Wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment and control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a wafer carrier cross-floor transport device and control method. The device includes a hoist, a transition conveyor line and an external conveyor line. A car conveyor line is provided in the hoist, and an external conveyor line is provided on each floor. The external conveyor line is installed outside the fireproof shaft. The transition conveyor line is provided between the car conveyor line and the external conveyor line. The wafer carrier is placed on a pallet, and the pallet can be moved on the transition conveyor line, the external conveyor line and the car conveyor line. The pallet is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications; a pallet grabbing mechanism is provided on the transition conveyor line of at least one floor. The present invention is compatible with the cross-floor transport of wafer carriers of various types and sizes; the present invention improves the transport efficiency by using the pallet grabbing mechanism without waiting for the pallet to return.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of elevators, and in particular to a wafer carrier cross-floor transporting device and a control method. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor wafer factories, various processes are often distributed on different floors, and wafers need to be transported between different floors together with carriers. The types of wafer carriers required for each process are not the same. In order to meet different customer needs, the sizes of wafers produced are also different, and the sizes of their carriers are also different. The existing wafer carriers on the market that transport materials across floors usually transport materials directly on the conveyor line and by robot gripping. Wafer carriers with a wide and flat bottom surface and a low center of gravity can be directly transported by the conveyor line; wafer carriers of a single type and uniform size are suitable for robot gripping.

[0003] Direct conveying on the conveyor line is only suitable for wafer carriers with a flat bottom, wide and low center of gravity, such as FOUP (front-opening wafer box), SMIF POD (wafer transfer box), etc. The bottom of the flower basket used in the front-end cleaning of the wafer factory is not flat. When it passes through the intersection of the conveyor lines at both ends, it vibrates greatly and easily damages the wafer. If the robot grips the wafer carrier to be compatible with wafer carriers of different types and sizes, it is necessary to add a clamp at the front end of the robot, which will greatly increase the load and control complexity of the robot. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned defects, the present invention provides a wafer carrier cross-floor transporting device and control method. The present invention is compatible with the cross-floor transport of wafer carriers of various types and sizes, and is compatible with different types of wafer carriers such as FOUP / FOSB / SMIF POD, and is highly practical.

[0005] In the first aspect, the present invention provides a wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment, which includes a hoist, a transition conveyor line and an external conveyor line. A car conveyor line is arranged in the hoist, and an external conveyor line is arranged on each floor. The external conveyor line is installed outside the fireproof shaft. The transition conveyor line is arranged between the car conveyor line and the external conveyor line. The wafer carrier is placed on a pallet, and the pallet can be moved on the transition conveyor line, the external conveyor line and the car conveyor line. The pallet is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications; a pallet grabbing mechanism is arranged on the transition conveyor line of at least one floor.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer carrier includes one of a FOUP, a FOSB and a SMIF POD.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transition conveyor line includes a base, a linear slide rail, a driving cylinder and a conveyor line body, two parallel linear slide rails are arranged on the base, the conveyor line body is slidably connected to the linear slide rails through a slider, a connecting plate is provided at one end of the bottom of the conveyor line body, the cylinder barrel of the driving cylinder is fixedly installed on the base, and the piston rod of the driving cylinder is connected to the conveyor line body through the connecting plate.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, if the number of transport tasks is greater than 1, when the front pallet and the wafer carrier enter the car, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the original floor releases the rear pallet and transports it to the input port to wait for material to be put in; and / or, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the target floor grabs the front pallet to make way for the rear pallet and the wafer carrier to pass, and after the rear pallet and the wafer carrier pass, the pallet grabbing mechanism releases the front pallet, and the front pallet flows back to the car, and then returns to the original floor to continue transporting materials.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the pallet grabbing mechanism includes a grabbing support frame, a lifting cylinder, a suction cup, two anti-falling cylinders and two anti-falling supporting plates. The lifting cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing support frame, and a mounting plate is provided at the end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder, and a suction cup is provided on the mounting plate. The two anti-falling cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame, and the piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder is connected to the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for controlling wafer carrier cross-floor transport, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0011] Obtain a material transport request, which includes the type, original floor, and target floor of the wafer carrier to be transported;

