Patent ID: 8985937
Filing Date: 2015-03-24
Classification: H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of controlling a stocker apparatus connected to a single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body, for improved handling of empty FOUPs, the stocker apparatus having: openers for receiving FOUPs acting as containers each for storing a plurality of substrates, to feed and collect the substrates to and from the single substrate type substrate treating apparatus main body for performing a predetermined treatment of substrates, the openers including a feed-only opener for feeding the substrates, and a collect-only opener for collecting the substrates, a transport mechanism for holding and transporting the FOUPs, a control device for controlling at least the FOUP transport mechanism, and racks arranged above the openers for receiving the FOUPs, the racks including an incoming rack for receiving the FOUPs from an external transport device, an outgoing rack for delivering the FOUPs to the external transport device, and a mid-treatment storage rack for keeping an empty FOUP after the substrates are fed therefrom, said method comprising using the control device for controlling the transport mechanism, wherein: when the substrates have been emptied from a FOUP at the feed-only opener, then the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP from the feed-only opener to the collect-only opener, only when no FOUP is present on the collect-only opener, and when the empty FOUP is not transported to the collect-only opener because of a FOUP present on the collect-only opener, the transport mechanism transports the empty FOUP to the mid-treatment storage rack; and then transports the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener from the mid-treatment storage rack when the collect-only opener has become vacant, and after the transport mechanism has transported the empty FOUP to the collect-only opener, the treated substrates are then collected back into the FOUP.