C6 cleanroom e-chain® with e-spin guide system

In modern semiconductor fabrication facilities, silicon wafers pass through numerous process steps, including lithography, etching, doping, and metallization. These processes often take place in different production areas, which may be located far apart. Given the strict cleanliness and particle-free requirements of cleanrooms, manual transport is not an option. Instead, automated material handling systems (AMHS) ensure the safe and efficient transport of wafer cassettes—known as FOUPs (front-opening unified pods) — over long distances.

One established solution is overhead hoist transport (OHT). This rail-guided system moves FOUPs overhead, maximizing cleanroom space while maintaining high throughput and process reliability.

Beyond transport, storage plays a critical role in so-called stockers. These systems place high demands on energy and data supply, requiring reliable solutions to support power delivery to OHT units, high-speed data transmission (such as Ethernet and sensor signals), and secure cable guidance in dynamic and often space-constrained cleanroom environments.