Abstract: Provided is a wafer stocker that can prevent the inflow of an external atmosphere, maintain a wafer storage space at a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and prevent dust from being attached to a wafer surface. A shutter portion, including multiple shield plates having the same height as an interval between shelf plates disposed in a storage container, is disposed with a slight space from a body portion, and by supplying clean gas into the storage container, a clean atmosphere of a higher pressure than an external environment is maintained, and a shutter portion is opened and closed by moving up and down the shield plate independently from the shelf plate that supports a wafer.

Abstract: Provided is a wafer stocker that can prevent the inflow of an external atmosphere, maintain a wafer storage space at a desired atmosphere with a relatively small amount of gas, and prevent dust from being attached to a wafer surface. A shutter portion, including multiple shield plates having the same height as an interval between shelf plates disposed in a storage container, is disposed with a slight space from a body portion, and by supplying clean gas into the storage container, a clean atmosphere of a higher pressure than an external environment is maintained, and a shutter portion is opened and closed by moving up and down the shield plate independently from the shelf plate that supports a wafer.

Abstract: A loader is provided, which is disposed in a low cleanliness room along a border between the low cleanliness room and a high cleanliness room, for transporting a dust free article between an inside of a container receiving the dust free article and the high cleanliness room, comprising a movable stage for mounting the container; an opening portion through which the dust free article is transported between the container and the high cleanliness room; a door for opening and closing the opening portion; a unifying means for unifying a cover of the container and the door when the container approaches the door; and a driving apparatus for moving the cover and the door unified within the loader to open and close the opening portion and the container.

Abstract: In order to automate the positioning at respective ports at the start-up of an equipment in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment equipped with a positioning device and a carrying robot and enhance productivity, 2 points W1 and W2 at which the circumference of a disc-like object 47 such as a wafer and the locus 43 of a detection means cross are detected, and the center position A of a disc-like object is calculated using the specific point O on the perpendicular bisector 42 of the section of a line combining 2 points with these and the radius r of the disc-like object. Thereby, the carrying robot could carry out the positioning work and not only the correction of a carrying route but also the reference position teaching at the start-up of equipment could be automated using the result.

Abstract: When a first floor (11) which is formed of a punching plate or the like and through which air passes is provided immediately below an arm (17) at a middle height part of a conveying robot (10) in a casing (2a) of a clean transfer device (2) and a degree of opening of a casing bottom part frame (2b), which supports a base part of the conveying robot (10), with respect to the outside is restricted, a class 1 can be maintained. Here, when a second floor (13) formed of a punching plate or the like is used on the casing bottom part frame (2b), a class 0 state can be realized under specific conditions, thereby enabling production of a semiconductor having a wire width of 0.1 ?m. As a result, the device can cope with the unexpectedly high degree of cleanliness of 0.1 ?m particle class 1, which cannot be realized in the prior art, requested also for the transfer device according to a reduction in wire width on a highly integrated semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A stator portion of a linear motor includes a U-phase coil portion (10U), a V-phase coil portion (10V), and a W-phase coil portion (10W) through which currents with phases different by 120 degrees from one another flow. Each coil portion has pairs of a first coil wound clockwise and a second coil wound counterclockwise. The pairs of coils adjoin to each other in the moving direction and are connected in series and arrayed in the moving direction. When the extension length from the first coil to the second coil is 360 degrees, the V-phase coil portion overlaps with and is shifted from the U-phase coil portion by 120 degrees, and the W-phase coil portion overlaps with and is shifted from the V-phase coil portion by 120 degrees with respect to the moving direction. A magnet portion (30) is movably combined with the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase coil portions. The length of the magnet portion in the moving direction is less than a half of the wavelength of the magnetic flux generated with the coils.

Abstract: A stator portion of a linear motor includes a U-phase coil portion (10U), a V-phase coil portion (10V), and a W-phase coil portion (10W) through which currents with phases different by 120 degrees from one another flow. Each coil portion has pairs of a first coil wound clockwise and a second coil wound counterclockwise. The pairs of coils adjoin to each other in the moving direction and are connected in series and arrayed in the moving direction. When the extension length from the first coil to the second coil is 360 degrees, the V-phase coil portion overlaps with and is shifted from the U-phase coil portion by 120 degrees, and the W-phase coil portion overlaps with and is shifted from the V-phase coil portion by 120 degrees with respect to the moving direction. A magnet portion (30) is movably combined with the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase coil portions. The length of the magnet portion in the moving direction is less than a half of the wavelength of the magnetic flux generated with the coils.

Abstract: In order to automate the positioning at the steps of reference position teaching and normal manufacturing at respective ports at the start-up of an equipment in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment equipped with a positioning device and a carrying robot and enhance productivity, 2 points W1 and W2 at which the circumference of a disc-like object 47 such as a wafer and the locus 43 of a detection means cross are detected, and the center position A of a disc-like object is calculated using the specific point O on the perpendicular bisector 42 of the section of a line combining 2 points with these and the radius r of the disc-like object, in the present invention. Thereby, the carrying robot could carry out the positioning work and not only the correction of a carrying route but also the reference position teaching at the start-up of equipment could be automated using the result.

Abstract: When a first floor (11) which is formed of a punching plate or the like and through which air passes is provided immediately below an arm (17) at a middle height part of a conveying robot (10) in a casing (2a) of a clean transfer device (2) and a degree of opening of a casing bottom part frame (2b), which supports a base part of the conveying robot (10), with respect to the outside is restricted, a class 1 can be maintained. Here, when a second floor (13) formed of a punching plate or the like is used on the casing bottom part frame (2b), a class 0 state can be realized under specific conditions, thereby enabling production of a semiconductor having a wire width of 0.1 ?m. As a result, the device can cope with the unexpectedly high degree of cleanliness of 0.1 ?m particle class 1, which cannot be realized in the prior art, requested also for the transfer device according to a reduction in wire width on a highly integrated semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: A loader disposed in a low cleanliness room along a border between the low cleanliness room and a high cleanliness room, for transporting a dust free article between an inside of a container receiving the dust free article and the high cleanliness room, which includes: (a) a stage for mounting the container; (b) an opening portion through which the dust free article is transported between the inside of the container and the high cleanliness room; (c) a door for opening and closing the opening portion; (d) unifying means for unifying a cover of the container and the door when the container approaches the door; and (e) a driving means for transferring the unified cover and door within the loader to simultaneously open and close the opening portion of the container.

Abstract: A loader disposed in a low cleanliness room along a border between the low cleanliness room and a high cleanliness room, for transporting a dust free article between an inside of a container receiving the dust free article to the high cleanliness room, which comprises: (a) a stage for mounting the container; (b) an opening portion through which the dust free article is transported between the inside of the container and the high cleanliness room; (c) a door for opening and closing the opening portion; (d) unifying means for unifying a cover of the container and the door when the container approaches the door; and (e) a driving means for transferring unified cover and door within the loader to simultaneously open and close the opening portion and the container.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rotary coating apparatus wherein liquid to be applied (diffusion agent, photo resist, and others) is dropped through a nozzle on a rotating glass plate or semiconductor wafer seated on top of a spindle to form coatings over their surfaces and a cap is fitted on the lower surface of the nozzle when not in use to provide sealing so that the space enclosed with said nozzle and said cap is filled with solvent vapor.