Dynamically balanced substrate carrier handler

• US 7,168,553 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Englhardt, Eric A., Elliott, Martin R., Rice, Michael R., Hudgens, Jeffrey C., Lowrance, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell; James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/988,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20050224315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 198/463.1, 198/463.3, 198/468.01, 198/468.6, 198/468.8, 198/468.9, 414/749.1, 414/751.1, 901/7, 901/8, 901/40, 735/041.2, 735/041.5, 735/143.2
• US Class Current: 198/468.9
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32743 for introducing the material into processing chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67733 Overhead conveying
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67736 Loading to or unloading from a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67766 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67775 Docking arrangements

Abstract

In a first aspect, a substrate loading station is served by a conveyor which continuously transports substrate carriers. A substrate carrier handler that is part of the substrate loading station operates to exchange substrate carriers with the conveyor while the conveyor is in motion. A carrier exchange procedure may include moving an end effector of the substrate carrier handler at a velocity that substantially matches a velocity of the conveyor. A balancing mass is coupled directly or indirectly to a frame on which the substrate carrier handler is mounted and is adapted to accelerate in a direction opposite to the direction of end effector acceleration, as the end effector accelerates. Thus, inertial loads may be substantially balanced, and frame vibration reduced, despite potentially high rates of acceleration. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a frame;

a substrate carrier handler coupled to the frame, the substrate carrier handler comprising an end effector adapted to move a substrate carrier to or from a conveyor adapted to transport substrate carriers, the substrate carrier handler being further adapted to accelerate while moving the substrate carrier to or from the conveyor, and by said acceleration to impose a first inertial load on the frame; and

a moveable balancing mass coupled to the frame and adapted to accelerate when the end effector accelerates so as to substantially cancel the first inertial load, thereby reducing a vibration that would occur absent the balancing mass.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the balancing mass is coupled to the frame via the substrate carrier handler.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a single motor coupled to both the balancing mass and the end effector so as to simultaneously drive the balancing mass and the end effector in opposite directions along a substantially equal distance.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the balancing mass is substantially equivalent in mass to the end effector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an additional support member coupled to the frame wherein the moveable balancing mass is coupled to the frame via the additional support member.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein by said acceleration of the balancing mass, the balancing mass is adapted to impose a second inertial load on the frame so as to substantially cancel the first inertial load.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second inertial load that the balancing mass is adapted to impose on the frame is substantially equivalent in magnitude to and substantially opposite in direction to the first inertial load.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the balancing mass is substantially equivalent in mass to the end effector.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the end effector is adapted to impose the first inertial load on the frame by accelerating horizontally along a first substantially linear path.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the balancing mass is adapted to impose the second inertial load on the frame by accelerating horizontally along a second substantially linear path that is parallel to the first substantially linear path.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first substantially linear path and the second substantially linear path define a substantially horizontal plane.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first substantially linear path and the second substantially linear path define a substantially vertical plane.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first substantially linear path and the second substantially linear path are substantially collinear.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a belt coupled to the end effector and to the balancing mass, and adapted to simultaneously accelerate the end effector along the first substantially linear path and the balancing mass along the second substantially linear path.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a motor coupled to and adapted to rotate the belt.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller coupled to the substrate carrier handler and operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that the end effector of the substrate carrier handler disengages a substrate carrier from the conveyor while the substrate carrier is moving along the conveyor.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that during at least a portion of the disengagement of the substrate carrier from the substrate carrier conveyor the end effector of the substrate carrier handler substantially matches a motion of the substrate carrier as it is moving along the conveyor.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller is operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that during the at least a portion of the disengagement of the substrate carrier from the substrate carrier conveyor the end effector of the substrate carrier handler substantially matches a velocity of the substrate carrier as it is moving along the conveyor.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that during the at least a portion of the disengagement of the substrate carrier from the substrate carrier conveyor the end effector of the substrate carrier handler substantially matches a speed and position of the substrate carrier in a horizontal direction.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising at least one sensor coupled to the controller and adapted to indicate a position of a component of the substrate carrier conveyor.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that the end effector of the substrate carrier handler transfers the substrate carrier to the substrate carrier conveyor while the substrate carrier conveyor is in motion.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that the end effector of the substrate carrier handler disengages the substrate carrier from a substrate carrier conveyor while the substrate carrier is moving along the conveyor by:

