Substrate transport device

Abstract

To provide an improved spindle drive part for a vacuum robot.SOLUTION: There is provided a substrate transfer device which is a transfer part 800 comprising: a frame 840: one arm link 810 rotatably connected to the frame; and a shaftless drive section. The shaftless drive section includes stacked drive motors 1602A and 1602B for rotating the one arm link with respect to the frame via a shaftless interface. Each of the drive motors comprises: each of stators 1603A and 1603B, which has a stator coil arranged on a stationary support 1610 fixed to the frame; and each of rotors 1604A and 1604B, which substantially surrounds the stator. The stacked drive motors are arranged in the one arm link so that each of the stators can be partially located within the common arm link of the one arm link.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present exemplary embodiment relates generally to drives for robotic systems, and more particularly to spindle drives for robotic systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Current vacuum robots use either magnetic fluid seals or lip seals to isolate the motor and encoder from the vacuum. Alternatively, in the case of Brooks MAGNATRAN® products, a bulkhead is used to isolate the motor stator, but the magnetic rotor and encoder are directly in the vacuum environment. In both of these cases, the motor is located under a bellows, and a shaft is used to connect the motor to the robot's arm link. Summary of the Invention

[0003] It is advantageous to utilize an inverse drive design in which the stator is mounted to a fixed inner post and the rotor is mounted to the outside of the stator.

[0004] The foregoing aspects and other features of the disclosed embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a substrate processing apparatus incorporating features according to aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of a substrate processing apparatus incorporating features according to aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic illustration of a substrate transport apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 4A] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a robotic drive system in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a robotic drive system in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 4C]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a robotic drive system in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 4D] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a robotic drive system in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 5A] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transfer apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the transfer device of FIG. 5A in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transfer apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transfer apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transfer apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transfer apparatus in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 10] 1 illustrates a portion of an exemplary sensor system in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; [Figure 11] 1 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of magnetic sensors around a ferromagnetic element in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] 1 is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus incorporating features according to aspects of the disclosed embodiments. While aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that the aspects may be embodied in many alternative forms. Furthermore, any suitable size, shape, and type of elements and materials may be used. Furthermore, while aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described in the context of a vacuum robot, it should be noted that aspects of the disclosed embodiments include any situation in which a drive motor may be used.

[0007] The substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an exemplary substrate processing tool incorporating features according to aspects of the disclosed embodiments. In this example, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is shown as having a typical batch processing tool configuration. In other aspects, the tool may have any desired configuration, for example, the tool may be configured for single-step processing of substrates, or may have a linear or Cartesian (Cartesian) configuration as shown in FIG. 2 . In still other aspects, the substrate processing apparatus may be any desired type of sorter, stacker, metrology tool, etc. The substrate S processed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be any suitable substrate, such as, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display panel, a solar panel, a semiconductor wafer, such as a 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm diameter wafer, or any other desired diameter substrate, a blank substrate, or any other type of substrate having any suitable shape, size, or thickness suitable for processing by the substrate processing apparatus 100, or having similar characteristics to a substrate, such as a specific dimension or a specific mass.

[0008] In some embodiments, the apparatus 100 may generally have a front section 105, which may form, for example, a mini-environment, and an adjacent atmospherically isolatable or sealed section 110, which may be sealable from the external environment to maintain a controlled, sealed atmosphere, e.g., configured to function as a vacuum chamber. In other embodiments, the sealed atmosphere section may maintain an inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) or any other environmentally sealed and / or controlled atmosphere.

[0009] The front section 105 may typically include, for example, one or more substrate-holding cassettes 115 and a front-end robot 120. The front section 105 may also include other stations or sections, such as an aligner 162 or a buffer installed therein. The section 110 may include one or more process modules 125 and a vacuum robot arm 130. The process modules 125 may be of any suitable type, such as material deposition, etching, baking, polishing, ion implantation cleaning, etc. As will be appreciated, the position of each module relative to a desired reference frame, such as a robot reference frame, may be recorded by a controller 170. One or more modules may also process a substrate S at a desired orientation, for example, as determined using fiducials on the substrate (not shown). The desired orientation of the substrate in the process module may also be recorded by the controller 170. The enclosed section 110 may also include one or more intermediate chambers, referred to as load locks. The apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes two load locks, namely, load lock 135 and load lock 140. The load locks 135, 140 act as interfaces, allowing substrates S to pass between the front section 105 and the sealed section 110 without disrupting the integrity of any environmentally sealed atmosphere in the sealed section 110. The substrate processing apparatus 100 typically includes a controller 170 that controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100. In one embodiment, the controller may be part of a clustered control architecture, such as that described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 178,615, filed July 11, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The controller 170 includes a processor 173 and a memory 178. In addition to the above, the memory 178 may include a program that includes techniques for detecting and correcting substrate eccentricity and misalignment on the fly.Additionally, memory 178 may include programs such as algorithms that apply process parameters such as temperature and / or pressure of process modules and other parts or stations of sections 105 and 110 of the substrate processing apparatus, temporal information of the substrate S during processing, and substrate metrology information, and apparatus and substrate position estimation data to measure substrate eccentricity on the fly.

[0010] The front-end robot 120, also referred to as an ATM (atmospheric) robot, may include a drive section 150 and one or more arms 155. At least one arm 155 may be attached to the drive section 150. The at least one arm 155 may be coupled to a wrist 160, which in turn is coupled to one or more end effectors 165 for grasping one or more substrates S. The end effectors 165 may be rotatably coupled to the wrist 160. The ATM robot 120 may be configured to move substrates to any position within the front section 105. For example, the ATM robot 120 may move substrates between the substrate holding cassette 115 and the load locks 135 and 140. The ATM robot 120 may also move substrates S to and from the aligner 162. The drive section 150 can receive commands from the controller 170 and, in response, can direct radial, circumferential, upward, combinations thereof, and other movements of the ATM robot 120.

