Patent ID: 8029706
Filing Date: 2011-10-04
Classification: B29C,B29K,B29L,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A vacuum transfer apparatus comprising: an auxiliary vacuum chamber capable of being vacuumized with a vacuum suction mechanism and being opened to air with an open-to-air mechanism; a main vacuum chamber capable of being vacuumized with a vacuum suction mechanism; a substrate conveying unit located above the auxiliary vacuum chamber and that conveys a disk substrate to and from the auxiliary vacuum chamber, and when the substrate conveying unit is lowered to a position where the substrate conveying unit comes into contact with an upper side of the auxiliary vacuum chamber the substrate conveying unit serves as an upper wall to seal the auxiliary vacuum chamber; an inter-chamber conveying unit that conveys the disk substrate between the auxiliary vacuum chamber and the main vacuum chamber and that includes a holding table, and when the holding table is raised to a position where the holding table comes into contact with a lower side of the auxiliary vacuum chamber the holding table serves as a lower wall to seal the auxiliary vacuum chamber; and a transfer unit that performs a transfer process in which an uneven pattern is transferred on the disk substrate in the main vacuum chamber with a stamper, wherein the main vacuum chamber is continuously in vacuum during an operation thereof, wherein the auxiliary vacuum chamber is vacuumized when the substrate conveying unit has conveyed the disk substrate to the auxiliary vacuum chamber, wherein after the vacuuming, the inter-chamber conveying unit conveys the disk substrate from the auxiliary vacuum chamber to the main vacuum chamber, and the transfer unit performs the transfer process, and wherein after the transfer process, the inter-chamber conveying unit conveys the disk substrate with the transfer process performed, from the main vacuum chamber to the auxiliary vacuum chamber, the auxiliary vacuum chamber is opened to air, and the substrate conveying unit conveys the disk substrate from the auxiliary vacuum chamber.