DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING WAFER MAGAZINES

摘要

In a device for transporting wafer magazines, one must exclude to a large extent any generation of particles caused by handling and any disturbances of the laminar flow in the clean room caused by the handling device, even if the handling device must work through two areas that may be separated or selectively joind together. In order to transfer the magazine from a storage position to a processing station, a linear drive for a fixed gripper arm that may be vertically adjusted in the direction of displacement of a lift is secured to a bearing column spaced away from the lift drive so as to form an air passage. The action range of the fixed gripper arm lies above the magazine located in the storage position and is perpendicular to the travelling direction of the lift. All parts of the drive are separated from the clean room by a dust-proof cladding and suction arrangements are arranged next to the openings through which the transport elements project into the clean room. The invention allows semiconductor manufacturing plants to be equipped or retrofitted with a SMIF-system.