SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING SMALL LOT SIZED SUBSTRATE CARRIERS AMONG PROCESSING TOOLS

摘要

PURPOSE: A system and method for transporting small lot sized substrate carriers among processing tools are provided to increase an yield and decrease a manufacturing cost by reducing a total 'resident' time or 'cycle' time of substrates during which the substrates remain in a device manufacturing equipment. CONSTITUTION: A small lot sized semiconductor device manufacturing equipment(200) having a plurality of processing tools and a high speed transportation system(202) transporting small lot sized substrate carriers among the processing tools. An average cycle time of a substrates having low priority is increased in the small lot sized semiconductor device manufacturing equipment while the average cycle time of a substrates having high priority is decreased in the small lot sized semiconductor device manufacturing equipment thereby maintaining a reserved object on a processing level in the small lot sized semiconductor device manufacturing equipment.