Applied Materials, Inc.

Ametek, Inc.

Summagraphics Corporation

Parnell, James A.

Johnson, Robert A.

Freeman, Marvin L.

Silverberg, Eric

Marvin L Freeman

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Jason M Schaller

Damon Keith Cox

Michael Robert Rice

William Tyler Weaver

Robert Brent Vopat

Satish Sundar

Jacob Newman

Andrew J Constant

Sekar Krishnasamy

Malcolm N Daniel, Jr

Rinat Shimshi

Mohsin Waqar

Dinesh Kanawade

Stephen Hickerson

Chris Holt Pencis

Donald J Foldenauer

Mordechai Leska

Jeffery Hudgens

Vijay Sakhare

David A Van Gogh

Robert A Johnson

Jeffrey Allen Brodine

Gregory John Freeman

James A Parnell

Charles D Zinsmeyer

Adam Christopher Cranmer

Eric Silverberg

An electronic device manufacturing system includes a motion control system for calibrating a gap between surfaces of process chamber or loadlock components by moving those component surfaces into direct contact with each other. The component surfaces may include a surface of a substrate and/or a substrate support and a surface of process delivery apparatus, which may be, e.g., a pattern mask and/or a plasma or gas distribution assembly. The motion control system may include a motion controller, a software program executable by the motion controller, a network, one or more actuator drivers, a software program executable by the one or more actuator drivers, one or more actuators, and one or more feedback devices. Methods of calibrating a gap via direct contact of process chamber or loadlock component surfaces are also provided, as are other aspects.

Systems and methods of gap calibration via direct component contact in electronic device manufacturing systems

Electronic device processing systems may include a mainframe housing having a transfer chamber, a first carousel assembly, a second carousel assembly, a first load lock, a second load lock, and a robot adapted to operate in the transfer chamber to exchange substrates between the first and second carousels and the first and second load locks. The robot may include first and second end effectors operable to extend and/or retract simultaneously or sequentially along substantially co-parallel lines of action. Methods and multi-axis robots for transporting substrates are described, as are numerous other aspects.

Substrate deposition systems, robot transfer apparatus, and methods for electronic device manufacturing

Methods of correcting positional misalignment of blades in robots, such as dual-bladed robots, are described. The methods include, in one or more embodiments, a robot including moveable arms and an end effector attached to one of the moveable arms, a flag disposed on one of the moveable arms or the end effector, a chamber adapted to be serviced by the end effector, a beam sensor positioned at a distance from the chamber, and correcting misalignment of the end effector wherein the misalignment occurs between an initial linear center-finding location and the estimated center of the chamber. Systems of such electronic device calibration are also disclosed. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Methods and systems providing misalignment correction in robots

A wafer handling system may include upper and lower linked robot arms that may move a wafer along a nonlinear trajectory between chambers of a semiconductor processing system. These features may result in a smaller footprint in which the semiconductor processing system may operate, smaller transfer chambers, smaller openings in process chambers, and smaller slit valves, while maintaining high wafer throughput. In some embodiments, simultaneous fast wafer swaps between two separate chambers, such as load locks and ALD (atomic layer deposition) carousels, may be provided. Methods of wafer handling are also provided, as are other aspects.

Wafer handling systems and methods

Described herein is a method and apparatus for performing calibrations on robotic components. In one embodiment, a method for performing robotic calibrations includes moving the calibrating device across a target (e.g., a wafer chuck). Next, the method includes measuring distances between light spots from the sensors and a perimeter of the target using the sensors located on the calibrating device. Next, the method includes determining a displacement of the calibrating device relative to a center of the target. Then, the method includes determining a rotation angle of the calibrating device relative to a system of coordinates of the target. Next, the method includes calibrating a robot position of the robot based on the displacement and rotation angle of the calibrating device with respect to the target.

Method and apparatus for robot calibrations with a calibrating device

Digit-mounted hair styling tool

Methods and apparatus are provided for the use of a dual Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) robot. In some embodiments two SCARAs are provided, each including an elbow joint, wherein the two SCARAs are vertically stacked such that one SCARA is a first arm and the other SCARA is a second arm, and wherein the second arm is adapted to support a first substrate, and the first arm is adapted to extend to a full length when the second arm supports the first substrate, and wherein the first substrate supported by the second arm is coplanar with the elbow joint of the first arm, and the second arm is further adapted to move concurrently in parallel (and/or in a coordinated fashion) with the first arm a sufficient amount to avoid interference between the first substrate and the elbow joint of the first arm. Numerous other embodiments are provided.

Methods and apparatus for extending the reach of a dual scara robot linkage

Generally, a method of determining a position of a robot is provided. In one embodiment, a method of determining a position of a robot comprises acquiring a first set of positional metrics, acquiring a second set of positional metrics and resolving the position of the robot due to thermal expansion using the first set and the second set of positional metrics. Acquiring the first and second set of positional metrics may occur at the same location within a processing system, or may occur at different locations. For example, in another embodiment, the method may comprise acquiring a first set of positional metrics at a first location proximate a processing chamber and acquiring a second set of positional metrics in another location. In another embodiment, substrate center information is corrected using the determined position of the robot.

Method for determining a position of a robot

Method and apparatus are disclosed for determining the diameter of sheet material wound on a reel, and for setting the tension on sheet material as it is wound on the reel. According to one embodiment, the diameter of a take-up reel including sheet material wound thereon is determined from the angle of rotation or instantaneous angular speed of the take-up reel, and movement of the sheet material as obtained from rotation of a circular element such as a drive roller in a pinch roller drive system which rotates in proportional to sheet material movement. In another embodiment, the diameter of a reel in a reel-to-reel transport system is determined from the angles of rotation or instantaneous angular speeds of the supply and take-up reels, the total amount of sheet material in the system, and the packing factor of the sheet material rewound on the take-up reel. The diameter determination may then be used to set the torque of the drive motor for the take-up reel, and thereby the tension on the sheet material during winding.

Method and apparatus for gauging reel diameters in a reel-to-reel sheet

A plotter having the capability of unattended operation incorporates several innovations. An X-axis dual motor drive mechanism moves the plotting chart through the plotter using two independently controlled motors driving respective individual friction drives at either side of the chart. An automatic chart alignment mechanism aligns the chart with the plotter X-axis using the X-axis dual motor drive for swiveling of the chart as necessary and a sensor to detect and correct the position of the chart. A chart cutting mechanism allows chart stock supplied in roll form to be cut to a desired length for a plot using a knife assembly carried by the pen carriage like a pen. A cut chart handling mechanism enables cut charts to be retrieved and neatly stored.

Plotter and aligning method

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Marvin L Freeman