Load port device

• US 20080056860A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Company Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Shinko Electric Industries Company Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Natume, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,887,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/222.01
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 11/00 Lifting devices specially adapted for particular uses not otherwise provided for ground-engaging vehicle fittings for supporting, lifting or manoeuvring the vehicle B60S9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67769 Storage means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67775 Docking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/14 Wafer cassette transporting

Abstract

A mount base is adapted to be fixed to a partition wall which is disposed between a stockyard for temporarily storing a wafer carrier which houses a wafer and a wafer processing device for processing the wafer. A wafer transfer window is provided on the mount base. A carrier stage has a table horizontally extended from a lower edge of the wafer transfer window and a carrier plate disposed on the table so as to support the wafer carrier and movable so as to transfer the wafer carrier to the processing device. A buffer stage has a buffer plate horizontally disposed below the table so as to temporarily store the wafer carrier.

Claims

1. A load port device comprising:

a mount base adapted to be fixed to a partition wall which is disposed between a stockyard for temporarily storing a wafer carrier which houses a wafer and a wafer processing device for processing the wafer;

a wafer transfer window provided on the mount base;

a carrier stage having;

a table horizontally extended from a lower edge of the wafer transfer window; and

a carrier plate disposed on the table so as to support the wafer carrier and movable so as to transfer the wafer carrier to the processing device; and

a buffer stage having a buffer plate horizontally disposed below the table so as to temporarily store the wafer carrier.

2. The load port device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the carrier plate is movable between a first position and a second position which is nearer to the wafer transfer window than the first position;

the carrier plate is provided with a plurality of first positioning pins operable to position the wafer carrier relative to the carrier plate and a first hand insertion space so as to prevent interference with a transfer hand of a carrier transfer device for transferring the wafer carrier by supporting the wafer carrier so as to attach and detach the wafer carrier to and from the carrier plate;

the buffer plate is provided with a plurality of second positioning pins operable to position the wafer carrier relative to the buffer plate and a second hand insertion space so as to prevent interference with the transfer hand of the carrier transfer device; and

when the carrier plate is positioned in the first position, the first positioning pins are situated at the same position with the second positioning pins as viewed from the top and the first hand insertion space are situated at the same position with the second positioning pins as viewed from the top.

3. The load port device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the buffer plate is disposed substantially at the same height with a load port which is placed outside the stockyard.

4. The load port device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a mapping device;

an elevator disposed below the carrier stage and operable to move the mapping device in a vertical direction; and

a cover covering the elevator.