Dual blade robot

• US 5,838,121 A
• Filed: 11/18/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Sundar, Satish, Lane, Christopher, Fairbairn, Kevin, Colborne, Kelly
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Application Number:
  US08/752,471
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 318/15, 318/45, 318/568.11, 318/625, 901/14, 901/15, 901/23, 901/24, 901/25, 464/29, 74/490.01, 74/490.03, 74/490.05, 414/222, 414/225, 414/744.1, 414/744.4, 414/744.5, 414/744.6, 414/749, 414/750, 414/751, 414/917
• US Class Current: 318/45
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68707 the wafers being placed on a robot blade, or gripped by a gripper for conveyance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20317 including electric motor

Abstract

A multi-blade wafer handling device is provided to concurrently move two or more wafers through a vacuum processing system. The wafer handling device includes two motors magnetically coupled into a transfer chamber to move an arm assembly connected to a dual blade assembly. The preferred wafer handling device includes a first rotating member operated by the first motor, a second rotating member operated by the second motor, a blade assembly having at least first and second wafer blades wherein the wafer blades are co-planar, and an arm assembly connecting the first and second rotating members to the blade assembly.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transferring wafers, comprising:

(a) a first rotating member magnetically coupled to a first actuating member to rotate the first rotating member;

(b) a second rotating member magnetically coupled to a second actuating member to rotate the second rotating member;

(c) a blade assembly having at least first and second wafer blades wherein the wafer blades are co-planar; and

(d) an arm assembly having first and second pivot ends pivotally connecting the first and second rotating members to the blade assembly, wherein the first and second pivot ends are interlocked to maintain alignment of the blade assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm assembly comprises two arms each having a first and a second strut pivotally connected to the blade assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and the second strut of each arm are pivotally connected.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second pivot ends are interlocked by two flexible straps.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein both straps pass around a rod connected to the blade assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second pivot ends are interlocked by gears.

7. A wafer handler, comprising:

(a) a first actuating member;

(b) a second actuating member;

(c) a first arm connected to the first actuating member;

(d) a second arm connected to the second actuating member; and

(e) a wafer support having two wafer seats disposed thereon, the wafer support being pivotally connected to first and second pivot ends on the first and second arms;

(f) wherein the first and second pivot ends are interlocked by two flexible straps to maintain alignment of the wafer support.

8. The wafer handler of claim 7 wherein the first and second arms comprise a first strut pivotally connected to a second strut.

9. The wafer handler of claim 8 wherein the first arm is disposed between the first actuating member and the wafer support and the second arm is disposed between the second actuating member and the wafer support.

10. The wafer handler of claim 9 wherein the wafer support further comprises a base and two wafer blades extending from the base.

11. The wafer handler of claim 10 further comprising a first actuator connected to the first actuating member and a second actuator connected to the second actuating member.

12. The wafer handler of claim 11 wherein the first and second actuators have variable speeds.

13. The wafer handler of claim 12 wherein the variable speed actuators operate independently from one another.

14. The wafer handler of claim 7, wherein both straps pass around a rod connected to the wafer support.

15. An apparatus for transferring wafers, comprising:

(a) a first rotating member;

(b) a second rotating member;

(c) a blade assembly having at least first and second wafer blades wherein the wafer blades are co-planar; and

(d) an arm assembly having first and second pivot ends pivotally connecting the first and second rotating members to the blade assembly, wherein the first and second pivot ends are interlocked by two flexible straps to maintain alignment of the blade assembly.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a first actuating member to rotate the first rotating member and a second actuating member to rotate the second rotating member.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first actuating member and the second actuating member operate at variable speeds independently from one another.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the arm assembly comprises two arms each having a first and a second strut pivotally connected to the blade assembly.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first and the second strut of each arm are pivotally connected.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein both straps pass around a rod connected to the blade assembly.