Patent ID: 7431813

Claim:
Substrate processing equipment comprising: a transfer chamber having a passageway open at the exterior thereof; a process chamber in which a substrate is processed using plasma, the process chamber having a passageway and a portal through which the passageway extends to the exterior of the process chamber, the process chamber being connected to the transfer chamber with the portal facing the transfer chamber so that the passageways of the transfer and process chambers are aligned; and sealing structure that provides a seal between the transfer and process chambers, the sealing structure including an insert member fixed to the exterior of the transfer chamber and interposed between the portal of the process chamber and the transfer chamber, the insert member having a through-hole located between the passageways of the transfer and process chambers, at least one annular seal, and a docking member fixed to the insert member and having a passageway extending therethrough connecting the passageways of the transfer and process chambers, and the docking member having a support portion extending within the through-hole of the insert member, and an extension extending within the passageway of the portal of the process chamber, the extension being disposed to one side of the location at which the at least one annular seal is disposed, whereby the extension prevents the at least one annular seal from being exposed to the plasma used to process substrates in the process chamber.