New Patents

4943457

V A C U U M S L I C E C A R R I E R

Cecil J Davis, Robert Matthews assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated

A vacuum-tight wafer carrier. The wafers are supported at each side by a slightly sloping shelf, so that minimal contact (line contact) is made between the wafer surface and the surface of the shelf. This reduces generation of particulates by abrasion of the surface of the wafer. The door of the vacuum carrier contains elastic elements to press the wafers lightly against the back of the carrier box. Thus, when the door of the box is closed, the wafers are restrained from rattling around, which further reduces the internal gene- ration of particulates.

4926648

T U R B O M O L E C U L A R P U M P A N D M E T H O D O F O P E R A T I N G T H E

S A M E

Katsuya Okumura, Fumio Kuriyama, Yukio Murai, Manabu Tsujimura, Hiroshi Sobukawa, Kanagawa, Japan assigned to Toshiba Corp; Ebara Co

A turbomolecular pump having a rotor pro- vided with a plurality of rotor blades and a spacer provided with a plurality of stator blades so that gas molecules are sucked in from a suc- tion port, compressed and discharged from an exhaust port. The pump further has a heat ex- changer provided inside the suction port, the heat exchanger being connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe and a gate valve pro- vided on the upstream side of the suction port. Gases having low molecular weights, par- ticularly water vapor, are freeze-trapped on the heat exchanger. Thus, it is possible to efficiently exhaust gases having low molecular weights, particularly water vapor, and hence to obtain a high vacuum of good quality. In addition, it is easy to start and suspend operation of the system and possible to run it on a continuous basis.

4926791

M I C R O W A V E P L A S M A A P P A R A T U S E M P L O Y I N G

H E L M H O L T Z C O I L S A N D I O F F E B A R S

Naok Hirose, Takash Inujima, Toru Takayama, Atsugi, Japan assigned to Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co Ltd

A plasma processing apparatus and method is equipped with a vacuum chamber, helmholtz coils, a microwave generator and gas feeding sys- tems. An auxiliary magnet is further provided in order to strengthen the magnetic field in the vacuum chamber to produce centrifugal drifting force which confine the plasma gas about the center position of the vacuum chamber.

4928338

P R O C E S S F O R T H E W E T T R E A T M E N T O F T E X T I L E

M A T E R I A L

Berthold Magin, Hassloch, Federal Republic Of Germany assigned to MTM Obermaier G m b H & Co K G

A process for the wet treatment of textile materials having capillary-active properties. The textile material, for example, in the form of yarn bobbins, is placed into a treatment vessel with a heated liquid containing chemicals. A negative pressure is generated in the treatment vessel until the liquid boils viborously. The negative pre- ssure is created by means of a vacuum pump con- nected to the treatment vessel through an intermediate vessel, a liquid separator, pipelines and valves. Simultaneously, a gas, for example, nitrogen, air or oxygen is conducted through a valve into the liquid, so that the entire liquid volume is transformed into a froth having fine pores. The vacuum treatment step is followed by an intermediate treatment step during which the gas valve is closed and the liquid is circulated by means of a circulating pump. The liquid is thus reheated and the vacuum reestablished.

4928464

Y A R N P R O D U C E D B Y S P I N N I N G W I T H V A C U U M

Elbert F Morrison assigned to Burlington Indus- tries Inc

Vacuum spinning of yarn produces yarns having good properties, and which may have a wide variety of different effects and constructions. A core filament yarn may be fed into operative as- sociation with a nipped sliver or roving, and then fed to a perforated rotating hollow shaft opera- tively connected to the vacuum. The core filament yarn may be a full stretched textured yarn, which is placed under tension and while under tension is dragged over a sharp edge of nonconductive material, and after the tension is

248