Load port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9620399-B2
Application number	US-201514622973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 4, 2004
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A load port is provided with a table and a plate. The table is arranged on a side of a front wall of an atmospheric transfer unit for transferring a piece of material under processing and is adapted to mount on it a container with the piece of material received in the same. The plate serves to isolate an interior of the atmospheric transfer unit from an exterior of the atmospheric transfer unit. The load port includes an exhaust duct arranged on a rear side of the plate and a fan arranged in a lower extremity of the exhaust duct. By the exhaust duct and the fan, an internal atmosphere of the atmospheric transfer unit can be exhausted into the atmosphere.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of preventing corrosion in a load port provided with a transfer chamber, the load port comprising:
a table on which a container containing a piece of material is mounted;
an isolating portion vertically extending and isolating an interior of the transfer chamber from an exterior of the transfer chamber;
an opening formed in the isolating portion, a robot in the transfer chamber transferring the piece of material between the container and the transfer chamber through the opening;
a door that opens or closes the opening from a side of the interior of the transfer chamber;
a drive unit that is arranged under the table at the exterior of the transfer chamber and moves the door for opening or closing the opening;
an accommodation chamber that is arranged under the table at the exterior of the transfer chamber and accommodates the drive unit;
a slot formed in the isolating portion below the opening, the slot being located between the accommodation chamber and the interior of the transfer chamber, the drive unit in the accommodation chamber being linked to the door through the slot,
a cover that is fixed to the isolating portion below the opening so as to cover the slot at the side of the interior of the transfer chamber and form a space between the cover and the isolating portion, an upper end of the cover being open; and
a fan arranged in a lower portion of the cover,
the method comprising;
starting to drive the fan;
flowing gas containing corrosive gas in the interior of the transfer chamber into the space through the upper end of the space;
sucking an atmosphere in the accommodation chamber into the space through the slot by driving the fan; and
exhausting the gas and the atmosphere from the space by driving the fan.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the gas and the atmosphere are exhausted from the space to an exterior of the transfer chamber in the exhausting step.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the space is under a pressure lower than a pressure in the accommodation chamber by driving the fan in the sucking step.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the space is under a pressure lower than a pressure in the transfer chamber and a pressure in the accommodation chamber by driving the fan in the sucking step.

5. A load port provided with a transfer chamber, comprising:
a table on which a container containing a piece of material is mounted;
an isolating portion vertically extending and isolating an interior of the transfer chamber from an exterior of the transfer chamber;
an opening formed in the isolating portion, a robot in the transfer chamber transferring the piece of material between the container and the transfer chamber through the opening;
a door that opens or closes the opening from a side of the interior of the transfer chamber;
a drive unit that is arranged under the table at the exterior of the transfer chamber and moves the door for opening or closing the opening;
an accommodation chamber that is arranged under the table at the exterior of the transfer chamber and accommodates the drive unit;
a slot formed in the isolating portion below the opening, the slot being located between the accommodation chamber and the interior of the transfer chamber, the drive unit in the accommodation chamber being linked to the door through the slot,
a cover that is fixed to the isolating portion below the opening so as to cover the slot at the side of the interior of the transfer chamber and form a space between the cover and the isolating portion, an upper end of the cover being open; and
a fan configured to suck an atmosphere in the accommodation chamber into the space through the slot.

6. The load port according to claim 5 , further comprising a plate member fixed to the isolating portion below the opening,
wherein the drive unit moves the door between a first position and a second position,
the door in the first position closes the opening,
the door in the second position opens the opening,
and
the plate member is arranged between the isolating portion and the door in the second position.

7. The load port according to claim 5 , wherein a corrosion-preventive coating is applied to at least one of a surface of the cover or a surface of the fan.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first moving step of moving the door from a first position to a second position, the door in the first position closing the opening, the door in the second position opening the opening; and
a second moving step of moving the door from the second position to the first position,
wherein in the second moving step, a plate member fixed to the isolating portion below the opening is between the door in the second position and the isolating portion.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the space is open so as to always communicate the space with the interior of the transfer chamber through the upper end of the space.

10. The load port according to claim 5 , wherein the cover includes:
a pair of side walls fixed to the isolating portion; and
a vertical wall between the pair of side walls, the vertical wall being opposed to the isolating portion.

11. The load port according to claim 10 , wherein the vertical wall includes an upper portion and a lower portion, and
a distance between the upper portion of the vertical wall and the isolating portion is shorter than a distance between the lower portion of the vertical wall and the isolating portion.

12. The load port according to claim 5 , wherein the cover includes a lower end which is above a lower end of the isolating portion.

13. The load port according to claim 12 , wherein the fan is arranged at the lower end of the cover.

Assignees

• Hirata Spinning

Inventors

• Tanimura Hidenobu
• Soraoka Minoru
• Yokoyama Shinji
• Toyoda Noriyoshi

Classifications

• H10P72/3406

  involving removal of lid, door or cover · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/3408 Primary

  Docking arrangements · CPC title

• H01L21/67772

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/67775 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic