Substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

A transfer apparatus for transporting substrates in a transfer chamber having a first and second ends and two sides extending between the ends. The transfer apparatus includes a drive section, at least one base arm fixed at one end with respect to the transfer chamber and including at least one arm link rotatably coupled to the drive section and at least one transfer arm rotatably coupled to a common end of the base arm, the at least one transfer arm has two end effectors. The drive section has motors with three independent axes of rotation defining three degrees of freedom. One degree of freedom moves the at least one base arm horizontally for transporting the at least one transfer arm and two degrees of freedom drives the at least one transfer arm to extend and retract the at least one transfer arm and swap the two end effectors.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
 a transport chamber having at least one lateral side, the at least one lateral side having at least two substrate transport ports arranged side by side;   a drive section connected to the chamber, the drive section having motors with three independent axes of rotation; and   a substrate transport apparatus mounted inside the transport chamber, the substrate transport apparatus including
 a base arm link being operably coupled to the drive section and having an axis of rotation disposed at one end of the base arm link, the base arm link being pivotally mounted inside the transport chamber at the axis of rotation that forms the axis of rotation of the base arm link, and which is disposed in a fixed location within the transport chamber, and 
   two transfer arms, each transfer arm respectively having a corresponding substrate holder depending independently from the respective transfer arm, and each transfer arm being pivotally mounted to another end of the base arm link at another axis of rotation, the other axis of rotation being a common axis of rotation, with respect to the base arm link, that is common to the two transfer arms;   wherein each transfer arm is coupled to the drive section so that each transfer arm is coupled independently to and rotated independently by a different independent drive axis from the three independent drive axes of the drive section, for independent rotation of each transfer arm relative to another one of the two transfer arms about the common axis of rotation, and effecting with each respective transfer arm independent transport of substrates on the corresponding substrate holder through each of the at least two substrate transport ports arranged side by side.   
     
     
         2 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the transport chamber includes a first end and a second end where the at least one lateral side extends between the first end and the second end, at least one of the first end and second end including at least two other substrate transport ports arranged side by side; and   the substrate transport apparatus is configured to transfer substrates between the at least two substrate transport ports on the at least one lateral side and the at least two other substrate transport ports on the at least one of the first end and the second end.   
     
     
         3 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the drive section includes a coaxial drive shaft arrangement. 
     
     
         4 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the drive section includes a z-axis drive configured to linearly move the substrate transport apparatus in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of extension and retraction of the two transfer arms. 
     
     
         5 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate transport apparatus is configured to handle 450 mm diameter wafers. 
     
     
         6 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate transport apparatus is configured to handle 200 mm diameter wafers, 300 mm diameter wafers, flat panels for flat panel displays, light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes or solar arrays. 
     
     
         7 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the base arm link is a substantially rigid unarticulated link from the axis of rotation to the common axis of rotation. 
     
     
         8 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the two transfer arms is independently rotatable, with the corresponding substrate holder dependent therefrom, as a unit about the common axis. 
     
     
         9 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two substrate transport ports is radially offset relative to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         10 . The substrate processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two substrate transport ports arranged side by side include a first substrate transport port with an associated first substrate transport path and a second substrate transport port with an associated second substrate transport path and wherein the axis of rotation of the base arm link is located substantially between the first and second substrate transport paths. 
     
     
         11 . A method for transporting substrates, the method comprising:
 providing a substrate transport apparatus mounted inside a transport chamber where the transport chamber includes at least two side by side substrate transport ports disposed on at least one lateral side of the transport chamber, and where the substrate transport apparatus includes   a base arm link being operably coupled to the drive section and having an axis of rotation disposed at one end of the base arm link, the base arm link being pivotally mounted inside the transport chamber at the axis of rotation that forms the axis of rotation of the base arm link, and is disposed in a fixed location within the transport chamber, and   two transfer arms, each transfer arm having a corresponding substrate holder depending independently from a respective transfer arm, and each transfer arm being pivotally mounted to another end of the base arm link at another axis of rotation, the other axis of rotation being a common axis of rotation, with respect to the base arm link, that is common to the two transfer arms;   independently rotating each transfer arm relative to another one of the two transfer arms about the common axis of rotation, where each transfer arm is coupled to the drive section so that each transfer arm is coupled independently to and independently rotated by different independent drive axes of a drive section operably coupled to the two transfer arms and having three independent axes of rotation; and   independently transporting substrates with each respective transfer arm so that a first transfer arm of the two transfer arms independently transports a substrate carried on the corresponding substrate holder of the first transfer arm through a first one of the at least two side by side substrate transport ports and a second transfer arm of the two substrate transfer arms independently transports a substrate carried by the corresponding substrate holder of the second transfer arm through the first one of the at least two side by side substrate transport ports or a second one of the at least two side by side substrate transport ports.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the transport chamber includes a first end and a second end where the at least one lateral side extends between the first end and the second end, at least one of the first end and second end including at least two other substrate transport ports arranged side by side, the method further comprising:
 transferring substrates between the at least two substrate transport ports on the at least one lateral side and at least two other substrate transport ports on at least one of the first end and the second end.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the drive section includes a coaxial drive shaft arrangement. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising linearly moving the substrate transport apparatus, with a z-axis drive of the drive section, in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of extension and retraction of the two transfer arms. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the substrate transport apparatus is configured to handle 450 mm diameter wafers. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the substrate transport apparatus is configured to handle 200 mm diameter wafers, 300 mm diameter wafers, flat panels for flat panel displays, light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes or solar arrays. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base arm link is a substantially rigid unarticulated link from the axis of rotation to the common axis of rotation. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising independently rotating each of the two transfer arms, with a respective substrate holder dependent therefrom, as a unit about the common axis. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the at least two substrate transport ports is radially offset relative to the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least two substrate transport ports are arranged side by side and include a first substrate transport port with an associated first substrate transport path and a second substrate transport port with an associate second substrate transport path and wherein, the axis of rotation of the base arm link is located substantially between the first and second substrate transport paths.