STRAIGHT LINE WAFER TRANSFER SYSTEM

摘要

A wafer transfer system (10) is operable with a front or side loading wafer carrier (12) to move one or more wafers (24) in a straight line from the carrier (12) to a position in which the wafers are accessible for further processing by movement along the same straight line. The transfer system (10) provides a wafer extractor (30) which employs a plurality of paired fingers (34) of a size and configuration to fit between the spaced, stacked wafers (24) in the carrier (12). After insertion between the wafers (24) the fingers (34) are movable by a small amount vertically to lift the wafers off the shoulders of the carrier (12). The fingers (34), now supporting the wafers (24), are movable generally horizontally along a straight line to remove the wafers (24) from the carrier (12). The fingers (34) are supported from a support structure in a manner which provides clearance for the wafers (24) to pass through the support structure for further processing along the same straight line path.