TWI667110B - Substrate transport apparatus and sealed actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus includes a frame, at least one arm link rotatably coupled to the frame, and a shaftless drive. The shaftless drive unit includes a stacking drive motor for rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame via a shaftless interface, each of the stacked drive motors including a stator having a stator coil disposed on the shaft a fixed column that is fixed relative to the frame, and a rotor that substantially surrounds the stator along the circumference such that the rotor is coupled to one of the at least one arm links and the at least one arm link Rotating relative to the frame, causing the one of the at least one arm link to extend or retract, wherein the stacked drive motor is disposed on the at least one arm link such that each stator has at least A portion is located within a common arm link of the at least one arm link.

Description

Substrate transport device and sealing actuator

This exemplary embodiment is related to the drive of the robotic system, and in particular to the spindle drive of the robotic system.

Existing vacuum robots use magnetic fluid or lip seals to isolate the motor and encoder from vacuum, or isolate the motor stator through a barrier in Brooks MAGNATRAN® products, but set the magnet rotor and encoder directly In this vacuum environment. In both cases, the motor is placed under the bellows and the motor is coupled to the robot arm link by a shaft.

It would be advantageous to have an inverted drive design in which the stator is placed on a fixed inner column and the rotor is placed outside the stator.

The following description will explain the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein and other features in conjunction with the drawings.

10‧‧‧Substrate processing unit

12‧‧‧Interface section

13‧‧‧Processing section

14‧‧‧Interface section chamber

15‧‧‧Carrier

16‧‧‧Workpiece transport chamber

20‧‧‧Transportation machine

100‧‧‧Substrate processing unit

105‧‧‧The former section

110‧‧‧Seal section

115‧‧‧Substrate holding box

120‧‧‧ Front-end robot

125‧‧‧Processing module

130‧‧‧Vacuum arm

135‧‧‧ load brake

140‧‧‧Load brake

150‧‧‧ Drive Department

155‧‧‧arms

160‧‧‧ wrist

162‧‧‧ aligner

165‧‧‧End effector

170‧‧‧ Controller

173‧‧‧ processor

175‧‧‧ central chamber

178‧‧‧ memory

180‧‧‧ openings

185‧‧‧ openings

190‧‧‧ Drive Department

195‧‧‧End effector

400‧‧‧ Controller

600‧‧‧Forearm

601‧‧‧End effector

612‧‧ ‧ barrier

800‧‧‧Carrier

800Z‧‧‧Z-axis drive unit

810‧‧‧ upper arm

820‧‧‧Forearm

830‧‧‧End effector

840‧‧‧Frame

1600‧‧‧ Drive Department

1602A‧‧‧Drive motor

1602B‧‧‧Drive motor

1603A‧‧‧stator

1603B‧‧‧ Stator

1604A‧‧‧Rotor

1604B‧‧‧Rotor

1604M‧‧‧ magnet

1605‧‧‧ pulley

1605X‧‧‧Transmission components

1610‧‧ ‧ column

1620‧‧‧Elbow pulley

1640IN‧‧‧Incremental ruler

1640A‧‧‧Encoder

1640AB‧‧‧Absolute ruler

1640B‧‧‧Encoder

1670‧‧‧Magnetic fluid seals

1699‧‧‧Seal

1700A‧‧‧Drive Department

1700B‧‧‧Drive Department

1701‧‧ ‧ column

1701A‧‧‧Fixed column

1702A‧‧‧ Bearing

1702B‧‧‧ Bearing

1702C‧‧‧ Bearing

1702D‧‧‧ bearing

1703A‧‧‧stator

1703B‧‧‧ Stator

1704A‧‧‧Outer rotor

1704A’‧‧ Interface components

1704B‧‧‧Outer rotor

1704B’‧‧‧Interface components

1705A‧‧‧ inner rotor

1705A’‧‧‧ Magnet

1705B‧‧‧ inner rotor

1705B’‧‧‧ Magnet

1707A‧‧‧ pulley

1709A‧‧‧Transmission components

1709B‧‧‧ Transmission parts

1710‧‧‧Seal

1711A‧‧‧Baffle

1711B‧‧‧Baffle

1712B‧‧‧Elbow pulley

1720A‧‧‧Machine arm

1720B‧‧‧Machine arm

1740A‧‧‧Encoder

1740B‧‧‧Encoder

1741A‧‧‧Encoder

1741B‧‧‧Encoder

1799‧‧‧Transportation device

1801‧‧‧ shaft

1900‧‧‧ shaft

2000‧‧‧arm

2000D‧‧‧Driving Department

2001‧‧‧ Arm

2001D‧‧‧Driving Department

2010‧‧‧ Arm

2010D‧‧‧Drive Department

2011‧‧‧ Arm

2011D‧‧‧Drive Department

2020‧‧‧ Arm

2021‧‧‧ Arm

2030‧‧‧ Arm

2030A‧‧‧Drive motor

2030B‧‧‧Drive motor

2030RA‧‧‧Rotor

2030RB‧‧‧Rotor

2030SA‧‧‧ Stator

2030SB‧‧‧ Stator

5500‧‧‧Sensor System

5505‧‧‧ Ferromagnetic components

5510‧‧‧ Magnetic source

5515‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5520‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5525‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5530‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5535‧‧‧Adjustment circuit

5550‧‧‧ output

5555‧‧‧ rule

5560‧‧‧ distance

5565‧‧‧closed end

5570‧‧‧Open end

5610‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5615‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5620‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5625‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5630‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5635‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5640‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5645‧‧‧Magnetic sensor

5650‧‧‧ total circuit

5655‧‧‧Differential adjustment circuit

5660‧‧‧Reading device

A‧‧‧Working station

EX‧‧‧ elbow axis of rotation

IPSS‧‧‧ interface plane

IPSR‧‧‧ interface plane

LP‧‧‧Loader

R‧‧‧Extension/retraction axis

S‧‧‧Substrate

SL‧‧‧Seal

S1‧‧‧Magnetic fluid seals

S2‧‧‧Magnetic fluid seals

S3‧‧‧Magnetic fluid seals

S4‧‧‧Magnetic fluid seals

X‧‧‧Rotation center axis

Figure 1 is a view of an embodiment according to the disclosed embodiments. A schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus of the features.

2 is a schematic illustration of a substrate processing apparatus having features in accordance with aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

3 is a schematic illustration of a substrate transport apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

4A through 4D are schematic cross-sectional views of a robotic drive system in accordance with aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Figure 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed embodiments.

Figure 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure in Figure 5A.

Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed embodiments.

Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed embodiments.

Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed embodiments.

Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed embodiments.

