| Vacuum device and vacuum pump -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Vacuum device and vacuum pumpRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, One Fluid Pumped By Contact Or Entrainment With Another, Diverse Pumps, Including Jet PumpVacuum device and vacuum pump description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060182638, Vacuum device and vacuum pump. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] Relating to a vacuum apparatus and, in particular, relating to a vacuum apparatus for use in the semiconductor manufacturing field and so on and a vacuum pump for use in such a vacuum apparatus. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Vacuum apparatuses have been used in the semiconductor manufacturing field and many other industrial fields. The vacuum apparatuses each generally comprise a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump for keeping the inside of the vacuum chamber in a vacuum or pressure-reduced state. [0003] The vacuum apparatus is disposed in a clean room and is configured to perform predetermined processing while introducing and exhausting a predetermined process gas into and from the vacuum chamber. [0004] Referring to FIG. 1, description will be given of one example of a conventional vacuum apparatus employed in a semiconductor manufacturing system. [0005] This vacuum apparatus comprises a plurality of reaction chambers (vacuum chambers) 10, 11, and 12, high vacuum pumps 1, 2, and 3 as first vacuum pumps one or a plurality of which are arranged for each of the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 in order to bring the inside thereof into a pressure-reduced or vacuum state, and booster pumps 4a, 5a, and 6a as second vacuum pumps and back pumps 4b, 5b, and 6b as third vacuum pumps that are arranged at subsequent stages of the high vacuum pumps, respectively. [0006] Further, valves 22, 23, and 24 are provided between the high vacuum pumps 1, 2, and 3 and the booster pumps 4a, 5a, and 6a, respectively. [0007] There are further provided load lock chambers 13 and 14 for transferring processing objects such as wafers to the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 and a transfer chamber 15 provided therein with a robot (transfer apparatus) that transfers the processing objects, brought into the load lock chamber 13, into the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 and transfers them from the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 into the load lock chamber 14. [0008] A booster pump 8a and a back pump 8b are connected to the load lock chamber 13, a booster pump 7a and a back pump 7b are connected to the load lock chamber 14, and a booster pump 9a and a back pump 9b are connected to the transfer chamber 15, thereby being capable of bringing those chambers into pressure-reduced or vacuum states, respectively. [0009] Further, although not illustrated, the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 are each provided with a gas inlet and heating means such as a heater to thereby carry out predetermined processing such as film formation while introducing a predetermined gas under heating. [0010] In the figure, symbols A1 denote pipes between the high vacuum pumps 1, 2, and 3 and the booster pumps 4a, 5a, and 6a, respectively, while symbols A2 denote pipes between the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 and the high vacuum pumps 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Further, in the figure, symbol R denotes a clean room. [0011] In the state where this vacuum apparatus is on standby, the transfer chamber 15 and the reaction chambers 10, 11, and 12 are each held in a pressure-reduced or vacuum state. [0012] Then, a cassette with a plurality of processing objects such as wafers placed therein is brought into the load lock chamber 13 from the atmosphere outside the apparatus and the load lock chamber 13 is exhausted. [0013] Subsequently, a gate valve (not illustrated) between the load lock chamber 13 and the transfer chamber 15 is opened and the processing object transfer robot uses its transfer arm to pick up one of the processing objects from the cassette and transfer it into the transfer chamber 15. [0014] Thereafter, a gate valve (not illustrated) between the reaction chamber 10 and the transfer chamber 15 is opened and the processing object is placed on a stage in the reaction chamber 10 by the use of the transfer arm. [0015] Then, after the predetermined processing such as film formation, the processed object is transferred into the other reaction chamber 11 or 12 or the load lock chamber 14 by the use of the transfer arm. [0016] Then, after the processing, the processed object is finally transferred to the exterior from the load lock chamber 14. [0017] In the conventional vacuum apparatuses including the system shown in FIG. 1, use is generally made, as the high vacuum pump, of a high vacuum pump that operates in the molecular area of ultimate vacuum (10.sup.-7 torr or less). Specifically, a turbomolecular pump or a thread groove pump is generally used as the high vacuum pump. [0018] The turbomolecular pump and the thread groove pump each generally have a low allowable back pressure of 1 torr or less (specifically 0.5 torr or less and more specifically about 0.4 torr) while the pumping speed is high even with a small size. Therefore, there is/are provided, at the subsequent stage of the high vacuum pump, an intermediate/low vacuum pump or intermediate/low vacuum pumps in one or two stages which each operate at a relatively low back pressure while the ultimate vacuum is relatively low. [0019] For example, in the case where vacuum pumps are provided in two stages at the subsequent stage of the high vacuum pump, a booster pump or the like is provided subsequent to the high vacuum pump as an intermediate vacuum pump and, further, a Roots pump or the like is provided subsequent to the booster pump as a low vacuum pump that operates at a relatively low back pressure while the ultimate vacuum is low. [0020] A vacuum apparatus of this type having a plurality of stages of vacuum pumps for use in the semiconductor device manufacturing field is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-39061. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0021] As described above, in a vacuum apparatus for use in manufacturing semiconductor devices, use is generally made of two or three vacuum pumps, arranged in multistages in series with respect to one reaction chamber (vacuum chamber). These vacuum pumps often have mutually different structures as described above, but are all driven by electric motors. Accordingly, in the vacuum apparatus of this type where the number of vacuum pumps used is large, the power consumption increases. Since the power consumption of the vacuum apparatus resultantly affects the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device, it is desired to reduce the power consumption. Continue reading about Vacuum device and vacuum pump... Full patent description for Vacuum device and vacuum pump Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Vacuum device and vacuum pump patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Vacuum device and vacuum pump or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method for controlling a hydraulic system of a mobile working machine Next Patent Application: Hat in fan Industry Class: Pumps ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Vacuum device and vacuum pump patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.12816 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
