Provided are a container transporting apparatus for storing items such as FOUPs and reticle pods by utilizing the dead zone space located in an upper portion of the semiconductor manufacturing facility built in the FAB, and a container storage system having the same. The container storage system may include a first storage unit installed on a side of a movement path of a transporting device for transporting a container accommodating a substrate and for storing the container; a second storage unit installed on a side of the first storage unit and for storing the container; and a transporting unit moving between the first storage unit and the second storage unit and for transporting the container stored in the first storage unit to the second storage unit.

A semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB) is provided. The FAB includes a group of processing tools. The FAB also includes a number of sampling tubes connecting the group of processing tools. In addition, the FAB includes a sampling station which includes a connection port, a valve manifold box and a controller. The valve manifold box is used for switching a gas sample from one of the processing tools to the connection port. The controller is sued for controlling the connection of the valve manifold box and the sampling tubes. The FAB further includes a metrology module. The metrology module is connected to the connection port of the sampling station and is used to perform a measurement of a parameter related to the gas sample.

A floor-to-floor transport system that transports an article between different floors by using an upward path and a downward path in a vertical transporter that revolves in one direction includes, on at least one floor: a loading transport line that transports to the vertical transporter an article to be transported to another floor; a first loading opening through which the article is loaded into the upward path in the vertical transporter; a second loading opening through which the article is loaded into the downward path in the vertical transporter; a transferor that selectively transfers to the first loading opening or the second loading opening an article transported by the loading transport line; and a controller that controls the transferor depending on a destination of the article.

Embodiments herein relate to a transport system and a substrate processing and transfer (SPT) system. The SPT system includes a transport system that connects two processing tools. The transport system includes a vacuum tunnel that is configured to transport substrates between the processing tools. The vacuum tunnel includes a substrate transport carriage to move the substrate through the vacuum tunnel. The SPT system has a variety of configurations that allow the user to add or remove processing chambers, depending on the process chambers required for a desired substrate processing procedure.

In a case where the target article is transported between areas, a management control unit executes path setting control, a first area control unit executes first area transport control, a connection control unit executes connecting transport control, and a second area control unit executes second area transport control. With the path setting control, an overall path from a departure point to a destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of a first area transport facility, a second area transport facility, and a plurality of connecting transport facilities. With the second area transport control, a partial path from a second transfer position of a target connecting transport facility to the destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of the second area transport facility.

An apparatus for controlling driving of a transport vehicle in a goods transport system includes a processing unit providing information on a movement path of the transport vehicle, a motion controller generating a drive signal including front- and rear-wheel torque signals for driving front and rear wheels, respectively, of the transport vehicle, a front-wheel torque controller controlling rotation torque of the front wheel on the basis of the front-wheel torque signal, and a rear-wheel torque controller controlling rotation torque of the rear wheel on the basis of the rear-wheel torque signal. The motion controller includes a position controller generating a positional signal determining a position of the transport vehicle, a speed controller generating a speed signal determining a speed of the transport vehicle, and a torque distributor generating the front- and rear-wheel torque signals.

An article transport facility includes article transport vehicles that travel along a specified travelable path, and a control device that controls the article transport vehicles. The travelable path includes nodes and links each connecting a pair of the nodes. The control device sets a setting path based on a link cost that is set for each of the links. The link cost includes a reference cost and a variable cost. The reference cost is a value that is set based on a reference passage time that is required for a target vehicle to pass through a target link in a state in which another vehicle is not present in the target link. The variable cost is a value that is set based on a vehicle count-related increased time by which an actual passage time is increased relative to the reference passage time according to the number of the other vehicles present in the target link, the actual passage time being a time required for the target vehicle to pass through the target link.

A semiconductor processing system and a method for assembling such a system in a room of a semiconductor fabrication plant. The system comprises an equipment module and a pedestal. The equipment module may be movable over the pedestal to bring the equipment module in an end position and may have a plurality of stop surfaces. The method comprises placing the pedestal in the room, placing two stops on the pedestal and positioning the two stops relative to reference elements in the room, and connecting the positioned stops to the pedestal so that the positions thereof in the X-direction and Y-direction are fixed. The equipment module may be moved over the pedestal until the stop surfaces of the equipment module abut against the stops so as to position the equipment module in the X-direction and Y-direction relative to the reference elements.

There is provided a technique that includes: at least one process chamber configured to be capable of processing a substrate; one or more supports configured to be capable of supporting the substrate; a transporter configured to be capable of transporting the one or more supports; a transfer chamber configured to be capable of transferring the substrate; a transport chamber that is adjacent to the transfer chamber and the at least one process chamber and is configured to be capable of moving the transporter; and a delivery chamber that is disposed in the transport chamber and is configured to be capable of delivering the one or more supports.

A substrate processing system configured to process substrates includes a substrate transport assembly that encloses a controlled environment defined within a continuous transport volume and at least two process modules coupled to the substrate transport assembly. The substrate transport assembly is configured to transport substrates to and from the at least two process modules through the continuous transport volume. At least two gas boxes are configured to deliver gas mixtures to the at least two process modules. An exhaust duct configured to selectively evacuate the at least two process modules through the at least two gas boxes. Surfaces of the at least two gas boxes include perforations configured to allow gases to flow from the at least two gas boxes into the exhaust duct.