Patent ID: 7909374

Claim:
A method for handling wafers ( 4 ), with a thickness of less than 100 μm, the method comprising the steps of: providing a receiving body ( 1 ) having a flat abutment face ( 7 ) and an adhesive membrane ( 3 ) detachably affixable to wafer ( 4 ), the adhesive membrane ( 3 ) is disposed opposite to and supported along the flat abutment face ( 7 ) of the receiving body ( 1 ) and is fixed to the receiving body ( 1 ) to define at least one workspace ( 8 ) therebetween, wherein the adhesive membrane ( 3 ) and the receiving body ( 1 ) define a flat interface therebetween when the volume of the workspace ( 8 ) is minimized; and reducing or enlarging a contact surface ( 9 ) between the adhesive membrane ( 3 ) and wafer ( 4 ) by changing the volume of the workspace ( 8 ) by supplying or removing a pressurizing medium into or from the workspace ( 8 ); attaching wafer ( 4 ) to the adhesive membrane ( 3 ) when the workspace ( 8 ) is minimized; and transporting the wafer ( 4 ), the adhesive membrane ( 3 ) and the receiving body ( 1 ), in combination, to various processing apparatuses.