With its many superb features, this implanter suffers of one major drawback: It is equipped with only one load and one unload cassette, which means that at the end of each cassette processing completion the tool is idling, waiting for operator intervention.
Even if an operator is present, it still takes some time to replace both the load and the unload cassettes, and to resume processing.

Tadin offers a relatively simple electromechanical upgrade to the NV6200 that doubles the load and unload cassettes, enabling to load a second cassette while the tool is processing the first one, thereby eliminating the tool waiting time.

It has been shown in a loaded fab, where operators are busy, that an increase in the overall tool capacity of between 10% and 20% can be achieved.

The Dual Cassette upgrade: Benefits

Installing the dual cassette upgrade kit on the NV6200A/AV provides the tool with following advantages:

• The machine can run wafers continuously, no loading / unloading waiting time.

• Increased throughput of 10%-20%.

• The machine operator is freed to perform other tasks, thus one operator can run more than one machine at full capacity.

The main features of the upgrade kit are:

• Simple installation

• Controlled by an independent PLC.

• No change to software of the NV6200 whatsoever.

• No need for process qualification after installation completion.

• Standard components.

• Light indicator tower and LCD display for system monitoring.

Dual cassette kit general description

The dual cassette upgrade kit consists of two units: the Loader unit from which the implanter shuttle feeds wafers into the process and the Unloader unit where the processed wafers are being collected.

Each of the units has two plates: The lower plate and the upper plate, which move together vertically and change their position so that each time one plate stays in Loading / Unloading position (working position), while the other plate stays in stand by position, where an operator can manually add or remove cassettes.

The plates are connected together by a vertical bar. Two linear ball bearings are connected to the vertical bar enabling it to slide up and down along the linear track. The vertical bar movement is powered by a stepper motor which rotates a spindle of a linear actuator.

The operator starts with placing one or two full cassettes on the loader plates and one or two empty cassettes on the Unloader plates.

If only one cassette was placed on each side, the other pair of load / unload cassettes can be added at any later time while the first one is in working position.

When the cassette in loading position at the loader unit becomes empty, the loader plates change their position and the stand-by full cassette comes to loading position, keeping the process running while the operator can replace the empty cassette with a full one.

In the Unloader unit, when an empty cassette becomes full with processed wafers, the Unloader plates change their position and the stand by empty cassette comes to unloading position.

In both units the lower plate can move horizontally on a linear track by means of pneumatic cylinder. When the upper plate stays in working position, the lower plate must move to the side of the unit in order to avoid collision between the implanter shuttle mechanism and the lower plate during loading or unloading operation from the upper plate.

The machine to loader interface is accomplished by the Loader / Unloader sensors' signals, using existing contacts, thus no need to change the machine loaders logic and program.

The Eaton NV6200A with the Dual Cassette Loader / Unloader kit installed 

The Dual Cassette Loader front view

The Dual Cassette Loader side view

The Dual Cassette Loader backside view