Abstract: The present invention is an improved container and interface for transporting or otherwise handling contamination-sensitive materials, such as semi-conductor wafers during processing. The container of the present invention employs a door-within-a-door design, allowing the container to connect with different interfaces on a single side. Employing a container of the present invention, manufacturers may connect a single container to different tools or mini-environments employing incompatible interfaces without the need to use different containers or to access the contents of a single container from different directions. The present invention is particularly useful in instances where a single interface standard, e.g., SEMI Standard SMIF interfaces, has not been uniformly adopted in a facility.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 17, 1995
Date of Patent:
February 3, 1998
Assignee:
Bye/Oasis
Inventors:
Douglas B. McKenna, Donald R. Briner, Christopher D. Laramore