Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Apparatus – Vacuum
Reexamination Certificate
2005-06-14
2005-06-14
Esquvel, Denise L. (Department: 3749)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Apparatus
Vacuum
C414S939000, C414S940000, C134S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06904699
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus having vacuum processing chambers the insides of which must be dry cleaned, and to a method of operating such an apparatus. When the vacuum processing chambers are dry-cleaned, dummy substrates are transferred into the vacuum processing chamber by substrates conveyor means from dummy substrate storage means which is disposed in the air atmosphere together with storage means for storing substrates to be processed, and the inside of the vacuum processing chamber is dry-cleaned by generating a plasma. The dummy substrate is returned to the dummy substrate storage means after dry cleaning is completed. Accordingly, any specific mechanism for only the cleaning purpose is not necessary and the construction of the apparatus can be made simple. Furthermore, the dummy substrates used for dry cleaning and the substrates to be processed do not coexist, contamination of the substrates to be processed due to dust and remaining gas can be prevented and the production yield can be high.
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Itou Atsushi
Kato Shigekazu
Nishihata Kouji
Tsubone Tsunehiko
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Esquvel Denise L.
Hitachi , Ltd.
O'Malley Kathryn S.
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