[0011] The vacuum robot arm 130 may be mounted within a central chamber 175 of section 110. The controller 170 is operable to cycle the openings 180, 185 and coordinate operation of the vacuum robot arm 130 to move substrates between the process modules 125 and the load locks 135, 140. The vacuum robot arm 130 may comprise a drive section 190 (described in more detail below) and one or more end effectors 195. In other embodiments, the ATM robot 120 and the vacuum robot arm 130 may be any suitable type of transport device, such as, but not limited to, a sliding arm robot, a SCARA (Selectively Flexible Articulated Robot Arm) type robot, an articulated arm robot, a frog-leg type device, or a bi-symmetric transport device.

[0012] Referring to FIG. 2, a plan view of another substrate processing apparatus 10 incorporating features according to aspects of the disclosed embodiment is shown. The substrate processing apparatus 10 is shown having a linear or Cartesian configuration, with substrates S being transported between transfer robots through an elongated transfer chamber. The substrate processing system 10, or tool, typically includes a processing section 13 and an interface section 12. The interface section and processing section of the tool 10 are connected to each other to allow workpieces to be transferred therebetween. The processing section 13 of the tool may include processing modules and chambers substantially similar to those described above with respect to FIG. 1. The processing modules are connected by a workpiece transfer chamber 16, where workpieces can be transferred between desired processing modules according to a processing protocol. The transfer chamber includes a transfer robot 20 that can move workpieces therein and transfer them to a processing module 125. To maintain an atmosphere within the transfer chamber similar to that of the processing modules, or to maintain an atmosphere suitable for transferring workpieces between processing modules in a manner substantially similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 1, the processing modules 125 and the transfer chamber can be atmospherically isolated, thereby maintaining a controlled atmosphere that is environmentally sealed from the external atmosphere. The tool's interface section 12 provides a workpiece load / unload interface between the tool's processing section 13 and its controlled, enclosed atmosphere and the exterior of the tool. Examples of suitable environmental interface sections are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 178,836, filed July 11, 2005, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Thus, the tool's interface section allows workpieces being moved outside the tool by a transport device to be unloaded from the transport device into the tool, and vice versa. The transfer chamber may be composed of transfer chamber modules, which may be connected end-to-end to form, for example, a linear, elongated transfer chamber. Thus, the length of the transfer chamber can be changed by adding or removing transfer chamber modules.The transfer chamber modules may have inlet / outlet gate valves that can isolate the desired transfer chamber module from adjacent portions of the transfer chamber. Tool interface sections, similar to section 12, may be positioned at any desired location along the linear, elongated transfer chamber to allow workpieces to be loaded and unloaded to desired locations within the tool. Process module(s) may be positioned along the length of the transfer chamber. Process module(s) may be stacked at an angle relative to the length of the transfer chamber. The transfer chamber modules may have inlet / outlet gate valves that isolate the desired transfer chamber module from the process module. The transfer system 20 is positioned through the transfer chamber. Each of the multiple transfer chamber modules may have an integral, movable arm with a fixed interface / fixture to the module and a movable end effector capable of holding a workpiece and moving it linearly along the transfer chamber between the transfer chamber and the process module. The transfer arms in different transfer chamber modules may cooperate to form at least part of a linearly arranged transfer system. Operation of the transfer system, process modules, process sections, interface sections, and any other portions of the tool may be controlled by a controller 400, substantially similar to controller 170 described above. The transfer chamber and the transfer system therein may be arranged to define a transfer path for multiple workpieces within the transfer chamber. The transfer path may be bisected or dedicated within the transfer chamber for forward and reverse workpiece movement. The transfer chamber may also have intermediate load locks that allow different sections of the transfer chamber to maintain different atmospheres, allowing workpieces to pass between the different atmospheric sections of the transfer chamber. The transfer chamber may have entry / exit stations where workpieces can be inserted into or removed from desired locations within the transfer chamber. For example, the entry / exit stations may be located on opposite sides of the interface section 12 or at other desired locations within the transfer chamber.The entry / exit stations of the transfer chamber can communicate with a workpiece express passageway that connects the entry / exit stations of the transfer chamber to a remote interface section 12 of the tool. The workpiece express passageway may be independently separable from the transfer chamber 16. The workpiece express passageway communicates with one or more interface sections 12, allowing workpieces to be moved between the interface sections and the passageway. Workpieces can be quickly placed in an advanced section of the tool and, after processing, returned to the interface section 12 via the express passageway without affecting the transfer chamber, resulting in reduced work in progress (WIP). The transfer chamber can also have intermediate entry / exit stations, some of which communicate with the express passageway, allowing workpieces to be moved therebetween. This allows workpieces to be inserted or removed at desired intermediate points during processing without affecting the process flow. This is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 442,511, filed May 26, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0013] The interface section 12 couples directly to the transfer chamber without an intervening load lock (as shown in FIG. 1). In other embodiments, a load lock may be located between the interface section 12 and the transfer chamber. The interface section shown in FIG. 2 includes a workpiece transport 15 that moves workpieces from cassettes 115 coupled to the load port LP to the transfer chamber 16. The workpiece transport 15 is located inside the interface section chamber 14 and may be substantially similar to the transport 150 described above. The interface section may also include a workpiece station A, such as an aligner station, buffer station, weighing station, and any other desired handling station for the workpiece S.

[0014] Although some aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described herein with respect to a vacuum robot or transport, such as transport 800 of FIG. 3 , it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments may be used with any suitable transport or other processing equipment (e.g., aligners, etc.) operating in any suitable environment, such as, but not limited to, atmospheric, controlled atmospheric, and / or vacuum environments. In certain aspects, transport 800 may have multiple individually movable end effectors, for example, for independently moving multiple workpieces. Transport 800 shown in FIG. 3 is depicted, for example, as an articulated link arm, and can have any suitable number of degrees of freedom, for example, in rotation, extension / retraction, and / or elevation (e.g., Z-axis movement). It should also be understood that transports incorporating aspects of exemplary embodiments may have any suitable configuration, such as, but not limited to, a sliding arm robot configuration, a robotic arm "frog leg" configuration, a robotic SCARA arm configuration, an articulated arm robot, or a bi-symmetrical transport device. Suitable examples of robotic arms in which the drive systems of the exemplary embodiments may be used are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,666,366, 4,730,976, 4,909,701, 5,431,529, 5,577,879, 5,720,590, 5,899,658, 5,180,276, 5,647,724, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 148, filed Jun. 9, 2005. No. 871, filed May 8, 2008; No. 12 / 117,415, filed April 6, 2007; No. 11 / 179,762, filed July 11, 2005; No. 13 / 293,717, filed November 10, 2011; and No. 13 / 417,837, filed March 12, 2012, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0015] 3 and 4A-4D, an exemplary transport apparatus 800 incorporating aspects of the disclosed embodiments will now be described in detail in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiments. While one SCARA arm is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A-4D, it is noted that aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be incorporated into any suitable type of robotic arm, such as the apparatus described above having any suitable number of robotic arms. In this aspect, the transport apparatus includes a frame 840, an upper arm 810, a forearm 820, and at least one end effector 830. A drive section 1600 may be at least partially disposed within the upper arm 810 and may include at least one drive motor 1602A, 1602B. Two motors 1602A, 1602B are shown here arranged as stacked drive motors for illustrative purposes, with at least a portion of the stator 1603A, 1603B of each drive motor 1602A, 1602B disposed on the arm link 810 (e.g., at least a portion of the stator of each drive motor is disposed on the same arm link, a common arm link, a single arm link, or within one arm link). At least one drive motor 1602A, 1602B may have a stator 1603A, 1603B and a rotor 1604A, 1604B, respectively. The stators 1603A, 1603B may include stator windings wrapped around a fixed post 1610 fixed to the frame, such that the post 1610 and stators 1603A, 1603B remain rotationally stationary relative to the movement of the robot's arm links 810, 820, 830. Rotors 1604A and 1604B may be configured to surround their respective stators (e.g., inverted drive motors) to form shaftless motors that provide higher torque than conventional shaft drives in a compact design. Note that the term "shaftless" means that there are substantially no extensions or members between the rotor and the member driven by the rotor, and that the height of the rotor is approximately the same as or less than the height of the stator (e.g., the height of the stator windings).

[0010] Referring to further embodiments, the engagement interface between the rotor and the member driven by the rotor is proximate to the stator. The stator and rotor may include features such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 7,834,618 and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12 / 163,993, filed June 27, 2008, and 12 / 163,996, filed June 27, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Additionally, as described in more detail below, an encoder or other suitable sensor for determining the rotational position of the shaftless motor may be positioned within the space or dimensions (e.g., height) of the stator profile, thereby fitting below the height of the shaftless motor or stack of motors.

[0016] In this embodiment, the two drive motors 1602A, 1602B are stacked one on top of the other. The drive motors 1602A, 1602B may be stackable to facilitate the introduction of multiple motors to provide any suitable number of degrees of freedom for driving any suitable number of arm links. In other embodiments, any suitable number of drive motors (i.e., at least one or more) may be used in any suitable configuration with any suitable number of drives, including, but not limited to, a stacked back-drive configuration, a serial back-drive configuration, or any other suitable configuration. Here, the rotor 1604A of the drive motor 1603A is shaftlessly coupled to the arm link 810, such that as the rotor 1604A rotates, the arm link 810 rotates with it. For example, the rotor 1604A may be attached to the underside of the arm link 810 in any suitable manner. The rotor 1604B of the motor 1603B may include a pulley 1605 (either integrally formed or coupled). The pulley may be coupled to the elbow pulley 1620 via any suitable transmission member 1605X. In certain embodiments, the transmission member 1605X may be a belt, a band, a wire, or any other suitable transmission member. The elbow pulley 1620 may be suitably connected to the forearm 820 in any suitable manner such that rotation of the rotor 1604B causes the forearm 820 to rotate about the elbow axis of rotation EX.

[0017] 10 and 11, the counterdrives 1602A, 1602B can include any suitable sensors for detecting the rotation of the rotors 1604A, 1604B. In an embodiment, any suitable encoders 1640A, 1640B can be positioned in an appropriate location to sense the rotation of each rotor 1604A, 1604B. In one embodiment, the encoders 1640A, 1640B may interface directly with the respective rotors 1604A, 1604B (e.g., sensor scales are integrated into the rotors), and the encoders 1640A, 1640B are fixedly disposed on or depend from fixed posts 1610, such that the interface plane between the sensor system 5500 and the encoder scale (or ferromagnetic target) 5555 is disposed at an angle relative to the interface plane between the stators 1603A, 1603B and the rotors 1604A, 1604B, e.g., such that the sensor system 5500 is disposed substantially within the height range of the stators 1603A, 1603B. By way of example only, the interface plane IPSS between the sensor system 5500 and the ferromagnetic target 5555 is shown as being approximately perpendicular to the interface plane IPSR between the stators 1603A, 1603B and the rotors 1604A, 1604B. The rotors 1604A, 1604B can include any suitable scale or ferromagnetic target 5555, such as an incremental scale 1640IN (FIG. 4C) or an absolute scale 1640AB (FIG. 4C), that the sensor systems 5500 of the encoders 1640A, 1640B detect for position measurement. Any suitable seal 1640S (FIG. 4C) can be included to seal or isolate the encoders 1640A, 1640B, for example, from the environment in which the transport device arms operate (e.g., a vacuum environment, etc.). For example, the seal 1640S can be disposed between the encoders 1640A, 1640B and their respective rotors. The seal 1640S can be configured to enable the encoders 1640A, 1640B to read or sense / detect the scale or ferromagnetic target 5555, such as the incremental scale 1640IN (FIG. 4C) or the absolute scale 1640AB (FIG. 4C).

[0018] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sensor system 5500 suitable for use in accordance with aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein. The sensor system 5500 may use any suitable magnetic circuit principle, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,834,618, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety, to read the distance from an incremental or absolute position scale and / or ferromagnetic target 5555, for example, to a reference frame of the sensor system. The ferromagnetic target 5555 may be flat or curved, or may have any suitable geometry attached to, embedded in, or built into a target, such as the scale described above. The sensor system 5500 may include a ferromagnetic element 5505, a magnetic source 5510, e.g., a permanent magnet, several magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, 5530, and a conditioning circuit 5535. The ferromagnetic element 5505 may circumscribe the magnetic source 5510. In other embodiments, the ferromagnetic element 5505 may surround or encase the magnetic source 5510. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the ferromagnetic element 5505 may be cup-shaped with a closed end 5565 and an open end 5570. The magnetic source 5510 may be cylindrical with the magnetization direction parallel to the axis of symmetry of the ferromagnetic element 5505. The magnetic source 5510 may be a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, or any other suitable source of magnetic force. The magnetic source 5510 may be attached to the center of the ferromagnetic element 5505 by attractive forces within the ferromagnetic element and may be held in place using a suitable fastening means, such as, for example, an adhesive. In certain embodiments, the sensor system 5500 may be placed such that the open side 5570 of the cup faces the ferromagnetic target 5555.

[0019] The sensor system 5500 shown in FIG. 10 can establish a magnetic circuit between the ferromagnetic element 5505 and the magnetic source 5510 such that the magnetic flux density is symmetric about the axis of the cup or about any concentric boundary between the magnetic source 5510 and the ferromagnetic element 5505. The shape of the ferromagnetic element 5505 affects the shape of the magnetic field. In embodiments where the ferromagnetic element 5505 is cup-shaped, the magnetic field is relatively confined, leading to improved sensitivity to changes in distance 5560 to the ferromagnetic target. The ferromagnetic element 5505 may have a shape suitable for creating a magnetic field with a particular shape. In some embodiments, the ferromagnetic element 5505 may also be configured to provide a certain sensitivity to changes in distance between the sensor system 5500 and the ferromagnetic target 5555.

[0020] The magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, and 5530 may operate to sense magnetic flux density and may be positioned in an orbital arrangement at a constant radial distance from the axis of symmetry of the ferromagnetic element 5505. The magnetic sensors may also be positioned so that their outputs are approximately the same. While four magnetic sensors are shown, it should be understood that any suitable number of magnetic sensors may be used. The outputs of the magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, and 5530 may be provided to any suitable conditioning circuit 5535. The conditioning circuit 5535 may include signal processing circuitry to process the sensor output, such as compensation, filtering, noise reduction, or any other suitable signal processing. The sensor output signal may typically be processed to provide a sensor system output 5550. The use of additional sensors may increase the noise immunity of the system. The ferromagnetic element 5505 may also act as a magnetic isolation cage for the magnetic sensors, minimizing external magnetic interference from the surrounding environment. In this manner, the sensor system 5500 is configured to measure changes in the magnetic flux density vector detected by the magnetic sensors. In one embodiment, the sensor system 5500 can measure the change in magnetic flux density vector due to the presence of the ferromagnetic target 5555.

[0021] FIG. 11 shows an example of the arrangement of magnetic sensors around a ferromagnetic element. In this embodiment, the magnetic sensors can be arranged in pairs 5610 and 5615, 5620 and 5625, 5630 and 5635, and 5640 and 5645 in alternating orientations relative to the magnetic flux density lines between the ferromagnetic element 5505 and the magnetic source 5510. In this embodiment, each sensor pair can provide a differential output. A summing circuit 5650 and a differential conditioning circuit 5655 can be part of the conditioning circuit 5535 and can further provide the sensor system output 5550 as a differential signal. Using a differential output can improve noise immunity, especially when the signal is low level, exposed to a hostile electrical / electromagnetic environment, or transmitted over a significant distance. For example, providing the sensor system output 5550 as a differential signal can improve noise immunity because the output is provided to a reader 5660.

[0022] In other aspects, the magnetic sensors may not be positioned at the same radial distance from the axis of symmetry, and their outputs may not necessarily be the same, but the outputs may still be appropriately processed to provide a useful target distance. It should be understood that any number of magnetic sensors may be used ungrouped or grouped in any suitable number or arrangement.

[0023] 10 , when a ferromagnetic target 5555 is placed in front of the sensor system 5500, it changes the vector of the magnetic flux density detected by the magnetic sensors 5515, 5520, 5525, 5530, thus affecting the output signal 5550. The distance 5560 between the ferromagnetic target 5555 and the sensor system can determine the value of the sensor system output 5550. The sensor system output 5550 can change in response to changes in magnetic flux induced by one or more scales attached to or embedded in the ferromagnetic target 5555.

[0024] The shapes of the magnetic source 5510 and the ferromagnetic element 5505 may be varied to obtain a particular magnetic flux density pattern or configuration, or to optimize or enhance the sensor system output 5550 or distance 5560. For example, in some embodiments, at least one of the ferromagnetic element 5505 and the magnetic source 5510 may be a cylinder, a cone, a cube, or other polyhedron, a parabolic body, or any other suitable shape. As noted above, any number of sensors may be used. Furthermore, the sensors may have any suitable arrangement to obtain a particular magnetic flux density pattern or to optimize the sensor system output 5550 or distance 5560.

[0025] The sensor system 5500 is suitable for use in aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein using a wall of non-magnetic material that can separate the target rotor or scale from the sensor system. The sensor system 5500 is suitable for use in embodiments of a vacuum automation system. The sensor system 5500 is particularly suitable for measuring magnetic flux, gap, and scale for all aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0026] 3 and 4A-4D, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the transport apparatus 800 can include a Z-axis drive 800Z for linearly moving the robot arm along the arm's central axis of rotation, X. A bellows or other suitable seal 1699 can be provided between at least one arm link and the frame to accommodate relative axial movement (e.g., vertical, Z-axis), with the seal located on one side of the arm and the drive motors 1602A, 1602B (e.g., drive sections) located on the other side of the arm. It will be appreciated that this arrangement allows the length of the fixed column 1610 to be independent or decoupled from the length of the Z stroke provided by the Z-axis drive.

