Mechanism for transporting semiconductor-process masks
First Claim
1. A system for transferring an article of the type having a bottom surface and at least one edge defining a plurality of edge points from a first location to a second location, the system comprising:
- a robot having a moveable arm;
a support for retaining the article the support being mounted on the arm of the robot for rotational and translational movement thereby and including;
first and second article-retaining members having respective first and second edge-point contact areas;
an actuator connected to the first article-retaining member and configured to urge the first article-retaining member against one of the edge points and to clamp the article between the first and second article-retaining members; and
an un-clamp sensor connected to at least one of the first and second article-retaining members, the un-clamp sensor configured to indicate when the article is unclamped between the first and second article-retaining members; and
means located at one of the first and second locations for preventing a collision between the support and the article at that location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for transporting an article between a loading station and an inspection stage includes a novel support for safely retaining the article during transit. The support includes a number of article-retaining members, at least one of which is connected to an actuator. The actuator clamps the article between the article-retaining members during transit. To ensure that the article is not dropped or damaged during transit, the system includes an un-clamp sensor connected to at least one of the article-retaining members. The un-clamp sensor is connected to a robot controller so that the system may be shut down immediately should the article become unclamped during transit. The system also includes novel loading and inspection stages that ensure proper orientation and placement of articles prior to transit from one to the other, further reducing risk of damage to transported articles.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for transferring an article of the type having a bottom surface and at least one edge defining a plurality of edge points from a first location to a second location, the system comprising:
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a robot having a moveable arm; a support for retaining the article the support being mounted on the arm of the robot for rotational and translational movement thereby and including; first and second article-retaining members having respective first and second edge-point contact areas; an actuator connected to the first article-retaining member and configured to urge the first article-retaining member against one of the edge points and to clamp the article between the first and second article-retaining members; and an un-clamp sensor connected to at least one of the first and second article-retaining members, the un-clamp sensor configured to indicate when the article is unclamped between the first and second article-retaining members; and means located at one of the first and second locations for preventing a collision between the support and the article at that location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for positioning a mask for inspection, the system comprising:
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a loading station configured to receive the mask, the loading station including a mask-size sensor, a mask-orientation sensor, and a pellicle sensor; a robot including; a moveable arm; a support for retaining the mask, the support being mounted on the arm and moveable thereby with translational and rotational motion and including; first, second, and third mask-retaining members having respective first, second and third mask-edge contact areas; an actuator connected to the first mask-retaining member and configured to urge the first mask-retaining member against one of the mask edges to clamp the mask between the first, second and third mask-retaining members; a mask sensor positioned to detect the presence of a mask on the support; a collision sensor configured to sense objects adjacent the support; and an un-clamp sensor connected to at least one of the first, second and third mask-retaining members; and an inspection stage, wherein the robot is configured to transfer the mask from the loading station to the inspection stage. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification