Substrate processing equipment for extremely warped wafers

Abstract

This invention provides a substrate handling apparatus. The substrate handling apparatus may include a fork-shaped structure having one or more support portions arranged to provide access to the back side of a substrate. The substrate handling apparatus may further include a first active support element and a second active support element configured to couple the substrate handling apparatus to the back side of the substrate. After being placed on the first and second active support elements, the substrate may be tilted or leaned to create at least one third passive contact point along the fork-shaped structure. Creating at least one third passive contact point improves the substrate handling and control capabilities for warped substrates.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 578,251, filed on October 27, 2017, entitled “End Effector for Handling Device for Extremely Warped Silicon Wafers”, by inventors Balajee Raghavan and Andrey Yakovlev, pursuant to 35 U.S. SC § 119(e), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention generally relates to sample inspection, and more specifically, to a substrate treatment apparatus for treating warped substrates. Background Technology

[0004] Semiconductor sample inspection requires careful handling of samples such as silicon wafers. However, previous wafer handling methods cannot adequately handle wafers of various shapes and sizes. For example, previous methods cannot handle warped wafers, such as those warped to 300mm. Previous wafer handling methods may include edge contact methods, 3X vacuum chuck methods, and gravity methods. Edge contact methods cannot handle various sample substrate thicknesses, leading to unstable handling. Similarly, 3X vacuum chuck methods are not effective for handling various wafer shapes (including warped wafers). Finally, in gravity methods, the handling tool cannot move at high speeds, resulting in low productivity. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a system and method that overcomes one or more of the shortcomings of the aforementioned previous methods. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A substrate handling apparatus is disclosed according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes a fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the fork-shaped structure includes a first support portion and a second support portion. In another embodiment, the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of a substrate for placing the substrate onto the support structure. In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes a first active support element and a second active support element disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In one embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are disposed between the first support portion and the second support portion of the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes a plurality of passive support elements disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are configured such that the center of gravity of the substrate is positioned in front of the first active support element and the second active support element.

[0006] A substrate handling apparatus is disclosed according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes a fork-shaped structure. In one embodiment, the fork-shaped structure includes a first support portion and a second support portion. In another embodiment, the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of a substrate for placing the substrate onto the support structure. In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes a first active support element and a second active support element disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are disposed between the first support portion and the second support portion of the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus includes one or more passive support elements disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are configured such that the center of gravity of the substrate is positioned in front of the first pick-up element and the second pick-up element.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a system for handling a substrate is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a chuck. In another embodiment, the system includes a substrate handling device. In another embodiment, the substrate handling device includes a fork-shaped structure having a first support portion and a second support portion. In another embodiment, the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of the substrate to place the substrate onto the chuck. In another embodiment, the substrate handling device includes a first active support element and a second active support element disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are disposed between the first support portion and the second support portion of the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the substrate handling device includes one or more passive support elements disposed on the fork-shaped structure. In another embodiment, the first active support element and the second active support element are configured such that the center of gravity of the substrate is positioned in front of the first active support element and the second active support element.

[0008] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory and do not necessarily limit the invention. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Those skilled in the art will better understand the many advantages of the present invention by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1A A top view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 1B A bottom view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 A top view illustrating a substrate processing system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 A simplified schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention; and

[0014] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method for treating a substrate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The invention has been specifically shown and described with respect to particular embodiments and features. The embodiments set forth herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0016] The subject matter will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] General reference Figures 1A to 4 The present invention describes a system and method for disposing of a substrate according to one or more embodiments thereof.

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a substrate processing apparatus configured to process various substrate shapes and sizes, including warped substrates. An additional embodiment of the invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus comprising a fork-shaped structure, a first active support element, and a second active support element. It should be noted that the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can safely and efficiently process substrates of various shapes and sizes, thereby reducing contamination and increasing productivity.

[0019] Figure 1A A top view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown. In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a fork-shaped structure 102. The fork-shaped structure 102 may include (but is not limited to) a base 104, one or more support portions 106, one or more active support elements 108, one or more passive support elements 110, and one or more attachment structures 112.

