US Patent 7048488 Apparatus for transferring wafer and ring

For wafer processing, wafers are transferred between a thermal treatment chamber and a thermal treatment installation. The treatment chamber has a top section and a bottom section between which the wafer is accommodated during treatment. The thermal treatment installation has a loading chamber having loading means and transport means. The wafer is place on a wafer support while in the loading chamber, wherein the wafer support is configured as a ring having support elements to support the wafer. The wafer support loaded with the wafer is inserted into the thermal treatment chamber so that the wafer and the wafer support are positioned between the top section and the bottom section. The wafer is individually processed in the thermal treatment chamber. After processing the wafer, the wafer support is removed from the thermal treatment chamber.