BY STEVE SMITH
FREMONT, Calif.—U.K. disk drive subsystem manufacturer Xyratex Ltd. (www.xyratex.com) has unveiled an automated, contamination-free cassette loading system designed for buffering and transporting magnetic disk cassettes for cleanroom processes.
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The Ultra Clean Cassette Transport (UCCT) system, a combination transport system and minienvironment enclosure, uses linear actuators rather than conveyor belts to provide a clean, automated loading process from cleanroom to process equipment and vice versa.
“Potential sources of particulate are eliminated by a variety of design considerations, including avoiding the use of pneumatic devices and conveyor belts,” says Brian
Powell, director of sales for Xyratex's Fremont division.
The UCCT's transport system is supported by a frame attached to both the process equipment and the concrete subfloor. Magnetic disks are moved between fixed cassette nest locations, with the cassette lifting from below and advancing smoothly to the appropriate cassette nest.
“The transporter mechanism is positioned well below the in-process product for optimal cleanliness,” Powell explains.
The transport system is enclosed in a minienvironment to prevent product exposure to contaminants from outside the system. The minienvironment features an ultra-low penetration air filter (ULPA) that removes airborne particulate and establishes a laminar flow of air within the enclosure.
The Ultra Clean Cassette Transport (UCCT) system, a combination transport system and minienvironment enclosure, uses linear actuators rather than conveyor belts to provide a clean, automated loading process from cleanroom to process equipment and vice versa.
An adjustable baffle plate controls and balances airflow through the enclosure. “The enclosure is constructed to deliver consistent laminar air flow by positioning interior walls so that they are flush with the filter media,” says Powell.
Production operators interface with the system from within the cleanroom by manually placing or removing product at an operator station nest. “These operator stations are positioned so that cleanroom operators cannot reach into the minienvironment,” Powell notes. “All other system operations are conducted automatically.”
The UCCT system is already at work within disk drive manufacturer Komag (www.komag.com), which is employing a specialized configuration to convey disk drive cassettes to the input load lock of Komag's existing sputtering systems.
“Our system has improved Komag's sputter yield by as much as three percent by eliminating sources of contamination,” Powell claims. The UCCT system replaced a loading system of belts and pneumatic devices that had produced particulate.