Apparatus for automatically positioning articles, as silicon semiconductor wafers, on rotary spin assembly mechanisms and indexing transporting means and a means for holding said wafer thereon combined with a means for dispensing a predetermined amount of photoresist solution on said wafers and spinning a uniform film of solution on the wafers and spin air drying through a sequence of rotating indexing steps followed by automatic transfer to and through drying means and a means for unloading therefrom and transporting the wafers to a receiver holder for further processing and transportation.
A rotary immersion coating apparatus for pharmaceutical solid dosage forms in which the dosage forms are held about the circumference of the apparatus by individually orbiting and rotating vacuum tubes, such that as the apparatus rotates to pass the dosage form through a coating bath, the rotating vacuum tubes allow for even coating by the coating solution.
A photoresist dispensing apparatus coats a wafer with potoresist to define a layer having substantially uniform thickness. The apparatus receives photoresist into a reservoir. The photoresist flows from the reservoir to a substantially planar channel formed between parallel plates. The photoresist flows between the plates towards an elongated straight-edge exit opening. The surface tension and the viscous forces of the photoresist causes a bead to form at the exit opening. By passing a wafer beneath the dispenser apparatus at the exit opening so as to contact the bead, the surface tension is broken. As a result, the photoresist flows onto the wafer. The wafer is moved under the dispenser on tracks which maintain the wafer substantially level. The pressure from the photoresist in the reservoir maintains a steady flow of photoresist as the wafer passes below the dispenser. Accordingly, a substantially uniform layer of photoresist is applied. Photoresist layers as thin as 20 microns have been achieved. To achieve layers of one micron thickness, a wafer receiving a uniform coating as described above is spun to reduce excess photoresist. As a result, the amount of photoresist applied to a wafer to obtain a one micron layer is substantially reduced. By applying a layer having substantially uniform thickness prior to spinning, streaking and cobweb effects are eliminated.
An apparatus and method for polishing objects, such as semiconductor wafers, utilizes one or more polishing surfaces, multiple wafer carriers and at least one load-and-unload cup. The load-and-unload cup may be configured to move to and from the wafer carriers in a pivoting manner. The load-and-unload cup may be configured to move to and from the wafer carriers in a linear reciprocating manner. The wafer carriers may be configured to move to and from the load-and-unload cup in a pivoting manner. The wafer carriers may be configured to move to and from the load-and-unload cup in a linear reciprocating manner.
An automated assembly line is operated and controlled by a computer system. The assembly line is comprised of a plurality of machines which are each segmented into its basic unit operations. The segments are then controlled and operated asynchronously with respect to the other segments of the assembly line.
An automated assembly line is controlled by a computer system. The assembly line is comprised of a plurality of machines which are each segmented into its basic unit operations providing work stations. The work stations are then controlled by the computer system and operated asynchronously with respect to the other work stations of the assembly line.
