Processing method and equipment for processing a semiconductor device having holder/carrier with flattened surface

Abstract

Process equipment and method for processing a semiconductor device comprising a buffer chamber, at least one process chamber connected to the buffer chamber through an opening portion, a holding/carrying unit disposed at a position facing the opening portion for holding and carrying a member to be processed such as a wafer, and a carrier unit disposed in the buffer chamber for transferring the member to be processed to and from the holding/carrying unit. The holding/carrying unit includes a flattened surface closely facing the opening portion for holding an atmosphere in the at least one process chamber independently from an atmosphere in the buffer chamber. The opening portion has a flattened surface closely facing the flattened surface of the holding/carrying unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.