Wafer transfer robot and semiconductor device manufacturing equipment comprising the same

Semiconductor device manufacturing equipment comprising:

• at least one load-lock including a load-lock chamber sized to accommodate a wafer cassette;
• a wafer alignment apparatus that aligns wafers, the wafer alignment apparatus having a chamber in which the alignment of wafers takes place;
• at least one process apparatus that performs a semiconductor manufacturing process on a wafer, each said process apparatus having a process chamber, and a wafer support disposed within the process chamber, the wafer support dedicated to support a wafer while the wafer is being processed;
• a transfer chamber to which each of the chambers of the load-lock, alignment and process apparatuses are commonly connected;
• and
• a wafer transfer robot disposed in the transfer chamber and having a working envelope encompassing the load-lock and process apparatuses so as to transfer wafers between the load-lock and process apparatuses, the wafer transfer robot including a base,
• at least one arm supported by the base at one side thereof, and
• a blade coupled to the other side of each said arm, the blade including a plate having an upper surface dedicated to support a wafer, and
• a wafer guide disposed at the top of the plate, the wafer guide having at least one guide surface projecting above the upper surface of the plate and which is complimentary to both an arcuate edge and a flat zone or a notched portion of a wafer, whereby the wafer guide confines a wafer supported on the plate to an orientation in which a flat zone or notch of the wafer faces in a predetermined direction.