[0020] In one embodiment, substrate processing apparatus 100 is configured to process substrate 101. Substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured to receive substrate 101 on the top surface of substrate processing apparatus 100 for processing and / or transferring substrate 101. In this regard, the back side of substrate 101 may be placed on the top surface of substrate processing apparatus 100 during operation (e.g., when substrate processing apparatus 100 processes and / or transfers substrate 101). Figure 1A (As depicted in the text). Additionally, it should be noted here that... Figure 1A The dashed line diagram of substrate 101 shows a view "through" substrate 101 to see the substrate processing device 100 beneath substrate 101.

[0021] Substrate 101 may comprise any substrate known in the art, including (but not limited to) wafers, masks, photomasks, silicon wafers, silicon carbide wafers, composite material wafers, and the like. For example, substrate 101 may comprise a semiconductor wafer. For example, substrate 101 may comprise a silicon wafer. As previously described herein, substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured to process substrates 101 of various sizes, shapes, and / or thicknesses. For example, substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured to process substrates 101 having a diameter of 300 mm and a thickness of 200 to 1500 μm. In another example, substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured to process substrates 101 having a warpage of 5 mm. In yet another example, substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured to process randomly warped substrates 101 with non-uniform random thickness.

[0022] The fork-shaped structure 102 may include a base 104. In one embodiment, the base 104 includes one or more attachment structures 112 configured to attach the substrate handling device 100 to a handling tool (which includes, but is not limited to, a robot, an actuable robotic arm, or the like), the handling tool being configured to move the substrate 101 from one location to another. For example, as Figure 1A As depicted, the substrate handling apparatus 100 may include a first attachment structure 112a and a second substrate attachment structure 112b coupled to a body 104. In this example, the first attachment structure 112a and the second attachment structure 112b may be mechanically coupled to a handling tool that includes (but is not limited to) an articulated robotic arm. Attachment structure 112 may include any attachment structure known in the art, which mechanically couples to components including (but not limited to) interlocking assemblies, latches, nut / bolt assemblies, pin assemblies, and the like.

[0023] In another embodiment, the fork-shaped structure 102 includes one or more support portions 106. In one embodiment, the one or more support portions 106 may extend from the base 104 of the substrate handling apparatus 100. The support portions 106 may include any support structure known in the art, including (but not limited to) forks, arms, support disks, support sheets, and the like. For example, the fork-shaped structure 102 may include a first support portion 106a and a second support portion 106b. Figure 1A As depicted herein, the support portion 106 may resemble an "arm" or a "fork". However, unless otherwise stated herein, this should not be considered a limitation of the invention.

[0024] In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus 100 includes one or more active support elements 108. The one or more active support elements 108 may comprise any support element configured to actively support a substrate 101 known in the art, including (but not limited to) one or more chucks, one or more vacuum elements, one or more magnets, and the like. The active support elements 108 may be mounted on the body 104 of the fork-shaped structure 102. In one embodiment, such as Figure 1A As described herein, one or more active support elements 108 may be disposed on the fork-shaped structure 102 between the first support portion 106a and the second support portion 106b.

[0025] One or more active support elements 108 may be configured to couple to the back side of the substrate 101 to provide more stable and secure handling. For example, a chuck or other vacuum element (active support element 108) may use differential pressure to couple the substrate handling device 100 to the back side of the substrate 101. Similarly, a magnet may use a magnetic field to couple the substrate handling device 100 to the back side of the substrate 101.

[0026] As previously described, one or more active support elements 108 may include suction cups, vacuum elements, magnets, and the like. For example, as Figure 1A As depicted, the fork-shaped structure 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a first vacuum chuck (first active support element 108a) and a second vacuum chuck (active support element 108b).

[0027] In another embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus 100 includes one or more passive support elements 110. For example, such as Figure 1A As depicted herein, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a first passive support element 110a, a second passive support element 110b, a third passive support element 110c, a fourth passive support element 110d, a fifth passive support element 110e, and a sixth passive support element 110f. One or more passive support elements 110 may be arranged in any configuration on the body 104 and one or more support portions 106. Therefore, unless otherwise stated herein, Figure 1A The configurations depicted are for illustrative purposes only. By way of example, the substrate handling apparatus 100 may include a single continuous passive support element 110 covering part, all, or substantially all of the top surface of the substrate handling apparatus 100.

