Vacuum Substrate Transfer Robot With External Drive Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate transfer robots require large arm platforms for motor installation, making them bulky and difficult to maintain, and they struggle to maintain a sealed vacuum environment, leading to inefficiencies in installation area usage and prolonged repair times due to the need to disassemble link arms to access motors and speed reducers.
Innovation Solution
A compact substrate transfer robot design with a transfer arm platform featuring sealed coupling holes and locking members, and link arms with integrated driving motors and speed reducers, allowing for a sealed vacuum structure and reduced installation area requirements, enabling efficient substrate transfer and maintenance within a vacuum chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the driving motor is installed inside the sealed arm platform structure, then the robot can maintain a sealed vacuum environment, but the arm platform becomes large and bulky requiring more installation area
Solution Approach 1:
The driving motor is extracted from the sealed arm platform structure and installed externally on the vacuum chamber wall. This allows the arm platform to maintain its sealed vacuum environment while reducing its size, as the motor is no longer contained within the sealed structure.
2Ease of operation
If the speed reducer is installed in each link arm, then the link arms can achieve precise rotational movement, but the installation and maintenance become difficult requiring disassembly of link arms
Solution Approach 1:
The speed reducer is extracted from the link arm structure and integrated with the driving motor in an external configuration. This allows the speed reducer to maintain precise rotational control while being externally accessible for easy installation, maintenance, and repair without requiring disassembly of the link arms.
3Reliability
If the driving motor is installed in the arm platform, then the robot can operate in vacuum, but repair and maintenance take long time due to disassembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The driving motor and speed reducer are both extracted from the sealed arm platform structure and installed externally on the vacuum chamber wall. This configuration maintains the vacuum operation capability through the sealed platform while enabling quick access to motors and speed reducers for rapid maintenance and repair without time-consuming disassembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transfer robot for transferring a substrate in a vacuum chamber, includes: a transfer arm platform having coupling holes, each compartmentalized into a lower and an upper space, wherein a link connecting member with blades is engaged at a front area of the transfer arm platform and a support shaft of a lower support is inserted into the lower space of one of the coupling holes; and a first and a second transfer arm part each including an end effector for supporting the substrate, multiple transfer link arms and subordinate link arms, and a common link arm that are connected to each other or to the transfer arm platform, wherein, for each transfer arm part, drive shafts, interlocked with transfer driving motors or speed reducers installed on one of the transfer link arms, and output shafts interlocked with the drive shafts are installed on the transfer link arms.