Wafer processing machine with evacuated wafer transporting and storage

Abstract

An evacuable wafer processing machine includes a load-lock station, a wafer transfer station separated from the load-lock station by means of a gate-valve and a wafer coating station. Wafers contained within an evacuated wafer box are loaded into the load-lock station. The load-lock station is then closed and evacuated. A pair of pneumatically-operated plungers operable within the load-lock station, pick-up and remove the covers from the wafer box. The gate-valve is opened and the box of wafers is transferred into the wafer transfer station. Within the wafer transfer station, a wafer transfer blade passes vertically through the wafer box to serially transfer the wafers between the transfer station and the wafer coating station. After all the wafers have been coated, the wafer box is transferred through the open gate-valve into the load-lock station, the gate-valve closed and the covers replaced on the wafer box. The load-lock station is then let-up to atmosphere, thereby forcing the covers into gas-tight sealing engagement with the storage box and the storage box is removed from the loadlock station. The actuator for actuating the wafer transfer blade includes an elongated, hollow, cylindrical member containing therein a piston forced to and fro within the cylinder by pneumatics. The piston is magnetically coupled through the walls of the cylinder to a slider having the wafer transfer blade affixed thereto.