The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 19, 1994
Filed:
Jan. 28, 1992
Teppei Yamashita, Ise, JP;
Masanao Murata, Ise, JP;
Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Ise, JP;
Teruya Morita, Ise, JP;
Hitoshi Kawano, Ise, JP;
Atsushi Okuno, Ise, JP;
Masanori Tsuda, Ise, JP;
Mitsuhiro Hayashi, Ise, JP;
Hiromi Morita, Ise, JP;
Shinko Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A wafer keeping apparatus includes a closed wafer keeping space, and an arrangement for circulating an inert gas through a filter and then through the wafer keeping space. In one embodiment, several wafer keeping shelves are each provided within the space, and the inert gas is supplied through a respective filter to flow across each shelf. In another embodiment, a plurality of wafer keeping spaces are each accessible through a respective door which forms an airtight seal when it is closed, and respective filters are provided on opposite sides of the space, the inert gas being supplied to the space through one filter and exiting the space through the other filter. In a further embodiment, several of the wafer keeping spaces are provided at angularly and vertically spaced locations in a rotatable stocker body provided within a casing, and several vertically spaced doors are provided on the casing to provide access to respective wafer keeping spaces in the stocker body.