determining a speed of the substrate carrier conveyor;

determining a first motion profile for the end effector based on the speed of the substrate carrier conveyor; and

employing the first motion profile to control motion of the end effector during at least a portion of the disengagement of the substrate carrier from the substrate carrier conveyor.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the end effector of the substrate carrier handler includes a horizontally oriented platform having a plurality of kinematic features.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier handler includes a vertical guide and a horizontal guide coupled to the vertical guide.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein:

the substrate carrier handler includes a pair of vertical guides;

the horizontal guide is mounted for vertical movement along the vertical guides; and

the end effector is mounted for horizontal movement along the horizontal guide.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier handler is adapted to move the end effector to at least an elevation at which the substrate carrier conveyor transports substrate carriers.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to place the substrate carrier on a loading station from which substrates may be extracted and transported to a processing tool.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more storage shelves, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to move a substrate carrier to and from the one or more storage shelves.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising one or more storage shelves, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to move a substrate carrier to and from the one or more storage shelves.

30. A substrate transport system comprising:

a conveyor adapted to transport a substrate carrier in a substantially horizontal direction; and

an apparatus adjacent the conveyor comprising;

a frame;

a substrate carrier handler coupled to the frame, the substrate carrier handler comprising an end effector adapted to move a substrate carrier to or from a conveyor adapted to transport substrate carriers, the substrate carrier handler being adapted to accelerate while moving the substrate carrier to or from the conveyor, and by said acceleration to impose a first inertial load on the frame; and

a moveable balancing mass coupled to the frame and adapted to accelerate when the end effector accelerates so as to substantially cancel the first inertial load, thereby reducing a vibration that would occur absent the balancing mass.

31. The substrate transport system of claim 30, wherein the substrate carrier handler is adapted to unload the substrate carrier from the conveyor while the conveyor is moving.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the conveyor is positioned above the substrate carrier handler.

33. The substrate transport system of claim 32, wherein the substrate carrier handler is adapted to load a substrate carrier onto the conveyor while the conveyor is moving.

34. The substrate transport system of claim 32, the substrate carrier handler further comprising an end effector moving mechanism adapted to raise the end effector while substantially matching a velocity of the end effector to a velocity at which the substrate carrier is transported by the conveyor.

35. The substrate transport system of claim 30, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to place the substrate carrier on a loading station from which substrates may be extracted and transported to a processing tool.

36. The substrate transport system of claim 30, wherein the apparatus adjacent the conveyor further comprises one or more storage shelves, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to move a substrate carrier to and from the one or more storage shelves.

37. The substrate transport system of claim 35, wherein the apparatus adjacent the conveyor further comprises one or more storage shelves, wherein the substrate carrier handler is further adapted to move a substrate carrier to and from the one or more storage shelves.

38. A substrate carrier handler, comprising:

a horizontal guide;

an end effector mounted for horizontal movement along the horizontal guide, adapted to accelerate along the horizontal guide while moving a substrate carrier, and by said acceleration to impose a first inertial load on the horizontal guide; and

a moveable balancing mass coupled to the horizontal guide and adapted to accelerate when the end effector accelerates so as to substantially cancel the first inertial load, thereby reducing a vibration that would occur absent the balancing mass.

39. The substrate carrier handler of claim 38, wherein by said acceleration of the balancing mass, the balancing mass is adapted to impose a second inertial load on the horizontal guide so as to substantially cancel the first inertial load.

40. The substrate carrier handler of claim 39, wherein the balancing mass is substantially equivalent in mass to the end effector.

41. The substrate carrier handler of claim 38, further comprising a vertical guide, wherein the horizontal guide is coupled to the vertical guide.

42. The substrate carrier handler of claim 38, further comprising a pair of vertical guides, wherein the horizontal guide is mounted for vertical movement along the vertical guides.

43. A method comprising:

accelerating an end effector of a substrate carrier handler in a first direction along a frame, thereby imposing a first inertial load on the frame; and

accelerating a dummy mass in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, thereby imposing a second inertial load on the frame;

wherein the acceleration and weight of the dummy mass are such that the first and second inertial loads substantially cancel each other.