Physics / mechanism
Wafer handling systems transport silicon, SiC, GaN, and compound semiconductor substrates through fab process steps without contamination or mechanical damage. End-effectors use Bernoulli (non-contact air-bearing) or edge-grip / vacuum chuck designs; Bernoulli is preferred for fragile compound wafers. Key parameters: particle adder rate (<1 particle/wafer-pass at ≥0.1 µm), positional repeatability (±0.1 mm or better), throughput (200–300 wafers/hour for FOUP-to-tool transfers), and MTBF (>5,000 hours). Front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) are the standard carrier for 300 mm; 200 mm fabs still dominate compound semi and photonics lines. SEMI E standards govern mechanical interfaces. Leading OEMs: Brooks Automation (Azenta), Entegris, Rorze, Kawasaki Robotics, and Genmark (now part of Entegris).
Competitive landscape
Brooks/Azenta and Entegris dominate atmospheric and vacuum cluster-tool robotics; Rorze and Kawasaki are stronger in Asian fabs. Adjacent approaches include overhead transport (OHT/OHS) from Murata Machinery and DAIFUKU for intra-bay logistics—distinct from tool-level handling but part of the same yield-loss chain.
Companies using
Connected ideas
Sources
Frontier (open questions)
- To be added.