Transferring device for a vacuum processing apparatus and operating method therefor

• US 6,467,186 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2001
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Itou, Atsushi, Tsubone, Tsunehiko, Kato, Shigekazu, Nishihata, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, KATHRYN S
• Application Number:
  US09/766,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 34/60, 34/92, 342/18, 342/28, 342/29, 342/32, 342/36, 414/217, 414/222.13, 414/785, 414/937, 414/939, 414/940
• US Class Current: 34/92
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/006 Processes utilising sub-atmospheric pressure; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/36 Print density control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/365 by compensation for variation in temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/564 Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67028 for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67253 Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67736 Loading to or unloading from a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67748 horizontal transfer of a single workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 134/902 Semiconductor wafer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A transferring device for a semiconductor wafer which transfers a wafer storing structure to a table and/or other positions within the vicinity of a vacuum processing apparatus and removes wafers from the wafer storing structure. The transfer devices maintain a horizontally transferring state of both the wafer storing structure and of the wafers in the wafer storing structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transferring substrates, comprising:

a first transfer device for transferring a cassette to a cassette table, said cassette table being disposed in a vicinity of a vacuum processing apparatus, for placing said cassette on said cassette table horizontally, and for transferring said cassette from said cassette table to another position; and

a second transfer device for removing substrates in said cassette, said substrates being horizontal in said cassette,

wherein said first transfer device maintains a transferring state of said cassette without changing a posture of the cassette as placed on the cassette table, and said second transfer device maintains a transferring state of said substrates in said cassette without changing a posture of said substrates.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first and second transfer devices maintain a horizontal plane of said substrates.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first transfer device transfers a set of cassettes to a position corresponding to a location of said cassette table, which faces to double lock chambers for loading and unloading said substrates.

4. An apparatus for transferring a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

a first transfer device for transferring a wafer storing structure to a table, said table being disposed in a vicinity of a vacuum processing apparatus, for placing the transferred wafer storing structure on said table horizontally, and for transferring said wafer storing structure from said table to another position; and

a second transfer device for removing semiconductor wafers in said wafer storing structure from the wafer storing structure, said semiconductor wafers being horizontal in the wafer storing structure,

wherein said first transfer device maintains a transferring state of said wafer storing structure without changing a posture of the wafer storing structure as placed on said table, and said second transfer device maintains a transferring state of said semiconductor wafers in said wafer storing structure without changing a posture of said semiconductor wafers.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said first transfer device transfers a set of wafer storing structures to a position corresponding to a location of the table, which faces to double lock chambers for loading and unloading said semiconductor wafers.