A load port door 210 can be positioned in a closed position to secure to a transport opening to maintain an environmentally-controlled atmosphere in the factory interface 106. The load port door 210 can be positioned in an open position using a door mechanism. While in the open position, the transport opening in the assembly 200 enables substrates (e.g., wafers) to be transferred between a substrate carrier 122 coupled to the load port 124 and factory interface 106 using factory interface robot 126.

Seal 220 can be positioned around the load port door 210. In some embodiments, the geometry of the seal is such that a base portion 222 of the seal couples to the load port door 210 and a surface of the sealing portion 223 extending from the base portion 222 contacts the surface (e.g., the sealing surface) of the load port frame 224 (responsive to the load port door being in the closed position). In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 extends from the base portion 222 on a side of the base portion 222 opposite a notch 226. In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 may cantilever from the base portion 222. The seal 220 may create an airtight seal when the load port door 210 is in a closed position. In some examples, a surface of the sealing portion 223 proximate a distal end of the seal 220 engages with a sealing surface of the load port frame 224 to create an airtight seal. The base portion 222 may form a seal against the load port door 210. The load port door 210 may exert a force (e.g., a threshold sealing force) on the seal 220 and the load port frame 224 may exert a reaction force 227 on the distal end of the sealing portion 223 when the load port door 210 is in a closed position. In some embodiments, the load port door 210 moves to the closed position when the force is applied (e.g., by the door actuator). In some embodiments, the force (e.g., load) that is applied to the seal 220 during sealing (e.g., when the door is closed) is perpendicular to a surface at which the seal connects to the load port door (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2C).

In some embodiments, seal 220 is a single piece of material, such as, for example, vulcanized rubber or any other type of elastomer. Seal 220 may be composed of a flexible elastomer material. In some embodiments, seal 220 is made up of a fluorinated, carbon-based synthetic rubber (e.g., a fluoroelastomer, FKM, FFKM, etc.). Those skilled in the art would understand that other suitable materials can be used, such as, for example, natural rubbers, silicone, plastics, other synthetic rubbers, polymers, expanded foam, etc. In some embodiments, seal 220 can be composed of multiple components coupled together. In some examples, the base portion 222 may be composed of a first material and the sealing portion 223 may be composed of a second material and may be bonded and/or coupled to the base portion 222. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the seal 220 is composed of a plastic material. In some embodiments, seal 220 is extruded or molded.

In some embodiments, the base portion 222 of the seal 220 includes a notch 226 formed in the cross section of the base portion 222. The notch 226 may cause the base portion 222 to flex when a bending moment is introduced to the base portion 222 (e.g., such as when installing the base portion 222 into a groove such as the groove shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 or when a sealing force is applied to sealing portion 223). In some embodiments, an installation force (e.g., such as that from a tool used to install the seal 220 on a load port door) causes the base portion 222 to flex because of the notch 226. In some embodiments, the notch 226 causes the base portion 222 to laterally flex about an axis into and out of the page (as shown in FIG. 2C) when an installation force is applied. In some embodiments, the base portion 222 is installed into a groove by first installing the toe 222B of the base portion 222 into the groove. The heel 222A of the base portion 222 is then inserted into the groove by flexing the base portion 222. Pulling on the sealing portion 223 may fully seat the base portion 222 into the groove.

In some embodiments, the notch 226 can have an irregular shape, a semi-circular shape, a substantially trapezoidal shape (as shown in FIGS. 2C and 3), etc. The notch 226 can be biased toward the toe 222B of the base portion 222 (e.g., downward as illustrated in FIG. 2C) or can be biased toward the heel 222A of the base portion 222 (e.g., upward as illustrated in FIG. 2C). In some embodiments, the notch 226 is substantially centered between the toe 222B and the heel 222A of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the width of the notch 226 is proportional to the depth of the notch 226. In some embodiments, the width and/or depth of the notch 226 is proportional to the length and/or width of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the depth of the notch 226 is between approximately 20% and 40% of the width of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the depth of the notch 226 is between approximately 30% and 35% of the width of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the width of the notch 226 is between approximately 20% and 60% of the length of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the width of the notch 226 is between approximately 30% and 50% of the length of the base portion 222.

In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 extends from the base portion 222 proximate a heel 222A of the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 is cantilevered from the base portion 222 (e.g., cantilevered at the heal of the base portion 222). The sealing portion 223 may include a curved cross-section. In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 includes a serpentine cross-section (e.g., a semi-serpentine cross-section, etc.). In some embodiments, the cross-section of the seal portion 223 extends from the heal of the base portion 222 and curves to substantially parallel the base portion 222. The tip of the seal portion 223 may curve away from the base portion 222. In some embodiments, the seal portion 223 includes a slanted tip. The slanted tip may interface with a sealing surface (e.g., the sealing surface of a load port frame) to create an airtight seal. In some embodiments, the slanted tip sits flat on the sealing surface when the sealing force (e.g., reaction force 227) is applied to the tip (e.g., see FIG. 3). In some embodiments, the sealing portion 223 flexes when a sealing force is applied. In some embodiments, because of the notch 226, the base portion 222 may flex when the sealing force is applied to the sealing portion 223 to create the airtight seal. In some embodiments, the flexing of the sealing portion 223 and/or of the base portion 222 reduces the sealing force to create the airtight seal.

In some embodiments, the seal 220 may have a total height of between approximately 3 mm and 6 mm. The base portion