[0028] One or more passive support elements 110 may comprise any layer, coating, support pad, or structure known in the art for contacting the substrate 101, including (but not limited to) silicon coatings, silicon pads, electrostatic discharge (ESD) coatings, ESD pads, ESD mats, and the like. It should be noted that the substrate (substrate 101) may be damaged by electrical contamination and / or arcing during handling and / or transfer. In this regard, electrically insulating support pads or coatings (e.g., electrically insulating passive support elements 110) may be used to limit electrical contamination and arcing, thereby preventing and / or limiting damage to the substrate 101. In another embodiment, one or more passive support elements 110 may be formed of any high-friction material, coating, or the like. High-friction materials may allow one or more passive support elements 110 to prevent the substrate 101 from sliding within the substrate handling apparatus 100, thereby providing enhanced control and handling capabilities.

[0029] In one embodiment, one or more active support elements 108 (e.g., first active support element 108a and second active support element 108b) are positioned within the substrate handling apparatus 100 to couple to the substrate 101 at a location relatively close to the center of the substrate 101. It should be noted that a location close to the center of the substrate 101 is less susceptible to irregularities such as warping. Therefore, embodiments that allow one or more active support elements 108 to couple to the substrate 101 at a location close to the center of the substrate 101 can provide improved handling of warped substrates.

[0030] It should be noted that in embodiments having a first active support element 108a and a second active support element 108b, the substrate 101 will naturally "generate" at least one third contact point (e.g., a passive contact point) at some point along the substrate handling apparatus 100 (e.g., the fork structure 102, one or more support portions 106, one or more passive support elements 110, and the like). For example, as Figure 1A As depicted, a substrate 101 placed on a substrate handling apparatus 100 and coupled to a fork-shaped structure 102 via a first active support element 108a and a second active support element 108b will naturally "generate" at least one third contact point ("passive contact point") at a point along the substrate handling apparatus 100 due to the shape of the substrate 101 or due to the substrate 101 leaning, tilting, or the like. For example, the substrate 101 may lean and generate a passive contact point along the first support portion 106a, such that the substrate 101 is coupled to the substrate handling apparatus 100 at the passive contact point on the first active support element 108a, the second active support element 108b, and the first support portion 106a. In another embodiment, the substrate 101 may be warped to generate a passive contact point along the second support portion 106b. In this respect, the substrate 101 is coupled to the substrate handling apparatus 100 at the passive contact point on the first active support element 108a, the second active support element 108b, and the second support portion 106b.

[0031] In another embodiment, the substrate handling device 100 is configured to couple to the substrate 101 such that the center of gravity 105 of the substrate 101 is located in front of one or more active support elements 108, such as Figure 1A As explained in the description. For example, the center of gravity 105 of the substrate 101 may be located in front of the first active support element 108a and the second active support element 108b, and may be located between the first support portion 106a and the second support portion 106b. Since the substrate 101 is coupled to the center of gravity 105 of the substrate 101 in front of one or more active support elements 108, it can be ensured that the substrate 101 will lean, tilt, or otherwise form at least one third passive contact point at a point along one or more support portions 106.

[0032] The natural generation of at least one third passive contact point distinguishes it from and surpasses the aforementioned 3X vacuum chuck method. In the 3X vacuum chuck method, substrate 101 can be coupled to the processing device only at three points defined by three vacuum chucks at predetermined locations. Therefore, in the 3X vacuum chuck method, the substrate processing device is coupled to each substrate in a standard arrangement. This standard arrangement of the 3X vacuum chuck method may be insufficient for processing substrates of different sizes, shapes, and similar materials. Furthermore, the standard arrangement of the 3X vacuum chuck method is unsuitable for processing warped substrates due to the irregular shape of the warped substrate. Consequently, the 3X vacuum chuck method faces the problem of reduced processing and control capabilities when processing warped substrates.

