초록 ▼

Disclosed herein is a vertical heat treatment system capable of simplifying the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of an opening which is formed in a partition wall separating a housing-box transfer area from a treating-object transfer area (a wafer transfer area), and of contributing t

Disclosed herein is a vertical heat treatment system capable of simplifying the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of an opening which is formed in a partition wall separating a housing-box transfer area from a treating-object transfer area (a wafer transfer area), and of contributing to space saving, when an object to be treated is carried in the vertical heat treatment system through the opening to carry out a predetermined treatment. In a vertical heat treatment system for carrying an object W to be treated, which is housed in a treating-object housing box closed by an opening/closing lid, in a treating-object transfer area via an opening, which is formed in a partition wall 26 separating a housing-box transfer area for transferring the treating-object housing box from the treating-object transfer area 46 in an atmosphere of an inert gas, to carry out a predetermined treatment, a standby box transfer means is provided in the housing-box transfer area for holding a treating-object housing box, which houses therein the next object to be carried in the treating-object transfer area, in the vicinity of the opening to cause the treating-object housing box to stand by.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A vertical heat treatment system comprising: a lifting mechanism which is vertically moved for carrying a holder, in which an object to be treated is held, in and out of a heat treatment furnace; a holder mounting portion for mounting thereon the holder to transfer the

The invention claimed is: 1. A vertical heat treatment system comprising: a lifting mechanism which is vertically moved for carrying a holder, in which an object to be treated is held, in and out of a heat treatment furnace; a holder mounting portion for mounting thereon the holder to transfer the object; a holder transfer mechanism for transferring the holder between the lifting mechanism and the holder mounting portion; a treating-object transfer mechanism for transferring the object to the holder which is supported on the holder transferring portion, the treating-object transfer mechanism having a motion space region which overlaps with a motion space region of the holder transfer mechanism; and a housing having a side face portion proximate to said treating object transfer mechanism wherein said treating-object transfer mechanism comprises a swivel arm supported so as to be rotatable about a vertically extending shaft, and a transfer head having a rotation center shaft provided for rotation about the tip portion of the swivel arm so as to be rotatable on a horizontal plane, and further comprises driving means having a sheltering function, the driving means rotating the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism on its central axis on the horizontal plane along the outer peripheral edge of the lifting mechanism, which is positioned at a lower position, to cause the transfer head to take shelter on a side face portion of a housing. 2. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sheltering function of the driving means of the treating-object transfer mechanism causes the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism to revolve around the vertically extending shaft of the swivel arm while causing the transfer head itself to rotate on its central axis in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the transfer head, to cause the transfer head to take shelter on the side face portion in the housing. 3. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the sheltering function of the driving means of the treating-object transfer mechanism operates the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism from a state that the transfer head is positioned at a reference position in its motion space region. 4. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the driving means of the treating-object transfer mechanism comprises a stretching mechanism for rotating the swivel arm, and a belt transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational motion of the swivel arm to the transfer head. 5. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reference position in the motion space region is set by a pulley ratio in the belt transmission mechanism. 6. A method for controlling a vertical heat treatment system comprising: a lifting mechanism which is vertically moved for carrying a holder, in which an object to be treated is held, in and out of a heat treatment furnace; a holder mounting portion for mounting thereon the holder to transfer the object; a holder transfer mechanism for transferring the holder between the lifting mechanism and the holder mounting portion; and a treating-object transfer mechanism for transferring the object to the holder which is supported on the holder transferring portion, the treating-object transfer mechanism having a motion space region which overlaps with a motion space region of the holder transfer mechanism, the treating-object transfer mechanism comprising a swivel arm supported so as to be rotatable about a vertically extending shaft, and a transfer head having a rotation center shaft, the transfer head provided for rotation about the tip portion of the swivel arm so as to be rotatable on its central axis on a horizontal plane, wherein the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism rotates about its central axis and is moved on the horizontal plane along the outer peripheral edge of the lifting mechanism, which is positioned at a lower position, to take shelter on a side face portion of a housing, when the holder transfer mechanism is operated. 7. A method for controlling a vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the transfer head of the treating-object transfer mechanism is caused to revolve around the vertically extending shaft of the swivel arm while the transfer head itself is caused to rotate on its central axis in the opposite direction to the direction of rotation of the transfer head, to take shelter on the side face portion of the housing.