Figure 10 shows a portion of an exemplary sensor system in accordance with aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Figure 11 shows an exemplary configuration of a magnetic magnetic sensor surrounding a ferromagnetic element in accordance with an embodiment disclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND EMBODIMENT

1 is a schematic illustration of a substrate processing apparatus having features in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein. Although the embodiments of the embodiments disclosed herein are described in conjunction with the drawings, it will be understood that aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in various other forms. In addition, any suitable size, shape, or type of component or material can be used. Moreover, while the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrated in the context of a vacuum robot, it should be noted that aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein also include any use of a drive motor.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a representative substrate processing apparatus incorporating features in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example, the processing device 100 is shown as having a general purpose batch processor. In other aspects, the appliance can have any configuration desired, such as the appliance can be constructed to perform a single step processing operation on the substrate, or have a linear or right angle coordinate configuration as shown in FIG. In still other aspects, the substrate processing apparatus can have any desired pattern, such as a classifier, stacker, metrology apparatus, and the like. The substrate S processed in the device 100 may be any suitable substrate including, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display panel, a solar panel, a semiconductor wafer, such as a 200 mm, 300 mm, 450 mm diameter wafer, or any other desired diameter. a substrate, or any other type of substrate having any suitable shape, size, and thickness suitable for processing by substrate processing apparatus 100, such as a blank substrate, or an article having properties similar to a substrate, such as certain dimensions or specificities quality.

In one aspect, the apparatus 100 basically has a front section 105 that can form, for example, a mini environment, and an adjacent atmosphere isolation or sealing section 110 that can be sealed from the external environment for A controlled sealed atmosphere is maintained which can be provided, for example, as a vacuum chamber. In other aspects, the seal portion for holding an atmosphere of inert gas (e.g. N ₂₎ or any other atmosphere, environmental sealing and / controlled.

The front section 105 can generally have, for example, one or more substrate holding cassettes 115, and a front end robot 120. The front section 105 can also have, for example, other workstations or sections, such as aligners 162 or buffers, disposed therein. Section 110 can have one or more processing modules 125 and a vacuum robot arm 130. The processing module 125 can be of any type, such as material placement, etching, baking, polishing, ion implantation cleaning, and the like. It will be appreciated that the position of each module relative to the desired reference coordinate system, such as the robot reference coordinate system, may be registered with controller 170. In addition, one or more of the modules can process the substrate S, and the substrate is positioned in a desired orientation through a substrate (not shown) disposed on the substrate. The orientation of the substrate in the processing module can also be registered in the controller 170. The sealing section 110 can also have one or more intermediate chambers, referred to as load gates. The device 100 shown in Figure 1 has two load gates, a load gate 135 and a load gate 140. The load gates 135, 140 serve as interfaces for allowing the substrate S to pass between the front section 105 and the sealing section 110 without damaging the integrity of any environmentally sealed atmosphere present within the sealing section 110. The substrate processing apparatus 100 generally includes a controller 170 that can control the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100. In an embodiment, the controller may be part of a clustered control architecture, such as the United States filed on July 11, 2005. The contents of the present application are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in the entirety in The controller 170 has a processor 173 and a memory 178. In addition to the information previously mentioned, the memory 178 can include programs with eccentricity and misalignment detection and correction techniques for moving substrates. The memory 178 may further include processing parameters, such as temperature and/or pressure of the processing module and other parts of the device 105, 110 or workstation, temporary information of the processed substrate S, and metric information of the substrates, And a program, such as an algorithm, that can apply the temporary data of the device and the substrate to determine the eccentricity of the substrate during movement.

The front end robot 120, also referred to as an ATM (atmosphere) robot, includes a drive portion 150 and one or more arms 155. At least one arm 155 is mounted on the driving portion 150. The at least one arm portion 155 can be coupled to a wrist portion 160 that is coupled to one or more end effectors 165 for holding one or more substrates S. The end effector 165 is rotatably coupled to the wrist 160. The ATM robot 120 can be used to transport the substrate to any location within the front section 105. For example, the ATM robot 120 can transport the substrate between the substrate holding cassette 115, the load gate 135, and the load gate 140. The ATM robot 120 can also transport the substrate S into and out of the aligner 162. The drive portion 150 can receive commands from the controller 170 and, in response thereto, indicate radial, circumferential, straight, composite, and other motions of the ATM robot 120.

Vacuum robot arm 130 can be mounted within a central chamber 175 of section 110. The controller 170 is operable to cycle the openings 180, 185 and coordinate the operation of the vacuum robot arm 130 to place the substrate in the processing module 125, load gate 135. and transport between load gates 140. The vacuum robot arm 130 can include a drive portion 190 (described in more detail below) and one or more end effectors 195. In other aspects, the ATM robot 120 and the vacuum robot arm 130 can be any suitable type of transport device, including but not limited to a sliding arm robot, SCARA (selectively compliant articulated robot arm) robot. , articulated arm robot, frog leg device, or dual symmetrical transport device.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a schematic plan view of another substrate processing apparatus 10 incorporating features in accordance with embodiments of the embodiments disclosed herein. The substrate processing apparatus 10 is shown as having a linear or right angle coordinate configuration in which the substrate S is transported between the transport robots through an elongate transport chamber. The substrate processing system or appliance 10 basically has a processing section 13 and an interface section 12. The interface and processing section of the appliance 10 are interconnected and the workpiece is transported therebetween. The treatment section 13 of the appliance has a processing module or chamber substantially similar to that described above with respect to Figure 1. The processing modules are coupled by a workpiece transport chamber 16 for transporting workpieces within the chamber between the desired processing modules in accordance with a processing protocol. The transport chamber has a transport robot 20 that is capable of moving and moving the workpiece into the processing module 125. The processing module 125 and the transport chamber can be isolated from each other, so that they can maintain a controlled atmosphere that is sealed from the outside atmosphere to keep the atmosphere in the transport chamber the same as the processing module, or The workpiece is transferred between processing modules in a manner substantially similar to that described above for FIG. The interface section 12 of the appliance is in the processing section 13 of the appliance and its controlled sealing gas The load/load interface of the workpiece is provided between the atmosphere and the exterior of the appliance. An example of a suitable environmental interface section can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/178,836, filed on Jan. 2011. Thus, the appliance interface section is adapted to be loaded into the appliance by the workpiece transported by the carrier from the carrier, or to be reversely actuated. The transport chamber may be comprised of a plurality of transport chamber modules that may be connected end to end to form, for example, a linear elongated transport chamber. Thus, the length of the transport chamber can be varied by adding or removing transport chamber modules. The transport chamber modules can have inlet/outlet gate valves that isolate the desired transport chamber module from adjacent locations in the transport chamber. An appliance interface section similar to section 12 can then be placed at any desired location along the linear elongate transport chamber for loading or unloading the workpiece at a desired location in the appliance. The processing modules can be arranged along the length of the transport chamber. The processing module can be stacked at an angle to the length of the chamber. The shipping chamber modules can have inlet/outlet gate valves to isolate the desired shipping chamber module from the processing module. The transport system 20 is disposed through the transport chamber. Each of the plurality of transport chamber modules has an integral movable arm with a fixed delimiter/mount mounted to the module and a movable end effector that can be retained and carried along the transport chamber and The workpiece is moved linearly between the transport chamber and the processing module. The arm portions within the different transport chamber modules can cooperate with each other to form at least a portion of the linear configuration transport system. The transport system, processing module, processing section, interface section, and any other portion of the appliance can be controlled by controller 400, which is generally similar to controller 170 previously described. The transport chamber and transport system therein are arranged to be in the transport chamber A plurality of workpiece travel paths are defined within. The travel passages may be shared or dedicated within the transport chamber for forward or return to the workpiece. The transport chamber can also have an intermediate load gate so that different sections within the transport chamber can maintain different atmospheres and allow the workpiece to be transported between different atmosphere sections within the transport chamber. The transport chamber can have an inlet/outlet station where the workpiece can be inserted/removed from a desired location in the transport chamber. For example, the inlet/outlet station can be placed at one end opposite the interface section 12 or at another desired location in the transport chamber. The inlet and outlet station of the transport chamber can be in communication with a workpiece rapid transport path coupled to the transport chamber inlet/outlet station via a distal appliance interface section 12. The fast transport lane can be independent and separable relative to the transport chamber 16. The fast transit lane is in communication with one or more interface sections 12 for transporting the workpiece between the interface section and the transport lane. The workpiece can be quickly placed in the front section of the appliance through the rapid transport path and returned to the interface section 12 after processing without affecting the transport chamber and reducing work in process (WIP, work in process) ). The transport chamber can also have an intermediate inlet/outlet station in which a plurality of lines are in communication with the fast transport path so that the workpiece can be transported therebetween. This allows the workpiece to be inserted or removed at a desired location in the process without affecting the process flow, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/442,511, filed on May 26, 2006. The full text is incorporated herein by reference.

The interface section 12 is directly mated (as shown in Figure 1) without any intermediate load gates. In other aspects, a load lock can be placed between the interface section 12 and the transport chamber. The boundary shown in Figure 2 The face section has a workpiece carrier 15 for moving the workpiece from the cassette 115 that is mated to the load cassette LP to the transport chamber 16. The carrier 15 is disposed within the interface section chamber 14 and is generally similar to the carrier 150 previously described. The interface section may also include a workpiece station A, such as an aligner station, a buffer station, a metrology station, and any other processing stations required for the workpiece S.

Although certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments will be described herein in conjunction with a vacuum robot or carrier, such as carrier 800 in FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments can be applied to any suitable embodiment. The carrier or other processing device (eg, aligner, etc.) that can operate in any suitable environment, including but not limited to an ambient environment, a controlled atmosphere environment, and/or a vacuum environment. In one aspect, the carrier 800 can have, for example, a plurality of independently movable end effectors for independently moving a plurality of workpieces. The carrier 800 shown in Figure 3 is shown, for example, as a multi-joint link arm that can have any suitable number of freedoms, for example, for rotation, extension/retraction, and/or lifting (e.g., Z-axis motion). degree. It should also be appreciated that the carrier having the aspects of these exemplary embodiments can have any suitable architecture including, but not limited to, a sliding arm robot architecture, a "frog leg" architecture robotic arm, and a SCARA arm of the robot. Architecture, articulated arm robot, or dual symmetrical transport. A suitable example of a robotic arm that can be used in the drive system of these exemplary embodiments can be found in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,666,366, 4,730,976, 4,909,701, 5,431,529, 5,577,879, 5,720,590, 5,899,658, 5,180,276, 5,647,724, and West U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/148,871, filed on June 9, 2005, filed on May 8, 2008, filed on May 8, 2008, filed on April 6, 2007, filed on April 6, 2007 U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/697, 390, U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 11/179,762, filed on Jan. And U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/417,837, filed on March 12, 2012, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4A through 4D, an exemplary substrate transport apparatus 800 having aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein will now be described in detail in accordance with the aspects disclosed herein. It may be noted that although only a single root SCARA arm is shown in Figures 3 and 4A through 4D, the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined with any suitable type of robotic arm, such as previously described. Any suitable number of robotic arms. In this aspect, the substrate transport device includes a frame 840, an upper arm 810, a forearm 820, and at least one end effector 830. A drive portion 1600 can be at least partially disposed within the upper arm 810 and includes at least one drive motor 1602A, 1602B. Here, two motors 1602A, 1602B are shown as the stacked drive motors provided for illustrative purposes, so that at least a portion of the stators 1603A, 1603B of each of the drive motors 1602A, 1602B are located in the arm link 810. (For example, at least a portion of the stator of each drive motor is located in the same arm link, or a shared arm link, or a single arm link, or an arm link). Each of the at least one drive motors 1602A, 1602B One includes a stator 1603A, 1603B, and a rotor 1604A, 1604B. The stators 1603A, 1603B may include stator windings that are wound around a fixed post 1610 that is secured to the frame such that the post 1610 and the stators 1603A, 1603B remain stationary relative to the robot arm links 810, 820, 830. . The rotors 1604A, 1604B can be constructed such that the rotor surrounds a respective stator (e.g., an inverted drive motor) to form a shaftless motor that provides a miniaturized design and high torque over conventional shaft drives. It should be noted that the term "shaftless" refers to a member that does not substantially extend between the rotor and the member driven by the rotor, wherein the height of the rotor is substantially equal to or less than the height of the stator. The stator and the rotor may have some characteristics, such as U.S. Patent No. 7,834,618, and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/163,993, filed on Jun. 27, 2008 The descriptions of those described in the '12, 163, 996 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In this aspect, the two drive motors 1602A, 1602B are stacked one on another. Drive motors 1602A, 1602B can be stacked one on another to enable easy use of multiple motors to provide any suitable number of degrees of freedom to drive any suitable number of arm links. In other aspects, any suitable number of drive motors (ie, at least one or more) can be applied to any suitable architecture having any number of suitable drives, such as, but not limited to, a stacked inverted drive architecture, or Inline inverted drive architecture, or any other suitable architecture. Here, the rotor 1604A of the drive motor 1602A is coupled to the arm link 810 in a shaftless manner, so When the child 1604A rotates, the arm link 810 rotates with it. For example, the rotor 1604A can be mounted to the underlying surface of the arm link 810 in any suitable manner. The rotor 1604B of the motor 1602B can include a pulley 1605 (either integrally formed or coupled thereto). The pulley can be coupled to an elbow pulley 1620 via any suitable transmission member 1605X. In one aspect, transmission member 1605X can be a belt, strap, cable, or any other suitable transmission member. The toggle pulley 1620 is suitably coupled to the forearm 820 in any suitable manner so that when the rotor 1604B rotates, it will rotate the forearm 820 about an elbow axis of rotation EX.

