Article transport facility

Abstract

The item transfer system of the present invention comprises: a rail providing a movement path; a trolley unit moving along the movement path of the rail on the rail; and an item storage unit provided at a first position to which the item transferred by the trolley unit is stored, and the item storage unit may be arranged in N (natural number) columns from the front to the rail to the rear to which the item transferred by the trolley unit is spaced apart from the rail, with respect to the rail.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a product transfer system. Background Technology

[0002] To manufacture semiconductors, various processes must be performed using semiconductor process equipment, and for this purpose, items such as wafers must be transferred from any location to a target location according to the process to be performed. For example, a container holding wafers to be processed can be transferred to a load port of one semiconductor process equipment, and a container holding processed wafers can be transferred to a load port of another semiconductor process equipment.

[0003] In semiconductor manufacturing sites such as clean rooms, a material transfer system including an overhead hoist transport (OHT) is used to efficiently transfer materials.

[0004] The material transfer system may include an overhead hoist transport and a material storage unit. The overhead hoist transport includes a vehicle assembly that travels along a rail, and the material storage unit may provide a material storage space on the side of the travel rail of the overhead hoist transport for temporarily storing materials transferred by the vehicle assembly.

[0005] For example, in cases where an item transported by a vehicle assembly must be waiting to be provided to a load port of a target semiconductor process device, the item can be provided to an item storage unit for temporary storage. The problem to be solved

[0006] Meanwhile, the item storage unit includes multiple ports where items are stored, and item return is managed for each port; when items are returned from a port, they are transported by an overhead hoist transport. Therefore, return information must be managed for each port. Furthermore, storage constraints arise because the item storage unit must have multiple ports arranged in a single row to allow the overhead hoist transport to approach when items are returned from a port. Additionally, improvements are required because if an abnormal situation occurs at a port, the returned items cannot move on their own.

[0007] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a product transfer system in which product storage is not restricted to a single row, product return information management can be simplified, and product transfer is possible within the product storage unit itself.

[0008] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0009] One aspect of the item transfer system of the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a rail providing a movement path; a trolley unit moving along the movement path of the rail on the rail; and an item storage unit provided at a first position to which an item transferred by the trolley unit is stored and which is close to the item transferred by the trolley unit, wherein the item storage unit may be arranged in N (natural number) columns from the front, which is close to the rail, to the rear, which is spaced apart from the rail, with respect to the rail.

[0010] The above-mentioned item storage unit comprises a first stage unit provided at the first position and a second stage unit adjacent to the first stage unit where the item is stored, and the second stage unit may include a second front storage member provided at the first position parallel to the first stage unit and arranged parallel to the rail, and a second rear storage member provided at the second position located behind the first position.

[0011] It may further include a transfer unit that transfers the item between the second front storage member and the second rear storage member, or transfers the item between the first stage unit and the second rear storage member.

[0012] The above-mentioned conveying unit may include an endless track on which the above-mentioned article is placed and which rotates from one side to the other or from the other side to one side.

[0013] The apparatus further includes a transmitting and receiving unit provided in the first stage unit for transmitting and receiving item information to and from the trolley unit, and the trolley unit can receive a signal from the transmitting and receiving unit and return an item from the first stage unit.

[0014] The above rail is provided on the ceiling, and the above bogie may include an overhead hoist transport (OHT).

[0015] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. Effects of the invention

[0016] The item transfer system according to the present invention enables efficient storage as item storage is not restricted to a single row, simplifies the management of item return information, and allows items to be transferred internally within the item storage unit, thereby enabling individual management of multiple item storage units and preventing work delays caused by the movement of the trolley unit, thus enabling efficient management. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a product transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a storage section of an item transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a conveying section of a product conveying system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a storage section of an item transfer system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a storage section of an item transfer system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a conveying unit of a product conveying system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but can be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0019] When elements or a layer are referred to as being "on" or "on" another element or layer, it includes not only being directly on top of the other element or layer but also cases where another layer or element is interposed in between. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly on," it indicates that no other element or layer is interposed in between.

