公开(公告)号：US11162963B2

公开(公告)日：2021-11-02

申请号：US16688828

申请日：2019-11-19

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Etienne Croquette ,  Robin Grimwood ,  David Andrew Harding ,  Chris Walsh

IPC: G01N35/02 ,  G01N35/04 ,  B01L3/00

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210305076A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-30

申请号：US17229495

申请日：2021-04-13

Applicant: BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

Inventor： Bing YIN ,  Jairo MOURA ,  Vincent TSANG ,  Aaron GAWLIK ,  Nathan SPIKER

IPC: H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210291357A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-23

申请号：US17335479

申请日：2021-06-01

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Sean E. PLAISTED ,  Leigh F. SHARROCK ,  Chris AITKEN

IPC: B25J9/04 ,  B25J9/06 ,  B25J9/10 ,  H01L21/683 ,  B25J17/02 ,  B25J15/00 ,  H01L21/687 ,  B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US11110598B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-07

申请号：US16702403

申请日：2019-12-03

Applicant: BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

Inventor： Robert T. Caveney

IPC: B25J9/00 ,  B25J9/12 ,  B25J18/04 ,  H01L21/677 ,  B25J11/00

Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus including a frame, at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame and a shaftless drive section. The shaftless drive section including stacked drive motors for rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame through a shaftless interface, each of the stacked drive motors including a stator having stator coils disposed on a fixed post fixed relative to the frame and a rotor substantially peripherally surrounding the stator such that the rotor is connected to a respective one of the at least one arm link for rotating the one of the at least one arm link relative to the frame causing an extension or retraction of the one of the at least one arm link, where the stacked drive motors are disposed in the at least one arm link so that part of each stator is within a common arm link.

公开(公告)号：US20210257241A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-19

申请号：US17167831

申请日：2021-02-04

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Christopher BUSSIERE ,  Kevin M. BOURBEAU ,  Emilien Joseph Claude AUDERBRAND ,  Joseph M. HALLISEY

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  B65G47/90 ,  B65G49/06

Abstract: 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. Wherein the movable arm link is a reconfigurable arm link having a modular composite arm link casing, formed of link case modules rigidly coupled to each other, and a pulley system cased in and extending through the rigidly coupled link case modules substantially end to end of the modular composite arm link casing, wherein the rigidly coupled link case modules include link case end modules connected by at least one interchangeable link case extension module having a predetermined characteristic determining a length of the movable arm link, wherein at least one interchangeable link case extension module is selectable for connection to link case end modules forming the reconfigurable arm link.

公开(公告)号：US11088004B2

公开(公告)日：2021-08-10

申请号：US16257595

申请日：2019-01-25

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Alexander Krupyshev ,  Leigh F. Sharrock

IPC: H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/67 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J11/00 ,  B65G47/90

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20210229934A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-29

申请号：US17156007

申请日：2021-01-22

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Daniel BABBS ,  Vincent W. TSANG ,  Robert C. MAY

IPC: B65G47/90 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: 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. The articulated arm has an end effector pivotally mounted to at least one articulated arm link forming a joint between the end effector and the articulated arm link, with an arm joint pivot axis disposed so that the end effector rotates relative to at least one articulated arm link about the arm joint pivot axis. The articulated arm has a drive band transmission with drive and driven pulleys where the driven pulley is connected to the articulated wrist.

公开(公告)号：US20210175096A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-10

申请号：US17108473

申请日：2020-12-01

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Christopher HOFMEISTER ,  Martin R. ELLIOTT ,  Alexander KRUPYSHEV ,  Joseph HALLISEY ,  Joseph A. KRAUS ,  William FOSNIGHT ,  Craig J. CARBONE ,  Jeffrey C, BLAHNIK ,  Ho Yin Owen FONG

IPC: H01L21/67

Abstract: A semiconductor processing tool is disclosed, the tool having a frame forming at least one chamber with an opening and having a sealing surface around a periphery of the opening, a door configured to interact with the sealing surface for sealing the opening, the door having sides perpendicular to the door sealing surface and perpendicular to a transfer plane of a substrate, and at least one drive located on the frame to a side of at least one of the sides that are substantially perpendicular to the door sealing surface and substantially perpendicular to the transfer plane of the substrate, the drive having actuators located at least partially in front of the sealing surface and the actuators being coupled to one of the sides of the door for moving the door from a sealed position. The at least one drive is located outside of a substrate transfer zone.

公开(公告)号：US20210146545A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US17103243

申请日：2020-11-24

Applicant: BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.

Inventor： Aaron GAWLIK ,  Jairo T. MOURA

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  G05B23/02 ,  G07C3/08

Abstract: 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.

公开(公告)号：US20200273734A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-27

申请号：US16872864

申请日：2020-05-12

Applicant: Brooks Automation, Inc.

Inventor： Jairo T. MOURA ,  Robert T. CAVENEY ,  Bing YIN ,  Nathan SPIKER ,  Vincent W. TSANG

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/68 ,  B25J9/00 ,  B25J11/00 ,  B25J9/10 ,  H01L21/67 ,  B25J9/12 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G05B19/418

Abstract: 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.