# US 10,504,763 B2 · Substrate transport vacuum platform > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,504,763 B2 - Document ID: US10504763B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/841,986 - Filed: 2017-12-14 - Published: 2018-04-19 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-09-09 - Assignees: Persimmon Technologies Corporation - Applicants: Persimmon Technologies, Corp. - Inventors: Christopher Hofmeister; Martin Hosek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504763B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices} - B25J 9/042: {comprising an articulated arm} - Y10S 901/27: Arm part - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A transport apparatus including a robot drive; an arm having a first end connected to the robot drive; and at least one end effector connected to a second end of the arm. The arm includes at least three links connected in series to, form the arm. The arm is configured to be moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among load locks and two or more sets of opposing process modules. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width; a robot drive connected to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is mounted to the substrate transport chamber at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber, where the location is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber; a robot arm having a first end connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and at least one end effector connected to a second end of the robot arm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus as in claim 1 where the at least one end effector comprises two end effectors connected to the second end of the robot arm, where the two end effectors are rotatable on the second end of the robot arm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An apparatus as in claim 1 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, and where the robot drive is configured to move the robot arm in a vertical direction by moving the coaxial drive shafts up and down. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus as in claim 1 where first and second ones of the links are located below a horizontal plane along a bottom of the process modules. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) An apparatus as in claim 1 where the substrate transport chamber comprises a chamber extension configured to be located at least partially between adjacent ones of the process modules, where the fixed singular location is located, at least partially, at the chamber extension. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus as in claim 1 where the robot drive is configured to be retained at the fixed singular location on the substrate transport chamber while the robot arm is moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among the at least one load lock and two or more sets of opposing ones of the process modules. ### Claim 7 An apparatus comprising: a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width; a robot drive connected to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is located at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber which is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber; a robot arm having a first end connected to the robot drive, where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and at least one end effector connected to a second end of the robot arm, where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, where the robot arm forms four axes of rotation including a first axis of rotation at the coaxial drive shafts, a second axis of rotation between a first one of the links and a second one of the links, a third axis of rotation between the second link and a third one of the links, a fourth axis of rotation between the third link and that at least one end effector. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An apparatus as in claim 7 where the apparatus is configured to constrain movement of the third axis of rotation to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) An apparatus as in claim 7 where the apparatus is configured to constrain movement of the third axis of rotation to a path parallel to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: providing a substrate transport chamber configured to have process modules and at least one load lock connected thereto, where the substrate transport chamber has a general elongate length extending along a centerline of the substrate transport chamber and a narrower width; connecting a robot drive to the substrate transport chamber, where the robot drive is mounted to the substrate transport chamber at a singular fixed location on the substrate transport chamber, where the location is offset from the centerline of the substrate transport chamber; connecting a robot arm to the robot drive, where a first end of the robot arm is connected to the robot drive, and where the robot arm comprises at least three links connected in series; and connecting at least one end effector to a second end of the robot arm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where the at least one end effector comprises two end effectors connected to the second end of the robot arm, where the two end effectors are rotatable on the second end of the robot arm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, where the robot arm forms four axes of rotation including a first axis of rotation at the coaxial drive shafts, a second axis of rotation between a first one of the links and a second one of the links, a third axis of rotation between the second link and a third one of the links, a fourth axis of rotation between the third link and that at least one end effector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A method as in claim 12 comprising constraining movement of the third axis of rotation to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) A method as in claim 12 comprising constraining movement of the third axis of rotation to a path parallel to the centerline of the substrate transport chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive comprises coaxial drive shafts at the singular fixed location, and where the robot drive is configured to move the robot arm in a vertical direction by moving the coaxial drive shafts up and down. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where first and second ones of the links are located below a horizontal plane along a bottom of the process modules. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where the substrate transport chamber comprises a chamber extension configured to be located at least partially between adjacent ones of the process modules, where the fixed singular location is located, at least partially, at the chamber extension. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) A method as in claim 10 where the robot drive is configured to be retained at the fixed singular location on the substrate transport chamber while the robot arm is moved by the robot drive to move the at least one end effector among the at least one load lock and two or more sets of opposing ones of the process modules.