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:
May. 01, 2007
Filed:
Sep. 14, 2004
Shinya Mochizuki, Shiroyama-Machi, JP;
Motoki Akimoto, Shiroyama-Machi, JP;
Shinya Mochizuki, Shiroyama-Machi, JP;
Motoki Akimoto, Shiroyama-Machi, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo-To, JP;
Abstract
There is provided a vertical heat treatment system capable of simplifying the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of an opening which is formed in a partition wall separating a housing-box transfer area from a treating-object transfer area (a wafer transfer area), and of contributing to space saving, when an object to be treated is carried in the vertical heat treatment system through the opening to carry out a predetermined treatment. In a vertical heat treatment system for carrying an object W to be treated, which is housed in a treating-object housing boxclosed by an opening/closing lid, in a treating-object transfer areavia an opening, which is formed in a partition wallseparating a housing-box transfer areafor transferring the treating-object housing box from the treating-object transfer areain an atmosphere of an inert gas, to carry out a predetermined treatment, a standby box transfer meansis provided in the housing-box transfer area for holding a treating-object housing box, which houses therein the next object to be carried in the treating-object transfer area, in the vicinity of the opening to cause the treating-object housing box to stand by. Thus, when the object to be treated is carried in via the opening of the partition wall, which separates the housing-box transfer area from the treating-object transfer area (wafer transfer area), to carry out a predetermined treatment, the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of the opening is simplified, and the space is saved.