Abstract: An apparatus for holding and transporting semiconductor material cassettes during processing of the semiconductor material. There is a tray having at least one cassette station thereon. This cassette station comprises a cassette supporting surface, a first pair of substantially parallel cassette guides on the supporting surface, and a second pair of substantially parallel cassette guides on the supporting surface located between and substantially at right angles to the first pair. The first and second pairs of parallel cassette guides form a generally rectangular boundary. A handle neck extends upwardly from the same side of the tray as the cassette guides. A handle crosspiece is connected to the handle neck and has a bearing surface oriented substantially parallel to the plane of the tray. A picker is also disclosed for engaging the handle neck and handle crosspiece, and can be used as the end effector of a robot arm that provides lifting power and transport motion.

Abstract: A filter assembly for clean air installations includes a block of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter material adhesively bonded and sealed within an imperforate rigid thin-walled side frame which extends axially beyond the inlet surface of the filter block and thus provides an integral plenum chamber volume as part of a self-contained filter subassembly. The side frame has peripheral cover and supporting flanges at its inlet and outlet ends and can thus be conveniently assembled with and removed from a reusable cover member and cover gasket for the plenum chamber and a reusable perforated outlet grill and one or more peripheral outlet sealing gaskets, all of which constitute parts of a complete filter assembly which can be readily supported by a standard or special ceiling or wall grid or frame assembly.

Abstract: Apparatus for removing deposited matter, such as silicon and contaminants, from the interior of quartz diffusion tubes including an acid holding tank; a quartz-tube support for vertically holding the tube, neck down; a flexible seal for connecting the neck of the tube to the holding tank; an immersion pump and associated tubing for circulating the acid; and a spray head, connected with the pump and tubing, to spray the acid against the inside surface of the quartz tube to clean off the deposited matter. In order to prevent the acid sprayed on the inside surface from forming channels in the silicon or other deposited matter, two groups of nozzles are provided in the spray head--one group with its nozzles arranged at about 30.degree. from vertical, the other group with its nozzles arranged at about 60.degree. from vertical--so that the jets sprayed from each of the two groups are directed 90.degree.