[0027] 4C and 4D, sealing of the drive section within arm 810 will be described. As will be appreciated, stators 1603A, 1603B are isolated from the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates in any suitable manner. In certain embodiments, isolation can be achieved using any suitable bulkhead, such as bulkhead 612. In other embodiments, any suitable means of isolating stators 1603A, 1603B can be used. Magnets 1604M of rotors 1604A, 1604B can also be isolated from the vacuum in any suitable manner. In certain embodiments, magnetic isolation can be achieved using, for example, magnetic fluid seals 1670. In other embodiments, any suitable means of magnetic isolation can be used to isolate rotor magnets from the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates. In yet another embodiment, a variable reluctance motor can be used to eliminate the need for magnets. FIG. 4D is an example diagram of the location of seal SL for sealing the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates.

[0028] It is noted that the drive motors disclosed herein may be applied to any suitable drive system, such as those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 175,278, filed Jul. 7, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 270,844, filed Oct. 11, 2011, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0029] 5A and 5B, in another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, a portion of an exemplary transport apparatus 1799 is disclosed. The exemplary transport apparatus is generally similar to transport apparatus 800 described above in that it includes, for example, a frame, at least one or more shaftless drive sections, a Z motor enabling movement along a Z axis, and at least one or more robotic arms. The at least one or more drive sections may be attached to a frame, such as frame 840, at a shoulder rotation axis X for rotating links of the robotic arms to extend / retract the robotic arms. The one or more drive sections are further connected to the Z motor / drive system to enable movement of the robotic arms along the Z axis, in a direction generally perpendicular to the robotic arm extension / retraction axis R (FIG. 3). 5A and 5B includes at least two drive sections 1700A and 1700B and has two robotic arms 1720A, 1720B (which may be substantially similar to the robotic arms described above with respect to FIG. 3 in that the arms include an upper arm 810, a forearm 820, and at least one end effector 830). In other aspects, the transport apparatus 1799 may include more or fewer robotic arms and drive sections than two robotic arms and two drive sections (e.g., the transport apparatus 1799 has at least one robotic arm and at least one drive section). In one embodiment, drive sections 1700A, 1700B are disposed or distributed between or "layered" with arms 1720A, 1720B such that one drive section 1700A is disposed substantially between arms 1720A, 1720B and the other drive section 1700B is disposed on the opposite side of the arm, e.g., below arm 1720B (or above arm 1720A). In another embodiment, drive sections 1700A, 1700B may be disposed within at least a portion of the interior of each arm 1720A, 1720B.In yet another aspect, both drive sections 1700A, 1700B may be disposed between arms 1720A, 1720B in a left-right or upside-down configuration relative to each other (e.g., drive section 1700A is connected to arm 1720A from the bottom, and drive section 1700B is connected to arm 1720B from the top). In other aspects of the disclosed embodiments, other configurations are possible, such as a configuration with only one drive section and only one robot arm, a configuration with three or more drive sections and three or more robot arms, a serial configuration with multiple drive sections arranged in the same plane within a robot arm, a configuration with one or more Z-axis drives, or any combination thereof. In still other aspects, any suitable configuration of the transport apparatus may allow the drive motors of FIGS. 5A and 5B to be incorporated into the transport apparatus configuration.

[0030] In this aspect, the column 1701 is fixed to the frame 840. The column 1701 may be separate in some aspects of the disclosed embodiments (see 1701A in FIG. 5A ), e.g., having various sections or portions connected to one another. The various portions of the column 1701A may be connected together in any suitable manner. Any suitable seals, such as, e.g., seal 1710, may be included between the various portions of the column 1701A. In other aspects, the column 1701 may be a single, unitary structure or any other suitable structure. One or more robotic arms 1720A, 1720B may be rotatably attached to the column 1701 in any suitable manner, e.g., as described below. Each robotic arm 1720A, 1720B may have its own drive section including an inner rotor 1705A, 1705B, a stator 1703A, 1703B, and an outer rotor 1704A, 1704B.

[0031] The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may be movably mounted to the fixed post 1701 in any suitable manner, such that the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may be rotatable about the fixed post 1701. The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may be supported on the fixed post 1701 in any suitable manner, such as by bearings 1702A, 1702B. In other aspects of the disclosed embodiments, bearings may be located in any other suitable locations other than those shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B to support the inner rotors 1705A and 1705B. The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may be nested within the stators 1703A, 1703B such that the stators 1703A, 1703B surround the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B (e.g., concentric with the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B) and are coplanar such that the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B are free to rotate about the fixed post 1701. The inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may be configured to interface with the stators and may include suitable interface components 1705A', 1705B', such as magnets configured to interface between the inner rotors and the stators.

[0032] 5A and 5B, the stators 1703A, 1703B may also be connected to the fixed column 1701 so as to be rotationally stationary relative to the fixed column 1701. In certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the stators 1703A, 1703B may be connected to the fixed column 1701 or to the frame 840 ( FIG. 3 ) in any suitable manner, thereby allowing the stators 1703A, 1703B to be rotationally stationary relative to the fixed column 1701. Each of the stators 1703A, 1703B may be a split stator, e.g., the stators 1703A, 1703B may be split to include two sets of independently operable windings. One segment, e.g., segment A of the stators 1703A, 1703B, may be configured to drive the inner rotors 1705A, 1705B. The other segment, such as segment B of stator 1703A, 1703B, may be configured to drive outer rotor 1704A, 1704B. Each segment A, B may be appropriately sized to provide the desired torque to rotate its respective arm link. For example, stator segment A may be larger than stator segment B to provide sufficient torque to rotate inner rotors 1705A, 1705B, which have a smaller radius than outer rotors 1704A, 1704B (e.g., the portion of the inner rotor that interfaces with the stator may have a smaller radius than the portion of the outer rotor that interfaces with the stator). In other embodiments, segment B may be larger than segment A, or segments A and B may be approximately the same size. Note also that in some embodiments, winding segments A, B may be formed by nesting two sets of coils within each other. In other embodiments, the coils of the inner and outer windings may be nested within each other as two parts.Each segment A, B of stator 1703A, 1703B may be controlled by a controller 170, 400 configured, for example, to independently excite each segment A, B, thereby enabling each segment A, B of stator 1703A, 1703B to independently drive its corresponding inner and outer rotors (1705A, 1705B and 1704A, 1704B, respectively). In other aspects, segments A, B of stator 1703A, 1703B may be controlled by any suitable controller or controllers, thereby driving the corresponding inner and outer rotors in unison or together. In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, stators 1703A and 1703B may comprise two separate stators (substantially corresponding to segments A and B), where one stator (e.g., the inner stator) is nested within the other stator (e.g., the outer stator), such that the outer stator substantially surrounds the inner stator.

