Wafer handling platform with reduced footprint

Abstract

A system includes an equipment front end module (EFEM), a vacuum transfer module (VTM), a plurality of quad station processing modules (QSMs). The EFEM is configured to receive a plurality of wafers. The EFEM includes an EFEM transfer robot. The vacuum transfer module (VTM) is configured to receive the plurality of wafers from the EFEM. The VTM includes a VTM transfer robot. The plurality of quad station processing modules (QSMs) are coupled to the VTM. The VTM transfer robot is configured to transfer wafers between the VTM and the plurality of QSMs. The EFEM transfer robot is configured to transfer wafers between the EFEM and the VTM.

Description

[0001] CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 686,555, filed June 18, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] COPYRIGHT

[0004] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The following notice applies to this document and to any data associated with this document: Copyright © 2018, LAM Research Corporation, All Rights Reserved. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present disclosure relates to substrate processing systems, and in particular to the configuration of substrate processing tools in a substrate processing system. BACKGROUND

[0006] The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. The work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that can not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the application.

[0007] Substrate processing systems can be used to perform deposition, etching, and / or other processing of substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. During processing, a substrate is arranged on a substrate support in a processing chamber of the substrate processing system. During etching or deposition, a gas mixture containing one or more etching gases or gas precursors is introduced into the processing chamber, and a plasma can be excited to activate chemical reactions.

[0008] A substrate processing system can include a plurality of substrate processing tools arranged within a fabrication chamber. Each substrate processing tool can include a plurality of processing modules. Generally, a substrate processing tool includes up to six processing modules.

[0009] Referring now to FIG1 , a top view of an example of a substrate processing tool 100 is shown. The substrate processing tool 100 includes a plurality of process modules 104. In some examples, each process module 104 can be configured to perform one or more processes on a substrate. A substrate to be processed is loaded into the substrate processing tool 100 through a port of a loading station of an equipment front end module (EFEM) 108 and then transferred to one or more of the process modules 104. For example, substrates can be loaded into each of the process modules 104 sequentially. Referring now to FIG2 , an exemplary configuration 100 of a fabrication chamber 204 including a plurality of substrate processing tools 208 is shown.

[0010] FIG3 shows a first exemplary configuration 300 including a first substrate processing tool 304 and a second substrate processing tool 308. The first substrate processing tool 304 and the second substrate processing tool 308 are arranged in sequence and connected by a transfer table 312 under vacuum. As shown, the transfer table 312 includes a pivoting transfer mechanism that is configured to transfer substrates between a vacuum transfer module (VTM) 316 of the first substrate processing tool 304 and a VTM 320 of the second substrate processing tool 308. However, in other examples, the transfer table 312 may include other suitable transfer mechanisms, such as a linear transfer mechanism. In some examples, a first robot (not shown) of the VTM 316 may place a substrate on a support 324 disposed in a first position, the support 324 pivots to a second position, and then a second robot (not shown) of the VTM 320 retrieves the substrate from the support 324 in the second position. In some examples, the second substrate processing tool 308 may include a storage buffer 328 configured to store one or more substrates between processing stages.

[0011] The transport mechanisms may also be stacked to provide two or more transport systems between the substrate processing tools 308 and 304. The transport stage 312 may also have multiple slots to transport or buffer multiple substrates at a time.

[0012] In configuration 300 , a first substrate processing tool 304 and a second substrate processing tool 308 are configured to share a single equipment front end module (EFEM) 332 .

[0013] FIG4 shows a second exemplary configuration 400 comprising a first substrate processing tool 404 and a second substrate processing tool 408 arranged in sequence and connected via a transfer station 412. Configuration 400 is similar to configuration 300 of FIG3 , except that the EFEM is eliminated in configuration 400. Thus, substrates can be loaded directly into the first substrate processing tool 404 via an airlock loading station 416 (e.g., using a storage or transfer carrier such as a vacuum wafer carrier, a front opening unit (FOUP), an atmospheric (ATM) robot, or other suitable mechanism).

