Patent US5188501A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5188501A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Wafer transfer system
Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co Ltd
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Filing: 1991-04-26
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Granted: 1993-02-23
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Expires: 2011-04-26
Abstract
Abstract A wafer transfer system consisting of automatic robot claws and a susceptor having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers, wherein the concavities of the susceptor are each provided with at least three trenches made across the circumference of each concavity and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity; that each trench is formed such that when a wafer is set in the concavity that portion of the edge of the wafer which is disposed in the trench defines under itself a space in communication with the rest of the space defined by the trench; and that the automatic claws each have as many nails as the number of the trenches of each concavity and are capable of opening and closing the nails which are designed to engage with the wafer in the concavity by inserting the nail tips into the respective space defined under the edge of the wafer.
Inventors
- 👤 Munenori Tomita
- 👤 Junichiro Takei
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 04:34
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/76; H10P72/7604; H10P72/7611; H10P72/7602; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/135; Y10S414/141
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
151 words
In a wafer transfer system including automatic robot claws and a susceptor having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers, an improvement comprising at least three trenches made across the circumference of each concavity and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity; each trench being formed such that, when a wafer is set in the concavity, that portion of the edge of the wafer which is disposed in the trench defines under itself a space in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer; and said automatic robot claws each having as many nails as the number of the trenches of each concavity and capable of opening and closing the nails which are designed to engage with the wafer in the concavity by inserting the nail tips into the respective space defined under the edge of the wafer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
151 words
In a wafer transfer system including automatic robot claws and a susceptor having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers, an improvement comprising at least three trenches made across the circumference of each concavity and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity; each trench being formed such that, when a wafer is set in the concavity, that portion of the edge of the wafer which is disposed in the trench defines under itself a space in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer; and said automatic robot claws each having as many nails as the number of the trenches of each concavity and capable of opening and closing the nails which are designed to engage with the wafer in the concavity by inserting the nail tips into the respective space defined under the edge of the wafer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
74 words
The wafer transfer system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said trenches is rectangular when seen from above with two sides of the rectangle being normal to that radius of said circular concavity which, if extended, passes the center of the rectangle, and when cut by a plane normal to the upper face of the susceptor and including said radius, each trench has a sectional profile resembling the check mark * *.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
The wafer transfer system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the trenches are formed such that the distance between an inner ridge corresponding to the left-end tip of the check mark and the bottom ditch of the trench corresponding to the bottom tip of the check mark projected on a horizontal line is from 2.0 to 3.0 mm and the height of the same ridge measured from the bottom ditch is from 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
103 words
A wafer transfer system including automatic robot claws and a susceptor having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers wherein said concavities of said susceptor are each provided with at least three trenches made across the circumference of each concavity and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity; each trench being formed to define a space, under an edge of a wafer and in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer when a wafer is set in the concavity, for entry of a nail of said automatic robot claw.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
A wafer transfer system including automatic robot claws and a susceptor having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers wherein said concavities of said susceptor are each provided with at least three trenches made across the circumference of each concavity and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity; each trench being formed to define a space, under an edge of a wafer and in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer when a wafer is set in the concavity, for entry of a nail of said automatic robot claw.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A wafer transfer system as recited in claim 4, wherein said automatic robot claws each have as many nails as the number of the trenches of each concavity and are capable of opening and closing the nails.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
A wafer transfer system as recited in claim 5, wherein said nails of said robot claws each include a tip for engaging with the wafer in the concavity by inserting the nail tips into the respective space defined under an edge of the wafer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
74 words
The wafer transfer system as claimed in claim 4 wherein each of said trenches is rectangular when seen from above with two sides of the rectangle being normal to a radius of said circular concavity which, if extended, passes the center of the rectangle, and when cut by a plane normal to the upper face of the susceptor and including said radius, each trench has a sectional profile resembling a check mark, * *.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
76 words
The wafer transfer system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the trenches are formed such that the distance between an inner ridge corresponding to the left-end tip of the check mark and the bottom ditch of the trench corresponding to the bottom tip of the check mark projected on a horizontal line is from 2.0 to 3.0 mm and the height of the same ridge measured from the bottom ditch is from 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
97 words
A susceptor for a wafer transfer system having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers, at least one of said concavities of the susceptor being provided with at least three trenches made across the circumference of said at least one of said concavities and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity, each said trench being formed to define a space, under an edge of a wafer and in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer when a wafer is set in the concavity.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
97 words
A susceptor for a wafer transfer system having circularly bounded and round-bottomed concavities for receiving wafers, at least one of said concavities of the susceptor being provided with at least three trenches made across the circumference of said at least one of said concavities and arranged equiangularly about the center of each concavity, each said trench being formed to define a space, under an edge of a wafer and in communication with the portion of the space defined by the trench which is outside the circumference of the wafer when a wafer is set in the concavity.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
72 words
The susceptor as claimed in claim 9 wherein each of said trenches is rectangular when seen from above with two sides of the rectangle being normal to a radius of said circular concavity which, if extended, passes the center of the rectangle, and when cut by a plane normal to the upper face of the susceptor and including said radius, each trench has a sectional profile resembling a check mark, * *.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
74 words
The susceptor as claimed in claim 10 wherein the trenches are formed such that the distance between an inner ridge corresponding to the left-end tip of the check mark and the bottom ditch of the trench corresponding to the bottom tip of the check mark projected on a horizontal line is from 2.0 to 3.0 mm and the height of the same ridge measured from the bottom ditch is from 0.1 to 0.3 mm.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-02-23 | 1996-08-24 | 1997-02-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-02-23 | 2000-08-24 | 2001-02-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-02-23 | 2004-08-24 | 2005-02-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |