| 摘要 |
<p>An aligner, wherein a buffer (116) allowing a plurality sheets of masks to stock therein and allowed to be loaded and unloaded is disposed in a mask carrying route ranging from the carrying in/out ports (22A, 22B) of an SMIF pod (28) to a mask stage (RST), and a mask carrying system (32) transfers the masks between the carrying in/out ports (22A, 22B), buffer (116), and mask stage (RST), whereby, because the carrying system (32) carries in order the masks carried into a device in the state of being stored in the SMIF pod (28), the masks can be maximally stored therein to allow sufficient sheets of masks necessary for exposure to be always held in the device and, because the carrying system transfers the masks between the carrying in/out ports, buffer, and mask stage, the mask container replacement operation by an operator's manual operation can be eliminated.</p> |
