Abstract: An edge handling chuck which operates to maintain a semiconductor wafer at a desirable orientation while rotating the wafer at high speeds is disclosed. The edge handling chuck consists of a cylindrical plate which holds a silicon wafer using multiple spring loaded edge wafer clamps. Gas passes through a center hole in the cylindrical plate and is dispersed to the atmosphere using multiple pressure relief openings in the cylindrical plate. The purpose of this gas arrangement is to stabilize the wafer due to spinning vortex effects. The cylindrical plate has mounted therein an ertalyte ring which provides an area of angled contact for the wafer. The gas arrangement operates to pass gas to the slight space between the semiconductor wafer and the cylindrical plate, thereby contacting a lower surface of the wafer, and subsequently out of the arrangement using the pressure relief holes.

Abstract: A vacuum processing system for handling and processing rectangular glass panels for flat panel displays has a cluster configuration. The system includes a central buffer chamber, with multiple processing chambers, a load lock and an unload lock positioned around the buffer chamber and coupled to the buffer chamber through gate valves. The buffer chamber contains a turntable that is rotatable about a vertical axis. The system further includes substrate carriers, each for supporting a substrate in a vertical orientation as it is transported through the system and is processed. The turntable has dual substrate carrier positions for rotating substrate carriers into alignment with a selected processing chamber, the load lock or the unload lock. Multiple substrates can be handled and processed concurrently to achieve a high throughput rate. The system is typically used for sputter deposition of ITO films and metal films on the glass substrate.

Abstract: A vacuum gate valve includes a valve body having an opening therethrough and a valve seat surrounding the opening, and a swing gate assembly rotatable about a pivot axis between an open position and a closed position. The swing gate assembly includes a swing gate body, a resilient seal gasket mounted to the swing gate body so as to sealingly engage the valve seat in the closed position, and a spreader for flattening the resilient seal gasket in a region that engages the valve seat. The gate valve further includes an actuator for rotating the swing gate assembly between the open position and the closed position. In a preferred embodiment, the seal gasket is a resilient tube, and the spreader is located within the tube. The swing gate assembly may include a mechanism for adjusting the spreader to thereby adjust the tension applied to the seal gasket.

Abstract: A rollaway opening closure and more particularly a fabric opening closure adapted to be stored in a reeled or rolled position and to be unrolled from the reel to close the opening. The apparatus includes a roller, a drawbar, a sheet of fabric and at least one pivoted bar link. The axis of the roller, the drawbar and the pivot of the bar link are maintained parallel as the fabric is unrolled from the roller. The drawbar and the bar link are structurally attached. The fabric is attached to the roller and the drawbar but unattached to other elements of the apparatus. A rotational biasing means biases the fabric into rolled position on the roller and causes the fabric to be maintained taught when unrolled and in closing position at an taught when unrolled and in closing position at an opening.

Abstract: A raster scan apparatus provides a scanning assembly capable of moving in a sinusoidal motion along a first direction and stepping in fine steps in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In one embodiment, a piezoelectric bimorph sets in scanning motion a scanning assembly formed by a wafer holder and leaf springs. The amplitude of the scanning motion is controlled by a voltage applied across the piezoelectric bimorph. A Hall effect sensor provides an output signal indicating the instantaneous location of the scanning assembly in motion. The output signal of the Hall effect sensor is compared against a predetermined threshold to provide a trigger signal for synchronization. The output signal of the Hall effect sensor is also fed back to the source of sinusoidal voltage to adaptively adjust the sinusoidal voltage so as to achieve a predetermined amplitude for the scanning motion.

Abstract: A wafer processing system including wafer handling arms incorporated into vacuum isolation valves is described. A loadlock with elevator and optical sensors is used to inventory and position a cassette of wafers. The wafers in the cassette can be randomly accessed. A computer is used to control the system according to a task status table independent of time sequence.

Abstract: An elevator structure is actuated to remove wafers individually out of a storage cassette to an elevated delivery position. The elevator is a lift blade with an arcuate upper end shaped to match the curvature of the wafers, and a groove within this end adapted to match the thickness of a wafer and retain a wafer edgewise. A wafer-holding chuck on a chuck assembly is adapted to receive a wafer from the elevator when the elevator is in the elevated delivery position. The chuck assembly is movable from the delivery position to a remote position where the chuck presents the wafer to a support member. The support member is provided with an aperture and a plurality of deformable wafer-holding clips spaced around the aperture. The chuck assembly includes a pneumatic cylinder capable of contacting a portion of each clip to urge same to an open position. The invention includes an arrangement in which the chuck is mounted on a chuck assembly in the form of a door for sealing an opening in a process chamber.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein is a cyclic power mechanism including means providing for a variable dwell between cycles of the mechanism. The mechanism produces energy during each cycle and stores the energy of each cycle for consumption. The variable dwell between cycles is terminated and a new cycle is initiated upon the consumption of a preestablished portion of the stored energy. A preferred embodiment of the mechanism is a free piston engine operation on an Otto cycle. The piston of the engine is restrained after each combustion cycle as the energy of that combustion is stored for use. When a preestablished portion of the stored energy has been consumed, the piston is released and forced into another compression and combustion cycle for further storage of the combustion energy.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein is a cyclic power mechanism including means providing for a variable dwell between cycles of the mechanism. The mechanism produces energy during each cycle and stores the energy of each cycle for consumption. The variable dwell between cycles is terminated and a new cycle is initiated upon the consumption of a preestablished portion of the stored energy. A preferred embodiment of the mechanism is a free piston engine operation on an Otto cycle. The piston of the engine is restrained after each combustion cycle as the energy of that combustion is stored for use. When a preestablished portion of the stored energy has been consumed, the piston is released and forced into another compression and combustion cycle for further storage of the combustion energy.

Abstract: A system for the automated handling and transfer of wafers individually and repetitively to and between processing stations and cassettes. A track-like conveyor engages a cassette holding a plurality of wafers in vertically facing alignment, to move same horizontally past a loading station of a processing chamber. A vertically moveable blade passes between the conveyor tracks and through the cassette to engage a wafer edgewise from below and move same upwardly to the processing chamber entrance. Vacuum means mounted to the door of the chamber entrance engages and holds the wafer during insertion into the chamber by closure of the door. Clip means are mounted within the periphery of an aperture of a vertical support plate just within the chamber entrance, to engage edgewise the wafer and support it within the plate aperture while in the processing chamber. The wafer is removed after processing by operating the foregoing apparatus in reverse order.

Abstract: A translation mechanism for linearly moving a beam stopper in radiation therapy apparatus includes first and second arms pivotally mounted to a support and third and fourth arms pivotally mounted to the first and second arms. The third and fourth arms are attached to the beam stopper and can comprise part of the beam stopper. In one embodiment, the third and fourth arms include disc shaped portions stacked in axial alignment with a drive motor attached to one disc portion ahd having a drive shaft axially aligned with and coupled to the other portion whereby relative rotation of the disc portions effects linear translation of the beam stopper.