Claims
- 1. In semiconductor process equipment in which wafers are removed individually from a cassette by automated equipment, an improvement comprising:
- jig means extendable into a bottom portion of said cassette and engageable with a bottom edge portion of said wafers to lift said wafers from contact with said bottom portion of said cassette, where said jig means provides precise positioning of said bottom edge portion of said wafers within said cassette to facilitate removal of said wafers individually from said cassette by means of said automated equipment, said jig means including a first elongated body having an upper surface provided with a plurality of teeth separated by substantially V-shaped grooves, where the bottom portion of each groove is configured to accept an edge of a semiconductor wafer, and where a top of each of the plurality of teeth form a trapezoid with two parallel sides of unequal length.
- 2. An improvement as recited in claim 1 wherein said jig means additionally includes a second elongated body of substantially the same configuration as said first elongated body and means for coupling together said first and second elongated bodies such that said substantially V-shaped grooves are in substantial alignment.
- 3. An improvement as recited in claim 2 wherein bottom portions of said grooves are angled such that they are substantially tangential to the edges of said wafers.
- 4. An improvement as recited in claim 2 wherein bottom portions of said grooves are curved with substantially the same radius of curvature as the edges of said wafers.
- 5. In semiconductor processing equipment, a combination comprising:
- a surface,
- a cassette tray containing wafers for processing by the semiconductor processing equipment, said wafers to be removed individually from the cassette tray by automated equipment, said cassette having an open bottom; and,
- a jig coupled to said surface such that when said cassette is placed on said surface said jig extends upwardly through said open bottom of said cassette and wafers within the cassette rest upon said jig which provides precise positioning of the wafers within the cassette thereby facilitating removal of the wafers from the cassette by said automated equipment, said jig having an elongated body including an upper surface provided with a plurality of teeth separated by substantially V-shaped grooves, where the bottom portion of each groove is configured to accept an edge of a semiconductor wafer, and where a top of each of the plurality of teeth form a trapezoid with two parallel sides of unequal length.
- 6. A combination as recited in claim 5 wherein said jig is a first jig and further comprising a second jig coupled to said surface, wherein said second jig has an elongated body of substantially the same configuration as the first elongated body of the first jig, and means for coupling together said first and second jigs such that said substantially V-shaped grooves are in substantial alignment.
- 7. An improvement as recited in claim 6 wherein bottom portions of said grooves are angled such that they are substantially tangential to the edges of said wafers.
- 8. An improvement as recited in claim 6 wherein bottom portions of said grooves are curved with substantially the same radius of curvature as the edges of said wafers.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/395,679 filed Aug. 18, 1989, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
56-24921 |
Mar 1981 |
JPX |
61-124407 |
Jun 1986 |
JPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
395679 |
Aug 1989 |
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