A load port connected to a transport part includes: a base constituting a portion of a wall of the transport part; a stage on which a storage container is mounted; a stage driving mechanism configured to move the stage in a direction toward or away from the base; a door configured to be capable of opening/closing an opening of the base at a position facing a lid of the storage container mounted on the stage and to be capable of holding the lid disposed to face the opening in a state of closing the opening; a door driving mechanism configured to move the door between an opening position and a closing position; and a movement restricting part configured to restrict a movement of the stage in the direction away from the base by abutting against the stage.

Systems for transporting a plurality of semiconductor structures, wafer boats for holding the plurality of semiconductor structures and methods for heating a set of semiconductor wafers. In some embodiments, the wafer boat frame is made of a metal and the combs are made of quartz. The wafer boats may include one or more combs that are able to float within a comb holder during heating of the wafer boat.

A load port control unit performs an opening operation of a sealable container according to a first operation procedure when a sensor has detected a normal placement of the sealable container, and retries the opening operation according to a second operation procedure for being able to more reliably perform the opening operation of the sealable container, to prevent a transfer device from stopping, when the sensor has detected a placement abnormality of the sealable container.

A substrate carrier includes a base and a cassette, where the cassette is fixed to the base. The cassette can formed integrally with the base, attached to the base using fasteners, attached to the base through a mechanical interface or otherwise attached. The base includes features configured to receive alignment features on automation for handling the substrate carrier. The features configured to receive the alignment features can be three channels. The substrate carrier can be included in a substrate container having a pod dome configured to receive the base to enclose an open end, the base being a pod door of the substrate container.

There is provided a technique that includes at least one load port capable of mounting a substrate storage container that stores a substrate, a controller configured to be capable of performing: a switching control to switch a first function of using the at least one load port to load or unload the substrate storage container and a second function of mounting the substrate storage container on the at least one load port; and an erroneous operation prevention control to execute an erroneous operation prevention operation to the substrate storage container arranged on the at least one load port according to use modes associated with the first function and the second function; and a process chamber configured to process the substrate.

A support unit is provided. The support unit supports transport items, which include a first storage having two or more first vertices formed on a bottom thereof and a second storage having second vertices formed on a bottom thereof, but at different locations from the first vertices, and store articles including substrates or consumables for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and includes: a base part forming a bottom surface; first block parts provided on the base part and including first separation prevention surfaces, on which the first vertices are positioned, and which face or adjoin circumferential surfaces or corners of the first storage; and second block parts provided on the first block parts and including second separation prevention surfaces, on which the second vertices are positioned, and which face or adjoin circumferential surfaces or corners of the second storage.

A substrate treating apparatus and a substrate transporting method wherein a platform is disposed on a first ID block, and a platform is placed on a second ID block. A currently-used carrier platform is provided only on the first ID block. Accordingly, a substrate is transported in both a forward path and a return path between the first ID block and a second treating block. The substrate is returned not to the first ID block but to the second ID block disposed between the two treating blocks in the return path.

A load port includes a placing portion, a storage portion disposed below the placing portion, a port door, a bolts plate including an opening portion, and a lifting mechanism configured to move the port door up and down with respect to the opening portion. The lifting mechanism includes a lifting portion stored in the storage portion, a coupling member couples the lifting portion and the port door through a slit in the bolts plate, and a driving mechanism moves the lifting portion up and down between a first position and a second position. The lifting portion includes a space portion into which a driving source of the driving mechanism enters at the second position. The second position is a position at which the lifting portion overlaps the driving source in a side view, and at which the space portion overlaps the driving source in a plan view.

A cassette lid opening device for use in a clean room apparatus configured for cooperation with a wafer cassette. The cassette lid opening device comprises a wall structure having a separation wall having a wall opening for transferring wafers therethrough, a cassette docking port, and a lid handler provided to the wall structure. The cassette docking port is arranged at a first side of the wall structure for docking a wafer cassette. The lid handler is movable relative to the wall opening and configured to engage a cassette lid of the wafer cassette docked in the cassette docking port. The cassette lid opening device further comprises a blower having an elongated, slit-like nozzle substantially spanning a height or a width of the wall opening and configured to blow a curtain-shaped jet stream of a purge gas into a cassette interior of the wafer cassette.

A gas purge unit including: a first purge nozzle in which a gas flow path is internally formed, which communicates with a first purge port at the bottom of a container, and which introduces gas into the container or discharges gas from the container; a first communication unit which has a first holding unit for holding the first purge nozzle at one end; and a first actuator to which the first communication unit is connected and which moves the first communication unit and the first purge nozzle vertically.