US 10,254,693 B2Granted

Fixing unit of plate-shaped member, PVD processing apparatus and fixing method of plate-shaped member

AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited

InventorsHiroyuki Yokohara, Shinji Orimoto, Hiroshi Sone, Naoyuki Suzuki

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A fixing unit fixes a plate-shaped member to a fixing base member. The fixing unit includes: a pressing unit configured to press the plate-shaped member toward the fixing base member; and a plurality of positioning units, installed at the fixing base member to be in contact with side surfaces of the plate-shaped member, and configured to place the plate-shaped member with respect to the fixing base member. Each of the positioning units includes: a shaft to be installed at the fixing base member; and a slide part movable along the shaft, and the slide part includes a contact part to be in contact with one of the side surfaces of the plate-shaped member and a clearance part formed on the contact part to have a smaller width than that of the contact part.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A fixing unit for fixing a plate-shaped member to a surface of a fixing base member, the fixing unit comprising:

a pressing unit operable for pressing the plate-shaped member toward the fixing base member;
and
a plurality of positioning units, installed at the fixing base member and configured to position the plate-shaped member with respect to the fixing base member,
wherein each of the positioning units includes:
a shaft configured to be installed at the fixing base member in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the fixing base member;
a slide part movable along the shaft, and
a resilient member operable for pressing the slide part toward an opposite side to the fixing base member when the shaft is installed at the fixing base member;
and
wherein the slide part includes a contact part configured to be in contact with a side surface of the plate-shaped member when the resilient member is in a non-compressed state, wherein the slide part also includes a clearance part formed on the contact part to have a smaller width, in a direction parallel to the surface of the fixing base member, than that of the contact part and configured to face the side surface of the plate-shaped member when the pressing unit presses the plate-shaped member and the slide part toward the fixing base member to move the slide part toward the fixing base member.

6 more elements

A fixing method for fixing a plate-shaped member to a surface of a fixing base member by a fixing unit, the fixing unit including:

a pressing unit configured to press the plate-shaped member toward the fixing base member;
and a plurality of positioning units, installed at the fixing base member and configured to position the plate-shaped member with respect to the fixing base member, wherein each of the positioning units includes:
a shaft configured to be installed at the fixing base member in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the fixing base member;
a slide part moving along the shaft;
and a resilient member for pressing the slide part toward an opposite side to the fixing base member when the shaft is installed at the fixing base member, and wherein the slide part includes a contact part to be in contact with one of the side surfaces of the plate-shaped member when the resilient member is in a non-compressed state and also includes a clearance part formed on the contact part to have a smaller width, in a direction parallel to the surface of the fixing base member, than that of the contact part and configured to face the side surface of the plate-shaped member when the pressing unit presses the plate-shaped member and the sliding part toward the fixing base member to move the sliding part toward the fixing base member,
the fixing method comprising:
positioning the plate-shaped member with respect to the fixing base member by allowing the contact pails of the slide parts of the plurality of positioning units respectively contact with at least two side surfaces of the plate-shaped member;
and
fixing the plate-shaped member to the fixing base member by pressing the plate-shaped member against the fixing base member by the pressing unit so that the slide pails of the positioning units are respectively moved along the corresponding shafts to allow the clearance parts of the slide parts to be arranged to face the corresponding side surfaces of the plate-shaped member.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.