Automatic handling buffer for bare stocker
View Patent ↗A buffer station for automatic material handling system can provide throughput improvement. Further, by storing to-be-accessed workpieces in the buffer stations of an equipment, the operation of the facility is not interrupted when the equipment is down. The buffer station can be incorporated in a stocker, such as bare wafer stocker.
1. A buffer assembly interfacing a substrate equipment, the buffer assembly comprising:
a transport buffer, the transport buffer comprising:
one or more buffer stations for storing one or more substrate containers containing substrates; and
a buffer loading station adapted for holding a substrate container;
a buffer transfer mechanism to transfer a substrate container between the buffer loading station and the buffer stations; and
an interface mechanism adapted for transferring a substrate container between the transport buffer and an equipment loading station of the substrate equipment,
wherein the equipment loading station is configured to accept a substrate container transferring from the interface mechanism,
wherein the equipment loading station is further configured to directly accept a substrate container loaded manually by an operator without an intermediate transfer of the substrate container for transferring substrates or substrate container to the substrate equipment.
2. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the interface mechanism is adapted to transfer a substrate container between the equipment loading station and the buffer loading station.
3. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the interface mechanism is adapted to transfer a substrate container between the equipment loading station and the buffer stations.
4. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the substrate equipment is a bare substrate equipment and wherein the substrates within the substrate container from the equipment loading station are removed from the substrate container and placed bare in the substrate equipment.
5. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 further comprising a mechanism to transfer a substrate container between the buffer loading station and an automatic transport.
6. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the buffer stations are ceiling-based, floor-based, or a combination thereof.
7. A buffer assembly as in claim 1 wherein the transport buffer comprises a plurality of buffer loading stations interfacing with one or more automatic transports.
8. An improvement to a substrate equipment comprising a buffer assembly for auto transport, the buffer assembly interfacing the substrate equipment and comprising:
a transport buffer, the transport buffer comprising:
one or more buffer stations for storing one or more substrate containers containing substrates; and
a buffer loading station adapted for holding a substrate container;
a buffer transfer mechanism to transfer a substrate container between the buffer loading station and the buffer stations; and
an interface mechanism adapted for transferring a substrate container between the transport buffer and an equipment loading station of the substrate equipment,
wherein the equipment loading station is configured to accept a substrate container transferring from the interface mechanism,
wherein the equipment loading station is further configured to directly accept a substrate container loaded manually by an operator for transferring substrates or substrate container to the substrate equipment.
9. An improvement as in claim 8 further comprising a mechanism to transfer a substrate container between the buffer loading station and the automatic transport.
10. A substrate stocker comprising:
a stocker storage for storing substrates;
a stocker loading station adapted for holding a substrate container,
wherein the stocker loading station is configured to directly accept a substrate container loaded manually by an operator without an intermediate transfer of the substrate container;
a stocker loading mechanism adapted for transferring substrates between the stocker loading station and the stocker storage;
a transport buffer comprising:
one or more buffer stations for storing one or more substrate containers containing substrates; and
a buffer loading station adapted for holding a substrate container;
a buffer transfer mechanism to transfer a substrate container between the buffer loading station and the buffer stations; and
an interface mechanism adapted for transferring a substrate container between the stocker loading station and the transport buffer.
11. A stocker as in claim 10 further comprising a drop station interfacing the stocker loading station and the stocker storage, wherein the drop station is adapted to allow the substrate to be picked up either at a bottom or at an edge of the substrate.
12. A stocker as in claim 10 further comprising an inner robotic mechanism interfacing the drop station and the stocker storage.
13. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the substrates are stored in a vertical configuration with a pitch less than 2.5 mm in the stocker storage.
14. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the interface mechanism is adapted to transfer substrate containers between the stocker loading station and the buffer loading station.
15. A stocker as in claim 10 further comprising a mechanism to transfer containers between the buffer loading station and the automatic transport.
16. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the buffer stations are ceiling-based, floor-based, or a combination thereof.
17. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the buffer stations are arranged in a two-row buffer station array with a linear container transfer mechanism in a middle of the two-row buffer station array wherein each row of the two-row buffer station array comprises a plurality of storage locations.
18. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the stocker storage is a bare substrate stocker storage and wherein the stocker loading mechanism receives bare substrates from the bare substrate stocker storage for placing in a substrate container to be transferred to the stocker loading station.
19. A stocker as in claim 10 wherein the stocker loading station is configured to accept a substrate container from an automatic transport.
20. A stocker as in claim 10 further comprising a mobile launch platform, wherein the mobile launch platform is configured to directly accept a substrate container loaded manually by an operator without an intermediate transfer of the substrate container, wherein the mobile launch platform is configured to accept a substrate container from an automatic transport, wherein the stocker loading station is configured to accept a substrate container transferred from the mobile launch platform.