Single shaft dual cradle vacuum slot valve

• US 6,390,448 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Tomasch, Gregory A., Kroeker, Tony R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwon, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEASEL, ERIC S
• Application Number:
  US09/538,923
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 251/158, 251/167, 251/193, 251/195, 251/211, 251/215, 251/296, 251/302, 251/327, 414/217, 414/221, 137/613, 137/614.11, 137/614.13
• US Class Current: 251/167
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/188 by means of hydraulic forces
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 51/02 specially adapted for high-vacuum installations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0514 Gate valve

Abstract

A single slot valve shaft is in a vacuum body between adjacent vacuum chambers, such as a process module and a transport module. Separate valves are provided on the single shaft actuator for each of two valve body slots, each body slot being closed or opened according to the position of the single shaft. The separate valves allow a vacuum condition to be maintained in the transport module while an adjacent process module is open to the atmosphere for servicing. The single shaft allows access to an open valve for servicing the open valve by way of stops that limit drive travel and hold the valve in an open, but not vertically-spaced, position relative to a respective slot. The open valve is easily reached by a gloved hand of a service worker. The single shaft is mounted on a first cradle, and the first cradle is mounted on a second cradle. Two separate shaft drives move the two cradles to position the single shaft to locate the valves between the slots to open one slot and close the other slot. Another separate shaft drive moves the single shaft vertically down from the open position and away from the slots to expose seal surfaces around the slots for cleaning.

Claims

1. A dual-sided slot valve for use in a semiconductor process cluster tool architecture arrangement, the dual-sided slot valve comprising:

a housing having a first side and a second side, the housing having a first slot at the first side and a second slot at the second side to permit transport of a substrate between a first module and a second module, the first module being attached to the first side of the housing and the second module being attached to the second side of the housing;

a first door movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the first slot;

a second door movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the second slot;

a single shaft connected to each of the first and second doors; and

a dual-cradle assembly carrying the single shaft for selectively and separately moving either of the first and second doors to a closed position to close the respective slot, the dual-cradle assembly comprising;

a frame supporting the housing;

a first cradle mounted on the frame for movement relative to the housing;

a second cradle mounted on the first cradle for movement relative to the housing; and

the single shaft being mounted on the second cradle so that the movement of each of the first and second cradles relative to the housing changes the position of the single shaft within the housing to open or close a selected one of the slots.

2. A dual-sided slot valve according to claim 1, the dual-cradle assembly further comprising:

a drive for moving each of the cradles in a first common direction to move the single shaft and close one of the slots.

3. A dual-sided slot valve according to claim 1, the dual-cradle assembly further comprising:

a drive for moving each of the cradles in a first common direction to move the single shaft and close one of the slots and in a second common direction to move the single shaft and close the other one of the slots.

4. A dual-sided slot valve for use in a semiconductor process cluster tool architecture arrangement, the dual-sided slot valve comprising:

a housing having a first side and a second side, the housing having a first slot at the first side and a second slot at the second side to permit transport of a substrate between a first module and a second module, the first module being attached to the first side of the housing and the second module being attached to the second side of the housing;

a first door movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the first slot;

a second door movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the second slot;

a single shaft connected to each of the first and second doors, the single shaft having a central position, when the single shaft is in the central position each of the first door and the second door being placed in an open position that is spaced from and between each of the first slot and the second slot; and

a dual-cradle assembly carrying the single shaft for selectively and separately moving either of the first and second doors to a closed position to close the respective slot, the dual-cradle assembly comprising;

first and second cradles; and

a separate drive for each of the cradles, each separate drive having an extended position, the separate drives in the respective extended positions holding the single shaft in the central position so that the first door and the second door are held in the open position;

the first cradle being mounted for rotation relative to the housing and carrying the second cradle, the second cradle carrying the single shaft and being mounted for rotation relative to the first cradle, each of the separate drives also having a retracted position.

5. A dual-sided slot valve according to claim 4, further comprising:

a controller for operating the separate drives, the controller causing one of the separate drives to be in the extended position and the other of the separate drives to be in the retracted position to move the first and second doors along a valve open-closed path to and from the respective open and closed positions for selectively and separately moving either of the first and second doors to a closed position to close the respective slot.

6. A dual-sided slot valve for use in a semiconductor process cluster tool architecture arrangement provided with a process module and a transport module, the dual-sided slot valve comprising:

a vacuum body having a first process module side and a second transport module side, the vacuum body having a process module slot at the first side and a transport module slot at the second side for allowing transport of a substrate between the process module and the transport module, the process module being attached to the first side of the body and the transport module being attached to the second side of the body, the first side of the body having a first wall surface and the second side of the body having a second wall surface;

a single shaft having a door-mount end movable in the body toward and away from each of the process module slot and the transport module slot along a closure path, the door-mount end being movable away from the body along an access path that is generally perpendicular to the closure path to provide a line of clear sight between the process module slot and the transport module;

a first door mounted to the door-mount end of the single shaft for movement along the closure path to open and close the process module slot;

a second door mounted to the door-mount end of the single shaft for movement along the closure path to open and close the transport module slot;

the first and second doors being mounted by the single shaft for movement along the access path between an up position and a down position, the down position being away from the line of sight to permit accessing of the slots and the respective wall surfaces adjacent to the slots;

a dual-cradle assembly for carrying the single shaft so that the door-mount end moves along the access path and the closure path, the dual-cradle assembly having first and second cradles, the first cradle being mounted for rotation on a first axis on the second cradle, the second cradle being mounted for rotation on a second axis on the vacuum body; and

a shaft drive mechanism on the dual-cradle assembly, the mechanism having a first drive mounted on the dual-cradle assembly for moving the door-mount end of the single shaft in the body toward and away from each of the process module slot and the transport module slot along the closure path, the shaft drive mechanism having a second drive for moving the shaft drive mechanism door-mount end toward and away from the body along the access path;

the single shaft being mounted on the first cradle;

the first drive being mounted on the first and second cradles for rotating the first and second cradles and moving the door-mount end of the actuator in the body toward and away from each of the process module slot and the transport module slot along the closure path; and

the second drive being mounted on the first cradle for moving the door-mount end toward and away from the body along the access path.