container body and configured to come into contact with a terminal portion of the substrate-shaped sensor, a driving mechanism that is disposed inside the container body and configured to drive the contact pin, a rotation shaft member that drives the driving mechanism from an outside of the container body, a jack that is disposed outside the container body and electrically connected to the contact pin, and a lid that is configured to close the opening of the container body.

An embodiment comprises: a guide moving in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction; a transfer arm provided on the guide and loading spaced apart wafers; a laser emission unit disposed on the guide and emitting first laser beams at the spaced apart wafers loaded on the transfer arm; and a laser detection unit disposed below the transfer arm and collecting, from among the first laser beams, second laser beams having passed through gaps between the spaced apart wafers.

A transfer conveyor system for a semiconductor inspecting apparatus using a moving magnet includes a carrier in which a semiconductor wafer or a substrate is seated and accommodated and which is transferred, an armature which is provided to be accommodated in a permanent magnet plate under the carrier, a stator which is disposed to be spaced apart from the armature, is fixedly installed on a guide rail, a sensor unit which is installed at each of two ends of each motor coil, detects whether the armature approaches, senses a variation of the magnetic field, and measures a position of the armature from speed information of the armature, and a carrier monitoring unit which is provided on the carrier and monitors the carrier to detect an abrasion degree, a damage state, or an alignment/misalignment of the carrier in real time

A pre-jig wafer carrier disc installation/uninstallation device and a method thereof, including a first displacement mechanism, a wafer frame installation/uninstallation mechanism, a wafer installation/uninstallation mechanism, a mask installation/uninstallation mechanism and a robotic arm arranged around the first displacement mechanism. The said mechanisms sequentially stack the wafer frame, the wafer and the mask on the first displacement mechanism to form an assembly. An installation/uninstallation mechanism is disposed at a movable end of the robotic arm. The robotic arm drives the installation/uninstallation mechanism to remove and lock the assembly on an assembly carrier section of a carrier disc for successive processing. After the wafers are processed, the robotic arm drives the installation/uninstallation mechanism to move the assembly back onto the first displacement mechanism. The said mechanisms sequentially disassemble the assembly and recover the mask, the wafer and the wafer frame.

Cassette lid opening device for a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus comprising a housing, a door assembly, a transport mechanism, and at least one suspension. The housing has at least one wall with an associated wall opening. The door assembly comprises at least one door plate configured for substantially closing off the associated wall opening of the at least one wall. The transport mechanism includes a carriage which is connected to the door assembly and configured to transport the door assembly parallel to the at least one wall. The at least one suspension is arranged between the at least one door plate and the transport mechanism. The at least one suspension comprises a suspension spring assembly which allows movement of the at least one door plate in a direction perpendicular to the at least one wall.

A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate station location, the system including a frame, a substrate transport connected to the frame, the substrate transport having an end effector configured to support a substrate, and a controller configured to move the substrate transport so that the substrate transport biases the substrate supported on the end effector against a substrate station feature causing a change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector, determine the change in eccentricity, and determine the substrate station location based on at least the change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector.

A method and an apparatus for bonding semiconductor substrates are provided. The apparatus includes a first support configured to carry a first semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor substrate bonded to each other, a gauging component embedded in the first support and comprising a fiducial pattern, and a first sensor disposed proximate to the gauging component, and configured to emit a light source towards the fiducial pattern of the gauging component.