Similar article with some cost numbers.
Asyst offers 200-mm reticle SMIF pods to protect, automate handling of photomasks
Semiconductor Business News
(05/09/00, 12:01:59 PM EDT)
FREMONT, Calif.--Asyst Technologies Inc. here today rolled out a protective reticle pod, based on SMIF technology, for automated handling, transport, and storage of 6- and 9-inch photomasks. The minienvironment pods are based on Standard Mechanical Interface technology that exists in many 200-mm wafer fabs, and they are intended for use in photomask shops as well as chip-processing factories, said Asyst.
"As design rules shrink, contamination control is becoming ever more critical throughout all stages in the semiconductor manufacturing process," said Dennis Riccio, senior vice president of global customer operations at Asyst. "This is just as true for reticles as it is for patterned wafers," he added.
"If undetected during the photolithography process, a damaged reticle can greatly impact device yield," Riccio noted. "This impact will be even greater when the industry transitions to 300-mm wafers, which contain twice as many chips as 200-mm wafers." Asyst, the industry's leading supplier of SMIF technology, believes greater use of minienvironment pods in reticle storage and handling will reduce the chances of damage to photomasks and mishandling.
Industry experts have estimated that leading-edge reticles can cost more than $300,000 per set.
Asyst said mask shops have mainly used shipper boxes, with no features for automation, to store and transport 6- and 9-inch reticles. Smaller 150-mm reticle pods have been available on the market for transport and store of 6-inch reticles, but they cannot be modified to support 9-inch photomasks, according to Asyst.
Asyst's 200-mm reticle SMIF pods are sealed for better-than-Class 1 minienvironments inside the container. This isolates the reticles from airborne contaminants. The pods also minimize the risk of reticle damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD), said the Fremont company.
The net reticle pods are being beta-tested at customer sites. Production deliveries are slated to begin later in May.
semibiznews.com
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$300K seems high, but I am not familar with the process.
Jack |
