Patent ID: 6913243

Claim:
A dual slot valve for use in a semiconductor process cluster tool architecture arrangement, the dual slot valve comprising: a housing having a first side and a second side, the housing having a first slot at the first side and a second slot at the second side for passing a substrate between a first module and a second module, the first module being attached to the first side of the housing and the second module being attached to the second side of the housing; a first door being movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the first slot; a second door being movably mounted within the housing to enable closure of the second slot; wherein the first and second doors are each elongated to overlap the respective slot and have a center in the middle of a longer side of the doors; and a common actuator connected to each of the first and second doors for selectively and separately moving either of the first and second doors to close the respective slot, wherein the common actuator is attached to the first door and to the second door at a location that is at the center of each respective door.