Sealed substrate carriers and systems and methods for transporting substrates

A method comprising:

• determining that a first state of a first sealed environment within a first chamber formed by a first component of a semiconductor processing system is to be changed to be substantially similar to a second state of a second sealed environment within a second chamber formed by a second component of the semiconductor processing system, wherein a door is configured to create the second sealed environment in the second chamber, wherein the second sealed environment in the second chamber is at the second state prior to the door being opened, wherein a load port structure is disposed between the second component and the first component, wherein the load port structure comprises a plurality of walls disposed around an opening of the load port structure, wherein the load port structure is separate from the first component and the second component, and wherein a plurality of substrates are to be transferred through the opening of the load port structure between the second chamber formed by the second component and the first chamber formed by the first component subsequent to the door being opened;
• and
• causing the first state of the first sealed environment within the first chamber to be changed to be substantially similar to the second state of the second sealed environment within the second chamber before the door between the first sealed environment and the second sealed environment is opened, wherein the second sealed environment is at the second state prior to the causing of the first state of the first sealed environment to be changed to be substantially similar to the second state, wherein the first state being substantially similar to the second state comprises one or more of:
• a first temperature associated with the first chamber varying from a second temperature associated with the second chamber by up to 20 percent;
• a first absolute pressure associated with the first chamber varying from a second absolute pressure associated with the second chamber by up to 10 percent;
• or first molar percentage of each gas of a first gas mixture in the first chamber varying from a second molar percentage of each gas of a second gas mixture in the second chamber by up to 5 percent.

A first system component of a semiconductor processing system, the first system component comprising:

• a body forming a first chamber, wherein:
• a door is configured to form a first sealed environment within the first chamber;
• a load port structure is disposed between the first system component and a second system component;
• the load port structure comprises a plurality of walls disposed around an opening of the load port structure;
• the load port structure is separate from the first system component and the second system component;
• a plurality of substrates are to be transferred through the opening of the load port structure between a second chamber formed by the second system component and the first chamber formed by the first system component subsequent to the door being opened;
• a first state of the first sealed environment within the first chamber and a second state of a second sealed environment within the second chamber being substantially similar to each other comprises one or more of:
• a first temperature associated with the first chamber varying from a second temperature associated with the second chamber by up to 20 percent;
• a first absolute pressure associated with the first chamber varying from a second absolute pressure associated with the second chamber by up to 10 percent;
• or
• first molar percentage of each gas of a first gas mixture in the first chamber varying from a second molar percentage of each gas of a second gas mixture in the second chamber by up to 5 percent, wherein:
• the first state of the first sealed environment within the first chamber is to be changed to be substantially similar to the second state of the second sealed environment within the second chamber before the door between the first sealed environment and the second sealed environment is opened, the second sealed environment being at the second state prior to changing of the first state of the first sealed environment to be substantially similar to the second state;
• or
• the second state of the second sealed environment within the second chamber is to be changed to be substantially similar to the first state of the first sealed environment within the first chamber before the door between the first sealed environment and the second sealed environment is opened, the first sealed environment being at the first state prior to changing of the second state of the second sealed environment to be substantially similar to the first state.