Described examples include a material movement track having a base having a top surface, a first rail connected to the base and having a first major surface extending over the top surface, and a second rail connected to the base and having a second major surface extending over the top surface. The material movement track also has a first cover member extending from a first side of the base over the first rail and a second cover member extending from a second side of the base over the second rail and forming a gap between the first and second cover members.

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.

A substrate transfer method performed in a substrate processing apparatus including a transfer mechanism group configured to transfer a substrate into a carrier via a module group and an exposure apparatus is provided. The transfer mechanism group includes a first transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate in an order of the pre-stage module, the exposure apparatus, and a first post-stage module, and a second transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate in an order of the first post-stage module, a heating module, a developing module, and a second post-stage module, a post-stage transfer mechanism. The substrate transfer method includes comparing an exposure apparatus cycle time with a section transfer time required to transfer the substrate from a transfer section by the second transfer mechanism to a transfer section by the post-stage transfer mechanism; and setting the section transfer time based on a result of the comparing.

The overhead traveling vehicle system includes a track having a plurality of first rails extending in an X direction and a plurality of second rails extending in a Y direction arranged in a grid, and a traveling vehicle traveling on a pair of the first rails adjacent to each other in the Y direction and traveling on a pair of the second rails adjacent to each other in the X direction, in which each of the first rail and the second rail has a first surface on which a cell recognition mark is disposed and a second surface on which a position recognition mark is disposed, the second surface, when viewed from a center of a cell in plan view, being disposed outside the first surface and being inclined toward the traveling vehicle side with respect to the first surface.

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.

An apparatus for transferring a substrate includes: loading plate, a substrate loading part disposed on the loading plate, a rail disposed below the loading plate and extending in a first direction, a driving part disposed in an accommodation space defined within the rail, and connected to the loading plate through an opening defined in an upper portion of the rail, and wheels connected to both opposing sides of the driving part in a second direction that intersects perpendicular to the first direction. Each of the wheels includes a first wheel core, a second wheel core surrounding a first outer circumferential surface of the first wheel core when viewed in the second direction, and fan blades disposed between the first wheel core and the second wheel core. When viewed in the first direction, the fan blades are disposed to be inclined at a first angle with respect to the second direction.

A system according to the present disclosure includes a first fixed rail segment, a second fixed rail segment aligned with the first fixed rail segment along a first direction, a rotatable rail joint disposed between the first fixed rail segment and the second fixed rail segment along the first direction, a hanger mechanically coupled to the rotatable rail joint, a powered rotational mechanism housed in the hanger. The rotatable rail joint includes at least one rotational rail that is aligned with the first fixed rail segment and the second fixed rail segment when the rotatable rail joint rotates to an alignment position is not aligned with the first fixed rail segment and the second fixed rail segment when the rotatable rail joint rotates out of the alignment position.

In an article transport facility, transport vehicles each include a speed detector that detects a current speed and a distance detector that detects an inter-vehicle distance index corresponding to a distance from another transport vehicle ahead in a travel direction. A control system performs a first target-speed determination process for determining a control target speed based on a distance-based target speed greater for a greater inter-vehicle distance index, the current speed, and the inter-vehicle distance index. The first target-speed determination process includes an acceleration determination process for determining whether to perform an acceleration process for setting the control target speed to the distance-based target speed higher than the current speed. In the acceleration determination process, the system performs the acceleration process when a relationship between the current speed and the distance-based target speed reaches a state satisfying an acceleration condition and the state continues for a determination duration or longer.