A method for controlling a conveyance system includes transmitting, by a specific conveyance vehicle specific transfer location information to a management device, extracting from correspondence information by the management device, specific communication-device address information corresponding to the specific transfer location information received from the specific conveyance vehicle, and transmitting to the specific conveyance vehicle by the management device the specific communication-device address information extracted, and executing by the specific conveyance vehicle using the specific communication-device address information received from the management device communication with a first communication device connected to a first semiconductor manufacturing device to transfer a FOUP between the first semiconductor manufacturing device and the specific conveyance vehicle.

An article placement apparatus, a stocker provided including the article placement apparatus, and a transport vehicle system, prevent an article from being damaged at time of placement of the article, even when an erector vertically erecting from the support is provided. The article placement apparatus includes a support on which the storage container is placed, and a side erector that vertically erects from the support and extends in a transfer direction of the storage container, the side erector restricting the storage container placed on the support from moving in a width direction that is horizontally orthogonal to the transfer direction. The side erector is provided with a guide that guides the storage container obliquely upward from the front side toward the rear side when the storage container transferred by the stacker crane comes into contact.

A substrate treating apparatus and a substrate transporting method. An ID block 2, a coating block 3, a developing block 4, and an IF block 6 are arranged in this order. A platform 13 is placed on the ID block 2, and a platform 47 is placed on the IF block 6. A currently-used carrier platform is provided only on an ID block. Accordingly, a substrate is transported in both a forward path and a return path between the ID block and the IF block. According to the disclosure, a substrate W is transported from the IF block 6 to the developing block 4 in the return path, and thereafter, the substrate W is returned back from the developing block 4 to the IF block 6 without being transported to the coating block 3. Consequently, transportation process by the coating block 3 in the return path is reduced so that an entire throughput of a substrate treating apparatus 1 can be enhanced.

A system, includes, a semiconductor processing unit, an Automated Materials Handling System (AMHS) vehicle, and a warehouse apparatus, wherein the warehouse apparatus comprises at least one input port, at least one output port, and at least one load/unload port, wherein the warehouse apparatus is configured to perform one of the following: receiving a plurality of tray cassette containers from the AMHS vehicle at the at least one input port, transporting at least one tray cassette in each of a plurality of tray cassette containers to the at least one load/unload port via the at least one input port, transporting at least one first tray from the at least one tray cassette to the semiconductor processing unit via a tray feeder conveyor, and receiving at least one second tray from the semiconductor processing unit via the tray feeder conveyor.

A transport vehicle includes a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

A laser stripping mass-transfer device includes a microdevice laser stripping transfer module, an auxiliary conveyor module, a transition conveyor module, a transfer conveyor module, a substrate carrier module, a microdevice filling module, a curing module, an encapsulation module and a substrate transportation module. The microdevice laser stripping transfer module is configured to implement detection and stripping of the microdevices. The auxiliary conveyor module is configured to adhere the stripped microdevices. The transition conveyor module is configured to pick up and transfer the microdevices to the transfer conveyor module. The transfer conveyor module is configured to pick up and transfer the microdevices to the substrate carrier module. The substrate carrier module is configured to feed the microdevices into the microdevice filling module, the curing module, the encapsulation module, and the substrate transportation module for filling, curing, encapsulating, loading and unloading.

The present disclosure provides various apparatus and methods for novel cleanspace fabricator designs. In some examples, a cleanspace fabricator may be comprised of vertically stacked tools wherein the product and the processing tools are conveyed through the cleanspace. The fabricator may comprise a processor performing cognitive computing algorithms. In some examples, the processor may be located at a remote location and communication with the cleanspace fabricator. Product may be comprised of or processed upon substrates in some examples. In other examples product may be comprised of materials contained within vessels. In some examples the product within vessels may be in liquid or powder form.

Provided is a technique capable of implementing efficient transport and processing related to multi-step processing in the case of a link-type vacuum processing apparatus with related to an operating method of a vacuum processing apparatus. The operating method of the vacuum processing apparatus according to the embodiment, in order to minimize time required for all processing of a plurality of wafers in a multi-step processing, includes a first step (steps 601 to 607) of selecting one first processing unit and one second processing unit from a plurality of processing units for each wafer and determining a transport schedule including a transport path using the selected processing units. In the first step, for at least one wafer, a transport schedule including a transport path is configured using the selected first processing unit by excluding at least one first processing unit from the plurality of first processing units. The operating method selects an optimal transport schedule when a second step is rate-limited.

A processing apparatus includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece, a cutting unit that processes the workpiece held by the chuck table, a cassette placing region where a cassette is placed, a carrying unit that carries the workpiece between the cassette placed in the cassette placing region and the chuck table, and a surrounding wall that partitions a route for lifting the cassette upward and downward from an external space, in a space directly above the cassette placing region. A height of the surrounding wall is equal to or more than a height of a ceiling wall of the processing apparatus and is so as not to interfere with the cassette held by a carrier that travels.

A wafer storage device may include one or more mutually aligned rails extending from two opposing side walls, each pair of mutually aligned rails configured to support a wafer between the side walls. The wafer storage device includes one or more sensors coupled to at least some of the one or more rails. The one or more sensors may be configured to detect a physical property of the wafer. The wafer storage device may further include a processor configured to analyze data from the one or more sensors, and a memory device. The memory device may be configured to store data produced by at least the one or more sensors or the processor. The wafer storage device may also include a power storage device configured to receive power from an external source and supply power to the one or more sensors and the processor.