Abstract: In order to easily and surely remove contaminants or the like from wafers stored in a pod (FOUP), a gas supply pipe is located above an opening portion in a FIMS system. A clean gas is blown to the upper surfaces of the wafers stored in the inner portion of the pod through the gas supply pipe to remove the contaminants or the like from wafers.

Abstract: Provided is a detecting device for an FIMS system, for easily and simply detecting a slip-out of a glass wafer from an FOUP or detective storage thereof. The detecting device includes a light transmission sensor and a light reflection sensor. A light emitting portion of the light reflection sensor, a light receiving portion thereof, and one of a light emitting portion of the light transmission sensor and a light receiving portion thereof are disposed on one surface side of a substrate to be detected in a position in which the substrate is located. The other of the light emitting portion of the light transmission sensor and the light receiving portion thereof is disposed on the other surface side of the substrate to be detected in the position in which the substrate is located.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus on which a pod having an opening is detachably mounted is provided with a door unit and a mapping unit provided with a transmitting type sensor having an emitter and a detector forming a slot therebetween. The emitter and the detector are moved toward the opening in the pod and are plunged into the interior of the pod after a door is opened by the door unit, and the slot between the emitter and the detector crosses an end portion of a wafer to thereby detect the presence or absence of the wafer. Thereby, a mechanism portion liable to produce dust which may adhere to the wafer and cause the contamination thereof can be disposed separately from the pod.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a clamping mechanism and the like, which have no likelihood of contacting the under surface of a pod when the pod is mounted on a mounting board at a loading port. To achieve the object, as an unit for clamping the pod, it is configured to comprise a clamp arm capable of nipping a clamped portion of the pod in its top end portion, a clamp member drive mechanism for performing the nipping and releasing operations of the clamp arm, and a lifting mechanism for moving up and down each clamp arm together the clamp member drive mechanism for the mounting board surface. At that time, an inclined surface having a predetermined angle for up and down directions is formed in the lower part end portion of the top end in at least one from among the clamp arms.

Abstract: A positioning member and a movable member that is to be brought into contact with the positioning member are arranged in one and the other of the load port and the semiconductor manufacture apparatus, respectively. Two pairs of such positioning members and movable members are provided. A groove (preferably V-shaped) into which the movable member is to be fitted is provided in a surface of one of the positioning member that contacts with the movable member. Furthermore, a mechanism for making it possible to adjust the position by moving the movable member in an up-and-down direction is provided to adjust the position of the movable member to thereby make it possible to perform the positional adjustment between the semiconductor manufacture apparatus and the load port. In a preferred embodiment, the positioning member is a roller which may rotate about its own shaft.

Abstract: A fine pressure fluctuation at short time intervals occurring when a portable type hermetically sealed container is purged is reduced to thereby prevent the deterioration or the like of a seal member due to the pressure fluctuation. In order to achieve this object, a gas flow rate regulating apparatus is disposed in a gas supplying system in a purging system, and pressure in the portable type hermetically sealed container during purge is measured and the result thereof is fed back to thereby control the flow rate of a supplied gas.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sealing system for intake and exhaust ports used when performing purging on the interior of a container accommodating objects, such as an FOUP, wherein the sealing of the intake and exhaust lines is effected in a satisfactory manner with respect to the external environment. The sealing member has a ring-shaped main body portion, an inner peripheral lip protruding from the ring inner peripheral portion of the main body portion, and an outer peripheral lip protruding from the ring outer peripheral portion of the main body portion, wherein the space formed by the inner peripheral lip, the outer peripheral lip, etc. can be evacuated.

Abstract: A clean box is composed of a box body having an opening in one surface thereof and a lid member for closing the opening. An annular groove is formed so as to surround the opening on one of the box body or the lid member for defining a suction space sealed between the lid member and the box body under the condition that the lid member is mounted on the box body. Furthermore, intake/exhaust ports are provided for vacuum exhaust/release from the outside.

Abstract: The invention is intended to prevent, in a local clean system, attachment of particles to a wafer, which would occur when the wafer is taken out from a clean box. To achieve the object, an operating method of a local clean system including a processing apparatus, a load port annexed thereto and a clean box set to the load port, comprises the steps of, setting the clean box on the load port, opening a communication path between the load port and the processing apparatus, opening, after said communication path is opened fully, the clean box and bringing a cassette in which a wafer is accommodated inside the clean box into an interior of the load port, and taking the wafer out of the cassette and transferring the wafer into the interior of the processing apparatus.

Abstract: The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus includes a clean box having an opening, a lid for closing the opening, a door to be in contact with the lid and to detach the lid from the clean box, a first stopper adapted to move in conjunction with movement of the clean box without a change in its relative positional relationship with the clean box, and an unmoved second stopper. With this structure, it is possible to prevent the clean box moved on the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus from colliding with the apparatus, even if the clean box manufactured by molding using a reinforced plastic in accordance with a prescribed standard includes a manufacturing error in its size.

