Ulvac, Inc.

Kazuhiro Musha

Hirofumi Minami

Takayuki Suzuki

Seiichi Satou

Toshio Koike

Mitsuru Yahagi

Masao Murata

Takafumi Kawaguchi

Kenji Ago

Hirotoshi Nakao

Takahiro Miyata

Kiyotaka Yamada

Satoshi Shiba

Jyunpei Yuyama

Takashi Asaishi

A substrate transport device includes an arm, an end effector coupled to the arm, a driver configured to lift the arm so that the end effector receives a substrate, and a controller configured to control an output of the driver to change a lifting speed of the arm. While lifting the arm at a first speed to lift the end effector toward the substrate, the controller changes the lifting speed to a second speed that is lower than the first speed when the end effector starts to raise a height position of the substrate.

Substrate transport device and substrate transporting method

A substrate transport device includes an arm, an end effector coupled to the arm, a driver configured to lift the arm so that the end effector receives a substrate, and a controller configured to control an output of the driver to set a lifting speed of the arm. A difference in height between the end effector and the arm is a position difference. A period from when the end effector contacts the substrate until the end effector completes reception of the substrate is a transition period. The controller sets an upper limit value of the lifting speed that decreases an amplitude of one of acceleration or jerk of the position difference in the transition period as compared to before the transition period to an upper limit value of the lifting speed for the transition period.

A vacuum processing apparatus having a small installation area is provided. A lifting plate is arranges inside a vacuum chamber, and a substrate holding device is arranged on the lifting plate to be able to be lifted up and down. An upper side processing device and a lower side processing device are provided in a processing region located beside a lifting region where the lifting plate moves up and down. An upper side moving device and a lower side moving device make the substrate holding device pass through the processing region, and a transfer device transfers the substrate holding device between the upper side moving device or the lower side moving device and the lifting plate. Because vacuum processing can be performed on the upper side and the lower side, the installation area of the vacuum processing apparatus is small.

Vacuum processing apparatus

[Object] To provide a seal mechanism that reduces a maintenance frequency for replenishment of a lubricating material and has small friction resistance, and a treatment apparatus equipped with the seal mechanism. [Solving Means] A lip seal () of a seal mechanism () is arranged so as to surround a drive shaft (), and a lip portion () thereof includes a seal portion () that comes into contact with the drive shaft (). A wall member () is attached to the drive shaft () so as to close a lower opening of a mounting member () and face the lip seal (). By at least the mounting member () and the wall member (), a container capable of accommodating a lubricating material () is formed. A gap () set such that the lubricating material () does not pass therethrough is provided between the wall member () and a holding base body (). With such a structure, a space for accommodating the lubricating material () can be secured and the seal mechanism () and the drive shaft () are allowed to be in contact with each other only at the seal portion () of the lip seal ().

Seal mechanism and treatment apparatus

Disclosed are a substrate conveyance method and substrate conveyance system that are able to quickly transfer a substrate without losing positional accuracy. Using an electrostatic chuck mechanism in the holding of a wafer (W) by the holding surface () of a conveyance robot, the wafer (W) is transferred from a supporting surface () to the holding surface () in the state where an electrostatic attraction force is generated at the holding surface (). As a result, since it is possible to hold the wafer by means of the electrostatic attraction force starting immediately after the wafer (W) has been transferred to the holding surface (), it is possible to rapidly execute a wafer (W) conveying operation and thus it is possible to reduce the conveying time of the wafer between processing chambers.

Substrate conveyance method and substrate conveyance system

A compact transport apparatus that does not cause pollution to its environment is provided. In a transport apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention, an installation area of the apparatus is small because first and second rotary shafts are arranged concentrically, and a dead center escaping mechanism has a simple structure with a small thickness. Since a connecting portion of a hand portion can be made thin, an opening of a gate valve through which the hand portion is inserted can be reduced. As a result, it becomes difficult for dust inside a transport chamber to enter a processing chamber. A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a spaced dual shaft-type transport apparatus. Although the lengths of first arms provided at rotating shafts may differ from the lengths of second arms provided between the first arms and a substrate supporting portion, the apparatus is free from malfunction even when the lengths thereof differ because the transmission of a rotative force of a dead center escaping mechanism is released at a position except at a dead center in the present invention.

Transport apparatus

There are provided a rotation introduction mechanism which transmits a rotating motion on the atmosphere side into vacuum, is arranged simply, has a low sliding resistance, and has a long life, a substrate transfer apparatus, a substrate transfer apparatus having a small pivot radius and generating a smaller amount of dusts, and a vacuum processing apparatus. A lubricant holding member is attached to a vacuum seal mechanism. The substrate transfer apparatus is arranged such that a first link mechanism includes a first arm and a fourth arm, a second link mechanism includes a second arm and a third arm, the first arm is fixedly attached to a first drive shaft, the first arm is fixedly attached to a second drive shaft, the third arm is rotatably attached to the first drive shaft, and the fourth arm is rotatably attached to the second drive shaft. The vacuum processing apparatus includes the substrate transfer apparatus.

Rotation introduction mechanism, substrate transfer apparatus, and vacuum processing apparatus

The backing pressure of an ink tank is controlled. The ink tank is connected to a pressure control apparatus. The pressure control apparatus has first and second check valves. When the internal pressure of the ink tank becomes smaller than that of outside atmosphere by a first predetermined pressure or more, the first check valve is switched into an open state to connect the outside atmosphere and the ink tank. To the contrary, when the internal pressure of the ink tank becomes larger than that of outside atmosphere by a second predetermined pressure or more, the second check valve is switched to an open state to connect the ink tank with the outside atmosphere. Therefore, the internal pressure of the ink tank is controlled precisely enough to stabilize the meniscus.

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Chigasaki, Japan

Kazuhiro Musha