Cassette lid opening device

A cassette lid opening device for use in a clean room apparatus configured for cooperation with a wafer cassette, wherein the wafer cassette comprises a cassette body defining a cassette interior for accommodating wafers oriented horizontally and having a cassette opening which is closeable with a cassette lid, wherein the cassette lid opening device comprises:

• a wall structure having a separation wall having a first side bounding a first space and having an opposite second side bounding a second space, the separation wall having a wall opening for transferring wafers therethrough;
• a cassette docking port arranged at the first side of the wall structure for docking the wafer cassette which is accommodated in the first space;
• and
• a lid handler provided to the wall structure, movable relative to the wall opening and configured to engage the cassette lid of the wafer cassette docked in the cassette docking port, the lid handler has a closed position in which the engaged cassette lid closes off the cassette body, and an open position in which the engaged cassette lid is spaced apart from the cassette body,
• the cassette lid opening device further comprising a blower having an elongated, slit-like nozzle substantially spanning a vertical height of the wall opening and configured to blow a curtain-shaped jet stream of a purge gas away from the separation wall in the direction of the first space into the cassette interior,
• wherein the lid handler is configured to move the engaged cassette lid laterally along a horizontal direction, wherein the horizontal direction is parallel to the separation wall;
• wherein the device further comprises:
• a door configured to close off the wall opening in the separation wall and being moveable with respect to the wall opening;
• a door handler connected to the door and configured to move the door to:
• a closed position in which in which the door closes off the wall opening;
• and
• an open position in which the door is moved laterally along the horizontal direction away from the wall opening;
• wherein the door handler is connected to the lid handler so as to move laterally together, and
• wherein the curtain-shaped jet stream is orthogonal to the horizontal plane and the horizontally oriented wafers and wherein the curtain-shaped jet stream moves laterally with the blower and the lid handler, wherein the curtain-shaped jet stream divides the cassette interior into a first volume on a side of the curtain-shaped jet stream in a direction of motion of the curtain-shaped jet stream and a second volume on a side of the curtain-shaped jet stream in a direction opposite of motion of the curtain-shaped jet stream, wherein the curtain-shaped jet stream is shaped such that no gas may flow from the first volume to the second volume, and wherein the second volume is substantially filled with purge gas.