Patent ID: 7887276

Claim:
A load port device comprising: a mount base adapted to be fixed to a partition wall which is disposed between a stockyard for temporarily storing a wafer carrier which houses a wafer and a wafer processing device for processing the wafer; a wafer transfer window provided on the mount base; a carrier stage having: a table horizontally extended from a lower edge of the wafer transfer window; and a carrier plate disposed on the table so as to support the wafer carrier and movable so as to transfer the wafer carrier to the processing device; a carrier transfer device, which is disposed within the stockyard, for transferring the wafer carrier by supporting the wafer carrier so as to attach and detach the wafer carrier to and from the carrier plate; and a buffer stage having a buffer plate horizontally disposed below the table so as to temporarily store the wafer carrier, wherein the buffer plate is disposed substantially at the same height with an external load port which is placed outside the stockyard on a side of the stockyard located opposite to the wafer processing device, such that when the buffer stage in the stockyard is empty and the wafer carrier is transferred from the external load port by the carrier transfer device, a wafer carrier moving distance when transferring the wafer carrier to the buffer stage is shorter than that when transferring the wafer carrier to a plurality of wafer carrier installation shelves disposed within the stockyard.