| 摘要 |
<p>PURPOSE:To curtail the time required by transfer of substrate and prevent contact of a part of a processing means within a processing chamber with the atmosphere by providing a means for controlling the interior to vacuum condition within a cassette and also providing sluice valves between respective chambers. CONSTITUTION:A cassette chamber 1, a robot chamber (load lock chamber) 2 and a processing chamber 3 are respectively sluiced by sluice walls 4a, 4b and apertures 5a, 5b formed at the sluice walls 4a, 4b are respectively opened or closed by sluice valves 6a, 6b. Moreover, the cassette chamber 1 is provided with an exhaust means 9 for evacuating the ineterior thereof to the vacuum condition and the robot chamber 2 is provided with a robot 10. Thereby, it no longer required to change the interior of cassette to the atmospheric condition and vacuum condition for each sheet of substrate and the time required for transfer of substrate can be curtailed. In addition, contact with atmosphere of a part of the processing means within the processing chamber can be prevented.</p> |
