Patent ID: 7359031

Claim:
A lithographic projection assembly, comprising: at least one load lock constructed and arranged to transfer an object between a first environment and a second environment; an object handler comprising a handler chamber in which said second environment prevails, said object handler and said at least one load lock being constructed and arranged to transfer said object between said handler chamber and said at least one load lock; and a lithographic projection apparatus comprising a projection chamber; wherein said handler chamber and said projection chamber can communicate for transferring of said object between said handler chamber and said projection chamber, and wherein said load lock comprises a load lock chamber provided with 1) at least two mutually distinct object supports, each object support comprising a support plate being configured to individually support said object, and 2) a positioning device constructed and arranged to decrease the distance between one of said support plates and a ceiling plate of the load lock chamber prior to and/or during evacuation of said load lock chamber, and to increase said distance between said support plate and said ceiling plate prior to said object being removed from or delivered to said at least one of said object supports, wherein said positioning device is configured and operable to decrease a gas volume adjacent a surface of said object positioned on at least one of said object supports.