164 patents
Page 3 of 9
Utility
Substrate transport apparatus
1 Feb 22
A substrate transport apparatus comprising a frame, a drive section connected to the frame, and an articulated arm having at least one articulated arm link operably connected to the drive section so that the articulated arm rotates about a pivot axis relative to the frame and extends and retracts relative to the pivot axis.
Daniel Babbs, Vincent W. Tsang, Robert C. May
Filed: 22 Jan 21
Utility
Tube sealer
23 Nov 21
A device for sealing sample tubes comprises a tool assembly configured to interface with a rack holding a plurality of sample storage tubes, the tool assembly holding a plurality of punches and a die plate including a plurality of cutting holes, with each of the plurality of cutting holes accepting one of the plurality of punches.
Beat Reuteler
Filed: 23 Dec 20
Utility
Method and apparatus for brushless electrical machine control
23 Nov 21
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.
Jairo T. Moura, Nathan Spiker, Aaron Gawlik, Jayaraman Krishnasamy
Filed: 18 Feb 20
Utility
Automated system for storing, retrieving and managing samples
16 Nov 21
An automated storage system for storing large quantities of samples in trays includes a storage compartment, a tray shuttle compartment abutting the storage compartment on one side and a plurality of independent modules on the other side.
Robert K. Neeper, Rhett L. Affleck, John E. Lillig
Filed: 30 Jun 20
Utility
Tray Engine and Methods for Transferring Trays to and From Tools and in Sorters
11 Nov 21
A tray engine includes a vertical drive column, a rotation mechanism for rotating the vertical drive column, and an end effector attached to the vertical drive column.
Anthony C. Bonora, Brian Compian, Jeff P. Henderson, Robert W. Carlson
Filed: 22 Jul 21
Utility
Cleaning systems and methods for semiconductor substrate storage articles
9 Nov 21
Provided are methods and systems for cleaning various semiconductor substrate storage articles, in particular, FOUP doors.
Lutz Rebstock
Filed: 31 Aug 18
Utility
Automated sample storage system having storage consumable with sub-optimal storage density
2 Nov 21
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: 19 Nov 19
Utility
Robot embedded vision apparatus
2 Nov 21
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.
Jairo Terra Moura
Filed: 29 Jul 20
Utility
Semiconductor cleaner systems and methods
19 Oct 21
An EUV cleaner system and process for cleaning a EUV carrier.
Lutz Rebstock
Filed: 9 Oct 18
Utility
on the Fly Automatic Wafer Centering Method and Apparatus
30 Sep 21
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.
Bing YIN, Jairo MOURA, Vincent TSANG, Aaron GAWLIK, Nathan SPIKER
Filed: 13 Apr 21
Utility
Load Port Module
23 Sep 21
Substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect the substrate loading device to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the substrate loading device and the substrate processing apparatus, a cassette support connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate cassette container for transfer of substrates to and from the at least one substrate cassette container through the transport opening, and selectably variable cassette support purge ports with a variable purge port nozzle outlet, variable between more than one selectable predetermined purge port nozzle characteristics, disposed on the cassette support, each of the more than one purge port nozzle characteristics being configured so that the purge port nozzle outlet with each selected predetermined purge port nozzle characteristic complements and couples to at least one purge port of the at least one substrate cassette container.
Radik Sunugatov, Robert Carlson
Filed: 8 Jun 21
Utility
Substrate Transport Apparatus with Independent Accessory Feedthrough
23 Sep 21
A substrate transport apparatus including; a frame, a substrate transport arm connected to the frame, the substrate transport arm having an end effector, and a drive section having at least one motor coupled to the substrate transport arm, wherein the at least one motor defines a kinematic portion of the drive section configured to effect kinematic motion of the substrate transport arm, and the drive section includes an accessory portion adjacent the kinematic portion, wherein the accessory portion has another motor, different and distinct from the at least one motor, the another motor of the accessory portion is operably coupled to and configured to drive one or more accessory device independent of the kinematic motion of the substrate transport arm.
Sean E. PLAISTED, Leigh F. SHARROCK, Chris AITKEN
Filed: 1 Jun 21
Utility
Substrate transport
14 Sep 21
A substrate transport system includes a carrier having a housing forming an interior environment having an opening for holding at least one substrate and a door for sealing the opening from an outside atmosphere where when sealed the interior environment is configured to maintain an interior atmosphere therein, the housing including a fluid reservoir exterior to the interior environment and configured to contain a fluid, forming a different atmosphere in the fluid reservoir than the interior atmosphere, to form a fluidic barrier seal that seals the interior environment from an environment exterior to the carrier.
Daniel Babbs, Robert T. Caveney, Robert C. May, Krzysztof A. Majczak
Filed: 27 Aug 19
Utility
Load port module
14 Sep 21
A substrate loading device having a frame, a cassette support, and a user interface.
Daniel A. Hall, Glenn L. Sindledecker, Matthew W. Coady, Marcello Trolio, Michael Spinazola
Filed: 29 Aug 14
Utility
Compact direct drive spindle
7 Sep 21
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: 3 Dec 19
Utility
Semiconductor stocker systems and methods
31 Aug 21
In an embodiment, the present invention discloses cleaned storage processes and systems for high level cleanliness articles, such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle carriers.
Lutz Rebstock
Filed: 2 Oct 18
Utility
Substrate Process Apparatus
26 Aug 21
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.
Jairo T. MOURA, Roumen Botev
Filed: 19 Feb 21
Utility
Substrate Processing Apparatus
19 Aug 21
A substrate transport apparatus comprising a support frame an articulated arm connected to the support frame, having at least one movable arm link and an end effector connected to the movable arm link, with a substrate holding station located thereon.
Christopher BUSSIERE, Kevin M. BOURBEAU, Emilien Joseph Claude AUDERBRAND, Joseph M. HALLISEY
Filed: 4 Feb 21
Utility
Load Port Module
12 Aug 21
A substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported to the processing apparatus, a cassette support connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate cassette container proximate the transport opening, the support configured so that a sealed internal atmosphere of the container is accessed from the support at predetermined access locations of the container, and the cassette support has a predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region, determined at least in part by boundaries of fluid flow generating differential pressure, so that the predetermined continuous steady state differential pressure plenum region defines a continuously steady state fluidic flow isolation barrier disposed on the support between the predetermined access locations of the container and another predetermined section of the support isolating the other predetermined section from the predetermined access locations.
Radik Sunugatov, Robert Carlson, Mike Krolak
Filed: 16 Feb 21
Utility
Automatic wafer centering method and apparatus
10 Aug 21
A substrate transport apparatus including a transport chamber, a drive section, a robot arm having an end effector at a distal end configured to support a substrate and being connected to the drive section generating at least arm motion in a radial direction extending and retracting the arm, an imaging system with a camera mounted in a predetermined location to image at least part of the robot arm, and a controller connected to the imaging system to image the arm moving to a predetermined repeatable position, the controller effecting capture of a first image of the robot arm proximate to the repeatable position decoupled from encoder data of the drive axis, wherein the controller calculates a positional variance of the robot arm from comparison of the first image with a calibration image, and from the positional variance determines a motion compensation factor changing the extended position of the robot arm.
Alexander Krupyshev, Leigh F. Sharrock
Filed: 25 Jan 19