[0033] In contrast, the substrate handling apparatus 100 of the present invention provides enhanced handling and control capabilities for substrates of all shapes and sizes by naturally generating at least one third passive contact point. Due to the fact that a substrate 101 coupled to the substrate handling apparatus 100 will naturally lean, tilt, or otherwise “generate” at least one third passive contact point, each substrate 101 handled by the substrate handling apparatus 100 can have a unique handling arrangement (determined by at least three contact points), giving the substrate handling apparatus 100 increased flexibility and utility compared to previous methods. It should be noted that the substrate handling apparatus 100 is capable of handling substrates 101 of all shapes and sizes, including (but not limited to) regular substrates, irregular substrates, warped convex substrates, warped concave substrates, warped saddle-shaped substrates (warped “potato chip” substrates), substrates with random local warping, and the like. The substrate 101 will naturally and automatically lean or tilt based on two contact points via the first active support element 108a and the second active support element 108b to find at least one third passive contact point along the substrate handling apparatus 100. Therefore, substrate 101 will be automatically placed onto at least one third contact point by substrate handling equipment 100, regardless of the shape, warpage, warpage direction, warpage type or the like of substrate 101.

[0034] It should be noted that the center of substrate 101 may be less prone to warping than the outer portion of substrate 101. Therefore, the portion of substrate 101 near the center (e.g., center of gravity 105) may exhibit a lower warping metric per unit distance (a measure indicating the degree of warping) than the outer portion of substrate 101. Thus, in another embodiment, one or more active support elements 108 may be positioned very close to the center of gravity 105 of the substrate (such that the center of gravity 105 remains "in front" of the active support element 108) to minimize warping effects on the one or more active support elements 108. Similarly, one or more active support elements 108 may be positioned very close to each other to minimize warping between the one or more active support elements 108. For example, a first active support element 108a and a second active support element 108b may be positioned very close to each other to minimize the amount of warping between the first active support element 108a and the second active support element 108b. By reducing the amount of warpage between one or more active support elements 108, each of the one or more active support elements 108 can be coupled to the substrate 101 more effectively, thereby resulting in enhanced handling and control.

[0035] Figure 1B A bottom view of a substrate handling apparatus 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown. The substrate handling apparatus 100 may include (but is not limited to) a fork-shaped structure 102, a base 104, one or more support portions 106, and one or more vacuum channels 114. In one embodiment, the substrate handling apparatus 100 is configured to pick up, handle, and / or transport a substrate 101. In this regard, the substrate handling apparatus 100 may be configured to couple to the back surface 103 of the substrate 101, such as... Figure 1B As shown in the image.

[0036] In another embodiment, the fork-shaped structure 102 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes one or more vacuum channels 114. The one or more vacuum channels 114 may be configured to fluidly couple one or more active support elements 108 (vacuum chucks) to a vacuum source (not shown). The one or more vacuum channels 114 may include any channel known in the art, including (but not limited to) one or more tubes, one or more conduits, one or more conduits, and the like. It should be noted that the vacuum source (not shown) may be an integral part of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Additionally and / or alternatively, the vacuum source may be a separate or independent vacuum source separate from the substrate processing apparatus 100.

[0037] Unless otherwise stated herein, one or more vacuum channels 114 may comprise any number or arrangement of vacuum channels known in the art. For example, one or more vacuum channels 114 may comprise a single-forked vacuum channel that fluidly couples one or more active support elements 108 to a vacuum source. By another example, one or more vacuum channels 114 may comprise multiple individual vacuum channels. For example, when the substrate handling apparatus 100 includes a first active support element 108a and a second active support element 108b, one or more vacuum channels 114 may comprise two individual vacuum channels 114, such that each active support element 108 has a dedicated vacuum channel 114.

[0038] In another embodiment, one or more vacuum channels 114 may exhibit symmetrical paths from the vacuum source to each of the one or more active support elements 108. It should be noted that the symmetrical paths of the one or more vacuum channels may result in substantially equivalent forces generated by each of the one or more active support elements 108. However, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated herein, the symmetrical paths from the vacuum source should not be considered a limitation of the invention. Additionally and / or alternatively, one or more vacuum channels 114 and / or one or more active support elements 108 may be configured such that each of the one or more active support elements 108 substantially simultaneously engages and couples to the back surface 103 of the substrate 101 (e.g., “uniform” coupling).

[0039] In alternative embodiments, one or more vacuum channels 114 and / or one or more active support elements 108 may be configured such that the active support elements 108 engage and couple to the substrate 101 at different times (e.g., "non-uniform" coupling). In a non-uniform coupling embodiment, a first active support element 108a coupled to the substrate 101 may be used to hold the substrate 101 in place so that subsequent active support elements 108 can be effectively coupled to the substrate 101. For example, the first active support element 108a may include a shorter vacuum channel 114, and the second active support element 108b may include a longer vacuum channel 114. In this example, the first active support element 108a may engage and couple to the substrate 101 before the second active support element 108b. When the first active support element 108a is coupled to the back surface 103 of the substrate 101, it may pull down and hold the substrate 101 in place so that the second active support element 108b can engage and be effectively coupled to the back surface 103 of the substrate 101.

