Patents by Inventor Christopher T. Lane
Christopher T. Lane 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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Publication number: 20240118676Abstract: A machine segment in an industrial control system, comprising (1) a control system comprising at least a logic controller and safety controller; (2) safety components; (3) motors; and (4) input/output devices. In particular embodiments: (1) the control system is in network communication with a neighboring machine segment via a first network connection; (2) the safety controller is in network communication with a neighboring machine segment safety controller via a second network connection; (3) the logic controller receives input/output data from the input/output devices and transmit it directly to the neighboring machine segment; (4) the logic controller receives second input/output data from the neighboring machine segment; (5) the logic controller receives identifying data for the neighboring machine segment; and (6) the logic controller controls operation of each of the motors based on one or more of the input/output data, the second input/output data, or the identifying data.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2023Publication date: April 11, 2024Applicant: VirTeca, LLCInventors: Christopher James Long, Charles T. Lane, Ott Miidla
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Publication number: 20170292992Abstract: Semiconductor tests that use an interposer, and associated systems and methods. In one embodiment, an apparatus for testing semiconductor dies includes a wafer translator having a wafer-side positioned to face toward a device under test, and an inquiry-side facing away from the wafer side. A wafer translator chuck is configured to carry the wafer translator and the wafer-side of the wafer translator in a curved orientation.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2016Publication date: October 12, 2017Inventors: Christopher T. Lane, Douglas A. Preston
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Publication number: 20170023642Abstract: Systems and methods for testing semiconductor wafers using a wafer translator are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus for testing semiconductor dies includes a semiconductor wafer translator having a wafer-side positioned to face toward a device under test, and an inquiry-side facing away from the wafer-side. The apparatus also includes a flexible arm peripherally connected to the wafer translator, and an evacuation opening within the flexible arm or within the wafer translator. The evacuation opening is open to a flow of a gas in a first position of the flexible arm, and closed to a flow of the gas in a second position of the flexible arm.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2016Publication date: January 26, 2017Applicant: Translarity, Inc.Inventors: Douglas A. Preston, Christopher T. Lane, Mark Gardiner, Morgan T. Johnson, Doug Buck, Nikolai Kalnin
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Publication number: 20170023617Abstract: Systems and methods for testing semiconductor wafers using a wafer translator are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus for adjusting a wafer translator for testing semiconductor dies includes the semiconductor wafer translator having a wafer translator substrate with a wafer-side configured to face the dies. A plurality of wafer-side contact structures is carried by the wafer-side of the wafer translator. The apparatus also includes a shaping wafer having a shaping wafer substrate, and a plurality of cavities in the shaping wafer substrate. The wafer-side contact structures are shaped by contacting surfaces of the cavities of the shaping wafer substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2016Publication date: January 26, 2017Applicant: Translarity, Inc.Inventors: Jens Ruffler, Douglas A. Preston, Christopher T. Lane, Thomas Aitken
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Publication number: 20170016954Abstract: Systems and methods for testing semiconductor wafers using a wafer translator are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus for testing semiconductor dies on a wafer includes a wafer translator having a wafer-side facing toward the wafer, and an inquiry-side facing away from the wafer-side. The wafer has an active side facing the translator. The apparatus includes a peripheral seal configured to seal a space between the wafer translator and the wafer, and a valve in a fluidic communication with the space between the wafer translator and the wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2016Publication date: January 19, 2017Applicant: Translarity, Inc.Inventors: Nikolai Kalnin, Christopher T. Lane, David Ekstrom, Morgan T. Johnson, Douglas A. Preston
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Patent number: 9524896Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A linear transport chamber includes linear tracks and robot arms riding on the linear tracks to linearly transfer substrates along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 2009Date of Patent: December 20, 2016Assignee: Brooks Automation Inc.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Patent number: 9022715Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transferring one or more substrates from a first pressure environment to a second pressure environment is provided. In one embodiment, a load lock chamber is provided. The load lock chamber comprises a first circular housing, and a second circular housing disposed within and movable relative to the first circular housing, one of the first circular housing or the second circular housing comprising a plurality of discrete regions, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of discrete regions are in selective fluid communication with one of at least two vacuum pumps based on the angular position of the second circular housing relative to the first circular housing.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2013Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Alexander S. Polyak, James L'Heureux, Christopher T. Lane, Susanne Schlaefer, Juergen Henrich, Josef Thomas Hoog, Calvin R. Augason
