Contactless wafer positioning carrier design

Abstract

A method of wafer handling includes providing a wafer on a wafer carrier on a wafer chuck on a vacuum plate. The wafer carrier includes a permanent magnet. The wafer chuck includes an electromagnet. The wafer is raised against a gravity direction by flowing an electrical current through the electromagnet so that the wafer carrier is repelled from the wafer chuck while the wafer remains on the wafer carrier. While keeping the wafer raised, wafer alignment is adjusted by moving the wafer chuck, the wafer carrier or both. The electrical current is reduced to zero so that the wafer carrier contacts the wafer chuck. The wafer is connected to the vacuum plate via a first vacuum cavity of the wafer chuck and a third vacuum cavity of the wafer carrier. The wafer carrier is connected to the vacuum plate via the second vacuum cavity of the wafer chuck.