Patent ID: 9543180
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: H01L

Claim:
1. An integrated transport device for a wafer carrier, comprising: an evacuatable chamber for accommodating therein the wafer carrier having a front opening with a cover, said evacuatable chamber having a rear opening with a gate valve, said rear opening with the gate valve being adapted to communicate gas-tightly with the interior of a wafer-handling chamber; a platform for placing the wafer carrier thereon in the evacuatable chamber, said platform being rotatable so as to set the wafer carrier at a first position for opening and closing the cover and at a second position for transporting wafers between the wafer carrier and the wafer-handling chamber; and an opening/closing device for opening and closing the cover of the wafer carrier placed on the platform at the first position, said opening/closing device being provided in a wall of the evacuatable chamber facing the cover of the wafer carrier, said opening/closing device comprising an internal part provided on an inner side of the wall of the evacuatable chamber and an external part provided on an outer side opposite to the inner side of the wall of the evacuatable chamber, said internal part being extendable and retractable for opening and closing the cover, said external part actuating movement of the internal part, wherein the platform is movable in a vertical direction, the evacuatable chamber has a top opening with a lid, for loading and unloading the wafer carrier to and from the evacuatable chamber, and the evacuatable chamber is provided with an exhaust line for evacuating the interior of the evacuatable chamber.