Low variability robot

• US 10,569,430 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS)
• Original Assignee: Persimmon Technologies Corporation (Sumitomo Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Hosek, Martin, Ha, Tuan, Hofmeister, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Saul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tighe, Brendan P
• Application Number:
  US13/618,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20130071218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 7449002, 7449003, 7449005, 7449006, 41422605, 4147443, 4147445, 4147447, 414806, 414918, 414935, 414941, 700245, 700258, 901 15, 901 16, 901 17, 901 23, 901 46, 901 47
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0095 Manipulators transporting wafers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/0054 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/042 comprising an articulated arm
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2039 characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00

Abstract

An apparatus including a frame, a first position sensor, a drive and a chamber. The frame has at least three members including at least two links forming a movable arm and an end effector. The end effector and the links are connected by movable joints. The end effector is configured to support a substrate thereon. The first position sensor is on the frame proximate a first one of the joints. The first position sensor is configured to sense a position of two of the members relative to each other. The drive is connected to the frame. The drive is configured to move the movable arm. The frame is located in the chamber, and the drive extends through a wall in the chamber.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a frame comprising at least three members including at least two links forming a movable arm and an end effector, where the end effector and the links are connected by movable joints, where the end effector is configured to support a substrate thereon;

a first position sensor on the frame proximate a first one of the joints, where the first position sensor is configured to sense a position of two of the members relative to each other, where the first position sensor comprises an encoder directly coupled to one of the two members, where an airtight enclosure is provided on the movable arm, and where the first position sensor is sealed, at least partially, in the airtight enclosure;

a drive connected to a first one of the links of the frame by a connection, where the drive is configured to move the movable arm;

a chamber, where the frame is located in the chamber and the drive extends through a wall in the chamber; and

a heat transfer system configured to transfer heat from the first position sensor on the frame to outside of the chamber, where the heat transfer system comprises a portion in a second one of the links at the first joint, where the portion of the heat transfer system is spaced from the connection of the first link with the drive.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the chamber is a vacuum chamber.

3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the heat transfer system comprises a second portion at the drive, where the heat transfer system is configured to transfer heat from the movable arm to a spaced distance from the movable arm.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a controller connected to the first position sensor.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4 where the first position sensor is spaced from the drive.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first position sensor comprises a position detection encoder.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a second position sensor on the frame proximate a second one of the joints, where the second position sensor is configured to sense a position of two of the members relative to each other.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising an electrically powered actuator on the frame located, at least partially, in the airtight enclosure or in a second airtight enclosure.

9. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first position sensor is an optical encoder, and a fiber optic member extends from the first position sensor through the airtight enclosure.

10. An apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising a controller on the frame and connected to the optical encoder, where the controller is located, at least partially, in the airtight enclosure or in a second airtight enclosure.

11. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the airtight enclosure is formed, at least partially, by one of the links of the frame.

12. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising at least one electrical conductor extending through the airtight enclosure.

14. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the heat transfer system comprises:

a first pair of heat transfer members; and

a spaced second pair of heat transfer members,

where the first pair of heat transfer members comprise a first heat transfer member connected to a first member of the drive and a second heat transfer member, where the second heat transfer member is located relative to the first heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the first heat transfer member is moveable relative to the second heat transfer member as the first member of the drive is moved,

where the second pair of heat transfer members comprise a third heat transfer member connected to a second member of the drive and a fourth heat transfer member, where the fourth heat transfer member is located relative to the third heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the third heat transfer member is moveable relative to the fourth heat transfer member as the second member of the drive is moved.

15. An apparatus as in claim 14 where the heat transfer system further comprises a third pair of heat transfer members which comprise a fifth heat transfer member connected to a third member of the drive and a sixth heat transfer member, where the sixth heat transfer member is located relative to the fifth heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the fifth heat transfer member is moveable relative to the sixth heat transfer member as the third member of the drive is moved.

16. An apparatus as in claim 14 where the second and fourth heat, transfer members are supported on the third member of the drive.

17. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the apparatus is a planar substrate movement robot adapted to move a planar substrate in the chamber on the end effector.

28. An apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a communications link connected to the first position sensor, where the communications link is configured to transmit signals to a device spaced from the movable arm through the airtight enclosure.

29. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first position sensor comprises a read head connected on another one of the two members configured to read the encoder.

30. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the drive is connected to at least one of a wrist joint of the movable arm with the end effector and/or an elbow joint of the at least two links with each other, by at least one belt and at least one pulley.

31. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the portion of the heat transfer system comprises concentric tubes that rotate relative to each other.

32. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the first joint is a wrist joint connecting the end effector to the second link, where the portion of the heat transfer system is located proximate the wrist joint.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a frame comprising at least three members including at least two links forming a movable arm and an end effector, where the end effector and the links are connected by movable joints, where the end effector is configured to support a substrate thereon;

a first position sensor on the frame proximate a first one of the joints, where the first position sensor is configured to sense a position of two of the members relative to each other;

a drive connected to a first one of the links of the frame by a connection, where the drive is configured to move the movable arm;

a chamber, where the frame is located in the chamber and the drive extends through a wall in the chamber; and

a heat transfer system configured to transfer heat out of the chamber from the first position sensor on the movable arm to a spaced distance from the movable arm,

where the heat transfer system comprises a first heat transfer member connected to a first member of the drive and a second heat transfer member, where the second heat transfer member is located relative to the first heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, where the first heat transfer member and/or the second heat transfer member comprises a thermoelectric cooler at the drive, and where the first heat transfer member is moveable relative to the second heat transfer member as the first member of the drive is moved, where the heat transfer system comprises a portion in a second one of the links at the first joint, where the portion of the heat transfer system is spaced from the connection of the first link with the drive.

18. An apparatus comprising:

an electrical device;

an airtight enclosure, where the electrical device is inside the airtight enclosure;

a frame having the airtight enclosure with the electrical device thereon, where the frame comprises at least three members including at least two links forming a movable arm and an end effector, where the end effector and the links are connected by movable joints, where the end effector is configured to support a substrate thereon;

a chamber, where the frame is located in the chamber;

a drive connected to a first one of the links of the movable arm by a connection, where the drive is configured to move the movable arm; and

a heat transfer system configured to transfer heat out of the chamber from the electrical device on the movable arm to a spaced distance from the movable arm, where the heat transfer system comprises a portion in a second one of the links at a first one of the joints, where the portion of the heat transfer system is spaced from the connection of the first link with the drive,

where the heat transfer system comprises a first heat transfer member connected to a first member of the drive and a second heat transfer member, where the second heat transfer member is located relative to the first heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, where the first heat transfer member and/or the second heat transfer member comprises a thermoelectric cooler at the drive, and where the first heat transfer member is moveable relative to the second heat transfer member as the first member of the drive is moved.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18 where the heat transfer system comprises:

a first pair of heat transfer members; and

a spaced second pair of heat transfer members,

where the first pair of heat transfer members comprise the first heat transfer member connected to a first member of the drive and the second heat transfer member, where the second heat transfer member is located relative to the first heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the first heat transfer member is moveable relative to the second heat transfer member as the first member of the drive is moved,

where the second pair of heat transfer members comprise a third heat transfer member connected to a second member of the drive and a fourth heat transfer member, where the fourth heat transfer member is located relative to the third heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the third heat transfer member is moveable relative to the fourth heat transfer member as the second member of the drive is moved.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19 where the heat transfer system further comprises a third pair of heat transfer members which comprise a fifth heat transfer member connected to a third member of the drive and a sixth heat transfer member, where the sixth heat transfer member is located relative to the fifth heat transfer member to receive heat therefrom, and where the fifth heat transfer member is moveable relative to the sixth heat transfer member as the third member of the drive is moved.

21. An apparatus as in claim 19 where the second and fourth heat transfer members are supported on the third member of the drive.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a frame comprising at least three members including at least two links forming a movable arm and an end effector, where the end effector and the links are connected by movable joints, where the end effector is configured to support a substrate thereon;

a first position sensor on the movable arm proximate a first one of the joints, where the first position sensor is configured to sense a position of two of the members relative to each other, where the first position sensor comprises an encoder directly coupled to one of the two members; and

a communications link connected to the first position sensor, where the communications link is configured to transmit signals from the first position sensor on the movable arm to a device spaced from the movable arm through an airtight enclosure, where the airtight enclosure is on the movable arm, where the airtight enclosure moves with the movable arm, and where the airtight enclosure surrounds the first position sensor.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22 where the communications link is connected to the first position sensor via at least one intermediate controller.

24. An apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising an actuator inside the airtight enclosure.

25. An apparatus as in claim 22 further comprising an electrical control unit inside the airtight enclosure.

26. An apparatus as in claim 22 where the communications link comprises a fiber optic member.

27. An apparatus as in claim 22 where the communications link extends from inside the airtight enclosure, through a seal, into a chamber containing the movable arm, and out of the chamber at another seal.