Vertical Batch Furnace Assembly

Abstract

To provide a vertical batch furnace assembly with an improved storing capacity.SOLUTION: A vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprises a cassette handling space, a wafer handling space, and an internal wall separating the cassette handling space and the wafer handling space. The cassette handling space is provided with a cassette storage configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes. The cassette handling space is also provided with a cassette handler configured to transfer wafer cassettes between the cassette storage and a wafer transfer position. The wafer handling space is provided with a wafer handler configured to transfer wafers between a wafer cassette in the wafer transfer position and a wafer boat. The internal wall is provided with a wafer transfer opening adjacent to the wafer transfer position for a wafer cassette from or to which wafers are to be transferred. The cassette storage comprises a cassette storage carousel with a diameter between 1.1 and 1.6 meters.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers. [Background technology]

[0002] The vertical batch furnace assembly can include a cassette handling space with a cassette storage section for storing a plurality of wafer cassettes. The cassette storage section can include a cassette storage carousel and an associated cassette handler. The cassette handler can place the cassettes on a base stage of the associated cassette storage carousel. The number of base stages in a cassette storage carousel and the number of wafer cassettes that can be stored on a single base stage can vary depending on the design. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments of the Disclosure below. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter or to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical batch furnace assembly with improved storage capacity.

[0005] To that end, a vertical batch furnace assembly may be provided. More particularly, a vertical batch furnace assembly for processing wafers may be provided.

[0006] The vertical batch furnace assembly may include a cassette operation space. The cassette operation space may include a cassette storage configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes with a plurality of wafers. The cassette operation space may include a cassette handler configured to transfer the wafer cassette between the cassette storage and a wafer transfer position. The vertical batch furnace assembly may include a wafer operation space. The wafer operation space may include a wafer handler configured to transfer wafers between the wafer cassette at the wafer transfer position and the wafer boat at the wafer boat transfer position. The vertical batch furnace assembly may include an interior wall separating the cassette operation space and the wafer operation space. The interior wall may include a wafer transfer opening adjacent the wafer transfer position for the wafer cassette to or from which the wafers are transferred. The cassette storage may include a cassette storage carousel having a diameter between 1.1 meters and 1.6 meters.

[0007] An advantage of having a cassette storage carousel with a diameter between 1.1 metres and 1.6 metres is that the cassette storage carousel can span the full width of the tool and therefore accommodate a large number of cassettes.

[0008] In order to summarize the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, some objects and advantages of the invention have been described hereinabove. Of course, it should be understood that not all such objects or advantages may necessarily be achieved by any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, a person skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be implemented or performed to achieve or optimize one advantage or a group of advantages taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages taught or suggested herein.

[0009] Various embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims, which will be further elucidated with reference to the examples shown in the figures. The embodiments can be combined or can also be applied separately from one another.

[0010] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of several embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. The invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.

[0011] While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim what are believed to be embodiments of the present disclosure, the advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be more readily ascertained from a description of several example embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an example vertical batch furnace assembly. [Diagram 2] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the example of FIG. 1 taken along line II in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. [Diagram 3] 2 and 4 along line III in a schematic cross-sectional top view of the example of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the example of FIG. 1 taken along line IV in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] In the present application, similar or corresponding features are indicated by similar or corresponding reference symbols. The description of the various embodiments is not limited to the examples shown in the figures, and the reference numerals used in the detailed description and claims are not intended to limit the description of the embodiments, but are included to clarify the embodiments by reference to the examples shown in the figures.

[0014] Although several embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or applications of the present invention, as well as obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below. The figures presented herein are not meant to be actual illustrations of any particular materials, structures, or devices, but merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] As used herein, the term "wafer" can refer to any underlying material or materials that can be used upon which devices, circuits, or films can be formed.

[0016] In the most general terms, the present disclosure provides a vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for processing wafers, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 1-4. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can include a cassette operation space 26. The cassette operation space 26 can include a cassette storage configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes 16 with a plurality of wafers. The cassette operation space 26 can include a cassette handler 28 configured to transfer the wafer cassettes 16 between the cassette storage and the wafer transfer location 24. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can include a wafer operation space 30. The wafer operation space 30 can include a wafer handler 32 configured to transfer wafers between the wafer cassettes 16 at the wafer transfer location 24 and the wafer boat 12 at the wafer boat transfer location 34.

[0017] The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may include an interior wall 20 separating a cassette operation space 26 and a wafer operation space 30. The interior wall 20 may include a wafer transfer opening 22 adjacent a wafer transfer location 24 for a wafer cassette 16 to or from which wafers may be transferred. The cassette storage may include a cassette storage carousel 18 having a diameter between 1.1 meters and 1.6 meters.

[0018] The advantages and benefits of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 are discussed in the Summary section, which advantages and benefits are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0019] In an embodiment, the cassette storage carousel 18 may have at least one base stage 70. The cassette storage may have a capacity of between five and eight wafer cassettes 16 per base stage 70. For example, the cassette storage carousel 18 may have a diameter of approximately 1.1 meters to 1.2 meters to have a capacity of five wafer cassettes 16 per base stage 70. In another example, the cassette storage carousel 18 may have a diameter of approximately 1.3 meters to 1.5 meters to have a capacity of six wafer cassettes 16 per base stage 70. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the cassette storage carousel 18 may have a diameter of approximately 1.4 meters to 1.6 meters to have a capacity of approximately eight wafer cassettes 16 per base stage 70, of which four wafer cassettes 16 are shown.

