Door opening device

Abstract

An apparatus for opening a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a housing comprising an interior volume comprising a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position; a docking port in the housing for coupling to the cartridge; a door opener configured to be coupled to a door of the cartridge and translate the door within the housing between a first door position and a second door position; a purge gas diffuser is located adjacent the first door position such that the first door position is between the second door position and the purge gas diffuser. The purge gas diffuser is configured to provide a flow of purge gas to the interior volume toward the second gate position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of semiconductor processing methods and related structures and apparatus, and to the field of device and integrated circuit manufacturing. More specifically, this disclosure generally relates to door opening devices for opening doors of wafer cassettes. Background Technology

[0002] Wafer cassettes are used in cleanroom environments to transfer wafers to and from cleanroom equipment (such as vertical batch ovens). An example of such a wafer cassette is the front-opening wafer cassette, or FOUP, which is used to transfer 300mm wafers.

[0003] The wafer cassette can be mated to a wall separating two environments to allow for wafer transfer between the two environments. A door opening mechanism can be incorporated into the wall to allow the wafer cassette to open while preventing gas flow between the two environments, which may have different gas compositions and / or contaminant level limits.

[0004] The door opening device may include a purge gas supply for providing purge gas during the door opening process. This is necessary to prevent the purge gas flow from transferring particles to the wafer in the wafer cassette or other areas that need to be kept substantially contaminant-free.

[0005] Any discussion set forth in this section (including discussions of problems and solutions) is included in this disclosure for the purpose of providing background information and should not be construed as an admission that any or all of the discussions were known at the time of making this invention or otherwise constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention provides a simplified overview of some concepts, which will be described in further detail below. This invention is not intended to require the identification of key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus for opening a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers is provided, the apparatus comprising: a housing including an internal volume including a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position; a docking port in the housing for coupling to the cassette; a door opener configured to couple to a door of the cassette and to translate the door within the housing between the first door position and the second door position; and a purge gas diffuser located adjacent to the first door position such that the first door position is between the second door position and the purge gas diffuser; wherein the purge gas diffuser is configured to provide a purge gas flow toward the second door position to the internal volume.

[0008] By using a diffuser to provide the purge gas, the purge gas flow can be substantially uniform. This helps avoid turbulence within the internal volume, which can help prevent particle contamination of the wafers in the wafer cassette due to particles being picked up by the rapidly flowing gas jets.

[0009] The first gate position and the second gate position can be spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the wafer translation direction, which is the direction in which the wafer can be removed from the wafer cassette via the docking port.

[0010] The device may include a closable opening spaced apart from the docking port in the wafer translation direction, configured such that when the cassette door is in the second door position, the wafer can be transferred from the cassette through the closable opening.

[0011] A purge gas diffuser may include a purge gas inlet and a porous filter connected to the inlet and configured to diffuse the purge gas.

[0012] Porous filters can extend in the vertical direction.

[0013] The porous filter can extend at least 50% of the height of the docking port.

[0014] Porous filters can essentially span the height of the docking port.

[0015] The purge gas diffuser can be configured to provide a purge gas outflow that is substantially uniformly distributed along the length of the diffuser.

[0016] The device may include a first gas outlet for discharging gas from the internal volume.

[0017] The first gas outlet can be located on the side of the second door position opposite to the first door position.

[0018] The device may include a pressure relief outlet located in a wall of the housing that overlaps with the second door position.

[0019] The housing may include: a first internal volume including a first door position and a second door position; and a second internal volume located adjacent to the second door position and not in the direction of the first door position, wherein the first gas outlet is located in the first internal volume.

[0020] The first internal volume can be at least partially separated from the second internal volume by a wall.

[0021] The device may include a second gas outlet located in a second internal volume.

[0022] The first gas outlet and the second gas outlet can be spaced apart in the vertical direction.

[0023] One or more of the gas outlets may include a venturi valve.

[0024] The door opener may include a mechanism for translating the door opener between a first door position and a second door position, and the mechanism may be located at least partially in the second internal volume.

[0025] According to a second aspect of the invention, a semiconductor processing apparatus is provided, comprising a wafer transport chamber, a processing chamber adjacent to the wafer transport chamber, and a cassette transport chamber adjacent to the wafer transport chamber, wherein the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a wall for separating the wafer transport chamber from the cassette transport chamber, and the wall includes means according to the first aspect.

