US5407350A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat-treatment apparatus
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Filing: 1993-02-12
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Granted: 1995-04-18
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Expires: 2013-02-12
Abstract
Abstract A heat-treatment apparatus comprises a heat-treatment section for subjecting a heat-treatment to a wafer and a loading section for loading a wafer boat into and unloading it from the heat-treatment section. The loading section is connected to the heat-treatment section and includes in it a movable support member, a drive mechanism and a vertical base board as well as a load-lock chamber for maintaining the inside in vacuum. The movable support member supports a wafer boat. The movable support member is attached to a vertical base board so that it can move up and down. The drive mechanism is attached on the major surface of the vertical base board opposite to the surface facing the wafer boat. The drive mechanism drives the movable support to move up and down. The heat-treatment apparatus further comprises a wafer transfer section that includes an orientation flat alignment mechanism and a buffer stage disposed near the orientation flat alignment mechanism. The wafer transfer section includes a wafer cassette means, a buffer stage and a wafer transfer robot for transferring wafers between the orientation flat alignment mechanism and the wafer boat.
Inventors
- 👤 Katsuhiko Iwabuchi
- 👤 Takeo Suzuki
- 👤 Takashi Tozawa
- 👤 Satoshi Kagatsume
- 👤 Hirotsugu Shiraiwa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 02:19
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B33/00; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/54; C30B35/00; C30B35/005
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
225 words
A heat-treatment apparatus comprising: a heat-treatment section for subjecting a heat-treatment to an object of treatment in a predetermined manner; and a loading section for loading said object of treatment into and unloading it from said heat-treatment section; said loading section including: a support member for supporting said object of treatment; a drive mechanism for loading said object of treatment; into and unloading it from said heat-treatment section; and a board member disposed between said support member and said drive mechanism to shield said drive mechanism against an area where said object of treatment is moved by the loading section, said board member having first major surface facing the area where said object is moved, and a second major surface opposite to said first major surface and to which said surface mechanism is attached; wherein said loading section is further provided with a load-lock chamber for maintaining an inside in vacuum or in an atmosphere of a given gas, which is connected to said heat-treatment section and contains in it said support member, said drive mechanism and said board member, said loading section further including gas supply means for supplying a desired gas into said load-lock chamber and exhaust means for discharging a gas which is presented in the load-lock chamber from said load-lock chamber to product a given gas flow in the loading section.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
225 words
A heat-treatment apparatus comprising: a heat-treatment section for subjecting a heat-treatment to an object of treatment in a predetermined manner; and a loading section for loading said object of treatment into and unloading it from said heat-treatment section; said loading section including: a support member for supporting said object of treatment; a drive mechanism for loading said object of treatment; into and unloading it from said heat-treatment section; and a board member disposed between said support member and said drive mechanism to shield said drive mechanism against an area where said object of treatment is moved by the loading section, said board member having first major surface facing the area where said object is moved, and a second major surface opposite to said first major surface and to which said surface mechanism is attached; wherein said loading section is further provided with a load-lock chamber for maintaining an inside in vacuum or in an atmosphere of a given gas, which is connected to said heat-treatment section and contains in it said support member, said drive mechanism and said board member, said loading section further including gas supply means for supplying a desired gas into said load-lock chamber and exhaust means for discharging a gas which is presented in the load-lock chamber from said load-lock chamber to product a given gas flow in the loading section.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said loading section further includes gas supply means for supplying a desired gas into the loading section and exhaust means for discharging a gas which is presented in the loading section to produce a given gas flow in the loading section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said drive mechanism is arranged downstream of the gas flow relative to the board
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said drive mechanism is arranged downstream of the gas flow relative to the board member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a ball screw including a ball shaft and a ball nut section, and a motor for driving the ball shaft of said ball screw to rotate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of opposite ends of the board member are securely and rigidly fixed to an inner wall of the load-lock chamber by means of holding members.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein he wall material of the load-lock chamber comprises honeycombs.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said support member comprises supporting means which supports said object of treatment.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
90 words
A heat-treatment apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said ball shaft is rotatably attached to the second major surface of said board member; and said drive mechanism further comprises: a rear side member connected to said ball shaft via said ball nut section, and having a width greater than a width of said board member; and a pair of arms extending from end portions of said rear side member toward the first major surface of said board member, and said support member being attached to distal ends of said arms.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-04-17 | 1998-10-17 | 1999-04-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-04-17 | 2002-10-17 | 2003-04-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-04-17 | 2006-10-17 | 2007-04-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |