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Wafer Industry Overview

In 2023, the global wafer market reached USD 14.7 billion. It is projected to reach USD 19.2 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3% (2024–2030). Regionally, China's market has changed rapidly over the past few years: between 2016 and 2021, the wafer-handling-equipment market in China's semiconductor industry showed a steady upward trend, reaching about USD 2 billion in 2021, up 12.05% year-over-year.

Wafer robots play a vital role in the semiconductor industry. They enable automated wafer transport and storage, wafer inspection and cleaning, and improve production efficiency and product quality. At the same time, wafer robots can also perform auxiliary tasks, improving overall line efficiency. With ongoing advances in technology and continual updates to wafer processing, the application prospects for wafer robots continue to broaden, providing strong support for the semiconductor industry's development.

Wafer Robot Categories

Depending on the processed-product type, wafer robots can be classified as follows:

Atmospheric Wafer Robot

The atmospheric wafer robot is used to transport wafers in clean atmospheric environments. Its hallmark traits are high precision and high efficiency — playing an irreplaceable role in semiconductor material handling.

In clean production environments, atmospheric transport robots can complete material-handling tasks precisely and efficiently, effectively avoiding the contamination and errors that can result from manual operation. Their unique docking technology guarantees the stability and safety of material transport, dramatically improving productivity and product quality.

Vacuum Wafer Robot

The vacuum robot operates in a vacuum environment. It is mainly used in the semiconductor industry to transport wafers within vacuum chambers.

Wafer Workstation Composition

A wafer workstation consists of an EFEM (Equipment Front-End Module) semiconductor front-end module, a wafer sorter, and a transport pod.

The EFEM belongs to semiconductor production equipment. Internally, it mainly comprises a chemical-vapor filter, an air filter, an ion generator, a wafer-transport robot, a wafer-alignment unit, a wafer carrier, and an automation-control module. The wafer-loading system, wafer-handling robot, and wafer-alignment unit are the three core components.
The Wafer Sorter is process equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing. Through the internal micro-environment it guarantees the cleanliness required during the sorting process, supporting downstream wafer reception, recipe pre-sorting, recipe post-merging, recipe sort-in-between interlock, factory-out inspection, and sequencing.
The Transport Pod (FOUP/FOSB) is the container used in semiconductor processes to protect, transport, and store wafers — the key carrier for wafers.

iNexBot Wafer Process Overview

iNexBot has launched an advanced wafer-handling solution, committed to building a highly efficient and stable wafer transport-and-processing system for the wafer market.

This wafer-handling solution has the following features:

Automatic runtime-speed switching: Different motion-instruction operating speeds can be set according to wafer inspection, wafer pickup/place area, and so on. The host can set these speeds to any value up to each axis's maximum speed. During operation, the transport speed is automatically changed within the controller based on the wafer-holding state (detected via vacuum-pressure sensor or wafer-presence state) or wafer-presence operation-type detection state.
Two-wafer synchronous operation: Two wafers can be picked up or placed at the same time (provided the two end-effector types match and are at the same position).
Wafer protrusion detection: In some special cases, a wafer may protrude from the cassette; without detection, the wafer and end-effector could interfere with each other, potentially damaging both. The wafer-protrusion detection function can be enabled or disabled through parameters on the mapping-operation instruction.
Wafer mapping: After the mechanical arm moves to a specific position of the cassette, it lifts from that position and samples the standard-marker axis position at which the mapping sensor opens or closes. By comparing the sampled data with the calibration operation data, the wafer state (normal-insertion / abnormal-insertion) is determined, as shown in the figure below:

Interlock function: The system provides an interlock function that monitors various states to confirm operation validity, ensuring safe operation.

Mechanical arm:

(1) Wafer present: prohibit wafer-transfer operations, prohibits re-attempted wafer pickup, prohibit wafer protrusion detection, prohibit wafer calibration.

(2) No wafer: prohibit wafer-place and transfer operations.

Aligner: No wafer — prohibit wafer-alignment and calibration operations.

At the same time, iNexBot's wafer process stands out for fast pick-and-place and a wafer-handling efficiency of up to 200 cycles/hour. The system maintains high-speed transport continuously for 24 hours with no power loss or wafer drop — reliability is excellent.

iNexBot Process Advantages

Compatible with multiple wafer robots — single-arm, double-arm, single-link, and double-link robots can all use the system.
Proprietary system with built-in advanced vision-detection algorithms: high precision, high reliability.
Wafer transport across various sizes and specifications to meet diverse transport requirements.
High wafer-handling efficiency: up to 200 cycles per hour. Strong stability, low vibration, no wafer drop.
High precision: iNexBot's control-system trajectory precision reaches within ±0.02 mm, with a trajectory-deviation tolerance of ±1.2 mm.
Built-in safety-control UI with a configurable process flow — effectively detects and prevents collisions and accidental injuries, improving workplace safety.