[0026] According to a third aspect of the invention, a method of operating the apparatus according to the first aspect is provided, the method comprising the steps of: providing a box at a docking port; engaging a door opener to a door of the box; moving the door of the box in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door; moving the door of the box in a direction parallel to the plane of the door; wherein, as the door opener moves, purge gas flows through a purge gas diffuser into the internal volume.

[0027] The device may include a pressure relief outlet, and the method may include monitoring the pressure in the internal volume and opening the pressure relief valve if the pressure approaches a threshold in order to prevent the pressure in the internal volume from increasing above the threshold.

[0028] The device may include a pressure relief valve for discharging gas from an internal volume, and a mass flow controller for controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into a purge gas diffuser. The method may include controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser when the pressure relief valve is open, so as to control the pressure difference between the internal volume and the external environment of the device.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, an apparatus for opening a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers is provided, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an internal volume including a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position; a docking port in the housing for coupling to the cassette; a door opener configured to couple to a door of the cassette and to translate the door within the housing between the first door position and the second door position; and a first gas outlet for discharging gas from the internal volume, the first gas outlet being located on the side of the second door position opposite to the first door position.

[0030] The housing may include: a first internal volume including a first door position and a second door position; and a second internal volume located adjacent to the second door position and not in the direction of the first door position, wherein the first gas outlet is located in the first internal volume.

[0031] The first internal volume can be at least partially separated from the second internal volume by a wall.

[0032] The device may include a second gas outlet located in a second internal volume.

[0033] The first gas outlet and the second gas outlet can be spaced apart in the vertical direction.

[0034] One or more of the gas outlets may include a venturi valve.

[0035] The door opener may include a mechanism for translating the door opener between a first door position and a second door position, and the mechanism may be located at least partially in the second internal volume.

[0036] Other technical features will be obvious to those skilled in the art based on the following figures, description and claims.

[0037] For the purpose of summarizing the invention and its advantages relative to the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. It should be understood, of course, that not all of these objects or advantages may necessarily be achieved according to any particular embodiment of the invention. Therefore, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or implemented in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or more advantages taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0038] All these embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Some embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section being perpendicular to... Figure 4 The image is taken from the plane of direction C, where the door of the device is in the first door position.

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section being perpendicular to... Figure 4 The image is taken from the plane of direction C, where the door of the device is in the second door position.

[0042] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section being perpendicular to... Figure 4 The positions of the first and second doors are shown as a cut-out in the plane of direction C.

[0043] Figure 4 This is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section being perpendicular to... Figure 6 The image is taken from a plane in direction C, where the door of the device is in a first door position, and the device includes a first gas outlet.

[0045] Figure 6 This is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus including a first outlet valve and a second outlet valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 7 This is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus including a mass flow controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 8 This is a schematic plan view of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] It should be understood that the elements in the accompanying drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid in understanding the embodiments shown in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The following description of exemplary embodiments of the methods and compositions is merely illustrative and for purposes of explanation only. The following description is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims. Furthermore, the description of multiple embodiments having indicated features or steps is not intended to exclude other embodiments having additional features or steps, or other embodiments including different combinations of said features or steps.

[0051] In this disclosure, when two or more elements are referred to as being in "fluid communication," this means that a fluid, such as a gas or liquid, or a mixture thereof, can flow between the elements in one or both directions. Fluid communication can be achieved, for example, through gas lines, pipes, conduits, inlets, outlets, or any combination thereof. Fluid communication can be interruptible; for example, valves or other flow control elements may be present.

[0052] In this disclosure, any two numbers of a variable may constitute a feasible range of the variable, and any range indicated may include or exclude endpoints. Furthermore, any value of the indicated variable (whether or not it is indicated by “about”) may refer to an exact value or an approximate value and includes equivalents, and in some embodiments may refer to an average, median, representative value, multi-value, etc. Additionally, in this disclosure, the terms “comprising,” “consisting of,” and “having” may, in some embodiments, independently mean “generally or broadly comprising,” “including,” “substantially consisting of,” or “consisting of.” The meaning of any definition in this disclosure does not necessarily exclude the common and customary meaning in some embodiments. In some cases, percentages indicated herein may be relative or absolute percentages.

[0053] Numerous example materials are given throughout the embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the chemical formulas given for each example material should not be interpreted as limiting, and the non-limiting example materials given should not be limited by the given example stoichiometry.

[0054] In this specification, it will be understood that the terms "on" or "above" may be used to describe relative positional relationships. Another element, film, or layer may be directly on the mentioned layer, or another layer (intermediate layer) or element may be inserted between them, or a layer may be disposed on the mentioned layer but not completely cover the surface of the mentioned layer. Therefore, unless the term "directly" is used alone, the terms "on" or "above" will be interpreted as relative concepts. Similarly, it will be understood that the terms "below," "under," or "beneath" will be interpreted as relative concepts.

[0055] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4This illustration shows an apparatus 101 for opening a wafer cassette 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wafer cassette 102 may include a cassette body 103 defining a cassette interior 104 for receiving wafers, and may have a cassette opening 105 that can be closed by a door 106 or a cover. Wafers may be inserted into and removed from the wafer cassette 102 through the cassette opening 105 in a wafer translational direction A. The apparatus 101 includes a housing 107 comprising an internal volume 108. The internal volume 108 includes a first door position 109 and a second door position 110 adjacent to the first door position 109. The housing 107 includes a mating port 111 for coupling to the wafer cassette 102 within the housing 107. The apparatus 101 includes a door opener 112 configured to couple to the door 106 of the wafer cassette 102 and to translate the door 106 between the first door position 109 and the second door position 110 within the housing 107. The housing 107 may be defined by a wall 113, and the mating port 111 may include an opening in the wall 113. Device 101 may be part of or located within a partition wall separating the wafer transport chamber from the cassette transport chamber. Figure 8 ).

[0056] Special Reference Figure 1 The first door position 109 can be a position where door 106 is spaced apart from wafer cassette 102 only in the wafer translation direction. The first door position 109 can also be a position where door 106 is still attached to wafer cassette 102. Door opener 112 can be configured to engage with door 106 when it is attached to wafer cassette 102, and to translate door 106 in the wafer translation direction before translating it from the first door position 109 to the second door position 110, thereby spaced door 106 from wafer cassette 102 in the wafer translation direction. Door opener 112 can include one or more vacuum nozzles 114 for attaching to door 106 to move door 106.

[0057] Special Reference Figure 2 The second gate position 110 can be a position where gate 106 is spaced apart from wafer cassette 102 in the wafer translation direction and in a second direction B perpendicular to the wafer translation direction. The second direction can be vertical or horizontal. Figure 3 The device 101 without door 106 is shown, along with the first door position 109 and the second door position 110.

[0058] Refer again Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The device 101 includes a purge gas diffuser 115 configured to provide a purge gas flow to the internal volume 108 toward the second door position 110. The purge gas diffuser 115 is located adjacent to the first door position 109, such that the first door position 109 is between the second door position 110 and the purge gas diffuser 115.

[0059] By using the purge gas diffuser 115 to diffuse the purge gas into the internal volume 108, a more uniform purge gas flow can be provided within the internal volume 108. This helps prevent high-speed gas flow and reflow, thereby reducing the likelihood of particles being blown from the internal volume 108 into the wafer cassette 102.

[0060] The device 101 may include a closable opening 118 spaced apart from the docking port 111 in the wafer translation direction. The closable opening 118 is configured such that when the cassette door 106 is in the second door position 110, a wafer can be transferred from the wafer cassette 102 through the closable opening 118. A door opener 112 is configured to engage with the door 106 and the cover 119 to close the closable opening 118, and simultaneously translate the door 106 and the cover 119, thereby simultaneously opening the wafer cassette 102 and the closable opening 118. The docking port 111 can provide access to the cassette transport chamber (…). Figure 8 The interface is closable opening 118, which can provide access to the wafer transport chamber. Figure 8 The gas environment in the wafer transport chamber may differ from that in the cassette transport chamber. For example, the gas environment in the wafer transport chamber may have a much lower contaminant level than that in the cassette transport chamber. The pressure in the internal volume 108 of the device may differ from the pressure in the cassette transport chamber; for example, the pressure in the internal volume may be greater than that in the cassette transport chamber. When the door 106 of the wafer cassette 102 is opened, gas can enter the wafer cassette 102 at high speed due to the higher pressure in the internal volume 108, and may carry contaminants onto the wafer. In some embodiments, the device 101 includes a pressure relief valve 120 that can be opened during the door opening process to reduce the gas inflow from the internal volume 108 into the wafer cassette 102. The pressure relief valve 120 may be located on a wall of the housing 107 that is opposite the wall of the housing forming the mating port 111 in the wafer translation direction. When viewed in the wafer translation direction, the pressure relief valve 120 may be located on a wall of the housing 107 that partially overlaps with the second door position 110.

