Substrate transport apparatus with multiple arms on a common axis of rotation

• US 6,485,250 B2
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hofmeister, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US09/223,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20010036398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 414/744.1, 414/744.4, 414/744.5, 414/744.6, 414/937
• 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 on respective first and second substrate holder axes,

wherein said substrate holder axes are capable of being simultaneously coaxial with said common axis during extension and retraction.

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 on respective first and second substrate holder axes; and

a drive section having a frame, a pulley rotatably connected to the frame by a first drive, and second and third drive sections connected to the arm assemblies, wherein the pulley is operably connected to both the two arm assemblies by transmission members, said drive sections being respectively connected to said arm assemblies on a common axis,

wherein said substrate holder axes are capable of being simultaneously coaxial with said common axis during extension and retraction.

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 drive sections 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 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 drive sections comprise three magnetic driving stators stationarily connected to the frame at different heights along the frame.

16. 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 on respective first and second substrate holder axes, 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,

wherein said substrate holder axes are capable of being simultaneously coaxial with said A axes during extension and retraction.

17. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein N is 2, A is 2 for each arm assembly, and M is 3.

18. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the motors each comprise a magnetic driving stator and a magnetic driven rotor.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18, wherein the rotating means comprises M coaxial shafts having the rotors thereon.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19, 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.

21. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein A is the same for at least two of the arm assemblies.

22. An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein one axis of rotation from at least two of the arm assemblies are a common axis.

23. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a drive section;

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

substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies on respective first and second substrate holder axes,

wherein said substrate holder axes are capable of being coaxial with said common axis during extension and retraction,

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

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,

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

wherein the rotors and stators have a sleeve therebetween.

24. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a drive section;

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

substrate holders connected to the arm assemblies on respective first and second substrate holder axes,

wherein said substrate holder axes are capable of being coaxial with said common axis during extension and retraction,

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

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

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,

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

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