Multi-Arm Substrate Transport Robot With Rotating Transfer Hands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate transport robots in semiconductor manufacturing are slow due to using both hands for wafer transfer and face interference risks during avoidance motions, necessitating additional space to prevent collisions with equipment structures.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transport robot with multiple robot arms and transfer hands, where each arm includes multiple hands that can operate independently or simultaneously, allowing for enhanced processing speed and avoidance of interference by rotating transfer hands to prevent collisions with equipment structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional substrate transport robot uses both hands for wafer transfer, then the transfer operation can be performed, but the processing speed becomes significantly slow
Solution Approach 1:
The robot arm is segmented into multiple independent transfer hands (first transfer hand and second transfer hand), allowing parallel operation for picking and placing substrates simultaneously, thereby doubling the processing speed compared to single-hand operation
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple transfer hands are combined on a single robot arm, integrating the functions of multiple hands into one arm structure, enabling simultaneous pick-and-place operations without requiring multiple separate robot arms
2Ease of operation
If the robot performs avoidance motions to navigate equipment space, then it can operate in confined areas, but there is a risk of collision with equipment sidewalls
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer hands are designed with dynamic rotation capability, allowing them to rotate in clockwise and counterclockwise directions based on real-time distance measurements to equipment walls, enabling adaptive avoidance motions that prevent collisions while maintaining operational flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
A distance measurement device provides real-time feedback on the distance between the transfer hand and equipment walls, allowing the control device to adjust the rotation direction and magnitude of the transfer hand to avoid collisions during avoidance motions
3Reliability
If additional space is provided to prevent collision during avoidance motions, then collision risk is reduced, but the equipment footprint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer hand performs self-protection by autonomously rotating away from potential collision zones based on distance feedback, eliminating the need for additional protective structures or increased spacing, thereby maintaining a compact equipment footprint while ensuring collision prevention
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transport robot capable of enhancing processing speed and avoiding interference with structures and a system including the substrate transport robot are provided. The substrate transport robot includes: one or more robot arms including transfer hands and transferring semiconductor substrates with the transfer hands; an arm driving module coupled to each of the robot arms and controlling the movement of each of the robot arms; and a horizontal/vertical movement module controlling the position movement of the arm driving module, wherein multiple robot arms are provided, and multiple transfer hands are included in each of the multiple robot arms.