Front opening unified pod door opener with dust-proof device

A front opening unified pod (FOUP) door opener with dust-proof device for opening up a door to a processing station so that a wafer may be transferred from a FOUP into the processing station and vice versa, the FOUP door opener at least comprising:

• an inner door setup close to the FOUP;
• and
• a dust-proofing device setup close to the processing station, the dust-proofing device further comprising:
• a gas pump for pumping gases;
• a gas filter having a gas inlet port connected to the gas outlet port of the gas pump for filtering out dust particles suspended in the gas;
• a gas outflow unit connected to the gas outlet port of the gas filter, wherein the gas outflow unit blows out a laminar layer of gas;
• and
• a gas inflow unit connected to the gas inlet port of the gas pump so that the gas blown out from the gas outflow unit is able to return to the gas pump via the gas inflow device,
• wherein the gas outflow unit and the gas inflow unit are set up facing each other with a spatial gap between the two, wherein the spatial gap is a channel for wafers going in and out of the FOUP and that a curtain of gas flowing from the gas outflow unit to the gas inflow unit is parallel to the surfaces of the wafers so that the gas sweeps over the upper and lower surface of the wafers.