[0033] In certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B extend around the fixed post 1701, substantially surround the fixed post 1701, and substantially surround the stators 1703A, 1703B, such that the stators 1703A, 1703B are substantially nested within the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B. Further, the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B are arranged to rotate about the fixed stators 1703A, 1703B. The outer rotors 1704A, 1704B are supported on the fixed post 1701 in any suitable manner, such as by bearings 1702C, 1702D, and are thereby rotatable independently of the fixed post 1701. In alternative embodiments, the outer rotors 1704A, 1704B may have any suitable structure and may be attached to any suitable structure of the transport device 1799 such that they are rotatable relative to the fixed support and / or stator 1703A, 1703B. The outer rotors 1704A, 1704B may be configured to interface with the stator and may include suitable interface components 1704A', 1704B', such as magnets, configured to interface the outer rotors with the stator.

[0034] It is noted that in certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the rotors described herein may use permanent magnets, while in other aspects, as noted above, the rotors may also be configured as reluctance rotors or any other suitable rotor type. Other examples of drive sections having nested rotors and stators are described in U.S. Patent No. 7,891,935 and U.S. Patent Application No. 13 / 030,856, filed February 18, 2011, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0035] 5A and 5B, the two drive sections 1700A and 1700B are stacked and positioned on the shoulders of their respective arms about shoulder axis X. As noted above, the drive sections 1700A, 1700B and arms 1720A, 1720B may be configured with any suitable number of degrees of freedom and any suitable structure. In some embodiments, the two drive sections 1700A, 1700B and arms 1720A, 1720B may be substantially similar to one another, and thus the drive sections 1700A, 1700B will be described with reference to drive section 1700A of arm 1720A. In some embodiments, the inner rotor 1705A may be connected in any suitable manner, for example, to pulley 1707A, such that rotation of the inner rotor 1705A causes the pulley 1707A to rotate with the inner rotor 1705A. The pulley 1707A may be built into the inner rotor 1705A (i.e., integral with the rotor) or may be coupled to the inner rotor 1705A in any suitable manner. As the pulley 1707A rotates, it can rotate another pulley 1712A, disposed about elbow axis EX at the elbow of the robot arm, via any suitable transmission member 1709A, to rotate the forearm 820 ( FIG. 3 ) relative to the upper arm 810. The outer rotor 1704A can then be connected to the upper arm in any suitable manner. In certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, the outer rotor 1704A may be directly coupled to the upper arm, such that rotation of the outer rotor 1704A causes the upper arm to rotate with the outer rotor 1704A. In other aspects, the outer rotor 1704A is connected to the upper arm via an arm interface (not shown), such that rotation of the outer rotor 1704A causes the upper arm to rotate with the outer rotor 1704A via the arm interface.As noted above, this structure can also be used in drive section 1700B because drive sections 1700A and 1700B are substantially similar (see, e.g., inner rotor pulley 1707B, transmission member 1709B, elbow pulley 1712B, and outer rotor 1704B can be connected to upper arm 810 of arm 1720B to rotate the upper arm). In alternative embodiments, any other suitable structure may be used.

[0036] 5A and 5B, drive sections 1700A and 1700B can include any suitable sensors for tracking rotation of the drive sections in substantially the same manner as described above. For example, with reference to drive section 1700A (drive section 1700B can be similarly configured), encoder 1741A (see also encoder 1741B for drive section 1700B) can be positioned to track rotation of inner rotor 1705A (or rotor 1705B in the case of drive section 1700B), while a second encoder 1740A (see encoder 1740B for drive section 1700B) can be configured to track rotation of outer rotor 1704A (rotor 1704B in the case of drive section 1700B). Encoders 1740A and 1741A can be substantially the same as encoders 1640A and 1640B described above. The encoder may be positioned at any suitable location or position within the conveying device to enable detection of rotation and may be configured to use any scale, such as, but not limited to, an absolute scale, an incremental scale, or any other suitable scale.

[0037] Drive sections 1700A and 1700B may also be configured with atmospheric / vacuum seals. For example, stators 1703A, 1703B may be isolated from the vacuum environment in which the robot arm operates in any suitable manner. For example, isolation may be achieved by any suitable barrier, such as barriers 1711A, 1711B. In certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments, magnets 1705A', 1705B' of inner rotors 1705A, 1705B may also be isolated from the vacuum environment in any suitable manner, for example, as described above. In other aspects of the disclosed embodiments, magnets 1704A', 1704B' of outer rotors 1704A, 1704B may also be isolated from the vacuum environment in any suitable manner, for example, as described above. For example, one means for isolating such magnets 1705A', 1705B', 1704A', 1704B' may be magnetic fluid seals S1, S2, S3, S4, similar to those described above. In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, the disclosed drive section may also employ a variable reluctance motor, which eliminates the need for magnets.

[0038] In the aspects of the disclosed embodiment shown in Figures 5A and 5B, only two degrees of freedom are disclosed within the drive section. However, in other aspects of the disclosed embodiment, it is possible to increase the number of degrees of freedom within the drive section by disposing additional stators and rotors (not shown) between the inner and outer rotors, such that the additional stators and rotors increase the number of degrees of freedom available to the robot arm. Any suitable number of stators and rotors may be concentrically arranged and nested in substantially the same manner as described above.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 6, a portion of a dual-arm transport apparatus is shown in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. It is noted that the connection between the drive motors and the arms (e.g., the manner in which the arms are driven) may be any suitable connection, such as those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,720,590, 5,899,658, and 5,813,823, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. In FIG. 6, the structure of vertically opposed SCARA arms (forearms and end effectors are not shown in dashed blocks 600 and 601 for clarity) is shown, such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Nos. 13 / 293,717, filed November 10, 2011, and 13 / 417,837, filed March 12, 2012, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Here, each of arms 2000 and 2001 may be substantially similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 3, and may include drive sections 2000D, 2001D (each having, e.g., two motors, although in other embodiments the number of motors may be greater or less than two) substantially similar to that described above with respect to any one or more of FIGS. 4A-5B. For example, in some embodiments, both drive sections 2000D, 2001D may have a common drive structure (e.g., both drive sections configured as described above with respect to FIGS. 4A-4D, or both drive sections configured as described above with respect to FIGS. 5A-5B). In other embodiments, drive sections 2000D, 2001D may have different structures (e.g., one drive section may be configured as described above with respect to FIGS. 4A-4D, and the other drive section may be configured as described above with respect to FIGS. 5A-5B).

