InnoMax introduces next generation spin etcher using Innovative Robotics’ thin wafer handling solution
Santa Clara, March 13, 2008 – After years of success with their first generation Enhanced Spin Etcher (ESE™), InnoMax, a leading Korean single-wafer spin etch systems, recently launched their next generation product, ESE™-Thin, to meet the emerging thin wafer processing market. Innomax has filled their first order at one of the major semiconductor manufacturers in Korea.
“The ESE™ family provides 1-4 chambers of non-contact process chucks for front- and back-side processing, such as stress relief, polymer removal, oxide/recess etching and solder/gold bump. To stay competitive, we constantly strive for price/performance improvement,” said J.S. Kwon, Director, Global Sales Division at InnoMax. “We chose to collaborate with Innovative Robotics to break through the thin wafer handling barriers that our previous partner couldn’t. Innovative Robotics proved to us that they are a unique, agile solution provider who can respond quickly to time-constrained projects like this. They took less than three months to develop an integrated Bernoulli/electrical edge grip solution which they combined with their flipping capability to handle sub-100 micron thin wafers.”
Walter Henry, President of Innovative Robotics, emphasizes this solution’s strengths: “We understand the difficulties of dealing with thin wafers, especially when a flipping motion is required. Thanks to our modular system architecture, we could quickly offer a fully integrated flipping 5 th-axis with a Bernoulli handler that would meet our customer’s requirements. The intelligent sensor-guided electrical edge gripping mechanism offers contactless wafer handling that prevents wafer breakage and chipping often caused by pneumatic edge grippers. Furthermore, the modularity of the handler design makes it readily adaptable to other substrate shapes, sizes, and process such as PV cell production.
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InnoMax is a supplier of wafer cleaning and wet etch systems that are both feature rich and price competitive. Established in 2005, with 75 employees, its headquarters are located at 471-14, Song Jung-Ri, Mado-Myun, Hwa sung-City, kyung gi-Do, 429-450 Korea. Phone: +82-(0)31-366-9631, Fax: +82-(0)31-366-9632.
Email: jskwon@inno-max.co.kr
Web: www.inno-max.co.kr
IR-820 in InnoMax new ESE™-Thin Spin Etcher
Innovative Robotics' Introduces Double-Pick Dual Wrist SCARA Robot
Santa Clara, July 11, 2007 – Following the successful launch of its fast-swap, dual wrist robot, Innovative Robotics announces a powerful enhancement: the ability to pick and place two wafers at once, while retaining the ability to pick and place single wafers. With this feature, customers can enjoy the advantages of two independent wrists for fast-swapping of wafers at the tool, while gaining additional speed by handling two wafers at once at the FOUPs. With the new capability, users can choose from single-pick, batch-pick, single-place and batch-place at every station. This is in addition to the SCARA (Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) flexibility expected by its customers, allowing access to the three FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pod) across without requiring a linear track.
“Our processing tool customers are very excited about this new capability,” said M.K. Lee, Director of Sales Division, Cymechs, a leading Korean cluster tool and EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) manufacturer. “ The double-wafer pick, coupled with the fast-swapping dual wrist, best utilizes our dual-loadlock design and offers at least 30% over-all throughput improvement, generating a big gap for other competitors to catch up to.”
IR-820's new dual-pick dual wrist in the Cymechs' Pheonix EFEM
Between 3-Axis robot’s ease-of-use and 4-axis’ flexibility-- Why trade-off if you can have both?
Santa Clara, July 5 , 2007 – Until now, Semiconductor OEMs and fabs specifying wafer handling robots had to decide between the simple yet inflexible r-theta robots, and the more flexible, but more complex, SCARA (three independent theta) robots for their automation solutions. The advantages of the SCARA are by now well known, and Innovative Robotics is known for flexible, durable, low maintenance SCARAs. Today, Innovative Robotics introduces the latest release of control software for its IR-820 line of SCARA robots, which will provide further incentive for moving to SCARA solutions.
Release 2.1 adds a user-customizable recovery capability, making recovery from anomalous situations as easy as it is for r-theta robots. Where an r-theta robot can be recovered with a simple “retract” command, SCARA robots’ extra degree of freedom increases complexity while enhancing flexibility. The IR recover command now lets the developer decide “safe” paths for recover, then automates the handling of those paths, regardless of the pose the robot is in.
In addition, Release 2.1 adds the capability to set user outputs automatically based on robot poses. Set an output when the robot reaches a station’s perch point, then turn it off when it goes to the inside position, or when it has left the station again. This capability will help OEMs making use of PLCs for control of pod door openers, loadlocks, or other equipment that interacts with the robot.
Release 2.1 retains all the features that have made the IR-820 series the easiest to use SCARA on the market: on-the-fly, automated blending for smooth motion between wafer positions (no proprietary macros required); a high-level, plain language command set; an open, customizable macro capability for when you need even more capability; and a choice of synchronous or a asynchronous programming interface methods.
Email: inquiry@InnovativeRobotics.com
Innovative Robotics’ customer receives multiple 300mm sorter/stocker orders
Santa Clara, Jan 31, 2007 – Innovative Robotics’ performance is once again proven by one of our European customers, a worldwide leader in single wafer stocker manufacturer, who recently received multiple orders for its latest generation tool from fabs in Asia and North America.
The sorter/stocker product family was launched in 2005 with capacity ranging from 800 to 2400 wafers. One of its recently acquired Asia customers, a high volume 300mm wafer manufacturer, will be using this wafer stocker technology for its newest 300mm wafer fab. In this application, the customer internally recycles used test wafers by etching and cleaning them for later reuse. They selected this stocker because it offers a compact footprint, excellent throughput, machine cleanliness and state of the art management software.
“We are happy that Innovative Robotics’ ISO class 1 cleanliness helps our tool to achieve the high cleanliness standard that our customers request, and its non-contact wafer handling avoids any cross-contamination in the wafer recycle application. Most of all, its throughput performance really brings our competitive edge to another level. I am glad to see our stocker solution is recognized by our customers all over the world!” Said the customer.
Email: inquiry@InnovativeRobotics.com
Korea Techno penetrates one major Korea DRAM maker with Innovative Robotics’ new dual wrist SCARA robot
Santa Clara, Jan 31, 2007 – Korea Techno, a leading wafer handling solution provider in Korea, whose latest generation 300mm wafer sorter has been qualified by a local DRAM giant and repeated orders are now expected. Nac-Hyun Song, President of Korea Techno, said, “ We spent over one year studying the current robot suppliers in market and decided to use Innovative Robotics’ dual wrist robot solution in light of its outstanding performance, and I am pleased to say our decision is now validated by this customer’s acceptance”.
Korea Techno’s sorter is now one of the fastest sorters in the industry: over 400 wafers per hour with wafer ID reading, over 500 without the reading, whose modular design provides the flexibility of layout to accommodate customer’s need in each fab. “ Our end users are very surprised to experience this robot‘s speed and ISO Class 1 cleanliness performance”, said Ki-Jeong Jeong, Director or R&D at Korea Techno.
Email: inquiry@InnovativeRobotics.com
New Product: IR-920ZLR, the SCARA or R-Theta robot with Z-travel of your choice
Santa Clara, Jan 31, 2007 – Innovative Robotics launches a new Z-less robot, the IR-920ZLR, which is coupled with an external vertical track whose height can be tailored to the customer’s specific needs.
Based on the IR-820 family’s US-patented design, the IR-920ZLR not only offers the expected high repeatability and low-maintenance features of its predecessors, it also provides outstanding throughput to meet customers’ performance requirements. IR-920ZLR’s compact design makes it suitable for tools with a small space, but its SCARA (Selectively Compliant Articulated Robot Arm) function allows a large working envelope. In addition, the IR920ZLR is also available in an R-Theta configuration, and comes with options such as a vacuum or edge gripping end-effector, through beam mapper and prealigner. It has been qualified by several major OEM’s and started shipping in the first quarter of 2007.
Email: inquiry@InnovativeRobotics.com