Referring also to Figures 10 and 11, the inverted drive devices 1602A, 1602B can include any suitable sensors for tracking the rotation of the rotors 1604A, 1604B. In one aspect, any suitable encoder 1640A, 1640B can be placed at an appropriate location for sensing the rotation of the respective rotor 1604A, 1604B. In one aspect, the encoders 1640A, 1640B are directly interfaced to the respective rotors 1604A, 1604B (eg, the sensor ruler is integrated into the rotor), wherein the encoders 1640A, 1640B are fixedly mounted or suspended The column 1610 is fixed such that the interface plane of the sensor system 5500 and the ruler (or ferromagnetic target) 5555 of the encoder is disposed at an angle with respect to the interface plane of the stators 1603A, 1603B and the rotors 1604A, 1604B, and thus The detector system 5500 can be disposed substantially within the height of the stators 1603A, 1603B. By way of example only, the interface plane IPSS between the sensor system 5500 and the ferromagnetic target 5555 is shown to be substantially orthogonal to the interface plane IPSR between the stators 1603A, 1603B and the rotors 1604A, 1604B. Rotor 1604A, 1604B may include any suitable ruler or ferromagnetic target 5555, such as an incremental ruler 1640IN (FIG. 4C) that can be used by the sensor system 5500 of the encoder 1640A, 1640B for position measurement or Absolute ruler 1640AB (Fig. 4C).

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary sensor system 5500 suitable for use with the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein. The sensor system 5500 can utilize any suitable magnetic circuit principle, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 7,834,618, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety in Or the distance from the ferromagnetic target 5555 to, for example, the reference coordinate system of the sensor system. The ferromagnetic target 5555 can have a flat or curved surface, or have any suitable contour that can be attached, embedded, or otherwise bonded within the target, such as the ruler discussed above. The sensor system 5500 can include a ferromagnetic element 5505, a magnetic source 5510, such as a permanent magnet, a plurality of magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, 5530, and an adjustment circuit 5535. The ferromagnetic element 5505 can be circumscribed to the magnetic source 5510. In other aspects, ferromagnetic element 5505 can surround or encase magnetic source 5510. In at least one exemplary embodiment, ferromagnetic element 5505 can have the shape of a cup having a closed end 5565 and an open end 5570. The magnetic source 5510 may have a cylindrical shape in which the magnetization direction is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the ferromagnetic element 5505. Magnetic source 5510 can be a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, or any suitable source of magnetic energy. The magnetic source 5510 can be attached to the ferromagnetic element by suction in the center of the ferromagnetic element 5505 and can be fixed in position by using a suitable fastener, such as an adhesive. In one aspect, the sensor The system 5500 is positioned such that the open face 5570 of the cup faces the ferromagnetic target 5555.

The sensor system 5500 shown in FIG. 10 can form a magnetic circuit between the ferromagnetic element 5505 and the magnetic source 5510 such that the flux density can be relative to the axis of the cup or the magnetic source 5510 and the ferromagnetic element 5505. Any concentric perimeter between them is symmetrical. The shape of the ferromagnetic element 5505 affects the shape of the magnetic field. In the case where the ferromagnetic element 1505 is in the shape of a cup, the magnetic field is rather limited, which increases the sensitivity to changes in the distance 5560 to the ferromagnetic target. The shape of the ferromagnetic element 5505 can be trimmed to produce a specifically formed magnetic field. In some aspects, the ferromagnetic element 5505 can also be shaped to provide a particular sensitivity to changes in the distance between the sensor system 5500 and the ferromagnetic target 5555.

Magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, 5530 are operable to sense flux density and are disposed on a track at a fixed radial distance from the axis of symmetry of ferromagnetic element 5505. The magnetic sensors can also be arranged such that their outputs are approximately the same. Although only four magnetic sensors are shown in the figures, it should be understood that any suitable number of magnetic sensors can be used. The output signals of magnetic sensers 5515, 5520, 5525, 5530 can be supplied to any suitable conditioning circuit 5535. The conditioning circuit 5535 can include signal processing circuitry to process the sensor output signals to provide, for example, compensation, filtering, noise reduction, or any other suitable signal processing operation. The output signal of the sensor is typically processed to provide an output 5550 as a sensor system. The use of additional sensors can improve the noise immunity of this system. Ferromagnetic element 5505 can also be used as magnetic sensor Isolation cages to minimize magnetic interference from the surrounding environment. Therefore, the sensor system 5500 is constructed to measure the alternating of the magnetic flux density vectors detected by the magnetic sensor. In one aspect, the sensor system 5500 is capable of measuring the alternating magnetic flux density vectors by providing a ferromagnetic target 5555.

Figure 11 shows an exemplary configuration of a magnetic sensor surrounding a ferromagnetic element. In this aspect, the magnetic sensor is arranged in pairs 5610 and 5615, 5620 and 5625, 5630 and 5635, 5640 and 5645, the direction of which is relative to the flux density line between the ferromagnetic element 5505 and the magnetic source 5510. Interlaced settings. In this aspect, each sensor pair can provide a differential output signal. The summing circuit 5650 and the differential regulating circuit 5655 form part of the regulating circuit 5535, which can provide the output signal 5550 of the sensor system in a differential signal manner. The use of differential outputs can improve noise immunity, especially when the signal has a low level, is in a bad electromagnetic loop, or travels a considerable distance. For example, the sensor system output signal 5550 can be improved in a differential signal manner to improve noise immunity when the output signal is provided to the reading device 5660.

In other aspects, the magnetic sensors do not have to be placed at equal radial distances from the axis of symmetry, so their outputs are not necessarily equal, but can be properly processed to produce an effective target distance. It should be understood that any number of magnetic sensors can be used, used in groups or configurations, either in groups or in any suitable number.

Returning to Fig. 10, the ferromagnetic target 5555, once placed in front of the sensor system 5500, changes the magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, The magnetic flux density vector detected by the 5530 affects the output signal 5550. The distance 5560 between the target 5555 and the sensor system determines the value of the sensor system output signal 5550. The sensor system output signal 1550 will change due to changes in the magnetic flux introduced by one or more of the rulers attached to or integrated with the ferromagnetic target 5555.

The shape of magnetic source 5510 and ferromagnetic element 5505 can be modified to achieve a particular flux density pattern or form, or to optimize or otherwise improve sensor system output signal 5550 or distance 5560. For example, in some embodiments, at least one of ferromagnetic element 5505 and magnetic source 1510 is cylindrical, conical, cubic or other polyhedron, parabolic, or any other suitable shape. As mentioned earlier, any number of sensors can be used. Moreover, the sensor can have any suitable configuration to achieve a particular flux density pattern or to optimize the sensor system output signal 1550 or distance 1560.

The sensor system 5500 can be utilized within the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, such as through a wall of non-ferromagnetic material that can isolate the target rotor or ruler from the sensor system. The sensor system 5500 can be applied within an embodiment of a vacuum automation system. The sensor system 5500 is particularly suitable for use in all aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein to measure magnetic flux, interproximal, and ratio.

Referring again to FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A through 4D, it will be understood that in one aspect, the transport device 800 can include a Z-axis drive 800Z for positioning the robot arm along the central axis of rotation of the arm. Do linear movement. A bellows or other suitable seal 1699 can be provided to accommodate Relative axial movement (eg, vertical, Z-axis) between the at least one arm link and the frame, wherein the seal is on one side of the arm, and the drive motor 1602A, 1602B (eg, drive) is located The other side of the arm. It will be appreciated that this configuration allows the length of the stud 1610 to be independent or decoupled from the length of the z-axis travel provided by the Z-axis drive.

The sealing of the drive portion in the arm 810 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4C and 4D. As can be seen, the stators 1603A, 1603B are isolated from a vacuum environment in which the robotic arm operates in any suitable manner. In one aspect, the isolation can be achieved by using any suitable barrier, such as barrier 612. In other aspects, any suitable means of isolating the stators 1603A, 1603B can be used. The magnets 1604M of the rotors 1604A, 1604B can be isolated from the vacuum in any suitable manner. In one aspect, magnetic isolation can be achieved, for example, by a magnetic fluid seal 1670. In other aspects, any suitable magnetic isolation can be used to isolate the rotor magnet from the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates. In still other embodiments, a variable gap reluctance motor can be used to eliminate the need for magnets. Figure 4D is an illustrative diagram for sealing the position of the seal SL for the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates.

It should be noted that the drive motor disclosed herein can be applied to any suitable drive system, such as U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/175,278, filed on July 7, 2008, and on October 11, 2011. The disclosures of the entire disclosure of the entire disclosure of the entire disclosure of the entire disclosure of the entire disclosure of

Referring now to Figures 5A and 5B, in another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, a portion of an exemplary transport device 1799 is disclosed. The exemplary transport device is generally similar to the transport device 800 described above, wherein the transport device includes, for example, a frame, at least one or more shaftless drive portions, and a Z-axis motor that provides motion along the Z-axis. And at least one or more robot arms. The at least one or more drive portions can be mounted on the frame, such as a frame 840 at the shoulder axis of rotation X for rotating a linkage of a robotic arm to extend/retract the arms. The one or more drive portions can be further coupled to a Z-axis motor/drive system for moving the robot arm on the Z-axis in a direction generally perpendicular to the arm's extension/retraction axis R (Fig. 3) . The illustrative aspects of the embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B include at least two drive portions 1700A and 1700B and have two robotic arms 1720A, 1720B (which may be substantially similar to those depicted in Figure 3). The robotic arm, wherein the arm includes an upper arm 810, a forearm 820, and at least one end effector 830). In other aspects, the transport device 1799 can include more or less than two robotic arms and drive portions (eg, the transport device 1799 has at least one robotic arm and at least one drive portion). In one aspect, the drive portions 1700A, 1700B are disposed or distributed or "laminated" to the arms 1720A, 1720B such that one drive portion 1700A is disposed generally between the arms 1720A, 1720B and the other drive portion 1700B is The other side of the arm is disposed, for example, under the arm 1720B (or above the arm 1720A). In another aspect, the drive portions 1700A, 1700B are at least partially disposed within the respective arms 1720A, 1720B. In still another aspect, the two driving units 1700A and 1700B are both Provided between the arms 1720A, 1720B such that the drive portions 1700A, 1700B have a mirrored or inverted configuration with each other (eg, the drive portion 1700A is coupled to the arm from the bottom of the arm 1720A, and the drive portion 1700B is coupled from the top of the arm 1720B) To the arm). In other aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, other configurations are also possible, such as a structure having only one drive portion and one robot arm, or two or more drive portions having more than two robot arms, or An in-line architecture having a plurality of drivers disposed on the same plane of a robotic arm, or an architecture having one or more Z-axis drives, or any combination thereof. In still another aspect, any suitably constructed transport device is possible as long as the drive motors of Figures 5A and 5B are incorporated into the transport structure.

In this aspect, a post 1701 is secured to the frame 840. In one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the stud 1701 can be multi-segmented (see 1701A in Figure 5A), for example having different sections or locations that are coupled together. Different portions of the stud 1701A can be coupled together in any suitable manner. Any suitable seal, such as seal 1710, can be placed between different portions of the stud 1701A. In other aspects, the stud 1701 can have an integral one-piece construction or any other suitable architecture. The one or more robotic arms 1720A, 1720B are rotatably mounted on the fixed post 1701 in any suitable manner, such as described below. Each of the robot arms 1720A, 1720B can include its own drive portion including an inner rotor 1705A, 1705B, stators 1703A, 1703B, and an outer rotor 1704A, 1704B.

Inner rotors 1705A, 1705B can be movably movable in any suitable manner It is mounted on the fixed post 1701 so that the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B can freely rotate about the fixed post 1701. Inner rotors 1705A, 1705B are supported on mounting post 1701 in any suitable manner, such as through bearings 1702A, 1702B. In other aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, the bearings may be disposed at any other suitable location than shown in Figures 5A and 5B to support the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B. The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B are nested in the stators 1703A, 1703B such that the stators 1703A, 1703B are wrapped around or circumscribed around the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B (eg, concentric with the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B) and are positioned the same In plan, the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B are free to rotate about the fixed post 1701. The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B are configured to interface with the stator and include, for example, suitable interface components 1705A', 1705B', for example, to form a magnet that can serve as an interface between the inner rotor and the stator.