[0012] In response to a material transport request, an empty pallet is transported to an input port on the original floor, and then a wafer carrier is put onto the empty pallet;

[0013] Read the wafer carrier information and check it with the material handling request information. If it is correct, the pallet and wafer carrier are transported to the car conveyor line through the external conveyor line and the transition conveyor line;

[0014] Close the automatic door, start the transport and lifting program, and lift to the target floor;

[0015] Open the automatic door and transport the pallet and wafer carrier to the external conveyor line on the target floor to wait for the wafer carrier to be taken out;

[0016] Read whether there is a new move-out instruction on the target floor. If so, the pallet is put back into the material; if not, determine whether the pallet grabbing mechanism has released the pallet. If so, start the empty pallet return program;

[0017] Determine whether the empty pallet reflow process is completed, if so, end.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transport and lifting program includes the following process: reading whether there are new move-in and move-out instructions on the original floor, if there are move-out instructions and no move-in instructions, putting down the empty pallet of the pallet grabbing mechanism on the transition conveyor line, and transporting it to the external conveyor line;

[0019] Determine whether the lifting is completed. If so, open the automatic door of the original floor, and the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier to the input port, then puts the wafer carrier onto the pallet and continues to transport it;

[0020] Determine whether the transfer is completed, if so, end.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the empty pallet reflow process includes the following steps:

[0022] The transition conveyor line moves horizontally toward the car side to determine whether the movement is completed. If so, the pallet grabbing mechanism releases the empty pallet;

[0023] Determine whether the pallet has been released. If so, the conveyor line will move the empty pallet to the car;

[0024] When the transportation is completed, the automatic door is closed and the car is raised or lowered;

[0025] After the lifting is completed, the conveyor line moves the empty pallet to the transition conveyor line;

[0026] After the transport is completed, the pallet grabbing mechanism grabs the empty pallet;

[0027] Determine whether the crawl is successful, if so, end.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, a material handling instruction is sent using an MES system.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, a wafer carrier is placed on a pallet or taken out from a pallet manually, by AGV or OHT.

[0030] To sum up, the present invention provides a wafer carrier cross-floor transport device and control method. The beneficial effects of the present invention are: the present invention is compatible with the cross-floor transport of wafer carriers of various types and sizes, is compatible with the inter-floor transport of 4 / 6 / 8 / 12-inch wafer carriers, and is compatible with different types of wafer carriers such as FOUP / FOSB / SMIF POD.

[0031] Furthermore, the horizontally movable transition conveyor line reduces the docking distance between the transition conveyor line and the car conveyor line, thereby reducing the damage to the wafer caused by the vibration generated during the conveying process.

[0032] Furthermore, the present invention improves the transport efficiency of the wafer carrier by using the pallet grabbing mechanism, eliminating the need to wait for the pallet to reflow. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a wafer carrier cross-floor transporting device provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the middle transition conveyor line.

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Main view of the middle transition conveyor line.

[0036] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the middle pallet.

[0037] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for controlling the cross-floor transport of a wafer carrier provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Flowchart of the transport and lifting procedure.

[0039] Figure 7 for Figure 5 Flowchart of the hollow pallet reflow procedure.

[0040] Main element symbol description: 1. Car; 2. Automatic door; 3. Transition conveyor line; 31. Base; 32. Linear guide rail; 321. Slider; 33. Driving cylinder; 331. Connecting plate; 34. Conveyor line body; 341. Frame; 342. Servo motor; 343. Driving shaft; 344. Transmission component; 345. Driven shaft; 346. Conveyor belt; 35. Pallet grabbing mechanism; 351. Lifting air Cylinder; 352, suction cup; 353, anti-fall cylinder; 354, anti-fall pallet; 355, grab support frame; 4, external conveyor line; 5, chain; 6, pallet; 61, bottom plate; 61a, supporting surface; 61b, 61c, 61e, 61f, limiting part; 61d, 61g, supporting surface; 62, handle; 63, sensor sheet; 7, wafer carrier; 8, fireproof rolling shutter door; S1~S912, steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] The present invention provides a wafer carrier inter-floor transport device, which is used to transport a wafer carrier from one floor to another floor. The device comprises a hoist, a car 1 is arranged in the hoist, a car conveying line is arranged on the car 1, a transition conveying line 3 and an external conveying line are arranged on each floor, the external conveying line is installed outside the fireproof shaft, the transition conveying line 3 is arranged between the car conveying line and the external conveying line, the wafer carrier is placed on a pallet 6, and the pallet 6 can move on the transition conveying line 3, the external conveying line and the car conveying line.

[0043] Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the wafer carrier cross-floor transport device provided by one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment includes an elevator, in which a car 1 is arranged. The car 1 is connected to a chain 5 through a chain connecting bolt, and the chain 5 pulls and drives the car to rise and fall. The outer periphery of the car 1 is a fireproof shaft, and each floor is provided with a fireproof rolling door 8. An automatic door 2 is arranged on one side of the car 1, and a car conveyor line is installed in the car 1. The wafer carrier 7 can move horizontally on the car conveyor line and can be lifted to the corresponding floor with the car. Figure 1 As shown, each floor is provided with an external conveyor line and a transition conveyor line 3. The external conveyor line is installed outside the fireproof shaft. The pallet 6 waits on the external conveyor line for the wafer carrier 7 to be put in or taken away manually or by equipment such as AGV (intelligent handling robot) and OHT (unmanned aerial transport vehicle). The transition conveyor line 3 is arranged between the car conveyor line and the external conveyor line, and the transition conveyor line 3 is installed on the side of the fireproof rolling shutter door 8 close to the car 1.

[0044] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown, the transition conveyor line 3 includes a base 31, a linear slide rail 32, a driving cylinder 33, a conveyor line body 34 and a pallet grabbing mechanism 35.

[0045] Specifically, two parallel linear slide rails 32 are arranged on the base 31, and the conveyor line body 34 is slidably connected to the linear slide rails 32 through a slider 321. A connecting plate 331 is arranged at one end of the bottom of the conveyor line body 34, and the cylinder barrel of the driving cylinder 33 is fixedly mounted on the base 31, and the piston rod of the driving cylinder 33 is connected to the conveyor line body 34 through the connecting plate 331. Due to the existence of the automatic door 2, there will be a certain distance between the transition conveyor line 3 and the car conveyor line. The present invention adopts a driving cylinder to drive the conveyor line body 34 to move in the horizontal direction as a whole, thereby reducing the docking distance between the transition conveyor line 3 and the external conveyor line and the car conveyor line, and reducing the damage to the wafer caused by the vibration generated during the transportation process.

[0046] Next, the conveyor line body 34 includes a frame 341, a servo motor 342, a driving shaft 343 and a driven shaft 345. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are arranged on the top of the frame 341. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are arranged in parallel. The driving shaft 343 and the driven shaft 345 are respectively sleeved with a driving roller and a driven roller. A conveyor belt 346 is wound between the driving roller and the driven roller. The conveyor belt 346 is used to realize the moving in and moving out of the pallet. The servo motor 342 is connected to the reducer, and the reducer is connected to the driving shaft 343 through the transmission component 344.

[0047] Furthermore, a support plate is provided in the conveyor belt 346, and both sides of the support plate are fixed to the top of the frame respectively. The design of the support plate prevents the conveyor belt 346 from deforming and causing vibration during transportation, thereby avoiding damage to the wafer and reducing economic losses.

