Substrate transport vacuum platform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10504763-B2
Application number	US-201715841986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A transport apparatus including a robot drive; an arm having a first end connected to the robot drive; and at least one end effector connected to a second end of the arm. The arm includes at least three links connected in series to, form the arm. The arm is configured to be moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among load locks and two or more sets of opposing process modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width;
a robot drive connected to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is mounted to the substrate transport chamber at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber, where the location is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber;
a robot arm having a first end connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and
at least one end effector connected to a second end of the robot arm.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the at least one end effector comprises two end effectors connected to the second end of the robot arm, where the two end effectors are rotatable on the second end of the robot arm.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, and where the robot drive is configured to move the robot arm in a vertical direction by moving the coaxial drive shafts up and down.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 where first and second ones of the links are located below a horizontal plane along a bottom of the process modules.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the substrate transport chamber comprises a chamber extension configured to be located at least partially between adjacent ones of the process modules, where the fixed singular location is located, at least partially, at the chamber extension.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the robot drive is configured to be retained at the fixed singular location on the substrate transport chamber while the robot arm is moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among the at least one load lock and two or more sets of opposing ones of the process modules.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width;
a robot drive connected to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is located at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber which is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber;
a robot arm having a first end connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and
at least one end effector connected to a second end of the robot arm,
where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, where the robot arm forms four axes of rotation including a first axis of rotation at the coaxial drive shafts, a second axis of rotation between a first one of the links and a second one of the links, a third axis of rotation between the second link and a third one of the links, a fourth axis of rotation between the third link and that at least one end effector.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7 where the apparatus is configured to constrain movement of the third axis of rotation to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber.

9. An apparatus as in claim 7 where the apparatus is configured to constrain movement of the third axis of rotation to a path parallel to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber.

10. A method comprising:
providing a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width;
connecting a robot drive to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is mounted to the substrate transport chamber at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber, where the location is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber;
connecting a robot arm to the robot drive, where a first end of the robot arm is connected to the robot drive, and where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and
connecting at least one end effector to a second end of the robot arm.

11. A method as in claim 10 where the at least one end effector comprises two end effectors connected to the second end of the robot arm, where the two end effectors are rotatable on the second end of the robot arm.

12. A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, where the robot arm forms four axes of rotation including a first axis of rotation at the coaxial drive shafts, a second axis of rotation between a first one of the links and a second one of the links, a third axis of rotation between the second link and a third one of the links, a fourth axis of rotation between the third link and that at least one end effector.

13. A method as in claim 12 comprising constraining movement of the third axis of rotation to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber.

14. A method as in claim 12 comprising constraining movement of the third axis of rotation to a path parallel to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber.

15. A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, and where the robot drive is configured to move the robot arm in a vertical direction by moving the coaxial drive shafts up and down.

16. A method as in claim 10 where first and second ones of the links are located below a horizontal plane along a bottom of the process modules.

17. A method as in claim 10 where the substrate transport chamber comprises a chamber extension configured to be located at least partially between adjacent ones of the process modules, where the fixed singular location is located, at least partially, at the chamber extension.

18. A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive is configured to be retained at the fixed singular location on the substrate transport chamber while the robot arm is moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among the at least one load lock and two or more sets of opposing ones of the process modules.

Assignees

• Persimmon Technologies Corp
• Persimmon Tech Corporation

Inventors

• Hofmeister Christopher
• Hosek Martin

Classifications

• H10P72/3302 Primary

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• B25J9/042

  comprising an articulated arm · CPC title

• Y10S901/27

  Arm part · CPC title

• H01L21/67742 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic