Methods and systems for improving the efficiency of an automated material handling system (AMHS) include providing an apparatus operatively coupled to a load port of a processing apparatus, where the apparatus is configured to remove a first work-in-process from the load port and to move the first work-in-process along a first direction to displace the first work-in-progress from the load port while a second work-in-progress is transferred to the load port from an AMHS vehicle along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and transferring the first work-in-progress to an AMHS vehicle along the second direction. The methods and systems may be used for loading and unloading wafer storage containers, such as front opening unified pods (FOUPs), in a semiconductor fabrication facility.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier block on which a carrier configured to store a substrate is placed, first processing block including a plurality of first processing modules, and a first transport mechanism shared by the plurality of first processing modules to transport the substrate, second processing block overlapping the first processing block, including a plurality of second processing modules, and a second transport mechanism shared by the plurality of second processing modules to transport the substrate, and configured to transport the substrate to the carrier block. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lifting and transferring mechanism including a shaft extending in a horizontal direction and a support part configured to face and support the substrate, and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the support part around the shaft such that an orientation of the support part is changed between a first orientation and the second position.

A wafer storage system includes a main rail, an overhead hoist transport (OHT) on the main rail, the OHT being configured to transfer at least one storage case with wafers, an interface port on at least one side of the main rail, an auxiliary rail on one side of the interface port, the auxiliary rail being parallel to the main rail, and the interface port being between the main rail and the auxiliary rail, an auxiliary transport on the auxiliary rail, the auxiliary transport being configured to move along the auxiliary rail and to move the at least one storage case, a storage shelf on at least one side of the auxiliary transport, the storage shelf being configured to store the at least one storage case, and a worktable on one side of the storage shelf, the storage shelf being between the worktable and the auxiliary transport.

Some implementations described herein provide a method that includes loading, from a load port and into a first buffer of a multiple-buffer overhead hoist transport (OHT) vehicle, a first transport carrier storing one or more processed wafers. The method includes unloading to the load port, while the first buffer retains the first transport carrier, and from a second buffer of the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle, a second transport carrier storing one or more wafers for processing. In other implementations, the method includes loading, into a first buffer of the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle, a first transport carrier storing one or more wafers for processing, while a semiconductor processing tool, associated with a load port, is processing one or more wafers associated with a second transport carrier. The method includes positioning the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle above the load port while the multiple-buffer OHT vehicle retains the first transport carrier in the first buffer.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a carrier block including carrier placement parts and configured to load/unload a substrate into/from a carrier; a processing block provided on one side of the carrier block to process the substrate; first and second carrier placement parts of the carrier placement parts and provided side by side in a front-rear direction in a plan view; substrate placement parts provided to be arranged step by step vertically on one side of a substrate transfer region formed between the first and second carrier placement parts; a first substrate transfer mechanism provided in the substrate transfer region to deliver the substrate between the carrier of the first carrier placement part and a first substrate placement part of the substrate placement parts; and a second substrate transfer mechanism for moving upward and downward so as to deliver the substrate between first and second substrate placement parts.

Provided is an equipment front end module (EFEM) including a base configured to communicate with a processor, a tray port on the base, the tray port being configured to load a tray including a stub and a grid holder, a working robot configured to move in a direction on the base, and grasp and convey the stub in the tray and the grid holder in the tray, and a shuttle port on the base, the shuttle port including a first groove configured to fix the stub, and a second groove configured to fix the grid holder, wherein the working robot is further configured to convey the stub to the first groove and convey the grid holder to the second groove.

According to one embodiment, a film formation apparatus that suppresses effects of pre-processing and enables stable film formation is provided. A film formation apparatus of the present disclosure includes a chamber that can be made vacuum, a transporter that is provided inside the chamber and that circulates and transports a workpiece in a trajectory of a circle, a film formation unit that forms film by sputtering on the workpiece circulated and transported by the transporter, a load-lock room that loads the workpiece into and out of the chamber relative to air space while keeping an interior of the chamber vacuum, and a pre-processing unit that is provided in the chamber at a position adjacent to the load-lock room and that performs pre-processing to the workpiece loaded in from the load-lock room in a state distant from the transporter.

An article transport facility includes a first rail and a second rail. The second rail is spaced upward relative to the first rail, and intersects the first rail in a view in an up-down direction. The transport vehicle includes a vehicle body disposed between the first rail and the second rail in the up-down direction, a first traveling unit that causes the vehicle body to travel along a first direction, and a second traveling unit that causes the vehicle body to travel along a second direction.

In an article transport vehicle that is able to transport a plurality of types of articles, the efficiency of operations is improved in accordance with the type of article, while suppressing an increase in the size of the article transport vehicle. If a control device determines that an article held by a holding portion is a first-type article, the control device controls the transfer mechanism so as to cause the turning mechanism to perform a turning mechanism and cause a sliding mechanism to perform a sliding operation such that operation periods of these operations do not overlap. If the control device determines that the article held by the holding portion is a second-type article, the control device controls the transfer mechanism so as to perform the turning operation and the sliding operation such that the operation periods of these operations overlap.

Disclosed is an article transfer apparatus. The article transfer apparatus includes a vehicle that travels along a driving rail installed on a ceiling, a hoist module that picks up an article-to-be-transferred, a vehicle body, on which the hoist module is mounted and which is connected to the vehicle, a drop preventing member provided in the vehicle body, and that prevents the article-to-be-transferred from dropping while the vehicle travels, and a controller that receives loading/unloading information of the article-to-be transferred to determine a size of the article-to-be-transferred, and to drive the drop preventing member according to a size of the article-to-be transferred.