[0014] In some conventional examples, and referring to FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings, the operation of an EFEM 1302 in a conventional exemplary configuration 1300 may include (a) receiving a FOUP 1304 from an overhead automated material handling system (AMHS) 1306, then (b) removing wafers from the FOUP 1304 at 1310 and, in the case of vacuum processing, (c) transferring the wafers to a load lock (LL) 1308 for vacuum pumping at 1312. After further processing in a VTM 1320, the wafers are returned to the LL 1308 at 1314 for venting and then placed in a FOUP 1304. Finally, the AMHS 1306 removes the FOUP 1304. Generally speaking, two or more load ports 1316 are connected to the front end of the EFEM 1302. The load ports 1316 handle the FOUP 1304 and interface with the AMHS 1306. The load port 1316 also opens the FOUP door to facilitate wafer transfer within the clean mini-environment of the EFEM 1302. The flow of filtered laminar air within the EFEM 1302 is shown at 1322.

[0015] A typical semiconductor wafer processing system of the type described above can be very space-intensive because it is designed to include, for example, at least one EFEM, one or more load ports, one or more load locks (LLs) extending along the wafer processing module, a VTM, an atmospheric (ATM) robot, and one or more FOUPs. In a conventional configuration, a single wafer transfer plane (WTP) (1318, FIG. 13 ) extends from the FOUP 1304 to the VTM 1320. While the horizontal distribution or decentralized configuration of these components can provide easier access to, for example, the atmospheric (ATM) robot, LLs, and VTMs for maintenance, over time, the reliability of these modules has improved, resulting in less maintenance required in these areas. Summary of the Invention

[0016] The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for reducing wafer manufacturing costs by improving the footprint productivity (defined as wafer output divided by the system footprint) of a wafer processing tool by reconfiguring major components of an EFEM, such as a loadport, minienvironment (or minienvironment module), atmospheric (ATM) robot, and load lock (LL), so that they fall within or nearly within the existing boundaries of the system's processing modules or tools. In some examples, some components are reconfigured and / or stacked. In one example, components of an EFEM, such as a loadport, ATM robot, and minienvironment, are located above a VTM chamber to form a stacked configuration.

[0017] In some examples of the present disclosure, wafer transfer between components is performed in different planes. In other words, different stages or operations in the wafer processing system occur in areas vertically spaced apart from each other. Therefore, in contrast to the horizontal transfer of wafers through the system described above, the stacked configuration of the present invention enables wafer transfer in different planes during the overall processing. Using the systems and methods of the present invention, the footprint of a conventional wafer processing system (such as the systems shown in Figures 3-4 and 13) can be significantly reduced while maintaining sufficient productivity. Therefore, in some examples, the footprint productivity (i.e., wafer output divided by the system footprint) can be significantly improved.

[0018] Many configurations or system layouts of the major components of the EFEM are possible within the scope of the present invention. Thus, in some examples, the clean mini-environment module (e.g., within the EFEM) and the ATM robot and load lock (LL) can be arranged in one or more horizontal stacking planes within the existing boundaries of a conventional wafer processing module. For example, for tall processing modules, one approach includes positioning the EFEM above the VTM chamber. In other examples, for wafer processing systems with shorter processing modules or processing modules that do not require extensive maintenance access from above, the FOUP loadport is also contained within the existing boundaries of the processing module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings:

[0020] 1-4 and 13 show schematic diagrams of prior art substrate processing tools.

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary substrate processing tool.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a conventional quad station processing module configuration.

[0023] Figure 7 and 14 A plan view showing a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment is shown.

[0024] Figures 8-10 Perspective, plan, and side views, respectively, are shown of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0025] Figure 11 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0026] Figure 12 for Figure 11 Partial cross-sectional end view of the system configuration shown.

[0027] Figure 15is a top view of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 16 is a top view of a system configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 17 A block diagram is provided to illustrate an example of a controller or machine by which one or more exemplary method embodiments may be controlled. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following description includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computer program products that implement exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

[0031] In some examples, wafers are transferred from the FOUP to the LL and from the LL to the VTM in a stacked architecture. In some examples, in order to use existing vacuum processing modules, a traditional single wafer transfer plane (WTP) that runs through the LL, VTM chamber, and process chamber is split into two (or more) WTPs. For example, one WTP can be located at a lower level for vacuum wafer transfer and another WTP can be located at a higher level for atmospheric wafer transfer. In some examples, for example, the FOUP, load port, ATM robot, and mini-environment are stacked above the system WTP so that they are located within the boundaries of the processing modules of substrate processing tools 304 and 404. This reduces the system depth by approximately 1-2 meters (+ / - 20 cm) without affecting the system width, substantially reducing the system footprint.

[0032] In some examples, a relatively tall (or high aspect ratio) LL connects or spans two WTPs. The LL can have an internal wafer indexing device (Z-axis) to simultaneously pump down and vent multiple wafers (e.g., multiple wafers in a batch of 25 wafers). Other batch sizes are also possible. In one embodiment, the door that transfers wafers to and from the FOUP (opens to atmosphere) is located in the upper section of the LL. The door that transfers wafers to and from the VTM chamber (under vacuum) is located in the lower section of the LL.

[0033] The methods and systems of the present invention can be applied to a quadruple station processing module (QSM). Figure 5As shown in FIG. 5, a quad station processing module is shown. The substrate processing tool 500 includes transfer robots 502 and 504 (collectively referred to as transfer robots 502 / 504). For purposes of example, the processing tool 500 is shown without a mechanical indexer. In other examples, each processing module 508 of the tool 500 can include a mechanical indexer.

[0034] Each of the VTM 516 and the EFEM 510 can include one of the transfer robots 502 / 504. The transfer robots 502 / 504 can have the same or different configurations. In some examples, the transfer robot 502 is shown with two arms, each arm having two vertically stacked end effectors. The robot 502 of the VTM 516 selectively transfers substrates to and from the EFEM 510 as well as between the processing modules 508. The robot 504 of the EFEM 510 transfers substrates into and out of the EFEM 510. In some examples, the robot 504 can have two arms, each arm having a single end effector or two vertically stacked end effectors. The system controller 506 can control various operations of the substrate processing tool 500 and its components shown, including but not limited to operations of the robots 502 / 504, rotation of the respective indexers of the processing modules 508, etc.

[0035] The tool 500 is configured to interface with, for example, four of the processing modules 508, each having a single load station accessible through a respective slot 512. In this example, the sides 514 of the VTM 516 are not angled (i.e., the sides 514 are substantially straight or flat). In this way, two of the processing modules 508 (each having a single load station) can be coupled at each of the sides 514 of the VTM 516. Accordingly, the EFEM 510 can be disposed at least partially between two of the processing modules 508 to reduce the footprint of the tool 500.

[0036] FIG. 6 of the drawings provides a plan view of a conventional quad station processing module configuration 600. Four QSMs are shown at 602, 604, 606, and 608. Exemplary overall (small) dimensions are shown, and provide a basis for calculating the footprint productivity improved using the systems and methods of the present disclosure. Figure 7 A plan view of a stacked configuration 700 of wafer processing components according to the present disclosure is depicted in block diagram form, showing exemplary overall (small) dimensions. Figure 8 A perspective view of the stacked configuration 700 of Figure 7 In some examples and as shown, the minimum system configuration requirements include providing four quad stations, two load ports, and a maximum substrate throughput of no less than the conventional system throughput.

[0037] In evaluating the improvement of occupied area productivity, the conventional base occupied area is about 15m 2 . Figures 7-8 The stack configuration 700 shown has a footprint of approximately 9.55 m 2 This results in a 1.57x improvement in footprint productivity, which corresponds to an improvement of approximately 60% + / - 10%. Further design criteria include the platform to VTM width defined by the dual load-port interface, the platform depth defined by the load-port depth, and the depth defined by the two quadruple stations. If quadruple station side services are desired, the platform depth can be increased by, for example, 50-60 cm by adding space between the quadruple stations. In this configuration, the footprint of the stacked configuration is approximately 11.8 m 2 This results in a 1.27x improvement in area productivity, which corresponds to an improvement of approximately 30% + / - 10%. Figures 9-10 Shown separately Figure 8 The system layout of the stacked structure 700 is shown in plan view and side view. Figure 14 Alternative dimensions for the footprint of an exemplary stacked configuration 1400 are provided in .

[0038] refer to Figure 11 , the EFEM 1102 may include one or more elevated load ports 1116. In this illustration, an ATM robot 1120 can transfer batches of wafers (e.g., four batches of wafers) to be delivered to the FOUP 1110 through a first wafer transfer plane 1106 at 1118. The first wafer transfer plane 1106 extends from the load port 1116, located above the ATM robot 1120, to a service door 1122 on the other side of the EFEM 1102, located above a vertically movable dual airlock (VCE) 1126. The service door 1122 and a lower service door 1128 provide access to and from the EFEM 1102 and the VTM 1104, respectively. The lower service door 1128 enables wafers 1132 to be moved from the dual airlock (VCE) 1126 to the VTM 1104 under vacuum. A vacuum transfer robot 1118 transfers wafers 1132 within the VTM 1104 along a second wafer transfer plane 1114. Also visible in the diagram are two representative quadruple station processing modules (QSMs) at 1112 and 1124.

[0039] In some examples, the elevated configuration of loadports 1116 may require an ATM robot 1120 that can move up and down in front of or across one or more loadports 1116. The loadports 1116 are elevated to provide a second, elevated wafer transfer plane 1114. To accommodate this additional plane 1114, the ATM robot 1120 has the capability to automatically or manually load FOUPs 1110 in the Z-direction (shown at 1130). Batch transfer of wafers may include a four-blade EE with eight slots (four wafers in, four wafers out) in the VCE 1126 for rapid wafer transfer. In some examples, a batch of wafers may contain 25 wafers. In this case, a larger VCE 1126 may be required, which may increase cost and pumpdown and venting time. A larger VCE 1126 may limit access to the VTM 1104 above the VCE 1126.

[0040] In some examples, a dual VCE 1126 configuration is used. This configuration allows vacuum processing and atmospheric processing to be performed in parallel. The height of the dual VCE 1126 can be configured to optimize the slot valve opening size, the number of desired slots, and the necessary bottom clearance size of the ATM robot 1120. In some examples, the vacuum transfer robot 1118 includes a five-axis dual EE in a non-radial configuration, instead of the radial configuration described above.

[0041] refer to Figure 12 , the vacuum transfer robot 1118 can be positioned near a lateral side of the VTM 1104 to enable service access through the vacuum transfer robot 1118 under vacuum conditions, for example. Figure 12 An example diagram is shown of a human operator 1204 servicing access to a VTM transfer robot 1118. In this diagram, the EFEM 1102, two QSMs 1124 and 1202, a dual airlock VCE 1126, a VTM (vacuum) transfer robot 1118, and a human operator 1204 are visible in rough outline.

[0042] In some examples, the ATM robot is positioned at the microenvironment (as in the EFEM) that is directly stacked above the VTM chamber, and transmits wafer between FOUP and LL.The ATM robot has the structure that drives upwards and places downwards with arm or drives downwards and places upwards with arm.In some examples, load port is arranged in the boundary of wafer processing module.Yet this configuration may experience challenge when being provided in relatively high system configuration, because usually do not allow the overhead AMHS track in the part interference manufacturing chamber of system.Yet in the manufacturing chamber of the unconventional layout of some allow AMHS track or in the manufacturing chamber that AMHS has the ability of rotating FOUP before conveying FOUP, this alternative load port configuration may be convenient and useful distinguisher compared to conventional system.

