Abstract: A manually activated suction lifting device has a handle which rotates up to complete an active suction. The first stage of the suction is created by pushing firmly down on the convex top of the device. Upon creation of the final suction with the handle locked up, an alarm button is drawn into the housing, hiding an alarm ring. If the suction fails, then a vent tube transmits the lost vacuum to an alarm chamber, thereby allowing a spring to bias the alarm button outbound, exposing the alarm ring to a worker so he can grab the workpiece and prevent damage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a handling device and to a handling method for wafers, in particular for wafers with a thickness of less than 100 ?m. According to the invention it is provided that an adhesive membrane is arranged so as to delimit at least one workspace, the volume of which can be changed by supplying or removing pressurising medium, and in that the size of the contact surface between the adhesive membrane and the wafer can be adjusted by changing the workspace volume.