Micrion Limited Partnership

Varian Associates, Inc.

Micrion Corporation

Nicholas Guarino

Billy W Ward

David Edwards, Jr

Nicholas P Economou

Gabriel Onorio

An apparatus for generating a localized, non-contact vacuum seal at a selected process region of a workpiece surface includes a vacuum body with a workpiece-facing surface having a plurality of concentric grooves and a central bore thorugh which a process energy beam can be transmitted. A method of generating a localized vacuum seal includes placing the vacuum body into selected proximity with the process region of the workpiece surface, and differentially evacuating the grooves, thereby defining differentially pumped vacuum chambers which reduce the influx of atmospheric particles to the process region. A selected control gas can be introduced into a vacuum body groove to further reduce the influx of atmospheric particles to the process region, and selected process gases can be introduced into the vacuum body to react with the process beam.

Localized vacuum apparatus and method

A platform for positioning inside an evacuated chamber is slidable in a y--y direction along a movable support member that is movable along an x--x direction perpendicular to the y--y direction. The movable support member is formed with end bearings that ride along a y-drive shaft that carries a first helical gear for meshing with a second orthogonal helical gear that rotates a feed screw accommodated by a threaded opening in the platform. An electric motor is coupled to the y-drive shaft through the wall of the evacuated housing with a vacuum sealing assembly.

Right angle driving

A rectangular plate holder is formed with an approximately square recess defined by an upstanding perimetrical wall having two top studs on one side and one top stud on an opposed side wall lapped to be coplanar in a common plane. The base plates include five and three sets of mask clamping points for defining clamping points for five and three mask sizes. Each clamp includes a clamp assembly fastened to the base having a spring-loaded lower clamping arm below an upper set screw clamping point. A handle is fixed to one side between the opposed sides having the lapped studs.

Mask holding

A housing has a flange for engagement with an evacuable vessel having a work table for supporting devices to be processed with an ion beam inside the vessel. The housing has rails extending into the vessel toward the work table. A carriage rides on the rails and has upstanding pins that engage a cassette carrying the masks to be processed. A transport mechanism housing is in sealing relationship with the bottom of the housing and supports a motor-driven drum about which a steel tape is wrapped and surrounded by a circumferential set of rollers. The far end of the steel tape is connected to the carriage. A loading door selectively closes the opening of the housing away from the vessel. The top of the housing includes a glass port.

Module positioning apparatus

An evacuable vessel having a heavy cylindrical wall seated on a generally square base has a heavy cover hinged at one end to a hinge support attached to the wall. The cover is bolted to the wall in the closed position and sealed by an O-ring. The hinge bolts are seated in a slotted hole to allow the cover to pivot about the O-ring when closing. Adjustable set screws may be used to tighten the hinge arms and introduce a selected degree of friction. Springs are connected between the outside end of each hinge arm and the base.

Evacuable chamber enclosing

Apparatus comprising a work table movable along orthogonal axes, and optical means, including orthogonal mirrors movable with the table, for sensing the positions of the table along the axes, featuring an improvement wherein the table comprises a solid block of metal, means are provided to secure a workpiece to move with the block, and two orthogonal external surfaces of the block are polished to provide the mirrors.

X-Y Work table

In apparatus having a work chamber in which workpieces are treated under high vacuum, that improvement comprising an inner chamber having a capacity for a plurality of workpieces, an outer chamber, vacuum means for evacuating the inner and outer chambers, a first valve for sealing between the work chamber and the inner chamber, a second valve for sealing between the inner and outer chambers, a third valve for sealing between the outer chamber and the atmosphere, loading means for loading workpieces through the third valve into the outer chamber from the atmosphere, and transfer means for transferring individual workpieces through the second valve between the inner and outer chambers, and for transferring individual workpieces through the first valve between the inner chamber and the work chamber.

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Arlington, MA, United States of America

Nicholas Guarino