Clamp apparatus, substrate carry-in/out apparatus using the same, and substrate processing apparatus

A clamp apparatus comprising:

• a clamp member configured to come in contact with a substrate accommodating container from an upper side so as to fix the substrate accommodating container to a predetermined position when a cover provided on a front side of the substrate accommodating container is opened/closed;
• a driving mechanism configured to drive the clamp member;
• a casing configured to cover the driving mechanism;
• and
• an exhaust chamber including a first exhaust chamber provided at a left side of the casing, a second exhaust chamber provided at a right side of the casing, and a third exhaust chamber provided at a rear side of the casing and between the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber and configured to interconnect the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber when viewed in a front side thereof, each of the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber including a first suction port on a side surface thereof that is configured to communicate with the casing,
• wherein each of the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber is divided into a negative pressure chamber provided at an upper portion of each of the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber and including a fan therein and a second suction port provided on a top surface thereof, and a positive pressure chamber occupied by an area except for the negative pressure chamber within each of the first exhaust chamber and the second exhaust chamber and including a cleaning filter configured to clean a gas on a bottom surface thereof, and
• the fan is configured to suck a gas from the first suction port into the negative pressure chamber while sucking a gas from an outside of the second suction port into the negative pressure chamber to mix the gas from the first suction port with the gas from the outside of the second suction port in the negative pressure chamber such that the mixed gases are sent to the positive pressure chamber, thereby supplying the mixed gases to a predetermined position where the substrate accommodating container is fixed in a down flow while cleaning the mixed gases through the cleaning filter.