[0040] Figure 2 A top view illustrating a substrate processing system 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is provided. The substrate processing system 200 may include (but is not limited to) a substrate processing apparatus 100, a support structure 202, and one or more substrate contact points 204.

[0041] like Figure 2As depicted, the substrate handling apparatus 100 can be configured to handle a substrate 101 and place the substrate 101 on one or more substrate contact points 204a, 204b, 204c of the support structure 202. The support structure 202 can include any substrate support structure 202 known in the art. For example, the support structure 202 can include a chuck for a processing tool or a characterizing tool. In another example, the support structure 202 can include a support structure for a substrate transfer device (e.g., a wafer transfer device). For example, the support structure 202 can include a support structure for a front-opening wafer transfer cassette (FOUP). By another example, the support structure 202 can include a pre-aligner. The one or more substrate contact points 204 can include any structure configured to receive the substrate 101, which includes (but is not limited to) one or more active support elements, one or more passive support elements, one or more electrically insulating structures, and the like.

[0042] Figure 3 A simplified schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing system 300 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is provided. The substrate processing system 300 may include (but is not limited to) a substrate processing apparatus 100, a processing tool 302, a controller 304, and a user interface 310.

[0043] In one embodiment, substrate handling apparatus 100 may be mechanically coupled to handling tool 302. Handling tool 302 may comprise any handling tool known in the art, including (but not limited to) robots, actuable robotic arms, and the like. In another embodiment, substrate handling apparatus 100 and / or handling tool 302 are communicatively coupled to controller 304. Controller 304 may include one or more processors 306 and memory 308. In one embodiment, one or more processors 306 of controller 304 are configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in memory 308, the program instructions being configured to cause one or more processors 306 to perform one or more steps / actions of the invention. For example, one or more processors 306 may be configured to actuate handling tool 302. By another example, one or more processors 306 may be configured to engage one or more active support elements 108 (e.g., activating a vacuum source) to couple substrate handling apparatus 100 to a substrate to pick up substrate 101. In another example, one or more processors 306 may be configured to decouple one or more active support elements 108 (e.g., deactivate the active vacuum source) to decouple the substrate handling device 100 from the substrate 101 and place the substrate 101 on the support structure 202.

[0044] In another embodiment, controller 304 is communicatively coupled to user interface 310. User interface 310 may include any user interface known in the art, configured to display information and / or receive input or commands from a user. Similarly, one or more processors 306 may be configured to receive one or more inputs / commands from user interface 310 and cause system 300 to perform one or more actions / steps in response to one or more inputs / commands.

[0045] In one embodiment, one or more processors 306 may comprise any one or more processing elements known in the art. In this sense, one or more processors 306 may comprise any microprocessor-type device configured to execute software algorithms and / or instructions. In one embodiment, one or more processors 306 may comprise a desktop computer, a host computer system, a workstation, a graphics computer, a parallel processor, or other computer systems (e.g., networked computers) configured to execute programs (configured with operating system 300), as described herein. It should be understood that the steps described herein may be implemented by a single computer system or, alternatively, multiple computer systems. Furthermore, it should be understood that the steps described herein may be implemented on any one or more of the one or more processors 306. Generally, the term "processor" may be broadly defined to encompass any device having one or more processing elements that execute program instructions from memory 308. Additionally, different subsystems of system 300 (e.g., substrate handling apparatus 100, vacuum source, handling tool 302, controller 304) may include processors or logic elements suitable for implementing at least a portion of the steps described herein. Therefore, the above description should not be interpreted as a limitation of the present invention, but is merely illustrative.

[0046] Memory 308 may comprise any storage medium known in the art, suitable for storing program instructions executable by one or more associated processors 306. For example, memory 308 may comprise a non-transitory memory medium. For example, memory 308 may comprise (but is not limited to) read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic or optical memory devices (e.g., magnetic disks), magnetic tape, solid-state drives, and the like. It should be further noted that memory 308 may be housed within a common controller housing having one or more processors 306. In an alternative embodiment, memory 308 may be located remotely relative to the physical location of the processors 306 and controller 304. In another embodiment, memory 308 stores program instructions for causing one or more processors 306 to perform the various steps described herein.

