Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd.

Shinko Electric Company, Ltd.

Mitsuo Natsume

Mitsutoshi Ochiai

Atsushi Suzuki

Yasushi Taniyama

Takumi Mizokawa

Toshimitsu Morihana

Mikio Segawa

Shin Kawahisa

Toshihiro Kawai

Manabu Funato

Kunihiko Sato

Masahiro Osawa

Yuki Matsumoto

There is provided an end structure of a nozzle () including a gas-flow passage () communicable with an opening () provided through a bottom of a container () configured to contain an object, the nozzle () configured so that gas is injected into or discharged from the container () through the gas-flow passage () and the opening (). The end structure includes a contact portion () provided at an upper end portion of the nozzle () and around the gas-flow passage (), and the contact portion () is configured to be brought into contact with a contacted portion () provided around the opening (). The contact portion () includes a flat portion () and protruding portions (and) each protruding upward relative to the flat portion (), and the flat portion () is made of material softer than that of the protruding portions (and).

End structure of nozzle, purging device, and load port

An EFEM includes a housingthat constitutes a wafer transport chamberthat is substantially closed by connecting load portsto an openingprovided on a wall, and connecting a processing apparatus; a wafer transport apparatus, and transports a wafer between the processing apparatusand the FOUPsmounted on the load ports; a gas delivery port; a gas suction port; a gas feedback path; and a FFUthat includes a filterthat is provided in the gas delivery port, and eliminates particles contained in the delivered gas, wherein the gas in the wafer transport chamberis circulated by generating a downward gasflow in the wafer transport chamberand feeding back the gas through the gas feedback path

EFEM

A load port device comprises a link mechanism that has a main moving link whose one end is connected with a door holding member in a rotatable manner, a guide that bends and extends from a horizontal direction to a vertical direction and that guides one end of the main moving link, a main moving block with which the other end of the main moving link is connected in a rotatable manner and a door hoisting shaft that extends in the vertical direction and that moves the main moving block in the extending direction. The link mechanism allows the end of the main moving link to move from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction or from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction along the guide in a state that the other end of the main moving link moves to the vertical direction.

Load port device

The present invention provides an atmosphere replacement apparatus capable of replacing the atmosphere on the surface of a wafer with a small amount of gas. The apparatus is configured to have a cover capable of facing and covering the wafer to be transported, and a gas supply means that supplies gas having properties different from a surrounding atmosphere from the cover, and replaces the atmosphere on the surface of the wafer by the gas.

Atmosphere replacement apparatus, substrate transport apparatus, substrate transport system, and EFEM

The left-right span between a light projection sectionand a light receiving sectionof a mapping sensorhaving an optical axis Lextending in a left-right horizontal direction is arranged to be narrower than the span of a front opening of a open cassettewhich is a smaller one of differently-sized containers conveyed to a load port, and the mapping sensor is attached to a mapping device. A first protrusion sensorhaving an optical axis Lextending in the left-right horizontal direction is attached to the mapping deviceto be separated from the mapping sensorin a moving direction of the mapping sensor. Furthermore, a second protrusion sensorhaving an optical axis extending in the up-down moving direction of the mapping sensoris provided.

Wafer mapping apparatus and load port including same

A purge nozzle unitincludes a nozzle main bodyincluding a trunkand a collar sectionprotruding outward from the trunkand a holderincluding a side wallthat is in slidable contact with an outward face of the collar sectionand a bottom wallhaving a through holewith which an outward face of the trunkis in slidable contact and is configured such that a ventin communication with the outside is formed in the holderand the nozzle main bodyis vertically moved relative to the holderby regulating a pressure in a pressure-regulated space S formed between the nozzle main bodyand the holderand in communication with the vent

Purge nozzle unit, purge apparatus and load port

A load port is disclosed which allows a wafer to be transferred between the inside of a FOUP and the inside of a semiconductor fabrication apparatus even during a purge operation. The load port is provided adjacent the semiconductor fabrication apparatus in a clean room and includes a purge stage having a purge port through which a gas atmosphere in the FOUP is replaced into nitrogen gas or dry air, an opener stage provided in a juxtaposed relationship with the purge stage and having an opening communicating with the inside of the semiconductor fabrication apparatus and a door section capable of opening and closing the opening, and a moving mechanism for moving the FOUP between the purge stage and the opener stage.

Load port

Disclosed herein is an apparatus including: a table configured to receive a container that stores an object therein, the container including a bottom surface provided with a positioning groove and including a charging inlet through which a gas is charged into the container; a positioning pin projecting from the table and adapted to engage with the positioning groove of the container; a nozzle configured to charge the gas into the container through the charging inlet; and a drive unit configured to move the nozzle into contact with the charging inlet of the container after the positioning pin is engaged with the positioning groove.

Gas charging apparatus, gas discharging apparatus, gas charging method, and gas discharging method

An attaching apparatus for attaching a load port apparatus to an attaching face of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a bogie truck body to be attached to a lower end portion of the load port apparatus. A pair of downwardly projecting positioning protrusions having a circular transverse sectional shape are also attached to the lower end portion of the load port apparatus. A support plate is secured to a lower end portion of the attaching face in such a manner as to project toward the load port apparatus. A pair of positioning recesses are formed on an upper face of the support plate and each has a circular hollow shape, in a plan view, such that said plurality of positioning protrusions may be individually fitted therein.

Attaching apparatus for load port apparatus

The carrier baseis movably installed at the upper part of the FOUP opener main body, and the clamping baseis movably installed at the upper part of the carrier base. The clamp leveris rotatably supported by the rotating shaftat the upper part of the clamping base, and the clamping pawlis formed on the clamp lever. The carrier baseand the FOUPintegrally move. The clamping pawl, which is accommodated into the clamping recess, presses the clamped portionfrom above to below, by which the FOUPis fixed to the mounting base

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mitsuo Natsume