[0061] The device 101 may include a pressure sensor 116 for sensing pressure in the internal volume 108. The pressure sensor 116 may be located at the end of the device 101 opposite to the purge gas diffuser 115.

[0062] The purge gas diffuser 115 can be configured to output a diffused gas flow that is less prone to turbulence. (See also: Special Reference) Figure 4The purge gas diffuser 115 may include a purge gas inlet 117 and a porous filter 121 connected to the inlet at a first end of the filter 121. The filter may be, for example, a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. The filter 121 may be generally cylindrical in shape. The filter 121 may have a cap 124 at a second end 123 opposite the first end 122 to prevent gas from exiting the filter 121 at the second end 123. Gas can flow through the purge gas inlet 117 and subsequently through microchannels within the filter 121, resulting in a relatively uniform flow distribution throughout the volume of the filter 121. The gas can ultimately exit the filter 121 substantially uniformly over its surface.

[0063] Filter 121 may extend in a third direction C perpendicular to the wafer translation direction and a second direction. Therefore, purge gas diffuser 115 may be configured to provide a purge gas outflow that is substantially uniformly distributed along the length of the diffuser. For example, in embodiments where the first gate position 109 and the second gate position 110 are horizontally spaced, filter 121 may extend in a vertical direction. Filter 121 may be substantially cylindrical. In some embodiments, filter 121 may extend over at least 50% of the height (when extending vertically) or width (when extending horizontally) of the mating port 111. Filter 121 may substantially span the height or width of the mating port 111.

[0064] A purge gas diffuser 115 may be positioned near the docking port 111. In some embodiments, a portion of the gas flow provided by the purge gas diffuser 115 may flow into the wafer cassette 102 located at the docking port 111. Due to the uniform (rather than turbulent or flow-through) nature of the gas flow from the purge gas diffuser 115, the purge gas flows from the purge gas diffuser 115 to a second internal volume 127 where particles may be generated. Figure 6 The possibility of then returning to chip box 102 is very low.

[0065] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The apparatus 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first gas outlet 125 for discharging gas from an internal volume 108. The first gas outlet 125 provides an outlet for purge gas to flow from a purge gas diffuser 115. The first gas outlet 125 may be located within the housing 107 on the side of the second door position 110 opposite to the first door position 109. That is, the second door position 110 may be located between the first door position 109 and the first gas outlet 125.

[0066] The device 101 may include a first internal volume 126 and a second internal volume 127 within the housing 107. The first internal volume 126 may include a first gate position 109 and a second gate position 110. The second internal volume 127 may be located adjacent to the second gate position 110 in a direction perpendicular to the wafer translation direction and not facing the first gate position 109. For example, in an embodiment where the first gate position 109 and the second gate position are horizontally spaced apart, the second internal volume 127 may be vertically located above or below the second gate position 110. A first gas outlet 125 may be located in the first internal volume 126. The device 101 may include a second gas outlet 128 located in the second internal volume 127.

[0067] The second internal volume 127 may include a mechanism 129 for translating the door opener 112 between the first door position 109 and the second door position 110, and the mechanism 129 may be at least partially located in the second internal volume 127. Because the mechanism 129 includes moving parts, such as a spindle, it may generate particles that could contaminate the wafer. By providing a first gas outlet 125 in the first internal volume 126 and a second gas outlet 128 in the second internal volume 127, the gas flow that could entrain particles generated by the mechanism 129 can be discharged close to the mechanism 129 itself, thereby reducing the chance of such particles moving toward the first internal volume 126 (which is expected to remain particle-free) or contaminating the wafer in the wafer cassette 102. By providing a purge gas diffuser 115 configured to provide a diffusion gas flow toward the second gate position 110, and a first gas outlet 125 and a second gas outlet 128, a relatively uniform purge gas flow (rather than turbulent or reflow flow) can be provided from the purge gas diffuser 115 toward the first gas outlet 125 and the second gas outlet 128 to the housing 107, thereby reducing the possibility of particulate contamination of the wafers in the wafer cassette 102.

