An alignment nozzle jig for centering a coater photoresist arm that includes an alignment nozzle block. The alignment nozzle jig also includes an endoscope holder removably secured to a bottom of the alignment nozzle block, an endoscope, and an alignment mark removably coupled to the endoscope holder opposite the alignment nozzle block. The alignment nozzle jig is retrieved from a nozzle bath by the coater arm and transferred to a center of a chuck in an associated process chamber. Via the endoscope, the coater photoresist arm is aligned with the center of the chuck using the alignment mark.

A dispensing system includes a dispense material supply that contains a dispense material and a dispensing pump connected downstream from the dispense material supply. The dispensing pump includes a body made of a first electrically conductive material, one or more first electrical contacts that are disposed on the body of the dispensing pump, and one or more first connection wires that are coupled between each one of the one or more first electrical contacts and ground. The dispensing system also includes a dispensing nozzle connected downstream from the dispensing pump and includes a tube made of a second electrically conductive material, one or more second electrical contacts that are disposed on an outer surface of the tube, and one or more second connection wires that are coupled between each one of the one or more second electrical contacts and the ground.

A wafer processing method of the present invention includes mounting a wafer part on a chuck table, loading the wafer part on the chuck table, spraying, by a spray arm module, a first processing solution onto the wafer part to process the wafer part, spraying, by the spray arm module, a second processing solution onto the wafer part to process the wafer part, drying the wafer part on the chuck table, and unloading the wafer part from the chuck table.

A system includes a robot configured to transfer either one of a substrate and an edge ring within a substrate processing system, a substrate aligner configured to adjust a rotational position of either one of the substrate or the edge ring relative to an end effector of the robot, and a carrier plate configured to support the edge ring. The robot is configured to retrieve the carrier plate with the end effector, retrieve the edge ring using the carrier plate supported on the end effector, and transfer the carrier plate and the edge ring to the substrate aligner.

The present disclosure relates to a substrate transfer method and apparatus which controls a substrate transfer robot using position information of a substrate, when the substrate is loaded or unloaded in the substrate transfer apparatus including the substrate transfer robot. When an operation of setting a new reference value due to a change in process or hardware after setting the initial reference value for loading or unloading the substrate is requested, the substrate transfer method and apparatus can automatically perform the reference value setting operation. Therefore, the substrate transfer method and apparatus can transfer the substrate such that the substrate is located in the center of the susceptor, even though the reference value of the substrate transfer robot is not manually changed.

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.

A die attach system is provided. The die attach system includes: a support structure for supporting a substrate; a die supply source including a plurality of die for attaching to the substrate; and a bond head for bonding a die from the die supply source to the substrate, the bond head including a bond tool having a contact portion for contacting the die during a transfer from the die supply source to the substrate, the bond head including a spring portion engaged with the bond tool such that the spring portion is configured to compress during pressing of the die against the substrate using the contact portion of the bond tool.

The invention provides a stage apparatus, comprising an object support comprising a ring shaped protrusion having an outer radius in a first plane, and configured to support an object with a radius in the first plane larger than the outer radius of the ring shaped protrusion. The stage apparatus further comprises a sensor module configured to detect the object support, and the object when it is arranged on the object support. The stage apparatus further comprises a processing unit configured to receive one or more signals from the sensor module, and to determine, based on said one or more signals, a position of the object relative to the ring shaped protrusion when the object is arranged on the object support. The processing unit is further configured to determine, based on said position of the object, an offset value representing the position of the object relative to the ring shaped protrusion.

A physical vapor deposition chamber comprising a tilting substrate support is described. Methods of processing a substrate are also provided comprising tilting at least one of the substrate and the target to improve the uniformity of the layer on the substrate from the center of the substrate to the edge of the substrate. Process controllers are also described which comprise one or more process configurations causing the physical deposition chamber to perform the operations of rotating a substrate support within the physical deposition chamber and tilting the substrate support at a plurality of angles with respect to a horizontal axis.