Sidewall mounted transport apparatus

Abstract

A substrate transport apparatus includes a sealed chamber and a robot installed in the sealed chamber. The robot has a multi-link arm having an end rotary joint, that is fixed in the sealed chamber and about which the multi-link arm rotates as a unit. The end rotary joint is based on a roller cart seated in a predetermined position in the sealed chamber and fixed in the predetermined position to the sealed chamber with a kinematic coupling so that the end rotary joint is fixed in the sealed chamber. With the kinematic coupling released, the roller cart, and the robot as a unit with the roller cart, rolls freely inside the sealed chamber to and from the predetermined position through a robot removal port disposed for insertion and removal of the roller cart and robot as a unit, via a coupling to a tug outside the sealed chamber.

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