Door opening device

Abstract

We provide a door opening device equipped with a purge gas diffuser. [Solution] A device 101 for opening a wafer cassette 102 for storing multiple wafers comprises a housing 107 whose internal volume includes a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position; a docking port 111 in the housing for coupling to the wafer cassette; a door opener 112 coupled to the door 106 of the wafer cassette and moving the door in the housing between a first door position 109 and a second door position spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the wafer movement direction; and a purge gas diffuser 115 located adjacent to the first door position and causing the first door position to be between the second door position and the purge gas diffuser. The purge gas diffuser provides a flow of purge gas to the internal volume toward the second door position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of semiconductor processing methods, as well as related structures and devices, and the field of device and integrated circuit manufacturing. More particularly, the present disclosure generally relates to a door opening device for opening a door of a wafer cassette.

Background Art

[0002] In a cleanroom environment, wafer cassettes are used to transport wafers that travel to and from cleanroom equipment such as vertical batch furnaces. Examples of such wafer cassettes include Front Opening Unified Pods (FOUPs) used to transport 300 mm wafers.

[0003] The wafer cassette may be docked to a wall that separates two environments to transfer wafers between the two environments. A door opening device may be provided in the wall to allow the wafer cassette to be opened while avoiding gas flow between two environments that may have different gas compositions and / or contaminant level constraints.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The door opening device may include a purge gas supply for providing a purge gas during the door opening process. It is necessary to avoid the transfer of particles to the wafers in the wafer cassette by the purge gas flow or the transfer to other areas that need to be substantially free of contaminants.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Any discussions described in this section, including discussions of problems and solutions, are included in this disclosure solely for the purpose of providing background to this disclosure, and it should not be considered that any or all of the discussions were known at the time the invention was made, or that they constitute prior art.

[0006] This summary introduces the selected concepts in a simplified form, which are described in more detail below. This summary is not necessarily intended to identify the main or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for opening a cassette for housing a plurality of wafers, the device comprising: a housing including an internal volume, the 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 a cassette; a door opener coupled to the door of the cassette and configured to move the door in the housing between the first door position and the second door position; and a purge gas diffuser located adjacent to the first door position, the purge gas diffuser configured to provide a flow of purge gas into the internal volume toward the second door position.

[0008] By using a diffuser to supply the purge gas, the flow of the purge gas can be substantially uniform. This can help avoid turbulence within the internal volume, which can help prevent particle contamination on the wafer in the wafer cassette due to particle pickup by fast-flowing gas jets.

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

[0010] The device may have a closable opening spaced apart from the docking port in the wafer movement direction, the closable opening being configured to allow the wafer to be transported from the cassette through the closable opening when the cassette door is in the second door position.

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

[0012] The porous filter may extend vertically.

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

[0014] The porous filter may substantially extend to the height of the docking port.

[0015] The purge gas diffuser may be configured to provide an outflow of purge gas that is distributed substantially uniformly over the length of the diffuser.

[0016] The device may be equipped with a first gas outlet for discharging gas from its internal volume.

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

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

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

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

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

[0022] The first gas outlet and the second gas outlet may be spaced apart vertically.

[0023] One or more of the gas outlets may be equipped with a venturi valve.

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

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

[0026] A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for operating the device according to the first aspect, comprising the steps of: providing a cassette to a docking port; coupling a door opener to the door of the cassette; enabling the door opener to move the door of the cassette in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door; and enabling the door opener to move the door of the cassette in a direction parallel to the plane of the door, wherein while the door opener is in motion, a purge gas flows into the internal volume through a purge gas diffuser.

[0027] The device may include a pressure relief outlet, and the method may include monitoring the pressure within the internal volume and opening a pressure relief valve to prevent the pressure within the internal volume from increasing beyond a threshold value when the pressure approaches the threshold value.

[0028] 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 a purge gas diffuser, and the method may include controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser while the pressure relief valve is open to control the pressure difference between the internal volume and the environment outside the device.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for opening a cassette for storing a plurality of wafers, the device comprising: a housing including an internal volume, the 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 coupled to the door of the cassette and configured to move a 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 opposite side of the second door position with respect to the first door position.

[0030] The housing may include a first internal volume including the first door position and the second door position, and a second internal volume adjacent to the second door position and located in a direction other than the direction of the first door position, and the first gas outlet is located within the first internal volume.

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

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

[0033] The first gas outlet and the second gas outlet may be spaced apart vertically.

[0034] One or more of the gas outlets may be equipped with a venturi valve.

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

[0036] Other technical features may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following drawings, description, and claims.