Abstract: The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus includes a clean box having an opening, a lid for closing the opening, a door to be in contact with the lid and to detach the lid from the clean box, a first stopper adapted to move in conjunction with movement of the clean box without a change in its relative positional relationship with the clean box, and an unmoved second stopper. With this structure, it is possible to prevent the clean box moved on the semiconductor wafer processing apparatus from colliding with the apparatus, even if the clean box manufactured by molding using a reinforced plastic in accordance with a prescribed standard includes a manufacturing error in its size.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus on which a pod having an opening is detachably mounted is provided with a door unit and a mapping unit provided with a transmitting type sensor having an emitter and a detector forming a slot therebetween. The emitter and the detector are moved toward the opening in the pod and are plunged into the interior of the pod after a door is opened by the door unit, and the slot between the emitter and the detector crosses an end portion of a wafer to thereby detect the presence or absence of the wafer. Thereby, a mechanism portion liable to produce dust which may adhere to the wafer and cause the contamination thereof can be disposed separately from the pod.

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus on which a pod having an opening is detachably mounted is provided with a door unit and a mapping unit provided with a transmitting type sensor having an emitter and a detector forming a slot therebetween. The emitter and the detector are moved toward the opening in the pod and are plunged into the interior of the pod after a door is opened by the door unit, and the slot between the emitter and the detector crosses an end portion of a wafer to thereby detect the presence or absence of the wafer. Thereby, a mechanism portion liable to produce dust which may adhere to the wafer and cause the contamination thereof can be disposed separately from the pod.

Abstract: A clean box is composed of a box body having an opening in one surface thereof and a lid member for closing the opening. An annular groove is formed so as to surround the opening on one of the box body or the lid member for defining a suction space sealed between the lid member and the box body under the condition that the lid member is mounted on the box body. Furthermore, intake/exhaust ports are provided for vacuum exhaust/release from the outside.

Abstract: A clean box is composed of a box body having an opening in one surface thereof and a lid member for closing the opening. An annular groove is formed so as to surround the opening on one of the box body or the lid member for defining a suction space sealed between the lid member and the box body under the condition that the lid member is mounted on the box body. Furthermore, intake/exhaust ports are provided for vacuum exhaust/release from the outside.

Abstract: Using a clean box 30 which includes a box body 31 having an annular groove 33 for suction surrounding a side aperture 32 and an intake/exhaust port 34 in communication therewith, a side lid 35 for closing the aperture 32 while being sucked by a pressure difference between inside and outside a space S for suction formed by the annular groove 33 for suction, and an additional lid 36 for closing the intake/exhaust port 34 by a pressure difference between inside and outside thereof, the clean box 30 is connected to a gate aperture 42 of a clean room 40, a vacuum changer 50 evacuates a hermetically closed space outside the box body including the additional lid 36 to cancel the pressure difference between inside and outside of the additional lid 36 and opens the intake/exhaust port 34 to turn the space S for suction into the atmospheric pressure, the side lid 35 is drawn into the clean room 40 to establish communication between the clean box and the inside of the clean room, and objects to be transferred are then t

Abstract: A clean box has a box body having an aperture in one side surface, an opening/closing lid for hermetically closing the aperture while undergoing vacuum suction to the box body, and a plurality of latches provided on the box body so as to be able to engage the opening/closing lid outside the box body. The latches of the clean box can be unlatched by latch releasing mechanisms from outer and lateral sides of the box body, which are side positions with respect to the side surface having the aperture.

Abstract: A clean box has a container including a container body opened at one surface and a lid for closing the opening of the container body. An annular groove is formed in at least one of the container body and the lid so as to surround the opening. An elastic seal member is disposed within the annular groove along its whole length. A cross-section in a width direction of the elastic seal member has relatively thick end portions and a relatively thin intermediate portion in its dimension in a depth direction of the annular groove. Thus, when the lid closes the opening of the container body, an annular suction space is defined along the intermediate portion of the seal member. Also, the suction space is sealed by elastic deformation of the both end portions of the seal member between the container body and the lid. Further, the clean box has an intake/exhaust port mechanism for evacuation/release of the suction space from the outside.

Abstract: Using a clean box comprising a box body having an aperture in one side surface, a side lid for hermetically closing the aperture, and gas inlet and outlet valves provided in the box body and having neither an evacuation device nor a transfer device, the gas inlet and outlet valves are opened by a gas feeding/discharging mechanism in a state in which the aperture of the box body is closed by the side lid, a non-oxidizing gas is introduced through one of the gas inlet and outlet valves into the clean box, and a gas having filled the clean box before the introduction of the non-oxidizing gas is discharged through the other of the gas inlet and outlet valves.

Abstract: A vacuum clean box 30 includes a box body 31 having a side aperture 32 and a small hole 33 for intake/exhaust, a side lid 34 for closing the side aperture 32 by a pressure difference between inside and outside thereof, and an additional lid 35 for similarly closing the small hole 33 for intake/exhaust. The vacuum clean box 30 is connected to a gate aperture 42 of a clean room 40 and a vacuum changer 50 evacuates a hermetically closed space outside the box body including the additional lid 35 to cancel the pressure difference between inside and outside of the additional lid 35 and then opens the small hole 33 for intake/exhaust. After the inside of the vacuum clean box 30 is turned into the atmospheric pressure through the small hole 33 for intake/exhaust, the side lid 34 is drawn into the clean room 40 to make communication between the inside space of the vacuum clean box and the inside of the clean room 40, and then objects to be transferred are transferred between the vacuum clean box and the clean room.