Frame cassette

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a frame cassette may include: a housing; a mounting structure inserted in the housing, the mounting structure including a plurality of tape-frame slots, wherein each tape-frame slot is configured to receive a tape-frame, wherein the housing includes an opening to introduce a tape-frame into a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots or to remove a tape-frame from a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots, and a door mounted at the housing, wherein the door is configured to close the opening of the housing to seal the interior of the housing from the exterior of the housing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A frame cassette comprising:
 a housing;   a mounting structure within the housing, the mounting structure comprising a plurality of tape-frame slots, each tape-frame slot configured to receive a tape-frame,   wherein the housing comprises an opening to introduce a tape-frame into a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots or to remove a tape-frame from a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots,   a door mounted at the housing;   wherein the door is configured to close the opening of the housing to seal the interior of the housing from the exterior of the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a door guidance system mechanically connecting the door to the housing, wherein the door guidance system is configured to move the door.   
     
     
         3 . The frame cassette according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the door comprises a door handling flange configured to operate the door by an overhead transportation system.   
     
     
         4 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gasket connected with at least one of the housing or the door, the gasket sealing the housing air-tightly when the door is closed.   
     
     
         5 . The frame cassette according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the gasket completely surrounds the opening in the housing.   
     
     
         6 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the door is bivalved to prevent particles entering the interior of the housing during opening or closing of the door.   
     
     
         7 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the door comprises a rotation-based release mechanism such that the door can be at least one of connected to the housing or disconnected form the housing,   wherein the door is operated by a load port of a semiconductor processing tool.   
     
     
         8 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a transport flange which allows the frame cassette being transported by an overhead transport system.   
     
     
         9 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the door and the housing are configured such that the interior of the housing is hermetically sealed maintaining cleanroom conditions of ISO-class 7 or cleaner than ISO-class 7 according to the ISO-14644-1 cleanroom standard in the interior of the housing.   
     
     
         10 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a valve structure to purge the housing with inert gas.   
     
     
         11 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the housing comprises an electrostatic discharge protection.   
     
     
         12 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more RFID-tags for frame cassette identification.   
     
     
         13 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a kinematic coupling comprising at least one features to align the frame cassette to a load port of a semiconductor processing tool.   
     
     
         14 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the mounting structure comprises 13 or 25 tape-frame slots.   
     
     
         15 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a human handle to manually move the frame cassette.   
     
     
         16 . The frame cassette according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein the human handle is disposed on the top-side of the housing.   
     
     
         17 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a frame restraint preventing the hosted tape-frames from slipping within the housing during transportation of the frame cassette.   
     
     
         18 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 bottom rails for a transport of the frame cassette via roller conveyors.   
     
     
         19 . The frame cassette according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cassette stacking to stack two or more than two frame cassettes on top of each other.   
     
     
         20 . A frame cassette comprising:
 a housing comprising a plurality of tape-frame slots, each tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots configured to receive a tape-frame,   wherein the housing comprises an opening to introduce a tape-frame into a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots or to remove a tape-frame from a tape-frame slot of the plurality of tape-frame slots,   a door connected to the housing;   wherein the door is configured to close the opening of the housing to air-tightly seal the interior of the housing.