US 11,682,571 B2
Apparatus and methods for handling die carriers
Tsung-Sheng Kuo, Hsin-Chu (TW); Kai-Chieh Huang, Hsin-Chu (TW); Wei-Ting Hsiao, Taichung (TW); Yang-Ann Chu, Hsin-Chu (TW); I-Lun Yang, Hsin-Chu (TW); and Hsuan Lee, Tainan (TW)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsin-Chu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/849,337.
Application 17/849,337 is a continuation of application No. 16/526,892, filed on Jul. 30, 2019, granted, now 11,398,396.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/718,848, filed on Aug. 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0319890 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/677 (2006.01); B65G 47/90 (2006.01); H01L 21/673 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/67745 (2013.01) [B65G 47/90 (2013.01); H01L 21/67294 (2013.01); H01L 21/67333 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for handling die carriers, comprising:
a load port configured to load dies in a die carrier into a processing chamber, wherein the die carrier is operable to hold a plurality of dies; and
a lane changer comprising a plurality of lanes located beside the load port, coupled to the load port and configured to move at least one die in the die carrier to an input of the processing tool chamber and transfer the at least one die into the processing chamber for processing the at least one die,
wherein the load port comprises:
a table configured to receive the die carrier from an overhead hoist transport (OHT), and
a radio frequency identity (RFID) reader coupled on the table and operable to read information of the die carrier to determine whether the die carrier is correctly scheduled for processing by the processing chamber.