Process apparatus with on-the-fly substrate centering

A method for aligning a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:

• providing a substrate station having an aperture closure for blocking a loading and unloading aperture of the station;
• at least unloading substrates from a substrate cassette, the unloaded substrates exiting the substrate cassette through the loading and unloading aperture along a substrate transfer plane so that the substrate cassette is unloaded;
• providing an apparatus including a door drive configured to remove a door of the substrate cassette to open the substrate cassette and for operating the aperture closure to open the loading and unloading aperture;
• and
• effecting, with at least one substrate alignment element disposed on a side of the aperture closure, registration of an alignment determinative characteristic of the substrates unloaded from the substrate cassette passing through the loading and unloading aperture on the substrate transfer plane, where the door drive moves the aperture closure and positions, with the aperture closure, the at least one substrate alignment element in a predetermined interaction position and orientation so that the at least one substrate alignment element interacts with substrates, from the predetermined interaction position and orientation, located on and traversing along the substrate transfer plane.