Process apparatus with on-the-fly substrate centering

1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a frame defining a chamber with a substrate transport opening and a substrate transfer plane defined therein;

a valve mounted to the frame and being configured to seal an atmosphere of the chamber when closed, the valve having a closure movably disposed to open and close the substrate transport opening; and

at least one substrate alignment element disposed proximate a seal edge of the closure and oriented and positioned by the closure so that the at least one substrate alignment element interacts with substrates passing through the substrate transport opening proximate the seal edge located on the substrate transfer plane so that the substrate alignment element registers a substrate centering alignment characteristic, determinative of substrate center alignment relative to a substrate holding station, of the substrates passing through the substrate transport opening on the substrate transfer plane, the substrate holding station being different than the valve.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one substrate alignment element is facing the substrate transfer plane.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve includes a housing with the substrate transfer plane being disposed therethrough.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the at least one substrate alignment element comprises a first alignment element disposed on the side of the closure and a second alignment element disposed on the housing to form a cooperative alignment element configured to cooperate in interacting with the substrates travelling along the substrate transfer plane and effect registration of the alignment determinative characteristic of the substrates passing through the substrate transport opening on the substrate transfer plane.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first alignment element is a reflector and the second alignment element comprises at least one of a beam emitter or beam receiver.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second alignment element is a reflector and the first alignment element comprises at least one of a beam emitter or beam receiver.

7 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve includes a closure drive configured to position the closure relative to the substrate transfer plane so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located at a predetermined interaction position for interacting with substrates located on the substrate transfer plane.

8 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the closure drive includes mechanical stops configured to position the closure within a housing of the valve so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located at the predetermined interaction position.

9 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a controller communicably connected to the closure drive where the closure drive includes at least one encoder configured to effect, along with the controller, positioning the closure within a housing of the valve so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located at the predetermined interaction position.

10 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one substrate alignment element includes one or more of an optical beam sensor element, an optical reflective sensor element, an inductive sensor element, or a capacitive sensor element.

11 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises a linearly arranged substrate processing tool.

12 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate processing apparatus comprises a cluster substrate processing tool.

13 . A method for aligning a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a substrate station having an aperture closure for blocking a loading and unloading aperture of the station;

at least unloading substrates from a substrate cassette, the unloaded substrates exiting the substrate cassette through the loading and unloading aperture along a substrate transfer plane so that the substrate cassette is unloaded;

providing an apparatus including a door drive for removing a door of the substrate cassette to open the substrate cassette and for operating the aperture closure to open the loading and unloading aperture;

passing substrates through the loading and unloading aperture on the substrate transfer plane; and

effecting, with at least one substrate alignment element disposed on a side of the aperture closure, registration of an alignment determinative characteristic of the substrates unloaded from the substrate cassette, wherein the at least one substrate alignment element is disposed in a predetermined interaction position and orientation so that the at least one substrate alignment element interacts with substrates, from the predetermined interaction position and orientation, located on and traversing along the substrate transfer plane.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one substrate alignment element is facing the substrate transfer plane.

15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising effecting positioning, with the door drive, the aperture closure so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located, relative to the substrate transfer plane, at the predetermined interaction position for interacting with substrates located on the substrate transfer plane.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising effecting positioning, with mechanical stops of the door drive, the aperture closure so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located at the predetermined interaction position.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising effecting, with at least one encoder of the door drive along with a controller communicably connected to the door drive, positioning the aperture closure so that the at least one substrate alignment element is located at a predetermined interaction position.

18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the at least one substrate alignment element includes one or more of an optical beam sensor element, an optical reflective sensor element, an inductive sensor element, or a capacitive sensor element.

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the aperture closure includes a housing with the substrate transfer plane being disposed therethrough.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein a first alignment element of the at least one substrate alignment element is disposed on the side of the aperture closure and a second alignment element of the at least one substrate alignment element is disposed on the housing to form a cooperative alignment element that interacts with the substrates travelling along the substrate transfer plane and effects registration of the alignment determinative characteristic of the substrates passing through the substrate transport opening on the substrate transfer plane.