[0047] In one embodiment, user interface 310 may include (but is not limited to) one or more desktop computers, tablet computers, smartphones, smartwatches, or the like. In another embodiment, user interface 310 includes a display for displaying data from system 300 to a user. The display of user interface 310 may include any display known in the art. For example, the display may include (but is not limited to) a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based display, or a CRT display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that any display device capable of being integrated with user interface 310 is suitable for implementation in this invention. In another embodiment, a user may input selections and / or commands in response to data displayed to the user via user interface 310.

[0048] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a method 400 for treating a substrate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is provided. It should be noted that the steps of method 400 may be implemented, in whole or in part, by the substrate treatment apparatus 100 and / or systems 200, 300. However, it should be further understood that method 400 is not limited to the substrate treatment apparatus 100 and / or systems 200, 300, as all or part of the steps of method 400 may be implemented in additional or alternative system-level embodiments.

[0049] In step 402, the fork-shaped structure of the substrate processing apparatus is positioned close to the back side of the substrate. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 100 having the fork-shaped structure 102 can be positioned below the substrate 101, close to the back side 103 of the substrate.

[0050] In step 404, one or more active support elements of the substrate handling apparatus are activated to couple the substrate handling apparatus to the back side of the substrate. In one embodiment, one or more active support elements 108 comprise one or more vacuum chucks. For example, in step 404, a vacuum source may be activated to activate / engage one or more vacuum chucks (e.g., one or more active support elements 108). After activating the vacuum source, one or more active support elements 108 may be coupled to the back side 103 of the substrate. As previously described herein, one or more active support elements 108 may be configured to couple to the back side 103 of the substrate 101 substantially simultaneously (e.g., uniform coupling configuration) or at different times (e.g., non-uniform coupling configuration).

[0051] In step 406, one or more passive contact points are formed between the back side of the substrate and the fork-shaped structure. For example, when the substrate is placed on the substrate handling apparatus 100 and coupled to the first active support element 108a and the second active support element 108b, the substrate may naturally / automatically lean or tilt to form at least a third passive contact point between the back side 103 of the substrate 101 and the fork-shaped structure 102. As previously described herein, generating one or more passive contact points allows the substrate handling apparatus 100 of the present invention to handle substrates 101 with different shapes and irregularities, including (but not limited to) regular substrates, irregular substrates, warped convex substrates, warped concave substrates, warped saddle-shaped substrates, substrates with random local warping, and the like.

[0052] In step 408, a substrate handling apparatus is used to handle the substrate. For example, substrate handling apparatus 100 may be coupled to an actuable robotic arm (e.g., handling tool 302) configured to transfer the substrate from one location to another.

[0053] In step 410, the substrate is positioned on the support structure. The support structure 202 may include any substrate support structure 202 known in the art, including (but not limited to) chucks for processing tools or feature tools, substrate transfer devices, wafer transfer devices, front-opening wafer transfer cassette (FOUP) support structures, and the like.

[0054] In step 412, one or more active support elements of the activated substrate handling apparatus are decoupled from the back surface of the substrate. For example, the activated vacuum source may be deactivated, causing one or more vacuum chucks (e.g., one or more active support elements) to deactivate / decouple and disconnect the back surface 103 of the substrate 101. After the one or more active support elements 108 are decoupled from the substrate, the substrate handling apparatus 100 may be removed from the back surface 103 of the substrate 101. For example, after the substrate is placed on the support structure 202 (e.g., a chuck), the one or more active support elements 108 may be decoupled from the substrate 101, and the handling tool 302 (e.g., an actuable robotic arm) may retract the fork structure from under the substrate 101.

