Coupling system
AssigneeNational Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
InventorShiro Hara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a transfer system for wafers, etc., a coupling chamber corresponding to a port is formed only when a transfer box comes in tight contact with an apparatus as a transfer target in the transfer box is transferred into the apparatus, so that the transfer target will be transferred into the apparatus together with the coupling chamber, thereby simplifying the structures of the transfer box and apparatus and also allowing the transfer target to be transferred into the apparatus without fail.
Claims7
A coupling system, comprising:
- a transfer box having a transfer box body and a transfer box door;
- and an apparatus having an apparatus body and an apparatus door;
- said coupling system having structures wherein:
- the transfer box has a first sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of the transfer box body and transfer box door;
- the apparatus has a second sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of the apparatus body and apparatus door;
- the transfer box and apparatus have a third sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of both, as formed between the transfer box body and apparatus body;
- and
- only when the transfer box and apparatus are tightly coupled, one undivided coupling chamber is formed hermetically by the third sealing structure, where a means for cleaning the coupling chamber is provided, and the transfer box door is separated from the transfer box and taken into the apparatus.
A transfer box having a sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of a transfer box body and a transfer box door;
- said transfer box provided with V-shaped grooves extending in three different directions on an exterior surface of the transfer box door;
- a seal area with the apparatus body provided around the transfer box body as well as positioning pins on the transfer box body around the transfer box door when the transfer box door is closed on the transfer box body;
- and a slanted surface around the transfer box door in a manner facing a slant surface provided in the transfer box body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.