[0020] Although terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used to describe various elements, components, and / or sections, it goes without saying that these elements, components, and / or sections are not limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element, component, or section from another. Accordingly, it goes without saying that the first element, first component, or first section mentioned below may be a second element, second component, or second section within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0021] The terms used herein are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. As used herein, "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, actions, and / or elements to the mentioned components, steps, actions, and / or elements.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a product transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a product storage section of a product transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating a transfer section of a product transfer system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an item transfer system (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a rail (110), a trolley section (120), an item storage section (130), and a transfer section (140).

[0024] A semiconductor or display manufacturing plant in which a material transfer system (100) is briefly installed may consist of one or more cleanrooms. Manufacturing equipment (10) for performing semiconductor manufacturing processes may be installed in each cleanroom. A substrate (e.g., a wafer) may be repeatedly subjected to multiple manufacturing processes to finally complete the processed substrate. When a manufacturing process is completed at one semiconductor manufacturing facility, the substrate may be returned to another semiconductor manufacturing facility for the next manufacturing process. Here, the substrate may be returned while stored in a container (e.g., a front opening unified pod: FOUP) capable of holding multiple substrates. The container holding the substrate may be returned by a trolley (120).

[0025] Specifically, the rail (110) can provide a movement path. Here, the movement path may be a movement path for an item (which may include a container in which a substrate is stored, see identification symbol 'C' in FIG. 3) and / or a trolley (120). That is, manufacturing equipment (10) for performing a process is installed in a manufacturing plant, and a return path for returning an item between manufacturing equipment (10) may be formed, and the return path may form an installation path for the rail (110) as a movement path for the item and / or trolley (120). For example, the rail (110) may be provided on the ceiling.

[0026] The trolley unit (120) is provided on a rail (110) that forms a movement path, and can transport goods to a manufacturing facility (10) while traveling along the movement path of the rail (110). If the rail (110) is provided on the ceiling, the trolley unit (120) may include an overhead hoist transport (OHT).

[0027] For example, when the trolley unit (120) returns an item between multiple manufacturing facilities (10), the item may be returned immediately from one manufacturing facility to another, or the item may be returned to another manufacturing facility after being stored in the item storage unit (130). In addition, when the trolley unit (120) of the present embodiment returns an item from the item storage unit (130) by receiving a signal from the transmission / reception unit (131S) described later, the item may be returned from the first stage unit (131) of the item storage unit (130), and this will be described later.

[0028] Although not shown in the drawing, the bogie unit (120) may include a driving unit for traveling on the rail (110), an item gripping unit for gripping an item, and a driving unit for sliding or raising and lowering the item gripping unit. The item gripping unit of the bogie unit (120) can load and unload items by sliding to the left or right and then raising and lowering.

[0029] The item storage section (130) can store items transported by the trolley section (120). The item storage section (130) may include a rack-type warehouse (stoker) capable of injecting inert gas to maintain a clean environment inside the container, a side track buffer (STB) installed adjacent to the side of the rail (110) to store items, or an under track buffer (UTB) installed in the lower area of ​​the rail (110) to store items. The item storage section (130) may be installed in a bay area or in an area outside the bay. Hereinafter, the item storage section (130) will be described as being provided adjacent to the rail (110), such as an STB.

[0030] The item storage section (130) may be installed adjacent to the side of the rail (110) that forms a transport path (which may be both sides in a direction parallel to the rail (110)). Here, the item storage section (130) may be installed by being connected to the ceiling along with the rail (110). The item storage section (130) may be installed at a first location (see FIG. 3, see identification symbol 'A', which may be both sides of the rail (110)) where items transported by the trolley section (120) are in close proximity. Although not shown in the drawings, the item storage section (130) may include one or more shelves on which items can be loaded.

[0031] The item storage section (130) of the present embodiment is arranged in N (natural number) rows from the front, which is close to the rail (110), to the rear, which is spaced apart from the rail (110), based on the rail (110), and differs from a general arrangement. In other words, a general item storage section (130) is difficult to have a structure of N rows due to issues such as proximity to the trolley section (120). However, the present embodiment can be arranged in N rows using the configuration and structure as described below, thereby resolving the constraints on item storage.

[0032] For example, the item storage section (130) may be provided with a first stage section (131) provided at a first location (see FIG. 3, see identification symbol 'A', a location where the bogie section (120) is close to both sides of the rail (110)) and a second stage section (135) adjacent to the first stage section (131) where items are stored.

