Patents by Inventor Stephen P. Hovestol

Stephen P. Hovestol 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).

  • Reticle sorter
    Patent number: 6878895
    Abstract: A reticle sorter and a semiconductor fabrication facility employing one or more reticle sorters is provided. The reticle sorter(s) generally lies between a reticle storage system and a group of one or more photolithography exposure tools (e.g., steppers) and is configured for sorting reticles in one or more cassettes. The use of the reticle sorter provides sorting functionality apart from the reticle storage system and typically closer to the group of photolithography steppers with which it is associated. This can, for example, significantly increase the throughput of semiconductor wafers through the associated photolithography exposure tools as well as in the semiconductor fabrication plant as a whole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Advance Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick J. Ryan, Michael R. Conboy, Stephen P. Hovestol
  • Reticle sorter
    Patent number: 5972727
    Abstract: A reticle sorter and a semiconductor fabrication facility employing one or more reticle sorters is provided. The reticle sorter(s) generally lies between a reticle storage system and a group of one or more photolithography exposure tools (e.g., steppers) and is configured for sorting reticles in one or more cassettes. The use of the reticle sorter provides sorting functionality apart from the reticle storage system and typically closer to the group of photolithography steppers with which it is associated. This can, for example, significantly increase the throughput of semiconductor wafers through the associated photolithography exposure tools as well as in the semiconductor fabrication plant as a whole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices
    Inventors: Patrick J. Ryan, Michael R. Conboy, Stephen P. Hovestol