Conveying system for a vacuum processing apparatus
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsShigekazu Kato, Kouji Nishihata, Tsunehiko Tsubone, Atsushi Itou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vacuum processing apparatus which includes a cassette mount table for holding at least one cassette, a conveying structure that includes a robot, a cassette table for holding the cassette, an additional conveying structure for transferring a wafer held on the cassette table. Further, the apparatus is provided with a vacuum loader which is connected to the additional conveying device by a lock chamber. a controller system controls the second conveyor structure and manages the replacement of the cassette on the cassette table; and further, instructs the replacement of the cassette.
Claims9
A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:
- a first conveyor structure provided with a cassette mounter and a first robot;
- a cassette mount table for holding a cassette;
- and
- a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from a cassette held on the cassette mount table, said wafer being removed from the cassette through a window portion of the cassette,
- wherein:
- the first robot transfers the cassette from the cassette mounter onto the cassette mount table in a state that the window portion of the cassette faces to the vacuum processing apparatus,
- the second conveyor structure is provided with a second transfer structure and a second robot arranged on the second transfer structure,
- the second robot is shiftable on a track of the second transfer structure and is provided with an arm accessing the cassette to take out the wafer from the cassette,
- the second robot is arranged to transfer the wafer horizontally from the cassette, and
- the wafer is adapted to be transferred from the cassette on the cassette mount table to a vacuum processing chamber by the second robot and a third robot in a horizontal line to the extent of one cassette height during transportation of the wafer.
A conveyor system for use in a vacuum processing apparatus, comprising:
- a first conveyor structure for transferring a cassette, the first conveyor structure being provided with a first robot;
- a cassette table for holding the cassette;
- a lock chamber;
- a second conveyor structure for transferring a wafer from the cassette on the cassette table to the lock chamber;
- and
- a controller controlling said first conveyor structure, the second conveyor structure and managing a replacement of the cassette on the cassette table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.