[0048] Preferably, the transmission component 344 includes a synchronous pulley 1, a belt and a synchronous pulley 2, the transmission shaft of the reducer is connected to the synchronous pulley 1, the synchronous pulley 1 is connected to the synchronous pulley 2 through a synchronous belt, and the synchronous pulley 2 is installed on the driving shaft 343. The transmission component 344 can also be a chain transmission method, which should not be limited here.

[0049] Next, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 includes a grabbing support frame 355, a lifting cylinder 351, a suction cup 352, two anti-falling cylinders 353 and two anti-falling supporting plates 354. The lifting cylinder 351 is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing support frame 355. The end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 351 is provided with a mounting plate, and the mounting plate is provided with a suction cup 352. The suction cup 352 is used to absorb the empty pallet. The two anti-falling cylinders 353 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame 355. The piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder 353 is connected to the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate 354. The anti-falling supporting plate 354 driven by the anti-falling cylinder 353 can prevent the suction cup from breaking the vacuum and causing the pallet 6 to fall off.

[0050] The pallet grabbing mechanism 35 is used to grab and release empty pallets. If the number of transport tasks is greater than 1, while the front pallet and wafer carrier enter the elevator 1, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the original floor releases the rear pallet and transports it to the input port to wait for material input; and / or, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the target floor grabs the front pallet to make way for the rear pallet and wafer carrier to pass through, and after the rear pallet and wafer carrier pass through, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 releases the front pallet, and the front pallet flows back to the elevator 1, and then returns to the original floor to continue transporting materials. The present invention can continue to transport wafer carriers without waiting for the pallet to flow back, thereby improving the transport efficiency.

[0051] Magazines (boxes) have a small bottom surface and a high height. They must be transported upright. If they are tipped over, there is a risk of materials falling out. They cannot be transported directly on the conveyor line. Pallets with good compatibility are required to transport different materials on different floors. Figure 4 As shown, the pallet 6 includes a bottom plate 61, and the bottom plate 61 is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications to improve its compatibility. For example, the bottom surface of the magazine is supported by the supporting surface 61a, and the two side surfaces are embedded with limiting parts 61b and 61c, which effectively prevents the magazine from tipping over during transportation. The pallet 6 can transport two magazines at a time, which improves the transportation efficiency. During transportation, the bottom surface of the SMIF POD (wafer transfer box) is supported by a supporting surface 61d, and the two side surfaces are embedded with limiting parts 61e and 61f. The FOUP (front opening unified pod) is placed on the supporting surface 61g with a wide and flat ground. Three wafer carriers of different types and sizes can be transported by the same pallet 6 without replacing the pallet 6.

[0052] Furthermore, according to customer needs, the pallet 6 is designed to be compatible with different types of carriers such as FOUP / FOSB (wafer transfer box) / SMIFPOD, which also falls within the scope of protection of this patent.

[0053] Furthermore, a sensing sheet 63 is disposed at one end of the bottom plate 61 to locate different positions according to the type of wafer carrier.

[0054] Furthermore, handles 62 are provided on both sides of the bottom plate 61 to facilitate manual transport of the pallet 6 .

[0055] Next, a control method for the above-mentioned wafer carrier inter-floor transfer equipment is introduced below.

[0056] Regarding the execution subject of the method of the embodiment of the present invention, it can be any controller or processor with computing or processing capabilities to achieve the goal of controlling the elevator to intelligently transport the pallet and the wafer carrier. In some examples, it can be integrated and configured in the control panel of the elevator by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, which should not be limited here.