Referring again to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the stators 1703A, 1703B can also be coupled to the fixed post 1701 and are stationary relative to the fixed post 1701 in rotation. In one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the stators 1703A, 1703B can be coupled to the fixed post 1701 or the frame 840 (Fig. 3) in any suitable manner such that the stators 1703A, 1703B are rotated relative to the stationary post 1701 is fixed. Each of the stators 1703A, 1703B can be a multi-segment stator. For example, the stators 1703A, 1703B can be multi-stage, including two sets of individually actuatable windings. A section thereof, such as section A of stators 1703A, 1703B, is configured to drive inner rotors 1705A, 1705B. Other sections, such as stators 1703A, 1703B Section B is constructed to drive outer rotors 1704A, 1704B. Each section A, B can be sized to provide the torque required to rotate the respective arm link. For example, the stator section A can be larger than the stator section B to provide a torque sufficient to rotate the inner rotor 1705A, 1705B that is smaller than the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B (eg, the inner rotor and stator interface portions will have less than the outer rotor and The diameter of the joint of the stator). In other aspects, section B can be larger than section A, or sections A and B can have substantially the same dimensions. It should also be noted that in one aspect, the winding sections A, B can be constructed by nesting two sets of coils nested together. In other aspects, the coils of the inner and outer windings can be nested together as two components. Each of the segments A, B of the stators 1703A, 1703B is controlled by a controller, such as a controller 170, 400 that is configured to individually energize each segment A, B, thus each of the stators 1703A, 1703B Segments A and B can individually drive their corresponding inner and outer rotors (1705A, 1705B, and 1704A, 1704B, respectively). In other aspects, sections A, B of stators 1703A, 1703B are controlled by any suitable controller or controller to enable the associated inner and outer rotors to be driven together or together. In still another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the stators 1703A and 1703B are comprised of two separate stators (substantially corresponding to sections A and B), wherein the stator (eg, inner stator) is configured The energy nest is nested within another stator (e.g., the outer stator) such that the outer stator substantially surrounds the perimeter of the inner stator.

In one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B can extend generally around the fixed post 1701 and generally The periphery of the stators 1703A, 1703B is surrounded so that the stators 1703A, 1703B are substantially nested within the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B. The outer rotors 1704A, 1704B are further arranged to be freely rotatable about fixed stators 1703A, 1703B. The outer rotors 1704A, 1704B are supported on the fixed post 1701 in any suitable manner, such as using bearings 1702C, 1702D, and are free to rotate regardless of the fixed post 1701. In other aspects, outer rotors 1704A, 1704B have any suitable architecture and are mounted to any suitable structure of transport device 1799 for free rotation relative to fixed posts and/or stators 1703A, 1703B. The outer rotors 1704A, 1704B are structurally bound to the stator and include, for example, suitable interface components 1704A', 1704B', for example, to form a magnet that can serve as an interface between the outer rotor and the stator.

It should be noted that in one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the transitions described herein may use permanent magnets, but in other aspects, as previously described, the rotor may also be constructed to form a magnetoresistive type. Rotor or any other suitable rotor type. Other examples of a drive unit having a nested rotor and a stator can be found in U.S. Patent No. 7,891,935, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in In this article.

Still referring to Figures 5A and 5B, the two drive portions 1700A and 1700B are configured in a stacked configuration such that a drive portion is disposed about the shoulder axis X at the shoulder of the respective arm. As previously mentioned, the drive sections 1700A, 1700B and the arms 1720A, 1720B can be constructed to have any suitable number of degrees of freedom and any suitable architecture. In one aspect, the second The drive units 1700A and 1700B and the arms 1720A and 1720B are substantially similar to each other. Therefore, the drive units 1700A and 1700B will be described with respect to the drive unit 1700A of the arm 1720A. In one aspect, inner rotor 1705A can be coupled to, for example, a pulley 1707A in any suitable manner such that when inner rotor 1705A is rotated, pulley 1707A can rotate with inner rotor 1705A. The pulley 1707A can be integrally coupled to the inner rotor 1705A (i.e., form a one-piece construction with the rotor) or coupled to the inner rotor 1705A in any suitable manner. When the pulley 1707A is rotated, the pulley 1707A can be rotated by any suitable member 1709A to rotate another pulley 1712A disposed about the elbow axis EX of the elbow of the robot arm for rotating the forearm 820 (Fig. 3) relative to the upper arm 810. Outer rotor 1704A can be coupled to the upper arm in any suitable manner. In one aspect of the disclosed embodiment, the outer rotor 1704A is directly coupled to the upper arm such that when the outer rotor 1704A rotates, the upper arm rotates with the outer rotor 1704A. In another aspect, the outer rotor 1704A can be coupled to the upper arm through an arm interface (not shown) such that when the outer rotor 1704A rotates, the upper arm will rotate through the arm interface with the outer rotor 1704A. As previously mentioned, since the drive portions 1700A and 1700B are substantially similar, such an architecture can also be applied to the drive portion 1700B (see, for example, the inner rotor pulley 1707B, the transmission member 1709B, and the toggle pulley 1712B, and the outer rotor 1704B can be connected Up to the upper arm 810 of the arm 1720B for rotating the upper arm). In other aspects, any other suitable architecture may be employed.

Still referring to Figures 5A and 5B, the drive sections 1700A and 1700B can include any suitable sensor for use in a manner similar to that previously described. To track the rotation of the drive. For example, referring to the drive unit 1700A (the drive unit 1700B can be constructed in a similar manner), an encoder 1741A (see also the encoder 1741B of the drive unit 1700B) is provided to track the rotation of the inner rotor 1705A (or in the example of the drive unit 1700B). Tracking rotor 1705B), and a second encoder 1740A (see also encoder 1740B of drive unit 1700B) is configured to track the rotation of outer rotor 1704A (or track rotor 1704B in the example of drive portion 1700B). Encoders 1740A and 1741 are substantially similar to encoders 1640A, 1640B described above. These encoders can be placed at any suitable location or location within the transport device to enable tracking of the rotation and to construct any ruler that can be used, including but not limited to absolute rulers, incremental rulers, or any other suitable Ruler.

The drive units 1700A and 1700B may also be constructed to include an atmosphere/vacuum seal. For example, the stators 1703A, 1703B are isolated from a vacuum environment in which the robotic arm can operate in any suitable manner. For example, the isolation can be achieved by any suitable barrier, such as barriers 1711A, 1711B. In one aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the magnets 1705A', 1705B' of the inner rotor 1705A, 1705B can also be isolated from the vacuum environment in any suitable manner, such as as previously described. In another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, the magnets 1705A', 1705B' of the outer rotor 1704A, 1704B can also be isolated from the vacuum environment in any suitable manner, such as as previously described. For example, one of the means of isolating the magnets 1705A', 1705B', 1704A', and 1704B' may be magnetic fluid seals S1, S2, S3, and S4, similar to the seals previously described. In this In still another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, the disclosed drive section can also use a variable gap reluctance motor to eliminate the need for magnet use.

