Flexible Automation and Integrated Manufacturing 1998

ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-118-1

AUTOMATED MATERIAL HANDLING SOLUTIONS FOR 300MM SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING

DOI: 10.1615/FAIM1998.330
pages 379-387

Аннотация

Automated Material Handling Systems (AMHS) have traditionally been used at Intel to store, transport, and load boxes of silicon wafers within semiconductor manufacturing facilities, or "fabs". These systems have been developed to reduce floor space required for storage, reduce damage to wafers from handling, and improve tracking of wafers. More recently, Intel has begun integrating advanced mechanical solutions with intelligent software to optimize factory performance. Now the semiconductor industry is poised to convert from 200mm diameter wafers to 300mm wafers. With this conversion, ergonomic constraints imposed by the new wafer size will drive the industry toward fully automated solutions at a much more rapid pace. Unfortunately, many of the hardware and software products developed for 200mm material handling will not meet the needs of the new 300mm fabs. In this paper, we examine the material handling solutions being developed to meet the unique challenges and opportunities of 300mm semiconductor manufacturing.