HUMIDITY CONTROL DEVICE FOR EQUIPMENT FRONT END MODULE OF SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING OR CHARACTERIZATION TOOL

• Main Authors: Wu, Cheng-Lung, Shiu, Yi-Fam, Wu, Ren-Hau, Liu, Hsu-Shui, Hu, Cheng-Kang
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.06.2023
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

A load port receives a wafer carrier. An equipment front end module (EFEM) transfers semiconductor wafers to and from the wafer carrier via an access opening of a housing of the EFEM, and also transfers wafers to and from a semiconductor processing or characterization tool. A gas flow device disposed inside the housing of the EFEM is connected to receive a low humidity gas having relative humidity of 10% or less, and is positioned to flow the received low humidity gas across the access opening. A saturated pressure layer of the gas flow device has a permeability for the low humidity gas that increases with increasing distance from a gas inlet edge of the saturated pressure layer, for example due to holes of varying diameter and/or density passing through the saturated pressure layer. A filter layer of the gas flow device uniformizes the gas exiting the saturated pressure layer.