[0037] For the purpose of summarizing the advantages of the present invention over the prior art, certain objectives and advantages of the present invention are described above herein. Naturally, it will be understood that not all of these objectives or advantages are necessarily achieved according to any particular embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a group of advantages as taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objectives or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0038] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] Herein, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described as an example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] [Figure 1]This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cross-section is cut by a plane perpendicular to direction C shown in Figure 4, and the door of the device is in the first door position. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the cross-section is cut by a plane perpendicular to direction C shown in Figure 4, and the door of the device is in the second door position. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the cross-section is cut by a plane perpendicular to direction C shown in Figure 4, and showing the first and second positions of the device. [Figure 4] This is a schematic perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cross section of which is cut by a plane perpendicular to direction C shown in Figure 6, the door of the device is in a first door position, and the device includes a first gas outlet. [Figure 6] This is a schematic perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, including a first outlet valve and a second outlet valve. [Figure 7] This is a schematic perspective view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, including a mass flow controller. [Figure 8] This is a schematic plan view of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of the method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] It will be understood that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to actual size. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to others to help improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0042] The descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the methods and configurations provided below are illustrative only and intended for illustrative purposes. The following descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims. Furthermore, the enumeration of numerous embodiments having the configurations or steps shown is not intended to exclude other embodiments having additional configurations or steps, or other embodiments incorporating different combinations of the configurations or steps described.

[0043] In this disclosure, when two or more elements are referred to as “fluidally connected,” it means that a fluid, such as a gas or liquid or a mixture thereof, can flow between the elements in one direction or in both directions. Fluid connection may be achieved, for example, by a gas line, pipe, inlet, outlet, or any combination thereof. Fluid connection may be shut off, for example, by a valve or other flow control element.

[0044] In this disclosure, any two numbers of a variable can constitute a viable range of that variable, and any range shown may include or exclude the endpoints. In addition, any value of a variable shown (whether shown with “approximately” or not) may refer to an exact value or an approximate value, may include its equivalent, and in some embodiments may refer to the mean, median, representative value, principal value, etc. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms “including,” “constituted by,” and “having” may independently refer to “typically or broadly comprising,” “comprising,” “consisting essentially of,” or “consisting of” in some embodiments. In this disclosure, the meaning of any defined term does not necessarily exclude the ordinary and conventional meanings in some embodiments. In some cases, the percentages shown herein may be relative or absolute percentages.

[0045] It should be noted that while many exemplary materials are given through embodiments of this disclosure, the chemical formulas given for each of the exemplary materials should not be interpreted as restrictive, and the non-restrictive exemplary materials given should not be limited by any exemplary stoichiometry.

[0046] In this specification, it will be understood that the terms “on” or “over” can be used to describe relative positional relationships. Another element, membrane, or layer may be directly on top of the layer described, or another layer (intermediate layer) or element may be interposed between them, or a layer may be placed on top of the layer described but not completely covering the surface of the layer described. Thus, unless the term “directly” is used separately, the terms “on” or “over” will be interpreted as relative concepts. Similarly, it will be understood that the terms “under,” “underlying,” or “below” will be interpreted as relative concepts.

[0047] Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, a device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention for opening a wafer cassette 102 is shown. The wafer cassette 102 may include a cassette body 103 defining a cassette interior 104 for housing wafers, and may have a cassette opening 105 that can be closed using a door 106 or a lid. Wafers can be inserted into and removed from the wafer cassette 102 in the wafer movement direction A through the cassette opening 105. The device 101 comprises a housing 107 including 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 docking port 111 in the housing 107 for coupling with the wafer cassette 102. Device 101 includes a door opener 112 that is coupled to the door 106 of the wafer cassette 102 and configured to move the door 106 in the housing 107 between a first door position 109 and a second door position 110. The housing 107 may be defined by a wall 113, and the docking port 111 may have an opening in the wall 113. Device 101 may be part of a separation wall that separates the wafer handling chamber from the cassette handling chamber, or it may be located in or integrated with the separation wall (Figure 8).

[0048] Referring particularly to Figure 1, the first door position 109 may be a position where the door 106 is separated from the wafer cassette 102 only in the wafer movement direction. The first door position 109 may also be a position where the door 106 is still attached to the wafer cassette 102. The door opener 112 may be coupled to the door 106, and may be configured to move the door 106 from the first door position 109 to the second door position 110 after the door 106 has been separated from the wafer cassette 102 in the wafer movement direction, so that the door is attached to the wafer cassette 102 and moves the door 106 in the wafer movement direction. The door opener 112 may include one or more vacuum nozzles 114 for attaching to the cassette door 106 in order to move the cassette door 106.