In the aspect of the disclosed embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B, only two degrees of freedom are revealed in the drive. However, in other aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is possible to provide additional stators and rotors (not shown) between the inner and outer rotors to allow the additional stators and rotors to be added to the robotic arms. The degree of freedom of use increases the degree of freedom within the drive. Any suitable number of stators and rotors can be placed concentrically and nested in a manner substantially similar to that previously described.

Referring now to Figure 6, a portion of a dual arm transport device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed embodiment is shown. It should be noted that the coupling between the drive motor and the arm (e.g., the manner of the arm drive) can be any suitable coupling, as described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,720,590, 5,899,658, and 5,813,823, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The full text is incorporated herein by reference. Figure 6 shows a vertically opposed SCARA arm architecture (forearm and end effectors are not shown, for clarity, represented by dashed squares 600, 601), such as November 10, 2011 application U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/ 293, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in the entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire Here, each arm 2000, 2001 is substantially similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 3, and includes a driving portion 2000D, 2001D (each having, for example, two motors, but in other aspects A motor comprising more or less than two), substantially similar to that described above for any one or more of Figures 4A-5B By. For example, in one aspect, the two driving portions 2000D, 2001D each have a common driving architecture (for example, the two driving portions are constructed in the manner described above for FIGS. 4A to 4D, or both driving portions are It is constructed in the manner described above for the 5A to 5B drawings). In another aspect, the driving portions 2000D, 2001D have different architectures (for example, one driving portion can be constructed in the manner described above for FIGS. 4A to 4D, and the other driving portion is directed to the fifth portion. The figure is constructed in the manner described in Figure 5B).

Figure 7 shows another dual SCAPA arm architecture, each of which 2010, 2011 (each of which is substantially similar to that previously described for Figure 3) includes a driver portion 2010D, 2011D (each having For example, two motors, but in other aspects may include more or less than two motors, substantially similar to those previously described for any one or more of Figures 4A-5B. In this aspect, the arms 2010, 2011 are constructed such that the forearms and end effectors (denoted by the dashed boxes 600, 601 for clarity) of each arm 2010, 2011 are located, for example, above the upper arm, but In other aspects, the forearm and end effectors are located on the underside of the respective upper arms.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9a, there is shown a portion of a transport robot arm having a dual arm configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed embodiment. Each arm 2020, 2021 is substantially similar to that previously described with respect to Figure 3, and includes two drive motors substantially similar to those previously described, except that in such a manner, the motors are not vertically Stacked together, but together placed in the same horizontal plane where the respective arm links are located. Figure 9 shows The structure of the single arm 2030 is substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 8; for example, in FIG. 8, the two arms 2020, 2021 are mounted on a common shaft 1801 and are rotatable about the shoulder axis X. However, in Fig. 9, only a single arm 2030 is mounted on the shaft 1801. In addition, the drive motor configurations of the arms 2020, 2021, and 2030 are substantially the same. As an example, the drive motors of arms 2020, 2021, 2030 will be described with respect to arm 2030. In this aspect, each of the drive motors 2030A, 2030B includes a stator 2030SA, 2030SB, and a rotor 2030RA, 2030RB, substantially similar to those previously described. It should be noted that in one aspect, the drive motors 2030A, 2030B may be variable reluctance motors so that no magnets are exposed to, for example, a vacuum environment for the transport robot to operate therein, and in addition, may be in any suitable manner Any suitable seal is provided to isolate the magnetic members of the rotor and/or stator. The stator 2030SA of the drive motor 2030A is fixed to the shaft 1801 so as to be fixed in rotation relative to, for example, the upper arm 810. The rotor 2030RA can be mounted and secured to the upper arm 810 in any suitable manner such that the upper arm 810 and the rotor 2030RA can rotate together (eg, when the stator 2030SA drives the rotor 2030RA to rotate about the shoulder axis X, the upper arm 810 can rotate with the rotor 2030RA) . The stator 2030SB of the drive motor 2030B can be fixedly mounted on the shaft 1900 located in the upper arm 810, so that the stator 2030SA is fixed in rotation relative to the shaft 1900. Rotor 2030RB can be mounted to upper arm 810 in any suitable manner for rotation about stator 2030SB. The rotor 2030RB can include an integrally formed pulley (or in other aspects, the pulley can be attached to the rotor in any suitable manner) Above), it connects rotor 2030RB to elbow pulley 1620 via any suitable transmission for driving front arm 820 (Fig. 3) for rotation in a manner substantially similar to that previously described. For example, the toggle pulley can be fixedly attached to the forearm 820 in any suitable manner such that when the toggle pulley 1620 is rotated, the forearm 820 can rotate therewith. In other aspects, the rotor 2030RB can drive the toggle pulley 1620 to rotate in any suitable manner. In still another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein, any suitable robotic arm architecture can be used. Examples of suitable robotic arms that can be used to administer the drive systems of the exemplary embodiments can be found in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/270,844, filed on Oct. 11, 2011, and on the /270,844, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, a substrate transport apparatus is provided. The substrate transport device includes a frame, at least one arm link rotatably coupled to the frame, and a shaftless drive. The shaftless drive unit includes a stacked drive motor that rotates the at least one arm link relative to the frame through a shaftless rod interface, each of the stacked drive motors including a stator having a stator coil. a fixed column fixed relative to the frame, and a rotor substantially surrounding the stator along the circumference such that the rotor is coupled to one of the at least one arm link and the at least one arm is connected Rotating the one of the levers relative to the frame to cause the at least one arm link to extend or retract, wherein the stacked drive motor is disposed on the at least one arm link such that at least a portion of each of the stators is located The at least one arm link is within a common arm link.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the shaftless drive portion is disposed generally within the at least one arm link.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the stator coil is isolated from the vacuum.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the substrate transport apparatus further includes a second drive portion at least partially disposed within the frame and configured to generally extend the at least one arm link The linear movement is made perpendicular to a direction including a plane in which the at least one arm link extends or retracts (for example, a vertical Z axis). Furthermore, the at least one arm link is coupled to the frame by a seal that permits relative axial movement (eg, a vertical Z-axis) between the at least one arm link and the frame, wherein the seal It is disposed on one side of the arm portion, and the second driving portion is located on the opposite side of the arm portion.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the at least one arm link includes an upper arm coupled to the frame, a forearm for rotation about a shoulder axis of rotation so as to be rotatable about an elbow axis Rotatingly coupled to the upper arm, and at least one substrate holder coupled to the forearm for rotation about a wrist axis of rotation, and the at least one drive motor includes at least two stacked drive motors, each of each The motor drives the upper arm and one of the forearms to rotate individually.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the at least one arm link includes an upper arm coupled to the frame, a forearm for rotation about a shoulder axis of rotation so as to be rotatable about an elbow axis Rotatingly coupled to the upper arm and at least one substrate holder for pivoting about a wrist A wire is rotatably coupled to the forearm, and the at least one drive motor includes at least three stacked drive motors, wherein each of the motors drives the upper arm, the forearm, and one of the at least one substrate holder to rotate individually.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the at least one arm link includes an upper arm coupled to the frame for rotation about a shoulder axis of rotation, and at least one substrate holder movably Mounted on the upper arm for linear movement along at least a portion of the length of the upper arm, and the at least one drive motor includes at least two stacked drive motors, wherein one of the at least two stacked drive motors can drive the upper arm Rotating, and the other of the at least two stacked drive motors can drive the individual of the at least one substrate holder to perform the linear movement.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the shaftless drive portion includes a seal for isolating the stator from an environment in which the at least one arm link operates. Furthermore, each rotor includes a magnet for interconnecting individual stators, wherein the drive portion includes a seal for isolating the magnet of the rotor from an environment in which the at least one arm link operates.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the height of the shaftless drive is decoupled from the Z-axis movement of the substrate transport.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport apparatus is provided. The substrate transport device includes a frame, at least one arm link rotatably coupled to the frame, and a shaftless distributed drive portion disposed substantially within the at least one arm link. The shaftless distributed drive unit includes at least two drive motors, wherein one of the at least two drive motors is coupled And the at least one arm link is rotated relative to the frame, and the at least two drive motors are disposed in the at least one arm link along a common horizontal plane.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, each of the at least two drive motors includes a stator and a rotor that substantially surrounds the stator.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the substrate transport apparatus further includes a second drive portion at least partially disposed within the frame and configured to generally extend the at least one arm link Linear movement is made perpendicular to a direction including a plane in which the at least one arm link extends or retracts.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport apparatus is provided. The substrate transport device includes a frame, at least one arm rotatably coupled to the frame, and having at least one upper arm and a forearm. The substrate transport device also includes a shaftless drive portion coupled to the frame. The shaftless drive unit includes at least one drive motor including a stator having at least two nested stator coils, an inner rotor surrounded by the stator substantially around, and an outer rotor, substantially along Surrounding the stator, the inner rotor is coupled to the forearm for rotating the forearm, and the outer rotor is coupled to the upper arm for rotating the upper arm.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the substrate transport apparatus includes a second drive portion at least partially disposed within the frame and configured to vertically extend the at least one arm link Linear movement is made in a direction including a plane in which the at least one arm link extends or retracts.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein. A person skilled in the art can devise various alternatives and modifications without departing from the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and variations in the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the different features defined in the different subordinate or independent items do not necessarily mean that the features are not advantageously combined, and such combinations are still within the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

