164 patents
Page 2 of 9
Utility
Substrate Processing Apparatus
16 Jun 22
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm having an end effector and being configured to extend and retract along a first axis, a second SCARA arm having an end effector and being configured to extend and retract along a second axis, a drive section including a splitting drive pulley rotatably mounted to rotate at an axis of rotation of the drive section that is shared by the first and second SCARA arms, the splitting drive pulley being coupled to at least two idler pulleys by respective segmented transmission loops of separate band segments so that the splitting drive pulley is a common pulley splitting one degree of freedom of the drive section between the at least two idler pulleys so as to commonly drive the at least two idler pulleys, wherein at least one band of each respective transmission loop share a common band interface level.
Vincent W. TSANG, Charles W. SU
Filed: 8 Mar 22
Utility
Capping And De-Capping Apparatus And A Method Of Operating Such An Apparatus
9 Jun 22
A capping and de-capping apparatus for capping and de-capping tubes disposed in a tube holding rack having a two-dimensional array of apertures for holding the tubes.
Lars Weber Hovendahl, Michael Gabs Kaagaard Nielsen, Stig Christensen
Filed: 3 Feb 22
Utility
Semiconductor wafer handling and transport
7 Jun 22
A substrate processing system including at least two vertically stacked transport chambers, each of the vertically stacked transport chambers including a plurality of openings arranged to form vertical stacks of openings configured for coupling to vertically stacked process modules, at least one of the vertically stacked transport chambers includes at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form a linear transport chamber and another of the at least two stacked transport chambers including at least one transport chamber module arranged for coupling to another transport chamber module to form another linear transport chamber, and a transport robot disposed in each of the transport chamber modules, where a joint of the transport robot is locationally fixed along a linear path formed by the respective linear transport chamber.
Robert T. Caveney
Filed: 25 Mar 19
Utility
Substrate Processing Apparatus
2 Jun 22
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.
Robert T. CAVENEY, Jayaraman Krishnasamy, Ulysses Gilchrist, Mitchell Drew, Jairo Moura
Filed: 7 Dec 21
Utility
Method and Apparatus for Substrate Transport Apparatus Position Compensation
2 Jun 22
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.
Jairo T. MOURA, Robert T. CAVENEY, Bing ` YIN, Nathan SPIKER, Vincent W. TSANG
Filed: 15 Feb 22
Utility
Substrate Processing Apparatus
26 May 22
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a SCARA arm mounted to the frame at a shoulder joint having two links with at least one end effector dependent therefrom, the links defining an upper arm and a forearm, each end effector pivotally joined to the forearm at a wrist to rotate about a wrist axis, and a drive section with at least one degree of freedom operably coupled to the arm to rotate the arm about a shoulder axis articulating extension and retraction, wherein the end effector is coupled to a wrist joint pulley so that extension and retraction effects rotation of the pulley and end effector as a unit about the wrist axis, and wherein a height of the end effector is within a stack height profile of the wrist joint so that a total stack height is sized to conform with and pass through a pass-through of a slot valve.
Vincent W. Tsang, Robert T. Caveney
Filed: 7 Dec 21
Utility
Method and apparatus for health assessment of a transport apparatus
24 May 22
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 (CpkBase) 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 (CpkOther) 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 (CpkBase) 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.
Aaron Gawlik, Jairo T. Moura
Filed: 24 Nov 20
Utility
Test tube capping and de-capping apparatus
17 May 22
An apparatus (100) for automated capping and de-capping of test tubes (112) having an ejector pin (230) system for individualized cap (113) ejection.
Stig Christensen, Lars Hovendahl, Michael Gabs Kaagaard Nielsen
Filed: 26 Feb 19
Utility
Automated Sample Storage System Having Storage Consumable with Sub-optimal Storage Density
28 Apr 22
An automated sample specimen storage system including a tube holding microplate including a plate frame, a predetermined array of tube holding receptacles formed in the plate frame, the receptacles having a SBS standard pitch corresponding to the predetermined array, and being configured for holding therein sample store and transport tubes, each disposed so as to contain sample specimen in a sample storage of the storage system and to effect, with the sample tube, delivery from the sample storage to a workstation, the predetermined array of receptacles defining a volume capacity of the tube holding microplate, and each of the receptacles being shaped to conformally engage walls of the sample tubes and hold a respective one of the sample store and transport tubes, wherein the receptacles are arranged so that the tube holding microplate volume capacity defined by the predetermined array is an under optimum volume capacity.
