Patent ID: 6062808
Filing Date: 2000-05-16
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
A clean transfer method comprising the steps of:airtightly connecting a vacuum clean box and a clean unit to each other;said vacuum clean box including a box body provided with a first opening and a first shutter acting also as a lid and arranged so as to airtightly close said first opening of said box body, said first shutter including a first outer surface which is exposed to an ambient atmosphere outside said vacuum clean box when said first shutter closes said first opening, said vacuum clean box being free of any vacuum evacuation means and transfer means;said vacuum clean box being constructed so as to provide airtightness sufficient to keep an interior thereof in a vacuum when said first opening is closed by said first shutter;said clean unit being provided with a second opening selectively closed by a second shutter, said second shutter including a second outer surface which is exposed to an ambient atmosphere outside said clean unit when said second shutter closes said second opening;the airtight connection between said vacuum clean box and said clean unit being carried out while keeping said first and second openings closed by said first and second shutters, respectively, to thereby form a closed space therebetween which said first outer surface of said first shutter and said second outer surface of said second shutter face;evacuating said closed space to a vacuum, followed by opening only said first shutter while maintaining said second shutter closed;forming a clean atmosphere in a secondary closed space defined by said first outer surface of said first shutter and said second outer surface of said second shutter, said secondary closed space being substantially identical with a clean atmosphere formed in said clean unit; andopening said second shutter after said forming step to introduce said first and second shutters into said clean unit.