[0020] In an embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may have a substantially rectangular footprint having two opposing short sides that define a width 36 of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and two opposing long sides that define a length 38 of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10. The width 36 of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may be 1.65 meters or less.

[0021] By having a substantially rectangular footprint, multiple vertical batch furnace assemblies 10 can be positioned adjacent to one another making optimal use of available floor space. Adjacent vertical batch furnace assemblies with a rectangular footprint should have no unused space between them. A width 36 of less than 1.65 meters is beneficial for compatibility with other manufacturers / brands of vertical batch furnace assemblies.

[0022] In an embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may further include a first process chamber 56 for processing the wafers contained in the wafer boat 12. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may further include a second process chamber 58 for processing the wafers contained in the wafer boat 12. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may also include a single wafer boat handling device 60.

[0023] The wafer boat handling device 60 may include a rotatable table 72 having multiple wafer boat support surfaces 74, each configured to support a wafer boat 12. The rotatable table 72 may be rotatable by an actuator about a central, substantially vertical axis 76. The rotatable table 72 may be rotatable to transfer each wafer boat support surface 74 to a first wafer boat loading / receiving position 62, where the wafer boat handling device 60 is configured to vertically load a wafer boat 12 from the rotatable table 72 into the first process chamber 56 and receive a wafer boat 12 from the first process chamber 56 onto the rotatable table 72. The rotatable table 72 may also be rotatable to transfer each wafer boat support surface 74 to the second wafer boat loading / receiving position 64, where the wafer boat handling device 60 is configured to vertically load the wafer boat 12 from the rotatable table 72 into the second process chamber 58 and receive the wafer boat 12 from the second process chamber 58 onto the rotatable table 72. The wafer boat handling device 60 may include a first wafer boat lift assembly 78 configured to transfer the wafer boat 12 between the first wafer boat loading / receiving position 62 and the first process chamber 56. The wafer boat handling device 60 may also include a second wafer boat lift assembly 78′ configured to transfer the wafer boat 12 between the second wafer boat loading / receiving position 64 and the second process chamber 58. The rotatable table 72 may be further rotatable to transfer each wafer boat support surface 74 to a cooling position 80 where the wafer boat handling device 60 is configured to cool the wafer boat 12. The rotatable table 72 may also be rotatable to transfer each wafer boat support surface 74 to an intermediate position 82. A boat transfer mechanism 84 may be provided to transfer a wafer boat 12 residing on the wafer boat support surface 74 at the intermediate position 82 to the boat transfer position 34, and vice versa.

[0024] The single wafer boat handling device 60 can thus be configured to load and receive the wafer boat 12 to and from both the first and second process chambers 56 and 58. With this configuration, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 can load / receive the wafer boat 12 to / from the first process chamber 56 as well as to / from the second process chamber 58 using the wafer boat handling device 60. The vertical batch furnace assembly 10 therefore does not require a second wafer boat handling device 60 to load / receive the wafer boat 12 to / from the second process chamber 58. The space not required to accommodate such a second wafer boat handling device 60 can be used to reduce the width 36 of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10.

[0025] In an embodiment, the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 may further include at least one cassette entry / exit port 48. The at least one cassette entry / exit port 48 provides an entrance to and an exit from the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 for exchanging wafer cassettes 16 between the vertical batch furnace assembly 10 and the outside world. The at least one cassette entry / exit port 48 may be provided in a wall 84 that defines the cassette operation space 26. The wall 84 may be at or near a short side of the substantially rectangular footprint of the vertical batch furnace assembly 10. The cassette handler 28 may be configured to transfer the wafer cassettes 16 between the cassette storage, the wafer transfer location 24, and the at least one cassette entry / exit port 48.

[0026] Such a cassette handler 28 can handle all of the wafer cassette transport within the cassette handling space 26. This can provide an efficient and cost effective method for transporting wafer cassettes.

[0027] In an embodiment, the cassette handler 28 may include a cassette handler arm 50 and a lift mechanism 52 configured to reach wafer cassettes 16 at different vertical heights within the cassette repository.

[0028] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, in part with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. From a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art will be able to understand and effect variations to the disclosed embodiments in practicing the claimed invention.