Etienne CROQUETTE, Robin GRIMWOOD, David Andrew HARDING, Chris WALSH
Filed: 2 Nov 21
Utility
Compact Direct Drive Spindle
14 Apr 22
A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame and a shaftless drive section.
Robert T. CAVENEY
Filed: 7 Sep 21
Utility
Method and apparatus for substrate alignment
5 Apr 22
A semiconductor wafer transport apparatus having a transport arm and at least one end effector.
Caspar Hansen
Filed: 13 Sep 19
Utility
Automated Vault Module
31 Mar 22
Cryogenic storage system provides automated storage and retrieval of samples in a cryogenic environment, as well as automated transfer of individual samples between cryogenic environments.
Etienne Croquette, Matteo F. Salvetti, Rhett Affleck
Filed: 7 Dec 21
Utility
Substrate transport apparatus
15 Mar 22
A transport apparatus including a drive section connected to a frame and including a multi-drive shaft spindle, with a coaxial shaft spindle, at least one interchangeable composite motor module of more than one different interchangeable motor modules arranged in a series, each having a motor operably coupled thereto and defining a corresponding independent drive axis, and a can seal disposed between the stator and rotor of each motor module at least one of the motor modules is selectable, for coupling to the coaxial shaft spindle, from other different interchangeable composite motor modules, each having a different predetermined characteristic, independent of coupling to the coaxial shaft spindle, that defines a different predetermined drive characteristic of one or more of the corresponding drive axis, independent of shaft spindle location, so that selection of the at least one composite motor module determines the different predetermined drive characteristic of the coaxial shaft spindle.
Robert T. Caveney
Filed: 18 Aug 20
Utility
Substrate transport apparatus
15 Mar 22
A transport apparatus including a frame, a drive section connected to the frame, the drive section having at least one drive axis, at least one arm having an end effector configured for holding a substrate, the at least one arm being connected to the drive section by a transmission link and having at least one degree of freedom axis effecting extension and retraction of the end effector with respect to the at least one arm, and a bearing connected to the frame and the end effector, the bearing defining a guideway that defines the at least one degree of freedom axis.
Robert T. Caveney
Filed: 16 Jan 15
Utility
Substrate processing apparatus
8 Mar 22
A substrate processing apparatus including a frame, a first SCARA arm having an end effector and being configured to extend and retract along a first axis, a second SCARA arm having an end effector and being configured to extend and retract along a second axis, a drive section including a splitting drive pulley rotatably mounted to rotate at an axis of rotation of the drive section that is shared by the first and second SCARA arms, the splitting drive pulley being coupled to at least two idler pulleys by respective segmented transmission loops of separate band segments so that the splitting drive pulley is a common pulley splitting one degree of freedom of the drive section between the at least two idler pulleys so as to commonly drive the at least two idler pulleys, wherein at least one band of each respective transmission loop share a common band interface level.
Vincent W. Tsang, Charles W. Su
Filed: 27 Jun 17
Utility
Cryogenic freezer
8 Mar 22
Mounting hardware is installed to a cryogenic storage device to accommodate an automation system for automated storage and retrieval.
Robert T. Caveney, Frank Hunt, Lingchen Sun, Julian D. Warhurst, Bruce S. Zandi, Jeffrey S. Brooks
Filed: 23 Sep 19
Utility
Capping and de-capping apparatus and a method of operating such an apparatus
8 Mar 22
A capping and de-capping apparatus (100) for capping and de-capping tubes (112) disposed in a tube holding rack (111) having a two-dimensional array of apertures (114) for holding the tubes (112).
Lars Weber Hovendahl, Michael Nielsen, Stig Christensen
Filed: 5 Feb 18
Utility
Automated Teach Apparatus for Robotic Systems and Method Therefor
24 Feb 22
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.
Justo GRACIANO, Helen HWANG, Erick PASTOR
Filed: 29 Jun 21
Utility
Dual arm robot
22 Feb 22
A robot assembly for transporting a substrate is presented.
Izya Kremerman
Filed: 24 Jul 18
Utility
Method and apparatus for substrate transport apparatus position compensation
15 Feb 22
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.
Jairo T. Moura, Robert T. Caveney, Bing Yin, Nathan Spiker, Vincent W. Tsang
Filed: 12 May 20