US 11,688,620 B2
Shiftless wafer blades
Chien-Chih Chen, Hsin-Chu (TW); Yao-Min Yu, Hsin-Chu (TW); Ching-Ling Lee, Hsin-Chu (TW); and Ren-Dou Lee, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/846,431.
Application 17/846,431 is a continuation of application No. 16/908,153, filed on Jun. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,380,569.
Application 16/908,153 is a continuation of application No. 16/123,413, filed on Sep. 6, 2018, granted, now 10,699,931.
Claims priority of application No. 201710795387.8 (CN), filed on Sep. 6, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0392796 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01L 21/677 (2006.01); H01L 21/687 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67766 (2013.01) [B25J 11/0095 (2013.01); H01L 21/67742 (2013.01); H01L 21/67778 (2013.01); H01L 21/68707 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a cassette comprising a slit opening configured to house a wafer; and
a blade configured to move the wafer to and from the slit opening by extending into the slit opening, wherein the blade is configured to secure the wafer within a contoured pocket on the blade, and
wherein the blade further comprises:
a first forward protrusion with rounded corners;
a second forward protrusion with rounded corners, the second forward protrusion extending parallel to the first forward protrusion;
a first opening having a portion that extends into a part of the first forward protrusion; and
a second opening having a portion that extends into a part of the second forward protrusion,
wherein the blade further comprises an upper pocket contour and a lower pocket contour, wherein the upper pocket contour and lower pocket contour form an outline of two concentric circles where an area between the two concentric circles forms a wafer pocket on which the wafer rests, and wherein each of the upper and lower pocket contours comprises rounded vertical outside corners and rounded horizontal outside corners.