Abstract: An apparatus for thermal treatment of a thin plate wafer having a peripheral edge, having a vacuum chamber, a heater block for heating the thin film wafer rigidly mounted and operatively positioned inside said vacuum chamber, a holding clamp positioned in said vacuum chamber and defining an open-ended cylinder having a bottom and a top, said bottom for receiving said heater block, said holding clamp for pressing against said wafer supported by said heater block; a device for holding the wafer in said open-ended cylinder to enable said holding clamp to hold the wafer prior to and subsequent to thermal treatment of the wafer, an elevator device for positioning said holding clamp relative to said heater block such that in use only said weight of said holding clamp presses against the wafer, and a mechanical device co-operating with the elevator device for supplying and removing wafers into and out of the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for thermal treatment of a thin film wafer is disclosed including a vacuum chamber (10) with a heater assembly (20) positioned in the vacuum chamber (10) and a clamp (31) which presses against the wafer positioned on the heater assembly (20) with the force of the weight of the clamp (31). A vacuum generator (60) forms a vacuum in the vacuum chamber (10) and a gas supply network (100) supplies gas into the vacuum chamber (20) to provide a uniform temperature for the thermal treatment of the wafer. A wafer supply mechanism (50) supplies the wafer to the clamp (31) for thermal treatment.