Substrate transport apparatus
A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, an upper arm rotatably mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis, a forearm rotatably mounted to the upper arm about an elbow axis where the forearm includes stacked forearm sections dependent from the upper arm through a common joint, and independent stacked end effectors rotatably mounted to the forearm, the forearm being common to the independent stacked end effectors, wherein at least one end effector is mounted to the stacked forearm sections at a wrist axis, where the forearm is configured such that spacing between the independent stacked end effectors mounted to the stacked forearm sections is decoupled from a height build up between end effectors accommodating pass through instrumentation.
1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a frame;
an upper arm rotatably mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis;
a forearm rotatably mounted to the upper arm about an elbow axis where the forearm includes stacked forearm sections dependent from the upper arm through a common joint; and
independent end effectors rotatably mounted to the forearm at different elevations, the forearm being common to the independent end effectors, wherein at least one end effector is mounted to the stacked forearm sections at a wrist axis;
where the forearm is configured such that spacing between the independent end effectors mounted to the stacked forearm sections at different elevations is decoupled from an elevation of other end effectors that accommodate pass through instrumentation within at least one of the other end effectors mounted at a different elevation.
2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stacked forearm sections include an upper forearm section and a lower forearm section joined to each other by a connecting member so that the upper forearm section and lower forearm section form a one piece assembly unit.
3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 , wherein at least one wafer center finding sensor is provided on the forearm where the at least one wafer center finding sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on the independent end effectors, that pass between the upper and lower forearm section at different elevations.
4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the independent end effectors further comprise a rotatable substrate holder and a substrate orientation detection sensor is disposed on one or more of the upper and lower forearm sections, the a substrate orientation detection sensor being configured to detect a substrate alignment feature of a substrate being held and rotated by the rotatable substrate holder.
5. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the independent end effectors are mounted to at least one of the upper forearm section and lower forearm section and disposed between the upper forearm section and lower forearm section at different elevations.
6. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the independent end effectors include a first end effector rotatably mounted to the upper forearm section and a second end effector rotatable mounted to the lower forearm section where the first and second end effectors are arranged in an opposing relationship between the upper forearm section and lower forearm section at different elevations.
7. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the wrist axis is a common axis of rotation to both the first and second end effectors.
8. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one of the stacked forearm sections forms a support member spaced apart from another one of the stacked forearm sections so as to form a pass through which the independent end effectors rotate through at different elevations.
9. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one sensor is provided on one or more of the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections where the at least one sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on at least one end effector of the independent end effectors, that is rotated between the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections.
10. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a frame;
an upper arm rotatably mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis;
a forearm rotatably mounted to the upper arm about an elbow axis where the forearm includes stacked forearm sections dependent from the upper arm through a common joint; and
independent end effectors rotatably mounted to the forearm at different elevations, the forearm being common to the independent end effectors, wherein at least one end effector is mounted to the stacked forearm sections at a wrist axis, each end effector having a wafer hold location so that the independent end effectors form different elevated wafer hold locations;
wherein the forearm is configured so that wafer hold location elevations are independent of elevation of other end effectors that accommodate pass through instrumentation.
11. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a drive section configured to provide Z motion to the independent end effectors, where the wafer hold location elevations define Z motion travel of the substrate transport apparatus effecting swapping of the independent end effectors at a predetermined location.
12. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the stacked forearm sections include an upper forearm section and a lower forearm section joined to each other by a connecting member so that the upper forearm section and lower forearm section form a one piece assembly unit.
13. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 , wherein at least one wafer center finding sensor is provided on the forearm where the at least one wafer center finding sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on the independent end effectors, that pass between the upper and lower forearm section at different elevations.
14. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the independent end effectors further comprise a rotatable substrate holder and a substrate orientation detection sensor is disposed on one or more of the upper and lower forearm sections, the a substrate orientation detection sensor being configured to detect a substrate alignment feature of a substrate being held and rotated by the rotatable substrate holder.
15. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the independent end effectors are configured so that substrates held on the independent end effectors rotationally pass between the upper and lower forearm section at different elevations.
16. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 , wherein at least one end effector is cantilevered from the connecting member so as to extend between the upper and lower forearm sections.
17. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the independent end effectors are movably mounted to the connecting member so as to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane of rotation of the at least one substrate holder.
18. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 10 , wherein one of the stacked forearm sections forms a support member spaced apart from another one of the stacked forearm sections so as to form a pass through which the independent end effectors rotate through.
19. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 18 , wherein at least one sensor is provided on one or more of the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections where the at least one sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on at least one end effector, that is rotated between the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections.
20. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:
a frame;
an upper arm rotatably mounted to the frame about a shoulder axis;
a forearm rotatably mounted to the upper arm about an elbow axis where the forearm includes stacked forearm sections dependent from the upper arm through a common joint;
independent end effectors rotatably mounted to the forearm, the forearm being common to the independent end effectors, wherein at least one end effector is mounted to the stacked forearm sections at a wrist axis, each end effector having a wafer hold location so that the independent end effectors form different elevated wafer hold locations, where the forearm is configured so that wafer hold location elevations are independent of an elevation of other end effectors that accommodate pass through instrumentation; and
a drive section configured to provide Z motion travel to the independent end effectors and effect swapping between the independent end effectors, wherein the substrate transport apparatus is configured to position the independent end effectors at a predetermined location, wherein Z motion height effecting swapping between the independent end effectors is decoupled from the elevation of the other end effectors that accommodate pass through instrumentation.
21. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the Z motion height of the substrate transport apparatus effecting swapping of the independent end effectors at a predetermined location is based on the wafer hold location elevations.
22. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the stacked forearm sections include an upper forearm section and a lower forearm section joined to each other by a connecting member so that the upper forearm section and lower forearm section form a one piece assembly unit.
23. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 22 , wherein at least one wafer center finding sensor is provided on the forearm where the at least one wafer center finding sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on the independent end effectors, that pass between the upper and lower forearm section.
24. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the independent end effectors further comprise a rotatable substrate holder and a substrate orientation detection sensor is disposed on one or more of the upper and lower forearm sections, the a substrate orientation detection sensor being configured to detect a substrate alignment feature of a substrate being held and rotated by the rotatable substrate holder.
25. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , wherein one of the stacked forearm sections forms a support member spaced apart from another one of the stacked forearm sections so as to form a pass through which the independent end effectors rotate through.
26. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 25 , wherein at least one sensor is provided on one or more of the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections where the at least one sensor is disposed to sense a substrate, held on at least one end effector, that is rotated between the support member and the other one of the stacked forearm sections.
27. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising a distributed drive section having drive motors disposed substantially about at least two of the shoulder axis, elbow axis and wrist axis for driving respective ones of the upper arm, forearm and at least one end effector.
28. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising at least one coaxial drive shaft arrangement where each shaft in the coaxial drive shaft arrangement is drivingly coupled to a respective one of the upper arm, forearm and at least one end effector.
29. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising end effector motors disposed in the forearm and offset from both of the elbow and wrist axes.