[0033] The first stage section (131) can provide a temporary storage space. If the return of an item is required, the item from the second stage section (135) can be moved to the first stage section (131) and temporarily stored. Then, the trolley section (120) can approach the first stage section (131) and return the item from the first stage section (131). That is, the first stage section (131) is normally provided in an empty state, and if return is required, an item can be transferred from one of the second stage sections (135) and returned by the trolley section (120).

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, the management of return information and / or the processing of the transmission and reception of return information signals does not need to be performed in all spaces of the item storage unit (130) (including both the first stage unit (131) and the second stage unit (135). That is, in this embodiment, when return is required, the item is returned through the first stage unit (131), so the return processing can be simplified by managing only the return information of the first stage unit (131).

[0035] In addition, a transmission and reception unit (131S) for transmitting and receiving item information related to return to the trolley unit (120) is provided only in the first stage unit (131) and does not need to be provided in the second stage unit (135). However, since the transmission and reception unit (131S) is omitted in the second stage unit (135) for ease of management, a transmission and reception unit (131S) may be additionally provided in the second stage unit (135) depending on a variation of the embodiment.

[0036] The second stage section (135) can provide a space for storing items. In this embodiment, the second stage section (135) can be arranged parallel to the rail (110) so as to be arranged in N rows with the item storage section (130), and can be arranged in a line parallel to the first stage section (131), as well as arranged in a line parallel to the rear of the first stage section (131). To this end, the second stage section (135) may include a second front storage member (135A) and a second rear storage member (135B).

[0037] The second front storage member (135A) may be arranged parallel to the first stage section (131) at a first position and positioned parallel to the rail (110). The second front storage member (135A) may be arranged in close proximity to the rail (110) in the same or similar manner as the first stage section (131), so that the trolley section (120) may directly transport the goods.

[0038] The second rear storage member (135B) can be provided at a second position (see FIG. 3, see identification symbol 'B') located behind the first position (see FIG. 3, see identification symbol 'A', the position where the bogie part (120) is close to both sides of the rail (110)) so as to improve storage efficiency. In other words, the second rear storage member (135B) can be placed behind the first stage part (131) where it is difficult to directly transport goods because the bogie part (120) is not close. Even if the goods in the second rear storage member (135B) are not directly transported by the bogie part (120), they can be transported from the second rear storage member (135B) to the first stage part (131) or the second front storage member (135A) by the transport part (140), so that the transport of goods can be achieved.

[0039] The transfer unit (140) can transfer an item between the second front storage member (135A) and the second rear storage member (135B), or transfer an item between the first stage unit (131) and the second rear storage member (135B).

[0040] For example, the transfer unit (140) may include an endless track (141) on which an item is placed and which rotates from one side to the other or from the other side to one side. The driving of the endless track (141) may be achieved by driving wheels (142) (which can be rotated by a motor) placed on both sides of the endless track (141). Thus, the item can be transferred by the transfer unit (140) from the second rear storage member (135B) to a position (first stage unit (131) and second front storage member (135A)) where the trolley unit (120) can approach.

[0041] Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the trolley unit (120) is exemplified as transporting an item from the first stage unit (131) of the item storage unit (130). However, it is not limited thereto, and the trolley unit (120) may also transport an item from the second front storage member (135A) to which it can approach and transport the item from the second stage unit (135). In other words, the trolley unit (120) does not directly transport an item from the second rear storage member (135B), which is difficult to approach, but can transport an item that has been transported from the second rear storage member (135B) to the first stage unit (131) / second front storage member (135A) by the transport unit (140). Various variations are possible, such as being able to return items stored in the first stage section (131) and the second front storage section (135A), excluding the second rear storage section (135B) where items are not directly returned by the trolley section (120).

[0042] In addition, in this embodiment, even if the trolley unit (120) does not directly return an item from the second rear storage member (135B), the item being transported by the transfer unit (140) can be returned, so efficient management is possible by utilizing the N-row arrangement of the item storage unit (130).