[0068] The first gas outlet 125 may be vertically spaced from the second gas outlet 128. Therefore, the second gas outlet 128 is... Figure 3 Invisible in the middle Figure 3 This is a cross-section of device 101 in a vertical plane. The first gas outlet 125 may be spaced apart from the second gas outlet 128 in a direction substantially parallel to the direction in which the purge gas diffuser 115 extends. The first gas outlet 125 may also be spaced apart from the second gas outlet 128 in a third direction C perpendicular to the wafer transfer direction and the second direction.

[0069] The first internal volume 126 may be at least partially separated from the second internal volume 127 by a wall 130. The device 101 may include one or more gas outlets in the first internal volume 126 and / or in the second internal volume 127. Each gas outlet may include a venturi valve or other pneumatic valve.

[0070] In some embodiments, the pressure relief valve 120 may be located in the second internal volume 127. This can help prevent particles from being transported from the second internal volume 127 to the first internal volume 126 during the venting of air through the pressure relief valve 120.

[0071] Device 101 may include a controller 131 configured to control the opening / closing of pressure relief valve 120 and any one of first gas outlet 125 and second gas outlet 128. Controller 131 may be configured to receive pressure measurements from pressure sensor 116 and control the opening / closing of pressure relief valve 120 based on the received pressure measurements. Controller 131 may be configured to control the movement of door opener 112. Controller 131 may include a memory and a processor. The memory may store instructions for performing methods of operating device 101 according to embodiments of the present invention. Controller 131 may be configured to load these instructions from the memory into the processor to perform the methods according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0072] refer to Figure 7 In some embodiments, device 101 includes a mass flow controller at purge gas inlet 117 for controlling the flow rate of gas entering purge gas diffuser 115 and thus into internal volume 108. By controlling the flow rate of purge gas entering internal volume 108, the pressure difference between internal volume 108 and the environment connected to it by pressure relief valve 120 can be controlled. This can be beneficial, for example, in reducing the inflow rate of gas into internal volume 108. Controller 131 can be configured to use the mass flow controller to control the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser when the pressure relief valve is open, thereby controlling the pressure difference between the internal volume and the external environment. The pressure difference can be controlled to be less than a threshold value.

[0073] Reference Figure 8 A semiconductor processing apparatus 801 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a wafer transport chamber 802, a processing chamber 803 adjacent to the wafer transport chamber 802, and a cassette transport chamber 804 adjacent to the wafer transport chamber 802. The processing chamber 803 may be vertically located above the wafer transport chamber 802. The semiconductor processing apparatus 801 includes a partition wall 805 for separating the wafer transport chamber 802 from the cassette transport chamber 804. The partition wall 805 includes means 101 for opening a wafer cassette according to an embodiment of the present invention. The means 101 may be configured such that a mating port 111 is positioned to provide an interface with the cassette transport chamber 804, and a closing opening 118 is positioned to provide an interface with the wafer transport chamber 802.

[0074] The cassette transport chamber 804 may include a set of cassette storage locations 806, where wafer cassette covers may be placed. The cassette transport chamber 804 may include a cassette transport robot 807 configured to transfer cassettes from the cassette storage locations 806 to a docking port 111 of the apparatus 101. The cassette transport chamber 804 may include a port 808 for introducing wafer cassette covers from outside the semiconductor processing apparatus 801 into the cassette transport chamber 804.

[0075] The wafer handling chamber 802 may include a wafer handling robot 809 configured to transfer wafers from a wafer cassette cover docked at the device 101 through a docking port 111 and a closable opening 118 to a wafer support 810, which may be a single wafer support or a wafer boat for supporting multiple wafers.

[0076] Reference Figure 9 Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for operating an apparatus for opening a wafer cassette as described above. The method may include the following steps: providing the cassette at a docking port (step S1); engaging a door opener to the door of the cassette (step S2); moving the door opener in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door (step S3); and moving the door opener parallel to the plane of the door (step S4). While the door opener moves in steps S3 and S4, purge gas flows through a purge gas diffuser into the internal volume.

