AUTOMATED
WAFER HANDLING CAPABILITY FOR
IN-LINE PROCESS EQUIPMENT
March
12, 2010, Anaheim, CA - CHAD Industries announced
today automated wafer loading and unloading capability for
inline wafer process equipment.
Inline process handling equipment presents unique challenges
for semiconductor wafers. By nature, the inline wafer process
equipment never stops, and must move each wafer through the process
within a repeatable time frame for consistent process results.
This means that wafer handling to load and unload the process
equipment must match the throughput of process equipment at all
times, and ensure that wafer safety is never compromised. That
is a difficult task to be performed manually with consistent
results, and subjects the wafers to a high risk of damage.
To
solve this problem CHAD has developed standard loader and unloader
solutions for 125mm to 300mm wafers using it’s
established line of WaferMate automated wafer handling workcells.
The CHAD solutions are applicable for any inline wafer processing
equipment, and are particularly suitable for wafer reflow ovens,
and wafer cleaning equipment.
CHAD Industries offers a suite of mechanical and software options
that enhance the capability of the loader and unloader systems.
The non-standard wafer handling capability for thin wafer, warped
wafers, glass wafer, and others has already been proven on the
standard WaferMate products, and are also available on the loader
and unloader systems.
The CHAD Wafer Conveyer is designed especially for loading and
unloading onto conveyor processes. The conveyor uses variable
speed control so that the wafers can be transitioned to and from
the process equipment smoothly, and without scratching. The conveyor
also allows the wafer handlers the flexibility to interface with
any inline process equipment belt profile.
“I am extremely pleased to see the WaferMate workcells
being deployed to inline process applications. The CHAD WaferMate
solutions already offer a high degree of wafer safety, and now
ensure that inline process equipment can be serviced reliably
for maximum wafer throughput,” says Scott Klimczak, President
of CHAD Industries.
For
more information on CHAD Industries wafer handling capabilities
(including thin wafers and warped wafers) please see CHAD’s
website,
or contact Richard Munro at CHAD Industries (714) 938-0080 or
richard.munro@chadindustries.net.
