Provided are an alignment jig, a side track buffer system including the same, and an alignment method using the same. The alignment jig includes a horizontal jig fixed to a bottom plate of a side track buffer to extend in a horizontal direction to a lower portion of the transfer rail, and a vertical jig fixed to the transfer rail to extend downward in a vertical direction so as to be adjacent to a top surface in the horizontal direction. A separation distance between an intersection point of the vertical jig and the horizontal jig and a central portion of the bottom plate is detected as a buffer separation distance, and a buffer frame is horizontally moved automatically or manually to allow the buffer separation distance to match a reference separation distance, so that the side track buffer is installed in an accurate position.

A system and an operating method for automated wafer carrier handling are provided. The system includes a storage rack including a standby position and a storage position separated from each other, a first and second moving mechanism, and a controller operatively coupled to the first and second moving mechanism to control operations of the first and second moving mechanism. The storage position is for buffering a wafer carrier awaiting transfer to a load port. The first moving mechanism is movably coupled to the storage rack and provides at least one degree of freedom of movement to transfer the wafer carrier from the storage position to the standby position. The second moving mechanism is disposed over the storage rack, operatively coupled the storage rack to the load port, and provides at least one degree of freedom of movement to transfer the wafer carrier from the standby position to the load port.

A processing system is provided, including a vacuum enclosure having a plurality of process windows and a continuous track positioned therein; a plurality of processing chambers attached sidewalls of the vacuum enclosures, each processing chamber about one of the process windows; a loadlock attached at one end of the vacuum enclosure and having a loading track positioned therein; at least one gate valve separating the loadlock from the vacuum enclosure; a plurality of substrate carriers configured to travel on the continuous track and the loading track; at least one track exchanger positioned within the vacuum enclosure, the track exchangers movable between a first position, wherein substrate carriers are made to continuously move on the continuous track, and a second position wherein the substrate carriers are made to transfer between the continuous track and the loading track.

A vacuum substrate transport apparatus including a frame, a drive section having a drive axis, at least one arm, having an end effector for holding a substrate, having at least one degree of freedom axis effecting extension and retraction, and a bearing defining a guideway that defines the axis, the bearing including at least one rolling load bearing element disposed in a bearing case, interfacing between a bearing raceway and bearing rail to support arm loads, and effecting sliding of the case along the rail, and at least one rolling, substantially non-load bearing, spacer element disposed in the case, intervening between each of the load bearing elements, wherein the spacer element is a sacrificial buffer material compatible with sustained substantially unrestricted service commensurate with a predetermined service duty of the apparatus in a vacuum environment at temperatures over 260° C. for a specified predetermined service period.

An overhead transport vehicle includes a conveyor to travel along a track, a holder to hold an object to be conveyed, and a lifting driver to lift and lower the holder. The holder includes a base, a holder including a body and a pair of grippers connected to the body in an openable/closable manner, the holder being attached to the base so as to be movable along an opening/closing direction of the pair of grippers, and a first elastic member to restrict, between the base and the body, movement of the holder along the opening/closing direction.

A failure analysis unit is a wafer conveyance unit configured to convey a wafer while holding the wafer in a semiconductor failure analysis apparatus, the wafer conveyance unit including: a placement table configured to fix a wafer at a predetermined observation position; and a wafer chuck configured to convey the wafer while holding the wafer to the observation position. The wafer chuck includes a plurality of holding members (protruding portions) provided so as to face a side surface of the wafer, and holds the wafer by sandwiching a peripheral portion of the wafer W with the plurality of holding members.

A method and apparatus for aligning components within a processing module are described herein. The components include a substrate transfer device, a plurality of support chuck assemblies, and adjustable bushings disposed in the processing module. The substrate transfer device includes support arms with heads configured to passively correct the location of a substrate therein. The orientation of each of the support arms of the substrate transfer device is adjusted to align with each of the support chuck assemblies. The location of a process station is then adjusted to align with one of the support chuck assemblies by calibrating the adjustable bushings which correspond to each process station.

A cutting apparatus includes a cassette table on which a first cassette in which a frame unit, ring-shaped frame and wafer are housed, and a second cassette in which a simple wafer is housed. A first conveying unit having a first frame holding part holds the ring-shaped frame of the frame unit withdrawn from the first cassette and conveys the frame unit to a chuck table. A first wafer holding part holds the simple wafer withdrawn from the second cassette and conveys the simple wafer to the chuck table. A cutting unit cuts the wafer, and a second conveying unit conveys the frame unit from the chuck table to a cleaning unit. A second wafer holding part holds the cut simple wafer and conveys it from the chuck table to the cleaning unit.

A system is disclosed for transferring a substance pattern to a substrate. The system comprises a nip defined between a roller and an opposing surface, a web carrying the substance pattern driven to pass the nip with a predetermined velocity, and an endless conveyor for transporting the substrate towards the nip, the substrate passing through the nip at the same time, and with the same speed, as the web in order for the substance pattern to be transferred from the web to the substrate. Upon gripping of the substrate by the nip, no further force is applied by the transport conveyor, thereby avoiding compression of the substrate. The endless transport conveyor can be formed with at least one projection configured to engage a trailing edge of the substrate and can be driven to push the substrate towards the nip with a velocity less than the velocity of the web.

A suspended transport vehicle travels along a track supported by a ceiling and transfers an article to a shelf of a rack installed on a floor, the suspended transport vehicle has a driving part, a first traveling part and a second traveling part, a ceiling-side member that is suspended downwards from the first traveling part and the second traveling part and has a transferring part that transfers the article to the shelf of the rack, a floor-side member that is provided so as to be capable of relative movement with respect to the ceiling-side member and has travel rollers being contacting parts in contact with a first guide part installed on the floor, and a distance sensor that detects a relative distance between the ceiling-side member and the floor-side member.