A substrate transporting apparatus comprising: a frame; at least one arm link rotatably coupled to the frame; and a driving portion coupled to the frame to drive the at least one arm link and including a stacked drive motor, the stacked drive Each of the motors has a housing, a motor stator mounted to the housing, a motor rotor, at least partially disposed within the housing, and a stator seal disposed between the motor stator and the motor rotor The motor rotor is interfaced with a surface of the sealed casing facing the motor rotor to seal the motor stator from the motor rotor; wherein the stacked drive motors are placed against each other and stacked with each individual stack The sealed outer casing surface bounded by the stacked stator seals of the drive motor together form a substantially continuous sealing interface of the stacked drive motor by the stacked stator seals between the motor rotor and the motor stator A continuous barrier seal is formed. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the driving portion is coupled to the at least one arm link. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the motor stator is isolated from the vacuum. The substrate transport device of claim 1, further comprising a second driving portion at least partially disposed in the frame and configured to extend or retract substantially perpendicular to the at least one arm link The at least one arm link is linearly moved in the direction of the plane of the direction. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link is coupled to the frame by a seal, the seal being configured to receive a relative axial direction between the at least one arm link and the frame Movement wherein the seal is on one side of the arm and the drive is on the opposite side of the arm. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link comprises an upper arm rotatably coupled to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis; the forearm being rotatably coupled to the upper arm about an axis of rotation of the elbow; And at least one substrate holder rotatably coupled to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation, and the stacked drive motor includes a two-layer drive motor, wherein each of the stacked drive motors drives the upper arm and the forearm Rotate. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link comprises an upper arm rotatably coupled to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis; the forearm being rotatably coupled to the upper arm about an axis of rotation of the elbow; And at least one substrate holder rotatably coupled to the forearm about a wrist axis of rotation; and the stacked drive motor includes at least two stacked drive motors, wherein each of the stacked drive motors drives the upper arm, the forearm And rotating the individual of the at least one substrate holder. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link comprises An upper arm rotatably coupled to the frame about a shoulder axis of rotation; and at least one substrate holder movably mounted to the upper arm for linear movement along at least a portion of the length of the upper arm; and the stacked drive The motor includes at least two stacked drive motors, wherein one of the at least two stacked drive motors drives the upper arm to rotate, and the other of the at least two stacked drive motors drives the individual of the at least one substrate holder Perform a linear movement. The substrate transport device of claim 1, further comprising an encoder connected to each of the stacked drive motors, the encoder comprising a sensor system and at least one ruler, the sensor system Provided in the outer casing, the rule is integrated into the motor rotor of the individual of the stacked drive motors such that an interface plane between the sensor system and the ruler is opposite to the motor stator and the stacked drive The interface plane between the motor rotors of the individual of the motor forms an angle. A sealing actuator comprising: a stacked motor module, each stacked motor module having a motor module housing, a motor stator attached to an individual motor module housing, a motor rotor, communicating with an individual motor stator, And a stator seal disposed between the motor stator and the motor rotor to surround the motor rotor and interface with an individual sealed outer casing surface of the motor module housing facing the motor rotor; wherein the motor module housings abut each other The sealed housing that is stacked and overlapped with the individual stacked stator seals of the motor module housing The surface forms a substantially continuous sealing interface of the stacked motor module sealed by the stacked stator seal to form a continuous barrier seal between the motor rotor and the motor stator. A sealing actuator according to claim 10, wherein the motor stator of each of the motor modules is isolated from the vacuum.