Substrate Transport Robot Hand Axis Offset for Wall Interference
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate transport robots experience reduced throughput due to complex arm motions required to prevent hands from interfering with chamber walls during substrate transfer, leading to inefficiencies in transitioning between transfer processes.
Innovation Solution
A substrate transport robot with a horizontal articulated arm and rotatable hands, where the controller manages the arm and hands to move the hand axis away from the center line of the opening, preventing interference with chamber walls, allowing for simplified exit and entry processes and improved throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the arm makes complex motions to prevent the rotating hand from interfering with chamber walls, then the hand does not interfere with walls, but the throughput of the substrate transport robot decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hand axis position is predetermined to be offset from the center line of the opening before the hand rotation operation. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the hand rotates after exiting the storage chamber, it will not interfere with the chamber walls, eliminating the need for complex corrective arm motions and improving throughput.
2Reliability
If the hand remains close to the center line during exit process, then the hand does not interfere with storage chamber surfaces, but the hand axis must be moved away from center line for subsequent rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The hand axis is preliminarily positioned away from the center line during the exit process, before the hand rotation operation begins. This advance positioning prepares the system for smooth hand rotation without wall interference, eliminating the need for complex post-rotation adjustments and simplifying the overall operation sequence.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transport robot includes: a base installed inside a transport chamber; an arm; a first hand and a second hand rotatable about a vertical hand axis and configured to support a substrate; and a controller. The controller performs: a first transfer process of causing the first hand to enter from the transport chamber into a storage chamber, and transferring the substrate between the first hand and a placing portion in the storage chamber; an exit process of causing the first hand to exit the storage chamber into the transport chamber; and a second transfer process of causing the second hand to enter from the transport chamber into the storage chamber. In the exit process, the hand axis moves away from a center line of an opening, such that the hand axis is farther from the center line than a reference position of the first hand is.