US Patent No: 5,426,865

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Vacuum creating method and apparatus

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Abstract

A vacuum creating method comprising preparing a chamber for forming a space which can be made so atmospheric and vacuous as to allow a substrate to be directly or indirectly carried in and out of the space, exhausting the chamber, filling the space in the chamber with a CO.sub.2 gas whose vapor pressure becomes larger than 1 atm at ambient temperature but smaller than 10 Torr at a temperature lower than the ambient temperature, carrying the substrate into the chamber, cooling the CO.sub.2 gas to solidify, thereby making an internal pressure in the chamber highly vacuous, carrying the substrate out of the chamber, and heating the solidified dry ice to vaporize thereby returning the internal pressure in the chamber to atmospheric pressure.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDTOKYO5116

International Classification(s)

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  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Ikeda, Towl Yamanashi-Ken, JP 14 337
Iwata, Teruo Nirasaki, JP 33 406

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED (3)
5,237,756 Method and apparatus for reducing particulate contamination 8 1990
5,314,541 Reduced pressure processing system and reduced pressure processing method 46 1992
5,240,556 Surface-heating apparatus and surface-treating method 38 1992
 
INTERFACE TECHNICAL LABORATORIES CO., LTD. (1)
5,222,307 Drying method and apparatus therefor 10 1991

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC. (5)
7,458,763 Mid-entry load lock for semiconductor handling system 5 2004
7,422,406 Stacked process modules for a semiconductor handling system 9 2004
7,210,246 Methods and systems for handling a workpiece in vacuum-based material handling system 9 2004
7,959,403 Linear semiconductor processing facilities 2 2007
7,988,399 Mid-entry load lock for semiconductor handling system 0 2008
 
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED (2)
5,551,165 Enhanced cleansing process for wafer handling implements 27 1995
6,096,100 Method for processing wafers and cleaning wafer-handling implements 9 1997
 
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. (1)
7,145,653 In situ particle monitoring for defect reduction 3 2000
 
APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. (1)
6,263,587 Degassing method using simultaneous dry gas flux pressure and vacuum 9 2000
 
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION (1)
8,002,025 Containment of a wafer-chuck thermal interface fluid 0 2006
 
KEM-TEC JAPAN CO., LTD. (1)
6,151,796 Substrate drying device, drying method and substrate dried by the same 5 1998
 
LSI LOGIC CORPORATION (1)
6,831,022 Method and apparatus for removing water vapor as a byproduct of chemical reaction in a wafer processing chamber 0 2003
 
OTHER [CHECK PATENT PROFILE FOR ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION] (1)
8,439,623 Linear semiconductor processing facilities 0 2006