S-300 Automation

The S-300 automated multiple boat horizontal furnace cantilever loading system is a low cost system designed to assist the fab operator in safely loading and unloading wafer boats to all cantilevers on a furnace stack.  Operators place boats onto the load platform at an ergonomically correct height eliminating the need for operators to climb ladders or perform the repetitive motion of loading wafer boats onto the silicon carbide paddle.  Load times are typically less then 3 minutes.  Control and setup is through a single color flat panel touch screen, instructions are in plain English.

The S-300, mounts directly onto the load station and is compatible with any furnace and cantilever system.  Using casters and quick disconnect latches the S-300 can be quickly removed from the load station to allow for maintenance. 

Shuttle (option): Design to transfer wafers from Wafer Cassette Transfer machines to the S300.

Slide (option): Designed to allow for installation into fabs with limited small between horizontal load stations.  This allows for the operator to stand to the side of automation instead of the rear of the S300.

SECSII/GEM (option): Interface is available for factory host communication.

Bruce maintains support for the older Bruce boatloaders (7670s and 7680s), the Amtech Systems boatloaders (IBAL and current models) and continues the ability to integrate their mechanical loaders into the controls of other OEM.

Heat Shields:  Auto-doors simply designed to prevent heat from the process tube from affecting the hardware or electronics.  Integrates into boatloader controls of Bruce Technologies and other furnace OEMs.

Process Door Closures:  Auto door closure designed for specific process requirements such as POCL3 and other CVD processes.

Over the past 20 years, the Atmoscan is a closed cantilever system used in production with over 1000 units installed worldwide.  The Atmoscan’s first use was to exclude O2 from the wafer environment during the push/pull portions of the thermal cycle.  This was critical in limiting native or uncontrolled oxidations during load insertion and to stabilize surface states (Qss) upon withdrawal from the furnace.  

In it’s era, the Atmoscan was enabling technology for many applications.  As more Atmoscans were installed, other advantages became apparent, such as better temperature uniformity (particularly during push/pull), higher throughput due to higher push/pull temperatures, and larger load sizes.