Genmark Automation, a developer of tool and factory automation solutions for the semiconductor and related industries, today announced the launch of its new CODEX Stocker. The CODEX Stocker integrates stocking, sorting and metrology functions in a single tool that stores and delivers various substrates on demand, of defined quality and in defined numbers. Consolidating the functions of these traditionally nonrevenue-generating tools frees up fab floor space for production equipment, enabling a facility to maximize its productivity and yield.

“There is a clear market opportunity for a high-quality, highly reliable tool that can enable the functions of sort, stocking and metrology simultaneously,” said Carl McMahon, President & EVP of Global Customer Operations at Genmark Automation. “Given the continual pressure to improve yield and productivity, the benefits of storing, measuring and tracking all media in one location, using less cleanroom floor space, quickly becomes evident.”

Key differentiators of the CODEX Stocker include:

• Reduced overall tool footprint. Novel rotary “carousel” module, which increases the volume of substrates stored compared with existing rack systems, and allows the robot to access the wafers from a single side.
• First library retrieval system for semiconductor manufacturing. Integrated stocker and metrology systems enable real-time measurement and data tracking. Storing all substrates in a single location allows for more effective tracking of the substrate life cycle.
• Gantry robot to provide extended range and larger working envelope for wafer delivery.

“Beyond the traditional Si wafer market, the glass wafer for bond/debond, reticle and reticle box storage are important targets for this type of integrated system,” said McMahon. “Taking the glass wafers used in bond/debond as an example, concentricity, uniformity and thickness are very important. By stocking all media in one location with onboard metrology, you can easily make decisions on when the usable lifetime of a wafer is up and when to change it out, to consistently maximize productivity.”

The CODEX’s modular design is easily configurable to customers’ specific needs, whether integrated device manufacturers or original equipment manufacturers. A high-capacity system, it is performance-optimized for high throughput, has a configurable architecture and is readily expandable. For example, using 300mm wafers, each carousel can hold up to 1,700 wafers, depending on thickness. The tool supports 200mm, 300mm and 450mm wafers as well as reticles.