SUBSTRATE TRANSPORT APPARATUS WITH MULTIPLE ARMS ON A COMMON AXIS OF ROTATION

• US 20010036398A1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Published: 11/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: HOFMEISTER, CHRISTOPHER A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,485,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/744.1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/042 comprising an articulated arm
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/06 characterised by multi-articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/137 including means for charging or discharging wafer cassette

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus having a drive section, two independently movable arm assemblies connected to the drive section on a common axis of rotation, and substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies. The drive section includes three coaxial drive shafts with a pulley connected to one of the shafts. The arm assemblies are connected to respective ones of the two other shafts.

Claims

1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a drive section;

two independently movable arm assemblies connected to the drive section on a common axis of rotation; and

substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies.

2. An apparatus as in

claim 1

wherein the arm assemblies are each comprised of a scara arm with a shoulder at the common axis of rotation and a wrist at a distal end connected to the substrate holders.

3. An apparatus as in

claim 1

wherein the drive section comprises a frame and a pulley rotatably connected to the frame on the common axis of rotation.

4. An apparatus as in

claim 3

further comprising two transmission members connected between the pulley and separate respective ones of the arm assemblies.

5. An apparatus as in

claim 4

wherein the drive section comprises three motors, a first one of the motors connected to the pulley, a second one of the motors connected to a first one of the arm assemblies, and a third one of the motors connected to a second one of the arm assemblies.

6. An apparatus as in

claim 5

wherein each of the motors comprises a magnetic stator stationarily connected to the frame and a magnetically driven rotor.

7. An apparatus as in

claim 6

wherein the rotors and stators have a sleeve therebetween.

8. An apparatus as in

claim 6

wherein the drive section comprises three coaxial shafts having the rotors thereon.

9. An apparatus as in

claim 3

further comprising a mounting housing for connecting the frame to a housing of a substrate processing apparatus and a vertical drive unit for vertically moving the frame relative to the mounting housing.

10. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

two independently movable arm assemblies;

substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies; and

a drive section having a frame, a pulley rotatably connected to the frame by a first drive, and second and third drives connected to the arm assemblies, wherein the pulley is operably connected to both the two arm assemblies by transmission members.

11. An apparatus as in

claim 10

wherein the arm assemblies are rotatably connected to the frame on a common axis of rotation.

12. An apparatus as in

claim 11

wherein the drives comprise at least three coaxial drive shafts with magnetically driven sections, and magnetic driving stators stationarily connected to the frame.

13. An apparatus as in

claim 10

wherein the pulley comprises a first section located inside a first one of the movable arm assemblies and a second section located inside a second one of the movable arm assemblies.

14. An apparatus as in

claim 13

wherein the transmission members comprise a first transmission belt on the first section of the pulley and a second transmission belt on the second section of the pulley, and wherein the first and second sections of the pulley are vertically offset from each other.

15. An apparatus as in

claim 10

wherein the drives comprise three magnetic driving stators stationarily connected to the frame at different heights along the frame.

16. A substrate transport apparatus drive system comprising:

a frame;

magnetic driving stators stationarily connected to the frame;

a drive shaft assembly having at least three coaxial shafts, each shaft having a magnetic driven section aligned with a separate one of the magnetic driving stators; and

a pulley rotatably connected to the frame by one of the shafts.

17. A drive system as in

claim 16

wherein a middle one of the shafts is connected to the pulley and a middle one of the stators is aligned with the magnetic driven section of the middle shaft.

18. A drive system as in

claim 16

further comprising at least three position sensors for sensing the positions of the shafts relative to the frame.

19. A drive system as in

claim 16

further comprising a mount for connecting the frame to another member, and a vertical drive connecting the frame to the mount.

20. A drive system as in

claim 16

wherein the pulley comprises a first section for moving a first transmission belt and a vertically offset second section for moving a second transmission belt.

21. A drive system as in

claim 16

wherein one of the shafts extends through the pulley and is rotatable relative to the pulley.

22. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

N independently movable arm assemblies, each arm assembly having A axes of rotation about which at least a portion of the arm assembly can rotate, wherein N and A are integers greater than one;

substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies; and

means for independently rotating each of the arm assemblies about their respective A axes, the rotating means comprising M motors, wherein M is an integer less than N times the smallest value of A.

23. An apparatus as in

claim 22

wherein N is 2, A is 2 for each arm assembly, and M is 3.

24. An apparatus as in

claim 22

wherein the motors each comprise a magnetic driving stator and a magnetic driven rotor.

25. An apparatus as in

claim 24

wherein the rotating means comprises M coaxial shafts having the rotors thereon.

26. An apparatus as in

claim 25

wherein a pulley is connected to one of the shafts and N transmission belts extend from the pulley to portions of the respective N movable arm assemblies.

27. An apparatus as in

claim 22

wherein A is the same for at least two of the arm assemblies.

28. An apparatus as in

claim 22

wherein one axis of rotation from at least two of the arm assemblies are a common axis.

29. A method of moving a substrate transport apparatus comprising steps of:

providing the apparatus with a frame, a pulley rotatably mounted to the frame, and two arm assemblies rotatably mounted to the frame;

rotating the pulley relative to the frame as the two arm assemblies are rotated with the pulley to rotate both arm assemblies in a same direction relative to the frame; and

maintaining the pulley in a stationary position on the frame as the two arm assemblies are independently rotated relative to the frame to independently extend and retract the arm assemblies.