CASSETTE BUFFERING WITHIN A MINIENVIRONMENT

• Main Authors: BONORA, ANTHONY, C, SHENK, JOSHUA, W, FOSNIGHT, WILLIAM, J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 11.05.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; CONVEYING; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING

A SMIF interface is disclosed for buffering one or more cassettes within a minienvironment affixed to a process tool. The interface includes a load port formed of a port door and a port plate circumjacent thereabout, and a minienvironment mounted to port plate. The SMIF interface and/or process tool...