[0057] The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method includes the following steps:

[0058] Obtain a material transport request, which includes the type, original floor, and target floor of the wafer carrier to be transported;

[0059] In response to a material transport request, an empty pallet is transported to an input port on the original floor, and then a wafer carrier is put onto the empty pallet;

[0060] Read the wafer carrier information and check it with the material handling request information. If it is correct, the pallet and wafer carrier are transported to the car conveyor line through the external conveyor line 4 and the transition conveyor line 3;

[0061] Close automatic door 2, start the transport and lifting program, and lift to the target floor;

[0062] Open the automatic door 2 and transport the pallet and wafer carrier to the external conveyor line 4 on the target floor to wait for the wafer carrier to be taken out;

[0063] Read whether there is a new move-out instruction on the target floor. If so, the pallet is put back into the material; if not, determine whether the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 has released the pallet. If so, start the empty pallet return program;

[0064] Determine whether the empty pallet reflow process is completed, if so, end.

[0065] In this embodiment, Figure 5 The flowchart of the wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method provided by one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0066] S1: Whether the MES system (manufacturing enterprise production process execution system) issues a transport instruction, if so, execute step S2;

[0067] S2, determine whether there is an empty pallet at the loading port on the moving-out floor, if so, execute step S3, if not, execute the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 to release the empty pallet and transport it to the loading port;

[0068] S3, determine whether the wafer carrier is put into operation, if yes, proceed to step S4,

[0069] S4, the BCR / RFID device reads the wafer carrier information to see if it is consistent with the MES system information. If so, execute step S5. If not, report an error and return the wafer carrier for manual processing;

[0070] S5, execute the transport and lifting procedure;

[0071] S6, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S7;

[0072] S7: Is there a move-out instruction on the target floor? If yes, then end; if no, proceed to step S8;

[0073] S8, determining whether the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 has released the pallet; if so, executing step S9;

[0074] S9, execute the empty pallet reflow program, and then determine whether the empty pallet reflow program is completed, if not, execute step S8, if yes, end.

[0075] In step S5, Figure 6 As shown, the transport and lifting procedure includes the following processes:

[0076] S501, the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier into the elevator 1, and then executes step S502;

[0077] S502, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S503;

[0078] S503, read whether there is no move-in instruction but a move-out instruction on the original floor, if so, put down the empty pallet of the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 on the transition conveyor line 3, and transport it to the input port of the external conveyor line 4; if not, execute step S504;

[0079] S504, the automatic door 2 is closed, and the car 1 is raised or lowered; then step S505 is executed;

[0080] S505, determine whether the lifting is completed, if so, execute step S506;

[0081] S506, open the automatic door 2 of the original floor, the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier to the input port, and then puts the wafer carrier onto the pallet, continues to transport, and then executes step S507;

[0082] S507, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, end.

[0083] Specifically, in step S9, if Figure 7 As shown, the empty pallet reflow procedure includes the following processes:

[0084] S901, the transition conveyor line 3 moves horizontally toward the car side, and step S902 is executed;

[0085] S902, determine whether the movement is completed, if so, execute step S903;

[0086] S903, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 releases the empty pallet;

[0087] S904, determine whether the pallet is released, if so, execute step S905;

[0088] S905, transition conveyor line 3 transports the empty pallet to car 1;

[0089] S906, determine whether the transport is completed, if the transport is completed, execute step S907;

[0090] S907, close automatic door 2, and raise or lower car 1;

[0091] S908: Determine whether the lifting is completed. If so, execute step S909.

[0092] S909, the car conveyor line transports the empty pallet to the transition conveyor line 3;

[0093] S910, determine whether the transport is completed, if so, execute step S911;

[0094] S911, the pallet grabbing mechanism 35 grabs an empty pallet;

[0095] S912: Determine whether the capture is completed, if so, end.

