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US 4,466,766 AGranted
Transfer apparatus
AssigneeRuska Instrument Corporation
InventorsLorenzo D. Geren, deceased, Raymond D. Worden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for transferring wafers between a process carrier and a furnace carrier. The apparatus lifts a plurality of wafers from one carrier and deposits them into another carrier without damage to the wafers or touching any more than the edge surfaces and adjacent areas of the wafers.
Claims11
A transfer device for transferring a plurality of wafers between carriers comprising:
- a support for a first carrier,
- a support for a second carrier positioning the planes of the wafer grooves in the two carriers parallel to each other and on the same plane,
- a wafer support system having opposed wafer support means including alternate lands and grooves therein with said grooves being alternately provided with and without lower portions of reduced depth such that the alternate grooves having such lower portions engage and support wafers at their periphery below the horizontal centerline of the wafers while the side walls of the grooves above the lower portions maintain the wafer substantially vertical,
- means for moving said lower portions of reduced depth toward each other to support wafers therebetween and away from each other to release said wafers, and
- means for moving said wafer support system and carriers vertically and transversely relative to each other to transfer wafers on said wafer supports between carriers,
- said alternate grooves without said lower portions sized to pass over wafers in any position of the wafer support means.
3 more elements
A transfer device for wafers comprising:
- a support for a carrier,
- a wafer support system having opposed wafer support means including alternate lands and grooves therein with said grooves being alternately provided within and without lower portions of reduced depth such that the alternate grooves having such lower portions engage and support wafers at their periphery below the horizontal centerline of the wafers while the side walls of the grooves above the lower portions maintain the wafer substantially vertical,
- means for moving said lower portions of reduced depths toward each other to support wafers therebetween and away from each other to release said wafers, and
- means associated with said carrier support and movable vertical relative thereto for supporting wafers and transferring them between said wafer support system and a carrier associated with said carrier support,
- said alternate grooves without said lower portions sized to pass over wafers in any position of the wafer support means.
2 more elements
A transfer device for transferring a plurality of wafers between carriers comprising:
- a support for a carrier,
- a wafer support system having opposed wafer support means including alternate lands and grooves therein with said grooves being alternately provided within and without lower portions of reduced depth such that the alternate grooves having such lower portions engage and support wafers at their periphery below the horizontal centerline of the wafers while the side walls of the grooves above the lower portions maintain the wafer substantially vertical,
- means for moving said lower portions of reduced depths toward each other to support wafers therebetween and away from each other to release said wafers, and
- means for moving said carrier support and wafer support system vertically away from each other to remove wafers from a carrier on the carrier support and toward each other to deposit wafers in a carrier on said carrier support,
- said alternate grooves without said lower portions sized to pass over wafers in any position of the wafer support means.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.