Abstract: A substrate transfer device includes a pick which has positioning pins to position a substrate and holds a positioned substrate; a drive unit which drives the pick such that the substrate is loaded/unloaded to/from a vacuum processing unit by using a pick; and a transfer control unit which controls a transfer operation of the substrate using the pick. The transfer control unit obtains in advance information on a reference position of the substrate at room temperature when the substrate is loaded into the vacuum processing unit, calculates a positional deviation from the reference position of the substrate when the substrate is loaded into the vacuum processing unit in actual processing, and controls a drive unit such that the substrate is loaded into the vacuum processing unit by correcting the positional deviation.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a first transfer mechanism including a first shaft which is rotatable and vertically arranged and a horizontally extensible and retractable first arm having at a leading end thereof a first pick for holding a processing target object, the first arm being attached to the first shaft; and a second transfer mechanism including a second shaft which is rotatable and vertically arranged and a horizontally extensible and retractable second arm having at a leading end thereof a second pick for holding a processing target object, the second arm being attached to the second shaft. The first and the second transfer mechanism are vertically separated from each other while a rotation center of the first shaft and a rotation center of the second shaft coincide with each other.

Abstract: An alignment processing mechanism 10 according to the present invention includes: a conveying mechanism 11 for conveying a substrate W to be processed, an alignment mechanism 12 for aligning the substrate W conveyed by the conveying mechanism 11 to a predetermined direction, and a buffer mechanism 13 for relaying the substrate W from the conveying mechanism 11 to the alignment mechanism 12. The buffer mechanism 13 is adapted to temporarily hold the substrate W conveyed by the conveying mechanism 11, and to pass the temporarily holding substrate W to the alignment mechanism 12 based on a state of the alignment mechanism 12. According to the present invention, the alignment mechanism 12 can be used with greater efficiency in order to achieve a high speed of an alignment process.

Abstract: A process system comprises cassette housing chambers 33A and 33B, each of which houses therein a cassette C having housed an object W to be processed, and process chambers 26A through 26D for carrying out a predetermined process for the object W. The cassette housing chambers 30A and 30B are connected to the process chambers 26A through 26D via a transfer chamber 28. In the transfer chamber 28, there are provided a first transfer unit 32 for delivering the object W between the cassette housing chambers 30A and 30B and the transfer chambers 26A through 26D, and a second transfer unit 34 for delivering the object W between the process chambers 20A through 26D and the transfer chamber 28. In the overlapping range 36 of transfer ranges of the first and second transfer units 32 and 34, an aligning unit 38 for aligning the object W is arranged.

Abstract: An auxiliary vacuum chamber 12 according to the invention comprises a container 30 having an opening 10, 14 for taking an object to be processed W into and out of the container. A holder 33a is movably placed in the container 30, which can hold the object W taken therein. The holder 33a can also form a hermetically closed space 32a with a portion of the container 30 when moved in the container 30. The container 30 is provided with supplying means 38a for supplying a gas from the outside of the container 30 into the hermetically closed space 32a. The container 30 is also provided with exhaust means 37 for exhausting the gas from the hermetically closed space 32a to the outside of the container 30. According to the invention, the auxiliary vacuum chamber 12 need not have gate-valves for being opened and shut to the other chambers 4 and 16.

Abstract: A gas is supplied to a second chamber so that the pressure in the second chamber is raised to a predetermined level. A communication passage is provided for internally connecting the first and second chambers. When the pressure in the first chamber attains the predetermined level, the gas is allowed to flow from the second chamber into the first chamber through the communication passage. A gas flow can be checked when an open-close door is opened to connect the chambers. Thus, there is no substantial gas flow, so that particles can be prevented from being flung up.

Abstract: A cassette carrier unit for carrying a cassette, in which a plurality of substrates are housed, into and out of cassette chambers of the multi-chamber system including a hand on which the cassette is mounted. A multi-joined arm for supports the swingable hand, and a base supports the multi-joined swingable arm. The multi-joined arm includes a first shaft member rotatably attached to the hand, a second shaft member rotatably attached to the base, a third shaft member rotated associating with the first shaft member but in a direction reverse to the direction in which the first shaft member is rotated, and a fourth shaft member rotatably attached to the base and to which rotation drive force is transmitted. A first arm is rotatably attached to the first shaft member at the front end thereof and to the second shaft member at the base end thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a surface processing apparatus which performs heating processing of an object of heating which is mounted on a mounting device provided inside a process container, and which includes a plural number of lamps provided so as to oppose a rear surface of a processing surface of an object of processing, a rotating unit which has the plural number of lamps mounted to it in a ring shape, and a drive unit which drives the rotating unit. Also, the present invention relates to a processing apparatus for leading a process gas from a gas supply tube to a gas chamber partitioned inside a process container, and which blows process gas from an outlet of the gas chamber and onto an object of processing which is mounted on a mounting device provided inside the process container, and which includes a plural number of partition plates each provided with a plural number of through holes, being provided at required intervals in a direction of gas flow and inside the gas chamber.

Abstract: The leading ends of sheets in a storage container are brought into abutment against arcuate portions of stopper rollers by an abutment roller to orient the sheets properly with respect to the first direction, i.e, to correct the sheets out of a skewed condition Then, the sheets are fed between a feed roller and a separator roller to arrow the separator roller to separate the uppermost sheet from the other sheets. Thereafter the other sheets are fed back into the storage container by reverse rollers.