Patent ID: 7694700

Claim:
Apparatus for transporting substrates under a controlled atmosphere, the apparatus comprising a mini-environment enclosure with an inside cavity, a peripheral shell open to a first main face and a second main face that are opposite each other, a first main wall, and a second main wall, in which: the peripheral shell further includes a closable side opening for inserting and extracting substrates; the first main wall is shaped to be fitted and secured to one or the other of the first and second main faces depending on the orientation of the active face of the substrate, and to close it in leaktight manner; the second main wall is shaped to be fitted and secured to one or the other of the first and second main faces depending on the orientation of the active face of the substrate, and to close it in leaktight manner, the first and second main walls being disposed in planes parallel to the plane containing the substrate; and the mini-environment enclosure further comprises on-board pumping means having an inlet connected to the inside cavity of the mini-environment enclosure in order to maintain a controlled vacuum in the inside cavity of the mini-environment enclosure.