GAS PURGE APPARATUS, LOAD PORT APPARATUS, INSTALLATION STAND FOR PURGING CONTAINER, AND GAS PURGE METHOD

摘要

In a gas purge apparatus, a load port apparatus, an installation stand for a purging container, and a gas purge method, the inside of the purging container is filled with a cleaning gas until just before transportation, and a placement failure does not happen to the next purging container to be placed. A purge nozzle is moved to a direction separating from a purge port after detecting a movement of a table on which the purging container is installed to an undock position and a stop of a feeding of the cleaning gas.

主权项

1. A gas purge apparatus capable of blowing a cleaning gas into a purging container with a purge port therethrough, comprising:
a purge nozzle with a nozzle opening blowing out the cleaning gas; a table on which the purging container is detachably placed; a fixing mechanism capable of fixing the purging container to prevent it from moving relatively on the table and releasing this fixing; a nozzle driving mechanism capable of moving the purge nozzle toward the purge port and moving the purge nozzle toward a direction separating from the purge port; a table moving mechanism configured to move the table on which the purging container is placed to an undock position; a gas feeding mechanism configured to control an operation for feeding the cleaning gas into the purging container and an operation for stopping the feeding of the cleaning gas through the purge nozzle and the purge port; and a control means configured to control the nozzle driving mechanism to move the purge nozzle toward the direction separating from the purge port after detecting a movement of the table to the undock position and a stop of the feeding of the cleaning gas by the gas feeding mechanism.