Substrate treating system
AssigneeSCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
InventorHideki Shibata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A substrate treating apparatus having a substrate treating unit, a load port for receiving pods for storing the substrates, and transferring the pods to and from the substrate treating unit, and a buffer between the substrate treating unit and the load port for transferring the substrates to and from the substrate treating unit and the load port, and temporarily storing the pods; a carrier transport system for transferring the pods to and from the load port; and a host computer for transporting the pods in response to conditions. A transport-related control unit, when the load port is being used by one of the pods and a vehicle of the carrier transport system approaches to transfer another of the pods to the load port, to suspends a notice of transfer disapproval until completion of the use by the one of the pods.
Claims17
A substrate treating system comprising:
- a substrate treating apparatus having a substrate treating unit for carrying out predetermined treatments of substrates, a load port with physical load ports for receiving pods for storing the substrates, the load port transferring the pods to and from the substrate treating unit, and an internal buffer interposed between the substrate treating unit and the load port for transferring the substrates to and from the substrate treating unit, transferring the pods to and from the load port, and temporarily storing the pods in time of transfer;
- a carrier transport system for transferring the pods to and from the load port;
- and
- a host computer for communicating with the substrate treating apparatus and the carrier transport system, and instructing the carrier transport system to transport the pods according to a situation of the substrate treating apparatus;
- wherein the substrate treating apparatus includes a transport-related control unit arranged, when the load port is being used by one of the pods and a vehicle of the carrier transport system approaches to transfer another of the pods to the load port, to suspend a notice of transfer disapproval until completion of the use by the one of the pods.
A substrate treating system comprising:
- a substrate treating apparatus having a substrate treating unit for carrying out predetermined treatments of substrates, a load port with physical load ports for receiving pods for storing the substrates, the load port transferring the pods to and from the substrate treating unit, and an internal buffer interposed between the substrate treating unit and the load port for transferring the substrates to and from the substrate treating unit, transferring the pods to and from the load port, and temporarily storing the pods in time of transfer;
- a carrier transport system for transferring the pods to and from the load port;
- and
- a host computer for communicating with the substrate treating apparatus and the carrier transport system, and instructing the carrier transport system to transport the pods according to a situation of the substrate treating apparatus;
- wherein the substrate treating apparatus includes a host-related control unit arranged, when instructed by the host computer to unload a pod in the internal buffer, to report to the host computer that the pod is ready for unloading, during a period of time from a start of transportation of the pod from the internal buffer to the load port until the pod is placed on the load port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.