Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-07
2001-02-20
Bratlie, Steven A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving material between zones having different...
C414S939000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190104
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a treatment object conveyor apparatus for conveying objects to be treated inside a chamber, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising the treatment object conveyor apparatus, and a treatment object treatment method that uses the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In FIG.
8
A-
FIG. 8D
are diagrammed a treatment object conveyor apparatus for conveying objects to be treated, which configures a main component of a conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. A vacuum chamber comprises an upright vacuum chamber
1
, and, above and below, two connecting chambers
2
and
3
that are connected laterally, so that a treatment object
4
such as a semiconductor wafer or a wafer cassette for holding semiconductor wafers can be conveyed between the vacuum chamber
1
and the connecting chambers
2
and
3
.
FIG. 8A
is a front elevation diagramming how conveying is done in the horizontal direction indicated by arrow B between the vacuum chamber
1
and the upper connecting chamber
2
.
FIG. 8B
is a side elevation of FIG.
8
A.
FIG. 8C
is a front elevation diagramming how conveying is done in the vertical direction indicated by arrow A inside the vacuum chamber
1
. And
FIG. 8D
is a front elevation diagramming how conveying is done in the horizontal direction indicated by arrow B between the vacuum chamber
1
and the lower connecting chamber
3
.
An elevator mechanism
16
that raises and lowers a treatment object conveyor robot
12
is deployed inside the vacuum chamber
1
. To describe the configuration of this elevator mechanism
16
, a straight guide shaft
7
and a threaded shaft
6
are deployed upright between two elevator attachment bases
5
and
6
located at the top and bottom inside the vacuum chamber
1
. To the threaded shaft
8
is attached an elevator pedestal
9
that ascends and descends along the guide shaft
7
. For this reason, a threaded hole that engages the threaded shaft
8
and a guide hole in which the guide shaft
7
can slide are provided in the elevator pedestal
9
. By engaging the elevator pedestal
9
with the threaded shaft
8
and turning the threaded shaft
8
, the elevator pedestal
9
is made to ascend and descend along the guide shaft
7
. A motor
10
that is designed for operation in air and that is the drive source for turning the threaded shaft
8
is provided in the atmosphere outside the vacuum chamber
1
. This is because motors designed for use in a vacuum are expensive. The turning shaft of the motor
10
penetrates to the inside of the vacuum chamber
1
via a magnetic seal
11
, and is linked to the threaded shaft
8
through the elevator attachment base
5
, so that the turning thereof is transmitted to the threaded shaft
8
.
With only the elevator pedestal
9
, the treatment object
4
can only be made to ascend and descend in the vertical direction (arrow A), wherefore the elevator pedestal
9
is linked to a treatment object conveyor robot
12
to achieve complex movements of the treatment object
4
that include movements in the horizontal direction (arrow B). The treatment object conveyor robot
12
comprises a conveyor arm
13
and a drive unit
14
comprising a motor. The conveyor arm
13
is turned or extended and retracted by the drive unit
14
to convey the wafer-holding wafer cassette or other treatment object
4
in the horizontal direction.
Unless the entire treatment object conveyor robot
12
is made to ascend and descend, it is possible to place the drive unit for the treatment object conveyor robot
12
outside of the vacuum chamber
1
. However, in order to cause the entire treatment object conveyor robot
12
to ascend and descend, the drive unit
14
is accommodated inside an airtight vessel
15
from which communication with the outside has been cut off, thus preventing dust generated in conjunction with the movement of the drive unit
14
from being scattered inside the vacuum chamber
1
. For the same reason as that stated earlier, designing the drive unit
14
to operate in a vacuum results in high cost, wherefore an inexpensive drive unit designed for use in air is used, with the interior of the airtight vessel
15
normally at atmospheric pressure.
The treatment object conveyor apparatus described in the foregoing is subject, however, to the following problems.
(1) The elevator mechanism comprising such sliding parts as the guide shaft
7
, threaded shaft
8
, and elevator pedestal
9
, etc., is deployed inside the vacuum chamber
1
, wherefore particles and the like are produced by the sliding parts and not only constitute a danger of contaminating the clean environment inside the vacuum chamber
1
but also result in a larger vacuum chamber
1
because the elevator mechanism
16
is inside the vacuum chamber
1
.
(2) The drive unit
14
inside the airtight vessel
15
linked to the elevator pedestal
9
is designed for operation in air, wherefore, if a leak develops in the airtight vessel
15
so that the interior thereof becomes a vacuum as inside the vacuum chamber
1
, there is a danger that the drive unit
14
which is designed for operation in air will be damaged so that stable operation cannot be obtained. In order to prevent this, the drive unit
14
must be designed to operate in a vacuum, which makes it expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a treatment object conveyor apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a treatment object treatment method wherewith it is possible to stably operate the treatment object conveyor means deployed inside a chamber, and wherewith the problems in the prior art noted above are resolved. Another object of the present invention is to provide a treatment object conveyor apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a treatment object treatment method wherewith the generation of dust inside the chamber can be reduced and the chamber can be made smaller.
A first invention is a treatment object conveyor apparatus comprising: a chamber; a treatment object conveyor means deployed inside the chamber having a conveyor unit and a drive unit for driving the conveyor unit, for driving the conveyor unit with the drive unit and for conveying the treatment object carried by the conveyor unit; an airtight vessel for housing the drive unit of the treatment object conveyor means in an airtight condition inside the chamber; a shaft that penetrates in an airtight way into the chamber from outside the chamber and which is linked with the airtight vessel for advancing and retracting the airtight vessel relative to the chamber to move the entirety of the treatment object conveyor means; a movement mechanism for advancing and retracting the shaft; and a venting channel that effects the outside atmosphere inside the airtight vessel by causing the airtight vessel to communicate with the outside of the chamber. The pressure inside the chamber may be a vacuum, atmospheric pressure, or some other pressure.
When the movement mechanism deployed outside the chamber is moved, the airtight vessel accommodated inside the chamber is moved via the shaft, wherefore the entirety of the treatment object conveyor means attached to the airtight vessel also moves. The drive unit inside the airtight vessel can be moved in the outside atmosphere because the airtight vessel communicates to the outside. When the drive unit is moved, the treatment object conveyor means themselves move, and the treatment object carried on the conveyor unit is conveyed to another location inside the chamber, or to a connecting chamber connected to the chamber.
Of the components of the treatment object conveyor means deployed inside the chamber, the conveyor unit is exposed inside the chamber, but the drive unit is configured so that it is contained in an airtight condition in the airtight vessel that communicates with the outside. That being so, even when the treatment object conveyor means are operated inside the chamber, un
Aburatani Yukinori
Ikeda Kazuhito
Watahiki Shinichiro
Yoshida Hisashi
Bratlie Steven A.
Kokusai Electric Co. Ltd.
Oliff & Berridge PLC.
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