Substrate transport apparatus

1. A substrate transport apparatus comprising:

a frame; and

a drive section connected to the frame, the drive section including;

a drive shaft spindle with at least one drive shaft;

a number of different interchangeable motor modules, each motor module having a motor disposed to operably couple to a corresponding drive shaft of the drive shaft spindle defining a corresponding independent drive axis of the drive section, the motor of each module respectively having a motor stator, that fixes to the frame, a motor rotor to turn the corresponding shaft, and shaft spindle mechanical bearings that fix to the frame where, for each respective motor module, at least a portion of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings corresponding to the respective motor module is nested within the stator so that the portion of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings is radially in line with a portion of the corresponding stator of the respective motor module; and

wherein each module of the number of different interchangeable motor modules is selectable, from other different interchangeable motor modules, for mounting to the spindle in a motor module mounting unit of a selectably variable number of different interchangeable motor modules, from one to more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules, with more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules juxtaposed to each other in the unit.

2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules in the unit are juxtaposed in column.

3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive section further comprises a can seal disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor of each motor module and hermetically sealing the respective motor stator and motor rotor from each other.

4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the can seal spans across an interface between different interchangeable modules of the drive section.

5. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the different interchangeable motor modules has a different predetermined characteristic, independent of placement in the stack, the different predetermined characteristic of the module defining a different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding drive axis, independent of shaft spindle location, so that selection of the at least one motor module determines the different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding axis different from another of the independent drive axis.

6. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stack height is variable where selection of the at least one module changes a height of the stack.

7. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft spindle comprises a tri-axial spindle.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one motor module is a compact height module where a module height of the compact height module is independent of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive section further includes a z carriage having connection to a top motor module and a bottom motor module of the stack.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the motor modules are coupled to each other to form the stack and the coupled motor modules of the stack define the z carriage.

11. A method comprising:

providing a frame of a substrate transport apparatus; and

providing a drive section connected to the frame;

providing a number of different interchangeable motor modules, each motor module having a motor disposed to operably couple to a corresponding drive shaft of the drive shaft spindle defining a corresponding independent drive axis of the drive section, the motor of each motor module respectively having a motor stator, that fixes to the frame, a motor rotor to turn the corresponding shaft, and shaft spindle mechanical bearings that fix to the frame where, for each respective motor module, at least a portion of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings corresponding to the respective motor module is nested within the stator so that the portion of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings is radially in line with a portion of the corresponding stator of the respective motor module; and

effecting selection of at least one module of the number of different interchangeable motor modules, from other different interchangeable motor modules, for mounting to the spindle in a motor module mounting unit of a selectably variable number of different interchangeable motor modules, from one to more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules, with more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules juxtaposed to each other in the unit.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the more than one of the different interchangeable motor modules in the unit are juxtaposed in column.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising hermetically sealing the respective motor stator and motor rotor from each other with a can seal disposed between the motor stator and motor rotor of each motor module.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising spanning the can seal across an interface between different interchangeable modules of the drive section.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein each of the different interchangeable motor modules has a different predetermined characteristic, independent of placement in the stack, the different predetermined characteristic of the module defining a different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding drive axis, independent of shaft spindle location, so that selecting of the at least one motor module determines the different predetermined drive characteristic of the corresponding axis different from another of the independent drive axis.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stack height is variable where selecting of the at least one module changes a height of the stack.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drive shaft spindle comprises a tri-axial spindle.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one motor module is a compact height module where a module height of the compact height module is independent of the shaft spindle mechanical bearings.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drive section includes a z carriage having connection to a top motor module and a bottom motor module of the stack.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the motor modules are coupled to each other to form the stack and the coupled motor modules of the stack define the z carriage.