Patents by Inventor Richard M. Blank
Richard M. Blank has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11833662Abstract: A collar may be provided having an aperture through it through which the turret of a wafer handling robot may be extended or retracted. The collar may have one or more radial gas passages. Gas directed inwards towards the turret from the radial passage(s) may turn downward when it strikes the turret. A bellows may be optionally affixed to the bottom of the turret and to the bottom of the base such that the volume of the base occupied by the turret and the bellows remains generally fixed regardless of the degree to which the turret is extended from the base.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2021Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Charles N. Ditmore, Richard M. Blank
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Patent number: 11699610Abstract: A rotational indexer rotatable to move semiconductor wafers or other items between various stations arranged in a circular array. The items being moved may be supported by arms of the indexer during such movement. The rotational indexer may be further configured to also cause the items being moved to rotate about other rotational axes to cause rotation of the items relative to the arms supporting them.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2022Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Richard M. Blank, Karl Frederick Leeser
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Publication number: 20230088715Abstract: A pedestal assembly including a pedestal for supporting a substrate. A central shaft positions the pedestal at a height during operation. A ring is placed along a periphery of the pedestal. A ring adjuster subassembly includes an adjuster flange disposed around a middle section of the central shaft. The subassembly includes a sleeve connected to the adjuster flange and extending from the adjuster flange to an adjuster plate disposed under the pedestal. The subassembly includes ring adjuster pins connected to the adjuster plate and extending vertically from the adjuster plate. Each of the ring adjuster pins being positioned on the adjuster plate at locations adjacent to and outside of a pedestal diameter. The ring adjuster pins contacting an edge undersurface of the ring. The adjuster flange coupled to at least three adjuster actuators for defining an elevation and tilt of the ring relative to a top surface of the pedestal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2022Publication date: March 23, 2023Inventors: Jacob Lee Hiester, Richard M. Blank, Curtis W. Bailey, Michael J. Janicki
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Publication number: 20230074285Abstract: Systems and techniques for reducing or eliminating particulate contamination from wafer handling robots configured for vertical translation are disclosed. In one such technique, a collar may be provided having an aperture through it through which the turret of a wafer handling robot may be extended or retracted. The collar may have one or more radial gas passages. Gas directed at the turret from the radial passage(s) may turn downward when it strikes the turret and may act to prevent or discourage gas from within the base of the wafer handling robot from escaping through the aperture. In another technique, a bellows may be affixed to the bottom of the turret and to the bottom of the base such that the volume of the base occupied by the turret and the bellows remains generally fixed regardless of the degree to which the turret is extended from the base.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2021Publication date: March 9, 2023Inventors: Charles N. Ditmore, Richard M. Blank
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Publication number: 20230063281Abstract: A rotational indexer is provided that may be rotated to move semiconductor wafers or other items between various stations arranged in a circular array; the items being moved may be supported by arms of the indexer during such movement. The rotational indexer may be further configured to also cause the items being moved to rotate about other rotational axes to cause rotation of the items relative to the arms supporting them.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2022Publication date: March 2, 2023Inventors: Richard M. Blank, Karl Frederick Leeser
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Patent number: 11581214Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2019Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Peter S. Thaulad, Brett M. Herzig, Richard M. Blank, Benjamin Wayne Mooring
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Publication number: 20220395986Abstract: Disclosed are techniques and systems for automatically determining and correcting the levelness of a wafer handling robot end effector. The systems may use a tilt sensor or a gravitational field sensor which may be calibrated to the wafer handling robot. The output from the tilt sensor may be used to determine or estimate the tilt of an end effector of the wafer handling robot and to perform correctional positioning to reduce or eliminate the tilt, to automatically teach certain positions that have reduced tilt, to perform health checks on the robot, provide feedback to a user, etc.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2020Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventors: Richard M. Blank, Marco Piccigallo, Eric Chan, Arulselvam Simon Jeyapalan
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Patent number: 11512393Abstract: A pedestal assembly including a pedestal for supporting a substrate. A central shaft positions the pedestal at a height during operation. A ring is placed along a periphery of the pedestal. A ring adjuster subassembly includes an adjuster flange disposed around a middle section of the central shaft. The subassembly includes a sleeve connected to the adjuster flange and extending from the adjuster flange to an adjuster plate disposed under the pedestal. The subassembly includes ring adjuster pins connected to the adjuster plate and extending vertically from the adjuster plate. Each of the ring adjuster pins being positioned on the adjuster plate at locations adjacent to and outside of a pedestal diameter. The ring adjuster pins contacting an edge undersurface of the ring. The adjuster flange coupled to at least three adjuster actuators for defining an elevation and tilt of the ring relative to a top surface of the pedestal.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2018Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Jacob Lee Hiester, Richard M. Blank, Curtis W. Bailey, Michael J. Janicki
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Patent number: 11482436Abstract: A rotational indexer that is rotatable to allow semiconductor wafers or other items to be moved between various stations arranged in a circular array; the items being moved may be supported by arms of the indexer during such movement. The rotational indexer may be further configured to also cause the items being moved to rotate about other rotational axes to cause rotation of the items relative to the arms supporting them.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2019Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Richard M. Blank, Karl Frederick Leeser
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Publication number: 20220254666Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and using multiple types of offsets for providing wafers to a wafer support of a wafer station of a semiconductor processing tool are disclosed; such techniques and systems may use an autocalibration wafer that may include a plurality of sensors, including a plurality of edge-located imaging sensors that may be used to image fiducials associated with two different structures located in a selected wafer station.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2020Publication date: August 11, 2022Inventors: Hossein Sadeghi, Richard M. Blank, Peter S. Thaulad, Mark E. Emerson, Arulselvam Simon Jeyapalan, Marco Piccigallo
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Publication number: 20220028714Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot are discussed. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2019Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Peter S. Thaulad, Brett M. Herzig, Richard M. Blank, Benjamin Wayne Mooring
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Publication number: 20210272832Abstract: A system comprises an equipment front end module (EFEM), a vacuum transfer module (VTM), a plurality off quad station process modules (QSMs). The EFEM is configured to receive a plurality of wafers. The EFEM comprises an EFEM transfer robot. The vacuum transfer module (VTM) is configured to receive the plurality of wafers from the EFEM. The VTM comprises a VTM transfer robot. The plurality of quad station process modules (QSMs) is coupled to the VTM. The VTM transfer robot is configured to transfer wafers between the VTM and the plurality of QSMs. The EFEM transfer robot is configured to transfer wafers between the EFEM and the VTM.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2019Publication date: September 2, 2021Inventors: Christopher W. Burkhart, Richard H. Gould, Candi Kristoffersen, Michael Nordin, Richard M. Blank, Hironobu Yasuumi
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Publication number: 20210118715Abstract: A rotational indexer is provided that may be rotated to move semiconductor wafers or other items between various stations arranged in a circular array; the items being moved may be supported by arms of the indexer during such movement. The rotational indexer may be further configured to also cause the items being moved to rotate about other rotational axes to cause rotation of the items relative to the arms supporting them.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2019Publication date: April 22, 2021Inventors: Richard M. Blank, Karl Frederick Leeser
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Patent number: 10796940Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot are discussed. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2018Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Peter S. Thaulad, Brett M. Herzig, Richard M. Blank, Benjamin W. Mooring
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Publication number: 20200173018Abstract: A pedestal assembly including a pedestal for supporting a substrate. A central shaft positions the pedestal at a height during operation. A ring is placed along a periphery of the pedestal. A ring adjuster subassembly includes an adjuster flange disposed around a middle section of the central shaft. The subassembly includes a sleeve connected to the adjuster flange and extending from the adjuster flange to an adjuster plate disposed under the pedestal. The subassembly includes ring adjuster pins connected to the adjuster plate and extending vertically from the adjuster plate. Each of the ring adjuster pins being positioned on the adjuster plate at locations adjacent to and outside of a pedestal diameter. The ring adjuster pins contacting an edge undersurface of the ring. The adjuster flange coupled to at least three adjuster actuators for defining an elevation and tilt of the ring relative to a top surface of the pedestal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2018Publication date: June 4, 2020Inventors: Jacob Lee Hiester, Richard M. Blank, Curtis W. Bailey, Michael J. Janicki
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Publication number: 20200144097Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and correcting inter-wafer misalignments in a stack of wafers transported by a wafer handling robot are discussed. An enhanced automatic wafer centering system is provided that may be used to determine a smallest circle associated with the stack of wafers, which may then be used to determine whether or not the stack of wafer meets various process requirements and/or if a centering correction can be made to better align the wafers with a receiving station coordinate frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2018Publication date: May 7, 2020Applicants: Lam Research Corporation, Lam Research CorporationInventors: Peter S. Thaulad, Brett M. Herzig, Richard M. Blank, Benjamin W. Mooring
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Patent number: 10515834Abstract: Systems and techniques for forming buffer gas microclimates around semiconductor wafers in environments external to a semiconductor processing chamber are disclosed. Such systems may include slot doors that may allow for single wafers to be removed from a multi-wafer stack while limiting outflow of buffer gas from a multi-wafer storage system, as well as buffer gas distributors that move in tandem with robot arms used to transport wafers for at least some of the movements of such robot arms.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2016Date of Patent: December 24, 2019Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Mohsen Salek, Richard M. Blank, Richard Howard Gould, Efrain Quiles
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Patent number: 10509052Abstract: A test wafer having two spaced-apart accelerometers mounted thereon is disclosed. The accelerometers may be positioned at locations located along a common axis passing through the center of gravity of the test wafer. The test wafer may include a controller that may be used to transmit acceleration data collected by the accelerometers to another device. In some implementations, a semiconductor processing tool is provided that includes a test wafer receptacle for storing a test wafer that remains with the semiconductor processing tool and that may be retrieved by a wafer handling robot for performing a test cycle during periods when the wafer handling robot is not performing substrate transport operations.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2017Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Peter S. Thaulad, Arulselvam Simon Jeyapalan, Richard M. Blank, Tyson Lee Ringold, Victor Eduardo Espinosa, III
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Patent number: 10483142Abstract: A system for mounting vacuum robot arms in horizontally elongate vacuum transfer modules is provided. The system provides mechanical isolation to the vacuum robot arm against deflections in the housing of the vacuum transfer module due to depressurization of the interior of the vacuum transfer module while the exterior of the vacuum transfer module is subjected to atmospheric pressure. Such systems may prevent undesirable, larger displacements of the end effector of such vacuum robot arms due to the deflection.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2018Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Mark K. Tan, Christopher William Burkhart, Richard M. Blank, Richard H. Gould
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Patent number: 10155309Abstract: Wafer handling robots are provided that are configured to provide high wafer placement accuracy. Such robots utilize rotational drive transfer mechanisms as well as rotational encoders that are located at each rotational joint, as opposed to solely at the motor outputs.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2017Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventor: Richard M. Blank