Dual arm robot

• US 9,623,555 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brooks Automation Ltd. (United Kingdom) (Azenta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brooks Automation Incorporated (Azenta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elliott, Martin R., Krupyshev, Alexander G., Caveney, Robert T., Hofmeister, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowe, Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/293,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20120141235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 4147445
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/042 comprising an articulated arm
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/043 double selective compliance articulated robot arms [SCARA]

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first arm coupled to the frame at a shoulder axis having a first upper arm, a first forearm and at least one substrate holder serially and rotatably coupled to each other, a second arm coupled to the frame at the shoulder axis where shoulder axes of rotation of the arms are substantially coincident, the second arm having a second upper arm, a second forearm and at least one substrate holder serially and rotatably coupled to each other, and a drive section connected to the frame and coupled to the arms, the drive section being configured to independently extend and rotate each arm where an axis of extension of the first arm is angled relative to an axis of extension of the second arm substantially at each angular position of at least one of the first arm or the second arm.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a frame;

a first SCARA arm coupled to the frame at a shoulder axis of rotation, the first arm having a first upper arm, a first forearm and at least one substrate holder serially and rotatably coupled to each other;

a second SCARA arm coupled to the frame at the shoulder axis of rotation so that rotation of the first and second SCARA arms about the shoulder axis of rotation is substantially coincident, the second arm having a second upper arm, a second forearm and at least one substrate holder serially and rotatably coupled to each other; and

a drive section connected to the frame and coupled to the first and second arms, the drive section being configured to independently extend and rotate each of the first and second SCARA arms so each of the first and second SCARA arms extend independently from another of the first and second SCARA arms and each of the first and second SCARA arms rotates independently of the another of the first and second SCARA arms;

wherein, the first SCARA arm has different first SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation, each of which align with respective substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus and each first SCARA arm angular position having a corresponding axis of extension of the first SCARA arm at each of the different first SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation so that the first SCARA arm picks and places substrates along the corresponding axis of extensions at each of the substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus and the second SCARA arm has different second SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation, each of which align with respective substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus and each second SCARA arm angular position having a corresponding axis of extension of the second SCARA arm at each of the different second SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation so that the second SCARA arm picks and places substrates along the corresponding axis of extension at each of the substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus where the first upper arm, first forearm and at least one substrate holder of the first SCARA arm and the second upper arm, the second forearm and the at least one substrate holder of the second SCARA arm are disposed relative to each other so that with the first SCARA arm persistent at each different first SCARA arm angular position of the first SCARA arm, the corresponding axis of extension of the first SCARA arm is angled, at a non-zero angle, relative to the corresponding axis of extension of the second SCARA arm at each different second SCARA arm angular position of the second SCARA arm and the non-zero angle is variable with the drive section independently rotating at least one of the first and second SCARA arms relative to another of the first and second SCARA arms so as to effect substantially independent extension and retraction along the corresponding axis of extension at each of the first and second SCARA arm angular positions substantially coincident with picking and placing substrates at the substrate holding stations with respect to each first and second SCARA arm angular position.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive section comprises a four degree of freedom drive system.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive section includes a coaxial drive shaft arrangement.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frame includes a sealable chamber, wherein the first and second arms operate at least partially within the sealable chamber.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, where the at least one substrate holder of each of the first and second arms are disposed coincidentally in a common plane that is parallel to a plane of a substrate held by the at least one substrate holder.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, where the at least one substrate holder of each of the first and second arms are disposed in planes that are proximate one another.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprises a plurality of horizontally adjacent substrate holding locations at least partially radially encompassing the first and second arms, at least when the first and second arms are in a retracted configuration.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller connected to the drive section and being configured to control the drive section to effect independent extension and rotation of each of the first and second arms.

9. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a transport chamber; and

a substrate transport apparatus mounted at least partially within the transport chamber, the substrate transport apparatus including,

a frame,

a first SCARA arm having a first upper arm link, a first forearm link and at least one substrate holder rotatably and serially coupled to each other,

a second SCARA arm having a second upper arm link, a second forearm link and at least one substrate holder rotatably and serially coupled to each other, where the first and second SCARA arms are mounted to the frame so that the first and second SCARA arms share a common shoulder axis of rotation, and

a coaxial drive section connected to the first and second SCARA arms, the coaxial drive section being configured so that each of the first and second SCARA arms rotate independent of the other one of the first and second SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation and so that each of the first and second SCARA arms extend independent of the other one of the first and second SCARA arm so that the first SCARA arm picks and places substrates along a corresponding extension axis of the first SCARA arm at each substrate holding station of the substrate processing apparatus and the second SCARA arm picks and places substrates along a corresponding extension axis of the second SCARA arm at each of the substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus,

where the first and second SCARA arms are disposed so that the first upper arm link, first forearm link and at least one substrate holder of the first SCARA arm and the second upper arm link, the second forearm link and the at least one substrate holder of the second SCARA arm are disposed relative to each other so that with the second SCARA arm persistent at each different angular position of the second SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation, the extension axis of the first SCARA arm is constrained by the second SCARA arm'"'"'s obstruction of relative motion between the first and second SCARA arms so that the extension axis of the first SCARA arm remains angled, at a non-zero angle, with respect to the extension axis of the second SCARA arm and the non-zero angle is variable with a drive section independently rotating at least one of the first and second SCARA arms relative to another of the first and second SCARA arms so as to effect substantially independent extension and retraction along the corresponding extension axis at each first and second SCARA arm angular position substantially coincident with picking and placing substrates at the substrate holding stations with respect to each first and second SCARA arm angular position.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms along respective extension axes intersect.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms extend to substantially intersect at the shoulder axis.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms along respective extension axes cross.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the coaxial drive section comprises a four degree of freedom drive.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, where the at least one substrate holder of each of the first and second SCARA arms are disposed coincidentally in a common plane that is parallel to a plane of a substrate held by the at least one substrate holder.

15. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a transport chamber; and

a substrate transport mounted at least partially within the transport chamber, the substrate transport including

a frame,

a first SCARA arm mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation so as to have different first SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation, each of which forms a respective extension axis aligned with respective substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus, and having a first upper arm link, a first forearm link and at least one substrate holder rotatably and serially coupled to each other so that the first SCARA arm picks and places substrates along a corresponding extension axis of the first SCARA arm at each substrate holding station of the substrate processing apparatus,

a second SCARA arm mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation so as to have different second SCARA arm angular positions about the shoulder axis of rotation, each of which forms a respective extension axis aligned with respective substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus, and having a second upper arm link, a second forearm link and at least one substrate holder rotatably and serially coupled to each other so that the second SCARA arm picks and places substrates along a corresponding extension axis of the second SCARA arm at each of the substrate holding stations of the substrate processing apparatus, where the shoulder axis of rotation of the first SCARA arm is coincident with the shoulder axis of rotation of the second SCARA arm and the first and second SCARA arms are disposed so that the first upper arm link, first forearm link and at least one substrate holder of the first SCARA arm and the second upper arm link, the second forearm link and the at least one substrate holder of the second SCARA arm are disposed relative to each other so that with the second SCARA arm persistent at each different angular position of the second SCARA arm about the shoulder axis of rotation an extension axis of the first SCARA arm is constrained by the second SCARA arm'"'"'s obstruction of relative motion between the first and second SCARA arms so that the extension axis of the first SCARA arm remains angled, at a non-zero angle, with respect to an extension axis of the second SCARA arm,

a first drive section configured to drive rotation and extension of the first SCARA arm, and

a second drive section configured to drive rotation and extension of the second SCARA arm, where a rotation axis of each of the first and second drive sections are coincident and each of the first and second SCARA arms rotates independent of the other one of the first and second SCARA arm about the shoulder axis of rotation and each of the first and second SCARA arms extends independent of the other one of the first and second SCARA arm, where the non-zero angle is variable with the first and second drive sections independently rotating at least one of the first and second SCARA arms relative to another of the first and second SCARA arms so as to effect substantially independent extension and retraction along the corresponding extension axis at each first and second SCARA arm angular position about the shoulder axis of rotation substantially coincident with picking and placing substrates at substrate holding stations of the substrate transport apparatus with respect to each first and second SCARA arm angular position.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms along respective extension axes intersect.

17. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms extend to substantially intersect at the shoulder axis.

18. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein pathways of the at least one substrate holder for each of the first and second SCARA arms along respective extension axes cross.

19. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 15, where the at least one substrate holder of each of the first and second SCARA arms are disposed in substantially a common plane or the first and second SCARA arms are disposed in planes that are proximate one another.