[0040] 7 shows another dual SCARA arm configuration, in which each arm 2010, 2011 (each of which may be substantially similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 3) includes a drive section 2010D, 2011D (each having, e.g., two motors, although in other embodiments the number of motors may be more or less than two) substantially similar to that described above with respect to any one or more of FIGS. 4A-5B. In this embodiment, the arms 2010, 2011 are configured such that the forearm and end effector (shown by dashed boxes 600, 601 for clarity) of each arm 2010, 2011 are located at the top of the upper arm, for example, although in other embodiments the forearm and end effector may be located at the bottom of the respective upper arm.

[0041] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, a portion of an arm of a transport robot having a dual-arm configuration is shown in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Each arm 2020, 2021 may be substantially similar to that described above with respect to Figure 3, including two drive motors substantially similar to those described above, except that in this aspect, the motors are not stacked vertically one above the other, but are instead positioned in the same horizontal plane within their respective arm links. Figure 9 shows a single-arm configuration 2030 substantially similar to the configuration shown in Figure 8; for example, in Figure 8, the two arms 2020, 2021 are each attached to a common shaft 1801, thereby allowing rotation about shoulder axis X, while in Figure 9, only the single arm 2030 is attached to the shaft 1801; otherwise, the drive motor configurations of the arms 2020, 2021, and 2030 are substantially similar. For illustrative purposes, the drive motors of the arms 2020, 2021, and 2030 will be described with respect to the arm 2030. In this embodiment, each drive motor 2030A, 2030B includes the same stator 2030SA, 2030SB and rotor 2030RA, 2030RB as described above. In some embodiments, drive motors 2030A, 2030B may be variable reluctance motors, such that, for example, none of the magnets are exposed to the vacuum environment in which the transfer robot operates; instead, any suitable seals may be installed to isolate the magnetic components of the rotor and / or stator in any suitable manner. Stator 2030SA of drive motor 2030A may be fixed to shaft 1801, such that it is rotationally stationary relative to, for example, upper arm 810. The rotor 2030RA is fixedly mounted within the upper arm 810 in any suitable manner, so that the upper arm 810 and rotor 2030RA rotate together (e.g., when the stator 2030SA drives the rotor 2030RA for rotation about the shoulder axis X, the upper arm 810 rotates with the rotor 2030RA). The stator 2030SB of the drive motor 2030B may be fixedly mounted to a shaft 1900 disposed within the upper arm 810, so that the stator 2030SA is rotationally fixed relative to the shaft 1900.The rotor 2030RB is mounted within the upper arm 810 in any suitable manner, thereby rotatable about the stator 2030SB. The rotor 2030RB may include an internal pulley connecting the rotor 2030RB to the elbow pulley 1620 by any suitable transmission to drive rotation of the forearm 820 (FIG. 3) in substantially the same manner as described above (or in other aspects, the pulley may be attached to the rotor in any suitable manner). For example, the elbow pulley may be fixedly attached to the forearm 820 in any suitable manner, such that when the elbow pulley 1620 rotates, the forearm 820 rotates with it. In other aspects, the rotor 2030RB may drive rotation of the elbow pulley 1620 in any suitable manner. In still other aspects of the disclosed embodiments, any suitable robotic arm configuration may be used. Suitable examples of robotic arms in which the drive systems of the exemplary embodiments may be used are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 270,844, filed Oct. 11, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0042] According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiments, a substrate transport apparatus is provided. The substrate transport apparatus includes a frame, at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame, and a shaftless drive section. The shaftless drive section has stacked drive motors for rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame via a shaftless interface, each of the stacked drive motors having a stator with a stator coil disposed on a fixed column fixed to the frame, and a rotor substantially surrounding the stator. The rotor is thereby connected to each of the at least one arm link to rotate the at least one arm link relative to the frame, thereby extending or retracting the at least one arm link. The stacked drive motors are arranged in at least one arm link such that at least a portion of each stator is within a common arm link of the at least one arm link.

[0043] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the shaftless drive section is disposed substantially within the at least one arm link.

[0044] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the stator coils are isolated from the vacuum.

[0045] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the substrate transport apparatus further includes a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction generally perpendicular (e.g., vertical, Z-axis) to a plane containing a direction of extension or retraction of the at least one arm link. Further, the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal capable of accommodating relative axial movement (e.g., vertical, Z-axis) between the at least one arm link and the frame, wherein the seal is located on one side of the arm and the first drive section is located on the other side of the arm.

[0046] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the at least one arm link comprises an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis, and the at least one drive motor comprises at least two stacked drive motors, each motor driving rotation of a respective one of the upper arm and the forearm.

[0047] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the at least one arm link comprises an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis, and the at least one drive motor comprises at least three stacked drive motors, each motor driving rotation of a respective one of the upper arm, the forearm, and the at least one substrate holder.

[0048] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the at least one arm link comprises an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis and at least one substrate holder movably mounted to the upper arm for linear movement along at least a portion of a length of the upper arm, and the at least one drive motor comprises at least two stacked drive motors, wherein one of the at least two stacked drive motors drives the rotation of the upper arm and another of the at least two stacked drive motors drives the linear movement of each of the at least one substrate holder.