[0077] In step S1, a wafer cassette can be provided to the docking port by a cassette handling robot in the cassette handling chamber. In step S2, attaching the door opener to the door of the cassette may include moving the door opener to a position overlapping with the door of the cassette and engaging a coupling mechanism, which may be, for example, a vacuum nozzle arrangement for drawing the door into the door opener. In steps S3 and S4, purge gas may flow into the purge gas inlet and pass through a purge gas diffuser to provide a uniform gas flow into the internal volume.

[0078] This method may include monitoring the pressure within the internal volume and, if the pressure approaches a threshold, opening a pressure relief valve to prevent the pressure from increasing above the threshold. This pressure control can help prevent rapid gas inrush into the FOUP, which can be a cause of particle pick-up and contamination on the wafer.

[0079] The device may include a pressure relief valve for discharging gas from the internal volume, and a mass flow controller for controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser. The method may include controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser when the pressure relief valve is open to minimize the pressure difference between the internal volume and the external environment of the device.

[0080] For the purpose of summarizing the invention and its advantages relative to the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. It should be understood, of course, that not all of these objects or advantages may necessarily be achieved according to any particular embodiment of the invention. Therefore, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or implemented in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or more advantages taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0081] All of these embodiments are within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for opening a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers, the apparatus comprising: A housing that includes an internal volume, the internal volume including a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position; The docking port, located within the housing, is used for connection to the box; A door opener configured to connect to the door of the box and to translate the door within the housing between a first door position and a second door position; A purge gas diffuser is located adjacent to the first door position, such that the first door position is between the second door position and the purge gas diffuser; The purge gas diffuser is configured to provide a purge gas flow into the internal volume towards the second door position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The first gate position and the second gate position are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the wafer translation direction, which is the direction in which the wafer can be removed from the wafer cassette via the docking port.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a closable opening spaced apart from the docking port in the wafer translation direction, configured such that when the cassette door is in the second door position, the wafer can be transferred from the cassette through the closable opening.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The purge gas diffuser includes a purge gas inlet and a porous filter connected to the inlet, configured to diffuse the purge gas.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The porous filter extends over at least 50% of the height or width of the mating port.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The porous filter essentially spans the height or width of the docking port.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The purge gas diffuser is configured to provide a purge gas outflow that is substantially uniformly distributed along the length of the diffuser.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a first gas outlet for discharging gas from the internal volume.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, The first gas outlet is located on the side of the second door position opposite to the first door position.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a pressure relief outlet located in a wall of the housing that overlaps with the second door position.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, The housing includes: a first internal volume including the first door position and the second door position; and a second internal volume located adjacent to the second door position and not in the direction of the first door position, wherein the first gas outlet is located in the first internal volume.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The first internal volume is at least partially separated from the second internal volume by a wall.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 or 12, comprising a second gas outlet located in the second internal volume.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, The first gas outlet and the second gas outlet are spaced apart in the vertical direction.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein, The gas outlet includes a Venturi valve.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, The door opener includes a mechanism for translating the door opener between the first door position and the second door position, wherein the mechanism is at least partially located in the second internal volume.

17. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a wafer transport chamber, a processing chamber adjacent to the wafer transport chamber, and a cassette transport chamber adjacent to the wafer transport chamber, wherein the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a wall for separating the wafer transport chamber from the cassette transport chamber, and the wall includes means according to any of the preceding claims.

18. A method of operating the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising the following steps: Provide a box at the docking port; Connect the door opener to the door of the box; The door opener moves the door of the box in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door; The door opener moves the box door in a direction parallel to the plane of the door; When the door opener moves, it causes the purging gas to flow through the purging gas diffuser and enter the internal volume.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The device includes a pressure relief valve for discharging gas from the internal volume, and the method includes monitoring the pressure in the internal volume and opening the pressure relief valve if the pressure approaches a threshold to prevent the pressure in the internal volume from increasing above the threshold.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The device includes a pressure relief valve for discharging gas from the internal volume and a mass flow controller for controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser, wherein the method includes controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser when the pressure relief valve is open, so as to control the pressure difference between the internal volume and the external environment of the device.

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