Patent ID: 8425172

Claim:
A reticle manipulating device comprising: a housing capable of having a controlled environment therein and having at least one processing module interface; at least one processing module connected to the housing, the at least one processing module having a closable opening through which a reticle is inserted into the at least one processing module for processing the reticle; and a transport apparatus connected to the housing for transporting the reticle between the at least one processing module to another portion of the housing; wherein the at least one processing module is removably connectable to the housing so as to be inserted at least partly within the housing, the at least one processing module having an interface adapted for removably coupling the at least one processing module to the at least one process module interface of the housing at a predetermined location of the housing, and the at least one processing module being selectable for connection to the housing from a number of different interchangeable modules each having a different predetermined characteristic defining different corresponding functions of each processing module for processing the reticle and each processing module being capable of interchangeable connection via the interface to each one of the at least one processing module interface of the housing at the predetermined location independent of the different predetermined characteristic.