[0043] Further design criteria may include considering where to locate the additional FOUPs required for very high throughput systems. As will now be described, several configurations are available. Figure 15 In an exemplary system configuration 1500, two load ports 1502 may be extended beyond the existing (conventional) boundaries of the wafer processing tool at 1504. While this embodiment may sacrifice some of the footprint reduction discussed above (thus impacting footprint productivity), it may eliminate the aforementioned AMHS / wafer processing system interference issues. Additional FOUPs (in other words, more than two FOUPs) 1506, 1508, and 1510 may be added to the system by adding FOUP buffers. Additional buffer stations or VTM extensions 1512 may also be included in this system configuration 1500. In another exemplary configuration shown in the figure below, a micro EFEM 1514 may be provided between the FOUPs 1506 and 1510 and the load port 1502.

[0044] The micro EFEM 1514 may include an EFEM conversion to N2. The micro EFEM 1514 also includes a relatively small EFEM footprint, significantly reducing the leak rate to the ATM due to smaller and shorter gaps between the panel recirculation and ducting. The micro EFEM 1514 also results in less N2 consumption, resulting in lower costs for the EFEM frame, panels, filters, and fans.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary system configuration 1500 further includes a power distribution housing (not shown) disposed below the micro EFEM 1514 and / or below both FOUPs 1506 and 1510. The power distribution housing may be mounted below the EFEM 1514 and / or below both FOUPs 1506 and 1510. In an exemplary embodiment, the depth of the power distribution housing does not exceed the combined depth of the EFEM 1514 and the FOUPs 1506 and 1510.

[0046] Figure 16 The exemplary system configuration 1600 in FIG. 1 includes four QSMs 1610, 1612, 1614, and 1616. A load lock (LL) robot 1602 has 25 stacked blades 1604 that can transfer 25 wafers from a FOUP 1606 to a load lock (LL) 1608. The Z-direction travel of the LL robot 1602 enables wafer placement for VTM transfer. A VTM robot 1618 picks wafers directly from and places wafers directly onto the LL robot 1602. The EFEM microenvironment 1620 is (in some examples) only 6 inches deep, which is just thick enough to actuate the dual doors 1622. The dual doors 1622 can include 100 mm SEMI-excluded LPM and 2 inches of ATM door actuation. The reach of the LL robot 1602 can be extended if needed. Conventional features include eliminating the traditional robot and providing a mini-environment, which reduces the total EFEM depth from the traditional 20 inches to approximately 6 inches, corresponding to a reduction of approximately 300%. The reduced EFEM volume simplifies the use of alternative purge gases (such as nitrogen N2) in the mini-environment.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary system configuration 1600 further includes a power distribution enclosure (not shown) disposed below the LPM.

[0048] In another exemplary embodiment, the AMHS system may be configured with a local FOUP buffer to replace the FOUP stocker to ensure that FOUPs are available for exchange.

[0049] Figure 17 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a controller or machine 1700 that can be controlled by one or more of the exemplary methods described herein. In alternative embodiments, machine 1700 can operate as a standalone device or can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 1700 can operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both a server machine and a client machine in a server-client network environment. In one example, machine 1700 can act as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Furthermore, while a single machine 1700 is illustrated, the term "machine" should also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or collectively execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as via cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

[0050] Examples as described herein may include, or may be operated by, logic, multiple components, or mechanisms. A circuit system is a collection of circuits implemented in a tangible entity, including hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). Circuit system qualifications can be flexible over time and with potential hardware variability. A circuit system includes components that can perform specified operations individually or in combination during operation. In one example, the hardware of the circuit system can be designed to perform specific operations (e.g., hardwired). In one example, the hardware of the circuit system may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.), which include computer-readable media modified by physical properties (e.g., magnetic, electrical, movable placement of unchanging clustered particles, etc.) to encode instructions for specific operations. In terms of connecting physical components, the potential electrical properties of the hardware components are changed (e.g., from an insulator to a conductor, or vice versa). Instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., execution units or loading mechanisms) to establish components of the circuit system in the hardware via variable connections to perform a portion of a specific operation during operation. Thus, when the device is operating, the computer-readable medium is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit system. In one example, any of the physical components can be used in more than one component of more than one circuit system. For example, in an operational state, an execution unit can be used in a first circuit in a first circuit system at one point in time and reused at a different time by a second circuit in the first circuit system or by a third circuit in the second circuit system.

