Patent ID: 7611322

Claim:
The method of transferring a silicon wafer with a thinned back surface from a robotic arm into processing stations comprising moving said thinned back surface wafer on the robotic arm into a load lock chamber, elevating said wafer from said arm to a non-contact chuck within said load lock chamber using negative and positive pressure gas applied through said non-contact chuck, said wafer being raised close to but maintained out of contact with said non-contact chuck, removing said robotic arm from said load lock chamber, lowering said wafer to an electrostatic chuck positioned in said load lock chamber below said non-contact chuck using gas flow through said non-contact chuck and through said electrostatic chuck to bring said wafer close to but not into contact with said electrostatic chuck, sealing and drawing a vacuum in said load lock chamber, striking a plasma in said load lock chamber as to bind said wafer to said electrostatic chuck, and then under vacuum conditions moving said electrostatic chuck carrying said wafer out of said load lock chamber for processing of said wafer in follow-on semiconductor processing chambers.