[0043] In addition, the item storage section (130) is provided in multiple units in the item transfer system (100), is provided facing each other with respect to the rail (110), and is exemplified as being provided in two rows. However, it is not limited thereto, and other variations are possible. Below, variations of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, and redundant descriptions of identical configurations having the same function will be omitted.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a storage unit of a product transfer system according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a storage unit of a product transfer system according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a transfer unit of a product transfer system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 4 to 6, the differences from the description using FIG. 1 to 3 will be explained in detail.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 4 through 6, the item transfer system (100) may include a rail (110), a trolley section (120), an item storage section (130), and a transfer section (140), identical or similar to the first embodiment. However, the item storage section (130) may be arranged in a staggered manner or in three or more rows. However, it should be noted that another embodiment is possible by combining one or more of the first to third embodiments and known technologies.

[0046] First, referring to FIG. 4, the multiple item storage sections (130) may not be arranged facing each other with respect to the rail (110) and / or the trolley section (120), but may be arranged offset from each other. Additionally, when the multiple item storage sections (130) are arranged offset from each other, other items may be stored in the resulting empty space. Here, the other items may be, for example, a container for receiving a substrate for processing.

[0047] And with reference to FIGS. 5 and FIGS. 6, a plurality of item storage units (130) may be arranged offset from each other or arranged opposite each other.

[0048] However, the multiple item storage units (130) are not limited to being arranged in two rows and may be arranged in four rows as an example. Also, the items can be moved sequentially from the front to the back by the endless track (141) of the transport unit (140).

[0049] For example, if the return of goods is required, the goods in the 4th row placed at the end of the goods storage section (130) are moved to the 3rd row, the goods in the 3rd row are moved to the 2nd row, and the goods in the 2nd row are transferred to the 1st stage section (131), which is the 1st row, thereby sequentially transferring the goods, and then the goods can be returned by the trolley section (120) from the 1st stage section (131), which is the 1st row. In other words, if the goods storage section (130) is provided with 3 or more rows, the goods can be returned or refilled by moving the entire 1st to 4th row.

[0050] However, it is not limited to this, and various variations are possible. In addition, the conveying unit (140) is not limited to an endless track (141), and the conveying of goods may be possible through a rack and pinion gear and motor structure.

[0051] In addition, the movement of goods by the transfer unit (140) can be accomplished by providing a detection sensor (not shown) in the transfer unit (140), and determining that goods requiring return are provided when a difference occurs compared to an initial value (value when goods are empty), and determining that goods requiring return are not provided when a value identical to the initial value is detected, thereby enabling the operation of the transfer unit (140). However, it is not limited to this, and various configuration changes are possible.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms without changing its technical concept or essential features. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. Explanation of the symbols

[0053] 100: Material transfer system 110: Rail 120: Loan Department 130: Goods Storage Department 140: Transfer unit

Claims

Claim 1 A rail providing a movement path; a bogie moving along the movement path of the rail on the rail; The device includes an item storage unit provided at a first position where an item transported by the above-mentioned trolley is stored, and the item transported by the above-mentioned trolley is located near the above-mentioned trolley; the item storage unit is arranged in N (natural number) columns from the front, which is located near the rail, to the rear, which is spaced apart from the rail, based on the rail; the item storage unit includes a first stage unit provided at the first position and a second stage unit adjacent to the first stage unit where the item is stored; the second stage unit includes a second front storage member provided at the first position parallel to the first stage unit and arranged parallel to the rail, and a second rear storage member provided at a second position located behind the first position; the device includes a transport unit that transports the item between the second front storage member and the second rear storage member, or transports the item between the first stage unit and the second rear storage member; the transport unit includes a detection sensor; the detection sensor determines that an item requiring transport is present when a value different from a preset initial value is detected, and when a value identical to the preset initial value is detected A product transfer system that determines that no product requiring return is provided, and the first stage section is normally empty, and when a product stored in the second rear storage member positioned behind the first stage section needs to be returned, the product stored in the second rear storage member is transferred to the first stage section by the transfer section, the trolley section returns the product transferred to the first stage section, and further includes a transmission / reception section provided in the first stage section for transmitting and receiving product information to and from the trolley section, wherein the trolley section receives a signal from the transmission / reception section and returns the product from the first stage section. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 In claim 1, the conveying unit comprises an endless track on which the article is placed and which rotates from one side to the other or from the other side to the one side, in a product conveying system. Claim 5 delete Claim 6 A product transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the rail is provided on the ceiling and the bogie includes an overhead hoist transport (OHT).

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