[0049] Referring particularly to Figure 2, the second door position 110 may be a position where the door 106 is separated from the wafer cassette 102 in the wafer movement direction and in a second direction B perpendicular to the wafer movement direction. The second direction may be vertical or horizontal. Figure 3 shows the device 101 without the door 106, and simultaneously shows the first door position 109 and the second door position 110.

[0050] Referring again to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the device 101 includes a purge gas diffuser 115 configured to provide a flow of purge gas 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.

[0051] By using the purge gas diffuser 115 to diffuse the purge gas into the internal volume 108, a more uniform flow of purge gas can be provided within the internal volume 108. This can help prevent high-speed flow and recirculation of the gas, and reduce the possibility of particles being blown from the internal volume 108 into the wafer cassette 102.

[0052] Device 101 may include a closable opening 118 spaced apart from the docking port 111 in the wafer movement direction. The closable opening 118 is configured to allow wafers to be transported from the wafer cassette 102 through the closable opening 118 when the cassette door 106 is in a second door position 110. A door opener 112 may be coupled to the door 106 and lid 119 to close the closable opening 118, and to move the door 106 and lid 119 simultaneously to open the wafer cassette 102 and the closable opening 118 simultaneously. The docking port 111 may provide an interface to a cassette handling chamber (Figure 8), and the closable opening 118 may provide an interface to a wafer handling chamber (Figure 8). The gas environment in the wafer handling chamber may differ from the gas environment in the cassette handling chamber. For example, the gas environment in the wafer handling chamber may have a much lower level of contaminants than the contaminants in the cassette handling chamber. The pressure in the internal volume 108 of the device may differ from the pressure in the cassette handling chamber; for example, the pressure in the internal volume may be greater than the pressure in the cassette handling chamber. When the door 106 of the wafer cassette 102 is opened, the high pressure in the internal volume 108 may allow gas to enter the wafer cassette 102 at high speed, potentially transporting 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 inflow of gas from the internal volume 108 into the wafer cassette 102. The pressure relief valve 120 may be located on the wall of the housing 107 opposite to the wall of the housing where the docking port 111 is formed, in the wafer movement direction. The pressure relief valve 120 may be located on the wall of the housing 107 that partially overlaps with the second door position 110 when viewed in the wafer movement direction.

[0053] Device 101 may include a pressure sensor 116 for sensing the pressure in the internal volume 108. The pressure sensor 116 may be located at the end of device 101 opposite to the purge gas diffuser 115.

[0054] The purge gas diffuser 115 may be configured to output a diffused flow of gas that is less prone to turbulence. Referring particularly to Figure 4, the purge gas diffuser 115 may comprise 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-performance particulate filter (HEPA). The filter 121 may generally be cylindrical. The filter 121 may have a cap 124 at a second end 123 of the filter 121 opposite a first end 122 to prevent gas from flowing out of the filter 121 at the second end 123. The gas flows through the purge gas inlet 117 and then through microchannels in the filter 121, which can result in a relatively uniform flow distribution across the entire volume of the filter 121. The gas may eventually exit the filter 121 substantially uniformly across its surface.

[0055] The filter 121 may extend in a third direction C perpendicular to the wafer movement direction and the second direction. Thus, the purge gas diffuser 115 may be configured to provide an outflow of purge gas that is substantially uniformly distributed over the length of the diffuser. For example, in embodiments where the first door position 109 and the second door position 110 are spaced horizontally apart, the filter 121 may extend vertically. The filter 121 may be substantially cylindrical. In some embodiments, the filter 121 may extend over at least 50% of the height (when extending vertically) or width (when extending horizontally) of the docking port 111. The filter 121 may substantially extend over the height or width of the docking port 111.

[0056] The purge gas diffuser 115 may be positioned adjacent to the docking port 111. In some embodiments, a portion of the gas flow provided by the purge gas diffuser 115 may flow into a wafer cassette 102 located in the docking port 111. The possibility of purge gas flowing from the purge gas diffuser 115 into a second internal volume 127 (Figure 6) is low because the nature of the gas flow from the purge gas diffuser 115 is uniform rather than turbulent or circulating, in which case particles may be generated and subsequently return to the wafer cassette 102.

[0057] Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a first gas outlet 125 for discharging gas from the internal volume 108. The first gas outlet 125 may provide an outlet for purge gas flowing from the purge gas diffuser 115. The first gas outlet 125 may be located in the housing 107 on the opposite side of the second door position 110 from 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.

