Abstract: The present invention is directed to a wafer clamping mechanism responsive to fluid pressure to retain wafers on a surface with minimal clamping force. The clamping mechanism houses simple operative elements within a housing proximate the wafer and can utilize existing fluid pressure sources to energize the clamping mechanism. In a first embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a piston and cylinder to urge a clamping arm against the wafer in response to fluid pressure. In a second embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a bellows arrangement for urging the clamping finger against the wafer in response to a fluid pressure source. In a third embodiment, the clamping mechanism includes a bladder arrangement wherein a bladder is expanded using fluid pressure to urge the clamping arm against the wafer in response to a fluid pressure source.

Abstract: A vacuum processing system has a wafer handling chamber, such as a mini-environment, for moving wafers therethrough. The wafer handling chamber has a wafer aligner, or orienter, for aligning the wafers according to the requirements of a process that the wafer is to undergo in the system. The wafer aligner is disposed at a location in the wafer handling chamber to minimize the number of movements that the wafer makes as it passes through the wafer handling chamber, to minimize interference between wafer handlers, or robots, when more than one wafer handler is used in the wafer handling chamber and to minimize the footprint area of the system. The presence of the wafer aligner in the wafer handling chamber eliminates the need to provide a separate wafer aligning chamber in the system.