Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Yamanashi Limited

Tel Engineering Limited

Kiyotaka Akiyama

Tutomu Hiroki

Shoichi Abe

Tsutomu Satoyoshi

An apparatus according to the present invention includes a cassette in which a plurality of substrates are stored, a contact guide member provided to face a side surface of the cassette, and pressing end surfaces of substrates stored in the cassette, an alignment device for moving the contact guide member to approach the cassette, and pressing the contact guide member against the end surfaces of the substrates in the cassette, thereby aligning the substrates all at one pressing time, and detectors, provided for the alignment device at positions corresponding to spaces of substrates held in the cassette, in the same or multiple number of the spaces for holding substrates, for detecting whether or not a substrate is present in each of the spaces for holding the substrates of the cassette.

Apparatus for detecting and aligning a substrate

A vacuum-process system comprising plural vacuum-process chambers in which substrates are processed in decompressed atmosphere, a first load lock chamber communicated with each of the vacuum-process chambers and exhausted to substantially same decompressed atmosphere as in the vacuum-process chambers, a second load lock chamber communicated with the first one and exhausted to substantially same atmosphere as in the first load lock chamber, a first carrier arranged in the first load lock chamber to carry the substrate between the first and the second load lock chamber, a first buffer assembly arranged in the first load lock chamber to temporarily hold plural substrates thereon, a second buffer assembly arranged in the second load lock chamber to temporarily hold plural substrates thereon, an assembly in the second load lock chamber to position single or plural substrates relative to their passage, and a second carrier arranged in normal atmosphere to carry plural substrates into and out of the second load lock chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Kofu, Japan

Kiyotaka Akiyama