Patent ID: 6877944

Claim:
A configuration for transporting a semiconductor wafer carrier, comprising: an interbay transport configuration for connecting a plurality of bays each having processing machines with load ports, said interbay transport configuration having: an interbay rail track; and a vehicle moving on said interbay rail track for transferring the wafer carrier between different bays according to a processing sequence; and an intrabay transport configuration having: an intrabay rail track reaching into areas of the bays and, thereby, passing each of the processing machines, said intrabay rail track being mounted along said interbay rail track within a bay area and being operatively connected to said interbay rail track at the bay area, said vehicle, thereby, selectively moving within the bay area on said intrabay rail track; and a carrier transfer car moving on said intrabay rail track within the bay area for transferring the wafer carrier between said interbay transport configuration and the processing machines, said carrier transfer car being freely disposable along said intrabay rail track and having a hoist arm with a wafer carrier moving device for lifting up or down the wafer carrier and for depositing the wafer carrier on a load port of one of the processing machines, said hoist arm disposed to leave a free carrier load space between said vehicle and said hoist arm and permit said vehicle transferring the wafer carrier and said carrier transfer car to pass each other without mutual obstruction on a respective one of said interbay rail track and said intrabay rail track.