[0096] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Wafer carrier cross-floor transport equipment, characterized in that: It includes a hoist, a transition conveyor line and an external conveyor line. A car conveyor line is arranged in the hoist, and an external conveyor line is arranged on each floor. The external conveyor line is installed outside the fireproof shaft. The transition conveyor line is arranged between the car conveyor line and the external conveyor line. The wafer carrier is placed on a pallet. The pallet can be moved on the transition conveyor line, the external conveyor line and the car conveyor line. The pallet is provided with a plurality of placement grooves for wafer carriers of different specifications; a pallet grabbing mechanism is arranged on the transition conveyor line of at least one floor; The transition conveyor line includes a base, a linear slide rail, a driving cylinder and a conveyor line body. Two parallel linear slide rails are arranged on the base. The conveyor line body is slidably connected to the linear slide rails through a slider. A connecting plate is arranged at one end of the bottom of the conveyor line body. The cylinder barrel of the driving cylinder is fixedly installed on the base, and the piston rod of the driving cylinder is connected to the conveyor line body through the connecting plate.

2. The wafer carrier inter-floor transport equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wafer carrier includes one of FOUP, FOSB and SMIF POD.

3. The wafer carrier inter-floor transport equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: If the number of transport tasks is greater than 1, when the front pallet and wafer carrier enter the car, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the original floor releases the rear pallet and transports it to the input port to wait for material input; And / or, the pallet grabbing mechanism on the target floor grabs the front pallet to make way for the rear pallet and the wafer carrier to pass through. After the rear pallet and the wafer carrier pass through, the pallet grabbing mechanism releases the front pallet, and the front pallet flows back to the car, and then returns to the original floor to continue transporting materials.

4. The wafer carrier inter-floor transport equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pallet grabbing mechanism includes a grabbing support frame, a lifting cylinder, a suction cup, two anti-falling cylinders and two anti-falling supporting plates. The lifting cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the grabbing support frame. The end of the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is provided with a mounting plate, and the mounting plate is provided with a suction cup. The two anti-falling cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the grabbing support frame, and the piston rod of each anti-falling cylinder is connected to the corresponding anti-falling supporting plate.

5. A wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method of a wafer carrier cross-floor transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Obtain a material transport request, which includes the type, original floor, and target floor of the wafer carrier to be transported; In response to a material transport request, an empty pallet is transported to an input port on the original floor, and then a wafer carrier is put onto the empty pallet; Read the wafer carrier information and check it with the material handling request information. If it is correct, the pallet and wafer carrier are transported to the car conveyor line through the external conveyor line and the transition conveyor line; Close the automatic door, start the transport and lifting program, and lift to the target floor; Open the automatic door and transport the pallet and wafer carrier to the external conveyor line on the target floor to wait for the wafer carrier to be taken out; Read whether there is a new move-out instruction on the target floor. If so, the pallet is put back into the material; if not, determine whether the pallet grabbing mechanism has released the pallet. If so, start the empty pallet return program; Determine whether the empty pallet reflow process is completed, if so, end.

6. The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Transport and lifting procedures The process includes: reading whether there are new move-in and move-out instructions on the original floor. If there are move-out instructions but no move-in instructions, the empty pallet on the pallet grabbing mechanism on the transition conveyor line is put down and transported to the external conveyor line; Determine whether the lifting is completed. If so, open the automatic door of the original floor, and the conveyor line transports the wafer carrier to the input port, then puts the wafer carrier onto the pallet and continues to transport it; Determine whether the transfer is completed, if so, end.

7. The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The empty pallet reflow procedure includes the following processes: The transition conveyor line moves horizontally toward the car side to determine whether the movement is completed. If so, the pallet grabbing mechanism releases the empty pallet; Determine whether the pallet has been released. If so, the conveyor line will move the empty pallet to the car; When the transportation is completed, the automatic door is closed and the car is raised or lowered; After the lifting is completed, the conveyor line moves the empty pallet to the transition conveyor line; After the transport is completed, the pallet grabbing mechanism grabs the empty pallet; Determine whether the crawl is successful, if so, end.

8. The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Use the MES system to send material handling instructions.

9. The wafer carrier cross-floor transport control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wafer carrier is placed on the pallet or taken out from the pallet by manual labor, AGV or OHT.

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