Control method and system for an automated material handling system

Abstract

An automated material handling system for a semiconductor fabrication facility includes: at least one processing tool that performs a semiconductor fabrication process on semiconductor wafers, at least one stocker capable of holding at least one lot of semiconductor wafers, and first and second transports. The second transport moves a second lot of semiconductor wafers from the stocker to a loadport of the processing tool after a first lot of semiconductor wafers is processed by the tool. The first transport moves an empty vehicle into position to remove the first lot of semiconductor wafers from the tool while the second lot of semiconductor wafers is being moved. The first transport removes the first lot of semiconductor wafers from the tool with the vehicle while the second lot of semiconductor wafers is being moved.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.