초록 ▼

A wafer processing apparatus is provided with sealing ports between adjacent evacuatable chambers that are actuated to compress elastomeric seals carried by the valve sealing elements to differing degrees of compression, based on the amount of pressure differential between the chambers when sealed.

A wafer processing apparatus is provided with sealing ports between adjacent evacuatable chambers that are actuated to compress elastomeric seals carried by the valve sealing elements to differing degrees of compression, based on the amount of pressure differential between the chambers when sealed. The degree of compression is controlled so that less compression of the seal takes place when less is required to seal, such as with lower pressure differentials, thereby avoiding unnecessary fatigue and wear of and around the seals that would otherwise increase the generation of particulate contamination.

대표청구항 ▼

[ From the above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that variations or additions may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, what is claimed is:] [1.] A wafer processing apparatus comprising:a plura

[ From the above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that variations or additions may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, what is claimed is:] [1.] A wafer processing apparatus comprising:a plurality of evacuatable chambers;a separating wall between adjacent ones of the chambers, the wall having an aperture therethrough;a sealing member adjacent the aperture and having an elastomeric seal, the sealing member being moveable away from the aperture to permit passage of a wafer through the aperture and moveable toward the aperture to engage the wall to seal the aperture;a sealing member actuator effective to move the sealing member to and from an open position away from the aperture and move the sealing member to and from each of at least two sealing positions at each of which the seal is compressed to a differing degree of compression against the wall around the aperture; anda sealing member position sensor that measures the distance between the sealing member actuator and the separating wall, said sensor generating a signal in relation to the distance of the sealing member actuator and said wall defining at least one of the two sealing positions at which the sealing member is compressed less than at another one of the sealing positions, the sealing member actuator moves the sealing member to and stops the sealing member in the at least one of the sealing positions in response to a signal from the sealing member position sensor.