Stocker apparatus and substrate treating apparatus
AssigneeSCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshiteru Fukutomi, Hideyuki Iwata
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stocker apparatus and method have openers for receiving FOUPs acting as containers each for storing a plurality of substrates, to feed and collect the substrates to/from a substrate treating apparatus main body, a transport mechanism for holding and transporting the FOUPs, and racks arranged above the openers for receiving the FOUPs. The racks include an incoming rack for receiving the FOUPs from an external transport device, an outgoing rack for delivering the FOUPs to the external transport device, and a mid-treatment storage rack for keeping an empty FOUP after the substrates are fed therefrom. The openers include a feed-only opener for feeding the substrates, and a collect-only opener for collecting the substrates.
Claims19
A method of controlling a stocker apparatus connected to a single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body, for improved handling of empty FOUPs,
- the stocker apparatus having:
- openers for receiving FOUPs acting as containers each for storing a plurality of substrates, to feed and collect the substrates to and from the single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body for performing a predetermined treatment of substrates, the openers including a feed-only opener for feeding the substrates, and a collect-only opener for collecting the substrates,
- a transport mechanism for holding and transporting the FOUPs,
- a control device for controlling at least the FOUP transport mechanism, and
- racks arranged above the openers for receiving the FOUPs, the racks including an incoming rack for receiving the FOUPs from an external transport device, an outgoing rack for delivering the FOUPs to the external transport device, and a mid-treatment storage rack for keeping an empty FOUP after the substrates are fed therefrom,
- said method comprising using the control device for controlling the transport mechanism, wherein:
- when the substrates have been emptied from a FOUP at the feed-only opener, then the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP from the feed-only opener to the collect-only opener, only when no FOUP is present on the collect-only opener, and
- when the empty FOUP is not transported to the collect-only opener because of a FOUP present on the collect-only opener, the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP to the mid-treatment storage rack;
- and then transports the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener from the mid-treatment storage rack when the collect-only opener has become vacant, and
- after the transport mechanism has transported the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener, the treated substrates are then collected back into the FOUP.
A method of controlling a substrate treating apparatus having a single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body for performing a predetermined treatment of substrates, and a stocker apparatus connected to the substrate treating apparatus main body, for improved handling of empty FOUPs,
- the stocker apparatus having:
- openers for receiving FOUPs acting as containers each for storing a plurality of substrates, to feed and collect the substrates to and from the single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body, the openers including a feed-only opener for feeding the substrates, and a collect-only opener for collecting the substrates,
- a transport mechanism for holding and transporting the FOUPs,
- a control device for controlling at least the FOUP transport mechanism, and
- racks arranged above the openers for receiving the FOUPs, the racks including an incoming rack for receiving the FOUPs from an external transport device, an outgoing rack for delivering the FOUPs to the external transport device, and a mid-treatment storage rack for keeping an empty FOUP after the substrates are fed therefrom,
- said method comprising using the control device for controlling the transport mechanism, wherein:
- when the substrates have been emptied from a FOUP at the feed-only opener, then the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP from the feed-only opener to the collect-only opener, only when no FOUP is present on the collect-only opener, and
- when the empty FOUP is not transported to the collect-only opener because of a FOUP present on the collect-only opener, the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP to the mid-treatment storage rack;
- and then transports the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener from the mid-treatment storage rack when the collect-only opener has become vacant, and
- after the transport mechanism has transported the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener, the treated substrates are then collected back into the FOUP.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.