Patent ID: 7751029

Claim:
A method of conveying an object using a load-lock mechanism, the load-lock mechanism comprising: (i) a housing configured to define a volume of a load-lock chamber, the housing including a movable member, a first opening which allows the load-lock chamber to communicate with a processing chamber, and a second opening, which is different from the first opening; (ii) a driving mechanism configured to drive the movable member; (iii) a first gate valve provided to the first opening; (iv) a second gate valve provided to the second opening; and (v) a pump configured to reduce a pressure in the load-lock chamber, the method comprising: (a) conveying the object into the load-lock chamber through the second gate valve; (b) reducing, by the driving mechanism, the volume of the load-lock chamber into which the object has been conveyed, in a state that the second gate valve is opened; (c) reducing, by the pump, the pressure in the load-lock chamber, the volume of which has been reduced by the driving mechanism, in a state that the second gate valve is closed; (d) changing, by the driving mechanism, the volume of the load-lock chamber such that the pressure in the load-lock chamber substantially coincides with that in the processing chamber, in a state that the first gate valve and the second gate valve are closed and the load-lock chamber and the processing chamber are spatially separated; and (e) opening the first gate valve in a state that the pressure in the load-lock chamber substantially coincides with that in the processing chamber and conveying the object from the load-lock chamber to the processing chamber.