The efficiency of transporting articles is improved by smoothly delivering and receiving the articles between overhead transport vehicles traveling on different tracks. A transport system includes a first overhead transport vehicle that travels on a first overhead track; a second overhead transport vehicle that travels on a second overhead track and a third overhead track; and a first placement portion and a second placement portion that allow articles to be delivered and received between the first overhead transport vehicle and the second overhead transport vehicle. At least one of the first overhead transport vehicle, the second overhead transport vehicle, the first placement portion, and the second placement portion is provided with a rotator that rotates an article around a vertical axis.

A wafer transfer unit includes at least one data processing unit, which is configured at least for a registration and/or processing of sensor data of at least one sensor, allocated to at least one sub-component of a wafer transfer system, of a sensor module, in particular includes at least one wafer processing module of the wafer transfer system, includes at least one wafer interface system of the wafer transfer system with a wafer transport container and a loading and/or unloading station for a loading and/or unloading of the wafer transport container and/or of the wafer processing module, includes at least one wafer transport container transport system of the wafer transfer system and/or includes at least one wafer handling robot of the wafer transfer system.

An overhead transport vehicle includes a lift stage to transfer an article, a winding drum to overlap and wind a suspension attached to the lift stage, and a controller to control a rotation amount of the winding drum to control a lifting/lowering amount of the lift stage. The controller is configured or programmed to execute a first processing including calculating, as individual values of the overhead transport vehicle, an individual value of an entire length of the suspension, an individual value of a diameter of the winding drum, and an individual value of a thickness of the suspension, and a second processing including calculating a rotation amount of the winding drum with respect to a lifting/lowering amount of the lift stage based on the individual value of the entire length of the suspension, the individual value of the diameter of the winding drum, and the individual value of the thickness of the suspension calculated in the first processing.

A control unit causes a lifting unit to perform a lifting operation for raising/lowering a holding unit by executing feedback control for controlling the lifting unit to move a position of the holding unit in a lifting direction closer to a target position while changing the target position, and the control unit executes feedback control with the target position fixed while causing the travel unit to perform a travel operation for traveling along a travel path in a state where the holding unit is holding an article. The control unit reduces a travel operation gain which is a gain of the feedback control during the travel operation to lower than a lifting operation gain which is a gain of the feedback control during the lifting operation.

An apparatus and an operating method for automated wafer carrier handling are provided. The apparatus includes a base frame and an engaging mechanism disposed on the base frame. The engaging mechanism includes a controller and an active expansion component moveably coupled to the base frame and controlled by the controller to perform a reciprocating movement relative to the base frame. The active expansion component is driven by the controller to pass through the base frame to be engaged with a top flange mounted on the wafer carrier.

A fixing device that fixes a lower end portion of a suspension belt to a holding portion is provided with a shaft-like portion with an axial direction aligned with a horizontal direction; a fixing portion where the lower end portion of the suspension belt is fixed is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the shaft-like portion; a region of the outer circumferential surface on one side of a virtual vertical surface that runs through an axial center of the shaft-like portion is defined as a first region and a region of the outer circumferential surface on the other side of the virtual vertical surface is defined as a second region; the fixing portion is provided in the first region; and the suspension belt extending from the fixing portion is disposed running through a lowest portion of the outer circumferential surface and running along the second region and upward.

An apparatus for handling wafer carriers in a semiconductor fabrication facility (FAB) is disclosed. In one example, the apparatus includes: a table configured to receive a wafer carrier having a first door and operable to hold a plurality of wafers; an opening mechanism configured to open the first door of the wafer carrier; and a door storage space configured to store the first door. The apparatus may be either located on a floor of the FAB or physically coupled to a ceiling of the FAB.

A storage system includes an overhead stocker including an overhead crane track shelving in which tiers of storages to accommodate articles therein are arranged vertically, and a crane to travel along the overhead crane track and transfer an article between the tiers of storages, an overhead transport vehicle system to perform receiving or delivering of an article from or to a predetermined transfer destination, and a transporter to vertically transport an article between the overhead stocker and the overhead transport vehicle system, the overhead transport vehicle system being provided below a lower end of the overhead stocker.

A stocker is disposed above a processing device and includes: a plurality of shelves provided in multiple stages in an up-down direction, to place articles thereon; and a crane to place an article on the shelves or take out an article placed on the shelves. The shelves include: a carry-in/out port used for an overhead transport vehicle to place an article thereon; and storage shelves used for the crane to place an article thereon. The carry-in/out port has a vertical dimension that allows a grip of the overhead transport vehicle to place the article from above. More storage shelves are provided than the carry-in/out port and are provided to have a smaller vertical dimension than that of the carry-in/out port. The crane places an article on the carry-in/out port onto the storage shelves or place an article on the storage shelves onto the carry-in/out port by a transfer device.

In some embodiments, a system for monitoring a tool is provided. The system includes a tool monitoring device, a transporting system and an external apparatus. The tool monitoring device is configured to monitor an environmental parameter of a load port of a tool. The tool monitoring device includes a wafer pod and a monitoring module disposed in the wafer pod. The monitoring module includes at least one sensor, a computer coupled to the at least one sensor, a power supply electrically coupled to the at least one sensor and the computer, and a wireless unit coupled to the computer. The transporting system is configured to transfer the tool monitoring device from one load port to another load port. The external apparatus is coupled to the tool monitoring device.