US 6,981,832 B2
Wafer handling system
Jan Zinger, Dwingeloo (Netherlands); and Christianus G. M. De Ridder, Hoogland (Netherlands)
Assigned to ASM International NV, Bilthoven (Netherlands)
Filed on Aug. 15, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/641,807.
Application 10/641807 is a division of application No. 09/769088, filed on Jan. 24, 2001, granted, now 6,632,068, filed on Oct. 14, 2003.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/236046, filed on Sep. 27, 2000.
Prior Publication US 2004/0037675 A1, Feb. 26, 2004
Int. Cl. H01L 21/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 414—217 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wafer processing system configured for handling standard 300-mm FOUP cassettes, the system comprising:
an input/output station;
a cassette transfer region adjacent to the input/output station;
a wafer handling chamber adjacent to the cassette transfer region, the wafer handling chamber senarated from the cassette transfer region by an interface configured for interacting with a 300-mm FOUP cassette;
a cassette transfer mechanism configured for transferring cassettes from the input/output station through the cassette transfer region to the interface;
a wafer handling robot within the wafer handling chamber, the wafer handling robot configured to access wafers within cassettes through the interface; and
a tool set adapted for receiving and transferring 200-mm open cassettes within the wafer processing system, wherein the cassette transfer mechanism comprises a cassette handler robot configured to transfer cassettes between the input/output station and the cassette transfer region, wherein the cassette handler robot has a bearing surface designed to receive a standard 300-mm FOUP cassette, the wafer processing system further comprising a cassette handler adapter configured to fit on the bearing surface, the cassette handler adapter further configured to accommodate a 200-mm open cassette thereon.