Compact direct drive spindle

• US 10,493,620 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Caveney, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacArthur, Victor L
• Application Number:
  US15/695,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20170361459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 7449001, 7449003, 901 23
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0095 Manipulators transporting wafers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 18/04 rotatable
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0009 Constructional details, e.g. manipulator supports, bases
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/126 Rotary actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/23 Electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20317 including electric motor

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame and a shaftless drive section. The shaftless drive section including stacked drive motors for rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame through a shaftless interface, each of the stacked drive motors including a stator having stator coils disposed on a fixed post fixed relative to the frame and a rotor substantially peripherally surrounding the stator such that the rotor is connected to a respective one of the at least one arm link for rotating the one of the at least one arm link relative to the frame causing an extension or retraction of the one of the at least one arm link, where the stacked drive motors are disposed in the at least one arm link so that part of each stator is within a common arm link.

Claims

1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a frame;

at least one arm link movably connected to the frame; and

a drive section connected to the frame for driving the at least one arm link and including stacked drive motors, each of the stacked drive motors having a housing, a motor stator mounted to the housing, a motor rotor disposed at least partially within the housing and a stator seal, the stator seal being disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and has a sealing surface interface, that interfaces with a sealing housing surface, facing the rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor;

wherein the stacked drive motors are stacked against each other and the sealing housing surface interfaced, at the sealing surface interface facing the rotors, to the stacked stator seals of each respective stacked motor together forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked drive motors sealed by the stacked stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators.

2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive section is connected to the at least one arm link.

3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm and the forearm.

4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm, the forearm and the at least one substrate holder.

5. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor stator is isolated from vacuum.

6. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction substantially normal to a plane containing a direction of extension and retraction of the at least one arm link.

7. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal configured to accommodate relative axial movement between the at least one arm link and the frame wherein the seal is located on one side of the arm and the drive section is located on the opposite side of the arm.

8. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder movably mounted to the upper arm for linear travel along at least a portion of a length of the upper arm, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where one of the at least two stacked drive motors drives rotation of the upper arm and the other ones of the at least two stacked drive motors drive the linear travel of a respective one of the at least one substrate holder.

9. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an encoder interfacing with each of the stacked drive motors, the encoder including a sensor system and at least one scale, the sensor system being mounted to the housing and the scale is integrated into the motor rotor of a respective one of the stacked drive motors such that an interface plane between the sensor system and scale is arranged at an angle relative to an interface plane between the motor stator and the motor rotor of the respective one of the stacked drive motors.

10. The substrate transport system of claim 1, wherein each stacked drive motor forms a stackable motor module.

11. The substrate transport system of claim 10, wherein the motor stator of each stackable motor module is isolated from vacuum.

12. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a frame;

at least one arm link movably connected to the frame; and

a drive section connected to the frame for driving the at least one arm link and including stacked drive motors, each of the stacked drive motors having a housing, a motor stator mounted to the housing, a motor rotor disposed at least partially within the housing and a stator seal, the stator seal being disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor, surrounding the motor rotor and has a sealing surface interface, that interfaces with a sealing housing surface, facing the rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor;

wherein the stacked drive motors are stacked against each other and the sealing housing surface interfaced in stack, at the sealing surface interface facing the rotors, to the stator seals of each respective stacked motor together forms a substantially continuous seal interface of the stacked drive motors sealed by the stator seals to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotors and the motor stators.

13. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the drive section is connected to the at least one arm link.

14. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the motor stator is isolated from vacuum.

15. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction substantially normal to a plane containing a direction of extension and retraction of the at least one arm link.

16. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal configured to accommodate relative axial movement between the at least one arm link and the frame wherein the seal is located on one side of the arm and the drive section is located on the opposite side of the arm.

17. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm and the forearm.

18. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where each stacked motor drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm, the forearm and the at least one substrate holder.

19. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation and at least one substrate holder movably mounted to the upper arm for linear travel along at least a portion of a length of the upper arm, and the stacked drive motors include at least two stacked drive motors where one of the at least two stacked drive motors drives rotation of the upper arm and the other ones of the at least two stacked drive motors drive the linear travel of a respective one of the at least one substrate holder.

20. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an encoder interfacing with each of the stacked drive motors, the encoder including a sensor system and at least one scale, the sensor system being mounted to the housing and the scale is integrated into the motor rotor of a respective one of the stacked drive motors such that an interface plane between the sensor system and scale is arranged at an angle relative to an interface plane between the motor stator and the motor rotor of the respective one of the stacked drive motors.