Spatially-arranged chemical processing station

Abstract

The present invention discloses a station, e.g., for IC fabrication with a flexible configuration. It consists of an array of processing chambers, which are grouped into processing modules and arranged in a two-dimensional fashion, in vertical levels and horizontal rows, and is capable of operating independent of each other. Each processing chamber can perform electroless deposition and other related processing steps sequentially on a wafer with more than one processing fluid without having to remove it from the chamber. The system is served by a single common industrial robot, which may have a random to access to all the working chambers and cells of the storage unit for transporting wafers between the wafer cassettes and inlet/outlets ports of any of the chemical processing chambers. The station occupies a service-room floor space and a clean-room floor space. The processing modules and the main chemical management unit connected to the local chemical supply unit occupy a service-room floor space, while the robot and the wafer storage cassettes are located in a clean room. Thus, in distinction to the known cluster-tool machines, the station of the invention makes it possible to transfer part of the units from the expensive clean-room area to less-expensive service area.

1 .- 16 . (canceled)  
     
     
         17 . A chemical processing station for processing objects, comprising: 
 a plurality of chemical processing chambers each comprising an opening dimensioned to allow an object to be loaded into the processing chamber;    an object handling unit configured to load objects into the openings; and    a wall separating the object handling unit from the plurality of chemical processing chambers, wherein the wall comprises a plurality of windows respectively aligned with the openings of the plurality of chemical processing chambers.    
     
     
         18 . The chemical processing station of  claim 17 , wherein the object handling unit is arranged in a clean room, and wherein the plurality of chemical processing chambers is not arranged in a clean room.  
     
     
         19 . The chemical processing station of  claim 17 , further comprising a chemical management system configured to supply one or more fluids to the plurality of chemical processing chambers, wherein the chemical management system is arranged on the same side of the wall as the plurality of chemical processing chambers.  
     
     
         20 . The chemical processing station of  claim 19 , wherein the chemical management system comprises: 
 a designated set of piping coupled to each of the chemical processing chambers; and    a plurality of chemical tanks, wherein at least two designated sets of piping are coupled to different combinations of the plurality of chemical tanks.    
     
     
         21 . The chemical processing station of  claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of object storage units arranged parallel to the plurality of chemical processing chambers and on the same side of the wall as the object handling unit.  
     
     
         22 . The chemical processing station of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of windows are arranged in array within the wall.  
     
     
         23 . The chemical processing station of  claim 17 , wherein the plurality of chemical processing chambers are arranged in arrays such that the chemical processing chambers are arranged horizontally and vertically adjacent to each other.  
     
     
         24 . A chemical processing station for processing objects, comprising: 
 a first set of chemical processing chambers;    a second set of chemical processing chambers arranged in parallel with the first set of chemical processing chambers;    a plurality of object storage units aligned such that objects stored therein are accessed at a direction perpendicular to the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers and such that a confined space is formed between the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers and plurality of object storage units, wherein each of the plurality of object storage units is configured to hold a plurality of objects; and    a single object handling unit arranged within the confined space.    
     
     
         25 . The chemical processing station of  claim 24 , wherein the single object handling unit and the plurality of object storage units are arranged in a clean room, and wherein the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers are not arranged in a clean room.  
     
     
         26 . The chemical processing station of  claim 24 , wherein the plurality object storage units comprise a first plurality of object storage units arranged adjacent to one end of the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers and a second plurality of object storage units arranged adjacent to the other end of the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers.  
     
     
         27 . The chemical processing station of  claim 24 , further comprising a pair of walls separating the single object handling unit from the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers, wherein the pair of walls comprise a plurality of windows aligned with openings of the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers.  
     
     
         28 . The chemical processing station of  claim 24 , further comprising a chemical management unit having: 
 a plurality of tanks for storing processing fluids;    piping coupled between the plurality of tanks and the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers; and    a controller for directing the supply of the processing fluids from the plurality of tanks to the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers.    
     
     
         29 . The chemical processing station of  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of tanks comprises a first set and a second set of tanks respectively coupled to the first set and second set of chemical processing chambers.  
     
     
         30 . The chemical processing station of  claim 24 , wherein the first and second sets of chemical processing chambers are arranged in arrays such that the chemical processing chambers in each set are arranged horizontally and vertically adjacent to each other.