Pneumatic Pin Lifting Device for Vacuum Substrate Handling

The patent introduces support pins as intermediary elements between the robot arm and the substrate. The robot arm moves the pins rather than directly handling the substrate, allowing the substrate to be gently deposited onto the pins without direct contact. This intermediary mechanism eliminates impact forces and adhesion issues while maintaining precise positioning capability.

The substrate support function is segmented into multiple support pins distributed across the substrate surface. This segmentation distributes the substrate weight and allows independent control of each pin's position, enabling precise positioning while reducing localized stress and damage risk to the substrate.

The support pins are preliminarily positioned and extended to the substrate deposition position before the substrate arrives. The robot arm moves the pins into place in advance, so when the substrate is rapidly moved, it is gently received by the pre-positioned pins rather than experiencing sudden deceleration or adhesion forces.

The support pins serve as a mediator that decouples the rapid motion of the robot arm from the substrate. The pins can be rapidly repositioned without affecting the substrate, allowing fast processing cycles while the substrate remains stationary and undisturbed on the pins during processing.

The patent replaces electromagnetic drive systems with a pneumatic drive system for moving the support pins. Compressed air is used to actuate the pins through pneumatic cylinders, eliminating electromagnetic fields entirely while maintaining precise control capability through pneumatic pressure regulation and control valves.

The patent employs pneumatic actuators to drive the support pins into and out of the vacuum chamber. The pneumatic system uses compressed air delivered through feedthroughs to extend and retract the pins, providing precise positional control without generating electromagnetic interference with the vacuum processing equipment.