Substrate processing apparatus
AssigneeSCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
InventorsTatsuhiro Suzuki, Akihiko Taki, Yuta Nishimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Each of branch pipes has an internal space into which an atmosphere flows from a main pipe. A downstream damper is provided on the downstream side of an upstream damper in each of the branch pipes, and opens/closes the branch pipe. An upstream switching member switches a state of an upstream space between a state where the upstream space permits an inflow of an external atmosphere and a state where the upstream space prohibits the inflow of the external atmosphere. A downstream switching member switches a state of a downstream space between a state where the downstream space permits an inflow of the external atmosphere and a state where the downstream space prohibits the inflow of the external atmosphere.
Claims13
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
- a chamber that houses a substrate;
- a main pipe that discharges an atmosphere in the chamber;
- a plurality of branch pipes connected to the main pipe, each of the branch pipes having an internal space into which the atmosphere flows from the main pipe;
- a plurality of upstream dampers each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the branch pipes and opens/closes the corresponding branch pipe;
- a plurality of downstream dampers each of which is provided for a corresponding one of the branch pipes on the downstream side of the upstream damper and opens/closes the corresponding branch pipe;
- wherein the internal space of each of the branch pipes is comprised of an upstream space located between a corresponding one of the upstream dampers and a corresponding one of the downstream dampers and a downstream space located downstream of the corresponding one of the downstream dampers;
- and wherein said branch pipes are surrounded by an external atmosphere existing in the chamber outside of said main pipe and outside of said branch pipes;
- an upstream opening/closing damper that is controllable to either connect said upstream space to said external atmosphere to enable said external atmosphere to flow into said upstream space or to prevent the inflow of the external atmosphere into said upstream space;
- and
- a downstream opening/closing damper that is controllable to either connect said downstream space to said external atmosphere to enable said external atmosphere to flow into said downstream space or to prevent the inflow of the external atmosphere into said downstream space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.