Patent ID: 7033471

Claim:
A vacuum transport chamber for substrates, comprising: a base plate having an interior surface; a covering plate having an interior surface substantially parallel and opposite said base plate interior surface; a first substrate opening in one of said base plate and of said covering plate and having a first opening axis substantially perpendicular to said base plate and covering plate interior surfaces and adapted to an extent of at least one substrate; a second substrate opening in one of said base plate and of said covering plate and having a second opening axis substantially perpendicular to said base plate and covering plate interior surfaces and adapted to an extent of at least one substrate; a transport device having at least one substrate receiving area and being movable exclusively parallel to and between said base plate and covering plate interior surfaces to bring said at least one substrate receiving area into alignment with one of said first and second substrate openings, respectively; a controllable sealing arrangement controllably establishing a seal along the border of one of said first and second openings and an area around said substrate receiving area once having been aligned with said one opening; and a controllable counter-biasing arrangement opposite said controllable sealing arrangement so as to operatively cooperate with said controllable sealing arrangement and biasing said transport device in an area opposite said one opening and towards said one opening and against a sealing force exerted by said controllable sealing arrangement on said transport device; wherein said controllable sealing arrangement and said controllable counter-biasing arrangement are at least one of pneumatically and of hydraulically expandable to establish sealing and biasing effect.