Load port of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having integrated kinematic coupling pins and sensors, and method of loading wafers using the same

Abstract

A load port of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a plurality of kinematic coupling pins and a plurality of sensors integrated with the pins. The contacts of the sensors have upper portions that protrude from the pins. Thus, when a cassette is place on the load port, the sensors can reliably sense whether the cassette is resting properly and/or can determine whether the cassette contains wafers. Once such determinations are made in the positive, a command signal is issued that serves to load the wafers into a chamber of the manufacturing apparatus.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A load port of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a support member having an upper surface, a plurality of kinematic coupling pins protruding from the upper surface of said support member and arrayed to support a wafer cassette loaded onto the support member, and a plurality of sensors that are integrated with said kinematic coupling pins, respectively.  
     
     
         2 . The load port of  claim 1 , wherein the sensors are operable to sense whether a wafer cassette is resting atop of said kinematic coupling pins.  
     
     
         3 . The load port of  claim 1 , wherein said sensors have contacts that are embedded in said kinematic coupling pins, respectively, said contacts each having an upper portions exposed at the top of one of said pins.  
     
     
         4 . The load port of  claim 1 , comprising at least three of said kinematic coupling pins and sensors integrated therewith.  
     
     
         5 . The load port of  claim 1 , wherein said sensors comprise a photo sensor or an on-off switch.  
     
     
         6 . The load port of  claim 1 , wherein said sensors comprise a weight detector operable to detect a load exerted thereon.  
     
     
         7 . The load port of  claim 6 , wherein said weight detector comprises a piezoelectric element.  
     
     
         8 . A loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a mini-chamber equipped with a robot, a load-lock chamber connected to said mini-chamber, and a load port disposed outside said mini-chamber, said load port including a support member having an upper surface, a plurality of kinematic coupling pins protruding from the upper surface of said support member and arrayed to support a wafer cassette loaded onto the support member, and a plurality of sensors that are integrated with said kinematic coupling pins, respectively.  
     
     
         9 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the sensors of said load port are operable to sense whether a wafer cassette is resting on said kinematic coupling pins.  
     
     
         10 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said sensors of the load port have contacts that are embedded in said kinematic coupling pins, respectively, said contacts having upper portions that are exposed at the top of said pins.  
     
     
         11 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said load port comprises at least three of said kinematic coupling pins and integrated sensors.  
     
     
         12 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said sensors of the load port comprise a photo sensor or an on-off switch.  
     
     
         13 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said sensors of the load port comprise a weight detector operable to detect a load exerted thereon.  
     
     
         14 . The loading section of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said weight detector comprises a piezoelectric element.  
     
     
         15 . A method of loading wafers into a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, said method comprising: 
 placing a wafer cassette on a support member of a load port;    measuring the load exerted by the cassette on the support member, and determining whether the bottom of the cassette is present at a plurality of spaced-apart sites above the support member;    comparing the measured load to a predetermined value;    issuing a control signal only if the bottom of the cassette is determined to be present at each of said sites, and the measured load exceeds said predetermined value; and    commanding a robot to transfer wafers from the cassette into a chamber of the manufacturing apparatus in response to the issuing of the command signal.    
     
     
         16 . The method of loading wafers as claimed in  15 , wherein said measuring of the load comprises measuring the loads exerted by the cassette at each of said spaced-apart sites.  
     
     
         17 . The method of loading wafers as claimed in  16 , wherein said determining whether the bottom of the cassette is present at said plurality of spaced-apart sites comprises comparing the loads measured at said sites to one another.  
     
     
         18 . The method of loading wafers as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the control signal is issued only if the loads measured at each of said sites are substantially the same.