A system for transferring articles between an atmospheric pressure environment and a vacuum pressure environment. The system may include a vacuum enclosure having a wall separating the atmospheric pressure environment from the vacuum pressure environment. A transfer shaft may extend through the wall from the atmospheric pressure environment to the vacuum pressure environment. The transfer shaft may include an atmospheric transfer port disposed within the atmospheric pressure environment, a vacuum transfer port disposed within the vacuum pressure environment, and an intermediate port disposed adjacent a channel in the wall. The system may further include a movable transfer carriage disposed within the transfer shaft, the transfer carriage having an access port for providing access to an interior of the transfer carriage. The system may further include an air bearing on the transfer carriage configured to expel gas for maintaining a gap between the transfer carriage and the transfer shaft.

A method of transporting a first carrier is provided. The method includes responsive to a processing station being scheduled to receive a semiconductor wafer that is carried by the first carrier, moving a first transport vehicle from a first track to a second track via a first junction while the first carrier is supported by a first carrier support component of the first transport vehicle. The method includes transferring the first carrier from the first carrier support component to the buffer support component while the first transport vehicle is engaged with the second track. The method includes responsive to the processing station being available to receive the semiconductor wafer, transferring the first carrier from the buffer support component to a second carrier support component of the second transport vehicle. The method includes transferring the first carrier from the second carrier support component to the processing station.

A frame unit forming method includes disposing a wafer on an opening portion of an annular frame, forming a frame unit by disposing a thermocompression bonding sheet on the wafer and an outer periphery of the annular frame and integrating the wafer with the annular frame by the thermocompression bonding sheet, and, activating, before forming the frame unit, a surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet on a side which is to be disposed on the wafer and the annular frame, by applying plasma processing or corona treatment to the surface of the thermocompression bonding sheet.