Substrate handling system for aligning and orienting substrates during a transfer operation
A system for sensing, orienting, and transporting wafers in an automated wafer handling process that reduces the generation of particles and contamination so that the wafer yield is increased. The system includes a robotic arm for moving a wafer from one station to a destination station, and an end-effector connected to an end of the robotic arm for receiving the wafer. The end-effector includes a mechanism for gripping the wafer, a direct drive motor for rotating the wafer gripping mechanism, and at least one sensor for sensing the location and orientation of the wafer. A control processor calculates the location of the center and the notch of the wafer based on measurements by the sensor(s) and generates an alignment signal for rotating the wafer gripping mechanism so that the wafer is oriented at a predetermined position on the end-effector while the robotic arm is moving to another station.
1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
at least one substrate transport apparatus, the at least one substrate transport apparatus including
a movable transport arm,
an end effector movably connected to the movable transport arm, the end effector having an integral aligner with a rotatable passive grip chuck including fixed substrate edge grip supports adapted for passively holding a semiconductor substrate so that engagement of the fixed substrate edge grip supports and the semiconductor substrate held thereby is substantially static relative to each other when the semiconductor substrate is supported by and rotated with the rotatable passive grip chuck, and
a motor configured to rotate the rotatable passive grip chuck of the integral aligner.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the end effector has at least one sensor thereon to sense at least one of an edge of the semiconductor substrate and a fiducial feature of the semiconductor substrate.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a controller in communication with the at least one sensor and the motor, and wherein the controller is programmed to actuate the motor for positioning the semiconductor substrate held by the rotatable passive grip chuck based on information from the at least one sensor.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to rotate the rotatable passive grip chuck with the motor substantially simultaneously with the movable transport arm moving the semiconductor substrate from one station to another station.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the end effector has a support member supporting the rotatable passive grip chuck, the rotatable passive grip chuck being rotatably mounted relative to the support member to rotate relative to the support member, and wherein an axis of movement of the rotatable passive grip chuck is an axis of rotation of the motor.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the motor is a brushless motor and is located on a support member of the end effector supporting the rotatable passive grip chuck, the brushless motor being located on the support member at a location under the rotatable passive grip chuck.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a positional resolver connected to the rotatable passive grip chuck for providing position information of the rotatable passive grip chuck to a controller operating the motor.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the stator being integral to a base of the end effector, and the rotor being integral to the rotatable passive grip chuck.
9. A method comprising:
providing a substrate processing apparatus with at least one substrate transport apparatus, the at least one substrate transport apparatus including a movable transport arm and an end effector movably connected to the movable transport arm;
passively holding a semiconductor substrate with an integral aligner of the end effector where the semiconductor substrate is held by and rotated with a rotatable passive grip chuck of the integral aligner and the rotatable passive grip chuck includes fixed substrate edge grip supports configured to hold the semiconductor substrate so that engagement of the fixed substrate edge grip supports and the semiconductor substrate held thereby is substantially static relative to each other when the semiconductor substrate is supported by and rotated with the rotatable passive grip chuck; and
rotating the rotatable passive grip chuck of the aligner with a motor of the end effector.
10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising sensing, with at least one sensor disposed on the end effector, at least one of an edge of the semiconductor substrate and a fiducial feature of the semiconductor substrate.
11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising actuating, with a controller in communication with the at least one sensor and the motor, the motor for positioning the semiconductor substrate held by the rotatable passive grip chuck based on information from the at least one sensor.
12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising rotating the rotatable passive grip chuck, with the controller in communication with the motor, substantially simultaneously with the movable transport arm moving the semiconductor substrate from one station to another station.
13. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising supporting, with a support member of the end effector, the rotatable passive grip chuck, the rotatable passive grip chuck being rotatably mounted relative to the support member to rotate relative to the support member, and wherein an axis of movement of the rotatable passive grip chuck is an axis of rotation of the motor.
14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the motor is a brushless motor and is located on a support member of the end effector, the method further comprising supporting, with the support member of the end effector, the rotatable passive grip chuck, the brushless motor being located on the support member at a location under the rotatable passive grip chuck.
15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising providing a positional resolver connected to the rotatable passive grip chuck for providing position information of the rotatable passive grip chuck to a controller operating the motor.
16. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a movable transport arm,
an end effector movably connected to the movable transport arm, the end effector having
a support member,
an integral aligner that is integrally formed with the support member, the aligner having a rotatable passive grip chuck including fixed substrate edge grip supports adapted for passively holding a semiconductor substrate so that engagement of the fixed substrate edge grip supports and the semiconductor substrate held thereby is substantially static relative to each other when the semiconductor substrate is supported by and rotated with the rotatable passive grip chuck, and
a motor disposed on the support member and configured to rotate the rotatable passive grip chuck of the integral aligner.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the end effector has at least one sensor thereon to sense at least one of an edge of the semiconductor substrate and a fiducial feature of the semiconductor substrate.
18. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein an axis of movement of the rotatable passive grip chuck is an axis of rotation of the motor.
19. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the motor is a brushless motor and is located on the support member of the end effector supporting the rotatable passive grip chuck, the brushless motor being located on the support member at a location under the rotatable passive grip chuck.
20. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the stator being integral to the support member, and the rotor being integral to the rotatable passive grip chuck.