A substrate storage rack for a semiconductor processing system may include a bottom plate, a top plate, and/or at least one column assembly. The top plate may be spaced apart from the bottom plate, and the column assembly may connect the top plate to the bottom plate. The column assembly may have multiple protrusion elements. Each protrusion element may have a top surface opening that supports a ball member. Each ball member in the column assembly may protrude upward from its respective protrusion element toward the top plate and may be configured to support a substrate within the rack. Semiconductor processing systems and methods of making substrate storage racks are also described.

It is possible to economically and safely operate an apparatus by allowing wafers made of different materials to be accommodated together. There is provided a technique that includes: a mapping apparatus configured to determine a material of a substrate accommodated in a carrier and loaded into the substrate processing apparatus; and a controller configured to be capable of updating and holding first information on the material of the substrate loaded into the substrate processing apparatus, and capable of controlling the substrate processing apparatus to take out the carrier accommodating the substrate when the first information on the material of the substrate does not satisfy a predetermined condition specified for a current operation mode among conditions specified respectively for a plurality of operation modes.

To obtain a wafer transfer device that can suppress a rise in the temperature of the inside of a wafer transfer chamber by reducing a system resistance without changing the size of the wafer transfer chamber, the present invention provides a wafer transfer device including a wafer transfer chamber including a robot configured to transfer a wafer between a FOUP configured to house the wafer and a processing chamber configured to process the wafer, a door installed for a human to enter and exit from an inside of the wafer transfer chamber, and a fan and filter unit (FFU) chamber installed above the wafer transfer chamber and configured to feed inert gas into the wafer transfer chamber, a return flow passage for the inert gas being formed in a column constituting the wafer transfer chamber and being formed by hollowing the column, to make the FFU chamber and the wafer transfer chamber communicate with each other, and a duct being provided on the wafer transfer chamber side of the door and configured such that the inert gas in the wafer transfer chamber passes through the duct and flows into the FFU chamber when the door is in a closed state.

A processing system includes: a chamber in which a consumable member is installed; a storage module configured to store the consumable member; a position detection sensor configured to detect a position of the consumable member; a vacuum transfer module connected to the chamber and the storage module, the vacuum transfer module having a transfer robot configured to transfer the consumable member between the chamber and the storage module; and a controller. The controller performs processes of: (a) controlling transfer robot to transfer consumable member installed in the chamber to the storage module; (b) detecting position of the consumable member transferred to the storage module by the position detection sensor; and (c) controlling transfer robot to transfer a new consumable member different from the consumable member from the storage module to the chamber at a position adjusted based on the position of the consumable member detected in the process (b).

A substrate processing apparatus includes a loading and unloading unit having a first side surface through which a container accommodating a substrate is loaded and unloaded, and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, a substrate transport unit extending along a first horizontal direction perpendicular to the second side surface, and a plurality of batch processing units adjacent to one another along a longitudinal direction of the substrate transport unit. Each of the plurality of batch processing units includes a processing container configured to accommodate and process a plurality of substrates, a gas supply unit configured to supply a gas into the processing container, and an exhaust unit configured to exhaust the gas inside the processing container. A first maintenance area, used for attending to a maintenance of the plurality of batch processing units, is provided above the exhaust unit.

There is provided a technique that includes at least one load port capable of mounting a substrate storage container that stores a substrate, a controller configured to be capable of performing: a switching control to switch a first function of using the at least one load port to load or unload the substrate storage container and a second function of mounting the substrate storage container on the at least one load port; and an erroneous operation prevention control to execute an erroneous operation prevention operation to the substrate storage container arranged on the at least one load port according to use modes associated with the first function and the second function; and a process chamber configured to process the substrate.

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.

Storage systems and method of using the same are provided. An exemplary storage system according to the present disclosure includes a storage device including a plurality of storage locations arranged in an upright stadium shape and a plurality of load ports each movable to engage any of the plurality of storage locations.

A transport facility equipped with an overhead transport vehicle, a ground transport vehicle, and a transport device includes a transfer section for an article to be transferred between the overhead transport vehicle and the transport device, the transfer section being on the upper side of a floor surface and separated from the floor surface. The overhead transport vehicle and the ground transport vehicle are configured to directly transfer an article therebetween, and the ground transport vehicle and the transport device are configured to transfer an article therebetween via the overhead transport vehicle and the transfer section.