Substrate processing apparatus

• US 7,959,395 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hofmeister, Christopher, Caveney, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowe; Michael S
• Application Number:
  US11/442,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20060285945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 414/217, 414/939, 414/221, 32/92, 324/06, 34/92, 344/06
• US Class Current: 414/217
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67161 characterized by the layout of the process chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67709 using magnetic elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67715 Changing the direction of the conveying path
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67724 by means of a cart or a vehicule
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67727 using a general scheme of a conveying path within a factory
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/139 including wafer charging or discharging means for vacuum chamber

Abstract

Substrate processing apparatus having a transport chamber, a linear array of substrate holding modules alongside the transport chamber, and a substrate transport located in the chamber. The chamber can hold an isolated atmosphere, and defines more than one substantially linear transport paths extending longitudinally along the transport chamber. The transport in the chamber is capable of transporting the substrate along the linear transport paths. The transport has a transporter capable of holding and moving the substrate. The transporter interfaces a wall of the transport chamber for moving along at least one of linear paths. The transport chamber has interfaces for mating with other substrate holding modules at opposite ends of the transport chamber. Each interface has an opening through which at least one of the more than one linear transport paths extends, and the transport chamber has a selectably variable longitudinal length between the interfaces.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a transport chamber, capable of holding an isolated atmosphere isolated from an outside atmosphere, and defining more than one stacked substantially linear substrate transport paths extending longitudinally along the transport chamber between opposing walls of the transport chamber, the more than one stacked substantially linear substrate paths being stacked one above the other;

a generally linear array of substrate holding modules alongside at least one of the opposing walls of the transport chamber, each communicably connected to the chamber, through the at least one of the opposing walls, to allow passage of a substrate between transport chamber and holding module, the substantially linear substrate transport paths extending along the at least one of the opposing walls; and

a substrate transport located in and movably mounted to the transport chamber for transporting the substrate along the more than one stacked substantially linear substrate transport paths, the substrate transport having at least one transporter capable of holding and moving the substrate; and

a substrate transport drive operably connected to the substrate transport, and having a drive motor for moving the transporter in at least two substantially orthogonal directions, the two substantially orthogonal directions respectively effecting travel along and between the more than one stacked substantially linear substrate transport paths, the at least one transporter translatably interfacing a wall of the transport chamber for moving along at least one of the more than one stacked substantially linear substrate transport paths, and the drive motor being fixedly mounted to the wall;

wherein the transport chamber has interfaces for mating with other substrate holding modules at opposite ends of the transport chamber, each interface having an opening through which at least one of the more than one stacked substantially linear substrate transport paths extends, and the transport chamber has a selectably variable longitudinal length between the interfaces.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selectably variable longitudinal length allows the longitudinal length of the transport chamber to be selectably changed between a first predetermined length and a second predetermined length.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length of each of the more than one stacked substantially linear transport paths is selectably variable, path length variability being set with variance of the transport chamber longitudinal length.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the more than one stacked substantially transport paths are vertically offset from each other.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the more than one transport paths extend substantially continuously through the transport chamber between the interfaces.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the more than one stacked substantially linear transport paths is located in a portion of the transport chamber capable of holding a chamber atmosphere isolated from another portion of the transport chamber through which the more than one stacked substantially linear transport paths extend in the transport chamber.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the portion and the other portion of the transport chamber are arranged longitudinally along the more than one stacked substantially linear transport paths.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the portion and the other portion of the transport chamber are offset vertically from each other.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transporter is a one touch transporter capable of transporting the substrate from one of the substrate holding modules arrayed alongside the transport chamber to another of the substrate holding modules arrayed alongside the transport chamber without touching the substrate more than once.