Fortrend Wafer Handling Robots and Pre-Aligners

Fortrend wafer handling robots

Fortrend designs the core parts of its robots itself and builds them at its own plant in Wuxi, China. The same robots run inside Fortrend’s sorters and EFEMs, and OEMs build them into their own process and inspection tools.

The range starts with atmospheric robots for wafers up to 12 inch, with one or two arms and three to six axes. Other versions handle wet process tools, photomasks, panel-level packaging glass and open cassettes. An optional track lets one robot serve two to four load ports.

SiSTEM is Fortrend’s distributor for the UK, Ireland and Europe. We help you choose the robot and end effector for the job, and our engineers install and service them on site.

Robot families

• FWRS single-arm robots: three axes, for EFEMs, sorters and inspection tools.
• FWRD dual-arm robots: four axes. The second arm shortens wafer exchange time in EFEMs, sorters, coat and develop tools, cleaning tools and inspection tools.
• Flip robots: five- and six-axis versions of the single- and dual-arm robots, with an end effector that turns the wafer over through 180°.
• FWRD-ZD dual-Z robots: two lifting stages give 600 to 920mm of vertical travel, for tools with stacked stations.
• FMRS and FMRD mask robots: single- and dual-arm robots that grip or lift photomasks and square glass plates, for mask EFEMs and other mask transfer systems.
• FHRS, FHRD and FHRA wet process robots: sealed to IP64, with PTFE-coated arms, O-ring seals at the joints and a bellows over the Z-axis. They move wafers in acid, alkali and cleaning tools, and the FHRA has four arms.
• FPRD panel robots: dual-arm, four-axis robots for glass substrates in panel-level packaging EFEMs.
• FCRS cassette robots: four-axis robots that move open cassettes and similar boxes in clean areas.
• Track axis: floor- or side-mounted, with 800 to 1500mm of travel.

End effectors

Wafers are held by vacuum, by edge grip, by clamp-and-lift, or by contact or non-contact Bernoulli end effectors. The end effectors come in ceramic, carbon fibre or aluminium. Frame forks carry wafers on tape frames, and dedicated forks take Taiko wafers with 1.5 to 5mm of warp.

Robot specification

• Wafers from 2 to 12 inch, depending on model
• Three to six axes on servo motors, with a brake on the Z-axis
• Arm (R-axis) 146, 190.5 or 213mm; Z travel 240, 300, 400 or 500mm, or 600 to 920mm with dual Z
• Average handling speed 750mm/s
• Repeatability ±0.1mm
• Payload under 3kg at the third joint
• Cleanliness up to ISO Class 1; noise 80dB or lower
• Ethernet or RS-232, HEX or ASCII protocol
• 220V; clean dry air at 0.15 to 0.5 MPa and vacuum at -70 to -90 kPa
• Teach pendant, with Fortrend’s Smart Move teaching function

BR-110 300mm robot

The BR-110 is Fortrend’s 300mm wafer transfer robot, with a vacuum blade.

• Wafers up to 300mm
• Reach (R-axis) 550mm, rotation 330°, Z travel 450mm
• Speed 1100mm/s on R, 196°/s on rotation, 400mm/s on Z
• Repeatability ±0.1mm on R and Z, ±0.02° on rotation
• Payload 1kg; minimum rotation diameter 300mm
• AC servo motors; ISO Class 1
• 55kg; 3m cable as standard, 5m or 10m as options
• Single-phase 220V; clean dry air at 0.4 to 0.5 MPa, vacuum below -50 kPa
• Mapping sensor optional; teach pendant included
• MTBF 8,000 hours or more; MTTR 2 hours or less

FPA pre-aligners

A pre-aligner finds the notch or flat and centres the wafer before the robot hands it to the tool. Fortrend’s FPA aligners are four-axis units (X, Y, Z and theta) with a vacuum chuck. The controller is built in, so there’s nothing extra to mount or wire. They take opaque and semi-transparent wafers, including silicon carbide, and monitor their own drives, vacuum and sensors while they run.

• FPA-48-V for 4, 5, 6 and 8 inch wafers; FPA-612-V for 6, 8 and 12 inch
• Notch or flat to SEMI standards
• Centres to ±0.1mm and sets the notch or flat angle to ±0.1°
• Finds the notch in 7 seconds or less, excluding pick and place
• Takes wafers placed up to 5mm off centre, 0.3 to 0.8mm thick, with up to 1mm of warp
• 24VDC; RS-232, HEX or ASCII protocol; vacuum at -50 to -80 kPa
• Ambient 5 to 40°C

To quote we’ll ask about

• The tool or EFEM the robot goes into, and the stations it has to reach
• Wafer size, thickness and material, and any frames, Taiko wafers, masks or glass
• Dry or wet process, and the cleanliness class
• The host interface and protocol