Smif interface
Encyclopedia
Acronym For Standard Mechanical InterFace. This is a SEMI
standard, E19-1105.
An Isolation technology developed in the 1980s by group known as "micronauts" at Hewlett-Packard
in Palo Alto. The system is used in semiconductor
wafer
fabrication and cleanroom
environments.
Its purpose is to isolate the wafers from contamination by providing a mini environment with controlled airflow, pressure and particle count. SMIF Pods can be accessed by automated mechanical interfaces from production equipment. The wafers therefore remain in a carefully controlled environment whether in the SMIF pod or in a tool, without being exposed to the surrounding airflow.
Each SMIF pod contains a wafer cassette in which the wafers are stored horizontally. The bottom surface of the pod is the opening door, and when a SMIF pod is placed on a load port, on example being the PLM-200 by Fortrend Engineering, the bottom door and cassette are lowered into the tool so that the wafers can be removed.
Note that both wafers and reticles can be handled by SMIF pods in semiconductor fabrication environment. Used in Lithographic tools, reticles or photomasks
contain the image that is exposed on a coated wafer in one processing step of a complete integrated semiconductor manufacturing cycle. Because reticles are linked so directly with wafer processing, they also require steps to protect them from contamination or being the source of contamination in the litho tool. One example of a reticle SMIF pod is the Entegris RSP-150.
SMIF is typically used for wafers no larger than 200mm, the equivalent for 300mm wafers being the FOUP
(Front Opening Unified Pod). The greater flexibility of 300mm wafers means that it is not feasible to use SMIF technology and designs for 300mm, hence the reason for the emergence of FOUPs. Several FOUP SEMI standards, including SEMI E47.1-1106, are related to both 300 and 450 mm wafers.
Semi
Semi- is a Latin prefix to a verb, noun, or adjective meaning "half". Some compounds formed with it are often abbreviated to simply "semi" in appropriate contexts:...
standard, E19-1105.
An Isolation technology developed in the 1980s by group known as "micronauts" at Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
in Palo Alto. The system is used in semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
wafer
Wafer (electronics)
A wafer is a thin slice of semiconductor material, such as a silicon crystal, used in the fabrication of integrated circuits and other microdevices...
fabrication and cleanroom
Cleanroom
A cleanroom is an environment, typically used in manufacturing or scientific research, that has a low level of environmental pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles and chemical vapors. More accurately, a cleanroom has a controlled level of contamination that is specified by...
environments.
Its purpose is to isolate the wafers from contamination by providing a mini environment with controlled airflow, pressure and particle count. SMIF Pods can be accessed by automated mechanical interfaces from production equipment. The wafers therefore remain in a carefully controlled environment whether in the SMIF pod or in a tool, without being exposed to the surrounding airflow.
Each SMIF pod contains a wafer cassette in which the wafers are stored horizontally. The bottom surface of the pod is the opening door, and when a SMIF pod is placed on a load port, on example being the PLM-200 by Fortrend Engineering, the bottom door and cassette are lowered into the tool so that the wafers can be removed.
Note that both wafers and reticles can be handled by SMIF pods in semiconductor fabrication environment. Used in Lithographic tools, reticles or photomasks
Photomask
A photomask is an opaque plate with holes or transparencies that allow light to shine through in a defined pattern. They are commonly used in photolithography.-Overview:...
contain the image that is exposed on a coated wafer in one processing step of a complete integrated semiconductor manufacturing cycle. Because reticles are linked so directly with wafer processing, they also require steps to protect them from contamination or being the source of contamination in the litho tool. One example of a reticle SMIF pod is the Entegris RSP-150.
SMIF is typically used for wafers no larger than 200mm, the equivalent for 300mm wafers being the FOUP
FOUP
FOUP is an acronym for Front Opening Unified Pod or Front Opening Universal Pod..It is a specialised plastic enclosure designed to hold silicon wafers securely and safely in a controlled environment, and to allow the wafers to be removed for processing or measurement by tools equipped with...
(Front Opening Unified Pod). The greater flexibility of 300mm wafers means that it is not feasible to use SMIF technology and designs for 300mm, hence the reason for the emergence of FOUPs. Several FOUP SEMI standards, including SEMI E47.1-1106, are related to both 300 and 450 mm wafers.