Wafer carrier transport system for tool bays

A processing tool bay within a semiconductor fabrication site, the processing tool bay including a plurality of semiconductor processing tools for processing wafers, said semiconductor processing tools being arranged in two opposite rows, each semiconductor processing tool of said plurality of semiconductor processing tools having a wafer carrier port for the attachment of at least one wafer carrier to said semiconductor processing tool and for a transfer of a wafer carrier into and out of said each semiconductor processing tool, said processing tool bay comprising:

• a transport system for transporting said wafer carrier around the process tool bay at least in a vertical plane in front of one of said two rows of semiconductor process tools, said transport system including at least one vehicle for receiving and delivering a wafer carrier to and from any one semiconductor process tool of said plurality of semiconductor process tools,
• wherein said at least one vehicle comprises a circular compartment structure having a plurality of compartments for buffering said wafer carrier between receiving it at a first location and delivering it at a second location, said compartment structure being rotatable around a symmetry axis of itself for an alignment, and
• the distance between said two opposite rows is determined so as to enable a displacement of said at least one vehicle between said two rows of semiconductor process tools.

A transport system within a semiconductor fabrication site, the site including a plurality of processing tool bays, each processing tool bay including a plurality of semiconductor processing tools, an interbay transport system for transferring a wafer carrier within said semiconductor fabrication site from and to a delivery position of a processing tool bay of said plurality of processing tool bays, and an intrabay transport system for transferring a wafer carrier from and to said delivery position of said processing tool to and from a semiconductor processing tool of said plurality of semiconductor processing tools within said processing tool bay of the plurality of processing tool bays, wherein

• said intrabay transport system for receiving and delivering a wafer carrier within a tool bay comprises:
• at least one vehicle for receiving and delivering a wafer carrier to and from any one semiconductor process tool of said plurality of semiconductor process tools, and
• a vehicle guiding mechanism for guiding said at least one vehicle along at least one direction in front of said plurality of semiconductor process tools,
• wherein said at least one vehicle further comprises a circular compartment structure including a plurality of compartments for buffering said wafer carrier between receiving it at a first location and delivering it at a second location, each compartment being arranged for accommodating one wafer carrier, said compartment structure being rotatable around a symmetry axis of itself for an alignment.