[0029] Throughout this specification, a reference to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described with respect to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this description do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0030] Furthermore, it should be noted that one or more specific features, structures, or characteristics of the various embodiments described above may be implemented independently of one another or may be combined in any suitable manner to form new, not expressly described, embodiments. The reference numbers used in the detailed description and claims do not limit the description of the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the claims. The reference numbers are used for clarity only. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10 Vertical batch furnace assembly 12 Wafer Boat 16 Wafer Cassette 18 Cassette Storage Carousel 20 Inner wall 22 Wafer transfer opening 24 Wafer transfer position 26 Cassette operation space 28 Cassette Handler 30 Wafer operation space 32 Wafer Handler 34 Wafer boat transfer position 36 (Vertical batch furnace assembly) width 38 Length (of vertical batch furnace assembly) 48 Cassette in / out port 50 Cassette Handler Arm 52 Lifting mechanism 56 First Process Chamber 58 Second Process Chamber 60 Wafer boat handling device 62 1st wafer boat loading / receiving position 64 Second Wafer Boat Loading / Receiving Position 70 Foundation Stage 72 Rotatable Table 74 Wafer boat support surface 76 Central axis 78 and 78' Wafer Boat Lift Assembly 80 cooling position 82 Intermediate position 84 Wafer boat transfer mechanism

Claims

1. A vertical batch furnace assembly (10) for processing wafers, comprising: a cassette handling space (26) including a cassette storage section configured to store a plurality of wafer cassettes (16) each having a plurality of wafers therein, and a cassette handler (28) configured to transfer the wafer cassettes (16) between the cassette storage section and a wafer transfer position (24); a wafer handling space (30) including a wafer handler (32) configured to transfer wafers between a wafer cassette (16) at said wafer transfer position (24) and a wafer boat (12) at a wafer boat transfer position (34); an inner wall (20) separating the cassette operation space (26) from the wafer operation space (30), the inner wall (20) including a wafer transfer opening (22) adjacent to the wafer transfer position (24) for a wafer cassette (16) from which or to which a wafer is to be transferred; the cassette storage section comprises a cassette storage carousel (18) having a diameter between 1.1 meters and 1.6 meters; 1. A vertical batch furnace assembly (10) having a substantially rectangular footprint having two opposing short sides defining a width (36) of said vertical batch furnace assembly (10) and two opposing long sides defining a length (38) of said vertical batch furnace assembly (10), said width (36) of said vertical batch furnace assembly (10) being equal to or less than 1.65 meters.

2. 2. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 1, wherein the cassette storage carousel (18) has at least one base stage (70) and has a capacity to store between five and eight wafer cassettes (16) per base stage (70).

3. 3. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 2, wherein said cassette storage carousel (18) has a diameter of approximately 1.1 to 1.2 meters and has a capacity to store five wafer cassettes (16) per base stage (70).

4. 3. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 2, wherein said cassette storage carousel (18) has a diameter of approximately 1.3 meters to 1.5 meters and has a capacity to store six wafer cassettes (16) per base stage (70).

5. 3. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 2, wherein said cassette storage carousel (18) has a diameter of about 1.4 meters to 1.6 meters and has a capacity to store about eight wafer cassettes (16) per base stage (70).

6. a first process chamber (56) for processing wafers contained in the wafer boat (12); a second process chamber (58) for processing the wafers contained in the wafer boat (12); A single wafer boat handling device (60) comprising a rotatable table (72) having a plurality of wafer boat support surfaces (74) each configured to support a wafer boat (12), the rotatable table (72) providing each wafer boat support surface (74) with: a first wafer boat loading / receiving position (62) where the wafer boat handling device (60) is configured to vertically load a wafer boat (12) from the rotatable table (72) into the first process chamber (56) and to receive the wafer boat (12) from the first process chamber (56) onto the rotatable table (72); a second wafer boat loading / receiving position (64) configured such that the wafer boat handling device (60) vertically loads the wafer boat (12) from the rotatable table (72) into the second process chamber (58) and receives the wafer boat (12) from the second process chamber (58) onto the rotatable table (72); a single wafer boat handling device (60) rotatable by an actuator about a central substantially vertical axis (76) for transport; 6. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

7. 7. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 6, wherein the wafer boat handling device (60) comprises a first wafer boat lift assembly (78) configured to transfer a wafer boat (12) between the first wafer boat loading / receiving location (62) and the first process chamber (56).

8. 8. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 6 or 7, wherein the wafer boat handling device (60) comprises a second wafer boat lift assembly (78) configured to transfer a wafer boat (12) between the second wafer boat loading / receiving position (64) and the second process chamber (58).

9. The rotatable table (72) supports each wafer boat support surface (74) in a 9. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 6, wherein the wafer boat handling device (60) is rotatable to further transport the wafer boat (12) to a cooling position (80) configured to cool the wafer boat (12).

10. 10. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 6, wherein the rotatable table (72) is rotatable to further transfer each wafer boat support surface (74) to an intermediate wafer boat position (82), and the vertical batch furnace assembly further comprises a boat transfer mechanism (84) configured to transfer a wafer boat (12) residing on a wafer boat support surface (74) at the intermediate position (82) to the boat transfer position (34) and vice versa.

11. 11. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one cassette entry / exit port (48) provided in a wall (84) defining the cassette operation space (26), and wherein the cassette handler (28) is configured to transfer wafer cassettes (16) between the cassette storage section, the wafer transfer location (24), and the at least one cassette entry / exit port (48).

12. 12. The vertical batch furnace assembly of claim 1, wherein the cassette handler (28) comprises a cassette handler arm (50) and a lifting mechanism (52) configured to reach wafer cassettes (16) at different vertical heights within the cassette storage area.

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