The apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display panel having a first mechanism for supplying a cover member formed by a metal sheet to which low-melting-point glass is applied to a first location within the gas introduction and sealing chamber, a second mechanism provided in the gas introduction and sealing chamber for moving the cover member from the first location to a second location which is over a heating apparatus provided in the gas introduction and sealing chamber, a third mechanism provided in the gas introduction and sealing chamber for performing vacuum exhausting an inside of the plasma display panel and then introducing a luminescent gas into the plasma display panel, and a fourth mechanism provided in the gas introduction and sealing chamber for heating the metal sheet to which the low-melting-point glass is applied by using the heating apparatus, so that the gas introduction port is sealed by the low-melting-point glass.

A circular sawing machine includes a base, a saw seat movable relative to the base, and a link mechanism pivotally mounted between the base and the saw seat, so that the saw seat is linearly movable relative to the base. Thus, the link mechanism can absorb vibration or shock during operation of the circular saw blade so as to provide a shock-absorbing effect the circular saw blade, so that the circular saw blade can be operated smoothly and stably.

A load lock system includes a first load lock defining a first chamber, a second load lock defining a second chamber, and a vacuum pumping system to vacuum pump the first and second chambers. The vacuum pumping system includes a high vacuum pump, a first valve to connect the first chamber to an inlet of the high vacuum pump in a first pumping mode, and a second valve to connect the second chamber to the inlet of the high vacuum pump in a second pumping mode. The high vacuum pump may be a turbomolecular pump. The vacuum pumping system may include a valve manifold block located between the first and second load locks. The first and second valves may be mounted in the valve manifold block. The vacuum pumping system may further include a shared water pump.

A system for opening a substrate carrier includes a substrate carrier having an openable portion. The substrate carrier also has an opening mechanism coupled to the openable portion. A substrate transfer location has a support adapted to support a substrate carrier. The substrate transfer location also has an actuator mechanism. The actuator mechanism is positioned relative to the support so as to interact with the opening mechanism of the substrate carrier. The actuator mechanism of the substrate transfer location and the opening mechanism of the substrate carrier are adapted to interface with each other at the substrate transfer location so as to employ movement of the substrate carrier to achieve opening and closing of the substrate carrier.

The present invention generally comprises a method for achieving fault tolerance in a PV FAB. A plurality of processing tools may be coupled together along a processing line, and a plurality of substantially identical processing lines may be arranged within the FAB. Whenever a processing tool within any processing line is shut-down, rather than shut-down the entire processing line containing the shut-down processing tool, work-pieces may be routed around the shut-down processing tool by transferring the work-pieces to an adjacent processing line within the FAB. At a location after the shut-down processing tool, the work-pieces may be transferred back to the processing line containing the shut-down processing tool. During the time period that the processing tool is shut-down, the other processing lines within the FAB may increase their throughput in order to maintain a substantially constant optimum throughput for the FAB over a given period of time.