[0055] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the components (e.g., operations), apparatuses, objects, and accompanying discussions described herein are used as examples to clarify concepts and are open to various configuration modifications. Therefore, as used herein, the specific examples presented and the accompanying discussions are intended to represent their more general categories. In general, the use of any particular example is intended to represent its category, and the omission of specific components (e.g., operations), apparatuses, and objects should not be considered a limitation.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will understand that various vehicles (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) exist to implement the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein, and the preferred vehicle will vary depending on the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies are deployed. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, then the implementer may choose a software- and / or firmware-dominant vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, then the implementer may choose a software-dominant implementation; or alternatively, the implementer may choose a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Therefore, several feasible vehicles exist to implement the processes and / or apparatus and / or other technologies described herein, none of which is inherently superior to the others, because any vehicle to be used is a choice dependent on the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the implementer's specific considerations (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) (any of which may vary).

[0057] The above description is presented to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention as provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. As used herein, directional terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “under,” and “downward” are intended to provide a convenient description of relative positions and not to specify an absolute reference coordinate system. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications to the described embodiments are possible, and that the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0058] Regarding virtually any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art can convert them from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as needed by the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements are not explicitly stated herein.

[0059] All methods described herein may include storing the results of one or more steps of the method embodiments in memory. The results may include any results described herein and may be stored in any manner known in the art. The memory may include any memory described herein or any other suitable storage medium known in the art. After storing the results, the results may be accessed in memory and used by any of the methods or system embodiments described herein, formatted for display to a user, used by another software module, method, or system, and the like. Furthermore, the results may be stored "permanently," "semi-permanently," "temporarily," or for a period of time. For example, the memory may be random access memory (RAM), and the results need not remain in memory indefinitely.

[0060] It is further anticipated that each embodiment of the above methods may include any other steps of any other methods described herein. Furthermore, each embodiment of the above methods may be performed by any system described herein.

[0061] The objects described herein sometimes refer to different components contained within or connected to other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are for illustrative purposes only, and many other architectures can in fact be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components used to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components in this document combined to achieve a particular functionality can be considered “associated” with each other to achieve the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “connected” or “coupled” with each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “coupleable” with each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of “coupleable” include (but are not limited to) physically mating and / or physically interacting components, and / or wirelessly interacting and / or logically interacting components.

[0062] Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, the terminology used herein and, in particular, the appended claims (the body of the appended claims) is intended to be “open-ended” (e.g., the term “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising (but not limited to)”, the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least”, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that if a specific number of claims is desired, this intention will be explicitly stated in the claims, and if such a statement is not present, then this intention does not exist. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the claims. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that the introduction of a claim statement by the indefinite article "a" limits any particular claim containing such an introductory claim statement to the invention containing only that statement, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases "a or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" (e.g., "a" should generally be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "a or more"); the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim statements. Furthermore, even if a specific number of claim statements is explicitly stated, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should generally be interpreted as meaning at least a number of statements (e.g., the bare statement "two statements" without other modifiers generally means at least two statements or two or more statements). Furthermore, in examples where the convention of "at least one of A, B, and C and the like" is used, this structure generally refers to the convention understood by a person skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include (but is not limited to) systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or both A, B, and C, etc.). In examples where the convention of "at least one of A, B, or C and the like" is used, this structure generally refers to the convention understood by a person skilled in the art (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include (but is not limited to) systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and / or both A, B, and C, etc.). Those skilled in the art will further understand that virtually any transition words and / or phrases presenting two or more alternatives, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to cover the possibility of including one, any one, or both. For example, the phrase "A or B" would be understood to include the possibility of including "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0063] It is believed that the invention and its many accompanying advantages will be understood from the above description, and it should be understood that various changes can be made to the form, construction, and arrangement of the components without departing from the disclosed subject matter or sacrificing all its material advantages. The forms described are for illustrative purposes only, and the appended claims are intended to cover and encompass such changes. Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: A fork-shaped structure comprising a first support portion and a second support portion, wherein the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of a substrate to place the substrate on the support structure, wherein the fork-shaped structure includes a first access opening and a second access opening to provide mechanical contact between the substrate carried on the fork-shaped structure and at least three substrate contact points of the support structure. A first active support element and a second active support element are disposed on the fork-shaped structure. The first active support element and the second active support element are disposed between the first and second receiving openings of the fork-shaped structure. The first active support element is configured to establish a first active contact point on the substrate, and the second active support element is configured to establish a second active contact point on the substrate. The first active support element includes a first suction element, and the second active support element includes a second suction element. The first suction element and the second suction element are fluidly coupled to a vacuum through a vacuum path of the fork-shaped structure. The substrate naturally and automatically leans or tilts along the substrate handling device based on the two contact points of the first and second active support elements to find at least one third passive contact point, such that the substrate is automatically lowered onto the at least one third passive contact point by the substrate handling device. and Multiple passive support elements are disposed on the fork-shaped structure, wherein a first passive support element runs along the length of the first support portion and a second passive support element runs along the length of the second support portion, wherein a first access opening is located between a first pair of passive support elements and a second access opening is located between a second pair of passive support elements.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of passive support elements comprises a plurality of support pads.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein at least some of the plurality of support pads are textured.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein at least some of the plurality of support pads are electrically insulating.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of passive support elements comprises: One or more first support pads are disposed on the first support portion of the fork-shaped structure; and One or more second support pads are disposed on the second support portion of the fork-shaped structure.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of passive support elements further comprises: One or more additional support pads are disposed on the additional support portion of the fork structure, wherein the one or more additional support pads form the base of the fork structure.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a chuck of at least one of a processing tool or a characterization tool.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises a support structure for a wafer transfer device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wafer transfer device comprises a front-opening wafer transfer box (FOUP).

