Brooks Automation Gmbh

Brooks Automation US, LLC

Jairo Terra Moura

Ulysses Gilchrist

Robert T Caveney

Martin Hosek

Aaron Gawlik

Jayaraman Krishnasamy

Nathan Spiker

Reza Saeidpourazar

Christopher A Hofmeister

Vincent W Tsang

Matthew W Coady

Mitchell A Drew

Roumen Botev

Bing Yin

Jay Krishnasamy

Todd E Bottomley

Mark Ives

Stuart Beale

Branden Gunn

Dana L Atwood

Jeff Paranay

Daniel Babbs

Robert Chris May

Hakan Elmali

Karanjit Saini

Mitchell Drew

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.

Substrate processing apparatus

A linear electrical machine including a frame with a level reference plane, an array of electromagnets connected to the frame and 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, and a controller operably coupled to the array of electromagnets and the alternating current power source and configured so as to sequentially excite the electromagnets with multiphase alternating current with a predetermined excitation characteristic so that each reaction platen is levitated and propelled with up to six degrees of freedom.

A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a first radial axis; a second SCARA arm connected to the frame, including an end effector, configured to extend and retract along a second radial axis, the SCARA arms having a common shoulder axis of rotation; and a drive section coupled to the SCARA arms is configured to independently extend each SCARA arm along a respective radial axis and rotate each SCARA arm about the common shoulder axis of rotation where the first radial axis is angled relative to the second radial axis and the end effector of a respective arm is aligned with a respective radial axis, wherein each end effector is configured to hold at least one substrate and the end effectors are located on a common transfer plane.

A substrate transport empiric arm droop mapping apparatus for a substrate transport system of a processing tool, the mapping apparatus including a frame, an interface disposed on the frame forming datum features representative of a substrate transport space in the processing tool defined by the substrate transport system, a substrate transport arm, that is articulated and has a substrate holder, mounted to the frame in a predetermined relation to at least one of the datum features, and a registration system disposed with respect to the substrate transport arm and at least one datum feature so that the registration system registers, in an arm droop distance register, empiric arm droop distance, due to arm droop changes, between a first arm position and a second arm position different than the first arm position and in which the substrate holder is moved in the transport space along at least one axis of motion.

Method and apparatus for substrate transport apparatus position compensation

A transport apparatus comprising a housing, a variable reluctance drive mounted to the housing, and at least one transport arm connected to the variable reluctance drive where the drive includes at least one rotor having salient poles of magnetic permeable material and disposed in an isolated environment, at least one stator having salient pole structures each defining a salient pole with corresponding coil units coiled around the respective salient pole structure and disposed outside the isolated environment where the at least one salient pole of the at least one stator and the at least one salient pole of the rotor form a closed magnetic flux circuit between the at least one rotor and the at least one stator, at least one seal partition configured to isolate the isolated environment; and at least one sensor including a magnetic sensor member connected to the housing, at least one sensor track connected to the at least one rotor, where the at least one seal partition is disposed between and separates the magnetic sensor member and the at least one sensor track so that the at least one sensor track is disposed in the isolated environment and the magnetic sensor member is disposed outside the isolated environment.

Position feedback for sealed environments

A substrate transport apparatus auto-teach system for auto-teaching a substrate station location, the system including a frame, a substrate transport connected to the frame, the substrate transport having an end effector configured to support a substrate, and a controller configured to move the substrate transport so that the substrate transport biases the substrate supported on the end effector against a substrate station feature causing a change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector, determine the change in eccentricity, and determine the substrate station location based on at least the change in eccentricity between the substrate and the end effector.

Tool auto-teach method and apparatus

A variable reluctance motor load mapping apparatus includes a frame, an interface disposed on the frame configured for mounting a variable reluctance motor, a static load cell mounted to the frame and coupled to the variable reluctance motor, and a controller communicably coupled to the static load cell and the variable reluctance motor, the controller being configured to select at least one motor phase of the variable reluctance motor, energize the at least one motor phase, and receive motor operational data from at least the static load cell for mapping and generating an array of motor operational data look up tables.

Method and apparatus for brushless electrical machine control

A substrate transport apparatus includes a transport chamber, a drive section, a robot arm, an imaging system with a camera mounted through a mounting interface of the drive section in a predetermined location with respect to the transport chamber and disposed to image part of the arm, and a controller connected to the imaging system and configured to image, with the camera, the arm moving to or in the predetermined location, the controller effecting capture of a first image of the arm on registry of the arm proximate to or in the predetermined location, the controller is configured to calculate a positional variance of the arm from comparison of the first image with a calibration image of the arm, and determine a motion compensation factor changing an extended position of the arm. Each camera effecting capture of the first image is disposed inside the perimeter of the mounting interface.

Robot embedded vision apparatus

A transport apparatus including a housing, a drive mounted to the housing, and at least one transport arm connected to the drive where the drive includes at least one rotor having at least one salient pole of magnetic permeable material and disposed in an isolated environment, at least one stator having at least one salient pole with corresponding coil units and disposed outside the isolated environment, where the at least one salient pole of the at least one stator and the at least one salient pole of the rotor form a closed magnetic flux circuit between the at least one rotor and the at least one stator, and at least one seal configured to isolate the isolated environment where the at least one seal is integral to the at least one stator.

Sealed robot drive

A 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) 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) 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) 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.

Method and apparatus for health assessment of a transport apparatus

Substrate processing apparatus including a wafer transport apparatus with a transport arm including an end effector, an arm pose deterministic feature integral to the substrate transport apparatus and disposed so that a static detection sensor of the substrate processing apparatus detects at least one edge of the at least one arm pose deterministic feature on the fly with radial motion of the transport arm, and a controller configured so that detection of the edge effects a determination of a proportion factor identifying at least a thermal expansion variance of the transport arm on the fly and includes a kinematic effects resolver configured to determine, from the detection of the edge on the fly, a discrete relation between the determined proportion factor and each different discrete variance respective to each different link of the transport arm determining at least the thermal expansion variance of the transport arm on the fly.

On the fly automatic wafer centering method and apparatus

A semiconductor process transport apparatus including a drive section with at least one motor, an articulated arm coupled to the drive section for driving articulation motion, a machine controller coupled to the drive section to control the at least one motor moving the articulated arm from one location to a different location, and an adapter pendant having a machine controller interface coupling the adapter pendant for input/output with the machine controller, the adapter pendant having another interface, configured for connecting a fungible smart mobile device having predetermined resident user operable device functionality characteristics, wherein the other interface has a connectivity configuration so mating of the fungible smart mobile device with the other interface automatically enables configuration of at least one of the resident user operable device functionality characteristics to define an input/output to the machine controller effecting input commands and output signals for motion control of the articulated arm.

Transport apparatus and adapter pendant

A substrate aligner providing minimal substrate transporter extend and retract motions to quickly align substrate without back side damage while increasing the throughput of substrate processing. In one embodiment, the aligner having an inverted chuck connected to a frame with a substrate transfer system capable of transferring substrate from chuck to transporter without rotationally repositioning substrate. The inverted chuck eliminates aligner obstruction of substrate fiducials and along with the transfer system, allows transporter to remain within the frame during alignment. In another embodiment, the aligner has a rotatable sensor head connected to a frame and a substrate support with transparent rest pads for supporting the substrate during alignment so transporter can remain within the frame during alignment. Substrate alignment is performed independent of fiducial placement on support pads. In other embodiments the substrate support employs a buffer system for buffering substrate inside the apparatus allowing for fast swapping of substrates.

Growing community of inventors

Marlboro, MA, United States of America

Jairo Terra Moura