Automatic guided vehicle, automatic guided vehicle system and wafer carrying method

• US 20020154974A1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec), Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Shuji, Fukuda, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 7,044,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/416.01
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67294 using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67724 by means of a cart or a vehicule
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6773 Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/681 using optical controlling means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 including wafer orienting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette

Abstract

Improvement of the workability in an automatic guided vehicle which carries and transfers a semiconductor wafer between stations in a semiconductor manufacturing plant etc.

An automatic guided vehicle 1 is moved to an objective station after storing a wafer 10 in a buffer cassette with a transfer equipment 3, the wafer 10 in a cassette 5 is transferred to a positioning device 4 by taking it up with the transfer equipment 3, an ID information of the wafer 10 is read by a OCR 43 after truing up the position and direction of the wafer 10 by the positioning device 4, the wafer 10 whose ID information is read is retained with a transfer hand 31, another wafer 10 placed on the station then is removed by the other transfer hand 31, the wafer 10 whose ID information is read is transferred to the station in the predetermined position and direction and the ID information is controlled to transmit to the station.

Claims

1. An automatic guided vehicle equipped with a transfer means for transferring a wafer and a fixed type cassette for storing the wafer temporarily, wherein the cassette is set so as to take the wafer in and out in a horizontal state when transferring the wafer to the cassette with the transfer means and the cassette is set so as not to jump out the wafer in the cassette when traveling the automatic guided vehicle.

2. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 1, wherein the wafer in the cassette is prevented from jumping out by tilting the cassette on the automatic guided vehicle.

3. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 2, wherein the cassette is arranged to be tilted by providing a rotating fulcrum on the near side of the back face of the cassette and the position of the cassette is fixed in the state that the wafer in the cassette is horizontal or is leaned to the back side (the back face side) of the cassette.

4. An automatic guided vehicle which carries a semiconductor wafer automatically, wherein a positioning means for truing up the position and direction of the wafer, a transfer means for transferring the wafer and a reading means for reading the wafer ID information are carried and a retention means for preventing the displacement of the wafer is laid in the transfer means.

5. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 4, wherein the retention means is made to be the suction means for activating the face of the wafer.

6. An automatic guided vehicle which carries the semiconductor wafer automatically, wherein the transfer means for transferring the wafer, the positioning means for truing up the position and direction of the wafer and the cassette for storing a plurality of the wafers are carried and the transfer means is disposed in the center of the automatic guided vehicle and the positioning means and the cassette are disposed in the vicinity of the transfer means.

7. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 6, wherein the means for transferring the wafer is composed by one pair of the transfer means.

8. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 7, wherein the one pair of the transfer means is respectively operated independently.

9. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 7, wherein multiple sizes of the wafers are stored in the cassette.

10. An automatic guided vehicle system that is the system of transferring the wafer to a station by the automatic guided vehicle equipped with the transfer means for transferring the wafer, the cassette for storing the wafer which is fixed in the vehicle body, the positioning means for truing up the position and direction of the wafer and the reading means for reading the wafer ID information, wherein the wafer ID information is read with the reading means and the wafer whose ID information is read is retained by the transfer means in the state that the wafer in the cassette is transferred to the positioning means by taking it up with the transfer means and the position and direction of the wafer is trued up with the positioning means after the cassette is stored in the cassette with the transfer means and the automatic guided vehicle is traveled for and stopped at an objective station, and another wafer is removed by the other transfer means if it is placed in the station and the wafer whose ID information is read is transferred to the station in the predetermined position and direction and the control means is provided for transmitting ID information to the station.

11. An automatic guided vehicle system as in claim 10, wherein the station is installed in a processor of the wafer and a situation recognition means for recognizing the situation of the processor is provided in the station.

12. An automatic guided vehicle system as in claim 10, wherein multiple sizes of wafers are stored in the cassette.

13. An automatic guided vehicle system as in claim 10, wherein the stations are disposed on the both sides of a traveling route of the automatic guided vehicle.

14. An automatic guided vehicle as in claim 10, wherein multiple sizes of wafers are stored, the station is installed in the processor of the wafer disposed on the both sides of the traveling rail of the automatic guided vehicle, the automatic guided vehicle controller for controlling the automatic guided vehicle is provided and the size of the wafer which transfers the automatic guided vehicle and the transfer direction of the transfer equipment are recognized based on the information which is transmitted from the automatic guided vehicle controller.

15. An wafer carrying method in the system of carrying the wafer to the station by the automatic guided vehicle equipped with the transfer means for transferring the wafer, the cassette for storing the wafer which is fixed in the vehicle body, the positioning means for truing up the position and direction of the wafer and the reading means for reading the wafer ID information, wherein the wafer ID information is read and the wafer whose ID information is read is retained by transfer means in the state that the wafer in the cassette is transferred to the positioning means by taking it up with the transfer means and the position and direction of the wafer is trued up with the positioning means after the wafer is stored in the cassette with the transfer means and the automatic guided vehicle is traveled for and stopped at the objective station, and another wafer is removed by the other transfer means if it is placed in the station and the wafer whose ID information is read is transferred to the station in the predetermined position and direction and the ID information is transmitted to the station.