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the fork-shaped structure is mechanically coupled to an actuable robotic arm.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a wafer.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the wafer has at least one of a convex shape, a concave shape, or a saddle shape.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the wafer contains random local warping.

14. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: A fork-shaped structure comprising a first support portion and a second support portion, wherein the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of a substrate to place the substrate on the support structure, wherein the fork-shaped structure includes a first access opening and a second access opening to provide mechanical contact between the substrate carried on the fork-shaped structure and at least three substrate contact points of the support structure. A first active support element and a second active support element are disposed on the fork-shaped structure. The first active support element and the second active support element are disposed between the first and second receiving openings of the fork-shaped structure. The first active support element is configured to establish a first active contact point on the substrate, and the second active support element is configured to establish a second active contact point on the substrate. The first active support element includes a first suction element, and the second active support element includes a second suction element. The first suction element and the second suction element are fluidly coupled to a vacuum through a vacuum path of the fork-shaped structure. The substrate naturally and automatically leans or tilts along the substrate handling device based on the two contact points of the first and second active support elements to find at least one third passive contact point, such that the substrate is automatically lowered onto the at least one third passive contact point by the substrate handling device. and One or more passive support elements are disposed on the fork structure, wherein at least one passive support element runs along the length of at least one of the first support portion or the second support portion, wherein the first access opening is located between the first pair of passive support elements and the second access opening is located between the second pair of passive support elements.

15. A system for disposing of a substrate, comprising: Chuck; and Substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes: A fork-shaped structure comprising a first support portion and a second support portion, wherein the first support portion and the second support portion are arranged to provide access to the back side of the substrate to place the substrate onto the chuck, wherein the fork-shaped structure includes a first access opening and a second access opening to provide mechanical contact between the substrate carried on the fork-shaped structure and at least three substrate contact points to the chuck. A first active support element and a second active support element are disposed on the fork-shaped structure, the first active support element and the second active support element being disposed between the first and second receiving openings of the fork-shaped structure. The first active support element is configured to establish a first active contact point on the substrate, and the second active support element is configured to establish a second active contact point on the substrate. The first active support element includes a first suction element, and the second active support element includes a second suction element. The first and second suction elements are fluidly coupled to a vacuum via a vacuum path in the fork-shaped structure. The substrate naturally and automatically leans or tilts along the substrate handling device to find at least one third passive contact point based on the two contact points of the first and second active support elements, such that the substrate is automatically lowered onto the at least one third passive contact point by the substrate handling device. One or more passive support elements are disposed on the fork structure, wherein at least one passive support element runs along the length of at least one of the first support portion or the second support portion, wherein the first access opening is located between the first pair of passive support elements and the second access opening is located between the second pair of passive support elements.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of passive support elements comprises a plurality of support pads.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least some of the plurality of support pads are textured.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein at least some of the plurality of support pads are electrically insulating.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of passive support elements comprises: One or more first support pads are disposed on the first support portion of the fork-shaped structure; and One or more second support pads are disposed on the second support portion of the fork-shaped structure.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of passive support elements further comprises: One or more additional support pads are disposed on the additional support portion of the fork structure, wherein the one or more additional support pads form the base of the fork structure.

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