[0049] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the shaftless drive section includes a seal for sealing the stator from an environment in which the at least one arm link operates, and each rotor further includes a magnet interfacing with the respective stator, the drive section including a seal for sealing the rotor magnet from the environment in which the at least one arm link operates.

[0050] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the height of the shaftless drive section is decoupled from the Z-axis movement of the substrate transport apparatus.

[0051] According to one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, there is provided a substrate transport apparatus comprising: a frame; at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame; and a shaftless distributed drive section disposed substantially within the at least one arm link. The shaftless distributed drive section comprises at least two drive motors, one of which is connected to the at least one arm link to rotate the at least one arm link relative to the frame, the at least two drive motors being disposed side by side within the at least one arm link along a common horizontal plane.

[0052] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, each of the at least two drive motors includes a stator and a rotor that substantially surrounds the periphery of the stator.

[0053] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the substrate transport apparatus further includes a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of extension or retraction of the at least one arm link.

[0054] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, a substrate transport apparatus is provided, the substrate transport apparatus including: a frame; and at least one arm rotatably connected to the frame, the arm having at least one upper arm and a forearm. The substrate transport apparatus also includes a shaftless drive section connected to the frame. The shaftless drive section includes at least one drive motor including a stator having at least two nested stator coils, an inner rotor substantially circumferentially surrounded by the stator, and an outer rotor substantially circumferentially surrounding the stator, whereby the inner rotor is connected to the forearm for rotating the forearm, and the outer rotor is connected to the upper arm for rotating the upper arm.

[0055] In accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosed embodiment, the substrate transport apparatus includes a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame and configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction generally perpendicular to a plane containing the direction of extension or retraction of the at least one arm link.

[0056] It should be understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Various alternatives and modifications may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, aspects of the disclosed embodiments are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the mere fact that different features are recited in mutually different dependent or independent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be advantageously used, and such combinations are within the scope of the inventive aspects.

Claims

1. The frame and at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame; an enclosed distributed drive section disposed substantially within the at least one arm link, the enclosed distributed drive section including at least two drive motors, one of the at least two drive motors connected to the at least one arm link for directly rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame, the at least two drive motors being enclosed motors disposed within the at least one arm link along a common horizontal plane; A substrate transport device comprising:

2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least two drive motors are sealed so as to share a common atmosphere.

3. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a seal is disposed between a motor rotor and a motor stator of each of the at least two drive motors.

4. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two drive motors includes a stator and a rotor that substantially surrounds the periphery of the stator.

5. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm and a forearm; At least one drive motor of the at least two drive motors includes a stator having at least two nested stator coils, an inner rotor substantially circumferentially surrounded by the stator, and an outer rotor substantially circumferentially surrounding the stator, the inner rotor being connected to the forearm to rotate the forearm, and the outer rotor being connected to the upper arm to rotate the upper arm. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. 2. The substrate transport device of claim 1, wherein the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal that can accommodate relative axial movement between the at least one arm link and the frame, the seal being located on one side of the at least one arm link, and the sealed distributed drive section being located on the other side of the at least one arm link.

7. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis; each of the at least two drive motors drives rotation of a respective one of the upper arm and the forearm; The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 .

8. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis; the enclosed distributed drive section includes three drive motors, each motor driving rotation of the upper arm, the forearm, and the at least one substrate holder, respectively; The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 .

9. 2. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame, the second drive section configured to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of extension and retraction of the at least one arm link.

10. A substrate transport method, the substrate transport method comprising: A substrate transport apparatus is provided, the substrate transport apparatus comprising: The frame and at least one arm link rotatably connected to the frame; an enclosed distributed drive section disposed substantially within the at least one arm link, the enclosed distributed drive section including at least two drive motors, the at least two drive motors being enclosed motors disposed along a common horizontal plane within the at least one arm link; and providing a substrate transport apparatus comprising: rotating the at least one arm link relative to the frame using one of the at least two drive motors, wherein one of the at least two drive motors is connected to the at least one arm link to effect direct rotation of the at least one arm link by one of the at least two drive motors; A method comprising:

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least two drive motors are sealed to share a common atmosphere.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein a seal is disposed between a motor rotor and a motor stator of each of the at least two drive motors.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the at least two drive motors includes a stator and a rotor that generally surrounds the stator.

14. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm and a forearm; At least one drive motor of the at least two drive motors includes a stator having at least two nested stator coils, an inner rotor substantially circumferentially surrounded by the stator, and an outer rotor substantially circumferentially surrounding the stator, the inner rotor being connected to the forearm to rotate the forearm, and the outer rotor being connected to the upper arm to rotate the upper arm. The method of claim 10.

15. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one arm link is connected to the frame by a seal capable of accommodating relative axial movement between the at least one arm link and the frame, the seal being located on one side of the at least one arm link and the enclosed distributed drive section being located on the other side of the at least one arm link.

16. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis; the method further comprising driving rotation of each of the upper arm and the forearm with a respective one of the at least two drive motors. The method of claim 10.

17. the at least one arm link includes an upper arm rotatably connected to the frame about a shoulder rotation axis, a forearm rotatably connected to the upper arm about an elbow rotation axis, and at least one substrate holder rotatably connected to the forearm about a wrist rotation axis; the enclosed distributed drive section includes three drive motors, the method further including driving rotation of each of the upper arm, the forearm, and the at least one substrate holder with a respective one of the three drive motors. The method of claim 10.

18. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: using a second drive section disposed at least partially within the frame to linearly move the at least one arm link in a direction generally perpendicular to a direction of extension and retraction of the at least one arm link.

19. The frame and at least one arm rotatably connected to the frame, the arm having at least an upper arm and a forearm; an enclosed distributed drive section disposed substantially within at least one of the upper arm and the forearm, the enclosed distributed drive section including at least two drive motors, one of the at least two drive motors directly connected to the at least one arm to directly drive movement of the at least one arm to extend and retract the at least one arm relative to the frame, the at least two drive motors being enclosed motors disposed along a common horizontal plane within the at least one of the upper arm and the forearm; A substrate transport device comprising:

20. The substrate transport apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the at least two drive motors are sealed so as to share a common atmosphere.

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