Vat Holding Ag

Andreas Hofer

Adrian Eschenmoser

Florian Ehrne

Martin Netzer

Michael Zickar

Marco Apolloni

Alejandro Marzinotto

Frantisek Balon

Daniel Seitz

Christoph Böhm

Michael Dür

Eligio Belleri

Thomas L Swain

Disclosed is a pin lifting device is designed for moving and positioning a substrate to be processed in a vacuum process chamber. The pin lifting device includes a coupling part having a coupling adapted to receive a support pin designed to contact and support the substrate, and further comprises a drive part having a drive unit adapted to cooperate with the coupling such that the coupling is linearly adjustable along an adjustment axis from a lowered normal position to an extended support position and back. The pin lifting device has at least one temperature sensor, where the temperature sensor is designed and arranged such that a measurement signal representing thermal information with respect to at least part of the pin lifting device can be generated by means of the temperature sensor.

Pin lifting device having a temperature sensor

Method for monitoring a state of a pin lifter device (), wherein the pin lifter device () is designed for moving and positioning a substrate in a process atmosphere region (P). The pin lifter device () has a coupling () and a drive unit () having an electric motor, which is designed and interacts with the coupling () in such a way that the coupling () is adjustable from a lowered normal position into an individual active position and back. The method for monitoring includes progressively receiving a present item of motor current information with respect to a motor current applied to the electric motor, comparing the present motor current information to an item of target current information, and deriving an item of state information based on the comparison.

Method for monitoring, determining the position of, and positioning a pin-lifting system

A safeguarding device includes one or more positive-fit units that safeguard a wafer-transport-container opening element of a wafer transport container, which is held in its closure position by a closing mechanism. The closing mechanism includes one or more chambers, which includes a pressure connection channel that allows a variation of an inner pressure in the chamber relative to a reference pressure. A differential pressure is calculated from the inner pressure of the chamber and the reference pressure and influences a safeguarding status of the positive-fit unit.

Safeguarding device, wafer transport container with at least one safeguarding device, safeguarding system and method with the safeguarding device

Vacuum adjustment device for an active element movable in a process atmosphere region, having a coupling, a drive unit having an electric motor, which cooperates with the coupling in such a way that the coupling can be adjusted from a normal position into an active position and back. The device has a mechanical interface for connecting the vacuum adjustment device to a process volume providing a process atmosphere, a dynamic separating device for separating the process atmosphere from an outer atmosphere region and a control and processing unit at least electrically connected to the drive unit and designed to control the electric motor. The control and processing unit is designed to derive motor state information based on the extent of a motor operating parameter, and has a pressure determination functionality designed in such a way that a load difference is derived by comparing the motor state information with a known motor target state, and a pressure difference between the outer atmosphere region and the process atmosphere region is derived on the basis of the load difference.

Adjustment device for a vacuum area with pressure measuring functionality

Disclosed is a vacuum valve including a valve closure and a preferably pneumatic or electro-pneumatic drive unit having a pressure medium, said drive unit being coupled to the valve closure. The vacuum valve also has a pressure sensor such that a pressure of the pressure medium can be measured.

Vacuum valve having a pressure sensor

Disclosed is a vacuum valve with a sensor arrangement having at least one inertial sensor, where the sensor arrangement is designed in such a way it detects a measuring signal with respect to an acceleration impacting on the valve.

Vacuum valve with inertial sensor

A wafer transfer unit includes at least one data processing unit, which is configured at least for a registration and/or processing of sensor data of at least one sensor, allocated to at least one sub-component of a wafer transfer system, of a sensor module, in particular includes at least one wafer processing module of the wafer transfer system, includes at least one wafer interface system of the wafer transfer system with a wafer transport container and a loading and/or unloading station for a loading and/or unloading of the wafer transport container and/or of the wafer processing module, includes at least one wafer transport container transport system of the wafer transfer system and/or includes at least one wafer handling robot of the wafer transfer system.

Wafer transfer unit and wafer transfer system

Disclosed is a vacuum valve having a valve seat, which has a valve opening, defining an opening axis, and a first sealing surface, a valve closure having a second sealing surface corresponding to the first sealing surface, a drive unit coupled to the valve closure, which can be moved from an open position, in which the valve closure and the valve seat do not contact each other, to a closed position, in which there is a sealing contact between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface by a seal there between, and the valve opening is sealed gastight as a result. The vacuum valve has at least one temperature sensor, where the temperature sensor is designed and arranged such that, from the temperature sensor, a measurement signal representing thermal information in respect of at least one part of the vacuum valve can be detected.

Vacuum valve having temperature sensor

The invention relates to a vacuum valve comprising a sensor assembly with at least one force sensor which has a deformation-sensitive element. The sensor assembly is designed such that a measurement signal relating to a compression of the seal (TO) which lies between a first and a second seal surface, said compression being produced by the first and the second seal surface, is detected by means of the sensor assembly.

Vacuum valve comprising a force sensor

A positioning device, in particular a wafer transportation container positioning device, for positioning a wafer transportation container in a loading and/or unloading position of a loading and/or unloading station which is configured at least for loading and/or unloading wafers from the wafer transportation container. The positioning device, in particular the wafer transportation container positioning device, comprises a positioning mechanism which is configured for contactless positioning of the wafer transportation container in a coupling process between the wafer transportation container and the loading and/or unloading station.

Positioning device, loading and/or unloading system and method for operating a positioning device

A vacuum valve system having a valve seat and a valve closure for closing the valve opening. At least two sealing faces are provided, a first sealing face is the valve seat around the valve opening, and a second sealing face is the valve closure. A drive unit coupled to the valve closure designed so that the valve closure can be adjusted to provide respective valve opening states and is movable from an open position to a closed position, in which the second sealing face is pressed in the direction of the first sealing face and the valve opening in a gastight manner. The vacuum valve system has an optical sensor unit, designed to detect an optical measurement signal and an optical detection axis of the optical sensor unit oriented so that the measurement signal can be detected, and can be produced in a test position.

Vacuum valve with optical sensor

A vacuum valve including a valve body with first and second valve openings, first and second closure elements attached to a valve rod, a longitudinally adjustable transmission piece attached to the valve rod that is adjustable from an open position into an intermediate position, and in a transverse adjustment direction from the intermediate position into a first closing position, and counter thereto into a second closing position. The transmission piece is connected to the valve body via a longitudinal stroke linear guide and a transverse stroke linear guide having a transverse stroke guide part which extends parallel to an oblique adjustment direction and a transverse stroke carriage displaceably guided thereon. To adjust the transmission piece from the intermediate position into the first or second closing position, the transverse stroke carriage is linearly displaceable in or counter to the oblique adjustment direction from a central position into a first or second press-on position.

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Widnau, Switzerland

Andreas Hofer