The invention provides an apparatus and method for performing a process on a substrate. At least two types of structures may be used to provide a flow path for a substrate so that the substrate may be moved from one processing or loading position to another. The first is a conveyor. The second is a track. The flow path may be a closed continuous loop. Each processing island has a valve for introduction and extraction of the substrate into and out of an interior of the island. The processing island may include load locks, and may include in conjunction therewith an inspection station, a CVD chamber, a PECVD chamber, a PVD chamber, a post-anneal chamber, a cleaning chamber, a descumming chamber, an etch chamber, or a combination of such chambers.

Modular substrate processing system

There is provided a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for depositing substantially uniform films or layers onto a substrate or wafer. The apparatus includes a chamber with an injector assembly including spaced linear injectors and a chemical vapor delivery system for delivering chemicals to said injectors to form spaced adjacent deposition regions. Translation means reciprocally move said substrate or wafer a predetermiend distance in a direction perpendicular to the long axis of the linear injectors while maintaing the substrate surface parallel and adjacent to the chemical delivery surface of the linear injector assembly whereby the deposition regions of adjacent injectors merge to form a film or layer of substantially uniform thickness.

Distributed control system architecture and method for a material transport system

A method and article of manufacture for implementing a user profile-driven gaming and prize redeeming system is disclosed. The user profile-driven gaming and prize redemption system allows for the tailoring of a user's experience of playing a computer implemented game on a network gaming system by first receiving an identifier selected from a group of identifiers including a user identifier relating to the user (i.e., player) of the network gaming system, a game identifier relating to a particular game played by the user of the network gaming system, and a site identifier relating to the location (i.e., web site) from which the game is being played. The network gaming system then alters the computer-implemented game played by the user in a manner based upon the selected identifier. The foregoing technique may also be applied to a prize redemption system.

Network gaming system

A magnetic drive system for moving a substrate transfer shuttle along a linear path between chambers in a semiconductor fabrication apparatus. A rack with rack magnets is secured to the shuttle, and a rotatable pinion with pinion magnets is positioned adjacent the rack so that the pinion magnets can magnetically engage the rack magnets. Thus, rotation of the pinion will cause the shuttle to move along the linear path. The magnets may be oriented with a helix angle between their primary axis and the axis of rotation of the pinion. One rack and one pinion are located on each side of the shuttle. A set of lower guide rollers supports the shuttle, and a set of upper guide rollers prevents the shuttle from lifting off the lower guide rollers.

Substrate transfer shuttle having a magnetic drive

A system for managing an assemblage of entities. The entities interface within the assemblage for control of primary information handling functions and further interface with the system to permit the carrying out of management functions. The system includes management modules adapted to carry out management functions by independently interpreting and executing commands, a kernel including a table of dispatch pointers for directing the commands to the respective modules in which they are to be interpreted and executed, and an enroller for enrolling new modules into the system by adding further pointers to the table. In addition, the system includes: a module adapted to independently interpret and execute selected management-related commands; stored records relating to accessed management information, each record indicating an associated time; an information manager, responsive to commands having a time schedule, for retrieving information from the records or accessing information from the entities, including a scheduler for issuing subsidiary accesses or retrievals at possibly multiple times according to the schedule; storage containing domain information defining groups of entities, where the kernel may issue a commands to a group by issuing individual commands to appropriate modules; a common command syntax including fields for identifying the entity and the operation to be performed; a module that stores rules identifying alarm conditions, including a generator for generating rules and an alarm detector for detecting an alarm condition in response to the rules; a module adapted to carry out self-management functions by interpreting and executing commands.

Entity management system

Segments-in-process (SIPs) of material are automatically routed through a material handling system by distributed routing units under the guidance of a host computer system. The material handling system comprises a network of intersecting material paths. A distributed routing unit is located at material path intersections. Information relating to the source, destination and identity of a SIP is provided to the host computer system by a client process. Typically the destination of the SIP is a process machine located on a material path. Upon receipt of the information from the client process, the host defines a sequence of distributed routing units through which the SIP will move from its source to its destination. Each distributed routing unit in the sequence is then provided with information which enables each unit to identify the SIP and to perform a task with respect thereto. The tasks are then sequentially performed such that the SIP is routed through the defined sequence to its destination. The SIP may be routed to its destination when the host computer system is off line.

Roger D. Burney

Papers

Distributed routing unit for fully-automated flexible manufacturing system