Abstract: A vacuum-tight wafer carrier, and a load lock suitable for use with this wafer carrier. The wafers are supported at each side by a slightly sloping shelf, so that minimal contact (line contact) is made between the wafer surface and the surface of the shelf. This reduces generation of particulates by abrasion of the surface of the wafer. The carrier also contains elastic elements to restrain the wafers from rattling around, which further reduces the internal generation of particulates. When the wafer carrier is placed into the load lock, its body is lowered from beneath its cover through an aperture into a lower chamber, where wafers are loaded and unloaded under vacuum; the carrier cover remains covering the aperture into the lower chamber, so that the wafers never see any surface which is directly exposed to atmosphere. A wafer transport arm mechanism permits interchange of wafers among one or more processing stations and one or more load locks of this type.

Abstract: A vacuum-tight wafer carrier, and a load lock suitable for use with this wafer carrier. The wafers are supported at each side by a slightly sloping shelf, so that minimal contact (line contact) is made between the wafer surface and the surface of the shelf. This reduces generation of particulates by abrasion of the surface of the wafer. The carrier also contains elastic elements to restrain the wafers from rattling around, which further reduces the internal generation of particulates. When the wafer carrier is placed into the load lock, its body is lowered from beneath its cover through an aperture into a lower chamber, where wafers are loaded and unloaded under vacuum; the carrier cover remains covering the aperture into the lower chamber, so that the wafers never see any surface which is directly exposed to atmosphere. A wafer transport arm mechanism permits interchange of wafers among one or more processing stations and one or more load locks of this type.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for removing submicron sized particles from the surface of a silicon semiconductor wafer (38). Conventional cleaning methods are capable of only removing particles that are about 1 micron or larger in size. The present invention provides a way to increase the submicron particles in size so that they are removable by the known methods. The silicon semiconductor wafer (38) is cooled by a refrigeration unit (36) or by exposure to liquid nitrogen (74). The cooled wafer (38) is then exposed to a condensable material (42) which is allowed to condense on the surface of the wafer (38). The condensable material will surround any particles that are on the surface and cause them to grow in size due to the formation of frozen crystals. Without allowing the crystals to melt, the enlarged particles then are removed by any of the known methods.

Abstract: A vacuum processing system for processing semiconductor wafers includes a particle shield (16) disposed above the wafer (10) to block moving particles in a vacuum chamber which would otherwise contact the wafer (10). The particle shield (16) is attached to arm (18), allowing the particle shield (16) to be moved away from the wafer or photomask during processing.