[0058] The device 101 may have a first internal volume 126 and a second internal volume 127 in the housing 107. The first internal volume 126 may encompass a first door position 109 and a second door position 110. The second internal volume 127 may be located adjacent to the second door position 110 in a direction perpendicular to the wafer movement direction, rather than toward the first door position 109. For example, in embodiments where the first door position 109 and the second door position are spaced apart horizontally, the second internal volume 127 may be located vertically above or below the second door position 110. The first gas outlet 125 may be located within the first internal volume 126. The device 101 may also have a second gas outlet 128 located within the second internal volume 127.

[0059] The second internal volume 127 may include a mechanism 129 for moving 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 within the second internal volume 127. Since 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 within the first internal volume 126 and a second gas outlet 128 within the second internal volume 127, the gas flow that may entrain particles generated by the mechanism 129 can be discharged near the mechanism 129 itself, reducing the possibility of these particles moving toward the first internal volume 126 (where it may be desirable for the particles to remain absent) or contaminating the wafer in the wafer cassette 102. By providing a purge gas diffuser 115 configured to diffuse the gas flow toward the second door position 110 in combination with the first gas outlet 125 and the second gas outlet 128, a relatively uniform flow of purge gas, rather than turbulent or recirculating flow, is supplied from the purge gas diffuser 115 toward the first gas outlet 125 and the second gas outlet 128 into the housing 107, thereby reducing the possibility of particles contaminating the wafers in the wafer cassette 102.

[0060] The first gas outlet 125 may be spaced perpendicularly from the second gas outlet 128. Therefore, the second gas outlet 128 is not visible in Figure 3, which shows a cross-section of the device 101 in a vertical plane. The first gas outlet 125 may be spaced perpendicular to the direction in which the purge gas diffuser 115 extends from the second gas outlet 128. The first gas outlet 125 may be spaced perpendicular to the wafer transport direction and to a third direction C perpendicular to the second direction.

[0061] 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 have two or more gas outlets within the first internal volume 126 and / or the second internal volume 127. Each gas outlet may be equipped with a venturi valve or other air valve.

[0062] In some embodiments, the pressure relief valve 120 may be located within a second internal volume 127. This may help to avoid the transport of particles from the second internal volume 127 to the first internal volume 126 during the exhaust of gas through the pressure relief valve 120.

[0063] Device 101 may include a controller 131 configured to control the opening and closing of a pressure relief valve 120 and either a first gas outlet 125 or a second gas outlet 128. The controller 131 may be configured to receive pressure measurements from a pressure sensor 116 and to control the opening and closing of the pressure relief valve 120 in accordance with the received pressure measurements. The controller 131 may also be configured to control the movement of a door opener 112. The controller 131 may include memory and a processor. The memory may store instructions for performing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention to operate device 101. The controller 131 may be configured to load such instructions from memory into a processor and thereby perform a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Referring to Figure 7, in some embodiments, the device 101 is provided with a mass flow controller at the purge gas inlet 117 for controlling the flow rate of gas into the purge gas diffuser 115 and, consequently, into the internal volume 108. By controlling the flow rate of purge gas into the internal volume 108, the pressure difference between the internal volume 108 and the environment connected to the internal volume 108 by the pressure relief valve 120 can be controlled. This may be useful, for example, to reduce the gas inflow rate into the internal volume 108. The controller 131 may be configured to control the pressure difference between the internal volume and the environment outside the device by using the mass flow controller to control the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser while the pressure relief valve is open. The pressure difference may be controlled to be below a threshold.

[0065] Referring to Figure 8, a semiconductor processing apparatus 801 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a wafer handling chamber 802, a process chamber 803 adjacent to the wafer handling chamber 802, and a cassette handling chamber 804 adjacent to the wafer handling chamber 802. The process chamber 803 may be positioned vertically above the wafer handling chamber 802. The semiconductor processing apparatus 801 includes a separation wall 805 for separating the wafer handling chamber 802 from the cassette handling chamber 804. The separation wall 805 includes a device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention for opening a wafer cassette. The device 101 may be configured such that a docking port 111 is positioned to interface with the cassette handling chamber 804, and a closable opening 118 is positioned to interface with the wafer handling chamber 802.

[0066] The cassette handling chamber 804 may include a set of cassette storage positions 806 in which wafer cassette lids can be positioned. The cassette handling chamber 804 may also include a cassette handling robot 807 configured to transport cassettes from the cassette storage positions 806 to the docking port 111 of the device 101. The cassette handling chamber 804 may also include a port 808 for introducing wafer cassette lids into the cassette handling chamber 804 from outside the semiconductor processing apparatus 801.

[0067] The wafer handling chamber 802 may include a wafer handling robot 809 configured to transport wafers from a wafer cassette lid docked in 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.

