Vacuum sealing mechanism for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus having inner and outer bellows

摘要

A semiconductor device producing apparatus includes a processing chamber having an opening and capable of being vacuum sealed, a carrier member including a substrate holder, an arm member, and a substrate carrier which vertically reciprocates in the opening of the processing chamber. A vacuum bellows is divided into an upper bellows and a lower bellows that are attached to a hollow flange therebetween. The upper bellows is a double structure having an inner bellows and an outer bellows. An air inlet is formed in the hollow flange and air is introduced through the inlet into a ring-shaped space between the inner bellows and the outer bellows. Therefore, thrust caused by the vacuum in the processing chamber and applied to the hollow flange is cancelled by the pressure of the introduced air whereby a load on the driving part is relieved. As a result, a small-sized and inexpensive semiconductor device producing apparatus is obtained.