A transport facility includes a plurality of transport vehicles that travel in a travel area to transport articles, and a control system that controls the plurality of transport vehicles. The travel area includes a plurality of rechargeable points for recharging the plurality of transport vehicles, and a plurality of transfer points at each of which the plurality of transport vehicles transfer the articles. The control system performs a relay transport process. In the relay transport process, a relay point is selected from the plurality of transfer points, and a recharge point for recharging a first transport vehicle is selected from the plurality of rechargeable points. The relay point is a transfer point closest to the unload point on a transport path of the transport vehicle. The recharge point is selected from rechargeable points of the plurality of rechargeable points within a selection range from the relay point.

The traveling vehicle system includes a track having a portion that is a non-self-propelling section where the traveling vehicle is unable to be self-propellable, a traveling vehicle configured to travel along the track, and a moving unit configured to move the traveling vehicle in one direction in the non-self-propelling section. The moving unit includes a moving mechanism configured to move the movable block in the one direction. The traveling vehicle includes an engagement part capable of being engaged with the movable block, and a switching mechanism configured to switch the position of the engagement part between a first position at which the engagement part is engaged with the movable block and a second position at which the engagement part is separated from the movable block. The moving mechanism moves the traveling vehicle by moving the movable block in the one direction with the engagement part engaged.

A substrate transfer device includes a housing accommodating a carrier for storing a substrate, a carrier lifter moving the carrier in a vertical direction relative to an upper surface of the housing, a vertical stabilization unit connected to a lower part of the carrier lifter and reducing a vertical vibration of the carrier, a rotation stabilization unit connected to a lower part of the vertical stabilization unit and reducing rotation of the carrier, and a carrier holder connected to a lower part of the rotation stabilization unit. The carrier holder holds the carrier. The vertical stabilization unit includes an upper plate connected to the carrier lifter, a lower plate connected to the rotation stabilization unit, and a buffer disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate. The buffer contracts or relaxes to reduce the vertical vibration of the carrier.

A wafer transfer apparatus includes a plate, a first belt unit on a first surface of the plate and including a first linear motion (LM) guide movable up and down, a second belt unit on the first surface of the plate and including a second LM guide movable up and down, a robot between the first belt unit and the second belt unit connected to the first LM guide and the second LM guide, and configured to transfer a wafer in a vertical direction, and a buffer unit between the first belt unit and the second belt unit in a first direction and disposed between the plate and the robot in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the buffer unit includes a plurality of centrifugal fans configured to discharge fluid from an inner space of the buffer unit to an outside of the buffer unit.

A substrate process station includes a housing including a transport region and process region. The process station further includes a magnetic levitation assembly disposed in the transport region configured to levitate and propel a substrate carrier. The magnetic levitation assembly includes a first track segment including first rails disposed in the transport region and below the process region, wherein the first rails each include a first plurality of magnets. The process station further includes a pedestal assembly comprising a pedestal disposed within the housing. The pedestal is moveable between a pedestal transfer position and a process position, wherein the pedestal is disposed between the first rails in the pedestal transfer position to receive a substrate from the substrate carrier, and wherein the pedestal is moveable between the first rails to position the received substrate in the process region in the process position.

An article transport facility includes a transport vehicle and a controller, and the transport vehicle includes: a drive unit; a speed detector configured to detect a traveling speed; and a distance detector configured to detect an inter-vehicle distance, which is a distance to another transport vehicle. The controller is configured to (i) refer to at least one target speed that is set in advance according to the inter-vehicle distance, and (ii) perform an inter-vehicle adjustment control to control the drive unit in such a manner as to cause the traveling speed to approach the at least one target speed, based on the traveling speed and the inter-vehicle distance, the at least one target speed includes an accelerating target speed and a decelerating target speed, and the accelerating target speed is lower than the decelerating target speed for each inter-vehicle distance.

An overhead transport vehicle includes a transfer section to transfer an article to and from a load port included in equipment, sensors to emit detection waves downwardly to detect presence or absence of an obstacle, the sensors having different detection ranges from each other, and a controller configured or programmed to control the overhead transport vehicle. The transfer section includes a gripping section, a rotating section, and a lifting section. The controller, during transferring of the article by the transfer section, is configured or programmed to control the rotating section in accordance with a direction of accessing onto the load port such that the article is transferred in a specified direction and does not perform detection processing of one or more of the sensors having the detection ranges in which the equipment is included.

A support unit is provided. The support unit supports transport items, which include a first storage having two or more first vertices formed on a bottom thereof and a second storage having second vertices formed on a bottom thereof, but at different locations from the first vertices, and store articles including substrates or consumables for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and includes: a base part forming a bottom surface; first block parts provided on the base part and including first separation prevention surfaces, on which the first vertices are positioned, and which face or adjoin circumferential surfaces or corners of the first storage; and second block parts provided on the first block parts and including second separation prevention surfaces, on which the second vertices are positioned, and which face or adjoin circumferential surfaces or corners of the second storage.

It is possible to increase a transfer throughput of the substrate. There is provided a technique that includes: (a) supporting a container capable of accommodating a substrate with a first container support; and (b) controlling a rotating shaft for revolving placement structures arranged in a circumferential direction, an elevating structure for elevating a transfer robot and the transfer robot such that, when transferring a container from the transfer robot to a predetermined placement structure, a second moving speed of the elevating structure at which the transfer robot is elevated is faster than a first moving speed at which the predetermined placement structure is moved to a transfer position where the container is transferable from the transfer robot.

The present disclosure is to provide a wafer carrier substrate for carrying a wafer on which a plurality of chips is formed, elements to be measured being built in the plurality of chips. The wafer carrier substrate includes: a vacuuming hole for vacuuming of the wafer placed on the wafer carrier substrate; a wafer alignment guide for determining a predetermined position of the wafer placed on the wafer carrier substrate; and a mark for determining a probe contact position. It is possible to recognize a specific shot, without any additional processing of the semiconductor wafer.