[0051] Machine (e.g., computer system) 1700 may include a hardware processor 1702 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a graphics processing unit (GPU) 1703, main memory 1704, and static memory 1706, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., a bus) 1708. Machine 1700 may also include a display device 1710, an alphanumeric input device 1712 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1714 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, display device 1710, alphanumeric input device 1712, and UI navigation device 1714 may be a touch screen display. Machine 1700 may also include a mass storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 1716, a signal generating device 1718 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 1720, and one or more sensors 1721 (such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or another sensor). The machine 1700 may include an output controller 1728, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection, to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.).

[0052] The mass storage device 1716 may include a machine-readable medium 1722 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 1724 (e.g., software) embodying or utilizing any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. The instructions 1724 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 1704, within the static memory 1706, within the hardware processor 1702, or within the GPU 1703 during execution thereof by the machine 1700. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 1702, the GPU 1703, the main memory 1704, the static memory 1706, or the mass storage device 1716 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0053] Although the machine-readable medium 1722 is described as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 1724.

[0054] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions 1724 for execution by machine 1700, causing machine 1700 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with instructions 1724. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media include solid-state memory, and optical and magnetic media. In one example, a clustered machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium 1722 having a plurality of particles having a constant (e.g., stationary) mass. Thus, the clustered machine-readable medium is not a transient propagating signal. Specific examples of a clustered machine-readable medium include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Instructions 1724 may also be transmitted or received over a communication network 1726 via network interface device 1720 using a transmission medium. .

[0055] Although the embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it is apparent that various modifications and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the present invention. Therefore, the description and drawings should be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. The drawings forming a part of this document show specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be implemented by way of illustration and not limitation. The illustrated embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom so that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, this specific embodiment should not be regarded as having a limiting meaning, and the scope of the various embodiments is defined solely by the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which these claims are assigned.

[0056] Such embodiments of the subject matter of the present invention may be referred to herein individually and / or collectively by the term "invention" merely for convenience, and if in fact more than one invention or inventive concept is disclosed, it is not intended that the scope of the present application be automatically limited to any single invention or inventive concept. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that any configuration calculated to achieve the same purpose may replace the specific embodiments shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Upon reviewing the above description, combinations of the above embodiments with other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A substrate processing system comprising: a vacuum transfer module configured to receive a plurality of wafers, the vacuum transfer module comprising a vacuum transfer module transfer robot; a plurality of quadruple-station processing modules coupled to the vacuum transfer module, the vacuum transfer module transfer robot configured to transfer wafers between the vacuum transfer module and the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules; a system controller coupled to the vacuum transfer module transfer robot, the system controller configured to control at least one of operation of the vacuum transfer module transfer robot and rotation of respective mechanical indexing devices of the plurality of quadruple station processing modules; as well as a first atmospheric transfer robot configured to transfer batches of wafers through a first wafer plane extending from one of the one or more elevated load ports above the second atmospheric transfer robot to a service door above a vertically movable dual airlock cassette elevator; the service door and a lower service door providing access to and from the vacuum transfer module, the lower service door enabling wafers to be moved under vacuum from the vacuum cassette elevator to the vacuum transfer module; and The vacuum transfer module transfer robot is configured to transfer the wafer along a second wafer transfer plane within the vacuum transfer module.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules comprise first, second, third, and fourth quadruple-station processing modules, the first and second quadruple-station processing modules being coupled to a first side of the vacuum transfer module, the third and fourth quadruple-station processing modules being coupled to a second side of the vacuum transfer module, the second side being opposite to the first side. The equipment front-end module is coupled to the third side of the vacuum transfer module, and the vacuum transfer module has four sides, and Each of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules comprises at least one mechanical indexing device.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the vacuum transfer module transfer robot comprises two arms, each arm having a single effector or two vertically stacked end effectors.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein each quadruple station processing module has at least a single loading station accessible through a respective slot.

5. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein a side of the vacuum transfer module is substantially flat, wherein the side is configured to couple with two of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules, each of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules having a single loading station coupled to the side.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein a tool front end module is at least partially disposed between two of the plurality of quadruple station processing modules and reduces a footprint of the substrate processing system.

7. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: Two loading ports are connected to the outside of the equipment front end module, the width of the platform to the vacuum transfer module is defined by the two loading port interfaces of the two loading ports, the platform depth is defined by the loading port depth, and the depth is defined by the two quadruple station processing modules.

8. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, further comprising: One or more load ports are coupled to a side of the tool front end module, the one or more load ports being disposed within the physical boundaries of the quadruple station processing modules.

9. The substrate processing system according to claim 1, comprising: A device front end module is configured to receive a plurality of wafers.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the vacuum transfer module transfer robot is located adjacent a lateral side of the vacuum transfer module, the lateral side of the vacuum transfer module being configured to enable service access under vacuum conditions past the vacuum transfer module transfer robot.

11. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the first atmospheric transfer robot is located in the equipment front-end module and is stacked above the chamber of the vacuum transfer module and transfers the wafer between a front-opening unification unit (FOUP) and a load lock (LL), the first atmospheric transfer robot having an upward drive and arm downward placement structure or a downward drive and arm upward placement structure.

12. The substrate processing system of claim 9, wherein one or more components of the equipment front end module fall within existing boundaries of a process module or tool of the substrate processing system.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 12, wherein the one or more components of the tool front end module include a load port, a mini-environment module, the first atmospheric transfer robot, and a load lock (LL).

14. The substrate processing system of claim 13, wherein the load port, the mini-environment module, and the first atmospheric transfer robot are located above a chamber of the vacuum transfer module and form a stacked configuration.

15. The substrate processing system according to claim 9, further comprising: a plurality of loading ports connected to an outer side of the front end module of the equipment, the outer side being opposite to the vacuum transfer module; a plurality of FOUPs coupled to the plurality of loadports; and A micro EFEM is coupled between the plurality of load ports and the plurality of FOUPs.

16. A substrate processing method comprising: receiving a plurality of wafers at a tool front-end module, the tool front-end module comprising a first atmospheric transfer robot; transferring at least one of the plurality of wafers from the tool front end module through a first wafer plane to a vacuum transfer module using the first atmospheric transfer robot, the first wafer plane extending from one or more elevated load ports above a second atmospheric transfer robot to a service door located above a vertically movable dual airlock vacuum cassette elevator, the service door and a lower service door providing access to the vacuum transfer module, the lower service door enabling movement of at least one of the plurality of wafers from the vacuum cassette elevator to the vacuum transfer module under vacuum, and the vacuum transfer module including a vacuum transfer module transfer robot; and The at least one of the plurality of wafers is transferred along a second wafer plane from the vacuum transfer module to a plurality of quad-station processing modules coupled to the vacuum transfer module using the vacuum transfer module transfer robot.

17. The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of quadruple processing modules comprise first, second, third, and fourth quadruple processing modules, the first and second quadruple processing modules are coupled to a first side of the vacuum transfer module, the third and fourth quadruple processing modules are coupled to a second side of the vacuum transfer module, and the second side is opposite to the first side. wherein the equipment front-end module is coupled to the third side of the vacuum transfer module, the vacuum transfer module having four sides, and Each of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules comprises a mechanical indexing device.

18. The substrate processing method of claim 16, wherein each of the first atmospheric transfer robot and the vacuum transfer module transfer robot comprises two arms, each arm having a single effector or two vertically stacked end effectors.

19. The substrate processing method of claim 16, wherein each quadruple station processing module has at least one loading station accessible through a respective slot.

20. The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein a side surface of the vacuum transfer module is substantially flat, wherein the side surface is configured to be coupled to at least two of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules, each of the plurality of quadruple-station processing modules having at least one loading station coupled to the side surface.

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