Brooks Automation US, LLC

A robot employs low ratio drives for one or more axes of movement, such as three primary axes. An arm assembly include two or more arm links that are each rotatable about respective axes, and low ratio drives may be used for their movement. A controller may control one or more drives to control movement of the robot, e.g., an end effector carried by the robot and may determine external forces in Cartesian coordinates acting on the end effector based on a torque change for a motor of a link drive and without use of force sensor information.

A substrate processing apparatus including 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 door movably disposed to open and close the substrate transport opening, and at least one substrate sensor element disposed on a side of the door and oriented to sense substrates located on the substrate transfer plane.

A semiconductor wafer mapping apparatus comprising a frame forming a wafer load opening communicating with a load station for a substrate carrier disposed to hold more than one wafers vertically distributed in the substrate carrier for loading through the wafer load opening, a movable arm movably mounted to the frame so as to move relative to the wafer load opening and having at least one end effector movably mounted to the movable arm to load wafers from the substrate carrier through the wafer load opening, an image acquisition system including an array of cameras arranged on a common support and each camera fixed with respect to the common support that is static with respect to each camera of the array of cameras, wherein each respective camera is positioned with a field of view disposed to view through the wafer load opening with the common support positioned by the movable arm.

A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, a substrate transport arm connected to the frame, the substrate transport arm having an end effector, and a drive section having at least one motor coupled to the substrate transport arm, wherein the at least one motor defines a kinematic portion of the drive section configured to effect kinematic motion of the substrate transport arm, and the drive section includes an accessory portion adjacent the kinematic portion, wherein the accessory portion has another motor, different and distinct from the at least one motor, the another motor of the accessory portion is operably coupled to and configured to drive one or more accessory device independent of the kinematic motion of the substrate transport arm.

Method for health assessment of a system including a transport apparatus including registering predetermined operating data embodying at least one dynamic performance variable output by the transport apparatus, determining a base value (C pkBase ) characterized by a probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output, resolving from the transport apparatus in situ process motion commands of the apparatus controller and defining another predetermined motion set of the transport apparatus, registering predetermined operating data embodying the at least one dynamic performance variable output by the transport apparatus and determining with the processor another value (C pkOther ) characterized by the probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output by the transport apparatus, and comparing the other value and the base value (C pkBase ) for each of the dynamic performance variable output by the transport apparatus respectively corresponding to the predetermined motion base set and the other predetermined motion set.

A semiconductor wafer transport apparatus includes a frame, a transport arm movably mounted to the frame and having at least one end effector movably mounted to the arm so the at least one end effector traverses, with the arm as a unit, in a first direction relative to the frame, and traverses linearly, relative to the transport arm, in a second direction, and an edge detection sensor mounted to the transport arm so the edge detection sensor moves with the transport arm as a unit relative to the frame, the edge detection sensor being a common sensor effecting edge detection of each wafer simultaneously supported by the end effector, wherein the edge detection sensor is configured so the edge detection of each wafer is effected by and coincident with the traverse in the second direction of each end effector on the transport arm.

An automatic teaching system for a substrate processing apparatus, the automatic teaching system comprising a frame having a workpiece load station with a predetermined load station reference location, a robot transport mounted to the frame and having a movable transport arm with an end effector having a predetermined end effector reference location, and a drive section driving the movable transport arm in at least one degree of freedom motion relative to the frame, a machine vision system including both at least one fixed imaging sensor and at least one movable imaging sensor removably connected to the frame and configured to image at least one target of the machine vision system, a load jig disposed for removable engagement with the workpiece load station, with both the at least one fixed imaging sensor and the at least one movable imaging sensor mounted to the load jig, the fixed imaging sensor.

A linear electrical substrate transporting machine including: a transport chamber; an array of electromagnets forming a drive plane; a substrate handler, comprising at least one reaction platen and an end effector for carrying a substrate; and a controller operably coupled to the electromagnets and a power source to excite individually the plurality of electromagnets to control six degrees of freedom of each reaction platen. The controller calculates, for the substrate handler and the end effector, a trajectory, for propulsion and levitation through the transport chamber, and an attitude along the trajectory, the trajectory and attitude being described via control in any combination of two or more of the six degrees of freedom based at least in part on the weight of the semiconductor substrate and a maximum acceleration of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the six degrees of freedom are x, y, z, roll, pitch and yaw.

A transfer apparatus including a frame, multiple arms connected to the frame, each arm having an end effector and an independent drive axis for extension and retraction of the respective arm with respect to other ones of the multiple arms, a linear rail defining a degree of freedom for the independent drive axis for extension and retraction of at least one arm, and a common drive axis shared by each arm and configured to pivot the multiple arms about a common pivot axis, wherein at least one of the multiple arms having another drive axis defining an independent degree of freedom with respect to other ones of the multiple arms.

A linear electrical machine comprising a frame with a level reference plane and an array of electromagnets, connected to the frame to form a drive plane at a predetermined height relative to the reference plane. The array of electromagnets being arranged so that a series of electromagnets of the array of electromagnets define at least one drive line within the drive plane, and each of the electromagnets being coupled to an alternating current power source energizing each electromagnet. At least one reaction platen of paramagnetic, diamagnetic, or non-magnetic conductive material disposed to cooperate with the electromagnets of the array of electromagnets so that excitation of the electromagnets with alternating current generates levitation and propulsion forces against the reaction platen that controllably levitate and propel the reaction platen along at least one drive line, in a controlled attitude relative to the drive plane.