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, wherein the transfer box door is made to support a wafer thereon and carry the wafer within an interior of the apparatus body;
- 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 body and taken into the interior of the apparatus body together with the apparatus door while supporting the wafer on the transfer box door.
A transfer box having a sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of a transfer box body and a transfer box door which is fitted in an opening of the transfer box body;
- 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 an 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;
- a slanted surface formed in the transfer box door around an outer periphery thereof door to engage with a slanted surface formed in the transfer box body around the opening;
- and a slanted surface formed in the transfer box body on the door side around an outer periphery of the transfer box body to engage with a slanted surface formed at a port of the apparatus body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.