Integrated Microscope Wafer Loading System.

Proteus Autoloader is a new, non conventional system to load wafers on microscope inspection tables.

It is different from normal loaders since its loading system is directly mounted on inspection table, thus allowing the microscope to "take wafers" directly from cassette.

This solution is highly integrated, and reduces at the minimum possible both handling operations and required floorspace.

It can be applied on any kind of microscopes and tables, and in particular it have been developed as a standard version for the Merzhauser moving tables, including a special driving software to integrate loader and table movements.

System is basically composed of a loading arm, with carbon fiber end effector, mounted on an interface plate which can be fit on the microscope table. There is of course an indexer, with laser mapping, to move cassette up and down, and a chuck with UP/DOWN movement also integrated on the table. A table level measurement system assures that focus adjustement, which acts on table vertical position, will not affect wafer extraction or insertion into cassette.

Computer control is a standard, featuring recipe editing, inspection strategies choice and other features.

Since it reduces at minimum handling, Proteus Autoloader is the ideal solution for thin or large (300 mm) wafers.

Special versions are available on request or can be customized, including wafer centering and alignement, special inspection software and image management.