Vacuum slice carrier

Claim 2

In an apparatus for storage and transport of wafers; an evacuable and transportable housing for containing an array of wafers; said housing having an access port therein for accessing the wafers contained within said housing; closure means for closing and sealing said access port in said housing; and means for producing a pressure differential between the pressure of the surrounds of said housing relative to the subatmospheric pressure contained within said housing to cause said closure means to be urged into gaseous sealing engagement with the evacuated housing by atmospheric pressure, whereby the wafers are contained in an evacuated transportable housing means for transport and storage at atmospheric pressure.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 including: wafer transfer means operable at subatmospheric pressure through said wafer access port into the evacuated housing means for transferring wafers between said evacuated housing and other regions at subatmospheric pressure.

Claim 4

In an apparatus for processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure the steps of: wafer container means for containing and transporting an array of wafers at subatmospheric pressure when said container means is surrounded by atmospheric pressure; said wafer containing means having a wafer access port therein for accessing the wafers contained within said container means; closure means for closing said access port and for sealing said access port in gas-tight relationship at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure exerting a closing force on said closure means; wafer processing chamber means for processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure; vacuum load lock chamber means for introducing the wafers to be processed into said wafer processing chamber means; means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber means at subatmospheric pressure for removing said closure means from said wafer access port to expose the wafers to the subatmospheric pressure within said vacuum load lock chamber means; wafer transfer means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber at subatmospheric pressure for transferring wafers between said wafer containing means and regions of the processing chamber at subatmospheric pressure; means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber for placing said closure means over said wafer access port; and means for raising the pressure of the atmospher surrounding said evacuated wafer containing means to atmospheric pressure such that such closure means is held in gas-tight sealing engagement over said wafer access port at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

Claim 5

In an apparatus for processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure the steps of: wafer container means for containing and transporting an array of wafers at subatmospheric pressure when said container means is surrounded by atmospheric pressure; said wafer containing means having a wafer access port therein for accessing the wafers contained within said container means; closure means for closing said access port and for sealing said access port in gas-tight relationship at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure exerting a closing force on said closure means; wafer processing chamber means for processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure; vacuum load lock chamber means for introducing the wafers to be processed into said wafer processing chamber means; means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber means at subatmospheric pressure for removing said closure means from said wafer access port to expose the wafers to the subatmospheric pressure within said vacuum load lock chamber means; wafer transfer means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber at subatmospheric pressure for transferring wafers between said wafer containing means and regions of the processing chamber at subatmospheric pressure; means operable within said vacuum load lock chamber for placing said closure means over said wafer access port; and means for raising the pressure of the atmospher surrounding said evacuated wafer containing means to atmospheric pressure such that such closure means is held in gas-tight sealing engagement over said wafer access port at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

Claim 6

An evacuable wafer transport and storage box comprising: a generally rectangular sidewall frame structure for containing an axial array of wafers; a generally rectangular cover plate for covering one side of said rectangular sidewall frame structure; and a sealing ring for disposition in between said cover plate and said sidewall frame structure at the lip of said sidewall frame structure for sealing said cover plate to said sidewall frame structure in a gas-tight manner.

Claim 7

An evacuable wafer transport and storage box comprising: a generally rectangular sidewall frame structure for containing an axial array of wafers; a generally rectangular cover plate for covering one side of said rectangular sidewall frame structure; and a sealing ring for disposition in between said cover plate and said sidewall frame structure at the lip of said sidewall frame structure for sealing said cover plate to said sidewall frame structure in a gas-tight manner.

Claim 8

In a method for storage and transport of wafers, the steps of: evacuating a transportable housing containing an array of wafers and its surrounds to subatmospheric pressure; placing and sealing a closure over an access port in the evacuated housing at subatmospheric pressure for closing the housing; and raising the pressure of the surrounds of the closed and sealed housing to atmospheric pressure relative to the subatmospheric pressure on the interior of said housing to cause said closure to be urged into gaseous sealing engagement with the evacuated housing by atmospheric pressure, whereby the wafers are contained in an evacuated transportable housing for transport and storage at atmospheric pressure.

Claim 9

In a method for storage and transport of wafers, the steps of: evacuating a transportable housing containing an array of wafers and its surrounds to subatmospheric pressure; placing and sealing a closure over an access port in the evacuated housing at subatmospheric pressure for closing the housing; and raising the pressure of the surrounds of the closed and sealed housing to atmospheric pressure relative to the subatmospheric pressure on the interior of said housing to cause said closure to be urged into gaseous sealing engagement with the evacuated housing by atmospheric pressure, whereby the wafers are contained in an evacuated transportable housing for transport and storage at atmospheric pressure.

Claim 10

The method of claim 5 including the step of: passing a wafer transfer member at subatmospheric pressure through the wafer access port into the evacuated housing for transferring wafers between the evacuated housing and other regions at subatmospheric pressure.

Claim 11

In a method of transferring and processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure, the steps of: containing and transporting an array of wafers within an evacuated housing surrounded by atmospheric pressure, such housing having a wafer access port closed by a closure held in sealing engagement at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure; introducing the evacuated housing into a vacuum load lock chamber; removing the closure from the wafer access port within the vacuum load lock chamber at subatmospheric pressure to expose the wafers to the subatmospheric pressure within the vacuum load lock chamber; transferring wafers between the housing and regions of the processing chamber at subatmospheric pressure; placing a closure over the wafer access port; and raising the pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the evacuated housing to atmospheric pressure such that the closure is held in gas-tight sealing engagement over the wafer access port at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

Claim 12

In a method of transferring and processing wafers at subatmospheric pressure, the steps of: containing and transporting an array of wafers within an evacuated housing surrounded by atmospheric pressure, such housing having a wafer access port closed by a closure held in sealing engagement at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure; introducing the evacuated housing into a vacuum load lock chamber; removing the closure from the wafer access port within the vacuum load lock chamber at subatmospheric pressure to expose the wafers to the subatmospheric pressure within the vacuum load lock chamber; transferring wafers between the housing and regions of the processing chamber at subatmospheric pressure; placing a closure over the wafer access port; and raising the pressure of the atmosphere surrounding the evacuated housing to atmospheric pressure such that the closure is held in gas-tight sealing engagement over the wafer access port at least partially by the surrounding atmospheric pressure.