Patent ID: 11948816
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 4:
5. A transfer apparatus, comprising:
a first vacuum transfer module,
a first transfer robot disposed in the first vacuum transfer module and configured to simultaneously or separately transfer a wafer and at least one ring, the at least one ring having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the wafer;
a second vacuum transfer module;
a second transfer robot disposed in the second vacuum transfer module and configured to simultaneously or separately transfer the wafer and the ring;
a tubular connecting module disposed between the first vacuum transfer module and the second vacuum transfer module, the first vacuum transfer module, the second vacuum transfer module and the tubular connecting module being arranged along a first direction, the tubular connecting module having a first length in the first direction, the first length being smaller than the diameter of the wafer;
a wafer support rotatably attached to the tubular connecting module and configured to support the wafer; and
at least three ring supporting members outwardly extending from the wafer support and configured to support the at least one ring,
wherein the wafer support includes a wafer stage having a wafer support surface, and the wafer support surface has a diameter smaller than the first length,
wherein the water support further includes a shaft member extending downward from the wafer stage,
wherein the ring supporting member includes a rod-shaped portion and a protruding portion, wherein one end of the rod-shaped portion is attached to the shaft member, and the protruding portion protrudes upward from the other end of the rod-shaped portion and has a ring support surface at an upper end thereof, and
wherein the ring support surface is located at the same height as the wafer support surface.