Linear robot arm with multiple end effectors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12528197-B2
Application number	US-202117404338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2021
Priority date	Jul 10, 2012
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus including a lower linearly driven effector structure with spaced paddles, and an upper linearly driven end effector structure with spaced paddles and no rotating joints above a paddle of the lower end effector structure. A drive subsystem is configured to linearly drive the lower end effector structure and to linearly drive the upper end effector structure independent of the lower end effector structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a first shuttle, where the first shuttle comprises a first scara arm; a first end effector coupled to the first shuttle, where the first end effector comprises a first section configured to carry a first substrate and a second section configured to carry a second substrate, where the second section is laterally spaced from the first section; a second shuttle, where the second shuttle comprises two second scara arms; at least one second end effector coupled to the second shuttle, where the at least one second end effector comprises a third section configured to carry a third substrate and a fourth section configured to carry a fourth substrate, where the fourth section is laterally spaced from the third section; and a drive coupled to the first and second shuttles, where the drive comprises a first coaxial drive shaft connected to the first shuttle and a second coaxial drive shaft connected to the two second scara arms of the second shuttle, where the drive is configured to move the first and second shuttles to linearly move the first and second end effectors, where the drive and the first and second shuttles are configured to linearly move the at least one second end effector independent from movement of the first end effector.

2 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 where the first end effector comprises a first fork member mounted to the first shuttle, where the first fork member comprises left and right prongs.

3 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 where the drive comprises means for moving the second shuttle.

4 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 where the at least one second end effector comprises a second fork member mounted to the second shuttle, where the second fork member comprises left and right prongs.

5 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 4 where the drive comprises means for moving the first shuttle.

6 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a support structure connected to the first and second end effectors.

7 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a rotational drive connected to the support structure.

8 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 6 where the support structure comprises pulley mounts and pulleys on the pulley mounts for linearly driving the first and second end effectors.

9 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 8 where the drive comprises the first and second shuttles being secured to at least one belt about the pulleys on the pulley mounts.

10 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 9 where the drive comprises at least one driven pulley for the at least one belt.

11 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 where the first scara arm is on a support structure, where the first end effector comprises a first fork member attached to the first scara arm, and where the first fork member comprises left and right prongs.

12 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 11 where the first scara arm is attached to the first fork member at a location between the first and second sections of the first end effector.

13 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 where the two second scara arms are mounted to the support structure, where the at least one second end effector comprises two members, where a first one of the members having the third section is connected to a first one of the second scara arms and a second one of the members having the fourth section is connected to a second one of the second scara arms.

14 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 13 in which the two second scara arms are configured to be driven together.

15 . A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a first shuttle comprising a first scara arm; a first end effector coupled to the first shuttle, where the first end effector comprises a first section configured to carry a first substrate and a second section configured to carry a second substrate, where the second section is laterally spaced from the first section; a second shuttle comprising a second scara arm and a third scara arm; a second end effector coupled to the second scara arm, where the second end effector comprises a third section configured to carry a third substrate; a third end effector coupled to the third scara arm, where the third end effector comprises a fourth section configured to carry a fourth substrate, where the fourth section is laterally spaced from the third section; and a drive coupled to the first and second shuttles, where the drive is configured to move the first and second shuttles to linearly move the first, second and third end effectors, where the drive and the first and second shuttles are configured to linearly move the first, second and third end effectors with the second and third end effectors being moved independently relative to movement of the first end effector, where the drive comprises a first coaxial drive shaft connected to the first scara arm and a second coaxial drive shaft connected to the second and third scara arms, and where the first scara arm is attached to a first fork member of the first end effector at a location between the first and second sections of the first end effector.

16 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 15 where the second and third end effectors are in a substantially same horizontal plane and, in retracted positions, the second and third end effectors are in a stacked configuration relative to the first end effector.

17 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 16 in which the second and third scara arms are configured to be driven together by the second coaxial drive shaft.

18 . The substrate transport apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first scara arm is rotatably connected to a support structure of the drive at a first location, where the second and third scara arms are rotatably mounted to the support structure at respective second and third locations, and where the first location is located between the second and third locations.

19 . A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a first shuttle, where the first shuttle comprises a first scara arm mounted to a support structure; a first end effector coupled to the first scara arm; a second shuttle, where the second shuttle comprises two second scara arms mounted to the support structure; a second end effector coupled to a first one of the second scara arms; a third end effector coupled to a second one of the second scara arms; and a drive coupled to the first and second shuttles, where the drive is configured to move the first and second shuttles to linearly move the end effectors, where the drive and the first and second shuttles are configured to linearly move the second and third end effectors independent from movement of the first end effector, where the first scara arm is rotatably connected to the support structure at a first location, where the two second scara arms are rotatably mounted to the support structure at respective second and third locations with respective axes of rotation on opposite sides of the first location, and where the first location is located between the second and third locations.

20 . The substrate transport apparatus as claimed in claim 19 where the first end effector comprises a first section configured to carry a first substrate and a second section configured to carry a second substrate, where the second section is laterally spaced from the first se

Assignees

• Persimmon Tech Corporation

Inventors

• Hosek Martin
• Poole Dennis
• Hofmeister Christopher

Classifications

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• Y10S901/19

  Drive system for arm · CPC title

• B25J11/0095 Primary

  Manipulators transporting wafers · CPC title

• H01L21/67706

  Electricity · mapped topic