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Publication number: 20140079514Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transferring one or more substrates from a first pressure environment to a second pressure environment is provided. In one embodiment, a load lock chamber is provided. The load lock chamber comprises a first circular housing, and a second circular housing disposed within and movable relative to the first circular housing, one of the first circular housing or the second circular housing comprising a plurality of discrete regions, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of discrete regions are in selective fluid communication with one of at least two vacuum pumps based on the angular position of the second circular housing relative to the first circular housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2013Publication date: March 20, 2014Inventors: Alexander S. POLYAK, James L'HEUREUX, Christopher T. LANE, Susanne SCHLAEFER, Juergen HENRICH, Josef Thomas HOOG, Calvin R. AUGASON
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Publication number: 20130171757Abstract: The present invention generally provides a high throughput substrate processing system that is used to form one or more regions of a solar cell device. In one configuration of a processing system, one or more solar cell passivating or dielectric layers are deposited and further processed within one or more processing chambers contained within the high throughput substrate processing system. The processing chambers may be, for example, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chambers, low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) chambers, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers, physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering chambers, thermal processing chambers (e.g., RTA or RTO chambers), substrate reorientation chambers (e.g., flipping chambers) and/or other similar processing chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 2, 2013Publication date: July 4, 2013Inventors: HARI K. PONNEKANTI, Alexander S. Polyak, James L'Heureux, Michael S. Cox, Christopher T. Lane, Edward P. Hammond, IV, Hemant P. Mungekar, Susanne Schlaefer, Wolfgang Buschbeck, Juergen Henrich, Andreas Lopp
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Patent number: 8303764Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2011Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Patent number: 8293066Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2008Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: Brooks Automation, Inc.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Publication number: 20110158773Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2011Publication date: June 30, 2011Applicant: INTEVAC, INC.Inventors: Terry BLUCK, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Patent number: 7901539Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2006Date of Patent: March 8, 2011Assignee: Intevac, Inc.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Patent number: 7585686Abstract: A method of a single wafer wet/dry cleaning apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber having a wafer handler contained therein; a first single wafer wet cleaning chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber; and a first single wafer ashing chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2007Date of Patent: September 8, 2009Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Steven Verhaverbeke, J Kelly Truman, Christopher T Lane, Sasson R Somekh
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Publication number: 20090191030Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A linear transport chamber includes linear tracks and robot arms riding on the linear tracks to linearly transfer substrates along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 9, 2009Publication date: July 30, 2009Applicant: INTEVAC, INC.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Publication number: 20090078374Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2008Publication date: March 26, 2009Applicant: INTEVAC, INC.Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane
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Publication number: 20080286697Abstract: A method of a single wafer wet/dry cleaning apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber having a wafer handler contained therein; a first single wafer wet cleaning chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber; and a first single wafer ashing chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2007Publication date: November 20, 2008Inventors: Steven Verhaverbeke, J Kelly Truman, Christopher T. Lane, Sasson R. Somekh
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Publication number: 20080145797Abstract: A method of a single wafer wet/dry cleaning apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber having a wafer handler contained therein; a first single wafer wet cleaning chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber; and a first single wafer ashing chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2007Publication date: June 19, 2008Inventors: Steven Verha Verbeke, J. Kelly Truman, Christopher T. Lane, Sasson R. Somekh
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Publication number: 20080138917Abstract: A method of a single wafer wet/dry cleaning apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber having a wafer handler contained therein; a first single wafer wet cleaning chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber; and a first single wafer ashing chamber directly coupled to the transfer chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2007Publication date: June 12, 2008Inventors: STEVEN VERHAVERBEKE, J KELLY TRUMAN, CHRISTOPHER T. LANE, SASSON R. SOMEKH
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Publication number: 20080066678Abstract: There is described apparatus and methods for transporting and processing substrates including wafers as to efficiently produce at reasonable costs improved throughput as compared to systems in use today. A key element is the use of a transport chamber along the sides of processing chambers for feeding substrates into a controlled atmosphere through a load lock and then along a transport chamber as a way of reaching processing chambers and then out of the controlled atmosphere following processing in the processing chambers.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2006Publication date: March 20, 2008Inventors: Terry Bluck, Kevin P. Fairbairn, Michael S. Barnes, Christopher T. Lane