[0068] Referring to Figure 9, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for operating the device for opening the wafer cassette described above. The method may include the steps of: providing the cassette to the docking port (step S1); coupling a door opener to the door of the cassette (step S2); enabling the door opener to move the door of the cassette perpendicular to the plane of the door (step S3); and enabling the door opener to move the door of the cassette parallel to the plane of the door (step S4). While the door opener is operating in steps S3 and S4, purge gas flows into the internal volume through a purge gas diffuser.

[0069] In step S1, the wafer cassette may be provided to the docking port by a cassette handling robot in a cassette handling chamber. In step S2, coupling the door opener to the cassette door may include moving the door opener to a position where it overlaps with the cassette door and activating a coupling mechanism, which may be a vacuum nozzle configuration for attracting the door to the door opener. In steps S3 and S4, the purge gas may flow into the purge gas inlet through a purge gas diffuser to provide a uniform flow of gas into the internal volume.

[0070] The method may include monitoring the pressure within the internal volume and, when the pressure approaches a threshold, opening a pressure relief valve to prevent the pressure from exceeding that threshold. This pressure control can help prevent a rapid influx of gas into the FOUP, which could cause particle pickup and contamination on the wafer.

[0071] The device may include a pressure relief valve for releasing gas from the internal volume and a mass flow controller for controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser, and the method may include minimizing the pressure difference between the internal volume and the environment outside the device by controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser while the pressure relief valve is open.

[0072] For the purpose of summarizing the advantages of the present invention over the prior art, certain objectives and advantages of the present invention are described above herein. Naturally, it will be understood that not all of these objectives or advantages are necessarily achieved according to any particular embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a group of advantages as taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objectives or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0073] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 101 devices 102 Wafer Cassette 103 Cassette Unit 104 Cassette Interior 105 Cassette opening 106 Doors, Cassette Doors 107 Housing 108 Internal volume 109 First door position 110 Second door position 111 docking ports 112 Door opener 113 Wall 114 Vacuum Nozzle 115 Purge gas diffuser 116 Pressure Sensor 117 Purge gas inlet 118 Opening 119 Lid 120 valves 121 Porous filter 122 First end 123 Second end 124 caps 125 First gas outlet 126 First internal volume 127 Second internal volume 128 Second gas outlet 129 Mechanism 130 Wall 131 Controller 801 Semiconductor Processing Equipment 802 Wafer Handling Chamber 803 Process Chamber 804 Cassette Handling Chamber 805 Separation wall 806 Cassette storage location 807 Cassette Handling Robot Port 808 809 Wafer Handling Robot 810 wafer support

Claims

1. A device for opening a cassette for storing multiple wafers, A housing including an internal volume, wherein the internal volume includes a first door position and a second door position adjacent to the first door position, The housing for coupling to a cassette, A door opener coupled to the door of the cassette and configured to move the door within the housing between the first door position and the second door position, A purge gas diffuser located adjacent to the first door position, wherein the first door position is located between the second door position and the purge gas diffuser, Equipped with, The purge gas diffuser is a device configured to provide a flow of purge gas into the internal volume toward the second door position.

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

3. The device according to claim 2, comprising a closable opening spaced apart from the docking port in the wafer movement direction, wherein the closable opening is configured to allow a wafer to be transported from the cassette through the closable opening when the cassette door is in the second door position.

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

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

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the porous filter substantially extends to the height or width of the docking port.

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

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

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

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

11. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the housing comprises a first internal volume encompassing the first door position and the second door position, and a second internal volume adjacent to the second door position and located not in the direction of the first door position, and the first gas outlet is located within the first internal volume.

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

13. The device according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising a second gas outlet located within the second internal volume.

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

15. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the gas outlet is equipped with a venturi valve.

16. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the door opener comprises a mechanism for moving the door opener between the first door position and the second door position, the mechanism being at least partially located within the second internal volume.

17. A semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a wafer handling chamber, a process chamber adjacent to the wafer handling chamber, and a cassette handling chamber adjacent to the wafer handling chamber, wherein the semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a wall for separating the wafer handling chamber from the cassette handling chamber, and the wall comprises the device described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A method for operating the device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, The steps include providing the cassette to the docking port, The steps include connecting the door opener to the door of the cassette, The door opener includes a step that allows the door of the cassette to be moved in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the door, The door opener includes a step that allows the door of the cassette to be moved in a direction parallel to the plane of the door, Includes, A method wherein, while the door opener is moving, the purge gas flows into the internal volume through the purge gas diffuser.

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

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the device comprises 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 comprising controlling the amount of purge gas flowing into the purge gas diffuser while the pressure relief valve is open to control the pressure difference between the internal volume and the environment outside the device.

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