the present invention generally comprises a floating slit valve for interfacing with a chamber . a floating slit valve moves or “ floats ” relative to another object such as a chamber . the slit valve may be coupled between two chambers . when a chamber coupled with the slit valve is heated , the slit valve may also be heated by conduction . as the slit valve is heated , it may thermally expand . when a vacuum is drawn in a chamber , the slit valve may deform due to vacuum deflection . by disposing a low friction material spacer between the chamber and the slit valve , the slit valve may not rub against the chamber during thermal expansion / contraction and / or vacuum deflection and thus , may not generate undesirable particle contaminants . additionally , slots drilled through the chamber for coupling the slit valve to the chamber may be sized to accommodate thermal expansion / contraction and vacuum deflection of the slit valve .